Alice slowly became aware of a dull persistent throbbing in her head, there was a beeping in the background that was causing pain to shaft through her skull she tried to swallow and found her mouth was very dry, she grimaced at the taste and moved her head which caused her head to hurt more, a soft moan erupted from her.

"Alice?"

She heard a sleepy sounding Danny say her name and she froze, horror filling her. She hadn't! She really really hadn't! had she? She had a vague memory of….oh God she had! She kissed him last night! The thought that occurred to her making her head hurt more than before! Why had she kissed him last night? And why couldn't she remember what went on? I mean had it went further? It had to, I mean here he was, in the room with her. Oh God!

Knowing she had to face the music eventually she opened one eye a crack and found she was looking up at concerned green eyes, her other eye followed suit and she blinked her eyes a few tines to clear them.

"How much did I have to drink last night?" she asked voice scratchy. She'd never had a hangover like this before! Shaking her head, she looked to her right and saw the kids asleep on chairs beside her bed, Rosie was curled up into a ball on hers and Thomas had his head pillowed on his arm, it was then she noticed the hospital monitors around her.

"Ok what the hell went on last night?" she said trying too quick to sit up. She clutched her head as the room began to swim. She felt soft hands on her upper arms that helped steady her. She opened her eyes slowly measuring her breathing to ease the throbbing in her head.

"Take it easy." Danny murmured rubbing her arms gently.

Alice looked up at him and saw him looking at her with a gentle expression, "Please tell me I didn't do something stupid last night." She murmured.

Danny sat on the edge of the bed and moved some hair behind her ear tenderly, the move was so intimate she moved her head and looked at his hand as it moved slowly away from her face. What had they done last night?

"You don't remember last night?" he asked gently.

She frowned, flashes of last night coming to her, nothing completely clear, she'd had some sort of argument with Rosie there was a memory of Rosie shouting, but she didn't know what was said, like the sound had been muted, there was a conversation with Vanessa, possibly, and her cheeks flamed as she remembered the feeling of kissing him. Feeling like she was right where she belonged, like she had waited much too long to do it and she really wanted to do it again. She resisted the urge to hide under her quilt and she shook her head, "Just flashes," she almost squeaked then cleared her throat, "Arguing with Rosie I think. The last thing I can remember really clearly is doing the talk with the kids."

He lowered his voice, his tone serious, "Your drink was spiked." He took her by the hand when she sat up straighter, quietening her, he kept his own voice low as to not wake the kids, "It was Derek, he was trying to get Rosie, he knows about Thomas."

Alice shoulders seemed to slump and she exhaled, more than concern for her both Rosie and Thomas etched all over her face.

"He was apprehended at Mara." He put his hand on her cheek Don't worry, after this it'll all be over."

Alice was unsettled by all the feelings rushing around her, she felt like things had changed between them, the thing was she couldn't remember when this happened, or how…. she couldn't be sure if what she thought happened had actually happened and she couldn't wait another minute to find out, "Danny what happened last night?"

"You were spiked, I said…"

"No, I meant between us, something has changed something feels different and I can't…I don't remember…."

He lowered his hand from her cheek and smiled at her warm and real, her breath caught in her chest at the sight, "Well…"

It was at that moment Thomas began to stir, he sat up and stretched, then rubbed his eyes looking towards Alice. Saw she was awake, "You're awake?" he croaked and shoved Rosie to wake her too.

"Leave me alone." Rosie murmured sleepily, "I don't want to go to school today." And swatted at the person trying to wake her.

"Rosie!" Thomas admonished, "Alice is awake!" and pushed her again to try on to rouse her.

Rosie's eyes popped open and when she saw Alice was awake and alert she jumped up and threw herself in her sister's arms.

"Whoa kiddo." Alice told her with a small laugh. She looked at Danny over Rosie's head and he mouthed, 'We'll talk later.'

She nodded and he sat down in his chair giving the kids the space to talk to Alice.

Alice's attention was brought to Thomas who was sat in his chair, she could tell he didn't really know what to do or how to react, "You ok Thomas?" she asked as Rosie disentangled herself from her sister.

He nodded, "I'm good, how are you?" he looked at the floor, "I've been worried about you." Then he shrugged almost like he was trying to dismiss that he had just admitted that he cared about her.

"I've been better," she admitted, "I'm sorry if I worried you both." She told him and Rosie, reaching for a glass of water.

Danny stood up and reached the jug before her, he filled the tumbler and handed it to her, their fingers brushed and she felt a bolt of electricity run up her arm at the innocent touch. His promise that they'd talk later came to her and right now she didn't know if she wanted to do it, what if everything changed? What if it made things unbearable? What if they couldn't stand to be around each other anymore? She thanked him for the drink and she could tell that he had felt the same as she had when their hands touched, a strange fluttering began in her chest. She tried to ignore it and concentrate as she chatted to Rosie and Thomas but she found her mind constantly wandering back to Danny and the unsettling feelings inside her.

