While in New York, Danny was stalked by Phyllis Summers, an obsessed fan. She drugged his drink, got him into her bed, then claimed to be pregnant by him. Danny divorced Christine and joined Phyllis in a "trial marriage" to "do the right thing" for the child. Once Danny realized how manipulative his new wife was, he divorced her.

Then after seeing Phyllis "in a new light" during their baby son, Daniel's, life-threatening illness with bacterial meningitis, Danny remarried her. Christine and Paul Williams stood up for them. Danny later discovered that their son was really the child of a man in Phyllis's past named Brian Hamilton, and that she had set him up all along. A vicious divorce and custody battle ensued, with Christine as Danny's lawyer, and the recently paroled Michael Baldwin assisting Phyllis's legal council. Once all of Phyllis's lies and manipulations were brought out in court, Danny won sole custody of Daniel, whom he still considers his son. Although Phyllis was allowed visitation, it wasn't long before Danny left with the toddler for a European tour as a rock star. Danny coerced Phyllis into agreeing that it was not in Daniel's best interest for Phyllis to stay in contact with them.

In the fall of 2003, Danny returned to Genoa City to lend moral support to help Gina get her life back together after the devastating loss of her restaurant by arson. Apparently now a washed up has-been, Danny stayed on. Of course the first person he visited was Christine, once again physically separated from Paul, though not emotionally. After reuniting with Gina, Danny ran into Phyllis. Although pleasant, he refused to give her any information about her son, Daniel. It turned out that while Phyllis had spent years pining for the child who was taken from her, Daniel had grown up in a Swiss boarding school. Danny had seldom seen Daniel, and had never even told him that he was not his real father. Whenever Phyllis inquired about Daniel of Danny's sister Gina, she was given the cold shoulder, and was not even given photos of her own son. Left to believe that his mother had abandoned him, and his father didn't have time for him, Daniel resented both parents.

Several months later, Daniel returned to Genoa City, a 16 year old with raging hormones, to visit his father for spring break. Phyllis heard that he was coming, and was desperate to get to know her son again. But Danny and Christine thought it better to wait until they could break it to Daniel. Meanwhile, Daniel was befriended by Colleen Carlton, Sierra and Lily Winters. When Daniel fount out that Colleen's boyfriend JT had gotten a recording contract and was off to LA to be a star, Daniel told her she best cut if off now before he abandoned her too. Colleen began to see signs that Daniel was right, so she broke it off with JT and returned to New York City to live with her mother Tracy. JT, who had left his chance at stardom behind to return for Colleen, was furious with Daniel for influencing her. Daniel began accompanying the girls to the Rec Center where they were volunteering for the summer, and met and fell for 20 year old Mackenzie Browning - neglecting to tell her his age. With a similar parent-less background, Mac and Daniel began to get close. JT was only too glad to spill Daniel's secret to his close friend Mac, and Mac called it quits.

At this time, Phyllis was living with her lover Damon Porter, who was helping her deal with her demons through meditation and talking things out. Daniel wanted her to move in together elsewhere so they could bond, and Damon urged Phyllis to do it, but he warned her that Daniel was playing on her emotions. Unable to find a suitable apartment, Phyllis and Daniel accepted Victor's offer to live in Victoria Newman's house on the Newman Ranch. Damon nicknamed Daniel "Slick", and Daniel resented him. Daniel met Jack, they hit if off right away, and Daniel could see that his mother and Jack still loved each other. Daniel then made friends with Kevin Fisher.

The 16 year old worldly Daniel began plotting to repair the reputation of the childlike 25 year old Kevin whose history includes being an abused child, arsonist, Internet predator, having sex with a minor (Lily Winters), and attempted murder of Colleen Carlton. Daniel didn't fit in with the kids his age, and instead became friends with 25 year old Kevin Fisher. Kevin enlisted Daniel's help in trying to redeem himself as the town pariah. They set up Lily Winters to be attacked by a guy named Alex, then Kevin would rescue her and be the hero. But Alex went too far by drugging her, and she nearly died after the rescue. Daniel met Jack, and they hit if off right away, and Daniel could tell that his mother and Jack still loved each other.

Lily fell for Daniel like a ton of bricks! Dru fought it at every turn because her nemesis Phyllis Abbott was his mother. 14 year old Cassie Newman was grounded, but she had a crush on 16 year old Daniel Romalotti, despite him and Lily getting close - much to the distain of their parents who forbade them to see each other. Word was going around school about a secret party to be held in a park. All the older crowd was going, and Cassie just had to go too - especially since Daniel said he would be there. She managed to talk Nick into un-grounding her for the evening so she could "go to a movie" her long time friend Ali. Sharon didn't go for it, but Nick persuaded her to give in. Cassie ended up at the party to find Daniel drunk on beer he bought from his friend Sam, trying to get over being separated from Lily. The party ended late, and everyone left. Cassie, who had not been drinking, assured her friends she had a way home, then found Daniel passed out in the back seat of his convertible. Deciding he was too drunk to get home, Cassie took his keys and started the car even though she hadn't a lesson or learner's permit. CRASH! Since both were thrown from the car, and neither remembered a thing, no one realized that Cassie had been driving. As soon as a bruised Daniel was able to leave the hospital, he was arrested and spent the night in jail. His mother Phyllis bailed him out, beside herself with the thought that the son she had lost for so many years could be taken from her again and imprisoned. Back in ICU after brain surgery, Cassie was fighting for her life. There was hope, so long as infection didn't set in. Suddenly, Cassie sits bolt upright - she remembers - SHE was driving! Daniel was in so much trouble, but she caused the accident. After attempts to tell her mother Sharon or to use the phone failed, she got out of bed, pulls out her IV, and donning her mother's trench coat, staggered out of the hospital intent on finding and telling Daniel! After several hours of worry by her family and friends, and searching by the police and detective Paul Williams, she somehow found her way to Crimson Lights. Lily and Daniel rushed to her as she was near collapse. As the exhausted Cassie attempted to tell Daniel the truth, but all she could get out was "crash." Someone called 911, Nick arrived shortly before the paramedics, and he accompanied her back to the hospital in the ambulance. Anxiously, her family held vigil while Cassie's fever heightened and Newman financed specialists arrived too late to help. Victor, Nikki, Victoria, brother Noah, and Grandma Doris who arrived from her home in Eau Claire, sadly said their goodbyes and I love you's, and left her alone with Nick and Sharon. One last whisper in Nick's ear that it wasn't Daniel's fault, as he chokingly sang her a lullaby while Sharon hugged her, we saw flashbacks of the adorable child Cassie - the light of their (and our) lives - Cassie slipped away. Because Daniel was her son, and Victoria returned from Italy Phyllis and Daniel were kicked off the Newman ranch. Phyllis and Daniel moved into the Abbott Mansion, as Phyllis and Jack were growing close again.

