Danny walked from the house after listening to Liv's heartbroken sobbing in her room. He was finding it hard not to react to the sound of the devastation in her voice. He walked in the darkness knowing that he wanted quiet while he made this call. Rowan was gonna be hard to tell, he loved Alice more than anything, she was after all the only family he had left. As he wandered he came to the pool, it was empty and dirty having still not been cleaned after they got their home back. He remembered another warm night he and Alice had frolicked in there. He could almost see her in there, the water lapping around her skin, the droplets falling from her arm as she went to splash him. The way the moonlight cascaded over her body casting her in an ethereal glow. He closed his eyes to hide but this only made the image all the more vivid as it raced through his mind. The sound of her laugh, low and joyful until he'd silenced her with a hot kiss. He scowled and stomped away from the area angry at this mind for torturing him in this way. He scrowled his contacts list as he headed from the pool...ended up coming face to face with the caravan of death as Alice had so lovingly christened it. So many memories in there, happy ones….ones he couldn't revisit right now! He spun clenching his jaw and pressed connect to ring Rowan.

As memories continued to torture him he commanded them to "Leave me alone!" It seemed she was everywhere, there wasn't a space on this land where he could have solace. Rowan picked up the phone unexpectedly. "Hello?"

Danny's voice deserted him, why hadn't he planned what he was going to say?

"Danny?" Rowan questioned. "Or has little Robs got his hand on daddy's phone again hey Rob Rob." he sang over the phone.

Danny listened to Rowan as he thought he was speaking to his nephew. He had no idea what to say, how do you tell someone that their baby sister, their only family left was dying?"

"Well little Robs since daddy has no idea you have his phone I'm gonna disconnect before you run up a mahoosive bill." he chuckled.

"Rowan…." Danny finally found within him to say.

"Oh Danny, so little man had your phone?"

"Um, no."

"Oh, so what's up then? What was with the silence?"

"Rowan Alice is in hospital." he said quickly.

"What she done this time?" Rowan's voice full of fun. "She's fell and broke a leg hasn't she?"

"No Rowan Alice is…." he inhaled deeply. "Alice is dying." he choked out.

"WHAT?" he shouted immediately irate.

Danny didn't know what to say so stayed quiet.

"You're wrong Danny!" Rowan yelled when Danny didn't take back what he said. "I saw her only a week ago and she was healthy! You don't go from healthy to dying in less than 7 days!"

"She caught respiratory Anthrax Rowan, it's second stage."

"Danny tell me something I can understand second stage means nothing to me!"

"Second stage is when her organs start shutting down. When it gets this far there's about a ten percent chance of survival."

The only sound from the other end of the phone was laboured breathing. "Is this your fault?" he finally asked softly.

"Rowan I wasn't here."

"YES THEN!" he raged. "You should have been there. That should be YOU not here!"

"I called you so you can make your way over here to see her." Danny told him ignoring his outburst.

"She should have stayed in London with me! She wouldn't have caught that here!" Rowan carried on.

"Call the house when you get here yeah." Danny asked. "When you do someone will collect you to take you to hospital." and he disconnected the call. He knew Rowan needed someone to blame but he couldn't listen to stuff like that right now.

(X)

After sitting on a log all night Danny returned to the house at about seven hoping the place would be empty, he found Rosie and Liv sat at the table with coffee. They both had dark rings around their eyes, obviously having been up all night.

"I'll look after Robbie if you want to go to hospital dad." Rosie offered.

He nodded and went to his room, collected a few clothes and then showered. He dressed in the bathroomas he passed he tossed his towel in the basket noting that it was almost overflowing. He carried it into the kitchen and without caring what he was throwing in he threw it all in the machine, poured in some powder and turned it on. Rosie and Liv watched him doing this but he ignored them, he could tell they were waiting for him to crack up and this time he wasn't! he hadn't been a good enough father to Rosie when she lost her mother and God knows he could have dome better with Liv but not this time. Charlie wasn't going to see him crying, unable to control himself. He still found their staring irritating, he was about to pull them when he heard Robbie begin to cry. He walked down the hallway to his sons bedroom, collected him and carried him into the kitchen. He seemed to be in a jolly mood this morning chattering away as Danny carried him. He knew he was supposed to put him in his high chair but he was reluctant to let his son go, Robbie and Charlie were his last connections to Alice so he made his breakfast while holding him and only placed him in his high chair to feed him. He then handed his son a bottle to drink while he cleaned up the dishes.

