Alice wiped her eyes at the table. She cleared her throat. If Dupe walked in and seen her like this she would just die of embarrassment. And if Ethan saw her like this he would immediately think the worst and no doubt all hell would break loose! She inhaled a deep breath as a sharp pain streaked across her abdomen.

"Ow!" she said softly. "Cool it huh Dee Jay." she whispered rubbing. She panted through it. Deep breath in through the nose Alice. Then exhale from the mouth. That pain had lasted too long for it to be baby! She was in trouble here! She gingerly got to her feet.

"Dupe!" she yelled through the house. It was silent. She felt another pain coming. She bent over the table as the pain crested. Again concentrating on her breathing. Eyes closed. As the pain gradually subsided. She pulled herself to standing and noticed the paper stood against the coffee maker.

Got called to Mara to track a lion. Won't be long. Dupe.

Oh no, no. no. no. no!" she breathed rapidly. She rang Danny, it went straight to voicemail

"Dammit! She rang again. Again voicemail.

Ok Alice think, what you gonna do? She had no freaking idea! She'd drive to hospital! The only thing to do really. And pray little man took as long to come as Lexi did!

She walked into the living room and knelt down by Ethan. "Ethan!" she shook him.

He was deeply asleep. "C'mon Eth I can't leave you by yourself. Wake up!" she shook harder.

He was still dead to the world.

She felt another pain come. Far more intense this time. She bent over. Her head on the floor and breathed slowly.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Alice? A sleepy voice asked.

"2 seconds!" she said through clenched teeth.

The phone rang. She connected the call. "Danny!" she panted. "I'm stupid! I need you here immediately!" she said quickly. "I'm alone well Ethan is here but Daniel is coming!" she panted more forcefully as another pain came quickly. "Dupe isn't here but that doesn't matter he's' coming too quickly I'd never make it to hospital!"

"What about Caroline or Nomsa?"

"Danny what part of ALONE don't you understand?" she snapped as pain engulfed her.

"Alice honey get yourself comfortable and put Ethan on!"

She thrust the phone at a still groggy Ethan.

"Ethan son." Danny said.

"Yeah." he yawned.

"Alice is in labour!" Danny said seriously.

"WHAT? She's gotta get to hospital!" he yelped. Instantly awake.,

"I need you to ring a ambulance and her midwife ok. Then get plenty of clean towels and place them around her!"

"Ok, I'll be a minute!" he put the put on the sofa and looked at Alice. "You'll be fine Alice." he said.

Alice was still on her knees head on the floor rubbing her stomach. He ran to the phone rang the midwife who was unavailable so he left a message and then he rang the ambulance but the operator didn't understand his accent so God knows where the ambulance was headed.

When he returned to the living room Alice had her back against the sofa sat down. He head was down and she was breathing slowly. He placed the towels around her.

He picked up the phone. "I'm back, the ambulance is on it's way. Couldn't get through to the midwife."

"How does Alice look?" danny asked.

Ethan studied her then lowered his voice. "Terrible. She looks tired and sick and in pain! I'm not sure what she's supposed to look like to be honest!"

"I wish I knew how far along she is." Danny murmured to himself.

"I'll ask her wait there how far gone are you Alice?" Ethan asked.

"Ethan she won't know. The only way you can know is if you see and obviously she can't soooo…"

"Ohhhh!" Ethan said realisation dawning.

"The pain is almost continuous now. Unrelenting. Constant!" she said, with more panting.

Ethan yelped and jumped back as water soaked the towels. "Oh god she's sprung a leak!" Ethan exclaimed.

"She must be nearly fully dilated. Ready to push!" Danny again said to himself. He had no other option.

"Ethan how dilated is she?"

"Danny I'm no doctor. I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"You'll have to look!"

"Look?" Ethan asked with a high pitched squeak. "Look?" he repeated still in disbelief. "Oh no, danny no I really can't." he said quickly. "Just no way no how no!"

