Alice and Rosie were in a shop looking at wallpaper. "So what do you think?" Alice asked hesitantly motioning around.

"Well since the baby will see his walls as a blank canvas, paint and pens wise why don't you paint?"

Alice hadn't thought of that. "I think a room feels warmer with wallpaper, we'll see if we see some paper, if not paint it is." Alice replied.

They began to walk through the children's section, Rosie watched Alice as they passed the baby paraphernalia and was relieved when she didn't look at the cots or anything that hinted she might be pregnant. Rosie relaxed.

"So what are you looking for exactly?" Rosie asked when they reached the wallpaper.

"I'll know when I see it." Alice replied studying a sheet with a frown.

"I was thinking you could paint his ceiling blue and put luminous stars and planets and moons, maybe even draw a rocket and paint it red?"

Alice smiled widely. "I like it, we already ordered his roads carpet, but what abut the walls?"

"Well if you have the roads carpet and the night sky it makes sense to have a mural done, like a city scene you know? That could be on the main wall then paint the rest of the walls like pale blue or green or something." Rosie began studying small pots of paint.

"Brilliant idea! His room is gonna be so amazing." Alice said smiling. She continued her perusal of wallpaper and without warning was engulfed buy a head rush, it was so intense Alice had to use the shelves to steady herself. She shook her head to dislodge the feeling.

"Alice?" Rosie frowned.

"I'm ok I just need a drink." It was a hot day!

"Oh ok."

"Wait here while I go buy one yeah?"

"Will do."

"You want anything?" Alice asked.

"No I'm fine."

Alice left the shop and went to the nearest shop for a drink. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, paid and drank from it deeply. She closed her eyes for a moment then reopened them. The dizziness had left but she still felt shaky.

Alice retuned to the shop with the decorating materials and saw Rosie holding a teddy bear lamp with a blue shade. Rosie grinned at her as she approached. "Isn't this the cutest thing you have ever seen?"

Alice smiled at it. "Yeah." if only it wasn't blurry, her vision still hadn't cleared totally.

Rosie showed her the tester pots she had picked. "I was thinking midnight blue for the ceiling with those stickers there." she pointed to a sheet.

Alice looked. "Yeah, I like it."

"And." Rosie continued. "I couldn't decide whether to go with putting green to go with the carpet or cloudless blue to go with the ceiling."

Alice stared at the pots and felt her head go light. "How about we get both, paint a patch and see how it looks?"

Rosie was looking at her. "You ok?"

Alice nodded quickly, "The heat is getting to me."

It wasn't even that hot, but Rosie let it lie, maybe she had a bug. Rosie nodded. "Yeah we'll go with your idea and get home huh?"

Alice picked up some gloss to repaint the woodwork and varnish for the cabinets and wardrobe. They walked from the shop after paying.

"Joshua's room is gonna look well nice when its finished." Rosie murmured as they drove home.

"It's my project, you wanna help?" Alice asked.

"With what?"

"Well I'll be painting, varnishing, laying a carpet."

"Dad…." Rosie began.

"Will stay away if I tell him that me and you are doing it."

Rosie looked away unsure.

Alice shrugged. "If you decide to help you're more than welcome."

Rosie nodded and they drove home in silence, Rosie wondering about Alice's angle, or whether she even had one.

(X)

By the time Alice and Rosie got home and put the decorating supplies away it was too late to start as Joshua and Charlie needed to be picked up from nursery and school. A good thing as Rosie and Max obviously had words and Rosie was in a foul mood and was in no mood to be helping anyone.

The next day though Alice was stood in a pair of tatty jeans and staring at the walls. Ok the window wall couldn't be the mural and the back wall had the wardrobe she chose the wall next to it and painted a green square using the putting green paint, she then did a square of cloudless blue and scrutinised them. She preferred the cloudless blue but what would it be like against the ceiling? She'd do that first! She ripped open a roller and was about to open the paint when a knock at the door interrupted her. She turned and saw Rosie stood there in old clothes.

"You mentioned you might need some help." she asked sheepishly.

Alice grinned.

Rosie walked in and motioned around. "Shouldn't you empty the room first?"

Alice made a face. "I covered everything."

Rosie exhaled and started pulling the sheets off. "Cutting corners isn't good!"

"Yes mother." Alice drawled dryly, a laugh slipping through.

They were soon chatting amicably until it came to the double mattress.

"That thing looks like it weighs as much as me!" Alice told her.

"It does. Can't be too hard to move though." Rosie replied.

Alice rolled her shoulders and looked at Rosie. "How we doing this?"

"With great difficulty."

Alice laughed. "Ok how about you lift and sort of put it on its side and I'll catch it then you grab one end and I'll grab the other and we'll sort of wriggle it through."

"Wriggle it."

"You know..." Alice moved her hands side to side. "Wriggle."

"Oh." Rosie still had no idea but moved to the side.

"Ok I'm lifting now." she lifted slowly. "Jeez this is heavy!" it got there though and Alice was waiting at the other side. Rosie gave it a final big shove, but didn't warn Alice. She was caught off guard and had a ten ton mattress flying at her. Alice gave a little squeal as it hit her and she fell back against a wall with a thud.

