Danny awoke slowly. The room he lay in was shrouded in darkness. He swallowed and winced when he realised his mouth was dry. He rolled onto his back and felt relief flood him when he felt no pain. Everything he said to Alice gradually came to him. A flood of things he wished he hadn't said. How could he say that stuff to her? Then there was the stuff in this room. He put his hands over his face. He shouldn't have shown her that emotion, how he actually felt about her leaving. It was true though, he didn't know if he would ever be able to love her again. He sat up rubbing his face and yawning. He walked from his room and saw his girls sat in the kitchen. Rosie was showing Charlotte how to play chess.

"So the horsie?" Charlotte asked.

"Knight." Rosie corrected. "Can move there or there."

Charlotte made a big play of considering her options then moved it seriously.

"Oooo, sneaky." Rosie murmured staring at the board. Moved her bishop.

"And the castle?"

"Rook." Rosie showed her where she could move.

Again Charlotte moved.

Rosie's jaw dropped. "You got me!" she looked at her dad. "She has me in checkmate!"

"I win?" Charlotte asked happily.

"Better teacher than I thought." Rosie said with a grin.

Alice walked in through the back of the kitchen. Laughed at the sight of Rosie and Charlotte. "Rosie you shouldn't play chess with Charlotte, she's a shark."

Rosie looked at he little sister. "So she knows how to play?"

Charlotte grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

"You mean she didn't tell you?" Alice asked washing her hands at the sink.

"No, who taught her?"

Alice was taking some food from the fridge. "Her uncle Rowan showed her, then she systematically beat all my friends playing the o I don't know card." she placed some chicken on a tray. "She wins the computer Rosie!"

Charlotte had the smuggest look on her face. Alice couldn't help but note how much that look made her look like Danny, well more than she usually did which was a lot!

Rosie meanwhile had narrowed her eyes and was setting up the board again. "To think I went easy on you!"

"Liar liar pants on fire!" Charlotte sang.

Alice finally spotted him, well spoke to him. "How you feeling?"

"Human." Danny replied walking to the fridge for juice. After he poured himself some he went to her and twined his hands with hers.

Charlotte saw it and smiled, Rosie knew it was an act, Danny didn't know that Rosie knew that - yet.

Alice pulled her hand away and busied her self with the vegetables. Danny frowned.

"You didn't tell me Charlotte could play chess."

Alice shrugged. "She hasn't been playing long. She constantly asks me to play then keeps me right with where to put the pieces. It's pretty humiliating being beaten by a six year old." Alice looked back at the kids playing and smiled, proving she didn't mean a word.

"Is she really intelligent?" Danny asked.

"In some areas, yeah she knows her way around a chess board but is struggling with her times tables."

He smiled with pride. "It'll come." Walked to her and ruffled her hair.

Rosie swore when Charlotte moved a chess piece.

"Rosie." Danny warned. "Language."

"Well dad look at what she did!" Rosie muttered staring at the board. "She keeps putting me in check!"

He turned back to Alice. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah." Alice said still chopping carrots.

"Alone." he hinted.

Her back stiffened momentarily then she placed the sharp knife down. She wiped her hands on a towel then walked from the kitchen.

"Rosie…." Alice started.

"I know don't let her touch the knife." Charlotte moved another piece and Rosie frowned. "Can't say I won't use it on her!" she muttered under her breath.

Alice smiled. "You'd miss her if she wasn't here."

"Beginning to doubt that!" Rosie said smiling her plan with chess was working!

Danny followed close behind Alice as she left the room. They heard Rosie snort in disgust.

"Look Alice." Danny began quickly. "I just wanted to apologise for my earlier behaviour."

She shook her head. "No it's good that I know how you feel."

"But I don't feel like that." he replied.

She gave him a dubious look. "So you don't hate me for leaving and taking Charlotte?"

He was silent.

"And given time you might develop feelings? Love?"

Again he didn't say a word.

"So Danny that IS how you feel, like I said it's best I know."

"Well I do feel like that but not as bad as your making it sound!"

"Well that's how bad you made it sound to me." she told him calmly.

He ground his teeth together.

"Anyway Danny I don't care, I'm over us."

