Rosie sat with Ally and Gloria on the veranda. Gloria was colouring in, her tongue stuck out of her mouth as she concentrated, while Ally simply stared into the distance with her arms crossed.

"So how about we go somewhere today? Just us girls?" Rosie asked them.

Gloria looked up and smiled while Ally's gaze remained rooted to whatever she could see in the distance.

"Will Uncle Max come too?" Gloria asked returning to her colouring.

Rosie shook her head sadly. "Uncle Max had to go…."

Ally's head whipped round sharply to stare at her. Rosie had obviously said the wrong word. "Is he coming back?" she demanded.

Rosie ran her hand along Ally's head. "Of course he is, his dad just needs some help."

Ally jerked her head away and returned to staring at the mountains, arms tighter than before.

"Rosie." Gloria asked softly. "You know your dad and Max's dad?"

Uh oh, Rosie knew what was coming and by the looks of Ally's posture she did too…. "Yeah." please don't ask what she thought she was going to ask! Rosie thought.

"Are they our grandparents now?"

Rosie stiffened as she saw Ally's face contort. She turned on her younger sister before Rosie could stop her. "NO GLORIA! THEY AREN'T! THEY ARE NOTHING TO US SAME AS ROSIE AND MAX! JUST BECAUSE MUM AND DAD ARE DEAD DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!" she jumped to her feet. "I NEVER WANT TO HEAR YOU TALK LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

Rosie spun Ally before she could carry on her tirade. She knelt down looking in her face. "I understand that you are scared and grieving but you never talk to your younger sister like that ok!"

"You can't stop me!" Ally interrupted. "I'm her family not you!"

"Yes I can! She is only little Ally, practically a baby and she asked a question. You don't have to shout at her and scare her! She doesn't understand what happened to your parents like you do, remember she is only three!"

"I don't want to be here!" she yelled. "And I don't want to be in your family either! Gloria and I have family!"

"I know you don't want to be here but you are." Rosie softened her voice. "Ally I know this isn't perfect yet but…."

"NO!" Ally was on her feet and backing from the room. "My mum should be here not you! All I want is my mum!" her eyes glistening.

Right now Rosie wanted her mum too because she had no idea what to do! "Gloria sweetheart why don't you go and play inside for a little bit. I'll be there in a minute." and moved closer to Ally. As soon as Gloria was inside Rosie spoke, "Look it'll all be ok I promise you. You'll feel better it might take a while though."

"You don't know that, you can't know that. You don't understand how it feels…" her tears began to fall. "…to lose your mum and dad." Rosie tried to hug her but Ally spun and ran down the stairs.

"Ally!" Rosie followed. The little girl ran faster and Rosie looked at the house. "Stay close!" she shouted after her. She scrubbed her face to sort Gloria then find Ally when her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"No way!" she whispered. She had no time to deal with this right now! She ran into the house. "Gloria stay with Auntie Liv for me."

Gloria looked up at her in the hallway eyes solemn. "Does Ally hate me?" she sniffed.

"Of course not angel she's just sad about your mummy and daddy. She loves you. LIV!" she yelled above the child's head.

Liv appeared holding Robert his baby grow unsnapped. "I was just changing him."

Rosie guided Gloria to the living room. "Put a film on in there for Glo worm and Robs. I have to go out in a truck coz Ally cat has done a runner. There is something else too we'll talk about later just keep the kids in here. I'll find Charlie and send her this way too. I'll phone you in a bit."

"Rosie?"

"Its serious Liv." she looked towards the door. "I have to go I'm sorry."

Liv nodded and closed the door, Rosie meanwhile grabbed some keys and dashed out of the door. Everything was going to hell!

(X)

Charlie had walked for a little while when she saw the log her mum had sat on a long time ago with Danny. She decided to rest there for a little bit. She sat here letting the sun warm her skin remebering the time her mum had told her how Danny had supported her here. Charlie had been sad after a boy at school had called her some stuff, she had really liked this boy, he'd been her first boyfriend and she had convinced herself they'd be together forever. They broke up, and then he said nasty things about her. Her mum then told her about how long it took her to find her perfect guy and as soon as she saw Danny she knew straight away and that no matter what happened he would always love her and never call her stuff. She told her about how he supported her after she was attacked by the lion, how he didn't criticize her at all. How that was real love and that this silly boy was just that, silly coz he had no idea what he lost and boys didn't matter coz she had so many people at home who loved her uncondiotionally.

Now she was back here and it didn't feel like home anymore. She'd go back to London in a heartbeat if she could only have her mum back. She wouldn't even complain about it. She'd go back to the school and work hard making sure she didn't bother her mum at all. Her mum was going to die though and there was nothing Charlie could do. She pressed her face into her palms feeling emotion surge. When she finally raised her head she saw a child running in the distance. She stood up impulsively to look and recognised the blond hair. It was one of the kids Rosie was looking after. Charlie left her bag and headed towards her she shouldn't be out here alone at such a young age, it was dangerous. As she got closer she noticed how the child kept shaking her head, then she must have heard Charlie approach because she stopped suddenly looking up. Charlie stopped to when she noticed the heartbroken look on the girls face. She looked like she was in turmoil, much too young to look so conflicted. She decided to play it cool.

