4 Months Later

Alice came awake from a nap on the sofa. The baby turned and kicked. Alice rubbed the spot. "Yeah baby mummy had a nice sleep. How about you?" She was six months pregnant now and the ever present exhaustion made her want to sleep all the time.

Joshua, who had just learned to walk came into the room on unsteady feet. "Mama!" he chortled and lifted his arms.

She walked to her boy who was wobbling unsteadily with his arms up. She lifted him.

Danny walked in and saw her. "Alice I told you…."

"I can lift our son!" she scolded and kissed him softly. "So Joshie what have you been doing?" and she blew a raspberry on his cheek.

His high pitched giggles filled the room and she felt so much happiness. "Manimals!" he told her.

His few words, mama dada and manimals.

She looked at Danny who shook his head. "He's just had a nap in that wonderfully decorated room."

She rolled her eyes. "Let it go Danny, you only finished it because I am and I quote 'Too pregnant to do anything!"

"I didn't say that!" Danny spoke up grinning.

"No but Max did and you agreed!"

"I know but c'mon we're not getting any younger, this could be the only time we do this. We should so it properly."

"I agree, but I do have a brain in my head. Picking up a paint brush wasn't going to do me or the baby any harm."

"Hey you were co-ordinating, I was at your mercy."

She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Not in front of the child." he motioned to the little boy she was holding, he was frowning trying to figure out zip on his jacket.

"Anyway our son obviously has a love of animals." she smiled. "Don't you baby?"

"Manimals!" then he laughed and clapped.

They heard a door slam, Josh jumped in her arms and hid his face in her shoulder. She rubbed his back. "It's ok." she soothed.

Danny clenched his jaw, it seemed Rosie was still on the warpath. She had been in a non stop bad mood for four months now, through her birthday and beyond and it was starting to fray everyone's nerves, the final straw was her scaring the little ones. Danny walked to the hallway. "Rosie I've asked you not to slam doors!"

"Yeah well you're not my dad so I don't have to listen to you do I?"

Danny exhaled noisily. She was pushing her luck! "Rosie tell me what you want. I'll change anything but I can't unless you tell me!"

"I want my dad!"

And this was starting to get old too! "I'm your dad!"

"My REAL dad, someone who won't pick his new wife over me!" she hissed.

"Rosie I didn't pick Alice over you. There was never a choice to make."

"Don't lie, we all know that you love her and the baby more than me!"

Alice placed Joshua in his play pen and covered her ears. This was a near constant argument and she couldn't listen to it anymore. Danny asked what Rosie wanted she replied her dad, he said he was her dad and she accused him of loving Alice more than her.

"No Rosie…." Danny started.

And the pattern just kept repeating Alice pressed her hands over her ears harder, she knew what was coming.

"Tell me who he is!" Rosie demanded.

"I don't know." Danny protested.

Alice did, she could end this!

"LIAR!" Rosie shouted.

"Rosie…." Danny's voice pained.

"That's it!" Alice stood up sharply and walked to the hallway. "I can't stand this shouting anymore. Rosie come with me!"

"Go to hell! If I don't listen to him then I definitely don't listen to you! Your less to me then he is!"

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and opened his mouth. Alice halted him.

"Rosie I…." she frowned. "…know things." she finished.

Danny and Rosie stared at her. "What?" Danny declared.

"Danny don't." Alice whispered.

"Well!" Rosie asked crossing her arms.

Alice kept looking at Danny. "Rosie go to a truck please."

Rosie walked off then halted looked back. "If this is a trick…"

Alice finally looked at her.

Rosie saw the conflicted look in her eyes. "No trick." Alice promised.

Rosie walked off.

Danny took her arm. "What do you know?"

She swallowed. "Her dad, her biological one anyway."

She saw pure fear flash across his face. "You gonna tell her?"

"Goes without saying, if she needs to know then she needs to know and we have no right keeping it from her."

"And!" he asked expectedly.

She shook her head. "I can't tell you."

His face twisted. "But you'll tell her?"

"SHE has a right to know, you don't need to!" Alice countered.