He felt something sharp at her statement.

"Plus it is best that feelings don't get involved." Alice carried on. "It'll make it harder during the divorce."

Divorce! They weren't even married yet! He crossed his arms and resisted the urge to demand that she stop talking.

"Anyway there's something I need to tell you, I told Rosie." Alice admitted.

"Told her what?"

"The truth, the real reason we're getting married."

"Why?" he blasted.

"Coz now we don't have to do all the touching and sharing a room."

"What about Charlotte?" he growled.

"Charlotte is too young to understand about stuff like that, all we have to do now is live together and share responsibilities as parents."

"You should have asked me first!" he fumed.

"Why? I got us out of a spot - you don't want to touch me and I feel the same about you!"

Danny once again found himself grinding teeth though he didn't know why. "Can you wait here a minute?" he asked as something occurred to him.

"I can't, there's people arriving at the surgery soon and I have to start tea."

"I can do tea." he countered.

"I promised Rosie and Charlotte my speciality chicken."

"Ok, but we need to talk later."

She nodded and walked off.

(X)

Danny waited for Alice in the house a few hours later. She walked in looking tired.

"Busy day?" he asked as she shuffled into the kitchen.

She nodded and flopped down into a chair. He handed her a glass of juice.

"Thank you." she replied and drank it thirstily. "Everyone is so relieved you are back open. Haven't been that tired since….." she stopped herself. It had been when Rosie had been in the hospital with her appendix.

He nodded. They sat in silence.

"So you graduated then?" Danny started making small talk.

She nodded. "Wasn't easy doing my final year - being pregnant."

"I'm glad you did. You know graduate. That's all I wanted for you."

"I know that now." she answered softly.

"Have you always been a locum?"

"Pretty much. I didn't want to join a practice incase I got close to someone….."

"And it happened again?" he finished for her.

She exhaled and nodded.

"I guess we both have hang ups huh?"

"Yeah." she looked into her juice. "If I'd known I would never…."

"It's ok Alice. Water under the bridge." surprisingly he meant it now. He went in his pocket and pulled out a blue square box. "There." he placed it on the table and pushed it towards her.

"What's that?"

He shifted in his seat, green eyes cloudy. "We are still putting on the show for Charlotte. It's your…" he coughed. "Um…engagement ring."

She shook her head. "Seriously Danny, I don't need one."

He shrugged tracing patterns on the table with his finger. "You don't have to wear it. It's yours anyway. Always has been."

Alice picked up the box. "You shouldn't have bought anything. This marriage isn't real." she opened it and gasped.

He cleared his throat. "I didn't buy anything." that ring was something different. Bought when he had a real marriage in mind. When he had loved her so much he couldn't think around her. When he had hopes and dreams about a future with her, full of children and happy memories…..all ashes now. He felt his throat tighten, he tried not to think about stuff like that, it had all been a possibility - once.

Alice stared at the ring. She touched the clear cold gem. "How you got a ring then?" she whispered.

"I had it already." he was silent rubbed his face. "Bought it seven years ago." he admitted when his face was obscured.

Her hand rushed to her mouth. "You mean you…." she whispered.

The chair screeched as he stood up." Excuse me I need some air."

Alice left him go without comment. She was still in shock staring at the ring…..he had bought seven years ago….obviously for her! The shocks just kept coming! He hadn't marked her assignment, he had been ill, he had bought her an engagement ring! O god!

She took the ring from the box and it was rested in her hand. Began to feel something familiar but new bloom in her chest. Ok time to face facts here, she had never stopped loving him. Yeah she believed he betrayed her but she hadn't had it inside her to hate him, she never would. He was her first love and a part of her would love him forever…..but she knew he would never feel the same, he had made that patently clear. So she had no other choice but to carry on the way she had been. Completely aloof and uncaring of what he said.

She walked to her room, she knew agreeing to marry him had been a bad idea and it was slowly becoming worse. She was gonna get hurt. She could see it a mile off!

A/N sorry for the rubbish, i haven't wrote a word in 2 weeks! this was prewritten before university took over my life! :
Anyway all we need is for danny to admit he has feelings then they are sorted! could it be that easy though? x