Danny sighed sadly to himself as he watched lioness prowl around the cage; she'd come in just days before in a life and death situation and he with the help of Ed had managed to save her life. Ed and Fiona had stayed on and so far everything was so good but Danny did have a stubborn feeling that she was just biding her time. Still, she was the least of his worries right now.

Alice had taken over as his priority. He had to sort things out between them. She was fine with the rest of the family but with him? She just wasn't interested. She was openly hostile, cruel and cutting in manner and the way she looked at him was worse than her harsh words and tone. The once lovelorn expression was replaced with one of malevolence and despair. Her once soft and loving nature replaced by a feisty and somewhat aggressive conduct.

He knew that it was his fault, he truly did. He should never have turned back around; but he did and now he had to deal with the consequences of his choice. He'd still called her all the time, believe it or not he did miss her, he loved her more than this world but how could he have left this place? Something told him to go back and it was a good job he did; even if he did shock everyone as they rolled in drunk the following morning. He didn't feel a 'good man' then and he certainly didn't feel one now but he could not go. He could not leave.

He'd tried to persuade Alice to come straight over but she'd had none of it. A couple of days after his decision they'd had quite a blazing row over the phone... Alice couldn't comprehend his decision and the excuse of Fiona left her even more furious than she had been previously. She'd asked him outright if he'd rather be with Fiona than her because that's the way it had sounded. Of course, he'd set her straight and 2 hours later they'd both apologized but the feeling had been there for a long time afterwards.

"Dad?" Rosie asked softly, breaking his thoughts as the young woman walked forward to where her father was stood. "Are you ok?"

"It's my fault Rosie." Danny sighed, shaking his head refusing to look at his daughter, "I messed it up. Why didn't I just go?"

"Because you belong here." Rosie consoled, neither she nor her father noticing the figure stood in the doorway.

"No!" Danny replied, "I belong with Alice."

"Yeh... when you're at Leopards Den."

Both Danny and Rosie turned on the spot, their mouths dropping slightly as Charlotte stomped forward into the animal hospital. She'd grown up so much since she'd left Africa. Her once girly child figure had began to develop into that of a teenage girl and her attitude too had also matured. She looked more and more like Alice every day and even now, her beauty was obvious.

"Charlie... sweetheart." Danny began but Charlotte automatically cut him off.

"I am not your sweetheart, or your Charlie." She spat, "You're nothing to me and so call me Charlotte." She paused before turning back to him, "You have no idea do you? Of what you put her through? What you put us through? Mum needed you Danny more than she'd ever needed you before but did you come? No! You decided animals were more important. Tell me Daniel... if she was a lion would you go running?"

"You can't speak to me like that!" Danny told her sternly, "And I refuse to stand for it."

"I'll speak to you how I want. You hurt my Mum. You're NOTHING to me. I was so convinced you'd come and sort it all out... help us through. I was excited even. Yet you didn't. You left us. I thought you were a good man, a hero. I thought my Mum had landed on her feet. Now? Now I wish she'd stayed in England. Away from you. I HATE YOU!"

Danny was about to try and console her when Alice walked forward, she'd heard the end of Charlotte's rant and had decided that she would intervene. Her heart had stopped when she'd heard Charlotte defending her but that wasn't her place.

"Charlotte." Alice said softly, "Sweetie go up to the house."

"No!"

"Now." Alice replied more sternly, "I'll come talk to you later."

Charlotte nodded, shooting Danny one last evil look before storming out of the animal hospital. A pregnant pause followed between the three people in the room until Rosie finally spoke.

"Are you going to let her talk to Dad like that?" Rosie asked Alice softly, knowing how sensitive she was.

"In my opinion... he deserves it. It says a lot when my daughter is defending me. God damn it! She shouldn't even be in that position. See, when you didn't get on that plane, you didn't just fuck me up Daniel Trevanion. You fucked her up too. Your son, your own son doesn't know you..."

"And whose fault is that?" Danny replied angrily in the heat of the moment.

"Yours." Alice replied simply, "Your own fault. He loved you when he was a baby but you let him down. Like you let us all down. I remember when I got pregnant. Do you?"

"As if I'd forget!" Danny exclaimed grumpily.

"Do you remember that night after the meal?" Alice asked him, her voice tightening. "The night I confided in you every fear I had?"

"Of course I do." Danny told her, his tone softer this time. Rosie watched with interest, feeling both awkward and trapped. If she left Alice would probably rip her Dad to shreds, if she didn't they wouldn't ever make up. She resolved to stay, talking terms would be preferable.

"What was my main concern? My main fear?" Alice asked him, her voice deadly calm.

Danny swallowed and looked to the floor. He slowly raised his head to look at her, his expression was one of sorrow and self-hate. Alice simply stared at him, refusing to back down, her expression straight. Rosie was watching nervously between the two of them.

"That..." Danny paused and swallowed, "That I'd leave you, that you'd be left holding the baby, being a single parent. That it would happen again."

"And what's happened?" Alice yelled angrily this time at him, a cutting contrast to his quiet, sheepish manner, "Go on Danny..." She taunted, "See Rosie, he promised me that no matter what that wouldn't happen. He'd be by my side every step of the way. He wouldn't let anything come between us..." Alice growled as Danny bit his lip, looking away from his daughters glare. "I gave you my soul Danny. You know every one of my secrets and every bit of my past. For the first time in my life I put myself on the line. I trusted you. And you broke it."

"I know Alice... and I'm sorry." Danny replied.

"Yeh? Well I'm sorry too." Alice spat, "Sorry that sometimes, sorry isn't enough." She began to walk away but before she exited she turned back to him, "I'll ask Charlotte to cut you some slack; I might not like you very much but I still love you and won't stand for you being disrespected."

Danny nodded as she walked away. He took a deep breath and slid to the floor, his head in his hands as he tore his fingers into his hair. He looked up at Rosie and one tear slid down his cheek.

"Rosie? What the hell do I do?"

"Pretend she's a zebra. I'm sure you'd work it out then..." Rosie replied shaking her head before walking out, leaving a broken Danny alone.