"Ethan you have to there's no one else there!"

"Danny I really really REALLY can't! she's your…..and Lexi's….Nope sorry I can't! How far away are you?"

"Bout 20 minutes at least!"

"Dammit!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Exactly!"

Alice was panting.

"Wait a minute!" he ran into the bathroom. Moistened a flannel and placed it on Alice's forehead. "You'll be ok." he murmured. He then shook his head and picked up the phone.

"Right this is so wrong but what the hell am I looking for?" he asked feeling sick as the words came out.

"Just how….open she is." danny replied not entirely sure what to say.

"Open?" he asked exasperated. "Is it like a freaking door? God Danny you gotta be more specific!"

"I dunno Ethan I'm not a doctor!"

"Neither am I!" Ethan replied. Hysteria had crept into his voice. "This is not right. It's weird! Is it normal I wanna be sick?" he asked.

"Calm down Ethan you'll be fine!"

"No I don't think I will be!" he whispered. Then said "I'm gonna give the phone to Alice ok. You tell her what to do while I go wash my hands and try not to faint and hopefully wake up from this freaking nightmare!" he looked at Alice. "Here's Danny."

As he walked from the room he heard her cry. "No I refuse to allow him to do that he's just a child!" she then looked at him and started whispering in low urgent tones.

Ethan stood at the sink. Holding his hands under the scalding water scrubbed his hands twice with soap. At first he'd tried to convince himself, you know like be a man Ethan you can handle this. It's nothing. That didn't work so he blanked his mind. Took some deep breaths. Tried to force away the faint feeling his had In his head and the sickness he felt in the pit of his stomach. He collected more towels as he felt calm. Well relatively calm. As calm as anyone could be in a situation like this! He walked back in a and looked at Alice. Whatever Danny as said it had worked. She was covered with a towel. He felt sickness rise again. Breathe Ethan Breathe! He reminded his body.

"You don't have to do this Ethan!" Alice said breathlessly. "Actually this is a false alarm. Why don't you go and I dunno write something or listen to music. Yeah you go do that!" she said persuasively. Then he saw her shudder as pain wracked through her entire body. Starting from her stomach down her abdomen. Clenching. She shook with the force of it.

Ethan looked at her and raised his eyebrows. Took a deep breathe then said. "I do need to do this Alice. You need me. It's a good thing I don't see you as my mum or I'll never be able to do this!" he shook his head trying to clear it from the thoughts that were telling him to run and never look back. He picked up the phone.

"Right Danny what am I looking for?"

"Well mostly the only thing you could watch out for is hair really. Hopefully she isn't that far!"

He inhaled and exhaled another breathe. He swallowed hard. Cringed closed one eye. Left the other one open to look. They both opened wide at what he saw. He was horrified.

"Danny this is weird, she isn't open at all. There's nothing, it looks….. I dunno blocked or something. There's just…Oh God what the hell? Is that? Freaking hell that's hair!" Ethan started hyperventilating. "I can't do this!" he said panicking. Voice shaking. "I really can't do this!" he said louder. "I'm just a kid. I can't handle this!" he babbled.

"God! He's nearly here!" Danny said scared. "Have you got towels? Tell Alice top push when she needs to. Your doing fine Ethan just keep calm ok!"

"Alice Danny said to push when you need to!" Ethan told her voice shaking.

"Ethan you have to deliver him!"

"Oh no Danny. NO please! I'm begging you. You can't ask me to do this. Please I'll do anything else. I'll fight a million angry elephants. Wrestle crocodiles. I'll even feed myself to a lion. Not that!" Ethan pleaded.

"Ethan your all she's got. I'll never ask another thing of you as long as I live. Please Ethan!"

Ethan was in turmoil. His legs were literally one second away from running out of here. With or without the rest of his body! "God I can't believe this!" he said softly. "O you owe me big style Trevanion!" he muttered to him.

