"Hansi?"
At the sound of his name being called, Hans averted his attention towards his twin with a curious look across his features.
"The other day, you told me you had something to tell Dani," Greta continued as she watched her brother with a careful look in her eyes.
A look of remembrance flashed across Hans' features before it was replaced by nervousness. "Mmm, I don't know if I can say," he said as he looked down at his hands.
Immediately, Greta and Dani shared a look of worry.
"What do you mean, Hans? Why wouldn't you be able to say anything?" Greta asked and frowned as he shook his head. "Hey...Hey, it's okay, Bär. You're safe here, remember?"
Dani's own lips curved into a frown as Hans sniffed and looked up at them with tearful eyes.
Greta quickly got up from her chair to sit beside and wrap her arm around him. "Hey, hey, hey, no. It's okay, Hansi. It's okay. I'm right here. You're safe. We're not going to let anything happen to you," she said to him while rubbing his arms.
Sadness washed over Dani's features as she watched Hans nod before he sniffed and looked at her as he said, "Um...mm...Ella?"
"It's okay, Hans," Dani reassured him as she reached over to grab his hand. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Hans shook his head. "No...No, I...I have to or else...or else," he shook his head again, which caused Dani to frown at Greta, who gave her the same look of worry.
"The mean...The mean lady's going to...mm I can't say it, " Hans then said and shook his head at Greta. "I can't say it, Hase.."
Greta immediately pulled her brother into her arms while Dani rubbed her thumb over his hand in comfort as tears ran down his cheeks.
"It's okay, Bär...Shh, it's okay. It's okay," Greta told him and kissed his head.
"Mm...I don't want...I don't want her to hurt Ella," Hans mumbled as his head was still on his twin's shoulder.
Dani's eyebrows furrowed as she shared a look of concern with Greta.
"You don't want who to hurt me, Hans?" she questioned in a gentle tone, which caused him to avert his eyes to her.
"The mean lady...She said-...no," he shook his head once more, "Mm, I can't, Ella. She said...She said if I did...she was going to hurt Hase."
Hans let out a sob at the thought of his twin getting hurt, which caused her to rock him in her arms as she said, "Shh shh, buggy. It's okay. No one's going to hurt me, okay?"
"Oh Hans, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anything else if you don't want to," Dani reassured him as she moved over to the other side of him.
Hans sniffed and lifted his head to look at her as he said, "But you're going to be mad at me..."
"What? I could never be mad at you, Hans," Dani said with a shake of her head. "I don't even think it's possible for me to get mad at you."
"You're telling me," Greta agreed with a small smile.
"So...So you're not...mad at me?" Hans asked with a sniff.
"Of course not, Hans. You're my best friend!!" Dani said with a smile.
Hans's features slightly lit up as he asked, "I am?... I'm still your best friend?"
"Of course you are! We're best friends forever, right?" Dani asked with a slight tilt of her head as the smile remained on her face, and it only widened as Hans' features noticeably brightened.
"Yeah...Yeah!! We're best friends forever, Ella!!" he said before throwing himself into her arms.
Dani laughed softly as she hugged him back tightly.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, Ella," Hans then said, and Dani's eyes averted to Greta, who returned her saddened look as she watched them.
"Oh, it's okay, Hans. You don't have to apologize, I understand," she told him and placed a kiss on his cheek as they pulled away.
Hans squeezed Dani's hands with a small smile before it slowly fell as he said, "Will you...Will you promise me...that you'll be safe?" he shook his head as he squeezed her hands again, "I don't want you to get hurt, Ella...You or...Or Mikey."
Furrowing her brows a little at his mention of Mikey, Dani nodded and masked her confusion with a smile as she said, "I promise, Hans. I won't let myself, or Mikey or even Greta, get hurt, okay? I'll keep us safe."
"Okay," Hans said with a nod.
His features then lit up again as he asked, "Hey! Do you wanna do a puzzle now?"
He then turned his head to Greta, who held a look of amusement, and asked, "Hase, can we do puzzles now?"
Greta laughed and nodded. "Of course we can, Bär! Which one do you want to do?"
Hans tilted his head in thought as his sister got up to walk over to the shelf.
"Hmm...I want the Spongebob one!" he said with a smile and turned to Dani with curious eyes. "Do you want to do the Spongebob one, Ella?"
A beat went by as Dani pretended to ponder over the question before a smile curved on her lips as she nodded and said, "The Spongebob one sounds like fun."
"Yay!!" Hans exclaimed with a broad smile as Greta walked back over with the puzzle in hand.
