We All Need To Heal

A/N Part 2 of Life is Wild. Lets see what has happened with Danice since the last chapter…..

Alice walked into her house pushing her phone in her pocket. The house didn't look at all like it had when she first arrived here almost 15 years ago. Since the fire and the subsequent rebuild many changes had happened, first was the kitchen, much more spacious allowing her room to cook and have friends over when she decided to make one of her famous meals. It also meant she wasn't tripping over people when she was cooking, always a plus when you had overactive kids around. The bed rooms again were much bigger with adjoining bathrooms and the living room and study were now side by side with doors between them.

The colour scheme was nice and neutral, something she and Danny had argued passionately about before they'd been married, he liked bold colours but she quite liked light ones that didn't try to blind you when you entered a room. Neutral seemed to be something they could agree on…..and after agreeing they always made up which was always a lot of fun! In the past they didn't really used to argue all that much, which in some ways was a shame but recently since he found out about her new film their arguments hadn't involved any making up at all!

"Danny!" she called remembering that she had very little time. Her plane left soon and she had to be on it. "I'm about to leave for the airport. Lily c'mere!"

"Mum I'm busy." floated from the direction of her daughters bedroom.

Alice wasn't fooled. Lily's definition of busy was talking on the phone. "Lily Trevanion!"

A door was yanked open and a young slim girl appeared in the doorway. She was identical to her mother in almost every way, including the scowl she was now wearing. She had her short black hair and blue eyes which were flashing fire, her height though she inherited from her dad. She was only twelve and she matched her mother. Lily gave her mum an exasperated sigh. "I am used to you going away to make a film you know. This isn't new!"

"I know but this time I'm in London, it's not like jumping in a car or a short flight."

"We talk through skype and I can visit you on the weekends….."

"No you can't." Alice told her sternly.

"Mum!" she moaned. "London sounds so cool..."

"I said no, I don't want you anywhere near London ok!"

"Just because La…."

"I mean it! End of discussion Lily!"

Lily tutted but didn't argue.

Alice looked around then at her watch. "C'mon Danny!" she whispered then looked at her daughter. "Anyway like I said no mum for a six to eight weeks."

"I'm twelve mum I don't really need you. My friends mum said she will take me to riding and I get picked up and dropped off for school." Lily shrugged. "I'm nearly independent already!"

"Ger real baby girl." and Alice kissed her cheek. "You'll be independent when you aren't nagging us for more pocket money!"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Look Lil's about your dad…."

Lily crossed her arms and looked away mutinously. "Don't talk to me about him ok!"

"I was just saying how he could take you riding rather than your friends mum." Alice suggested.

"Why would he want to? I'm not the kid he wanted remember?"

"Lily he does want you he never said he didn't…"

"What so he acts like I'm invisible for fun? He never wants to do anything with me and I'm sick of being let down!" she shouted.

"Lily what happened hit him hard and he didn't know what to do. He still doesn't!" they both looked down the hallway to the direction of the only door closed in the hallway. As Alice looked at the door she was filled with a pain so intense her chest felt like it was on the verge of collapse.

"As long as he doesn't speak to me we will be fine!" Lily told her coldly.

"He has to talk to you, he's your dad!"

The child scoffed. "Are you sure mum? Isn't it someone else? Someone good, why do some people get good dad's and I get him! Can't it be someone who wants me?"

"Lil's…." Alice started when Danny walked in the house, noticed her and looked at his watch. "Shouldn't you be on your way to the airport?" a frown creasing his brow.

"I should be but my husband told me he'd drive me remember?"

Danny shook his head. "Sorry forgot."

"There's a surprise…." Lily muttered under her breath.

Alice shot her a look in warning.

"Alice I still can't believe you are going back there!" he told her heading for truck keys.

"It wasn't the place Danny! Staying away doesn't change a thing does it?"

"If I was you mum I'd cut your losses and divorce him." Lily whispered.

Danny heard it. "Room!" and pointd to a door.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Make me father!"

"Now!"

"No."

Never had he thought that his daughter would be so much like her mother it would be like living with two of them! At the moment one was all he could handle. "You can forget about riding unless you do!" he warned.