Alice was sweating and panting. She was oblivious to his presence, it was like she'd blanked him being there. He wished he could do the same. She pushed again and all of the head appeared. He felt himself wobbling. Calm Ethan don't pass out. Well not yet!

Danny was muttering in his ear trying to keep him calm. He then noticed something. He didn't know anything but this wasn't normal!

"Danny the head is here but something is…" he lowered his voice. "There is something around the neck."

"Christ the cord! Look um, see if it's twisted. If not rotate Daniels head if you can. Do it as gently as possible though! You need to loosen it if you can!"

He noticed that the cord was twisted and trying to touch is as little as possible untangled it it was easy untangled..

"Oh God eww that was disgusting!" he muttered. Then exhaled and felt a bigger wave of dizziness over take him. "Whoa danny!" he said slurred. "I'm feeling really sick and dizzy here!" he said weakly in warning.

"A couple more pushes Ethan and it will be over. I'll be here in 5 minutes!"

"Can you ask him to wait till you get here. I don't mind really!" he joked.

"You can try son."

Ethan matched his breathing with Alice's. Trying to stop himself from passing out,

"Yeah Alice we'll breath together. Whoo whoo whoo!" he imitated. Oh GOD!

Alice pushed again.

"Right Danny a shoulder is out!"

"Ethan everything is gonna happen pretty quickly now. Put the phone down and support the baby as Alice is pushing him out!"

"No Danny I need to hear your voice! You're the only one keeping me calm. I'll snap and end up hysterical!" he panicked.

"You can do this Ethan!" Danny encouraged.

He saw Alice begin to push again and dropped the phone to the floor with a clatter. The battery feel out but he disregarded it. He held the baby's head and shoulder as she pushed. The other shoulder came and the baby slid into his waiting hands. Closely followed by gunge and blood.

Alice exhaled a large breath and her head feel back on the sofa.

Ethan stared at the red faced baby in his hands his mouth open in awe. God he was holding another danny! He thought. He saw the baby's mouth full of gunk. He used his finger and gently cleared it. He let out a healthy wail. Ethan's eyes filled. "Wow!" he murmured.

Alice looked. "Is he ok?" alice asked worried.

"Oh yeah he sure is!" he said awe evident in his tone. He wrapped Daniel in a clean towel and handed him to Alice. Danny ran in as he did. He looked at Alice and Ethan and baby Daniel. As soon as he saw Alice holding the wrapped bundle his eyes never left him. "You did it?" he whispered.

Ethan stood up and started to shake uncontrollably. All his calm had deserted him.

Danny came over and hugged him. "Are you ok? Oh God thank you so much son!"

"Danny?" Ethan's asked dazed.

"Yeah?"

"Can I faint now?" ethan asked them slumped to the floor.

(X)

Danny checked Ethan's pulse and his eyes. Then lay him on the sofa when he was sure he was fine. He chased up the ambulance. Seems the operator had got the wrong address and the ambulance had went to the wrong place. Apparently the boy had been panicking when he rang. He the went and sat beside Alice. They sat side by side admiring their baby. Alice held him Danny touched his perfect little fingers.

"He's so beautiful!" he murmured.

Blue eyes opened and peered at them. They were so clear that both parents stopped breathing for a second.

"Now I know what you have to contend with, with me!" she said honestly. "I will never use my eyes against you again!" she vowed.

"So mummy's blue eyes and a thick full head of jet black hair. But you got daddies face. Best of both worlds huh?" she murmured.

"Well Daniel, we're mummy and daddy son. I'll teach you all the important stuff like football and how to be a man. She'll just nag you!" he said playfully. His eyes glistened though.

Alice laid her head on his shoulder for a second. Then handed Daniel to Danny.

"I'm gonna get changed. Quick shower first though!"Danny stood up holding Danny tightly but tenderly. He helped Alice up. He kissed her softly. She smiled at him then walked to their room.