Daniel was charged with vehicular manslaughter. Lily couldn't be parted from her new love, so talked Daniel into hiding out in the remote Abbott family playhouse. While the police, his mother, and a vengeful Nick Newman searched for Daniel, Lily was visiting him and bringing him food right under their noses. Malcolm figured it out, and tried to get Lily to talk Daniel into giving himself up. But instead they ran away together in Lily's car. The fugitives dumped the car in St. Louis with Nick Newman and Phyllis right on their heels. They turned up in Los Angeles, were camping on the beach and enjoying themselves, awaiting the return of Brendan, a musician friend of Daniel's father. Daniel began having dreams with flashes of the accident, finally realizing that it was not him, but Cassie driving the car. Meanwhile Brendan returned home to find Phyllis, Nick and Neil Winters waiting for him. Nick brought in the police, and all went searching for the kids nearby. Phyllis discovered them working on the beach dressed in fruit costumes promoting a beachfront cafe, but didn't realize it was them until they disappeared. Daniel talked Lily into going to the cafe where the 3 awaited them to claim their paychecks, and Neil was reunited with Lily. Nick spotted Daniel watching, and chased and caught Daniel. Phyllis managed to stop Nick from beating up the kid. They turned the kids over to the police, and both were returned to Genoa City. Nick returned to find Victoria in charge of Newman, but insisted on firing Phyllis, but after telling Nick off, she retorted, "You can't fire me. I quit." Lily was out on bail, and Daniel went on trial for vehicular manslaughter where Christine and Paul failed to prove that Cassie was driving the car. Daniel was in contact with Danny by phone and begged him to stay away. But in a last minute save, Nick Newman turned over the evidence he'd been withholding - the clothes Cassie was wearing that fateful night. The boot she was wearing matched a piece of a heel found under the accelerator, the judge determined that Cassie was driving and let Daniel go free. Lily's parents made a deal to send her away to boarding school in New Hampshire to get the DA to drop the charges against her. Lily and Daniel vowed their undying love and were torn apart at the airport. Lily's school strictly kept them from contacting each other until they began communicating as Romeo and Juliet via a study website. But they got caught and that was stopped too. Then Lily's parents made her write a letter to Daniel dumping him, and Devon was asked to deliver it. Lily got a second letter to Devon telling Daniel that the first was a fake, but Devon kept it.

Jack resumed his relationship with Phyllis, giving her and Daniel a place to live at the Abbott Mansion, then standing by her during her travails with Daniel running away from vehicular manslaughter charges in the death of Cassie Newman and his trial. Deciding Daniel needed more stability in his life, Phyllis rented an apartment, and she and Daniel moved out of the Abbott mansion. Expecting to walk into a bare apartment and sleeping on air mattresses for awhile, they were shocked to find it fully furnished and decorated courtesy of Jack. Daniel left, and Phyllis and Jack christened the place by making love on the living room couch. Jack and Phyllis seemed to be making their way back to each other, but as much as they still love each other, business and Jack's vendetta against Victor always gets in the way. After Phyllis was fired from Newman by Nick, Jack gave her a job at Jabot, and it looked promising once they were back on the same side, but Jack blew it by using her once again against Victor.

Lily arrived home for a long-weekend visit, popping out of a present for Devon's 18th birthday. But all Lily was thinking about was finding Daniel. Once Lily informed Daniel of the deception, they let everyone believe they no longer cared about each other and Lily was allowed to stay in town. Colleen helped them by faking a romance with Daniel but Lily and Daniel never stopped their affair. Eventually both sets of parents found out. Though Phyllis was more understanding, Neil and Dru were livid and threatened exposure of Lily to the police that she had violated her probation. So Lily and Daniel eloped to Las Vegas and began living in the former Abbot children's playhouse on the Abbott estate thanks to Jack's generosity. Daniel had a part time job working in the mail room at Newman Enterprises for the summer, and Lily worked at the Jabot boutique, and tried to begin a jewelry designing business, after just finishing high school that summer after failing to graduate the prior spring.

Nick Newman and Phyllis became attracted to each other, and began a steamy affair. Sharon found out, she and Nick separated, Sharon went to Brad for comfort, and they ended up having sex on a business trip to NYC. But after Daniel walked in finding his mother Phyllis and Nick half-naked on the couch, the couple decided to call off their affair, though Nick was divorced, and Phyllis and Nick were expecting a baby and planned to be married.

Daniel and Lily's young marital bliss was interrupted when Alex arrived back in town and began blackmailing Kevin and Daniel threatening to expose how he had helped them to pretend to attack Lily years ago. Daniel told Jack and Phyllis about it, and both suggested he tell Lily the truth, which he finally did. Meanwhile Kevin and Gloria had come up with a scheme to get rid of Alex. They drugged Alex and videotaped a faked a rape scene with the help of Jana. Once Alex saw the tape he left town. But It was too late - Lily was understandably upset, believing she and Daniel had the perfect relationship with no secrets. She left him and moved back to her parent's who went back to hating Daniel. Not long afterward, Lily relented and asked Daniel to her graduation dinner, and they have reconciled, much to the disappointment of her parents who tried to force her into a divorce.

As a winter ice storm took out the power, Phyllis and Jack became trapped in the Newman elevator. Phyllis had been on her way to the hospital for a caesarean because her baby was in the breech position, but went into labor in the elevator instead. Fearful that the baby would not deliver normally and die, Phyllis implored Jack to cut the baby out of her using a nail scissors. But Jack ended up turning and delivering the baby, who was later named Summer Ann. Meanwhile, Nick was out in the storm rescuing Phyllis's son Daniel from a car wreck. Lily had to do CPR on Daniel while Nick sped them to the hospital. All were united later, Phyllis and baby were fine, and Daniel recovered with only broken ribs. Jack developed a close bond with Summer, and later set up a nursery for her at Newman. As like-injured parties by Phyllis and Nick's affair and marriage, Jack and Sharon began an affair and since were married. And an April remarriage in Genoa City was planned for Nick and Phyllis to make them legal, was postponed due to the disappearance and presumed death of Dru.

In the middle of the Winter's marital problems, Devon went deaf after surviving meningitis. They reconciled, and the family bound together to support Devon by learning sign language and having their home equipped for the deaf. Devon was coping well considering he was a music major, but began looking into having a cochlear implant. He was being smothered by his over-protective foster parents, so he moved out to live with Lily and Daniel, but Jack Abbott ended up renting a house to all three to live together near the GCU campus. Neil gave Dru the job of decorating his jazz club Indigo and was hoping Devon would work there too. Indigo's successful grand opening featured Aaron Neville with a sign language interpreter just for Devon. But afterward, Carmen turned up bludgeoned to death in the alley behind the club. Dru, Neil, Devon and Lily all appeared before the Grand Jury to testify, and were among the murder suspects. But in a surprise turn of events, Devon was arrested for the murder of Carmen! While he was out on bail awaiting trial, his cochlear implant surgery was successful and he can hear again. Neil and Dru took this opportunity to legally adopt Devon once they heard that his mother was back on drugs. 3 months later, Carmen's former lover David Chow showed up in Genoa City, hell-bent on getting Dru convicted for Carmen's murder. After hooking up with Leanna Love, the video of Dru and Carmen's altercation aired on TV, and all eyes were again pointing at Dru as the murderer. Chow was confronting Dru everywhere, even turning up at her apartment door just after Dru found her own clothes shredded like she did Carmen's. Then Dru started seeing dead Carmen and ended up checked into the psych ward, though it turned out that her identical cousin Inez was in cahoots with Chow and gas lighting Dru. In the end, Jana Hawkes turned out to be Carmen's murderer. Jana disappeared and both Dru and Devon were exonerated.