Thomas sat on the veranda that night watching as the stars sparkled in the distance, they were huge here, there was so much open space and the stars seemed to occupy so much of it.

He was so mixed up about everything right now, and sitting here, his mind running through everything that happened since he moved wasn't helping at all! He didn't know how it had happened but somehow Alice had made him care about her. He had been so scared that he was going to lose her like he had lost his mum, and it had scared him to death! He really needed to talk this through with someone but he had no one he could go to with this, they wouldn't understand. Rosie would think it was brilliant and about time, he didn't trust Danny and the old people here tolerated him the same way he did them. Alice wasn't at home either, she had been unable to keep any food down in the hospital so they had kept her in overnight for observation. She had been adamant she was coming home, it had been at his and Rosie's insistence that she had stayed, on the condition that Danny remained at Leopards Den to keep an eye on things. He didn't know how he felt about Danny being her, I mean this was his home, he couldn't remember living with Danny before.

He and Rosie had returned from hospital around dinnertime and he had went straight to his room and had been woken at tea time. To be honest he hadn't been hungry, he'd felt a little ill. He'd dreamt that his mum was alive and Alice had came to get him and he'd been trapped in a tug of war with both of them and he hadn't known which person to go with. He'd heard the roar of an engine in the background and knew he only had the chance to save one, he'd hesitated and the car appeared from nowhere and killed them both. What had hurt the most was when it had come down to who he'd choose he had been unable to, he should have picked his mum! He'd do anything to have her back! But at the same time he didn't want to lose Alice either. His mum was Lisa Spoor. She would always be his mum but at the same time Alice was starting to feel like a mum too…. and that therein lay the problem. He didn't know he felt about that and very much else to be honest! It had been so much easier when he hated her!

"Hey." A soft voice floated from the doorway.

Thomas swivelled his head and felt his stomach do a little lurch when he saw Liv looking at him sweetly. A product of Danny moving in, Evan and Liv did too. He instinctively began to reach for his hair when remembered Alice's words and smiled, "Hi, settled in?"

Liv nodded and headed towards him slowly, "My room is nice, I share with Rosie though, I had to get away just now. She and Max were on the phone." Her eyes widened for emphasis, "There's no need for that!"

Thomas rolled his eyes, "They're terrible, oh I love you so much, I wish we could be alone, then they start whispering, I don't need to know what about!"

The veranda quieted and both he and Liv were just looking at each other and Thomas' mind whirled as he tried to find a topic of conversation. "Do you um…." He swallowed then almost praised the heavens when he had an idea, "Would you like to sit down?"

Liv beamed at him and took the seat beside him.

"Do you like living here?" he asked, "In South Africa." He was quick to elaborate.

She shrugged, "It's nice. My mum would have loved it here," she looked into the distance, her expression pensive.

"Why doesn't she come for a visit? I'm sure there are plenty of rooms at Mara."

Liv dropped her head, "She um…she died. Back in the UK."

Thomas blushed beetroot red, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I'm such a ….."

"It's ok." She murmured then glanced at him, ''You didn't know."

Quiet descended so he said, "My mum died too."

Liv looked at him in confusion, "But I thought Alice was your mum. Rosie said…"

He sighed, "Alice is my birth mother, she is the one who carried me and what ever but Lisa was my mum. The one who used to sing me to sleep when I had nightmares or lay with me on the sofa and watch movies. She was everything to me." He murmured. "And now she's gone."

"Oh, so they gave you up?"

He shook his head, "Not in that way, there was a mix up, it wasn't their fault, but I ended up adopted." A memory of hugging his mum came to him and he closed his eyes trying to hold onto the memory, "I really miss my mum." he told her softly.

"Me too." She agreed.

"There are times I really need to talk to her, I could use her guidance right now.''

"I talk to my mum's picture sometimes." Liv admitted. "It's not the same as having her right in front of me but it kind of helps me to hear her voice." Then she sighed. "You said you needed help, anything I could help you with?"

Thomas was quiet considering her offer, could she help? Would she understand? It's not like she was really close to Alice so it wasn't like she was going to tell him how great Alice was or anything. She was just an observer.

"If I ask you something do you promise not to tell Rosie?"

She nodded.

"I'm being serious. Please."

Liv nodded again. "I promise."

He exhaled and closed his eyes, an image of his laughing mother filled his mind, soon followed by a smiling Alice. How could he think of them both in that way? "I'm mixed up about how I'm supposed to feel about Alice."

Liv looked at him, "And how are you supposed to feel about her?"

"Like I hate her."