"Danny…." Liv started.

He tossed the tea towel in the sink. "I better go see Charlie." and he walked down the hallway. "Rosie watche Robbie please."

Liv watched him go face pained. He stopped outside Charlie's door and knocked. "Charlie!" he called.

The child in question pulled the door open, she was wearing white pyjamas with multicoloured spots, her hair sticking up everywhere. "Danny? Is mum ok?"

He looked at Liv and Rosie then back to Charlotte. "Go in your room sweetie."

She stared at him with frightened eyes. Rosie and Liv watched as she backed into her room slowly. A few minutes later they heard an anguished scream come from her. Liv, who had picked Robbie up lowered her head so it rested on Robbie's small one. She could still hear the sobs coming from Charlie's room and they tore at her soul. She knew all too well what Charlie was going through, it still felt raw from when it happened to her.

"You ok Liv?" Rosie asked softly leaning across the table and putting her hand on her shoulder.

"I'd do anything to stop her going through this." her voice rough.

Rosie sipped her coffee staring down the hallway. "Me too." she breathed. "I never thought it would come to this with Alice. She always seemed too strong. My mum would have hated life here and although Sarah was the strongest supporter for living here at first it was always…." she frowned. "I dunno, it was like she had all these talents but was never fully used if you know what I mean. It was like Danny was the breadwinner and she stayed at home with the kids, and that wasn't your mum. But Alice, she just seemed to fit here. Right from the beginning she just slotted in like it was made for her."

"Mum would know what to do." Liv whispered rubbing Robbie's head, eyes downcast.

Yeah, Rosie silently agreed. She'd find a way to pick her dad up….but if she was here then Alice wouldn't be and Charlie wouldn't be heartbroken.

Charlie's bedroom door opened and Danny walked out looking utterly defeated. His face was pale and drawn, eyes shimmering with tears he wouldn't allow to fall, he closed the door then leaned against it. Rosie and Liv watched silently as he closed his eyes…..clenched his jaw and pounded his fist off the wall three times in rapid succession. He seemed to realise what he did because he spun on his heel and walked from the house. Rosie and Liv shared another concerned glance as they heard a truck roar to life and speed away.

(X)

Danny sat in the truck clenching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. The scene from Charlotte's bedroom just kept repeating in his head. She had looked so much like Alice as she'd stared at him her eyes wide and frightened. Even more so when she had began to cry, this had precipitated flashbacks to the times he'd made Alice cry….mostly to the time she'd sobbed in her room when he'd implied that he'd cheated. He clenched his jaw as the image of Alice rolled into a tight ball remained frozen in his mind, his foot pressed harder on the accelerator. The greenery around him passing in a blur. The image of Alice crying was being joined by images of Charlie crying and how he had caused that too….

"Danny? Is mum ok?"

He looked at Liv and Rosie then back to Charlotte. "Go in your room sweetie."

Her little face had fell suddenly and he could tell she was afraid. She backed into the room slowly, obviously hesitant. He followed closing the door

"Danny?" she asked.

"Sweetie sit down."

Charlotte wrapped her arms around her like she was cold. "Tell me why you look so scared Danny." she whispered.

He took her hand so he could guide her to a seat, she yanked it away. "Is mum ok? I'll sit down when I know she is ok!" she looked up at is face. "I know she is ok!" she told him forcefully, when she didn't see him nod an affirmative or his expression didn't change she was suddenly unsure. "Isn't she?" Charlie whispered.

"Sweetie I need you to sit down." he pleaded.

She took a step back. "Tell me mum is ok Danny!" she demanded.

"I can't." he said softly.

Charlie's hand flew to her mouth. "How bad is it?" was torn from her.

"Charlie…."

She read what he about to say by the look in his eyes. She took a step back shaking her head. "No ok! Just No! mum wouldn't!"

He went to her and knelt in front of her, he put his hand on her cheek. "Sweetheart you're mum is dying, I'm so sorry." his voice broke.

