After leaving Bandit, Chilli went back downstairs. It took her a while to return to the party, as she was still processing what she had discovered. Finding out that Bandit had a son was a big shock, but she could see how much he was suffering and it was her duty to help him deal with all this the best she could.

Getting to the party, Chilli started to end it, excusing Bandit by saying he wasn't feeling very well and that they needed to finish the party a little earlier. Despite there was some disappointment, everyone got to understand and, one by one, they started to get out of the party.

"Mum, why did you end Dad's party so soon?" Bingo asked, while with Bluey.

"Well, your dad is not feeling well" Chilli replied. "And we can't have a birthday party without the birthday dog, right?"

"Does that lady that came earlier have something to do with Dad not feeling well?" Bluey asked.

Despite Chilli loved how smart her daughters were, sometimes that could be a problem when she wanted to hide something from them for their safety.

"Honey, that's not something kids like you should worry about" Chilli told.

"What about us?" Rad asked, as he, Stripe, Trixie, Frisky, Bob and Chris approached. "Should we worry?"

Knowing she couldn't keep what was happening from her own family, Chilli turned to Bluey and asked her:

"Bluey, can you take your sister and your cousins to your room, so you four can play? I have to talk with the grown-ups."

"But, Mum…" Bluey protested.

"Come on, Bluey, do that for me" Chilli requested.

Noticing the seriousness on Chilli's voice, Bluey nodded with her head and then she led Bingo, Muffin and Socks to her room. After that, Chilli took the rest of the Heeler family to the living room, where they got to sit down, while Chilli remained standing.

"Come on, we're waiting, Chilli" Rad said.

"Yeah, what's happening with Bandit?" Stripe asked.

"Come on, boys, let her think on what to say" Chris said to her sons.

"Your mother is right, Stripe" Trixie told her husband. "Let Chilli talk."

"You too, Rad" Frisky said, while putting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

After having the calm she needed, Chilli said:

"Bandit has just received some… upsetting news that left him… a little overwhelmed."

"What kind of news?" Bob asked.

"Well… it's complicated" Chilli replied. "I shouldn't even be the one to talk to you about this. It must be Bandit. But I don't think he is currently capable of…"

"It's okay, Chilli" a voice said, with it belonging to Bandit, who was starting to descend the stairs to the living room. "I can do this."

"Oh, Bandy…" Chris said, while getting up and going towards her son, who had reached the end of the stairs. "Your eyes… Have you been crying."

"Yes, I have" he replied, without any concern for what everyone would be thinking. "I cried a lot after I got to know what I was been told."

He advanced towards the middle of the room, right beside Chilli, while Chris returned to her place.

"And you all deserve to know about it" he said. "But I have to warn you. It can be a bit of a shock… and it will change our family dynamic a bit… permanently."

"Okay, now you're starting to scare us, son" Bob commented.

"Yeah, what happened?" Stripe asked.

Bandit took a few seconds to gather the courage to tell:

"I got a visit from a lawyer from Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles?" Rad asked. "Isn't that where Emily lives?"

"The lawyer came in her name… to talk with me" Bandit replied. "She told me that Emily… is dead."

That revelation caught everyone off-guard. A look of surprise invaded everyone's face when they heard that.

"Emily… is dead?" Stripe asked.

"That's awful…" Trixie said. "We've just seen her."

"How did she die?" Frisky asked.

"Brain tumour" Chilli replied, sparing Bandit from telling it.

"Oh, Bandy… are you okay?" Chris asked.

"No, Mum, I'm not" he replied. "The first love in my life is dead. I'm in pain… but I now that I can handle it."

"I'm sorry, Bandit" Rad said. "I know how much you loved her. I mean, Stripe and I saw how you got when she broke up with you, but…"

"But you said this would change our family dynamics" Stripe continued. "What did you mean by that?"

After a pause of a few seconds, Bandit told:

"Besides telling me about Emily's death, the lawyer also revealed to me something… I never expected to know. Emily has a son."

"You already told us that" Rad said.

"But what I didn't tell you… and I only got to know now… is that her son is ten years old, only months away from becoming eleven."

"Okay… I still don't get…" Rad started.

"Wait a minute…" Stripe said. "The boy is almost eleven… and you and Emily broke up eleven years ago. Don't tell us that…"

Everyone else also came to the same conclusion as Stripe, as their faces got invaded by a much bigger surprise than when they discovered about Emily's death.

"Yes, he is… my son."

"You have a son with Emily…" Rad said.

"Bob, we have a grandson…" Chris said to her husband.

"Are you sure about that, Bandit?" Bob asked.

