Jeanette breathed deeply. There was still a chill in the air and she felt a sudden shiver down her back. She was standing outside the Seville's house, her eyes wandering over the familiar building as though seeing it for the first time. It was as though she expected the house to look different on the outside now the internal occupancy had changed. But it looked just the same as always. Outwardly she knew she appeared the same as always too, even if internally she was broken.

Then again, she'd always been good at hiding her feelings. Only Simon had ever been able to recognise the changing currents in her heart without fail. He'd said once she was like a lake. To other people, she was unchanging and placid. To him, she was a delicate watercolour of ripples. She smiled at the memory. He'd been particularly poetic that day. No-one else ever heard him speak like that. To others he was always the sensible one. The brainy one. To her he was sensitive and loving.

Her gaze shifted back to the front door. Simon hadn't just been loving to her, she recalled. He'd cared deeply for his brothers. And now he was no longer around to take care of them.

With another steadying breath Jeanette walked up to the door and rang the bell. An irrational hope filled her that he would open the door as he had so many times in the past, and she felt a wave of disappointment as Theodore looked up at her.

"Jeanette." He greeted her with a shy smile. "It's good to see you out." She smiled back.

"I've spent too long inside with my thoughts. I needed to get out. See my friends again." A genuine smile lit Theodore's face and he gestured her inside. She followed him into the kitchen where he was apparently preparing a breakfast tray. "Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"No," he hesitated. "Dave's not… he's having trouble adjusting." Jeannette glanced round the kitchen. She hadn't paid much attention last time she'd come over but she realised the place was showing signs of neglect… though Theodore had clearly been doing his best to keep things going.

"I'll wait here while you take that up to him," she offered. Theodore nodded and picked up the tray. As he was in the doorway, he stopped and turned.

"Don't blame Dave for the mess. He just needs more time." Jeannette smiled sadly.

"I understand."

While Theodore was gone taking care of his father, she cleared some of the debris from the sides. It felt good to be doing something useful. She was just wondering whether they had done any laundry when Theodore came back. He stopped and his face crumpled. Seconds later he was sobbing. Jeannette hurried over and wrapped her arms round him, unsuccessfully trying to stop her own tears.

"You shouldn't…" he shuddered. "You shouldn't have to…"

"Hush," she whispered. "It's okay." She continued to gently soothe him 'til both their tears had stopped. Even so she kept her arms round him.

"You know," she murmured. "I've always thought of you as my little brother… just as you were Simon's. And Simon wouldn't have let you shoulder all this yourself… so why should I?"

"But… you must hurt too… like Dave and Alvin…"

"And like you," she added. "But like you, I can deal with my feelings better than them. Life has to go on." She gave him a squeeze and finally released him. He looked up at her tear stained face.

"That's just like what Simon would have said." Another tear leaked down his face. "I miss him. He'd have known what to do… to make things better…" Jeanette smiled softly at him.

"You're doing so well... Simon would be proud of you." He nodded and moved away, partly to start cleaning the sides but also to hide his face. "It's more important than ever for us to pull together now, Theodore."

Jeanette resolved to encourage Eleanor to resume her friendship with Theodore. Brittany may still have been blaming Alvin, but Jeannette knew Eleanor would not hold back from helping Theodore because of that.

"Theodore?" Jeanette queried. "Where's Alvin?" The small boy froze.

"Urm… I'm not sure."

"You mean he's gone out already?"

"He never came back last night… I'd have gone looking for him but Dave…" the poor boy stopped and Jeannette took pity on him.

"If Alvin wanted to be alone, you wouldn't have been able to find him." Theodore nodded.

"I'm worried about him," his damp eyes met Jeannette's. "He blames himself for what happened and…"

"I know," Jeannette murmured softly. A part of her blamed Alvin too but only in the rational sense that she could reason the chain of events that led to Simon's tragedy. In her heart she felt nothing but pity for him. Alvin was who he was. He'd always been reckless and she wouldn't have changed that about him. She knew that Simon would have understood the risks far better than his older brother when he got into the car that night. And she knew for a certainty that he'd have felt the risk worth taking for himself if he could minimise the risk for his brother.

She turned away from Theodore to look out at the sunlight rising over the world. Closing her eyes she listened to the voice that echoed in her head. It had been there since the day she'd first met Simon. A second voice to her own conscience that murmured to her what Simon would have said. She'd always doubted herself but since meeting him she'd been reassured by the knowledge that he thought she was better than she believed. Even now he was gone, she could still hear him.

"Alvin doesn't think things through… but he's good hearted and… he's my brother."

"He's my brother," she echoed.

"Pardon?" She turned back to Theodore.

"Alvin. He's as much my brother as you are. And family should stick together."

"You really… don't blame him?" She considered this.

"It was his fault… but no, I don't blame him."

"Could you… no. No, forget it."

"What?"

"It's just… he blames himself so completely… and everyone else seems to blame him… Dave… Brittany… so much so that he doesn't believe there's anyone who doesn't. If you…" She smiled a warm smile at him.

"Darling Theodore. You're so sweet. Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to help Alvin. It's what Simon would have wanted."