An Unknown Amount of Hours Later

Alice's head was pounding, she opened her eyes gingerly and could only make out fuzzy mismatched shapes, as her vision cleared slowly she catalogued her surroundings. She was lain down on something soft and the room she occupied was quiet and dark. Trust Danny to do something like that, he was considerate like that. She assumed dusk was falling as the room was filled with a yellow glow from a lamp in the corner.

She blinked once, twice and realised she didn't recognise the room. Her body felt slack and boneless, the room humid. He clothes were different too. Everything that happene before flooded her mind, managing to catch Emma and almost killing her, Lauren being stabbed, Alice singing to her feeling so helpless, and finally her daughter dying in her arms. She closed her eyes as pain shafted through her chest intense and hot. She slowed her breathing opening her eyes when the pain wasn't as intense.

It was then she realised there were no windows in this room, and this white dress? Where did it come from? She didn't recognise it! There was one door in the room which looked heavy. She tried to get up but she felt straps tighten around her wrists. She looked down at them and began to panic, she was being held to the bed! She raised her head.

"What the…." she croaked and yanked the straps hard. "Danny?" she called seeing if he was here with her. He was the last thing she could remember before she passed out.

Silence reigned in the room. She surveyed her surroundings giving them closer inspection and she realised this room wasn't as foreign as she first thought. The bed she lay in, really similar to her and Danny's sleigh bed at home. And the dress she wore, what she could tell was again similar to the wedding dress she wore on her wedding day! And the colour of the walls, well where the lamp was, was a pale pink, the exact colour of her room when she stayed at Leopards Den all those years ago. Ok this mix of past and present was sick and more than a little creepy! Where the hell was she?

"Ah I see sleeping beauty is awake?"

Alice swivelled her head around quickly searching for the person who spoke. He was using some sort of voice distorter so she didn't recognise it but if she saw their face she might recognise them.

"Ah look all you want but you won't see me, see I'm not actually there, well in body, my heart and spirit has always been yours."

Alice yanked at her bounds once again. "Where am I?" she yelled to the disembodied voice that surrounded her.

"Home sweet home." he replied.

"Home is Leopards Den. Home is Danny. Home is my girls…" Girl now, just Lily….again grief pressed down on chest making it hard to breath.

He sighed, "I often wish you would say my name like that, with so much want!" he quieted a second. "But Alice you still don't understand, you were never meant to be with him…." he told her reasonably.

Alice froze, that statement was eerily similar. "Who are you?"

"Oh I'm hurt, you don't know me? You really don't remember me? You're playing!"

"Maybe if you weren't disguising your voice I'd know you!" she retorted.

"I thought you'd know me anywhere, especially after all the gifts I sent you! I've been in your life a very long time, just watching from the sidelines waiting for my chance, for the chance that you'd see me and realise what you mean to me, what I mean to you…."

Alice sat up resting on her elbows pulling her straps taut. "I know who you are pretending to be and I'm telling you it's impossible. HE'S DEAD! So cut out the act and tell me who you are!" she raged. "Or better still LET ME GO!"

"Who am I trying to be then Alice?" he asked coyly.

"Alistair Murphy and I'll tell you what, he burned so much there was barely anything left. He was found in the house he tried to kill me in!"

"How do you know it was him if he was so badly burned?" he asked snidely.

Alice quieted, they hadn't been able to get a formal identification since he had no dental records, I mean they assumed it was him but…..no it had to be him. She was the only once in the house that night apart from him! He'd been crushed by a beam…...still she began to wonder, her once solid theory that he was dead not felt lacking. "It was him!" she finally answered. Then exhaled, "How'd I get here?"

"A little misdirection." she could hear the smile in his voice, "You planned well but you didn't plan for me did you? I knew Emma hadn't killed you. I knew you lived, I knew Emma would screw up and I also knew that Emma would do this."

There was a click in the room and a TV illuminated on the wall. The image showed a sterile white room with machinary, a drip, a ventilator close by and a small figure on a bed.

Alice looked closer. "What?" she gasped.

