"I don't know what you want me to do, Henley. Why is this my fault?"

He watched her throw her hands up in the air and turn away from him in frustration, her red hair brushing against the back of her jet black jacket. In any other circumstance he'd be admiring how it fit her just right at every curve or how her skin nearly radiated in the day's last rays of sunlight sneaking through the window of the studio apartment or how her eyes seemed especially dark and hypnotizing that day. But at this point Daniel was too busy trying to prove his point- something he admittedly took too seriously sometimes. But despite the fact that he knew he was being more of an asshole about the matter than he needed to be, Danny persisted in proving he was right.

"It's not, you're just not making it any better!" she yelled back at him.

"Look, we have our orders. We-"

"Follow them. I got it, I know. But we've been waiting around for nearly a year now and nothing. How do we even know the eye is real at this point?"

"I-" Danny tried to cut in but Henley just talked even louder which told him she was even more upset than he had thought. Usually he's the one demanding the floor, not stopping until he got every last word he needed out in the air.

"Especially with the over precautions. Danny, you're driving all of us insane."

"We have to take extra precautions-"

"We are barely allowed out of the apartment!" she yelled, gesturing towards the door where Merritt and Jack sat on a sofa nearby, pretending not to be listening but there really weren't any barriers keeping them from seeing and hearing every last bit of Henley and Danny's argument. They usually tried to stay out of it the best they could, however.

"It's one thing to go out for a while safely and another to be completely reckless and idiotic!"

"I was going for a walk!"

"Alone!"

"To get away from you for a while, because I can't stand the constant condescending comments and controlling orders anymore."

"Henley, I-"

"Danny, I just can't wait around any longer. Not like this." Henley said, her voice dropping to a calmer tone as her eyes connected with his. Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair, brushing the few locks that escaped out of his eyes.

"Well then let me see if I can get ahold of Dylan and we can figure out-" he started to attempt forming a compromise or at least something to keep her at bay so she could calm down and start thinking clearly again.

"I think I need to go." she said quietly. It was enough to stop him mid sentence though, a pang ripping through his chest. Did he hear her right?

"Wh- what?"

To be completely honest, this was one of the only times Danny had been rendered nearly speechless. His chest tightened and suddenly a billion thoughts went through his head as he played through the situations that could present themselves next.

She could just be being dramatic (not a stretch to say about Henley) and will calm down within the next ten minutes. Possibly she means just get out for a while? He knew she felt cooped up. "This isn't living" she had complained multiple times to him.

The other possibility ran through his mind as well. He just didn't want to accept it. Especially not now with how… close they had gotten over the past 10 months or so. She'd even said he was the only reason she felt like she could bear some of the endless days of boredom. He felt the same about her, but…

"I'm- I'm leaving." she choked out, her eyes now brimmed with tears.

Danny stayed completely still. He couldn't hear the murmur of Merritt and Jack in the background any longer either. The entire room was completely frozen in time and all eyes were on the female horseman.

When no one said anything, she turned and slowly made her way to her room. Danny could hear the unzipping of her suitcase. It had the same effect as nails on a chalkboard would. He cringed and his chest tightened further, his mind going absolutely nuts.

She couldn't leave, she wouldn't. Not after all the four of them had been through. Henley was too smart tow all away, wasn't she? But Danny knew somewhere deep down it wasn't a matter of wit and sensibility. The past year had confused her and tested her faith. It had in everyone, but Henley was much more of a free spirit. She couldn't sit still for long, especially not with Daniel pushing her away with the tight reins he had on the team.

"Um…" Jack muttered from behind Danny. "Is she… is she serious?" he asked tentatively as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Daniel didn't move from his spot, watching the threshold of Henley's room in which she disappeared. He wanted to run in there and stop her at all costs whether it required shameless begging or not, but his couldn't will himself to do anything.

Henley reappeared with her bag in hand, her gloved hand gripping the handle loosely as if she didn't have the strength to even get a firm grasp anymore. Her makeup was slightly smeared underneath her eyes which were red, bringing out the color of her irises. Her shoulders slumped below her usual confident posture and hadn't even bothered with her trademark red lipstick. Danny had seldom seen her look so defeated. That in itself twisted his stomach in knots. Had he done this to her?

Without a word, Henley gave Danny one last pained look before brushing past him towards the door. Daniel still couldn't move. He just remained staring at the place where she had stood a moment ago, trying to figure out something, anything to do.

"Henley… you know, you don't have to leave." Jack said. Daniel listened to the light sniffle of Henley's response.

"Yeah, kid. Not when this god forsaken group of freaks was just beginning to feel like family." Merritt said slightly joking, but with traces of pain in his voice.

"I'm sorry. You guys will always be my family. It's not goodbye, I just… I need to figure stuff out alone now." Henley choked out. Danny could hear the rustling of clothes as there were hugs exchanged behind him.

Move it, Altlas. What the hell are you doing? He thought to himself. His mind screamed at him to do something; to turn around and convince her to stay, to apologize, to kiss her and hope not to get slapped. He didn't know, but he couldn't just watch her leave.

"Hen." he finally blurted out, turning to see her look over at him expectantly. They all were waiting for him to say something. Danny himself was waiting for the words to come.

