Hey guys sorry for the delay in the update, but as i explained on my other fic, thigs have been pretty hectic at work, having been transfered. But things are finally settled, and i can begin my writing again :) Hopefully i can update more frequently :) Hope you enjoy what happens in this chap :)
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Alex entered the room somewhat hesitantly, not sure of what he would find. What he did do was a pacing Roxy and a still seated Ronnie. At the sound of the door opening Roxy and Ronnie, both looked towards the door. Roxy's eyes coming together to form a frown slightly.
"About time, I thought you said you'd be a minute, I had to bang on that door for 10 minutes till an officer answered so I could go and bleeding pee. What sort of prison are you runnin here. Just leave innocent people locked…" Roxy rambles on but is soon interrupted, not by Alex who was quite taken aback by Roxy's little outburst, but by Ronnie who had snapped.
"Will you give it a rest Rox. So we waited a few hours, I'd wait a life time just to be told my baby is alive, even longer to, have some kind of contact with her, even for one second more." Ronnie reveals her hearts requests.
"You don't have to wiat any longer. The prints came back conclusive. Danielle's prints were on the photograph." Alex devluges.
Ronnie's mouth opens slightly and she pales somewhat. Her breathing becomes labored, she stares straight ahead. Roxy held her head and stumbled slightly, taking a seat back next to Ronnie. After a minute of processing the news herself Roxy turns to Ronnie who is still staring ahead.
"Ron, did you hear him. It's Danielle. You were right. She is right isn't she, Danielle is alive?" Roxy turns from Ronnie to address alex as she spoke her request to him.
Alex took a seat facing both Ronnie and Roxy.
"The print is Danielle's. That gives us the room to question a lot of things that has happened. And we will. I know it's a lot to ask of you to be patient, but, this will take some time. I need you to understand that. I'll keep you as best informed as I can, but right now, there's nothing more I can tell you. I suggest, you go home, and rest, try not to tell too many people what's going on. After all it is an investigation. Well. I think that's everything for now. You're free to leave." Alex explains.
"That's it. You tell us her daughter, my neice is most likely alive, and now we're free to go. Have you seen the state of her!" Roxy shouts at Alex pointing from him to Ronnie.
Alex gulps as he looks at Ronnie who is still staring straight ahead, he wasn't sure if she had even heard what he had said just now, after declaring the prints Danielle's he didn't think Ronnie heard anything else.
"I'm sorry." Alex tries to apologise.
Roxy rubs her forehead and runs her hand through her head, she shakes her head slightly.
"It's okay, I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped, you're just telling us what we needed to know…" Roxy apologises herself, then turns and walks to the opposite side of Ronnie.
She kneels beside her and reaches her hand to cup the side of Ronnie's face.
"Ronnie. Ron. Look at me." Roxy tries to get through to Ronnie. Ronnie squeezes her eyes shut.
"We'll find her Ron, if Dan's alive the police will find her, and we'll get her back. You will get your baby back Ron." Once those words left Roxy's lips, Ronnie crumbled, tears spilled from her eyes, sobs wracked her body as her shoulders slumped and she began to shake from her tears, clutching at her heart, where a locket still hung.
Roxy wrapped her arms around Ronnie and held her. She knew she needed to cry she needed to release the emotions that she was feeling instead o flocking them inside. As Roxy held her sister two tears rolled down her cheeks, followed by more as her sister's cries tore at her heart.
Alex watched on a little uncomfortably, and yet more so determined the tears he will cause will be happy tears.
Three days had passed, and Alex was now making his way to his first person he needed to speak with. Having communicated with the Telford Police and explained what had happened and what he wanted to happen, he was given jurisdiction to question the people he needed to.
He carried in his arms some paper work briefly explaining what he wanted to happen, and had been happening.
He knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
"Hello, erm how can I help you officer?" The man answered.
"Hello Mr Jones, my name is Sergeant Steele, I've got a few things I would like to discuss with you regarding your daughter Danielle." Alex spoke with some sympathy knowing what he had to say would be a lot to take in, if Ronnie's reaction was anything to go by, he had to prepare himself to witness it again.
Andy swallowed hard.
"My Danielle… What, what would you need to talk to me about her for, she's…she…"
"I know Mr. Jones, but that's the reason why I wish to speak with you. May I come inside, what I have to say will be a lot to take in." Again, Alex spoke with care, he offered Andy a sympathetic smile knowing that this must be hard to comprehend as it is, a police officer asking to talk about your dead daughter, or so Andy thought.
"So you see Mr. Jones, that's why I need your permission, it's the only way we can truly know."
After explaining as much as he could to Andy about what had gone on and what he wished to recover he needed to ask Andy for his permission to exhume Danielle's grave. Andy had reacted similar to Ronnie, but as most men do in company of other men, they choose to hide their emotions. Which is what Andy was doing. He held his face in his hands. As he lifted his head to look at Alex, he could see the tears brimming in Andy's eyes.