"Oh can't you see? Lets zoom in shall we?" the picture moved in and the figure enlarged. Alice's heart seemed to lurch in her chest. This wasn't possible! She looked to the left of the figure and saw a heart monitor beeping steadily. Alice felt her eyes fill tears. "How is she here?"

"She is here because I wanted her here, same way I wanted you…..but I can get rid of her as soon as I want." the ventilator in the room was turned off and the heart monitor began to beep rapidly. The person in the bed having difficulty breathing.

"No stop, stop!" Alice begged.

The ventilator was turned back on and the monitor slowed and the alarm stopped shrieking.

"Don't hurt her please, I'll do anything." Alice told him eyes glued to the screen.

"I was hoping you would say that." he told her quickly.

A hatch on the door opened and a white box was pushed inside, the hatch shut and the bounds that held her loosened. Alice pulled freely quickly and rubbed her wrists.

"Go to the box." the voice told her.

Alice did as she was asked, walked over opened it and was looking at blood red lingerie. The exact brand Alistair used to buy her.

"Put it on!" he ordered.

Alice looked at the clothes and then the TV screen, Lauren's bruised face still clearly visible. Her cheeks pink and healthy. How could that be though?

"I saved her for you Alice, as a gesture of good faith. Don't make me kill her!" his voice hissed all around her. It seemed to echo and Alice knew what she had to do. She lifted the silk gown out of the box, her eyes never leaving her child's face. What other choice did she have?


Danny came to, his eyes seemed to roll in the back of his head and he was lain in something wet, he had no idea what though. He opened his eyes and was looking at a wooden ceiling, in the corner of his eye he saw what he thought were cages but he couldn't tell as his vision was hazy. Ok so it looked like he was on the floor of his surgery. He tried to lift his head but it felt heavy so he catalogued his final thoughts searching his mind for the last thing he remembered. There were police and Emma…..and paramedics and Lauren then Alice…..

"Alice.…" he moaned and turned his head. "Alice….are you ok?" he croaked.

He managed to push himself into a sitting position and barely steadied himself as stars danced in front of his eyes. His body swayed back and forward but he was unaware of it and he seemed to be blinking a lot. The only thought that registered was he had to find Alice….he just had to….she might need help….

He looked in the direction of the office and saw two figures on the floor, they were the paramedics who came to help Lauren but he didn't recognise them, or even acknowlede them, his head felt so very light at the moment. He crawled to his operating table and pulled himself to standing then stumbled towards the door. No sign of Lauren or Alice in here…..he had to find them! He fell on the door and managed to yank it open. The sunlight hit his eyes blinding him, he fell to his knees. Someone put their arm around his shoulder steadying him.

"Alice?" he asked groggily.

"Danny?…..God your covered in blood…. What happened?"

"She's gone." he said. "Their gone."

"It's ok Danny, you'll be ok." Mandy looked at him.

He shook his head, "Their gone."

"Danny do you know who I am?" Mandy asked frantically. She was seriously worried, there was blood pouring from a wound in the back of his head and his words were slurred and could be classed as gibberish. It was almost like he couldn't hear her!

"Alice….. Gone…" he told her barely lucid.

Mandy's heart was pounding. Danny you're gonna be ok." then she turned her head, her arm tightly around Danny's shoulders. "I NEED HELP OVER HERE!" she shouted.

A/N ok people this chapter here totally unplanned, came out of the blue as i argued with my muse telling him that lauren had to live as the 'original' Lauen in the story was supposed to be evil and i couldn't justify killing this Lauren as i liked her and she was actually nice.
ANYWAY this chapter is what happens when my brain isn't cluttered with Uni stuff! I quite like where this goes, hope you do too. and bet you weren't expecting it (I hope not coz i wasn't even expecting this and i'm the author lol)

Anyway Alice and Lauren are kidnapped, culprit unknown (could it be actually be alistair? Scary stuff!) and Danny is badly hurt! (but bless him he was more worried about Alice)
How the hell do they get out of this one I wonder? ALL will be revealed! x