"I-"

He stuttered out as she walked closer to him, her black heeled boots clicking with each step. As she closed the gap between them to about two feet, he looked down into her wet eyes and shook his head.

"Don't go." he whispered. He didn't care how much pride he had to give up to spit out those two pained words. He didn't care that he had pages and pages of things that he meant to say instead of that one short phrase. All he could think of was her leaving. Henley was leaving.

"I'm sorry." she repeated, reaching a hand up to cup the side of his face gently. "But I can't wait any longer." she whispered back. Suddenly Danny knew she wasn't just talking about waiting for the eye to tell them their next move. She was talking about them: her and Danny. While they had grown closer, Daniel hadn't let anything progress too far just yet. There was a number of things holding him back like the fact that… well, he couldn't think of any right now but that was just because his mind was scattered at the moment. That's what he told himself anyway. Bottomline he was afraid. He was scared to move to something more but he couldn't bring a real reason to the table.

"I told you-" she said, running her thumb across his cheek as another tear escaped her. "It's not goodbye. Just for now."

And with that, Henley turned and with one last hug to Merritt and Jack, she opened the door and left.

A thick silence weighed in the air after that. Danny's eyes were still glued to the spot she had just stood in, touching his face and saying her goodbyes, despite her claim that that's not what they were. Daniel wasn't stupid. He knew the way she'd make things sound better than they really were to comfort others. The fact was that she was gone. She left them. She left him.

"Danny-" Merritt said, making Daniel aware that both Merritt and Jack were looking at him sadly now, knowing this was hitting him the hardest. Danny couldn't stand that though: the sympathetic pitying stares of others with their condescending tones they mistake for comfort or consolation.

Daniel turned slowly and stiffly, reaching into his inner jacket pocket to pull out a deck of cards to mindlessly shuffle as he just barely put one foot in front of the other to disappear into his room, closing the door shut behind him.

~X~

Two days went by and Danny still hadn't left the four walls he had enclosed himself in ever since she left. He mostly subconsciously went through small tricks he needed no practice on whatsoever. His mind was elsewhere though, running through every detail and trying to figure out how it all went so wrong. It wasn't remembering the bickering between them that stung him the most though, no. It was every sweet moment they shared ever since officially joining the eye. Ever since they entwined their fingers together before jumping onto the carousel that changed everything. Danny wouldn't call it a good change anymore either.

They wouldn't let go of each other that night. Whether it was out of excitement or from relief of being alive or just because it felt so right even though it was just his hand wrapped around hers. He remembered exactly how his stomach had flipped just from the simple gesture. He had wanted nothing more to wrap his arms around her and finally get the kiss he knew they both had wanted for the longest time, but with everything changing so quickly and with their emotions heightened he didn't want to do anything she'd later regret…

Now that he thought about it though, he really should've. Why did he have to over complicate everything?

Throughout the past months she wouldn't be afraid to get closer and closer. Whenever he'd be practicing a small card trick she'd come up behind him and rest her head on his shoulder, watching his every move and distracting him a lot more than he'd have like to admit.

When the four of them would watch movies together she'd come sit next to him as if it was to be automatically assumed that that was her spot anyway. She stretch her legs across his lap or she'd lay her head on his shoulder like it was the most casual thing in the world. His friends always made fun of his need to control everything. Maybe that's why she intimidated him so much sometimes. Whenever it came to her he felt completely and utterly out of control, like she could make him do anything she wanted if she really wanted to. It terrified him. It was why he pushed her away and ruined everything.

"Hey…" Daniel heard Merritt's voice come from outside his door. Danny sighed and remained motionless in his bed, drowning in the sea of blankets and pillows around him. It was dark save for the shreds of light filtering through his blinds that he was too unmotivated to go close which was completely out character for him.

"Danny come on, you've been in there for days." Merritt continued. This was also out of character for Merritt. There was rarely a moment where Merritt said anything to Danny that was not intended to mercilessly tease him.

"Let's get out of here, man." Jack's voice joined in. Danny rolled his eyes where he laid, remaining still. There was a brief moment of silence and Daniel thought that maybe his friends actually would let him wallow in his guilt in peace.

Knock, knock, knock.

Danny sighed.

"Go away." he mumbled. He was not in the mood to be judged as the control freak who completely lost control. He didn't find this case of irony particularly funny.

"Alright, if you say so." Merritt said unconvincingly. "Jack…" he muttered much quieter afterwards. Danny groaned. He knew what that meant.

With a few clicking noises of Jack digging around in Danny's lock, the door popped open revealing the two magicians standing in the doorway.

"Man you look awful." Merritt said, not bothering to sugar coat any part of his observation. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks."

"It's so depressing in here." Jack said, moving to throw open the curtains. Danny took the card he was fiddling with between his fingers and whipped it at Wilder's hand before he could get close. Jack hissed and retracted his arm, looking over at Danny surprised.

"Okay, you definitely need to get out of here."

After five minutes of endless attempts to persuade followed by short, sarcastic rebuttals from Danny, Merritt and Jack resorted to taking each one of Daniel's arms and hoisting him out of bed and onto his feet.

"Alright, alright. Let go. I can stand on my own. Thank you." Danny said, yanking his arms back from them. "Where are we going?"