Liv was confused, "Why?"

"Because she gave me up. If it wasn't for her mistakes then I wouldn't be hurting right now."

"If it wasn't for her you wouldn't BE here right now."

"I know." He sighed.

"Ok then." She said and looked at him, "You're supposed to hate her but you don't?" she asked.

He shook his head slowly, "I used to hate her, or I thought I did but she's really trying you know, but not too hard. She's acting like a mum and sometimes…" he exhaled heavily and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Sometimes I really want her to be my mum, I enjoy having her here and then I feel so guilty because my mum is dead and it feels like I'm moving on, replacing her."

"It's not a bad thing to love someone you know," Liv told him softly. "It's a good thing, you have a big heart."

"But my mum…." He started.

"Will always be your mum, "I don't know who told you that you were supposed to hate Alice but they were wrong."

"No one told me I just….." he trailed off having no real reason except a feeling inside of him which he couldn't explain.

"How would your mum expect you to feel?" she asked.

He shrugged.

Liv once again looked into the distance and brought her mums face to the front of her mind, "If it was me, I think my mum would maybe expect me to be angry thst she was gone at least for a little while and sad, maybe even confused. But if the person who I bonded with was nice and fair I think she'd expect me to be fair too and give them a chance. My mum wouldn't be angry if I cared about someone else because it didn't mean I loved her any less." She looked at her trousers and picked at some imaginary lint. "Your mum loves you regardless. She loved you more than anything than anyone can understand because she picked specifically you out of all those other children. That makes you really special. I think she'd give you anything."

Liv looked at him then and saw him swiping away tears. Her eyes widened, "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to upset you!"

He sniffed, "You didn't, I just never saw it in that way before." He cleared his throat, "I can't believe I cried in front of you, you must think I'm a right idiot!"

Liv shook her head and smiled, "I think you're sweet." Then she blushed like she said too much.

"Really?" he said with a wide smile. "Um Liv, well see, I think you're nice. Really nice and well I was thinking that maybe if you wanted to and liked me back if you wanted to possibly be my girlfriend." Dear God, he had never used so many words in a simple sentence in his life! "But if you don't want to…." He was quick to add.

"I want to!" she told him before he could retract his offer.

"Really?" he asked softly unable to believe she had accepted. Then hesitantly reached for her hand. She took his and clasped it and he looked at their joined hands and then at her and smiled. Footsteps approached and they released it quickly, but shared a small smile. She stood up and quickly kissed his cheek, "I'll text you later." And then headed inside. Thomas heard her greet Danny on the way in.

A moment later he was on the veranda, "Come inside Thomas, it's getting late. I didn't realise you two were still out here."

Thomas meekly walked inside the house feeling like he was walking on air. He had a family here, a girlfriend, maybe living here wasn't going to be so bad after all. As he entered his bedroom the picture of his mum caught his eye and the guilt he had been feeling before was amplified. Liv's words came back to him and he decided to take her advice, picking up his mums photograph and laying down on his bed and studied her face. The big smile that filled her face, her blue eyes that glowed his happiness as she looked into the camera, her short blond hair that was so neat and straight. A feeling of intense longing filled him.

"Hi mum." He murmured. "I got my first girlfriend you know. You'd like her I think. She's the one who told me to talk to you like this I know you'll be up there listening, and keeping a close eye on me but I think I should tell you about her. She's called Liv and she's funny and clever and so pretty like you. I spoke to her about you and she seemed to understand, see her mum died too." He quieted. "See I'm having problems mum, I like it here, its peaceful and quiet, boring some of the time, the kind of place I think you'd have liked for me when I was having all those problems at home. I found a beautiful view that made me think of you, then almost got killed by a lion, but I know you were watching over me keeping me safe. Alice was there too….." he sighed his eyes downcast. "She said she met you. What do you think? Did you like her? I never believed that she loved me you know, now I kind of believe that she does and I've tried to hate her but she makes it really hard…" he sighed again, the next moment he heard his mums voice in his head very faintly, she was telling him not to worry, that all was ok, that hate destroyed you and it was ok if he loved her as long as he was happy. "Just because I enjoy living here doesn't mean I don't miss you every day." He told her picture. "And just because I might love Alice like a mum means you are any less my mum. You made me the person I am and I'm going to do everything I can to make you proud of me."

'I already am son, more than you know." He heard from her, this time clear as day.

He pressed a kiss to his fingers and then pressed them to her face, then placed the photo down and closed his eyes.

A/N ok do Thomas is seeing Alice like a mum, next chapter might or might jot have an effect on that. Oh and the lines in the Danice relationship is starting to get blurry!

I think next chapter is well worth a look! i enjoyed writing it, a few twists and turns in it, unexpected developments lets call them! Stay tuned!