After falling into bed with Heather, Daniel is forced to acknowledge that he has unresolved feelings for his ex. “Daniel and Heather’s decision to co-parent Lucy has led them to spend more time together, especially after Lily’s unexpected trip out of town around the holidays,” begins Executive Producer/Head Writer Josh Griffith. “It was only a matter a time before their feelings for each other resurfaced. Both Daniel and Heather have regrets about how their relationship ended. They did their best to minimize any drama during their breakup in order to protect Lucy. Since spending more time together, they’ve realized they both share unresolved feelings for each other that they can no longer ignore, especially after sleeping together.”
In the awkward aftermath of their lovemaking, Heather presses Daniel about what he wants to happen now — a question he’s too confused to answer in the moment. “He sees sleeping with Heather as a spontaneous rather than a calculated decision so he was definitely caught off-guard,” explains Griffith. Not only that, but Daniel is nursing great remorse over betraying Lily. “Daniel cares about Lily a great deal so he definitely feels a sense of guilt for betraying their relationship,” Griffith notes.
Heather is understanding, and cops to feeling flickers of Lily-related guilt, as well, considering that Lily has been a good friend to her and even arranged for her to get a job at Chancellor-Winters. However, that doesn’t stop her from pushing Daniel to choose her over Lily. To that end, Heather takes the opportunity to remind Daniel that his previous relationship with Lily was not only short-lived but happened long ago, and pointedly asks him if what he and Lily have really compare with what she and Daniel shared. When Daniel confesses that he feels like he and Heather have recaptured a part of the connection that made them so good together, she takes that as a sign that their relationship is salvageable — and she eagerly tells him that she wants to move forward together. “Heather makes it clear that she believes she and Daniel have an opportunity to start a new chapter together both as a couple and a family,” says Griffith. “However, for Daniel it’s not that easy of a decision as he shares a complex history with Lily.”
Daniel and Heather head to Society, where they further discuss the implications of their tryst. Over their conversation at lunch, Heather voices her fear that Daniel thinks she returned to Genoa City with the intention of seducing him. Daniel assures her that she doesn’t believe she consciously set out to do so, but speculate that she wondered if they might be able to recapture what they once had. Heather doesn’t deny it. “While Heather may not have had a blatant agenda, it’s clear she was still struggling with her feelings for Daniel,” Griffith points out. “And Lily’s trip out of town provided her with an unintentional path to explore those feelings. We’ve always known Heather to go after what she wants so her feelings for Daniel are no different.”
For Daniel, this romantic conundrum will only get more complicated when his impulsive liaison with Heather fails to stay a secret. Hints Griffith, “Daniel finds himself in a tough position as he processes his feelings for both women but will be backed into a corner when he is forced to defend his action after someone finds out about his night with Heather.”
