Denied the chance (The Script fanfic)

Denied The Chance

I wake up the next morning with a wide grin set upon my face. Memories of the previous night come flooding back. Out of habit, I had stopped to say goodbye to Danielle, but, before I got the chance to begin, Danny performed a little speech.

'Hi Danielle, it's your da here. I want you to know that, although I haven't been there for your mother over the last few years, I am here now. For both of you. And I love you both. Although, you probably hate me for not doing this sooner.'

Just thinking about his declaration brought tears to my eyes. And, for the first time in years, they were happy tears.

After showering and getting dressed, I dance my way down the stairs, singing along to the radio as I go.

'Good morning!' I chirp whilst shimmying my way into the kitchen.

'Someone's in a good mood this morning..' Jenny replies, a knowing smile on her face. Smirking, I ignore her comment and sing along to the Lily Allen song on the radio.

'The sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?' Satisfied that I have rubbed it in enough, I decide to do a typical Ellowyn. I saunter over and steal the piece of toast that she is about to eat and take a massive bite, taking it that step further. Childishly she sticks her tongue out, before declaring at the top of her lungs.

'I love this one!' And proceeding to turn the volume to full and singing at the top of her voice. Instantly recognising the song, I have no choice but to join in.

'Dreaming's all I do, if only they'd come true! I should be so lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky; I should be so lucky in love!' Oh come on, you can't beat a bit of old school music on a Tuesday morning! For the next few minutes we dance around the kitchen, lost in the music and the memories it holds. At the end of the song we collapse onto the dining chairs. Strangely, I have lost any appetite I had for the now abandoned piece of toast.

Suddenly, a new beat pulses through the room as I sense another presence outside the room. I recognise the song and my already overgrown smile widens even further. Just as the vocals are about to start a dark haired, blue eyed Irish men slides through the door, singing so loud that it almost drowns out the radio.

'I've got the power!!' Glen starts to almost breakdance, slipping and sliding around on the tiled floor, sending myself and Jenny into a whirlwind of breathless laughing. He comes over and grabs our hands, pulling us both to our feet. We join in with his hectic dance moves, singing and rapping along with the music.

By the end of the song we are all out of breath. Glen falls onto a chair, while Jenny walks over to turn the volume down. Still smiling, I follow her and whisper in her ear, successfully startling her.

'So, I'm guessing you two are getting quite serious now. That's two nights in a row...' Sensing her embarrassment, I let out a slight giggle.

'Did I miss something?' Glen asks, looking a tad bewildered.

'Oh..um..It's just..um..Ell can you explain?' Jenny begs, once more I laugh at how flustered she is. Just at that moment my mobile rings.

'Sorry gotta get that. Good luck!' I call, walking out the room to answer my phone.

'Hello?' I answer, an amused hint in my voice.

'Hi Ellowyn, it's me Danny.'

'Danny? Danny who?' Smiling even more, I decide to play the blank card.

'Danny! Danny O'Donoghue!'

'No sorry, I still don't know who you are.' Mock confusion laced through my voice. I hear him sigh on the other end. The sound of him thinking is almost audible.

'Oh wait! Danny O'Donoghue did you say?' There is a momentary pause and I can imagine him nodding, before actually answering.

'Yep that's me.'

'The Irish one?'

'Yep, look can you get Ellowyn for me please?' The exaggeration of my slight Welsh accent obviously fooled him.

'So you're the one off that tv show, with Tom Jones?'

'Yep.' Danny's voice is snappy, showing how agitated he has become.

'The one with the big hair?'

'Yes.'

'The one who people think is super hot when really...' I change my accent to imitate his strong Dublin one. 'I've got a face like a foot.'

'Oh haha WynKay!'

'Hey! Don't call me that!' I say, sulking.

'Anyway, I was calling to ask, can we meet up again?'

'Sure, when and where?'

'Say, the cherry tree that we sat by last night in about ten minutes?'

'Sounds good to me, see you in a bit.' We say our goodbyes and I let Jenny know that I'm going out, before making my way to the graveyard.

Fifteen minutes later and I'm sat on the floor, at the foot of the cherry tree. I sit waiting for another five minutes before pulling out my phone.

'Sorry I'm late, traffic was mental.' I hear, What a poor excuse. Danny approaches the tree with a...picnic basket?

'You don't even drive Daniel!' I snap. He laughs at me! How dare he?! In return, I send him my most menacing glare, making him squirm satisfyingly.

'I bought a picnic.' He says, attempting to lighten the mood. He pulls a polka dot blanket from the hamper. Wait, where have I seen this blanket before? It doesn't look old, in fact, other than the small grass stains, I would have said it was pretty brand spanking new...

'And I didn't know which food to get, so I thought I'd play it safe...' Carefully, he pulls out a Starbucks cup. I can't even consider how he managed to keep that in there without it leaking. Next, comes a toasty warm sausage roll, followed by my favourite, a jumbo Mars bar! Hungrily, I grab the Mars from his hands. Who says savoury always has to go first, huh?

'Before you shovel all that down your throat, there is one more thing which I need to do. Go over and say hello to Danielle, I'll be two minutes.' I jump to my feet, walking over to my-our- daughter's grave. For once, I smile, greeting her in a cheerful voice. I sense Danny's presence behind me and turn to acknowledge him. As soon as I lay eyes on him, my mouth drops open as realisation hits me like a tonne of bricks.

'It was you all along!' I declare, feeling an overwhelming rush of affection. Danny walks even closer, before setting the object in his hand at the bottom of Danielle's headstone. A single red rose. He rearranges the flower display, surrounding the white rose with the eleven red roses. How did I not guess sooner? A dozen roses, one of them white, standing out from the others. Just like how Shay, Danny's father, used to get bouquets for Ailish, Danny's mother. A single tear glides down my cheek, a tear of remembrance and untold tales.

Once more my emotions overwhelm me; my heart overpowering my brain. I do the one thing that I have waited to do for over ten years.l

I kiss him.

~*~

Sitting under the cherry tree, the sun shining through the gaps in the leaves. This is where I belong, cuddled up to the man that I have never stopped loving. The man who never stopped loving me. Maybe if I'd have told the truth things would be different now. Maybe I'd be sitting under a different tree, one in Dublin. Maybe Danielle would be running around, being chased by her daddy. But I know one thing for sure. We will never get to find out what could have been.

Everyone dies, but not everyone is lucky enough to live. For some reason, Danielle had finished the race before she even got to the start line. Our baby girl wasn't able to live a fun loving life. She was denied the chance.