2 Weeks Later

Alice was lonely. It felt deep and intense. She missed being part of a couple. Missed just talking. Cuddling. The closeness of having someone you loved near. The simple stuff. She missed her husband. Ok she knew 5 years had passed but she still missed him. Especially his dancing green eyes and his smile. She had always known she loved them but hadn't realised how much she would miss them til they were gone. Was it time to move on? Mark the vet at Mara asked her on a date the other day. She had rebuffed him but she supposed he was good looking. He was in his early 40's same as her. Widowed, same as her. What was stopping her? She made a split second decision.

"Mara Lodge."

"Hi. It's Alice Collins can I speak to Mark please?" wow that had felt wrong. She had called herself Alice Collins!

She was patched through.

"Hey Mark, it's Alice here. I am actually able to come out tonight. You know if the offer still stands.

"That's great!" he said enthusiastically. "When shall I pick you up?"

"Erm come to leopards Den at 8. I'll be ready."

They disconnected.

Everyone was sat eating dinner. Lexi was stood at the table in her work uniform. Piled a few forkfuls of food in her mouth and chewed quickly. Took a gulp of tea and then ruffled her brothers and sisters hair. She looked at Ethan.

"Try it." he warned. She reached and he dodged.

"Too slow!" he laughed.

"Right I'll have to love you and leave you." she said as her mum walked into the room.

Alice's looked and realised her daughter was at work - again. "Lex, all you do is work. I'm worried about you. Today was your day off!"

"They rang. They're short staffed mum. If I don't do these shifts people could die waiting for a free ambulance. It's no contest!" she picked up a Yorkshire pudding.

"Ethan you are a saint. Haven't had a decent yorkie in forever. No offence mum." she grinned.

"At least sit and eat your meal." Alice pointed to the still full plate.

"I can't. I'm there in 20 minutes. I gotta go. Love ya mum." kissed her mum.

Picked her helmet up for the little mo-ped she had bought herself. She rode it a little too fast Alice thought. Apparently she had got her licence while in Jo'burg.

Daniel waited til no one was looking and stabbed the chicken on Lexi's plate. Amie smiled and took the Yorkshire puddings. Ethan had cooked them all a traditional Sunday roast. Even Dupe Nomsa and Caroline came over. Dupe loved Yorkshire pudding. But wanted to rename them Leopards Den puddings since they weren't in Yorkshire. Nomsa kept stabbing hers. Dupe and Nomsa left the table after a while. Along with the kids. Leaving Alice alone to ask Ethan a favour.

"Ethan could you watch Daniel and Amie for me tonight?"

"Sure," he forked mashed potato into his mouth. Chewed and swallowed. Smiled. "I love mash!" he said allowing Alice to gather herself. Something was bugging her. He sensed she had something to say. And rushing her didn't help.

"It's just. I'm…I've…the vet at Mara asked me on a date and I accepted!" she blurted.

He smiled. "That's brilliant!"

"What?" she had expected a vehement no and a excuse to cancel! "I sort of expected you to….you know."

"Alice you're a gorgeous woman who's still young. Grab at happiness. Danny wouldn't want you to be alone!"

"I know but it still feels like I'm betraying him somehow!"

"Not al all. You still love danny. That's obvious. A part of you will always love him. And mourn the lost years. But a memory isn't going to keep you warm. Or make you laugh. Or talk about stupid daft stuff like he used to." he smiled. "I remember you once had a hour long conversation about scalpels."

He shook his head.

"I remember that they were blunt. We were discussing whether to have them sharpened or buy more. Danny wanted laser scalpels. I'm not sure they even exist!"

"It's understandable you feel this way. Perfectly normal. But it'll be healthy to get out there in the real world again."

"I hear therapist Ethan emerging!"

"Sorry since I started that new job I find myself analysing people. Lexi was putting her shoes on earlier and I wanted to ask her why she put the left one on first when most people put the right on first. Then I mentally slapped myself." he chuckled. "so if I'm staring at you ignore me. I'm just trying to work out why you do stuff a certain way!"

Alice smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Remember Alice. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Danny won't begrudge you happiness."

"How do you think Lexi will take it?" Alice asked him.

"Lexi will be Lexi. She's a hard person to read. I dunno if It's coz I'm close to her but I can never predict her. She's not a kid though. She'll understand I think. She knows you love her dad but at the same time might need companionship. You let yourself grieve for a long time. Didn't rush straight into something else. Now is the time." he said softly.

"I'm never getting a leather couch. I'd end up lying on it and spilling my guts to you. It's your voice. It tempts you to tell everything."