He took Daniel to the window. Spoke to him. "I'm so happy to finally meet you son. Your amazing. You have the best family ever too. You got me and mummy who'll protect and love you always. And your big sis Lexi who is an absolute nutter but who is just the most brilliant girl in the world. She gets the nutterness from your mum by the way. And your big brother Ethan too. He's great. Big and strong and brave. And he did daddy a big favour today. And to be honest daddy doesn't know how he'll ever repay him but if he ever finds a way he'll do it!"

Alice walked in the room. Changed into clean clothes and fresh from a quick shower. She saw Ethan staring open mouthed looking at Danny's back. She motioned for him to lie back down and close his eyes.

He nodded as soon as he did she cleared her throat.

"I know little man will be hungry but we'd better wait for the paramedics to check him over huh? I'm gutted I can't breast feed him but my mum couldn't and I couldn't with Lexi so…"

"You and Daniel will probably have to go to hospital when the ambulance comes."

Ethan started to stir. Danny handed Daniel to Alice and walked over.

"Ethan?" Danny asked.

He looked pale. "Danny did everything go ok?" he pretended to be groggy and sat up. He watched Alice cleaning Daniel with warm water and dressing him in a babygro.

Danny pulled Ethan close for a crushing hug. "You have no idea what you did for me today son. Words just leave me when I try to explain how much it meant to me. Thank you isn't enough to explain the gratitude I feel!"

"We'll call it quits if we never speak of it again." he said smiling.

"Hey Ethan Dee Jay wants to meet his big brother." Alice said.

He walked over to the changing mat and was looking at Alice's blue eyes but on a little boy who had Danny's face."

"Hey Daniel." he said and touched his little cheek. He smiled widely. "You definitely got the look of your mum. It's a good thing too. Us lady killers can't look like our dads can we? And lets hope even more that you don't take after your big sister. We can't take another Lexi." he whispered at him.

"Thank you Ethan, I know how hard that must have been for you!" Alice told him. "And there's something else too."

She looked at Danny. He smiled widely and nodded.

"Look we would like your opinion on something…" Alice started.

"That's a big deal for us." Danny finished.

"Can you not do that?" Ethan asked smiling.

Danny and Alice looked at each other perplexed. "What?"

"Finish each others sentences. It creeps me out sometimes it's like you can hear in each others heads or something."

Danny and Alice smiled at each other.

"Anyway it's little man. His name actually. His name will still be Daniel but we were thinking maybe Daniel Ethan or Daniel junior Ethan?" Alice told him.

"But don't worry if it makes you uncomfortable." Danny finished.

"You don't have to do that!" Ethan told them softly.

"We know, we just wanted to know how you feel. He'll probably still be known as Dee jay. Just with Ethan on the end." Alice said.

"Hey DJ Ethan." Danny grinned.

"Look I'm gonna leave you alone ok. I need to get my bearings. I think I'm having a little overload here."

Ethan walked from the room. Saw the ambulance pull up. He sat on the veranda. That was the scariest most terrifying but at the same time the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. When he' d saw the baby literally seconds old, in his hands. Arms and legs flying about. Wow! That was the only word he could think of and it had paled to how he felt. He'd known Alice was pregnant and would have a baby would come but and this sounds weird but he didn't actually expect for a baby to be in his hands. I dunno that's just what he felt. It was the only way he could describe it. A technician came out to check his head. Danny must have told them about his faint. He had hit his head pretty hard. He must have, why else would he be feeling the urge to bawl his eyes out?

A/N awww ethan is utterly adorable. he's just so cute am i right lol. i had planned 4 danny to get home in time to deliver daniel but it fit that he didn't lol poor ethan but still lol at his panicking. i loved the line his legs were ready to run out of here with or withour the rest of his body lol x course u like it dan u thought it up. excuse me arguin wit myself haha am abit crazy an my mind is a scary place sumtimes x