Amber made friends with Daniel and they spend a lot of time together helping each other with their various deceptions. Amber showed him the Website where her online porn clips were featured, Daniel then joined the site and got hooked on Internet porn. Porn took over his life resulting in bad grades, getting caught looking at porn at work, getting phished which cleaned out his bank account, being arrested as underage and solicitation at a strip club, and the erosion of his marriage to Lily due to his continual lying about it all. Lily made him see a therapist but he lied about his progress as well. Chats with Neil, Jack, Devon, Phyllis, his therapist and even Kevin did not get through to him as he denied and lied. Lily tossed him out and Devon punched him out. Lily and Daniel's marriage was dissolved due to the fact that they were underage when they married, using a falsified letter of consent from Malcolm.

An old boyfriend from Amber's shady past named "Plum" came to town trying to blackmail her with some of her porn tapes. He was staying at Kevin's with him and Daniel until he was found dead of a broken neck in his locked room with a bag filled with money. Although it appeared that he may have fallen from a chair while getting the bag from above, Amber, Daniel and Kevin decided to dump the body and bury the money at the Chancellor estate. Although they swore each other to secrecy and that they would not touch the money, when Amber needed money for a new demo tape for her singing career, she dug up the bag and took some of it, but was seen by an unknown person re-burying the rest. A Treasury Agent named Bonachek traced the money to the trio, and someone named Carson, claiming to be an old Army buddy of Plum's, was asking around GC for him. Cane got suspicious and began looking into Amber's background. Carson was happy to help and exposed Amber's past. Then Cane discovered that he and Amber were not legally married, confronted her and made her sign an acknowledgement that she tricked him into marriage to make it void. Cane threw her out, and she went to live in Kevin's spare bedroom. Then Amber got kidnapped and locked in a closet. She escaped into the arms of Carson, Bonachek arrived, followed by Daniel and the cops. The trio was arrested, but were to get off with probation if each paid back the stolen money. Phyllis was to cover Daniel's share, and Gloria Kevin and Amber's.

Amber decided to dig up the money again and arranged an elaborate ruse to be able to keep it following Ji Min's death. She rented his former room at the Athletic Club and set fire to smolder some of the money and shredded bills from the mint in the air shaft to make everyone think it had burned up. Michael got them a deal on the other charges for two years probation and 90 hours of community service. Time passed and Amber began spending more of the stolen money. Daniel and Amber got drunk together one night and ended up turning their friendship into an affair. Things were very uncomfortable between them afterward, plus Amber looked very suspicious spending more of the stolen money to rent Phyllis's luxury penthouse for herself. Daniel helped her move in, and they christened her new apartment by making love. Afterward he found her satchel containing the money, Amber confessed and Daniel forgave her. Daniel told Kevin, who made them burn the money, but Daniel video taped it to prove to Kevin it was done. Don't you know that will haunt them later! Amber begged her way into a job as receptionist at Restless Style Online/Magazine, where Daniel was a photographer's assistant.

In March 2008, Daniel's father Danny returned to Genoa City to appear at the opening party for Restless Style magazine/webzine as a favor to Phyllis and to make up with Daniel who still resented him for lying to him about his paternity all those years.

Amber and Daniel officially became "boyfriend & girlfriend", Daniel moved in with her, and Phyllis did not approve. Just as Daniel and Amber declared their love, and he appeared to be discovering a hidden talent for drawing and caricature, possibly leading to a new career, Danny made a surprise visit and asked him to go on the road as tour photographer for 6 months.

Sharon came up with an idea for the webzine which would feature an animated avatar guide in the form of "Restless Amber", a character based on Amber Moore. Phyllis was skeptical about the idea, the budget, and the flakiness of Amber, but Jack and Nick supported it. Meanwhile Amber got a chance to go to Europe to see Daniel, but had to stay to work on creating "Restless Amber". Danny sent Phyllis a photo of Daniel partying on tour with a cute girl on his lap, which Phyllis made sure that Amber saw. Amber, unable to reach Daniel, reacted by getting drunk and having sex with Adrian who had been recently dumped by Colleen. When Daniel returned, Amber felt so guilty she had to tell him, and Daniel dumped her. He came back to her place once thinking he could forgive her, but after having sex, he decided he could not, leaving Amber heartbroken. Phyllis, who never approved of Amber, was thrilled and evicted Amber from her penthouse, but later Daniel made her let Amber stay.

Although Jana was originally planning her wedding to Kevin in "Goth" style with Amber designing her gown, then influenced by being maid of honor for Sabrina began dreaming of a more traditional wedding, they ended up with a hippie style wedding at an ashram in Malibu. All in hippie attire except for Jana's white lace gown, Amber was her maid of honor and Daniel Kevin's best man with Michael as groomsman. Lauren, Gloria and Jeffrey attended, and Colleen tagged along as Daniel's date. To everyone's shock, the guru officiating turned out to be Michael's long lost father Lowell "River" Baldwin. Gloria and Michael gave him a tongue-lashing over his abandoning them before Michael was born, and Lowell retorted with cosmic gibberish about fate and the universe, and asked them not to turn him in to the Feds. Michael gave him hell with tears of hurt in his eyes, but left saying he would not turn him in. Meanwhile, Daniel and Colleen had sex, Amber spotted them, and left. She came home claiming she met and had sex with a surfer named Liam before she left.

Colleen accompanied Daniel to New York City to attend the gallery showing of his sketches, as arranged by Sabrina before her death. All but one of the sketches were semi-nudes of Amber plus one of Colleen. Amber showed up with her new lover Liam, who turned out to be Billy Abbott, Colleen's uncle and someone Daniel had never gotten along with. Much to Daniel's distaste, Billy proceeded to buy all the Amber drawings which had not already sold.

On their favorite talk radio show, Daniel and Amber once again confessed their love as "Herve" and "Marina" to host Stryker. Daniel broke off with Colleen, and Amber told Billy he couldn't crash at her place anymore. Amber moved out of Phyllis's penthouse and in with Daniel at his artist studio, making Phyllis crazy once again.

Not long after Katherine and Amber completed Kay's memoirs and found a publisher, Amber was devastated to hear that Kay had been killed in a car accident. (Kay was not really dead, it was her doppelganger, Marge who Kay had been driving to rehab.) A funeral was held, and several people from Kay's past attended; her son Brock, her late grandson Phillip's wife Nina, her step-son and daughter Danny and Gina, her attorney Mitchell, and her old friends Liz Foster, Traci and Ashley, and Dina Mergeron. Daniel sketched a picture of Kay which was framed on her casket. Meanwhile Marge's friend Murphy found Kay lying beside a creek, assumed it was Marge, and after she refused to go to a hospital, took her home with him to his trailer house. Kay's injuries were slight, but she was confused about who she was, trying to fit into what Murphy told her of Marge, the waitress with the drinking problem.

