Canon
Canonically, at the end of Ciem: Inferno, under pressure, Richard and Megan convince Danny that the best thing for him to do would be to break up with Candi. Candi is terrified to let anyone know that she's pregnant - including Danny! She admits it at one point to Imaki; but that leaves Imaki as the only party outside of Madison that knows the truth.
Appalled that he would be so quick to throw in the towel, simply because her conviction - and his family moving westward - made life difficult; Candi concedes to the breakup - tearfully. The couple part ways, and don't see each other again for several years. She vows that if she can't win him back, then she'll make certain that the next guy she gives herself to is fully committed to her - no matter what insane persecution Darius Philippine throws at her next!
Danny seemed like the dream to her. But when the going got tough; he ran away. She knew she couldn't afford to make that mistake again!
The stress of being a fall girl, a juvenile inmate, an orphan, a single mother, and an exposed superhero whose sins were catching up to her proved to be too much; and Candi found herself going into labor in late January of 2016 - only a month into serving her sentence!
Grateful for all she'd done to save Madison Juvenile from Drop-In (and tame Flintirah,) Superintendent Bruce Almin offered to pay for Candi's trip to the hospital. She was determined to save her child's life. However, doctors were only able to do so much, and no more.
Angie Flippo was not given more than a few hours to live. Candi made sure to have her child baptized in that time; then spent several tender moments with the daughter she was doomed to lose. It took until early March for Candi to recover from the crushing depression that ensued - made worse by Darius instigating TPR proceedings against Erin and Imaki, in breach of his deal with Candi!
Madison was cutting back, and that meant inadequate personal support to address Candi's specific problems. The class she most needed, Healthy Relationships; was denied to her - partially on account of outside pressure from Darius.
When some of Candi's unresolved issues years later would come back to bite her, and Donte would be similarly emotionally and morally compromised by the stressful circumstances they were in; it became dangerously easy for Candi to slip back into her old behavior patterns.
There could have been another way
But what if Danny weren't a coward? What if he'd sworn to Candi that he would do anything to get back to her after she got out of prison; even if he lived in another state by then?
For starters, the odds would have been significantly higher that Angie would have arrived on a more reasonable timetable and due date, and not been super-premature.
Darius would have written Candi off as useless, and not prolonged her suffering beyond the initial 7 months of incarceration she'd agreed to. Candi would have been unable to participate in the events in Ash Cloud, as Angie would have been born in late April. Candi would have been released in June, on her original schedule. The Loffin family would come and vouch for her, as they'd also be the ones receiving custody of Angie. Imaki would coordinate matters this way.
In Candi's 5-year future, things would have turned out worse for her - and the remnants of America in general - had this happened. Canonically, in December of 2019, when she and Dolly arrive at the Texas border, Candi has a renewed supply of Remotach. She and Dolly find themselves dependent on it to survive, after they are captured and drugged at the border.
Not aware of Remotach, Arfaas' men waste no time taking a weakened Candi and Dolly, and fulfilling Arfaas' demands for the girls.
Due to Candi's Remotach, quick thinking, and the Navyropes' intervention, the girls are able to reattach their heads in time, and survive the encounter. The Navyropes take them to a secret underground bunker, doubling as a hospital. The girls are fully recovered from all but their psychological trauma - a week later. After all: they were inches from death!
Imaki even had Candi and Danny do practice runs with a fake ax and block, to get Candi used to the idea that her enemies were serious about their obsession to fulfill Arfaas' demands: that all of Shalia's daughters' heads be made into his trophies!
But with no Candi to confront Korsicht at Madison in June of 2016? None of the others would have survived. Nancy would never have come up with the Carbonica. Quoll and Duzerit would have succeeded at the full VEI-8 eruption of Yellowstone plan! The Hebbleskins would have eventually found all of Shalia's daughters, and decapitated them. None would have Remotach, and Candi would have been utterly defeated.
Is all hope lost?
At first, this may seem so. Dolly would have died at the South Bend Death Camp. There would be no Ciem to confront Musaran. Donte would have died, and a lot sooner. No Exodus Agenda would arrive in Texas at all; and Jackrabbit's team in Houston would have had a much harder time making the Sodality of Gerosha a reality.
However, the Loffins would have fled to California sooner. Danny would have had Candi in his life; and would have married her as soon as he lawfully could.
Right up until the moment of her capture and execution; Candi would have been happier. She would've had the boy she wanted: her high school sweetheart. She'd miss Miriam and Imaki, and even miss Marina and Erin too. She wouldn't miss much else.
While Candi herself would have been doomed to die; the case for Angie would have been another story. Angie would have escaped, along with the rest of the Loffins. She'd develop the same abilities as what her mother had; and would grow up to one day avenge her mother and destroy the Hebbleskins.
It's debatable if the Swappernetters and Plum Bixie would be around to assist her in this. If the Icy Finger stuck it to the Loffins as revenge against the Angie Loffin version of Ciem; then Angie would have needed to go underground within Arkonia - as a Swappernetter Student.
Angie's Centhuen Prototype abilities would come in handy; allowing her to become a Frontliner a year ahead of her peers. She may have even been able to join Tabitha Pang's team; given that she would only be about 2-1/2 years younger than Tabby. This would be strange for Tabitha; as she'd now be the mentor to the daughter of her own childhood idol!
In conclusion
While Angie's premature birth and death, and Danny's abandoning Candi may seem cruel; it was a strange sort of blessing in disguise. Having the Remotach refill allowed Candi to later survive two beheadings from her enemies! Battling Korsicht saved dozens of lives. Yellowstone didn't go full VEI-8. The world didn't end - just yet. The Sodality of Gerosha became legendary heroes.
Sure, relentless politics would see to it that Candi's Madison affair wouldn't be the only time she would spend her life as a political prisoner. With the totality of her life under parole / probation and incarceration time total tallied up, she winds up spending nearly 13 years' worth of her life either behind bars, or under house arrest, or else monitored in some way!
Yet, Candi's patience and longsuffering are not in vain. She and Donte are able to build the McArthur Estate that would never have been possible under Danny Loffin. They are able to have three children of their own: Frank, John, and Dana. The Ciem of Tomorrow, which the Phaletori remnants and Icy Finger revivalists fear most in Indiana, is not some mere offspring of Candi's that has the same abilities and suit tech.
Instead, it's a much-updated futuristic Ciem, with all of Candi's powers PLUS all of Emeraldon's! Dana may not have been as special a birth to Candi as Angie was; but the long haul makes Candi grateful that God put Dana in her life long-term instead of Angie.
There's sometimes no telling what sort of divine blessing and providence one can hope to expect; even coming from the most seemingly senseless of one's current pains and struggles.