"I have a right to know the man who could be stealing my daughter."

"Danny look I'm not saying this to hurt you but biologically she's his and she needs to know where she comes from. Listen I am against this one hundred percent but four months of this is all I can take." Hopefully when I tell her this then she'll back off!"

His jaw dropped. "I can't believe you just said that to me!"

"Danny I didn't mean you aren't her dad you are, it's just….." Alice exhaled.

He looked at her darkly. "So your gonna give her the ammo she needs to leave? And your not gonna give me the chance to be able to stop it? Not have all the facts?"

"I'm not telling you Danny. You don't want to know, I wish I didn't know!"

He frowned.

She took a step back. "Now I'm gonna talk to Rosie and I'm hoping she'll change her mind about knowing who her dad is."

He grabbed her wrist. "Or maybe you're taking her to him!" he hissed.

"What?"

"I remember you asked me if I wanted to know who he was, you've been looking for him behind my back haven't you?"

"What?"

He didn't blink, simply stared at her with that look that Alice didn't recognise. For a moment Alice actually thought she was looking at a stranger because she didn't know this man!

She yanked her arm away instinctively and took a step back.

"Alice! Tell me!"

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

He hesitated.

The breath caught in her throat. "Danny do you trust me?" she repeated more force in her tone.

"You've never given me reason not to." he finally replied.

"That isn't the answer to the question! That's evasion!" she hissed crossing her arms.

"Yes." he told her moodily, eyes shuttered.

"That took too long!" she spat and walked out.

"You can't keep this from me!" he called after her.

"I'm just trying to stop too many people being hurt unnecessarily." she whispered as she walked out of the front door and towards the truck.

Rosie sat there, it was eerie how much she resembled Terry at that moment. The thought made her ill. "I mean it about it being a trick Alice!"

Oh God she sounded like him too, she grimaced. "Rosie you're attitude recently is doing my head in! And for your information the piece of news I'm about to give you isn't gonna make you any happier ok!"

Rosie frowned.

"Yeah! So shut up ok!" Alice hissed and dropped into the seat. The baby kicked her, startled.

"Sorry." she whispered rubbing the spot gently.

Rosie snorted.

"Cut it out Rosie I'm not in the mood!" and started the truck.

She looked up and saw Danny, he was stood at the door, arms crossed. She shot him an apologetic look then drove off. Silence carried them from the house.

"Where we going?" Rosie asked.

"Somewhere quiet, your dad will no doubt try and follow I need to make sure he doesn't hear this." Alice said to herself.

"Is it really that bad?" Rosie whispered.

"Think of the worst it could possibly be, then times it by a million…."

Rosie paled.

"And it still isn't close!"

Rosie covered her face. "How come you know?"

"I'd rather not go into that right now?"

Rosie quieted, it remained that way until Alice pulled the truck to a stop in a sheltered area surrounded by trees and undergrowth. Alice climbed out an immediately began to pace.

Rosie climbed out too and watched her.

"You sure you want to know Rosie coz once you do it can't be changed, there'll be no dreaming about him being this perfect person. He'll be real and flawed!"

"He can't be that bad!" Rosie protested.

"Just coz he is your dad doesn't make him a nice person."

Rosie rubbed her face. "Can't you understand Alice? I've been lied to my whole life. I need this!"

"I know Rosie but knowing this….." she exhaled. "Knowing your dad isn't going to make all the problems disappear, it only creates new ones."

Rosie thought for a moment. "Are you ever going to tell dad….Danny?"

"No and I need you to promise you won't either."

"Why?"

"Coz it won't do anyone any good that's why, promise me Rosie!"

Rosie nodded and swallowed thickly.

Alice inhaled deeply and squeezed the bridge of her nose, she knew there was no deterring Rosie. "I'm sorry Rosie." she whispered.

"Alice!" Rosie squeaked.

"It's Terry!" Alice blurted.

"Terry? Terry who?"

"Terry Scullion. Charlottes Terry, my Terry."

Rosie's jaw dropped. "No way!" she shook her head. "Mum didn't even know him!"