"Hey." Charlie said giving her a small smile, even though it hurt.

"I'm not going back!" The girl shouted determinedly.

"I'm not either." Charlie admitted shrugging.

The girl frowned. "But…."

"Got my bag packed up there." she pointed to the log. "Wanna sit with me before I go?"

The girl nodded and they walked up the small bank. Charlie lifted her onto it, went into her bag and pulled out a carton of juice and offered it to her. Ally took it gratefully and drank deeply.

Charlie meanwhile opened a can of coke and drank thoughtfully. "So where you going?"

Ally played with the straw on her drink unwilling to admit she didn't have anywhere to go.

Charlie nodded, "Ok." she whispered, "Why are you going then?" taking another drink.

"Why you going!" Ally replied insolently.

Charlie this time remained silent. She could see her mum and Danny up here in the past again, remembered how her mum said Danny supported her, maybe this girl needed help too. Thing was Danny was good at that stuff, sometimes all he had to do was hug her mum to make it better. Except this time he couldn't help anyone no matter how much he tried…and maybe she couldn't help this girl either. Still she found herself talking.

"My mum is dying." she admitted looking at the yellow grass protruding from the dust. It was the first time she had said the statement aloud and the words pierced her like swords. It felt like they were severing the once unbreakable bonds she shared with her mum.

"Oh…" the girl sighed. "My mum died too. My dad too it's just me and Gloria now." her little shoulders began to shake. Charlie put an arm around her, found herself doing the same as Danny had with her mum. Holding her while she sobbed. Charlie rubbed her hair gently like her mother did to her in the past.

"I'm Charlie by the way." she whispered. "Just in case you forgot."

"Ally." the little girl breathed. "Do you miss your mum?"

"She isn't gone yet. Or she might be I don't know. She's in hospital ill. I know that I will miss her though the thought of her gone makes me miss her already."

"I miss mine." Ally told her. "She was perfect, and so beautiful. With long blond hair and blue eyes. People say I look like her. Now Rosie is trying to be my mum and she can't! She is making me so angry!"

"Rosie isn't trying to be your mum." Charlie told her softly. "She is only trying to look after you."

Ally frowned.

"I don't have a dad, but then my mum met Danny and married him. He acted like my dad but he only became my dad when I let him. I still call him Danny and he doesn't mind coz he loves me."

"So Rosie will only be my mum if I let her?"

Charlie nodded.

Ally fidgeted with her fingers. "Are you scared?"

"Of what?"

"Of losing Danny? Of losing anyone else. I am…..what if…." she couldn't finish the sentence.

Charlie looked into the distance and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "No one can promise that you won't lose people, and that bad things won't happen but what people can promise is that they will try their best to make sure it doesn't happen and if it does that you will be cared for and loved. That was what your mum and dad did. They made sure Rosie and Max could look after you."

Ally nodded.

"It's ok to need them you know," Charlie told her. "I need Danny sometimes."

Ally frowned. "So why are you going then? If you need Danny?"

"I just have to." Charlie replied stiffly knowing that Ally was too young to understand.

"Ok." Ally nodded. "You know your mum is in hospital and you don't know if she is gone yet?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

Charlie was silent again.

"I never got to say goodbye. I wish I did. That last night, it had been Gloria's birthday and by the time everything was tidied up it was really late, uncle Max stayed over in Gloria's room while she stayed in with me. Anyway it was too late for a story and I went to bed really mad even though daddy promised me two the next night. Then when we were asleep someone burned our house. Sometimes I think I would trade all the bedtime stories from uncle Max and Rosie for one more kiss off mum and dad. Even the chance to give them one more cuddle."

Charlie couldn't help but feel her heart break as she heard Ally talk to openly about what she wanted, tears filled her eyes.

"We lost everything from mum and dad, it was all burned. Mums perfume and dads comb, all out pictures. All we have is memories."

Tears were falling earnestly now. Charlie wiped them away. "C'mon lets go home."

"But…" Ally asked in question.

Charlie shook her head. "No I'm coming home. I need to say goodbye to my mum. I need to help Danny. My family need me and I need them." she exhaled. "Will you help me?"

Ally nodded and offered her hand.

Charlie took it. "Thank you." she said feeling like she had grown up drastically in the last ten minutes. Even with the new found maturity she felt within herself she still couldn't bring herself to let go of Ally's hand.

A/N ok so charlie and ally are on their way home after helping each other heal, well a little bit. ally stopped charlie from running away and even concinced her to say goodbye to alice (i've wrote that bit and honestly i teared up :/) anyway what is it that rosie saw?
all will be revealed next chapter which (hopefully) will be up tonight. oh and i will defo have fluff up 2moro in the form of A-Z (I) i have an idea and if i dnt find time to write it im just gonna type it right up 2moro. x