Dani's own smile grew in size at the genuine excitement in his tone.
It had been quite a while since the last time the two had seen each other, and yet, it was as if nothing between them had changed. Hans was the perfect break Dani had needed from all the chaos that had been happening to her. His innocence was like a breath of fresh air and she dreaded the moment she'd have to face reality again.
✧
The sound of a raspberry being blown erupted in the seemingly empty parking lot as Dani placed a small box of cupcakes in the passenger's seat of her car. On her way home, she had decided to surprise Frankie with one of his favorite desserts since she'd realized that the two hadn't been spending that much time together as of late, and to say that she had missed him would be an understatement.
Closing the door, Dani let out a horrified gasp as she was instantly met with the reflection of an all too familiar figure in the window. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she quickly turned around and closed her eyes in relief at the sight of nothing behind her.
"Breathe Dani...He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore," she mumbled while trying to get her breathing back on track.
Another gasp left her mouth as the sound of his voice suddenly filled her ears.
"Are you sure about that, Little Red?"
A scream filled the parking lot as Dani opened her eyes to see Henry Wolff right in front of her with a smirk on his face. All air seemed to vanish from her lungs as her body began to tremble the more she stared into his eyes. Henry's eyes twinkled as Dani's lips parted in a desperate attempt at giving her the oxygen she needed while her hands had started to resemble that of a claw machine. The hard, rough feeling of asphalt welcomed her knees harshly as she slowly collided with the ground, and it wasn't until her eyes suddenly connected with a familiar shade of brown that she'd realized someone had captured her in their arms.
"Daniella?!... Daniella!!" the disoriented voice filled her ears as her brain tried to connect a face to the blurred vision before her. "Dani, breathe, sweetheart. I need you to breathe!"
A weak whimper slipped past Dani's lips as she attempted to do what the voice had told her.
"Come on, Ella Bella. Breathe in for me. Please, baby, I need you to breathe."
Slowly, Dani's fingers began to wrap themselves around the person's shirt as her body slightly relaxed at the sound of the familiar nickname that fluttered past her ears.
"Dadda!!"
A three-year-old curly-haired toddler grinned widely as she stood at the front door and watched as it opened to reveal the equally smiling face of her father.
"There's my Ella Bella!!" Trevor Barnes exclaimed as he easily scooped his daughter up into his arms after walking inside. "Daddy's pretty girl!!"
Dani squealed loudly as she happily allowed her father to place multiple kisses across her face.
A lone tear ran down Dani's cheek as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply until the sudden feeling of a finger on her cheek instantly caused her to jump as she opened her eyes and turned her head to meet the worried stare of Trevor Barnes.
"You're okay."
It wasn't just a statement of reassurance for Dani, but one for him as well. The clear sound of fear in his tone confirmed that which was why she was quick to push herself away from him. A look of hurt immediately washed across his features at the action, but Dani shook away the guilt as she pressed her hand against the door of her car to pull herself up from the ground.
"Don't," she said as he quickly made a move to help her once she started to sway. "Just don't okay? I don't need you. I...I don't want your help!!"
"Ella-"
"No!!" Dani shouted as she met his saddened gaze. "Don't think you've earned that because you stalked me at the right time!! Why are you still here?! Why can't you just go away?!"
Tears formed in Trevor's eyes as he shook his head and said, "I'm not leaving you again, Daniella. Not this time."
"Oh. So now you decide to be a father," Dani said with a scoff and shook her head. "You're so pathetic! Helping me through one tough time does not excuse everything you said at our house that night!"
"Daniella please-"
"You called my dad a murderer," she said as tears formed in her eyes. "You threw my sister's death right in front of his face! And then you tried to claim he'd kill me and my brother! What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you say that?!"
Trevor shook his head and said, "I...I wasn't thinking straight. I was angry and I let it take control of me-"
"Being angry at my dad for being able to do what you couldn't do is never justifying the fact that you said he killed his own daughter," Dani said. "What if the roles were reversed and what happened to her happened to me?! How would you feel if the same things you said to him were said to you?!"
Trevor looked away in shame. "I...I never-"
"Thought about it that way? Yeah, I know," Dani said. "And then you accused Mom of being a bad mother? The same bad mother who's been trying her absolute hardest to raise the child you abandoned for fame and money? The only bad parent here is you, Trevor. Look in the damn mirror for once."
The hurt hit him like a truck. Dani could see it in the way his features had visibly fallen as her words registered in his mind. Trevor Barnes had been broken...and Dani was the one who had made the impact.
