The next morning both Rosie and Thomas were uncharacteristically quiet at breakfast and on the drive to school. Thomas was still in shock from all he had learned….he still had no proof that they hadn't been on drugs was the thing he was holding on to, still though, it gave him something to think about!

As they ate breakfast the kids didn't chat amicably, not even their usual bickering just silence. After a few attempts at trying to get a conversation going Alice was quiet too thinking of a way to ensure her baby sister didn't have to go live with their so called mother. She had already emailed her solicitor and he got back in touch saying that the odds of her mother getting Rosie back as a single parent were slim, and if she did show up again he was going to get charges drawn against her for child abandonment…..things might be different if she had a partner and a stable job. She might be able to get off with a fine and parenting classes and Rosie would have to go back there, courts didn't like tearing families apart if they didn't have to. Alice had assured him that their mother was nothing resembling a stable influence but she couldn't help feeling like there was something she didn't know, something Rosie did know, the tone in her voice had told Alice as such. Her phone beeped and she checked her email again, the solicitor just telling her not to worry, that Rosie wouldn't be taken away and the paperwork for the injunction against her mum was almost completed. She couldn't ignore how scared Rosie sounded last night and the worry on her face this morning. Alice wished Rosie would tell her what she knew, but for some reason she wouldn't confide in her. How was she supposed to help if she didn't have all the information! She gulped down her coffee and checked the too loud clock on the wall. "C'mon kids time to go. we're gonna be late."

Rosie and Thomas both walked down the hallway silently, collected their backpacks and slung them across their shoulders.

"You both got your homework?"

Rosie nodded, Thomas shrugged.

"Go get your homework Thomas." Alice asked gently but firmly.

"You assume I did it." he replied.

"Tom I know you did it just go get it yeah." Rosie told him. "You copied off me remember. It was too hard…."

Thomas narrowed his eyes and glared at her mutinously. "Yeah right, YOU copied off me." he snorted.

"In what lifetime..." Rosie muttered at his back as he went back into his room.

Alice put her hand on Rosie's arm, "You feeling better this morning?" she asked softly peering into Rosie's eyes willing her to talk to her.

Rosie nodded slowly.

Alice sighed, "You're not Rosie, you'd usually have some smart arse comment or tell me to sod off and mind my own business..."

"Sod off and…."

Alice grabbed her hand and squeezed it cutting off her statement. Rosie looked down at their joined hands, "I'm not our mum ok, talk to me when you need to. Confide in me and I'll take it to my grave. I'm here for you for anything."she waited a beat. "C'mon Rosie." she murmured.

Alice could see the conflict in Rosie's face for a moment, she wanted so badly to let her in then Rosie was reminded of her earlier worry, what if Alice was forced to choose between her and Thomas? She could put her sister in that position.

Thomas chose that moment to leave his room, "There in my bag happy." he said gesturing to the book tossed in his holdall.

"Yeah." Alice breathed and looked at Rosie sadly. "Come on you two."

A boy sat on a bench in the school yard, his ipad on his lap as he tapped it slowly. With each press a light above him switched on, then off again. He was bored. It hadn't taken him long to hack into the schools mainframe, it was ridiculously easy in fact, just like the lessons here. Anytime he felt like he could plan some unscheduled chaos. He may as well, his deadbeat father was going to get rid of him at the first opportunity anyway! He was too much trouble for his mother too!

All too soon children began arriving in groups of two and three and he hated that he was on the outside, he was always the outsider, just once he would love to settle some where long enough to make actual friends. He tapped a few buttons, shut down access to the mainframe and shoved his ipad into his bag. He wondered how long it would take them to get it back up and running again, depends if they had a decent engineer, the virus he placed in there was easy enough to spot if you knew what you were looking for.

It was at that moment he spotted her again walking along side a tall boy with styled black hair. They always seemed to be together, he thought following at a discreet distance. They weren't holding hands so maybe not a boyfriend, or maybe they just didn't hold hands, that wasn't concrete evidence. He wanted to go over and speak to her but never had the chance. If only he could find out her name, with his skills he could find out anything he wanted about her!