Kay's will was read, and Brock received one percent of her billion-dollar-plus assets in trust to continue his good works and was named Chairman of the Chancellor Foundation. Her step-children Gina and Danny received a one-half of one percent in cash. Esther received one tenth of one percent and Kay's half of the estate, so that Esther could live her life in financial freedom. Nikki received all of Katherine's jewelry, including a family heirloom emerald and diamond ring given to Kay by her mother. Grandchildren Cane, Billy, McKenzie, and Phillip received one-quarter of one percent in trust. Katherine left one fifth of one percent to Amber, so that she and Daniel could pursue their artistic goals, and gave Amber the sole rights to her memoirs, which Jill had forbidden her to publish. Jill was left the remainder of the assets, all but five percent of Kay's Jabot stock. That five percent, in addition to a Ming vase, was left to Gloria as both were given to her by John Abbott. Jill was livid, knowing that the Chancellors now were no longer majority stockholders.

Amber saw Kevin with a lot of money, and became convinced that Kevin did something that lead to Katherine's death, and never stopped hounding him about it. Katherine's book of memoirs "Live Until I Die" came out in time for Christmas 2008, and Amber was delighted. Daniel gave her a design studio for Christmas, and she gave him a shiny jacket of her own design, and Kevin a copy of Kay's book as a further dig. Amber was thrilled when Lauren saw the jacket in the ad, and asked for some samples to test if they would sell at Fenmore's. While visiting his mother in jail, Kevin met the woman posing as Kay Chancellor. He believed her, and Kevin and Jana, joining forces with Amber and Daniel, used Kay's money to bail her out of jail and hired Michael to represent her to prove that she was Katherine. Once Amber realized what Kevin had done, she apologized for thinking he could have been behind Kay's death, and they became fast friends again and ended up robbing a bank together and being arrested. (See Kevin Fisher profile.)

Kay invited the governor to dinner to request amnesty for Kevin and Amber, but Jill told him this would ruin his career, and when Kevin and Amber showed up she maligned them and Katherine in front of him. Jill came onto the governor, took him into another room, and he came out very happy and Jill gloating that she changed his mind. While Kay and Jill were sparing, Murphy convinced him to grant the amnesty with the gift of his military rifle from one Korean Vet to another.

Meanwhile Daniel held a showing of his artwork, and sold all his sketches with price negotiated by Jana, to a man named Howard. Amber and Daniel, along with Kevin and Jana celebrated their freedom and the sale as the buyer peered in the window. The buyer returned the next day, claiming to be Federal Agent Howard Aucker. Due to his similar style, Aucker said they wanted Daniel to forge a painting to trap some art thieves. If he agreed, Daniel could keep the money for the sketches, but could not tell anyone. But art expert Jana spotted the painting Aucker gave him to forge, and recognized it. Daniel lied and said that he had "artists' block," and was practicing by copying another artist's work, then later had to tell her the truth. Daniel failed to finish in time, their loft was ransacked and the painting stolen, and when he contacted the real Agent Aucker, it turned out the first guy was a fake. "Thomas Balfour' approached Victoria to buy a painting for the Newman collection, but she recognized it as stolen art. Victoria called Jana over to verify, and Jana was shocked to discover it was Daniel's forgery, and "Balfour" was the fake FBI man. Victoria made a deal to meet him with the cash and he left, then she notified the real Agent Aucker. Much to JT's dismay, Aucker put a wire on Victoria and supplied the cash for the exchange, but Daniel showed up before her, and "Balfour" pulled a gun on him. Someone in a ski mask attacked "Balfour" from behind and left him shot. When Daniel asked who shot him, the guy said that it was Daniel and died, so Daniel fled. When Victoria arrived, the masked person knocked crates down on top of her and took off with the briefcase of money. Daniel became the chief suspect because his prints were on the gun after he threw it out of the victim's grasp, and both the forged painting and the $100,000 were gone. The masked person was last seen planting the briefcase in the office of the coffee house, which of course the FBI found, and Daniel was arrested. Phyllis made his bail, but Jana as his "accomplice," was originally denied bail due to her criminal record, but Michael got her out. Kevin managed to steal the dead man's cell phone from the evidence after their bail hearing, and Daniel and Amber were intent on using it to find the real killer to clear them both.

Four years after he left Los Angeles, Deacon Sharpe showed up in Genoa City claiming to be an Art Entrepreneur, when actually he was behind the manipulation of Daniel to forge the painting supposedly to help the FBI. When that failed to get Daniel jailed and free former love, Amber, for him, Deacon arranged for the painting to be found by the FBI behind the plaster wall of Daniel's loft apartment. Deacon then propositioned Amber that he would turn over a video exonerating Daniel if she would have sex with him, so she did. Deacon made sure Daniel was on the line and left the phone off the hook so he could overhear. When Amber went to see Daniel in jail, he went off on her and refused to believe her explanations. But when the DVD and Michael convinced ADA Heather to let him out on bail again, he began having second thoughts. But the charges were not dropped, and Daniel became a suspect in the death of "Balfour". Jana discovered Deacon had possession of both Daniel's forgery and the original painting. Amber could not be talked out of trying to get the goods on Deacon, and took him up on his proposition to marry him to protect Daniel. Ryder, who works for Deacon, confessed to Kevin that he killed Balfour whose real name was Ray Elkins. He said his dead father, who knew Elkins in prison, locked him in a cellar when he was a kid and Elkins treated him the same way too, so he killed him. Kevin didn't believe the coincidence when Ryder claimed his dad was Tom Callahan (an alias Kevin's father Terrible Tom used) but had a DNA test done which confirmed that he was. Deacon visited Ryder in jail, confirming that Deacon had made him confess to the murder. Daniel got Ryder to confess the plan, then stopped the wedding of Deacon and Amber, making a deal to use the key to Tom's safe deposit box in Detroit to retrieve the original of the Terroni painting Daniel forged for Deacon. With his flight not until the next day, Daniel and Amber made love all night, then he proposed, calling her his true soulmate. Because the bank refused Daniel admittance to the box, he returned with Amber posing as Tom's bereaved widow Gloria. But just after they got into the box and retrieved the painting, Gloria showed up. They convinced her to play along, and got the painting back to Genoa City, where they bickered about what to do with it since Deacon had promised Gloria five million to get it for him, Jana felt it should be returned to the museum, and Daniel needed it to give to Deacon for his and Amber's freedom. Kevin hid the Terroni painting at Crimson Lights, but Gloria found and took it to Deacon. Daniel tricked her, got it back, and returned it to the museum. He received a $25,000 reward, but gave it to Kevin to bail out Ryder. Kevin insisted Ryder come live with him and Jana while he got a new start working at the coffee shop.