She gave him a dark look. "I don't care!"

"Lily…." Alice said gently.

Lily sighed. "Fine!"

Alice kissed her daughter who twisted her face. "I'll call you ok?"

Lily gave her a smile so much like the way her dad used to smile in the past. "Sure thing mum." then she went to her room. Stopped and looked at her dad. "I only did it coz mum said to, not you!" and closed the door.

He clenched his fists and goraned loudly, completed it by glaring at his wife. "Thanks Alice!" he snapped.

"It isn't my fault she won't listen to you!"

"Yeah but you butting in…."

"Danny she wasn't going to back down, she'd as stubborn as you! You're daughter is just like you and you are always butting heads with her!"

"She's like you!" he retorted.

She checked her watch. "I don't have time, my flight….."

He made no move to reply and she wanted to scream. Her marriage hadn't been the same since that fateful day seven years ago. They'd had so many plans until then, they'd been trying for another child, were talking about expanding the surgery and the business and all of that had been put on hold, then forgotten as the tragedy slowly unfolded.

"Don't expect me to go there Alice!" his green eyes pain filled in their depths. "I won't!"

"Look are you taking me or not!" finally losing patience, cutting off his tangent, if he started to list the reasons why he wouldn't go to London then she'd never get on the damn plane!

"Yes." he said grudgingly. "Lil…."

Alice cut him off and put her hand on his arm. "Don't forget we still have Lily and she needs to know you love her!"

"Lily knows…."

"Lily thinks that you don't want her, she thinks the kid you love is La…."

Danny interrupted her. "I love Lily as much as…." he exhaled and closed his eyes unable to say the name. "Seven years and it still isn't any easier. Will it ever be easier Alice?" he whispered.

Alice ignored his question doubting as to whether she and Danny would ever get over this. "Spend time with Lily while I'm away. Be the dad I know you can be, be the dad you started out as."

He nodded and they shared a cold passionless kiss, it was better characterised as a touch.

"Be careful over there." he murmured touching her cheek gently.

She nodded. "Always am."

Te moment over he called his child "Lily!"

She appeared at the door. "You called father."

God he hated when she called him that and she knew it which is why she did it! He ignored it. "Come to the airport with me and your mum."

She made a face. "Do I have to?"

"Yes!" he told her sternly.

She exhaled disappeared onto her room and reappeared with a lemon jacket which matched her three quarter trousers and sunglasses in her other hand. Walked from the room and straight passed her dad without even acknowledging his presence.

Danny rubbed his face forcefully. He stomped form the house noisily.

Alice meanwhile stopped Lily by grabbing her wrist and looked her in the eye. "Give him a chance will you? Do you really want this relationship to continue? You get one dad Lil and that's it!"

"Yeah and the way he acts you'd think he only had one kid!" she snapped yanked her wrist away and walked down to the truck. She climbed in the back and back and began untangling her ear phones.

Alice looked at Danny and Lily as they sat with their backs to each other doing their separate jobs. Father and daughter had attitudes so similar that they were poles apart. Lily most of the time couldn't even look at the man who fathered her, the man who had been overjoyed on the day she was born.

How had life came to this? She'd woven so many dreams since the day Danny finally gave in and agreed they could marry, after the marriage a second later she was pregnant then five years later their perfect idyllic life began crumbling down. Lily only five at the time didn't really understand what had happened. Only that she had not only lost a sibling but she was starting to lose her daddy too and as the years stretched on the distance grew until Danny and his little girl shared nothing in common except their temper and the genes they both shared, and by Lily's earlier comments she didn't even want those! The car horn beeped.

"C'mon Alice you'll miss your flight!" he called.

Alice exhaled and closed the front door, her once dream house not what it used to be.

A/N so there has been a loss in the family that Danny and Alice can't get over, its obviously a child...im just wondering what you think happened, and where, leave me your thoughts if you wish.
Danny had a very strained relationhip with his daughter, danny thinking she like alice and alice thinking shes like Danny, his relationship with alice isn't the same either, wonder why hmmmmm :/ x