He'd first seen her about a week ago, he'd been in town with his so called father and she'd been walking with a blond girl he lived with called Liv. He'd immediately been struck by her deep brown eyes he had just wanted to fall into. He'd felt like he was underwater and there wasn't a drop in sight! He had tried to make her notice him but she was too engrossed in what she and Liv were talking about…..now he knew they went to the same school, there were definite possibilities here! Still following at a distance he pulled his iphone out and began tapping buttons again checked for her on the school database, he wanted to find out her name but unfortunately they didn't do photographs in the files. Figures! Looks like he had to do this the old fashioned way. He walked across.

Rosie and Thomas sat together on a wall swinging their legs waiting for school to start, they were watching some kids playing football.

"I would kick all their ass if I chose to play." Thomas murmured, "I'll leave their pride intact though. I'm nice like that."

Rosie looked at him and smiled, "I'm sorry about last night." she told him softly.

He shook his head, "It's no problem, don't worry about it."

"No but I do, she's my sister and she loves you you know."

"I really don't want to talk about it." what he had to do was playing on his mind he'd never been a fan of intentionally hurting people and even if he didn't like Alice didn't mean he wanted to hurt her.

A young boy approached them stopping right in front of them. "Hey." he said cockily and smiled at Rosie.

"Hey." they chorused in reply looking at each other then at the boy not really wanting to talk.

"I'm new here." he said waiting for them to introduce themselves.

Thomas shrugged, "What are you after? Applause?" when it was quiet a beat too long.

Rosie smiled.

The boy narrowed his eyes, "Hey your boyfriend is so funny!" he drawled.

"He's not my boyfriend." Rosie was quick to clarify.

"Well your brother then." he corrected finally getting a least one piece of information he was after. He was aware that this wasn't quite going to plan, he didn't want to insult them.

"Wrong again, he's my nephew." Rosie spoke not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea, ewww!

The boy cocked his head and studied them, "No way! You're having me on!" thinking they were playing a joke on him.

Rosie and Thomas shrugged, "His mother is my sister, not that it is anything to do with you…."

He peered at Rosie with a frown then grinned, "How old was she when she had him? Like 12?" he snickered.

"No actually!" Rosie replied getting annoyed.

"Well either she was really young or something else because you are way too young to be an aunt..."

Thomas was on his feet, "Excuse me?" he fumed, "What the hell you trying to say?"

"Whoa, nothing..."

"I don't know who you think you are but I'll…." Thomas was seething.

Rosie looked at Thomas in surprise, he probably wasn't even aware he was sticking up for Alice. So he was warming to her, she was happy for him and Alice she really was. She knew her sister wouldn't want Thomas getting in trouble for her so she hopped down and put her hand on Thomas arm halting him smiling sweetly at him. "I'll handle this one." turned to face the boy and without warning clenched her fist and hit him with all the strength she could muster. The boy yelped jumping back and held his nose.

"Don't disrespect my sister again, ok! Next time it'll be worse!"

The boys eyes flashed fire.

Unfortunately for them a teacher was exiting a building and saw the whole thing. Both she and the boy were called into the headmasters office. It was then she found out his name was Max.

Alice sat in the kitchen that night wondering what she was going to do with her younger sister. Fighting with a boy at school! She put her head in her hands, the school didn't know the whole story of what happened, Rosie and Thomas were staying quiet about the whole thing. The courts were gonna love hearing this, twisting it into Rosie not settling!

The boy involved, Max, she looked at the note which outlined the incident, there had been some form of conversation….no details. Thomas looked really angry then Rosie punched the boy in the face. Alice winced running her hand through her hair. The kids were in Rosie's room. She was happy they were bonding, both of them needed someone they could confide in and it seemed they had latched on to each other but fighting?