"She did, very well."

Rosie covered her mouth with her hand. "But Terry tried to….dad…."

"Yeah he did! Now you know why he can't know." Alice beseeched to her.

"How do you know all this?" Rosie asked.

"I found a picture of Terry, he was really young on it. I read your mums diary and it names him as your dad." in so many words.

"Does he know about me?"

Alice nodded solemnly.

"And?" she whispered her breath leaving her body.

"Does it matter Rosie?" Alice asked almost physically pained. God this was gonna kill her.

"It does to me!"

Alice exhaled. "Your mum told him she was pregnant, he demanded she have an abortion. Later on she told him you were Danny's daughter and…."

Rosie's face was stormy. "And?"

"I'm not saying this to hurt you Rosie, it's all true!" Alice murmured.

"WHAT?"

"He was relieved, he didn't want you."

Rosie felt the ever present rage that simmered blow the surface begin to boil and bubble over.

Alice looked at her hesitantly, Rosie looked ready to kill!

"Someone else who doesn't want me! Don't know why I'm surprised!" she hissed, and clenched her fists.

"Rosie look…." Alice began softly.

"No, I'm getting out of here, so freaking far that no one will ever find me!" she pushed Alice aside and headed straight for the drivers side of the truck.

Alice didn't think, she bolted towards the truck, Alice knew she'd never reach the passenger door in time so she dived onto the truck bed.

Rosie meanwhile started the truck, it roared as it came to life Alice was thrown sideways as Rosie pulled away rapidly.

Alice realised that this was no doubt the stupidest thing she had ever done, not only was she too old to be rolling about the bed of a truck but she was also 6 months pregnant! She grasped the seat and pulled herself up to her knees. "Slow down Rosie!" she yelled "Are you trying to kill yourself driving this fast?"

Rosie ignored her and Alice swore she felt the truck speed up. Since the child was in no mood to be listening to reason Alice had no choice but to stop her. She stood up and began to wobble as the truck bounced over pot holes. "For God's sake Rosie!" she shouted as she fell forwards, only just catching herself on the pole. "You're gonna crash!" the wind flew past her hair too. Dust was in the air, she ducked just in time before a tree limb impacted her face.

"Rosie I know you're upset but this isn't…."

"Shut up!" Rosie screamed. "I don't care! No one wants me and I'm sick of it!"

Alice out her leg over the side. Rosie swerved and Alice fell sideways into the drivers cab.

Rosie scowled.

Alice pulled herself up, saw Leopards Den in the distance.

"Rosie slow down, we're almost home."

Rosie swore. "I thought I was heading away from here, this is your home not mine!" she spat.

"Rosie please just slow down!"

The wheels ate up the ground and the house inched closer.

Alice prayed that the area was clear.

"Why did you have to tell me?" Rosie cried.

"Coz you wouldn't have it any other way!"

Rosie looked at her and glared.

Alice spotted a figure ahead. Oh God! "MAX!" she yelled.

Rosie turned and saw the truck was hurtling towards Max, she panicked and froze unable to move.

Alice didn't. She stomped down hard searching for the break pedal beneath her feet, it felt like it took an age before she realised she was on the wrong side. Instead she grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it to the right.

Max spun and saw a truck coming towards him far too fast, he ran, knowing that the truck would hit him before he reached the safety of the stairs. He looked behind him and halted when he saw the truck turn sharply, it was heading straight for the fountain.

Alice turned and saw the fountain ahead, she tried to turn again but the wheel wasn't obeying, "Rosie take your foot off the accelerator, press the brake!" she yelled.

Rosie just stared at the approaching fountain with wide eyes.

They were heading for this fountain too fast, they were gonna hit it! Alice pushed Rosie sideways and she disappeared. Before Alice could think the truck impacted the fountain with a boom, concrete debris hit the floor, Alice was thrown forwards, she exploded through the glass window and slid across the hood her head hitting the fountain, this caused her to roll into the water. She stopped completely still sprawled in the water…..face down.

A/N UH OH!