"David Richards is my father. He's been my father for the past ten years and is the only one that matters to me," Dani's gaze remained on Trevor's with every word she said, and though it may have been morbid to say, she had enjoyed every bit of pain that showed in his eyes.
"You became nothing to me the very second you decided I wasn't enough. The very second you decided that her word meant more to you than your daughter's. The very same daughter you stand here and claim to love now, but when you had the chance to make things right, you chose to make things worse by speaking ill of her brother and dead stepsister," her eyes narrowed as she clutched her keys in her hand, "So you can go back to your wife and tell her she's gotten exactly what she wanted...because Daniella Janine Richards wants nothing to do with you anymore."
Before Trevor could even try to utter a word out, Dani walked around him to get to the driver's side of her car and hop in.
He had already messed things up again, Dani, she wiped at her face as she turned the key in the ignition, You're doing what's right for you. He deserved it. Make him feel what you felt the day he took her word instead of yours.
The day he decided that you just weren't enough.
With one last sigh, Dani's foot slowly pressed on the gas as she made her way out of the parking lot and headed towards home. Her hands were tightly gripped on the steering wheel as she tried desperately to ignore the nagging part of her mind that wanted to go back and make things right with Trevor.
He didn't deserve that.
He didn't deserve her.
✧
"Do you need me to come over?"
A soft sigh left Dani's mouth as she shook her head and said, "No, babe. Spend some time with your uncle. I'll be fine."
"Yeah? Well, you don't sound fine. What's wrong, Dans? Where are you?"
"Outside in my car," Dani mumbled as she sat back in her seat.
As soon as she had shut her car off, the aftermath of her panic attack had finally settled over her, and she could feel another one slowly try to make its appearance. Fortunately, Mikey had called just in time to distract the girl's mind and calm her nerves down...Unfortunately, he could hear that something was wrong as soon as she had answered the phone and immediately began to question her about it.
Shuffling sounded on Mikey's end of the call before he said, "Why are you outside, baby? Where's everyone else?"
"I wanted to surprise Frankie with cupcakes," Dani said with a shrug before sighing. "I'm fine, Mikey. You stopped me before I could have another one."
And she immediately winced as her brain had registered the slip she'd made. "Damn it..."
"I what?!"
Another sigh left Dani's mouth as she could hear more shuffling on the phone. "Mikey-"
"Where were you when it happened?! Was there anyone there with you?! Why were you alone?!"
Dani sighed in frustration and said, "Mikey baby, calm down. It's over and I'm fine!! You're worrying for nothing!!"
"Worrying for-...You having a fucking panic attack at the grocery store isn't nothing, Dani! I'm coming over."
"No, you're staying home!!" Dani said as she sat up in her seat. "Mikey, stop worrying!! I'm literally right outside my house. Look, I'll even get out and go inside for you."
"How do you expect me to not worry, Dani?! Something could've happened to you and I-...No one would know to help you because there was no one there! God, I hate being away from you."
"You can't keep me under your little microscope forever, Mikey," Dani said with a roll of her eyes as she grabbed the box of cupcakes and shut the passenger's door. "I'm not a fucking child. So stop treating me like one."
Regret immediately washed over her as she paused in her step and said, "Wait, babe-"
"Me caring deeply about my girlfriend's wellbeing isn't treating her like a child. Are you forgetting that you died?! That you've been having nightmares again? Why don't you stop acting like you can handle everything by yourself and take the fucking help that people try to give to you!!"
Dani closed her eyes with a sigh and said, "Mikey-"
"This is exactly what I was talking about that day in the hospital! Are we really going to just keep going around in circles, Dani? Is that what you want?!"
"No, Mikey, no, that's not what I want," Dani said while shaking her head. "I just-...I don't want-...It's complicated."
"Is it really? Because the message seems pretty clear to me. You don't want my help? Fine, I won't give it to you. Enjoy your night."
"Mikey," Dani said while changing her stance. "Wait, don't-
"We didn't go through everything we did just to end up back where we started, Dans. I don't want to do this with you. I hate it. And right now I'm feeling quite pissed off, so I'm going to end this before it gets worse."
"But I-
"Goodnight, Dani. I'll see you tomorrow...I love you."
The sound of the phone hanging up stopped Dani from saying anything else, and tears formed in her eyes as she pulled her phone away from her ear. As soon as she stepped inside the house, Dani immediately headed towards the back hall after setting Frankie's cupcakes on the table.
Michelle looked up with curious eyes as the door opened before she frowned as her daughter walked inside. "Dani baby? What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked as she got up from her chair.
"I...Everything's going wrong, Momma," Dani said before a broken sob left her mouth as she began to cry.