Rosie chose that moment to come out of her room and saw Alice sat at the kitchen table, her hair looked messy, like she kept running her hands through it. Alice did that when she was stressed out, it was a trait Thomas had inherited. She turned hoping to get away both Alice saw or heard her as she knew what was coming, but it seemed she wasn't that lucky as Alice called to her before she could make her retreat, "Rosie we need to talk." Alice told her.

Rosie deflated, "Do we have to?" she asked resigned.

Alice frowned and fussed with the papers in front of her, "It's important."

"Look if this is about Max can't we just chalk it up to me having issues with anger?"

Alice cocked her head and smiled shaking her head, "Oh I know all about your anger issues." Rosie's father had been a walking ball of anger, "it isn't just that…." she added.

Rosie blanched slightly, Alice saw it. "Look Alice….." she began.

Alice patted the table in front of her, "C'mon kid, it'll be…." she was about to say painless but anything with their mother rarely was! She decided to go with, "...ok."

Rosie noticed how Alice wouldn't be budged and padded towards her, sliding into the seat opposite. Looked at Alice unsure of how this was going to pan out. She had a feeling where this was going and she didn't like it.

Alice began fumbling with where to start, "I, um, received a letter the other day."

Rosie's eyes flared, "Did you?"

"It was about mum." Alice added.

Rosie sighed, "So she's serious then? I was hoping she was just trying to scare me. She did that a lot when I lived with her, always threatening to leave me with no one to take care of me. I never thought that one day I would be scared of her taking me back. Sometimes she would disappear for days, she was never bothered about me before so dunno why she is starting now."

Alice bowed her head and rubbed her eyes feeling guilt swamp through her., "I'm sorry Rosie but I'm afraid this isn't really anything to do with you. Mum wants to ruin my life and will stop at nothing to do it, she probably had this planned for a while. She knew we would eventually settle, she knew I would go for permanent custody and she wants to prove I am unfit. Destroy my confidence. I have an email from my solicitor which doesn't help things, she is back with your dad now too, she never forgave me for what happened with him. Whatever he wants her to do she will do and he doesn't like me very much."

Rosie sighed and pillowed her head on her arms, looked up at Alice eyes bleak chin rested on her forearms. "So I am guessing you want me to go?"

Alice frowned, "What?"

Well after all that trouble with me accusing you of being my mum when I first moved in and now with this fighting at school. You have this court thing with Danny to worry about, you don't need me adding to that."

"Do you really expect me to just allow you to go back to that?" Alice asked disbelief in her voice with just a tinge of hurt.

"Thomas is your son Alice, I'm just…."

"You're my baby sister!" Alice interrupted her. "You're family! I was lucky I had my dad to take me away from all that and now you have me! You are NOT going back there, not now, not ever! I know you are going to worry not matter how much I try to convince you not to but I'm being serious Rosie, you belong here with me and Thomas. Mum can't pick you up and drop you whenever she feels like it."

"She might lose interest if you fight back." Rosie told her hopefully.

It was a nice thought but unfortunately Alice knew better, the only way their mother would give up was if Alice let Rosie go willingly and she knew that Alice would never do that, even pretending. If she pretended her mum would take Rosie knowing Alice would take her back the same night, The messier the fight the more their mum would enjoy it.

"What about Thomas?" Rosie asked.

"What about him?"

"Well what if it comes down to you having to chose between me and him? I won't let it come to that!"

Alice patted her hand, "Don't you worry about that, me and Danny are trying to sort things out…."

Rosie's eyes lit up.

"I meant about Thomas, not us. There isn't an us." Alice told her firmly.

"There could be." Rosie told her seriously, "I saw the way the two of you looked at each other when he was here last year. I saw sparks and you laughed and were so happy together. Come on Alice he's so good for you."

Alice did a very Rosie like eye roll, "What Danny and I had ended years ago, we were nothing but kids playing an adults game. We do nothing but hurt each other."

"But..."

"Rosie!" Alice told her firmly. "Drop it yeah. There is no US in terms of me and Danny. We share responsibility for Thomas, that is all." and that was all she wanted too.