Amber began planning her wedding, but when Paul came up with an airtight alibi for Ryder photographed at a red light in Chicago at the time of Elkin's murder, Daniel called it off. He was sure he'd end up in prison for the murder, leaving Amber alone. But he had a change of heart by her reaction and decided to get married immediately instead. Jana was hesitant because it was Friday the thirteenth, but a beautiful impromptu wedding was quickly put together and held on the roof of their apartment building. Daniel got Kay a quick online minister ordination, and she officiated. Lauren came through with a last minute gown for the bride, Kevin and Jana stood up for them, and Murphy gave the bride away. When Phyllis found out, she crashed the wedding intent on stopping it, but Lauren kept her in check as Amber vowed to always respect Daniel and put him first. Daniel was arrested and jailed again, but Phyllis led a search of the landfill where all their friends showed up to help, and found the satchel that was tossed by the killer as he ran away. DNA evidence on the ski mask inside proved that the killer was a female, and Daniel was released. Unknown to everyone else, Deacon, Ryder and his twin sister Daisy discussed their plot against Daniel which was masterminded by an unknown woman, their next target being Lauren who started getting visits by dead and live rats. Before Deacon was arrested and sent to prison for kidnapping and accessory to murder of Ray Elkins, Amber got him to disclose that his son "Little D," a.k.a. "Little Eric," was living with Amber's mother, Tawny in Furnace Creek. When she was unable to contact Tawny, Amber prepared to go get "Little Eric", but Daniel objected saying he was not ready for children. Sarah was about to murder Phyllis, so she sent Daisy to stop Daniel from going to see his mother. Meanwhile at Crimson Lights, Amber was shocked when Eric suddenly showed up appearing to be about 10 years old, telling that Tawny had left him alone for days, so he had made it clear across country to find Amber. Amber took Eric home, and they walked in on Daisy in bed with a drugged Daniel. Later when it was explained that Sarah was Sheila Carter's sister who had coerced Deacon into plotting to kill Elkins and frame Daniel as revenge on Phyllis for killing Sheila, Amber forgave Daniel. But after Tawny called with plans to come and get Eric, and knowing that Daisy and Ryder were still on the loose and might harm him, Amber decided to take Eric to California and disappear. She begged Daniel to leave with them, but knowing they may never return, he declined. After one last declaration of their love on the air as "Herve" and "Marina" to their favorite radio DJ, "Stryker", Amber left town with Eric. Kevin told Daniel he was a fool, that he should sacrifice for the one you love, and he didn't even try to get to know Eric. Daniel just reiterated that he was not ready for kids. A couple weeks later, they split up officially by phone, each wishing the other a good life. The divorce papers arrived and Daniel commiserated with his mother about what a loser in love he was. She told him to go enjoy being flirted with again, and he fell into the conniving arms of Abby Newman. They made out in the Newman pool, and were caught still there the next morning by Nikki and Phyllis. As Abby begged them not to tell Victor and Ashley, a video of them had already been sent by Abby to her manager to publicize. At Kay & Murphy's 4th of July picnic Abby was discovered surrounded by press while floating naked in the Chancellor soap bubble-filled pool supposedly to symbolize a polluted river to save the otters. Daniel covered her up and pulled her out, Ashley told her she was ashamed of her, and Kay tossed her off the estate. Abby then talked her brother Billy into a photo shoot and lead story on "The Naked Heiress" for the next issue of Restless Style. She and Daniel did the mostly semi-nude and suggestive shoot together, but Abby was livid when one of the milder photos of them made the cover, and her story was bumped for an expose on Sharon and Adam Newman. But it still got her a lot press, and Daniel to do a nude painting of her. After Kent dropped Abby's show idea due to lack of funds, Abby was even more determined to get her inheritances, but Victor told her she was not mature enough to handle her money yet. Jack stopped her from selling the mansion she was left by Brad and Colleen, and suggested that she use her number two stockholder position as leverage. She tried, but Victor shot it down, so she staged another protest, interrupting Victor and Nikki's engagement party by riding into the Genoa City Athletic Club dining room nude upon her horse Pericles, as Daniel recorded her on video. Victor smashed the camera and tossed a robe over her and told her it was not going to work, so she threatened to sell her million-dollar horse. The Club manager called the police and had Abby arrested. Abby was thrilled for the publicity, until she found herself stuck in jail four days awaiting her arraignment. But Daniel brought Jack who bailed her out. Abby informed her mother that the house was hers and she kicked her out, so Ashley moved home to Abbott Manor. She and Victor relented and gave Abby a substantial check from her trust, but she turned it down, demanding it all.

Daniel had an important showing of his art at a gallery in Genoa City, so Abby persuaded well-known art critic Mark Fletcher to show up by promising an appearance by "the naked heiress." But in an unusually generous moment wanting Daniel to be taken seriously, she didn't remove her clothes, and Mark was placated when he realized how impressed he was with Daniel's art. Mark later connected Daniel with an important Chicago gallery owner who commissioned six new pieces.

For Billy Abbott's 2010 Halloween party, Daniel went as Vincent Van Gough, bloody ear and all, and Abby went as Lady Gaga. Just before they left for the party, Daniel showed Abby his final divorce decree which Amber had finally filed, and he thanked Abby for not nagging him to commit to their relationship, and keeping it just fun. But later at the party, Daniel admitted he was falling for Abby and wanted an exclusive relationship with her. Later, Daniel and Abby returned to his loft to find Daisy Callahan sitting inside in the dark. When they turned on the lights, a very pregnant Daisy came forward and announced that she was carrying Daniel's child. When Daniel protested that it could not be and attempted to call the police, Daisy threatened to hurt the baby. But Abby managed to text for help, and the police showed up and arrested Daisy.

Lauren resumed her panic attacks and became reclusive. Even though Daisy was in jail, Lauren feared that Ryder had returned as well and neither she nor Fen were safe. Once Phyllis learned that she may become a grandmother, she insisted on a DNA test. But Daisy refused unless she could be transferred to a hospital. Phyllis convinced Lauren to agree, Daisy had the test, and was handcuffed to her bed while she awaited the results. The test revealed that Daniel was the father, and that the baby was a girl. Even though Daniel was tricked, Abby and Daniel broke up over this, but they remained close as Daniel awaited the birth of his daughter, her adoption, and Daisy being sentenced to prison. Daniel refused to have anything to do with Daisy or her child. After Daisy had a breach of the placenta and needed bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy, Phyllis got Daisy released into her custody with an ankle monitor to be sure of the baby's welfare until it was born and could be adopted. But when Daniel saw that Daisy was keeping Phyllis and Summer apart, he petitioned the court to take Daisy to live with him, so Summer could live with Phyllis. Kevin went to work for Mark Hogan's crime organization to raise the money to adopt Daisy's child so it would not have to live a life like he and Daisy had. Motivated by one night of desperation sex initiated by Kevin, Jana made a deal with Daisy for Jana to raise the baby in hopes that it would bring Kevin back to her for good. In exchange, Jana changed her statement about her abduction to say that Sara had forced Daisy to do the things she did.