"You ok?" Rosie asked looking at her dubiously.

Alice pushed the mattress. "Yeah."

"Sorry I thought you were ready."

So had Alice until some dizziness had claimed her, again! "My mind wandered a minute."

Rosie held her hands up. "Seriously don't want to know."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Go on get your side."

Alice did and they began to move the mattress.

"So where is Max?" Alice asked.

Rosie exhaled. They weren't talking at the moment. "Out with some friends from school. Em has a test so it's just me."

"Ok."

"You and dad seem happy." Rosie broached cautiously.

Alice couldn't contain the smile that bloomed on her face. "We are."

Rosie nodded and quieted. They wrestled the mattress into Alice's old room. Rosie noticed that photos still dotted the walls. One of her dad and Alice and another of all of them. All so happy, when her dad and Alice were only friends, or so they thought. "So you and dad are the real thing huh?" Rosie shoved her hands in her pockets.

Alice nodded. "What made you think we weren't?"

Rosie shrugged.

"You know it would make your dads day if you would spend time with him. We aren't asking you to be happy about us, or even change your mind but he feels like he's losing you and it's scaring him to death! He doesn't want you going to Clare's."

Rosie shook her head. "I wouldn't."

"I told him that but you know what he's like."

Rosie was suddenly uncomfortable. "So what time are we having dinner I'm starving!"

They walked back into the room and looked at the bed frame.

Alice held a allen key. "I'll dismantle the bed while you forage for supplies."

"Ok no probs." Rosie replied. "Ham or chicken?"

"Chicken salad, plenty of cucumber and mayo."

Rosie made a face.

Alice smiled and sat down, began loosening all the bolts, she got up when finished and felt a sharp pain I her stomach. "Ow." she murmured rubbing it, she sat in the same place too long. She pulled the bolts from the bed the bed lay in three bits.

Rosie appeared holding two plates, crisps and fizzy drinks. Alice took hers and sat on the floor, her back against a wall. "When the bed is out we need to take up the old carpet, the new one is being delivered tomorrow." Alice remarked.

Rosie nodded biting into her sandwich.

Alice bit into hers and smiled. "Lovely. Halfway through she felt sick and pushed it away. Began to sip her pop.

"You not hungry?" Rosie asked.

Alice shrugged. "I had a big breakfast." she picked up both hers and Rosie's discarded plates and took them to the kitchen.

Danny approached. "Hello love." he kissed her softly.

She smiled. "You ok? You need me?"

"Always." he hugged her. "But not in the surgery."

She nodded.

"How's things with Rosie?" he whispered.

"Great, she's opening up."

He winked, lowered his had and again kissed her gently.

"Alice." Rosie's head popped put of the room. "Ewww!" she declared then disappeared.

Danny and Alice laughed. "I'll let you get back to it." Danny watched his wife as she walked back to the room. His life was so much more with her in it, more laughter, more joy, more colour.

"Can you and dad not kiss in front of me? I mean total ewww, it's dad!" Rosie laughed. "C'mon people, control yourselves!"

Danny smiled and head down to the surgery.

Rosie and Alice moved the bits of the bed and pulled the carpet up in record time they cut around the wardrobe.

"At the moment we'll paint around the wardrobe." Alice suggested.

"Yeah coz even empty that thing is proper heavy!"

"So Rosie ceiling or drawers?" Alice asked.

"I'll do the ceiling you varnish." Rosie told her.

Rosie pulled the lid off the tin of paint and poured paint in the tray while Alice put a face mask on to varnish.

"Can't wait to put the stars on, it'll look well cool, spesh when the rocket is on. Joshua is gonna love it!"

Alice could barely hear Rosie, even thought the windows were open and she was wearing a face mask the fumes were still getting to her. She blinked quickly.

"Don't know how you're gonna draw a rocket on the ceiling though." Rosie carried on. "Suppose you could do one on paper."

"Just bigger." Alice squeaked.

Rosie looked at her. "You ok?"

"Mmm hmm, just need a minute, fumes." Alice stood up slowly trying not to pass out, she inhaled deeply outside. Even after thirty minutes the shakiness hadn't left her but she still returned to the room.

Rosie frowned. "Alice you look really pale."

"I'm good." she replied with false brightness.

"If your sure!"

Alice nodded sitting down with her varnish.

Rosie nodded and re-positioned her step ladders. "I'm sticking on the stars now.

Alice glanced up. "Looks good."

"The paint dried really quick." Rosie was on the ladders chatting away.

Alice was sat with her face mask on, she dipped her brush in the varnish, without warning the room began to spin. Her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Alice I was thinking the moon should be over there, like that's where the rocket is heading to…." Rosie was interrupted by a loud thud. She looked behind her and saw Alice lain on her back. She jumped from the ladders and was on her knees beside Alice. She put her hand on her head and found her clammy. "Alice?" she asked, pulled the face mask off. She was being so still Rosie had to go get help so she ran from the room.

A/N this is building up to a massive blow up, it was supposed to be finished soon bt i had this idea and i was like ok am i going to extend this story a little furthur or finish it and thought what the hell, so a few extra chappies it is :) x