Howard froze. What could he say? He knew he wasn't Vince's real dad. He didn't know Vince's real dad and come to think of it Vince didn't know his real dad.

"Hayad?" Vince asked wondering if Howard was alright

"yes Vince?" Howard said trying to change the subject

"Hayad da da?" Vince said not wanting to change the subject without knowing the answer

Howard thought for a moment, should he lie to the child or tell the truth and wait for question bombardment.

Howard took a deep breath.

"Sorry Vince but... I'm not your dad." He said waiting for the boy's reaction

Tears welled up in Vince's eyes, his little brain was confused. How could this man who has looked after him for as long as he remembers not be his dad?

"Dat's okay" Vince said rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

"Sorry Vince but I'm like your dad." Howard said almost crying himself

"Me 'ave no dad a den?" Vince said pushing himself off of Howards knees and into the ball pit.

"Your dad died, a long time ago." Howard said, he knew he was making it up but he didn't want to keep the subject.

"okay" Vince said throwing a ball at the net

Vince scrabbled through the balls over to the edge of the pit and looked over to the cafe area which wasn't far away.

He saw Lance. Lance saw him. Vince lifted a plastic ball. Lance lifted an orange.

"Ish on" Vince said under his breath

Vince threw the ball but being one year old it didn't travel very far.

Lance threw the orange, it hit Vince and Vince fell backwards into the ball pit.

Vince burst into tears, Lance burst into laughter.

Vince stopped crying and scrabbled over to Howard.

"Hayad, Lance!" Vince said pointing to the twat who was now sitting down laughing.

Howard stood up and looked over at Lance. He mouthed a swear word and started walking towards the pathetic twat.

Lance ran out of the building and probably home to his mother.

Howard walked back to Vince who was practising his throwing skills.

"Lance is gone you know." Howard said

"Home now?" Vince asked

"Come on then" Howard said lifting Vince into his pram.

Once they got home Vince's little eyes were having trouble to stay open.

"Vince, stay awake, you need something to eat." Howard said

"shleepy." Vince said

"So am I but its nine pm now so have something small then we'll both go to sleep" he said letting Vince out of the buggy.

Vince crawled onto the sofa and looked at the tv remote longing for it to turn itself on.

Howard quickly mashed some banana in a bowl, sat down and handed Vince the mush.

Vince ate it quietly since he was tired. At one point his head nearly landed in his food.

When he had finished Howard wiped his mouth.

Howard changed Vince's nappy, the only job he still loathed doing.

Vince's pyjamas were white with silver zebra patterns on them and little fluffy booties for crawling about in.

Howard set Vince in his pile of cushions and gently put his blanket over the baby.

"Night Vincey" Howard said smiling at the word "Vincey" then Howard kissed Vince on the cheek.

Howard was so tired from being kept up by Vince that he went straight to bed and fell into a deep sleep.

At three in the morning Vince woke up. He looked around but all he saw was black. After his eyes adjusted he saw a little more, like shadows almost.

He sat silent and listened to the silence for a while. Suddenly he heard a fox howling in the night and after a little moment other foxes howled back sort of saying that the first one was protected and safe.

Vince crawled out of his room and was about to enter Howard's room when he heard a noise. It sounded like someone coming up the stairs. Vince crawled back to the stairs.

"Vincey Vincey Vincey" a voice came from the stairs

The voice sounded like a mixture of the devil and Steve from Tesco.

"Stupid little Vince, thinking he is so perfect, cute and great." The voice said again

"Hayad?" Vince said quietly

"No, Vince" the voice snarled

"who den?" he said every bone in Vince's little body shook

"your worst nightmare!" the voice whispered