A/N RECAP - You found out that although Thomas was taken from Danice it was ultimately their choice to leave him with his adopted family as the family could give Thomas tings Danice couldn't, this caused danice to be split up. Danice had a heart to heart after the fire and have cleared the air...

Alice awoke to blinding sunlight shining directly into her eyes, she closed her eyes wincing wondering why this was happening, the bed was on the other side of the room to the window so it shouldn't be affecting her like this, her hand fumbled around looking for the bedside cabinet but the alarm wasn't there. She again opened her eyes again gingerly and found that this wasn't her room...hence the sunlight and lack of cabinet on the left side. She rolled to the right and picked up her phone to check the time. 13:27, blinked at her. "Orrrr, I should have been up ages ago." she groaned stretching her aching muscles. "Why hadn't the alarm..." the statement was cut off when she remembered that this wasn't her room, the alarm was sat on the cabinet in there along with...the thought of Danny's name caused a flood of memories to begin to haunt her. Remembering the past with Danny, talking it all through finally having it all out in the open and now, in the light of a new day she had to admit she felt lighter then she had in years. Don't get her wrong she still ached with sadness over the loss of her son but it was everything else she felt better about. Part of her felt unburdened and it was a real relief.

She sat up in bed and stretched up high, when she did she still smelled the faint aroma of smoke on her skin even though she had been in the shower last night, it would take few days to wash out fully she knew, an unpleasant reminder for now at least. The scars that would remain on her land would take a few days to gauge and possibly years to repair...bush fires were awful, it was easy to not think about the repurcussions while the fire was happening, you were too busy to think about anything but fighting it. It was after when the flames were extinguished and you had to measure the loss, the loss of animals, the loss of money, the loss of a once beautiful land and sometimes more tragically the loss of life. So far it looked like they had been lucky. No one had died this time, although someone who had hero tendencies very nearly had!

As she climbed from bed she felt pumped for the new day, she hadn't sleep that soundly in a long time! Exiting her room in just her shorts and t-shirt she padded down into the kitchen to begin a hot pot of coffee. After a shower she needed to get down to the surgery and sort out her animals. Nomsa and Caroline knew what to feed them between them, the meds however were another thing altogether, not that Alice would let them do that anyway! Hopefully Vanessa had remembered to send her guy in! She reached up to get her mug from the rack when footsteps echoed through the front door.

"Dupe is that you?" she called. "Want some strong black coffee? I just made a pot."

Danny walked in smiling at her, "I'd love some, if you are extending that offer to me."

Alice was momentarily shocked into silence. He didn't look like he had been in an accident at all, he was wearing long pressed blue jeans with a black t-shirt exposing his long tanned arms, he really suited living here! Had he always looks that good in jeans?...As those thoughts flitted through her conciousness in seconds a new one filtered down and remained... what clothes she was wearing, bed shorts which barely covered the top of her thighs and a tatty t-shirt which had seen better days a few years ago. Her mouth went very dry at that and she picked up her mug and gulped some coffee, the drink, of course was very hot so a coughing fit ensued which caused tear to flow from her eyes.

Danny frowned and took a step towards her, Alice are you ok?"

Alice took a step back instinctively and nodded vigorously wiping her eyes. "Mmm hmm, the liquid just went down the wrong way thats all."

He smiled again and nodded, "Do you mind if I have a cup then?"

At the smile her stomach went into free fall, "Should you even be up?" she practically squeaked as she poured him the black drink.

"I'm not as sore as they predicted." he began conversationally, "And your alarm is really loud..."

"Sorry I forgot to take it."

He shook his head and picked up the mug, "I was half awake anyway, just thinking about things." thinking about him and her, thinking about some of the things she had told him and if there was anyway to make it up to her. He hated that he made her afraid of him, how did you get passed something like that? "Anyway..." he carried on breaking the unanswerable train of thought. "When the alarm went off I got up and decided to have a wander around, I noticed you weren't around and dispensed meds and food for you in the surgery, hope you don't mind."

She frowned, "How did you know what to give out?"

"I'm a vet now, that's my trade anyway."

"Vet?" she asked siling widely. "I thought you were going to be a doctor, or that was the plan."

"I only wanted to be a doctor because you said I had healing hands. To be honest I would have hated that profession! One night I was watching an animal hospital or some other show that was like that..." and missing Alice so much it physically hurt! "...and I saw someone operating on an animal and I had an epiphany of sorts."

"An animal epiphany, gotta say Danny that sounds pretty creepy."

He chuckled low and Alice suddenly felt very hot, "Well yeah when you put it like that!" he shook his head, "Only you..."

Alice nodded, "As long as you are happy. And thank you for checking on my animals, I'm not usually this bad, I'm usually up with the chickens."

"I remember, you always had to drag me out of bed for work. I don't find it that much of a struggle anymore, thankfully. And you don't have to thank me, I enjoyed it, it's a great place you have here."

"We like it." she agreed. "Anyway I need to go shower." and put more clothes on that showed less skin, she added silently.

A truck chose that moment to skid to a halt outside, there was the crunch of footsteps outside indicating someone was coming in, Rosie appeared at the door and saw Alice stood in the kitchen. She ran to her older sister and engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Whoa!" Alice declared almost thrown backwards was the force she had been projected with. "Whats that for?"

Rosie seemed to remember herself and pulled away quickly, "Just happy you are alright." she replied dismissively.

"Oh." Alice replied knowingly.

"Well is something happened to you then I'd end up going back to mum or in care. This relief is purely selfish!" Rosie said seriously.

"Of course." Alice murmured not pushing it, she knew that Rosie was lying, if she really was completely unworried about her then she wouldn't be trying so hard to prove it! "Well yes I am fine. I'm have no desire to repeat that in a hurry though!" looked at Danny who was busying himself at the coffee percolater.

"What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be safe and sound at Mara?" Rosie asked going to the fridge for a carton of juice.

Caroline and Nomsa walked in. "Alice!" they declared when they saw her and hugged her tight. "We're both so relieved that you are ok! Those bush fires are terrible things to have to go through!" Caroline finished. "How's Dan..." she looked around and caught sight of him. she looked between them and smiled devilishly. "Why don't you look heroic this morning." Caroline remarked to him, shooting telling looks between both Danny and Alice.

Danny's cheeks reddened.

Rosie looked at Nomsa in question and she quickly filled the teenager in on Danny's actions from the day before.

"No way!" Rosie declared when Nomsa was finished. "The fire actually chased you! Could you see it? Were you scared? And the truck flipped? Were you in it? How did you get out? Then it exploded? How come you aren't burned to a crisp?"

Alice smiled widely at Danny and began to saunter slowly towards the bathroom leaving him to Rosie's tender mercies, it might only take an hour or two for her to stop questioning him on even tiny miniscule little detail...

"Save me." he whispered to Alice as she passed.

"Sorry I'm off to shower, with Rosie its every man for themselves!"

Rosie rabbited on at him, even linking his arm around hers so he couldn't escape.

"I'll get you back for this!" he called down to Alice as she departed, she merely looked back at him and grinned.

A/N extremely quick update as i have been missing a while, not going to bore you with details. This chapter and the next were quite hard to write as nothing particular happens in them but the one after the next one is when the story kicks back in...currently unwritten as of yet! So apologies that this one was pretty rubbish :/ it picks up again soon tho x