Daniel Featherstone

### Relationships

Tricia Caldwell, Melissa Strickland, Dr. Elizabeth Freeling, Nicole Browne and Janet DuBois

*"The drive from here to Winchester takes about thirty-five minutes, but in that car, I could make it in ten." - Daniel Featherstone*

**Daniel "Danny" Featherstone** is the eldest son and heir of businessman Nate Featherstone and the brother of Caitlin Featherstone. Born in Ashford Falls, he is known for being very easy-going and All-American, having played football and basketball in high school. A car enthusiast, he is well-liked by many of his friends.

As a teenager, Danny attended Ashford Falls High School where he became friends with Blake Hedison, Len Snedeker and Russell Coleman. He also befriended Benjamin Waverly, the son of local dentist Dr. Albert Waverly on the advice of his mother and took him along on high school outings. Considered a jock, he played basketball and football, but he also proved to be a Straight-A student convinced that he was destined to get a football scholarship in college. Russell, however, got Danny interested in cars and racing, and for much of his teen years, Danny was constantly racing sports cars which he and Russell had built through Haverstraw and Wyckoff Roads, much to the consternation of Sheriff Lionel Taft and the local motorists. On at least two occasions, Danny drove off the road and ended up in Ashford Lake at the Ashford Falls Scenic Lookout.

In high school, Danny had a long on-and-off again relationship with Melissa Strickland, eventually breaking up with her to date Janet DuBois, whose father, Fletcher DuBois doubled as their chemistry teacher. From afar, Danny was also attracted to Blake's sister, Rachel Hedison, but she never gave in to his advances. Eventually, Danny stopped fawning over Rachel, but this might have been because of the socal snubbing treatment Rachel gave Caitlin.

After high school, Danny skipped college to devote his time to racing on the closed circuit between New York and Florida. Mostly supported by his father, Danny also dabbled in acting and stunt work in the movies. Caitlin meanwhile attended Western Connecticut State University to study journalism where she met and dated Blake Hedison. When Blake and Caitlin decided to get married after a five-year relationship, her father was taken aback by Nate, who had a business rivalry with Carter Hedison, Blake's father. Although Nate gave his blessing over the engagement for Caitlin's sake, Carter did not and even encouraged Rachel to do what she could to ruin their courtship. When Danny heard about the relationship, he also announced his misgivings with Blake marrying his sister considering Blake's approach with women while in high school. The disagreement led to a rift in their friendship as well as Danny's relationship with Caitlin, and after speeding through Wyckoff Road to relieve his anger, Danny once again submerged another sports car at Ashford Falls Scenic Lookout.
In her schemes to split up Blake and Caitlin, or to at least sour Blake's relationship with their father, Rachel tried to draft Danny into her schemes to break them up without getting involved herself. Exploiting Danny's old infatuation with her, she had him constantly redirecting Blake and Caitlin's attempts to get together as well as trying to get Blake's old paramours, Samantha Strickland, Tricia Caldwell and Chloe Waverly, to try and reignite old relationships. However, these ploys backfired as Danny tried once again to pursue Rachel as a girlfriend. When she refused his advances, Danny completely soured on the Hedison Family.

In 1988, Danny was shocked when his high school buddy, Len Snedeker, came out in public as a transvestite. While Blake's regal up-bringing forced him to shun Len, Danny and Russell supported his life choice. To get revenge on Rachel for snubbing him, Danny waited until she was on the outs with Dr. Paul Kirkwood, her recurring boyfriend, to encourage Len to start seeing Kirkwood. Unaware Len was a crossdresser, Paul was set up by Danny to meet Len at places in town, such as Worshams Restaurant, the Satterwhite Hotel and Ludlow's Candy Shop, but when Len discovered the deception, he bitterly avoided both Danny and Russell for months until they mended their friendship with him.

During his father's run for mayor of Ashford Falls, Danny helped to endorse him by promoting his candidacy and raising funds for his election. Rachel once again began started flirting with him to sabotage Nate's run in favor for Carl Griggs, her father's candidate. When her brother, Ty Hedison, got drunk one night and accidentally killed local girl Amelia Warren, Rachel approached Danny at the local Mardi Gral festival and plied him with beer laced with Scotch. Passing out, he was then put in Ty's car at the scene of Ty's car accident. The resulting scandal greatly affected Nathan's run for mayor, but Dr. Paul Kirkwood, while completely unaware of Rachel and Ty's duplicity, found evidence that showed that Amelia had taken her life by jumping in front of the car. While Ty was never revealed as the real driver, Danny was exonerated of vehicular manslaughter.
The ordeal of the election as well as the death of Fletcher DuBois subsequently motivated Nate Featherstone to leave town, but Danny stayed around to date Dr. Elizabeth Freeling. He also acted several times in a father figure position to Marcia Caldwell, the daughter of former classmate, Tricia Caldwell, who he believed was his daughter. It is also believed that it was around this time that Danny started staying at the empty Winchester Hotel, witnessing from afar as Carter Hedison secretly met with Carl Griggs and Lou Riley among others in covert deals. With Janet DuBois returning to town, Danny resumed their friendship, which became more romantic after Liz and Danny broke up. He also started driving Jack Gable's old Ferrari stored in her garage and started driving it back and forth to Winchester. While driving to the New York Delicatessen to meet Janet, he accidentally struck Rachel coming out of the eatery, causing a head injury that placed her in a coma that lasted over a year.
Danny ended up escaping charges for the accident due to his sister's friendship with Sheriff David Carmichael and his old romance with Samantha Strickland. During Sabrina Collins's run for mayor in 1995, Melissa Strickland sought out Danny at the race tracks in Mill City to endorse Collins like he had for Nathan Featherstone in the 1991 election. The two of them started resuming their relationship afterward, but it's unrevealed if they are still dating since.