Rosie nodded, her eyes bleak when she remembered her mum and dad were on their way.

"Hey," Alice told her gently, her hand on her arm. "It'll be fine, I promise." with that Alice rose and pulled Rosie to her feet for a hug.

A door opened down the hallway and Thomas appeared, "Rosie," he saw her and Alice hugging. "I'll give you both a minute." he said, a strange expression on his face.

"I'll be a second Thomas." Rosie called to him then lowered her voice. "He cares about you you know."

Alice looked at Rosie in question.

"Max insulted you, well kind of. Thomas wasn't happy." she whispered. "I got suspended so he didn't. I don't think he's ready to know how he feels." and with that Rosie left Alice alone in the hallway. She walked into the bedroom Thomas had entered previously.

Alice didn't know how to feel about what Rosie had told her. She wanted more than anything for Thomas and Rosie to be settled and happy and Thomas caring, even a little bit should be a cause for celebration but all she could think about was how it would make him feel about his mum, Lisa.

A phone ringing broke her thoughts and she walked down the hallway to pick it up. As she passed Thomas' room she heard the teenagers talking in low hushed tones, she picked up the receiver, "Hello, Leopards Den, Alice Collins speaking."

"Alice, hello it's Danny. I was just wondering whether it was ok to come over tonight."

With everything that had happened Alice had totally forgot she had agreed that he could come over. It wasn't the best time but he was obviously eager to spend some time with Thomas. This rubbish with her mum was going to be happening for a while. It wasn't fair to keep putting it off forever. "Yeah, that's fine,"

"I was wondering whether you mind of I bought Liv and Leons son over. He's new to the area and Thomas' age, might be good to introduce them."

"Yeah sure." she replied, mind on other things.

"Alice are you alright?" he asked, noting how off she seemed.

"I'm fine Danny, just tired." she sighed.

"I can..."

"No, no." she cut him off. "Come, spend time with your son. We need to sort out a schedule. Better now then later."

"If you're sure." he pressed.

"I'm positive. The door will be open just come right in." she put the receiver back in the cradle, retrieved the file of papers she didn't want Rosie to see from the study, sat at the kitchen and began to plan the fight to keep her sister with her.

That was how Danny found her, papers strewn all over the kitchen table. Her head rested on her hand as she scribbled onto a notebook. He heard her make a noise of frustration in her throat, it sounded like a growl! She shook her head and sighed and made another note.

"Alice?" he called down the hallway.

She looked up, "Hey." she called in greeting and gathered her papers seeing Liv just behind him. "Hi Liv."

"Hi Alice." she waved.

"You know where Rosie's room is yeah?"

Liv smiled and made her way towards it. A boy stood just behind Danny tapping on an ipad.

"Max come say hello to Alice," Danny coaxed.

"In a minute, just trying to….." and before Alice knew it the lights in the hallway and kitchen were extinguished.

"Yes!" Max laughed.

"Max!" Danny yelped. "He's always doing this at home." Danny smiled at the boy. "Leon was so close to finishing a very hard game on his ps4 when someone wiped the hard drive remotely…." Danny gave Max a look.

Max gave him his most innocent look then grinned devilishly. "You knew it was me?"

"Oh yeah!" Danny replied. "Your dad doesn't, just thinks its a console glitch." and put his finger to his lips in a silence gesture.

Max grinned wider at him.

"Anyway…." Danny carried on looking towards Alice as Max turned the lights back on. "I just thought Max here would be good company for Thomas."

As Danny said that Rosie's bedroom door was opened abruptly, "Dear God!" Thomas declared. "Do you two do anything but giggle?" he called into the room, then saw Max stood in the hallway. "What are they doing here?" he asked Alice of both Danny and Max.

"I brought Max over to meet you." Danny told Thomas.

Thomas made a face, "Thanks but I'd rather not." smirked at Max. "Hows the nose?"

Max narrowed his eyes, "Fine!"

