"So." Danny said. "What do you want to talk about?

"I want to concentrate on my breathing." she replied. "Everything hurts."

"We've been walking awhile and the rain has stopped. We'll rest."

"Yeah." Alice breathed not liking it. Everything was strangely quiet. The bush was always alive with sound. It scared her this eerie quiet. They sat side by side on a tree trunk.

"I know this isn't the best situation but we will get home." he assured.

She exhaled and lowered her head.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. His mouth close to her ear. "We'll laugh about this one day." he promised.

She looked up at him, blue eyes full of doubt.

"Ok so we won't laugh, but we'll be able to say that we have always been a good team. This proves it, if we can get out of this there is nothing we can't do!"

She swallowed and leaned into his side further. He rested his head on top of hers. "You want to talk about your dad?" he whispered. Could smell the scent of her shampoo over the mud and smoke.

She shrugged and looked at the floor. "Not a lot to tell."

"I'm listening." he murmured.

She stayed silent for a few moments and began. "My father and I…." what could she say? "We had a strained relationship, that's putting it mildly actually."

He nodded, her hair rubbing his cheek.

"I never really felt close to him. I mean we had our moments sometimes and I knew he loved me….as long as I toed the line. Didn't do anything to make him look bad." she quieted.

"Go on." he coaxed lifting his head and rubbed her back.

Alice looked at him. His green eyes so soft, so understanding. Not at all judging. "It's an old clichéd story Danny. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, except boy is much older than her."

Danny winced. "Married?"

Alice nodded. "Loveless marriage. Stayed together for the kids. He had three. 17, 12 and 8." she inhaled. "My father found out about us." she frowned remembering his words. "The stuff he said to me." she exhaled shaking her head, refusing to let the tears fall. "He said he was ashamed of me and never wanted to see me again. I left after that. We didn't speak properly again. I got in touch when he was ill but he didn't want to know and I didn't push it." she shrugged.

"What happened about the man you loved?" Danny asked. A little jealous that this man had Alice's love, then again he was the fool for letting her go!

"After my father found out about my little affair, so did Ian's family. Trust me everything hit the fan. His oldest child wasn't happy to say the least!"

"And Charlotte?" Danny asked.

"My father has never met her."

Danny clenched his jaw, hating that old man for a moment. "What about her father?"

There was the confusion. See everyone assumed…."Doesn't know about her."

Danny frowned. "Shouldn't you tell him?"

She pulled from him. "NO! and that is my final word on the matter!" she got up and stalked away from him. Thinking of Charlotte's father always put her in a bad place.

Danny came up behind her. "Sorry." he whispered. Putting his hand on her shoulder. "And your dad." he carried on. "He was a fool. He missed out on something incredible." he breathed.

She closed her eyes. "Danny about Charlotte's father…" she began.

"Don't worry about it." he told her.

"No, look, Ian isn't her dad." she swallowed. "But…" she faltered. Turned to face him.

"Alice?" he asked sensing her internal struggle.

"He's…." she couldn't say it. No one knew about this. "He's her grandfather!" she blurted and hid her face.

"What?" Danny asked eyes wide.

"I told you his oldest child wasn't happy." she whispered. "17, wanted some of what his dad had." she inhaled shakily. "6 foot tall boxer who worked out at the gym." lifted her shoulders imperceptibly.

Danny's fists clenched.

"I reported him of course, all the good that did. I had no support. My family had deserted me. Thankfully Rowan was away on the rigs, still I don't know who he would have sided with. I like to think me but dad had a tight grip. Ian's family twisted it all. I was crying rape coz I was getting revenge for him dumping me. Because he picked his family over me. Truth was I got sick of playing second fiddle and left him. A few weeks after the Blake incident I found out I was pregnant, knew immediately she wasn't Ian's, the dates didn't match. I left, just packed up and ran…."

"And you've been running ever since." Danny finished softly.

She nodded.

"Alice, you didn't have to tell me." he told her, moving his hand to touch her cheek. Ran his knuckles down the skin softly.

"I know. It just burned inside me for so long. Charlotte is beginning to wonder, is starting to ask questions." she frowned her eyes troubled. "What do it tell her Danny? How do I tell her?"

He pulled her close. "Don't worry about it." he was hugging her so tight the moisture from her clothes was beginning to drip from the bottom of the fabric.

She inhaled shakily. "It was a long time ago, I've made my peace. Over it I suppose."

Danny didn't know if he'd be able to get over it.

"Anyway out of it all I gained my daughter, if I could I'd change the circumstances of how I conceived her but I wouldn't change her."

Danny was amazed by the woman in front of him. "I've never met anyone like you." he breathed, twined her hands with his. "I don't think I will again." he admitted his eyes full of feeling.

Alice mouth had went completely dry.

Danny kissed the top of her head. "C'mon let's get home, before my left arm falls off and your right one does."

She looked at her arm then his, realising that in a funny way they were a pair. She cleared her throat. "Yeah." Began to walk side by side once again.

Danny looked at her sideways and felt a smile forming. Even with the situation they were in. Alice saw the smile and smiled widely in return. Feelings bubbled and crackled between them.

(X)

Both Danny and Alice continued walking for two hours. Their footsteps were gradually growing heavier. Earth tremors continued to rock the earth.

"Shouldn't daylight be heading our way?" Alice murmured tiredly.

"It is." Danny said pointing to the sun that was beginning to creep over the horizon.

"We must have been unconscious for a while." she surmised.

He nodded in agreement, saw her stumble and wince. Took her hand and sat her down. "You rest, I'll look for animal tracks. Don't move."

"Couldn't if I wanted to." she exhaled.

Danny wandered around and saw a patch of land he didn't recognise. There was a muddy hill where there shouldn't be. He approached it and saw that it wasn't a hill but a truck, a truck covered in mud, dried meaning it had been here a while. Dupe must have come looking! He'd be around somewhere! Danny felt elation fill him. "Alice look!" he yelled excitedly.

She appeared.

He climbed up the mud pile into the truck. "Dupe must have came for us."

He dug around in the bag and found a bad full of survival equipment. Tossed it to her, then stood and fiddled with the radio.

"Where is he?" Alice asked.

Danny looked around. "Looks like a landslide of sorts, maybe he abandoned the truck and has gone home."

Alice looked around, something niggling at her. "Danny this place looks really familiar. She frowned, worry creasing her brow.

"Don't worry, I think we're fairly close to the house."

"No it's more than that." where they were suddenly came to her. "Danny get down!" she yelled. "This is where Jana broke her leg!"

An earth tremor rocked the earth so Danny missed Alice's final comment. He felt the weirdest sensation that the ground beneath the truck was crumbling away. He looked around and Alice's words penetrated. Suddenly he knew exactly where he was.

Another tremor rocked the earth and he fell backwards against the seat. He spent one second on his back, he vaulted up and jumped into the bed of the truck. he had began to run across the bes when the ground beneath the truck disappeared without warning. He felt the loss immediately and flung himself forward forcefully.

Alice watched in horror as the truck fell, Danny's body disappearing with it. "DANNY!" she screamed running towards the edge of the ravine.

A/N drama drama drama, just as they were getting close too :( then again who says it ends here? There is mre to come, as i said earlier no one is safe! x