Danny and Matt were well on route to the place Alice had told him over the radio. He came to the place where he could either take a short cut or go the long way round. It was either an hour or a quarter of an hour! He picked up the radio.

"Alice?" Danny asked, his voice was soft as her name slid from his lips.

"Yeh Danny?" Alice replied, Danny's heart stopped a moment, that lilting Scottish accent!

"Did you take shortcut or go long way? I'm at the turning now." Danny told her looking over to Matt who had his eye on the area, scanning it for any unwanted passengers.

"We went over the swamp way, it's pretty bad Danny, you'll need to engage four wheel drive low to get through, Zoe was skidding all over." Alice replied.

"YOU SO BEST NOT BE CALLING ME A BAD DRIVER!"

Danny laughed as she heard Zoe's shout over the radio. He then remembered he needed to reply to Alice.

"Ok, I'll take swamp route." Danny told her as he turned the Jeep, quickly throwing it into four wheel drive low.

"Be careful Danny." Alice replied. "See you soon."

"You too, bye." Danny put the radio down. He felt the Jeep skid as it hit the mud, he drove through it and carried on, his mind well and truly on the task in hand.

Meanwhile Zoe and Alice were out of their Jeep and on foot. They'd decided to go the rest of the way on foot. Dupe was tracking.

"What animals Dupe?" Zoe asked as he bent down observing prints.

"You got yourself, an adolescent giraffe, couple of ellies I'd say but you got them back, you got yourself about three lions and he bent down once more, wildebeest. It's not the best of mix in a small area Zoe." Dupe sighed.

"Damn it. Right well we'll all take the Jeep, Dupe you can track from the Jeep?" Zoe asked him.

"Yeh... put your foot down though Zoe, there's lives at risk!" Dupe exclaimed. No one had noticed Alice was extremely quiet.

"How did you know what animals were missing?" Peter asked looking at Dupe, he'd secretly been in awe of the tracking skills he'd just witnessed.

"Years of practise." Dupe replied, "Zoe go right."

Peter was shocked as Zoe took the man's word for it. Zoe noticed the road was straight, she noticed Alice seemed quiet, distracted almost. This wasn't Alice... usually she'd be very focussed, something like this. Zoe looked at Alice and sighed, she reached her hand over and placed it on Alice's.

"Alice, what's up?" Zoe asked softly.

"What? Umm, nothing." Alice lied. The truth? She was thinking hard about the storm. The animals loose round town, Dupe's earlier comments, it all hit home how close she'd come to loosing Danny forever. She was remembering that awful day.

"Don't lie Alice." Zoe said taking her hand off Alice's hand as she changed gears. "What's Danny done or said? I'll beat him up for you..."

"Danny's not done anything." Alice told her, Zoe looked to her and noticed Alice had looked her in the eye, Zoe nodded, she believed her.

"Well, what is it then? Danny is the only one who gets you like that, oh and Charlie and Lyndon... but it's always Danny!" Zoe argued, Peter was about to comment when Dupe put his finger to his lips and shook his head. Peter quietened down.

"Fine... It's just... you know, I'm kinda remembering the storm, thinking about Danny... the animals loose round town... his panic when... when the lion bit me." Alice was stammering by this point, she turned away, she was not about to cry!

"Ok Alice." Zoe said, her eyes reverted back to the road. She knew that Alice didn't cry in front of anybody, and the way she'd stammered and then turned away had been Zoe's cue to shut up.

"Ok?" Peter exclaimed, "Is that all you say?"

Zoe turned round, her blue eyes flashing with anger. She knew they were reaching the township now, but no one was saying stuff like that to her.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you. You have no idea what's happened around here. Now keep your snidy comments to yourself, because you have no room to comment, she's my sister not yours. Not one more word Peter." Zoe spat, she pulled the Jeep to a halt and grabbed a gun. "Focus Alice."

Alice nodded as they walked on. Zoe had her gun raised. She spotted the lions and pointed them out to Alice and Dupe.

"Let's see if we can tranq them." Zoe mumbled, "Lives at the ready."

They nodded, they all aimed their guns at their own lion. Peter stood back, the shot gun in his hand. His whole body trembled with fear, how could these people do this day in day out? He jumped as he heard the lions roar. One was still ok, it hadn't dropped, they hadn't even got him! The lion began to run towards him. Alice had it, her aim was quick and precise.