Andy lifted a shaky hand up to his face to wipe across his mouth and eyes.
" But you said you weren't 100% certain. What if. No I can't. I can't open that coffin to see my Danni there I can't see her like that." Andy shakes his head.
"Mr. Jones. You do understand that by opening the coffin its only to prove that nothing has happened to Danielle. We'll need to check that the coffin hasn't been tampered with. I can assure you Mr. Jones, those prints we have of Danielle's are 100% hers, and they have to have been left within the last few months in regard to the conditions in which the photo was left and how the prints were still there." Alex tries to explain to Andy.
Andy rubs his face again and sighs.
"I, I can't be there when you open the coffin, if there's still a chance she's in there, I can't see my little girl like that…No life there…Not again." Alex nodded understandingly.
"You won't have to, but you will have to come to the funeral directors with me. You will have to be in the room when it is opened, because bylaw you need to be present, when the coffin is exhumed and transported, but. You don't need to look in the coffin when it is opened, just in case. Yet, if she isn't there…"
"Then they were from Danielle, those things Ronnie got. Danielle she, she wants to tell her something… If she's alive, why isn't she here, why won't she talk to us. Why won't she talk to me." Andy admits sadly.
Alex knew the situation was a tough one, Andy had raised Danielle as his own, loved her, yet so had Ronnie, loved Danielle ever since she lost her, Andy obviously must be feeling upset and slight anger in regards that Ronnie who he views as never wanting Danielle to be the one person Danielle wants.
"That's what we will need to look into once we have more proof Danielle is alive. Even if the coffin is empty… I know it may be hard to comprehend but, we will still have to consider the fact that she might have been taken. This is why we need to check the coffin, it will open up all the avenues I need to go down to get you all the answers you need." Alex replies honestly.
"Taken?" Andy asks worriedly.
Alex sighs.
"I'm sorry, but I need you to be aware of all the possible situations. I need you to understand the great need we have in exhuming that coffin. I know how hard it must be for you, I respect your reason for not wanting to do it. I agree with you infact, but, if it wasn't for any other reason than this, if there wasn't a chance… I'd be telling you not to do it, that we could search other avenues. But, Mr. Jones, we don't have any, this whole case, everything starts where it ended. That's why I need you to sign this. Why I need you to come with me to the funeral directors. Why I need you to be the one who brings Danielle home. Without you, there is no way we can continue this case." Alex reaches out. Hoping that Andy would agree.
Andy looks at Alex slightly surprised by all that he had said. He took a moment to take it all in, before he gives a small nod, which then increases slightly as he affirms to himself that he is doing the right thing.
"Okay. Okay. Where do I sign?" Andy asks quietly, still slightly unsure whether he was doing the right thing.
Alex sorts through some papers before laying 2 pieces of paper in front of Andy on the table in front of him. Explaining where he would like him to sign, and, Andy as and where doing as instructed to do.
Alex clears his throat as he stands, having stored the papers back in his file with his other papers. He extends his hand to Andy.
Andy looks at him rather confused. Yet takes his hand.
" I know what you just did took a lot of courage, and even more faith. I want you to know that I'll do all I can to repay that faith, and not let it be for nothing." Alex releases Andy's hand and gestures to the door.
"Would you like to follow me?" Andy raises his eyebrow questioningly.
"Where?"
"To the funeral dierectors?" Alex anserws simply.
Andy's eyebrows raises more slightly, this time in surprise.
"So soon?"
"I think too much time has all ready passed don't you?" Andy nods and follows Alex out, taking his coat with him as he exited his house.
He knew that Alex wasn't just talking about Danielle not being with them, but since Danielle's death, if Danielle was dead and in that coffin, and the state of her body already… He didn't want to think of that thought, if he thought of that any longer he'd tell Alex to rip up those papers and stop this before it even begun.
Yet he knew, as soon as Ronnie had come to him, that small hope as he held that card, that maybe, just maybe he didn't need to sleep for his dreams to take place. That it could all in fact be erased, by simply starting where it all ended, yet began. All the pain began where Danielle's body was laid to rest. Yet, it could soon be over. Andy hoped it was true, that some how these past months were some horrible dream, and he could finally awake from it, and pray for one more moment with Danielle, knowing that it could actually happen, he could actually see her smile again, hear her laugh, and hold her in his arms.
What Andy failed to realise is that those thoughts, his feelings were the exact same as Ronnie's and had been for some time. He wasn't so much different than her, no one was, all who knew and loved Danielle were alike in some way, as she had touched their hearts and left a piece of herself with them. Therefore, Andy and Ronnie were the same in the way they loved Danielle, no more, no less. To them, she was their daughter. The daughter they had always longed for, yet lost too soon.
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So, how was it? As always i do appreciate what you think of the chap, and would be very thankful of a review. Thanks to all you guys, I'd name you all, but you know who you are, those that have stuck with this and continue to review thanks, i do this for you :) thanks for reading everyone :) x