"Yeah don't get that couch. One of two things will happen. I'd have to have you certified with the insaneness. Then Lex would never forgive me. Or I'd end up certified with all the insaneness!" he joked.

"Or third we'd both end up certified with all the insaneness!" she added.

"I agree with you!" Ethan got up to scrape his plate.

"It's really great having you home son. Danny would be really proud of you."

"I like to think so. I'm not so sure sometimes." especially with what he did and said to Lexi!

"He would. You're a good man. I just wanna know when your gonna make me a nana!"

"That will be hard. I'm not with anyone!"

Alice smiled. "Anyways thanks for watching the kids tonight. And for the talk."

Later that Night.

It was 10 o'clock. Lexi dragged her feet into leopards den. Shoulders slumped. Defeated. She tried to be quiet but failed. Ethan popped his head out of his room. He went to shush her but noticed her eyes. Red rimmed and glistening.

"Lexi?"

She looked at the floor.

"You ok?"

She nodded. Then shook her head.

He took her hand and pulled her in his arms. She burrowed herself into him.

"You lost someone?"

She nodded.

He hugged her tighter.

"First time?"

She shook her head.

"Child." her voice was hoarse. He felt for her. "You get told not to cry or get upset coz people die but I wanted so badly to save her."

"People die honey. Even children. It's the worst thing ever but it happens. Your not god. It was her time." He whispered.

"She was a 14 year old leukaemia patient. She had just went home that day. I did my best and nothing was good enough. That mother that child. They needed me and I wasn't good enough!" she cried softly into his shirt.

Lexi was physically and emotionally drained. The day had been hell from start to finish. Her tears subsided.

"C'mon Lex, jump in the shower then we'll talk. To be honest you smell." he joked.

"Not as bad as you." she retorted. Sadness rang in her tone. But she played along.

"Mine is eau de man. Yours is just eau de pong!"

She hit him playfully.

"Go on. You'll feel better. Have a cry in the shower. Then come in here and I'll kick ya ass at cards!" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Never been done!" she told him.

Collected some pj's from her room and went into the bathroom. Cried again in the shower. Then pulled on her clothes.

When she went in his room the card were already dealt.

"Switch." he indicated as the game.

He inhaled deeply.

"There's my Lexi's smell. Fresh as a daisy!" he smiled at her.

She sat on his bed "I'll go first!"

He produced a 8.

"Miss a turn."

Then another. Then a ace of hearts.

"Pick up 5."

She did. Then he produced 4 2's.

"Pick up 8!"

He giggled.

"I win!" he said gleefully bouncing on the bed.

"You cheated!" she declared. "You rigged the cards!" she threw them at him smiling.

"Who moi?" he asked innocently.

"Oui!" she replied.

"No need to be offensive!" he said in mock disgust.

She frowned. "What?"

"You see wee!"

She laughed. Her mind taken off her bad day. They laughed and joked and acted like they did when they were kids.

"I have this person at work right." he dealt the cards after shuffling them. "He's completely sane but lonely. When he comes in he brigs in a tape recorder with valkyrie on and we play war games. He whistles then dives under my desk as bombs drop. Then we play battle ships. The other day we were ballroom dancing when my receptionist walked in. she walked straight back out. Later my boss came in and asked me questions. About 5 minutes later I realised he was analysing me. To see if I'd went loopy. I don't understand why he did that!" he said seriously. "Do you?"

"Your done for honey!" she whispered.

"Hey I resent that. Take it back!"

"No!"

"Last chance sweetheart!" the endearment feel from his mouth.

"And if I don't?"

He dived on her and tickled her.

"No1" she shrieked. Laughed loudly.

"Ok, I give!" I'm sorry. Please I'm sorry."

He stopped tickling her and lay on top of her. They looked at each other.

"I should get off you huh?" he whispered.

"You should…" she replied. Didn't mean he was going to though.

He lowered his head and kissed her softly. They both knew what was going to happen here. Both didn't care, both loved each other too much to stop it.

(X)

Lexi's telephone jingled at 5 the next morning. Her alarm clock for work. She was lain beside Ethan. She remembered going to leave the room but he had pulled her to him and asked her to stay. She drifted off feeling more content then she had ever felt. They had awoke once during the night. She savoured this new feeling. They had never spent the night together before. It was new and she liked it. His arm around her waist. His strong chest and heartbeat against her back. She snuggled closer to him.

"You gotta go to work?" he asked sleepily.

He nuzzled her neck.

"yeah. People need me."

"I need you." he told her.

She smiled and turned.

"Your so cute when you first wake up." she kissed him softly. Laid her head against his chest. Listened to his heart pumping. Smiled.

"What we we doing Lexi?"

"Hmmm?" she asked.