"No Danny!" she shrieked. "NO! she can't!" she looked around wildly like she could find something to help. "There's got to be something they can so. Something YOU can do. You can fix this Danny I know you can!"

Danny took her in his arms and held her tightly. "They can't sweetie. The doctors have done everything they can."

"But what about Robbie?" she yelped sobbing. "What about me? We need her!"

"I know you do sweetheart."

"Please Danny…." she begged though she had no ideas what for. "I know you'll be able to fix this if you try because that is what you do!"

"I'd do it if I could." he promised. "I'd do anything!"

Charlie sobbed and although he felt the tears welling within his own eyes he wouldn't let them fall. Evan and Liv had saw him fall apart with Sarah and Rosie had endured the same with Miranda he was adamant that Charlie wouldn't have to go through the same! So he clenched his jaw and they disappeared. Charlie backed away from him when she felt how rigid he was, she saw his face impassive and his cheeks dry. She frowned. "Aren't you upset about mum?" she asked tears still falling.

He nodded.

"Then why aren't you crying. I thought you would. Dupe said that when Sarah died you sobbed your heart out."

"I cried already."

"So!" she retorted. "Why not twice?" she took a step back so he wasn't holding her anymore. "I know why, coz you don't care do you?" he voice angry.

"Charlie…."

"You cried over Liv's mum and Rosie's but not mine?" she accused "You loved them more than mum!"

"Charlie…." he repeated.

She pulled him to his feet with surprising strength for her size and pushed him toward the door of her room. "I don't want to talk to you anymore, get away from me! How could you NOT cry!" she shouted.

"I'll come back later and we'll talk then." he told her reasonably.

Charlie was in no mood to be reasonable and spat curse words at him. "Don't bother!" tacked on the end.

Danny returned to the present unable to stop thinking about her words. He had cried a lot over Sarah, openly. Did that mean he loved Sarah more than Alice? He could hear Charlie hissing in his ear that he did. He started to feel like he was going crazy, it wasn't a competition of who he loved more. He loved Sarah then and he loved Alice now. Ah but Danny if Alice had came along when Sarah was alive would you have fell for her? He pondered the thought, in all honesty no because he wasn't built like that. He was a one man woman, but Sarah was gone….and soon Alice would be too…. He closed his eyes as pain engulfed him.

"Why are you doing this Alice?" he screamed impulsively, remembered he was driving a truck and opened his eyes…a second too late. For the image before him as he opened his eyes was that of a large tree and the truck was aiming straight for it. Before he could react there was an impact, the crunch of metal and the tree quivering as the truck seemed to wrap around it. Steam hissed from the engine as silence fell all around.

(X)

Charlie had packed a bag. She was an orphan now, or as close as you could get. Her mum, the only person in the whole world who had never left her, never let her down, been there her whole life was dying. She had been there through thick and thin no questions asked. Charlie knew what was going to happen when she lost her mum too. She was gonna have to go and live with Michael, after that scene with Danny he'd do it too out of sheer spite.

She had to go, she knew Danny would want her to go see her mum but she couldn't. She didn't want her last memories of her mother to be in a hospital bed, she wanted to remember her happy, and healthy. Not lain on a bed dying. Tears leaked from her eyes. Liv and Rosie had came and spoke to her straight after Danny left offering support. She didn't want it, she just wanted to go. Her uncle Rowan might be on his way and he was friends with Michael and he'd take her back.

She zipped up her bag, popped her head out of her bedroom door. The coast was clear she dashed to the fridge, pushed some juice into the side pockets of her bag then took the money from her money box in the study. She had no idea what she'd do but she'd think of something! She slung the pack over her back and left the house. Gave it one last look as she began to walk into the distance.

A/N ok peeps can things possibly get any worse? Danny is lying somewhere in the bush possibly fataly injured, Alice is lain up in hospital dying, Charlie is running away. Rax is apart, Rosie is struggling and Liv is hurt and confused...ah man how am i gonna fix this? *insert gerodie accent there lol*

anyway just curious if one HAD to die who would you want to live, Alice or Danny, pick carefully mind! I may very well have 2 ways this could happen...