Peter raised his gun shakily and before he knew it he had shot – at the exact same time Alice had fired the tranquiliser. Alice, Zoe and Dupe jumped in shock.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Alice shouted angrily as she and Zoe ran forward. "Zoe the tranq has hit her straight into the bullet wound!"

"We'll have to operate and fast!" Zoe commented, "There's no way we can get her to a clinic... back of jeep job." She ran off to grab a sling, "You," She growled at Peter, "You best get right out of my sight, go with Dupe, forget your gun by the way! And get some animals rounded up." She ran off to the Jeep and grabbed the sling.

Soon the lion was in the back of the Jeep. Alice and Zoe were working hard, but they weren't doing well. Alice couldn't find the bullet, and the tranq dart had made it even worse! At that moment they both heard a Jeep come to a halt. Danny and Matt!

"Danny." Alice shouted. Danny immediately ran over.

"A tranq to a bullet wound? What were you thinking?" Danny asked rhetorically.

"What was I thinking?" Alice began, Zoe quickly intervened.

"Start world war three later, we have an animals to save. Danny ideas please? We have the bullet, but the tranq has had a bad effect. Infection maybe?" Zoe told him.

Danny looked quickly, he nodded.

"I don't think there's anything for her." Danny sighed, Zoe nodded and placed the lion down. She put the gun to lions head before pulling the trigger, Danny and Alice dropped their heads in respect. Zoe quickly wrapped the animal up to try and prevent the blood staining the ground too much. Zoe shuddered slightly as she remembered the first time she'd seen an animal shot. It had been her beautiful pony, little Lucy. God, she loved that pony! She'd been just three years old, three years old when she'd broke her leg. Zoe gulped as she remembered the vet missing the broken leg, the ponies suffering... she remembered the way they did it too. The little hand held thing, no bigger than a mobile. The man just acted as though he was stroking her and then bang she was gone. No pain, gone in peace. But the blood. Zoe shook the thought from her mind. It had been the right thing to do. Matt came over to help her carry the corpse.

Danny walked up to Alice slowly, he knew he'd snapped at her when he shouldn't. He didn't even know if it was Alice who had shot him. His face dropped as Alice walked away from him, he swallowed before finding his voice.

"Alice." He called for her but she took no notice. She just picked up the gun and carried on walking. Danny grabbed his gun too and ran after her.

"Leave me alone Daniel." Alice said coldly as she walked quicker.

"Alice please!" Danny shouted, "I..."

Alice shot round, Danny grimaced, he could see the hurt in her eyes.

"What, you didn't mean to blame me for that animal's death?" Alice asked him. "If you must know, I was tranq'ing the animal. I shot it, but at the same time Peter shot a live round, like the Van Heerden accident only worse! I couldn't pull the dart back Danny, I'd aimed for the rump and Peter had shot randomly, it was only fate that made them land that way!" Alice shouted, "So if you don't mind Danny, I'd rather go on my own."

"Alice, I'm sorry. I can't take it back, if I could I would, but you have to know I didn't mean it." Danny told her.

"There's always meaning underneath. You blame me for something, I know you do." Alice told him looking down, kicking the sand.

"Alice, I don't blame you for a thing..." Danny began.

"Then what made you say that?" Alice asked him.

"My stupid, idiotic brain?"

"You said it." Alice mumbled trying to hide the smile that wanted to spread across her face.

Danny suddenly placed his hands on Alice's shoulders and spun her round so she was facing him.

"Alice, you know that sometimes I'm a... Good god." Danny quietened.

"GOOD GOD?" Alice exclaimed laughing. "Hah, you wish!"

"No, I mean, good god... I mean, erm... there's a wildebeest behind you and it's erm... kinda... charging at us." Danny suddenly realised what he'd said and threw Alice behind him. He took aim, but his hand shook as Alice screamed hysterically for him to move. She tried to move him. Danny saw the animal just a few feet in front of him, he pulled the trigger and closed his eyes... if anything happened to him, at least he'd died protecting his one and only true love.

A/N – Uh-oh... this started as a filler but it ended up evolving! Anyway, the question is, has he shot it, missed? Will Danny get hurt? Will Alice get hurt... dum dum dum!