"How'd it feel getting beaten up by a girl?" Thomas added crossing his arms, head raised at an arrogant angle.

"Thomas…." Alice began.

"Hey!" he retorted, "You should have heard what he said about y….." stopped abruptly jaw slack, then shook his head face mutinous. Stomped to his room and slammed he door.

Alice looked to the ceiling and closed her eyes.

"What…." Danny began confused.

Alice shook her head, "You don't want to know." looked at Max. "Do you want to meet Rosie?"

"I already met her fist." he drawled.

Alice sighed, went to Rosie's room, knocked then entered. Saw Rosie and Liv in the process of climbing out of the window. Rosie looked at Alice then Liv in horror, then grinned innocently, "See!" she said loudly. "Told you I could fit!" then climbed back in with a flourish. "That's 50 rand you owe me Liv!"

Liv looked confused, "But I didn't..."

Rosie elbowed her then smiled at her sister, "Yes you did?"

Liv glared at her sad rubbed her arm.

"Can I help you Alice?" Rosie asked meekly.

"Rosie…."

"Before you start can I just say I don't want to talk or meet or spend time with Max." and crossed her arms unwilling to be budged. If Alice thought she was stubborn she had nothing on Rosie….or so she thought.

"Rosie you two got off to a bad start but we are neighbours…."

She heard the tone of her sisters voice and stubborn or not knew it was pointless to argue, "Fine!" and approached her knowing there was no getting out of this!

"And I know you were climbing out of the window to get out of apologising to Max." Alice said as Rosie passed.

"Who said I was going to apologise?" Rosie asked nonchalantly.

Alice gave Rosie a firm look.

Rosie narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms tighter and looked anywhere except at Max while she exited her room. Liv left too.

"Rosie." Alice encouraged.

"I've been told I have to apologise to you. First of all I am doing this under duress, second I don't mean it!"

"Rosie!" Alice reiterated icier than before.

"Come on, you can't make me mean it!" Rosie retorted.

"Rosie you don't have to mean it but you can't tell him that!"

"Kind of defeats the purpose of an apology if she doesn't mean it." Max chimed in.

"Fine then, Rosie say it and mean it then, for Gods sake!" Alice said, totally frazzled.

Danny was stood there trying not to laugh.

"It's ok Alice." Max told her. "I said some stuff, it came out wrong."

Rosie seemed to inflate, "What, so how else were you planning on calling my sister a ..."

"ROSIE!" Alice started.

"What did you say?" Danny interrupted frowning at Max.

"I didn't call her anything! It came out wrong!" Max reiterated.

"He made comments about Alice's age and possible relationship status when she had Thomas, implied that she was a…."

"NO I….. well, maybe but I didn't mean it like that!" Max told them. "I said Rosie was too young to be an Aunt. I didn't mention Alice specifically."

"Of course you mentioned her! You asked if she was 12!" Rosie yelled.

"I wasn't being serious! Plus she doesn't look old enough to be a mum to a teenager!" he looked at Alice, "No offence."

"OK!" Alice said quietening everyone in the hallway.

"Rosie, Max, whatever was said is over now. Clean slate. It would help if you could be friends since we're neighbours. Barring that be civil to each other ok!"

Max nodded.

Alice looked at her sister, "Rosie!"

"Fine!" she breathed. "Now can you three please go into the living room?"

The teenagers trooped through. Liv followed by Rosie and Max at the end.

Alice looked at Danny, he was smiling at her, "Well handled!"

"These kids will be the end of me!" she told him then sobered when she remembered her mum wanted Rosie back.

"You ok?" Danny asked seeing the change in her instantly.

Alice nodded tiredly. She was so sick of this crap! Why couldn't she go back to when life wasn't complicated? Go back to a time when she had no teenage sister, no teenage son and no ex husband."Yeah I'm ok." she said wearily, "Why don't I get Thomas? I found that what works best is negotiating boundaries with him. We'll give him the choice of where and when he wants to see you and take it from there, if you don't mind of course."