After Daniel threatened to legally dissolve Daisy's parental rights, a U.S. Marshall delivered her news that she would be going back to jail after the birth. Kevin told Daisy that he was aware that she was manipulating the unstable Jana, so he wanted nothing to do with her or her baby. Later, alone with Jana, Daisy went into labor, and convinced Jana to help her run away. Jana hit herself in the head and claimed that Daisy had stolen her car and fled. Daniel tracked down Daisy and helped her deliver her baby in the car. Afterward Daisy knocked him out and left him on the road in the snow. Daisy abandoned her new daughter at a church, where the baby was found by a man who was down on his luck. He sold her for $5,000.00 to Primrose DeVille, niece of infamous baby broker Rose Deville. Billy Abbott bought the baby girl from Primrose for two million dollars, because his wife Victoria had been told she would unlikely ever have another child. Retro-TV-lovers, Billy and Victoria, named the red-haired baby "Lucy" after Lucille Ball.

Daniel was found unconscious in the snow by Michael and Jack, and later at the hospital was diagnosed with hypothermia and in critical condition. Days later Daniel awoke from his coma to Phyllis and Abby who had never left his side, and had bonded. Daniel slowly remembered everything after he was released, and when Victoria handed him her new baby girl to hold, he finally remembered helping Daisy give birth. The more Daniel looked at baby Lucy, the more he was convinced that she was Daisy's baby. Torn as to whether or not to tell anyone, Daniel grabbed a misplaced pacifier to find out for sure. The DNA results proved that Lucy was Daniel's daughter. Daniel continued to see Lucy, looking at her in awe and calling her the tiny girl with the big secret.

Daniel confessed to Lily that Lucy Abbott was his daughter, but he swore he would never let them know. As much as Daniel felt a connection, he was sure that Lucy would be better off with Victoria and Billy. Lily confided in Daniel that Cane continued to haunt her, but had begun to creep her out rather than the peace she had originally found. Things had escalated from hearing her music box playing in the baby monitor, to seeing Cane outside the glass door where he drew a heart in the frost which was still there after he had disappeared. Daniel tried to reassure Lily, and kissed her as he left. Then Lily got a text accusing her of getting over her loss awfully fast to be kissing someone else. But when Daniel finally saw the phone later, the text was gone.

Michael traveled to Canada with Daniel and found Daisy, but while Michael left her hotel room to bring back a Mountie, Daniel let her escape so that no one would discover the identity of their baby.

Chloe and Gloria decided to find out what Jana was up to, and were arrested for breaking and entering Jana's apartment and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and misdemeanor theft. As Jana confessed to Billy how she had been tracking Daisy's baby through a baby broker, Billy realized that Lucy was actually Daniel and Daisy's baby. He called Primrose, who assured him that there was no way that Jana could discover his identity through her.

Daniel caught Kevin and Jana researching Prim's bank account number list that Jana had photographed, so while Kevin wasn't looking, Daniel ran a magnet over the laptop, erasing the hard drive.

While visiting Jana at Billy and Victoria's, Agnes spotted the outfit she had bought for the baby at a thrift store among some donations of Lucy's that Victoria had ready for pickup. Jana merged the pieces of Billy's shredded bank statement to verify his account number to Prim's list, and was delighted to prove that Lucy was Daisy's baby. But Victoria arrived home before Jana could tell Kevin. Daniel confessed to Billy that he had DNA test proof that Lucy was his daughter. Although Daniel wanted Lucy to stay with Billy and Victoria, he and Billy agreed that they needed to stop Jana who was getting too close to discovering the truth. The next morning, Billy and Victoria awoke to discover that Lucy and Delia were missing, and so was Jana. Alerts went out that the children were kidnapped, and all the Newmans, Abbotts, and Chancellors joined the police search and prayed for Jana and the children. Chloe tore into Billy about the many times she had warned him about Jana's instability and danger to their children.

Jana called Kevin to meet her at an abandoned daycare center. When he arrived, Jana handed Lucy to Kevin and informed him that she was his niece. Once Kevin understood that Billy was the person who had bought Daisy's baby, he was relieved that she was in good hands. But delusional Jana told Kevin that Lucy belonged with them, that they could reunite, leave town, and become a family together. Kevin calmly praised Jana for her devotion to him, and told her that he wanted to be with Jana and start their own family, so they needed to return the children. Jana agreed to take the children to St. Mary's church, and Kevin texted Billy with their location. But when Kevin refused to leave the children alone there, Jana realized that Kevin had tricked her and pulled a gun on him. So Kevin left with Jana to keep the children from being harmed. Murphy and Kay were at the church praying for the children's safe return when they heard Lucy's cry. They found the children as police sirens were heard approaching. Chloe, Victoria and Billy arrived with the police and reclaimed their children. Once home and safe, Billy confessed to Victoria that Lucy was bought on the black market, and that Daniel and Daisy were her real parents. Billy had to get Daniel to assure Victoria that Lucy would always be theirs.

Once Phyllis found out that Lucy was her granddaughter, and remembering what it was like living her life without her child, Daniel, she decided that Lucy needed to be with her real family. Lauren and Daniel both objected, fearful that Daisy would hear about it, return, and demand her parental rights. So with Michael and Rafe's legal help, they arranged a private meeting among all parties, and Phyllis was convinced to agree to let Billy and Victoria keep Lucy, provided that she would see Lucy one weekend a month, that Lucy would know Daniel was her father, and that Phyllis would be involved in major decisions in Lucy's life. Meanwhile, Chloe sued Billy for custody of Delia, citing the fact that Billy had bought Lucy on the black market. As the private meeting was coming to a close, a CPS social worker arrived, having found out Lucy was a black market baby through Delia's custody paperwork. Although the adoption papers that Billy gave the social worker appeared legitimate, there had been no background check or social worker involved. Even though Daniel claimed to be Lucy's father and substantiated Billy and Victoria's right to his daughter, Lucy was taken from them until Daniel's claim could be verified with a DNA test. When the test came back positive, due to the ongoing pressure from the Abbotts and his mother, Daniel left to get Lucy, promising them that he would decide what to do once she was safe.

Several months following the death of Cane, it was revealed that the hit was planned by Colin, but Cane's evil twin had taken his place that day, and it was Celeb who was killed. Cane posed as Caleb during this time and attempted to find justice for his brother and sister Samantha with his mother Genevieve. When all was revealed, Lily, felt betrayed and refused to forgive Cane. Daniel was there to support Lily as Cane revealed himself to be alive, and afterward.

Daniel finally decided to allow Billy and Victoria to adopt Lucy, he relinquished his parental rights, and the adoption was made legal. Phyllis was livid, and wrote a Restless Style blog about Lucy and condemning Daisy, hoping to smoke her out. By doing so Phyllis had disobeyed the court's gag order, and she was fired by Billy. Daisy returned, and Phyllis hired Leslie Michaelson to arrange for Daisy to turn herself in and petition the court to get back her parental rights. Leslie pointed out that Daisy was only accused of the crimes, and that both Victoria and Billy had recently been arrested as well, that Victoria had lost custody of Reed, and Billy's ex-wife was suing for custody of Delia. So Daisy was given back her parental rights, although Phyllis was given temporary custody of Lucy. Feeling guilty, Billy moved out leaving Victoria in tears, and camped out drunk at Jimmy's bar. Ironically timed, Reed, who was staying with Victoria, received news of the birth of J.T. and Mac's baby boy, Dylan.