"Well I'm not the one for stuff like this. I care too much to just sleep with you every few weeks."

"What do you want?" she asked.

"What do you want?" he parroted.

She thought. "I want us to take this slowly." she told him softly. "Not as slow as when we were 16 though!"

He smiled. Yearned to tell her how he felt. But she wanted slow. "I guess you gotta go to work then."

She nodded.

"Go on the Miss Trevanion. I shall miss you."

She stood up. Had pulled on her pyjamas in the middle of the night he too with his boxers. She went to walk out the room.

"Wait." he pulled her to him for a blistering kiss. "I l…leave you so you can get ready for work." God he nearly said he loved her there.

She left the room. He dressed and went to sit on the veranda. As she was about to walk passed he grabbed her and kissed her again. "What time you finished?" he whispered in her ear.

"4 o'clock."

"How about I take you out tonight? Me and you. Restaurant. Candle lit dinner?"

"Sounds good!" she agreed.

They heard footsteps. He reluctantly went to release her. He knew her feelings on this.

"No." she whispered. Waited til someone came out kissed him softly on the mouth.

"I'm not ashamed of us. Now I gotta go. See ya mum!"

Pulled on her mo-ped helmet and waved before she rode away.

"See you Lex." Alice replied smiling widely. "You and Lex huh?" she asked Ethan.

He felt a little uncomfortable.

"Ethan if you two are happy then I'm happy for you."

He exhaled.

"So how long has this been going on?"

He shrugged. "Since I met her." he answered.

Alice smiled.

"Literally just now. She came home last night really upset. I cheered her up and I fell for her all over again. Not that I ever fully stopped. I dunno if she even loves me back."

"Whatever happens. Whether you stay together or break up. You'll both be fine. That kiss there proved how much you've grown up. She'd never have did that before."

He sat down. "I just feel so guilty for leaving them behind!" he whispered.

"Lex and the kids were fine. We got through it. You had your own problems to deal with. We didn't know what was going to happen with Danny!"

Ethan realised now she didn't know about his and Lexi's baby. He was thankful then that she thought he meant Daniel and Amie. "Anyway how did last night go?"

She shrugged. "Better than I thought. It was good. I expected to feel all awkward but it was good. It was weird coz even though Danny was in the back of my mind I didn't think about him at all."

He nodded. She didn't realise it but that was a sign she had moved on.

"Did you and the guy get along?"

"Yeah we had loads in common. The only thing Is he talked about his dead wife a lot. At one point I actually thought if he mentions her one more time I'll give him a one way ticket to a little reunion!"

Ethan chuckled.

"Anyway it was nice and felt good to be socialising again. I'm definitely not looking for a marriage proposal though. Which he hinted at. How eager he was to get remarried! Anyway I gotta get down to the surgery then get the kids to their out of school club since it's half term then….."

"How about I drop them off at their out of school club on my way to work?"

"Would you mind? I have a mountain of stuff to do in the shortest amount of time!"

"Then you had better get started then." he said grinning.

"I'm pleased you and Lexi are together. The last person she was with at University was a real loser according to Liv. I know you'll do right by her!"

"Bet you didn't expect this when you adopted me!"

"Never in a million years."

(X)

Alice was alone in the house. Her list of things to do had multiplied. The out of school club was on the phone. A boy had hit Amie so Daniel had held him against a wall until he apologised. It had taken 3 workers to restrain him. Now she was talking to Daniel on the phone.

"Look Daniel calm down son."

"If he lays one finger…"

"He won't son!"

"Hello?" a voice shouted through the house.

"2 minutes!" she yelled.

"Look Daniel I've gotta go. A guest has arrived stay calm and we'll have 5 minutes in the surgery."

"But I got 8 ticks!"

"I'm taking 3 off. One for hitting the kid. One for ignoring the workers request. And one for swearing at them."

He grumbled.

"Love you too son. Remember be good!" she put the phone down and checked the diary.

Peter Robinson. 2 weeks.

Daniel's chart really seemed to be working she mused as she walked outside. He seemed calmer although he still had outbursts.

She scribbled something on her clipboard as she walked outside.

"Hello. Welcome to Leopards Den." she spoke to a mans back.

He turned. Alice dropped her clipboard.

Moss green eyes. Messy brown hair which glistened with blond tips. Well over 6 foot. Right she was dreaming. Or hallucinating. Took a step back.

"There you go." he picked up her clipboard. "Sorry if I startled you!" he smiled at her.

"It was the voice that did it. She'd know it anywhere.

"Danny?" she whispered. Then passed out cold.

A/N dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. so is this danny or is this peter? hmmm wot is going on r we in the twilight zone lol x keep reading!