"Hello Miranda." her name came out as an exhaled breath.

He stood not saying a word. Miranda wasn't speaking either, an awkward silence was beginning to descend. Miranda broke it.

"You didn't come to see me." she whispered.

"I've been busy, Rosie, the surgery." he trailed off. He didn't want to talk to her.

"I'm better now settled, I can come home."

"O." he replied sadly.

"You don't sound very happy." she told him.

To be honest he wasn't. It sounded awful but his life, Rosie's life were simpler when she was away.

"Do you remember how you scared our daughter?" he asked.

"Everything is fuzzy, like a dream."

"Well it was very real for us!" he retorted. Then exhaled. "I'm sorry Miranda, it's been manic over here and I haven't been sleeping. I'm sure when you get home you'll settle quickly."

"Just me, you and Rosie, same as always. See you soon." she disconnected.

"Dammit!" he groaned. Miranda was coming home, and he had asked Alice to stay. Yeah Miranda might be calm now, but that never lasted forever. From the time Miranda stepped foot in this house he and Rosie would be walking on eggshells. He didn't want to do this but he had to find a way to get rid of Alice. He picked his phone up and dialled the number for Moira.

"Hello." a bubbly female voice answered.

"Hello Moira, it's Danny."

"Where's my dinner?" she laughed. " A woman could starve waiting for you!"

"Look about Alice Collins, has her placement come through yet?"

He heard typing. "Yes I have the details right in front of me."

"Where?" he asked exhaling in relief.

"It's at your place."

He resisted the urge to swear. "What?"

"Yeah." she told him. "You big brave knight coming to that poor girls rescue, your stuck with her now!"

"Can it be changed?" he asked conversationally.

"You having problems?" Moira asked.

"Of course not, I just need to make sure she wants to stay. That she has other options." he lied smoothly.

"Well yes it can be changed but only once, then the computer thinks she's a trouble maker and she gets thrown off the course."

He winced. What if she ended up with a nut job. Or some sexual harasser or something. Some guy who wouldn't take no for an answer? He'd kill him! He exhaled knowing he couldn't do that to her. Then again what if Miranda went off on one?

"Ok Moira thanks." he said dejected. Disconnected the call.

He had no other choice. At the moment he'd play it by ear, see how it all went. If Miranda started behaving erratically he'd have to tell Alice she had to go. To bad she couldn't take him and Rosie with her.

(X)

Miranda was due home, Danny had spoke and tried to reassure Rosie.

"Why she gotta come home though?" She asked eyes shining with tears.

"She's better now." but for how long.

"She doesn't stay better though!" her tears fell. "I don't want to live here with her."

"It'll be ok baby, I'll take care of you." he promised.

"But what if she hurts you really badly this time and you get taken away? What happens if you die and I gotta stay with her forever and…"

He picked her up and put her on his knee. "Daddy is superman really." he whispered in her ear. "Nothing hurts daddy. See when mum hurt my arm. Did I get taken away?"

She shook her head. "You didn't even cry!"

"Coz I'm superman. I promise you she won't hurt me or you."

Rosie nodded, then was once again visibly upset as her mother walked into the house.

"Hello Danny. Rosie." she said placing her bag on the floor.

The first thing they noticed was that Miranda called Rosie, Rosie. She hadn't done that in years - ever even!

"Hello mum." Rosie whispered looking at her chair.

"Can I have a hug?" Miranda asked hesitantly.

Rosie looked unsure. Danny stared at Miranda trying to work out her angle, she always had one!

"It's ok." Miranda assured. "If you don't want to!"

Rosie walked over to her mother slowly. Miranda went down to her knees and hugged her gently. Closed her eyes. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." she whispered. Pulled back and looked at her. "Your so pretty." smoothed her brown hair back from her face. "I see your dad in your face, it's the stubborn jaw."

Danny continued to look at his wife. This was all familiar, like she was before her illness. He wanted to believe she was better. That they could be a family again. But it never lasted.

Miranda looked up at Danny and smiled. "Have you been ok?" it seemed to Danny she was being very cautious…..why?

He nodded. "I survived." he had no choice not to, he had a child to raise.

Rosie was looking at her mum wearily, like she expected her to go off at any second.

"Me and dad need to talk sweetheart." Miranda murmured.

Rosie looked to her dad for confirmation. He nodded and she shot off to her room.

Danny stood up as did Miranda. "So how have you been?" he asked as soon as Rosie was out of earshot.

Miranda exhaled and walked towards the kitchen. "They're trying me on some new experimental medicine. I've had everything else. All the combo's known to man." she didn't tell Danny about the side effects of this one, like extreme paranoia and behavioural shifts, drastic ones!

"And?" he asked.

"I'm calmer and I can think now. I remember the stuff I did and it feels like it wasn't me. I'm sorry Danny, your arm. You know how much I love you, I'd never hurt you!"

He looked down at his scar. "You should be apologising to Rosie."

"I know." she sighed. "I hate that she's scared of me." She went into her bag and handed him a letter. "Here's contact details if I start acting weirdly.

He took the envelope his eyes narrowed, the old Miranda would never have gave him this.

"Honestly Danny I have changed!" she promised.

Talking about change….. "Miranda there has been some changes here you need to know about."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"We have a student vet in. They work in the surgery with me."

"How has it been? Has he ok?"

"She's doing really well. Her name is Alice Collins."

Miranda nodded.

"And Caroline and Dupe are thinking about moving back in."

"I guess I forced them out last time?"

"You did." he replied honestly.

"Look Danny I am sorry, for everything. I want us to go back to how we were before. I want us to be a proper family. I want to be a proper mother to Rosie, a proper wife to you."

He shook his head. "I understand I do but we have had 8 years of you coming home and being fine then for whatever reason your meds stop working or you don't take them and it all ends up chaos."

She exhaled.

"Give us time. To get to know you again." he asked.

She nodded. "About Alice…."

"She's having a few days off. The surgery is just calming down, we were operating around the clock." he smiled. "She was a star considering she isn't even qualified yet. Don't know what I would have done without her."

"So you two get along?" she asked, her tone tinged with suspicion.

"It was abit iffy at first but yeah, we're really starting to gel."

Miranda bit back a 'like we used to.' There was one thing she knew for sure, she was going to be keeping an eye on this Alice!

A/N so Miranda is bk! The people of Leopards Den better watch out or is she better now?