After returning from rehab, Abby attempted to get back together with Daniel, but he was no longer interested in being the exploited boyfriend of "The Naked Heiress". After repeated efforts by Cane to get Lily to forgive him, Lily told Cane that she was filing for divorce. Daniel began spending more and more time with Lily and began to fall in love with her again. Lily decided to make love to Daniel as his birthday gift, but Lily kept thinking of Cane instead during it, and called it off. But the next night she showed up at Daniel's door, and they made love. But just as Daniel was thinking they were a couple again, Cane gave Lily the signed divorce papers and announced that he was returning to Australia. Lily gave in and stopped him from leaving, and began allowing Cane supervised visitation of their twins. They eventually reconciled, leaving Daniel alone again.

Daisy called Daniel from prison to let him know that Avery was his aunt and that she was helping Daisy get out of prison and to get their daughter, Lucy, back. Daniel confronted his mother about never knowing that she had a sister, but Phyllis refused to discuss it, so he went to Avery for more information but got none.

One stormy night, after a canceled movie date, Daniel and Eden had no-strings sex and ended up covered in artist paint.

Daniel began taking care of Chloe after Kevin left her at the altar and disappeared. After discovering that Kevin may have run off with Angelina, Chloe got drunk, and Eden caught Chloe and Daniel kissing out behind Jimmy's bar. Disgusted with Daniel, Eden began hanging out with Ricky Williams. Daniel and Chloe later told Eden that they were drunk and got carried away, and were just friends. But Eden had already emailed a photo of them kissing to Kevin. Weeks later, Daniel discovered that Angelina tweeted that she and Kevin had been married. Angelina's father Angelo and the family saw it too, so they were at Gloworm waiting for them with a reception upon their return. Chloe and Daniel arrived. Chloe waltzed up to Kevin, slapped him hard across the face, then she and Daniel left without a word. Chloe began using Daniel trying to make Kevin jealous, pretending that she was happy and in love.

Daisy's hearing for a reduced sentence began, with a key piece of evidence, a video which Ryder had made of Daisy pleading with Sarah Smythe for mercy for Lauren and Jana when they had held them captive. Michael cross-examined Daisy, asking why Daisy never called for help or let them go when Sarah wasn't there. Daisy said she was afraid that Sarah would kill her. In his closing statement Michael begged the judge not to fall for Daisy's supposed rehabilitation. But Daisy was given time-served and put on parole with psychological counseling. Avery and Daisy's next goal would be for Daisy to get custody of Lucy from Phyllis. Unable to contact Phyllis, Michael called Daniel who went to Phyllis' penthouse and discovered Daisy already there with Lucy. Daniel tried to reason with her that she was only using Lucy, but Daisy claimed that she wanted to be a good person and good mother, and needed Lucy to love her.

Unable to contact Phyllis, Michael called Daniel who went to Phyllis' penthouse and discovered Daisy already there with Lucy. Daniel tried to reason with Daisy that she was only using Lucy, but Daisy claimed that she wanted to be a good person and good mother, and needed Lucy to love her. Meanwhile Avery saw the light and refused to represent Daisy anymore, but Daisy went to a judge to return her parental rights, brought a police officer along to seize Lucy from Phyllis, and later got a restraining order against Phyllis. Living on her inheritance from her aunt Sarah, Daisy and Lucy moved into Heather's former apartment in Lauren's building. Vowing that Daisy would never torment her again, Lauren bought a gun, began using Daisy's photo for target practice at the gun range, and made plans for Fen to stay with her son Scotty in Toronto. Daniel was finally convinced to claim his parental rights to Lucy to keep her from growing up with Daisy. But Daisy was encouraged, and assumed that she and Daniel would end up together and become a family, so she gave her consent. After the hearing Daniel told Daisy that she was delusional, that she had just helped him to be able to sue for custody. Daisy convinced Ricky Williams that she innocently wanted to be a mother to her child and that Phyllis and Daniel were out to get her, so she and Ricky became involved, and Ricky vowed to keep Phyllis, with whom he had is own grudge, from winning. The day before Lucy's custody hearing, Ricky snatched Lucy while in her father, Daniel's, care. After a frantic search by Daniel, Ricky returned her, claiming to have found her in the parking lot. Ricky knew that once this incident came out in court, Daisy would be allowed to keep Lucy. After Daniel lost the custody case, Phyllis fired Ricky, knowing that he had been behind it, which only made Ricky more intent on finding something in Phyllis' past to expose and make a name for himself. Daniel left town to get away for awhile.

A couple of weeks later, Daniel returned and inexplicably asked Daisy to marry him, and had sex with her. Everyone tried to talk Daniel out of it, but they were married by the same justice of the peace who married Kevin and Angelina, with Kevin as their witness. On their wedding night, Daniel got Daisy drunk on champagne, and left her passed out. Phyllis showed up, woke Daisy and the baby, and they went looking for Daniel, walking in on him and Eden necking in a booth at Jimmie's Bar. Daisy broke it to Eden that they were married, and Daisy and Phyllis dragged Daniel home. Phyllis tried to convince Daisy that she was doing just what she had done to Daniel's father, forcing him into a relationship which he would end up hating her for. Daniel told Phyllis that he was staying married to Daisy because it was best for his daughter.

Knowing it would help Michael and Lauren to move back into their own place, and with nowhere for him to paint living at Daisy's apartment, Daniel suggested that Daisy and Lucy move into his garret with him. Later, Daniel took Lucy to meet her grandfather, Danny, at his nearby concert. Daniel asked Danny the poignant question of how Danny had managed to live with Phyllis when he had not loved her, just so that he could be with Daniel. Danny told Daniel to keep his focus on Lucy, and he would survive it, that he was proud of him, and how lucky Lucy was to have him. Concerned about Daniel, Danny showed up in Genoa City, and spoke with Phyllis. Phyllis admitted to Danny and Nick that she hated Daisy because she reflected the worst of herself at the same age. Later after meeting Daisy, Danny told Daniel that he was right about her, and to be careful. Danny then left for L.A. to go back on tour.

From the rental car receipt evidence that Ricky had gotten from Tim Reid, Daisy discovered that Phyllis had been the driver of the rental car who had run down Paul and Cricket back in 1990, and she confronted Phyllis with the fact. Daniel overheard, and was aghast at what his mother had done. Phyllis had to confess to Daniel, but claimed it had been an accident, that she had only tried to scare Christine after she had seen her kissing Danny, bur her foot had hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Daisy used it to blackmail them into treating her as they should treat Daniel's wife.

On Phyllis and Nick's wedding day, while family and friends awaited her arrival at Gloworm, Daisy visited Phyllis and offered to tell her about Ricky's plot to take her down. Phyllis rebuffed the offer, called Daisy names, and threw her out. Then Phyllis began to lose her baby, doubling up in pain, and calling for help. Daisy heard her from the hallway, considered her options, then walked away. When Phyllis did not show up for the wedding or answer her phones, Nick went home and found her in her wedding gown on the floor where she had lost their baby, and he took her to the hospital. The next day, Nick and Phyllis were married by Katherine at the penthouse with only their children, Summer, Daniel, Faith, and Noah in attendance. The next day Phyllis and Daniel discovered from the security guard that Daisy had heard Phyllis calling for help and walked away. Daisy denied it when confronted. Nick, Daniel, and Phyllis all began plotting to somehow get rid of Daisy. Meanwhile Daisy went to Ricky offering to help him get revenge on Phyllis.