"Shh, honey. Come here, come tell me what's happened," Michelle said as she walked them over to the couch.
"I...I had a panic attack at the grocery store," Dani mumbled with a sniff.
Michelle's eyes immediately widened as she said, "What?! And you didn't call me?! How did you get home?!"
"Trevor was there...he helped me calm down," Dani said in a quiet tone while avoiding her mother's gaze.
"He...He did?" Michelle asked. "Baby, look at me..."
Dani lifted her head to meet her mother's unreadable expression. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I...I went off at him for all the things he said that night," Dani said and shook her head. "And I told him I wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but...but why does it hurt, Momma? Why can't I hate him for everything he's done?"
"Oh Dani baby," Michelle murmured while grabbing the girl's hand. "I know what he said wasn't okay. And nothing in this world will ever justify it, but...your relationship with him is far different from ours. It's okay that you're feeling conflicted right now, baby. That doesn't make you a bad person."
"I just can't believe he said all those horrible things," Dani said with a sniff. "I should've stopped loving him after he took her word over mine. He never cared about me. He never cared about me at all if he was willing enough to hurt the people I love the most."
"Dani baby, I know what he said was wrong. And I'm not saying you should forgive him for it because that's your decision to make, but I know for a fact that that man loves and cares for you deeply," Michelle said. "He may not show it in the best ways at times, but he does, and that is one thing about him that I know will never change."
Dani frowned. "But he took her side, Momma," she said and shook her head. "And I know he's apologized, but how can I trust his words when he's been with her all this time? When just the other week he was spewing all of that hatred at Dad just because he's jealous of my relationship with him? I love him, Mom, I really do, but I just don't think I can be around him anymore...Or at least for right now."
"And that's very understandable, baby," Michelle said with a nod. "These are your feelings, and this is your decision to make. I'm not going to judge you for them, and neither will anyone else."
Dani nodded and rubbed at her eyes. "Do you think Dad will be mad at me because I still love him?"
"What? Sweetie, no. No, no, no, he won't be mad at you for that," Michelle said with a shake of her head. "He could never be mad about that. He understands, and he knows that you have enough love in your heart for them both. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"I just don't want him to feel like I don't love him anymore," Dani said with a sniff. "Or that I won't need him...I'll always need him, Mom. He saved me. I could never imagine him not being in my life."
Michelle nodded and said, "And I'm sure he knows that, sweetie. Maybe you two should talk about this together. Does he know you've been feeling this way?"
Dani shook her head. "No...I've been too afraid to bring it up...but can we change the subject for now? There's something else I want to talk to you about. And I think it's really important."
"Okay," Michelle said with a slow nod. "What else is going on, Dani baby?"
Dani's eyes closed with a sigh as she prepared herself for what she was about to say. "The reason why I had a panic attack is because...I saw Henry in the parking lot..."
"You...You what?!" Michelle asked with furrowed brows and shook her head. "Dani baby...that's impossible...Henry is dead now, honey."
"I know," Dani said with a nod. "I know that...but today in my session, Mrs.Locks talked to me about PTSD..."
Michelle sucked in a breath and said, "And you might have it..."
Tears formed in Dani's eyes as she nodded and said, "Hallucinations are a common symptom...and tonight wasn't the first night that I saw him..."
Michelle frowned. "What? What do you mean it wasn't the first time?"
"The hospital," Dani mumbled while looking back down at their hands. "I saw him on the playground...and when I went to the bathroom...I hallucinated blood coming out of the faucet..."
"Oh my God," Michelle said as horror washed over her features. "Dr.S...he talked to me and David about this...That with everything that's happened to you, there would be a high chance that you could have it but I had no idea it would be this severe!"
"Mom," Dani said with a frown. "It's okay, you know...I'll be okay. I have you. And I have Dad. And I have Frankie...I have all of you to keep me feeling okay."
Michelle sniffed and smiled softly as she nodded and said, "Yes, you do...And you always will. We love you so much, Dani baby, you know that?"
Dani nodded. "I do," she said with a sniff. "And I love you guys too. More than you'll ever know."
She then looked down and asked, "Will...Will you guys be there for me tomorrow? For my appointment with Dr.S?"
"Of course, we will, honey. We wouldn't be anywhere else," Michelle said while bringing the girl into a hug. "We'll be with you for every step of the way. I promise."
Dani smiled as her mother kissed her head. "I love you, Momma," she murmured and laid her head on the woman's shoulder.
Michelle laid her head on her daughter's with a smile and said, "Oh how I love you, my sweet Dani baby."