Vaughan didn't know what to do or what to think. All he could do was kpwatch as Justin tried to comfort his crying brother and wonder how he had missed this. How he had missed Leo thinking he was going to die. "It's gonna be alright, Leo." Justin was murmuring into Leo's hair, all the while fighting back tears Vaughan could so obviously see.

"No its not." Leo murmured and Vaughan felt his heart break again at the hopelessness in Leo's tone. "I'm sorry."

That dragged Vaughan out of his thoughts. "Do not apologise Leo." Leo and justin both looked up at their father then. "This is not your fault. This is no one's fault." he aimed the last at Justin, knowing his oldest would think he'd failed Leo. "I promise, we are going to do everything we can to make you better but you have to stop thinking that. You have to promise to try Leo."

Leo and justin had gotten to their feet now, Leo sitting on the chair while Justin stood protectively behind him. "It's not working. Nothings working, it just makes me feel worse than I already did." Leo said, putting his head in his hands and staring resolutely at the table.

"You've got to keep trying though. If you give up then you will die Leo." Vaughan hated that he'd said that, it tore a hole in him, but Leo needed to hear it. "If you've given up now then there isn't any hope. Think about what that will do to us. Your mum, me, Justin. We want you to fight Leo, not give up."

"Dads right Leo. Please try." Justin said, rubbing slow circles on Leo's back.

Leo didn't move for a moment, his shoulders shaking as he fought back tears. Finally he looked up and Vaughan felt like a weight had been lifted as his son gave him a hesitant smile. "must be right if Justins agreeing to it."

...

Allie entered the staff room to find Christine and Audrey talking by the counter. "Where's Vaughan?" Christine asked as Audrey sent a sympathetic look allies way.

"He and Justin had to stay home today." Allie said.

"Is Leo alright?" Maggie asked, turning around from where she ad been making tea.

"He's just a little bit upset, nothing to worry about." Allie promised even thought she knew that wasn't true. She'd heard the argument behind the closed door, not meaning to eavesdrop but not quite able to help herself. Leo had broken down, that much she'd gathered and from the way Vaughan had come out of the kitchen with a downtrodden expression and a sad look in his eyes, Allie at that moment hated his children.

She knowing was wrong, knew Leo couldn't help but break down considering what was wrong. Knew she shouldn't hate Justin for being angry at her for taking Vaughan away from them. But she couldn't elp herself. Vaughan's children were destroying Vaughan, hurting him in a way that broke allies heart. Except what could she do but be there for him.

"Everything's fine." she repeated, hoping that if she repeated it enough maybe it would be.

...

"Justin a word." Vaughan said from the doorway to Leo's room. After Leo's emotional, breakdown, his brother had been exhausted so Justin made him go upstairs to bed, glad when his dad said neither of them had to go to school today.

"He hasn't been eating." Justin stated when they silently sat in the living room. He'd seen Leo's overflowing bin, where the younger had dumped meals they'd brought up to him.

"We'll talk to him." Vaughan promised. "Did he say anything else?" his dad asked.

"He said he misses mum." Justin replied. When he gotten Leo into bed, his brother pale with red eyes and still shaking from the sobs that racked his body, Leo had said he 'wanted mum'. That had hurt Justin, after their mum had so callously abandoned them. Like Vaughan had.

"Maybe we could have a trip to the clinic." Vaughan sighed nd Justin knew his dad was trying to put on a brave face for Justin but it hurt him to.

"Why would he want her? She couldn't even face Leo having an illness." Justin suddenly yelled, anger bubbling up.

"She's his mother, Justin. But I understand, you're mother should have been their for the both of you when she found out." The unspoken 'so should i' was left hanging in the air.

"You couldn't have been there. We should have phoned you the minute we found out but Leo was sick and scared and mum wasn't helping and I didn't know what to do." Justin finally said, making Vaughan look over in surprise to find just crying.

"Leo was really bad when you left. He just closed off, wouldn't eat, sleep. He wouldn't even talk to me. Then he got sick and at the hospital when they told us it was cancer, mum broke down. She started crying and shouting at the doctors and Leo was sitting on the hospital bed like he'd seen a ghost. I had to be the strong one. I had to calm mum down enough to ask about treatments and I had to make Leo talk to me. Except I didn't do a good enough job, did I? If I had, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. Leo would think hedging to die." Justin said and Vaughan sat next to his son, hugging him in a way he hadn't since Justin was a child.

"This isn't your fault. You shouldn't have had to deal with this on your own." Vaughan said. It was the first time he'd heard what happened and he could see how badly it had effected Justin.

"You left us for another woman. Why?" Justin asked.

"I love Allie. And I stopped loving your mum." Vaughan said, after a moments pause. "I never stopped loving you or Leo. Nd I never will."

"Thanks dad." Justin muttered and Vaughan sighed in relief. Maybe everything else was going wrong but at least he and Justin had sorted things out now. Now all they had to was make Leo get better. If only he had faith that he could do that without destroying everything else.

Short I know but I thought this was a good place to stop maps, I flicked a bit between pov in this one so I hope it's alright to follow :-)