From the evidence that Ricky had gotten from Tim Reid, Daisy discovered that Phyllis had been the driver of the rental car who had run down Paul and Cricket back in 1990, and she confronted Phyllis with the fact. Daniel overheard, and was aghast at what his mother had done. Daisy used it to blackmail them into treating her as they should treat Daniel's wife.

On Phyllis and Nick's wedding day, while family and friends awaited her arrival at Gloworm, Daisy visited Phyllis and offered to tell her about Ricky's plot to take her down. Phyllis rebuffed the offer, called Daisy names, and threw her out. Then Phyllis began to lose her baby, doubling up in pain, and calling for help. Daisy heard her from the hallway, considered her options, then walked away. When Phyllis did not show up for the wedding or answer her phones, Nick went home and found her in her wedding gown on the floor where she had lost their baby, and he took her to the hospital. The next day, Nick and Phyllis were married by Katherine at the penthouse with only their children, Summer, Daniel, Faith, and Noah in attendance. The next day Phyllis and Daniel discovered from the security guard that Daisy had heard Phyllis calling for help and walked away. Daisy denied it when confronted. Nick, Daniel, and Phyllis all began plotting to somehow get rid of Daisy. Meanwhile Daisy went to Ricky offering to help him get revenge on Phyllis.

Later left alone in Ricky's room, Daisy discovered a video on his laptop which showed Ricky drowning his former girlfriend Rachel in the bathtub. Shocked, Daisy slammed the laptop shut and left, making excuses as Ricky returned. Ricky opened the laptop and realized what Daisy had seen, and he deleted the file. Outside, Daisy called D.A. Michael Baldwin, asking to meet him in an alley to disclose some important information. Ricky met Daisy in the alley instead. Michael later found only Daisy's scarf in the alley. The next day in his room, Ricky removed Daisy's wallet and cell phone from her purse, remarking that he was relieved to see nothing in the paper about "poor little Daisy". Ricky began using Daisy's credit card to charge pizza and bus tickets in Canada posing as Daniel, making it appear that Daisy was on the run. That plus Daniel's blood being found on Daisy's scarf, and an email to Kevin from Daisy telling him that she feared Daniel and asking Kevin to raise Lucy if anything happened to her, caused Daniel to be arrested for suspicion of murder, but Daniel was released for lack of evidence. Ricky Williams was suspected to have murdered Daisy. Then Paul had to shoot Ricky when he tried to kill Eden, and Ricky died when he fell through a window. When Daisy's wallet and cell phone were found to have been dumped by Ricky, Daniel was excluded as a person of interest in her disappearance, and Heather apologized to Daniel, assuring him that he never believed he had been guilty of getting rid of Daisy.

Daniel found himself being drawn again to assistant D.A. Heather Stevens, but both tried to avoid getting involved since his mother Phyllis had recently been arrested for running down Heather's father Paul and Christine Blair with a rental car 20 years ago. But they succumbed to their passion and ended up making love at Daniel's loft, and it wasn't long before they had fallen in love.

A few months after Daisy had disappeared, when Sharon was checked into Fairview Sanitarium for 72-hour observation, she ran into Daisy, who recognized Sharon and begged her to verify who she was. Daisy told Sharon that she had checked herself into Fairview under an assumed name to escape Ricky. Daisy failed to convince the doctor of who she was and what had happened. Sharon then verified that she was Daisy, who told him to send her fingerprints to the GCPD. Desperate to leave and thinking she could escape more easily from the hospital, Daisy took a handful of her medication which she had been hiding and lapsed into a coma. After the GCPD confirmed Daisy's identity, Daniel and Kevin were informed. Daniel went to see her, but she was uncommunicative. She later came out of the coma and told Paul the truth about Ricky. But before Daniel could see her again, she was checked out of the sanitarium by "her mother". Security tapes showed the woman who signed as Sheila Carter to be heavily disguised and unrecognizable, and the doctor was unable to identify her as either Phyllis or Sheila. Daniel decided it was time to divorce Daisy.

The judge was taken ill as Phyllis' trial began, and he was replaced. After looking over the case file, the new judge dismissed the case, citing the fact that Christine was not a Federal agent at the time; therefore the statute of limitations had run out, and Phyllis was set free. Daniel and Heather celebrated, realizing that they were finally free to be in love and share it with everyone.

As Paul's chances of being cleared looked more bleak, Heather asked Michael for a leave of absence to work on Paul's case, saying that she could not choose helping her boss over saving her dad, and left with Christine to follow up on some leads about Ricky in California. Christine returned with the video of Ricky killing his former girlfriend Rachel, and she mentioned that Heather had stayed in Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with Daniel and his daughter Lucy.

By January, Daniel returned with Lucy, but only to pack up their belongings and say goodbye. While in Chicago Daniel had been offered an art showing in Savannah, GA, and he and Heather had decided to move there for the duration. Phyllis was heartbroken and intended to go with him to help them settle in, but an emergency with Jack made her realize that she could not go.

In July 2013 while Daniel was in Europe, he was notified that his mother had suffered a head injury after falling down a steel and concrete stairwell. By the time he arrived in Genoa City, Phyllis had lapsed into a coma after only a few minutes of consciousness. While Daniel's half-sister Summer, his aunt Avery, and Phyllis' significant other Jack were content to sit by her side and wait months or years for her to wake up, Daniel did some research and found a facility on an island off the coast of Georgia where the best neurologists were having some success reviving coma patients. All were adamantly against it until Daniel convinced Michael, Lauren, and Summer. Summer convinced Jack and Nick, then Nick convinced Avery to allow Daniel to take her there to give her the best shot at recovery. While in town, Daniel mentioned that Lucy was taking ballet lessons, and that he and Heather were still together.

By August of 2014, his mother had been in a coma for over a year, and Daniel accepted a grant to join the most renowned artist colony in Europe, which meant that he had to leave her. He signed over the power of attorney for Phyllis to her daughter Summer. Within weeks, Phyllis came out of her coma, and everyone left messages for Daniel, but he was unreachable.

Daniel reappeared in September of 2016 for the wedding of his sister Summer to Luca Santori, sporting a goatee and mustache which everyone teased him about. Daniel finally met Mariah who greeted him with "You killed my sister." Daniel replied, "Yes I did." Phyllis intervened, and Daniel explained that Cassie had been young and wanted to be older, finding him drunk she wanted to drive him home, and had an accident. Mariah said she understood, introducing herself as Cassie's evil twin. The wedding was interrupted, and Luca was exposed as a saboteur. Daniel chatted with Kevin about Chloe, hoping things would work out between them, and mentioned that Lucy was in kindergarten.