"No, that's fine." he assured, slightly bothered that whatever issues she had she wouldn't confide in him.

Liv was in bathroom and Thomas had been called into the kitchen to speak to Danny and Alice so Rosie and Max were sat in the living room alone. She was busy tapping on her phone while Max was seemed busy engrossed in his ipad, she glanced up at him every so often. Rosie had to admit, at least to herself, that he was kind of nice looking, his eyes were a lovely shade of blue and he wasn't too tall. She had never liked tall boys.

'I am sorry you know' popped up as a message on her phone.

She frowned and tapped the screen again, "What the…." she murmured perplexed as to how this happened.

"Sorry that was me." he admitted sheepishly.

"How did you…..did Liv….my number is….."

"I'm kind of a hacker." he told her. "I can get access go computer systems, phones, anything with a CPU. Some are harder that others but I get there eventually."

Rosie raised an eyebrow impressed, "Really?" sitting up straighter on the sofa.

He nodded from across the room. "Watch this." and he tapped a few buttons, the lights went on the off. He tapped a few buttons and this time they flashed on one after the other.

"MAX!" Danny yelled.

Rosie however was smiling wider, that is SO cool!"

"Wanna see how I do it?" he asked her. "We could really annoy your sister…."

Rosie dashed across and he was sitting beside him and he was showing her was buttons to press.

While the lights flashed on and off Thomas sat at the kitchen table tapping his fingers on the wood. He knew what was coming and he knew what he had to do. He didn't mind living here with Alice, he didn't like Danny at all but he knew Rosie was worried about going back to live with her mum and dad….it occurred to him then that Rosie's mum was his actual grandmother. Was that where he got it from? Is that why he constantly seemed to mess things up. No wonder he was the way he was! Look at the people he came from! One thing he could do was try to help make it so Rosie could stay where she was safe, he didn't want her going back to a situation like that.

After Danny yelled at Max to stop messing with the electrics Alice looked at him smiling in a friendly way and began to speak, "Danny and I have decided that the best thing for all parties involved is instead of going down the court route we'll sit down and settle this like adults."

"And this is where you come in." Danny added. "You are a teenager now, old enough to know what you want and we want to include you in this."

Thomas shrugged, "Ok then."

"So…." Danny began, "We are under the impression that you will want to remain living here?"

Thomas opened his mouth to reply but it died on his tongue, he looked at Alice and the look in her eyes and found that he didn't want to hurt her. He closed his mouth and shrugged again. Danny had given him the perfect opening and he had fluffed it! Not only that but he didn't want to go right to Danny, he just had to make sure he was there by the time Rosie's custody battle was starting and when Alice won he could come back! Plus if he was going to be living there he was going to have to start by making peace with Max! It killed him to make it this easy but, "How about after school a few days and every other weekend?" Thomas asked.

Alice and Danny looked at each other dumb stuck.

"What?" Thomas asked with a slight attitude.

"That's fine. Great!"Alice assured. She had been expecting a bit more of a fight from him. She wasn't sure how good she felt about Thomas spending so much time away from her. It was scary how fast she had got used to him being around.

Danny nodded mutely, as stunned as Alice.

"Well if that is everything?" Thomas asked standing up.

"Yeah, that's everything. You are fine to do whatever you want. Tea will be soon."

Thomas nodded and departed.

Danny and Alice were silent a moment. "Why do I get the feeling he is planning something?" Alice murmured.

Danny looked at her and nodded in agreement.

A/N oooo look at me 2 chapters in a few days, i am doing well. I have a page and a half written so i'm going to have t get writing. ANYHOO we have met Max, he was meant to have a bugger part in this story but tbh i'm not sure where this is going, I think this could be my one and only story where the danice don't end up together because i just cant write it! I tried to write them together there at the end there and it felt stilted. Anyway BIG thanks to themusicknows and cloloveswah for their reviews last chapter. long time no speak. but it was lovely hearing from you after all this time :)