"I've seen a picture of the boy…" Bandit said. "Dad, he looks… so much like me. It's undeniable. He's my son."

"And Emily never told you about him?" Trixie asked. "During all these years?"

"Why would she do that?" Frisky asked.

"I already know why" Bandit replied. "I got to know the reasons why she did all this. I don't want you to condemn her… please. There's only one thing I want now…"

It didn't take much to his parents for to know what he was thinking in doing.

"You want to meet him, don't you?" Bob asked. "Your son?"

Bandit nodded.

"He's name is Thomas…" he told. "In a letter Emily sent me, she says he is in her boyfriend's house. I'm his father and I want to meet him. I want us… to be a family. I already talked with the lawyer to warn Emily's boyfriend I'm coming and I have already booked a flight for tomorrow morning."

Turning to Chilli, he said:

"I'm sorry, Chilli, but I just can't wait…"

"I know that" Chilli replied, with a smile and putting a hand on his cheek. "And you have my full support."

"And mine" Rad said, while getting up. "And I can go with you."

"Ditto" Stripe said, also getting up.

"No, you won't" Chris said to her two sons.

"But, Mum…" they said.

"But nothing" she said. "This is your brother's son and he needs to do this on his own."

"Your mother is right" Bob seconded. "The boy is already suffering with his mother's death, not to mention confused with all the situation. Let Bandit do this alone. He deserves that."

"Thanks Dad… Mum…" Bandit told, happy to know that his parents knew exactly what he was feeling.

"What about Bluey and Bingo?" Frisky asked. "When are you going to tell them?"

That caused Bandit and Chilli to trade a look between themselves.

"We should tell them… before you go" Chilli told Bandit.

"Yeah… I know" he said.

After the extended Heeler family went out and was bedtime for the girls, both Chilli and Bandit went to put them to bed. As the girls went to their respective beds, Bluey asked Bandit:

"Dad, Mum said you were not feeling well."

"Are you okay?" Bingo asked, a little worried.

"Well… I am better" Bandit told them, while making his confident smile. "Your old dad is as strong as an ox."

While Bingo couldn't help but giggle at Bandit who was making his strong dog poses, Bluey couldn't help but notice that there was something with her father. She didn't know what, but she could tell he was not being completely himself.

"Dad?" she called

"Yes, mate?" Bandit asked.

"Can you please tell us why you didn't feel good?" Bluey asked. "I know you're hiding us something."

Bandit couldn't believe how perceptive Bluey really was. On that, she really took after her mother, always able to see through any trick of deception he could pull off. He looked at Chilli, who was at the entrance of the room, nodded to him. Sighing, Bandit sat down between his daughters' beds and told them:

"Can you come here, mates?"

His daughters came to him, sitting on his lap and Bandit said:

"I have something to tell you. Tomorrow, I will have to travel and I will be away for a few days."

"What?!" the two girls asked.

"You're going away again?" Bluey asked.

"But, Daddy, you've already gone not so long ago" Bingo said, sadly.

"I know, squirt, believe me, I also didn't plan this" Bandit replied. "But this trip is very important to me. It's not about work, you see? It's something much… personal. Do you remember my friend Emily?"

"You mean the nice lady that worked with you?" Bingo asked.

"Yes, that's her" Bandit confirmed. "I just discovered that… she died not so long ago."

"She died?" Bluey asked, adopting a sad look. "You mean… like with the budgie that we found?"

"Yes, exactly like the budgie" Bandit replied. "She got very sick and the doctors were not able to make her better."

"Is that why you're going away?" Bingo asked.

"It's… a little bit more complicated than that" Bandit replied. "You see, before I met your mother, Emily and I… we were boyfriend and girlfriend."

"You were?!" the two girls asked, taken by surprise, to which Bandit nodded with his head.

"Did you love her?" Bluey asked.

"Very much" Bandit replied.

"But, Daddy… I thought you loved Mommy" Bingo told.

"And I do, I love her very much" Bandit replied, trading a brief loving look with his wife. "But like I said, Emily and I were boyfriend and girlfriend before I met your mother."

"If you loved Emily, why did you two stop being boyfriend and girlfriend?" Bluey asked.

"Well… it's complicated" Bandit replied. "But things between grown-ups are always like that…"

"You mean like with Frisky and Bosco?" Bluey asked.

"You can say that…" Bandit replied. "But I never stopped thinking on Emily. Even when I started loving your mum, she was always in my mind in a way. But the reason of my trip doesn't have to do with her, but… with her son, Thomas. You see, I just discovered that… when Emily and I stopped being boyfriend and girlfriend, she was pregnant… and that means that her son… is also mine. That also means… you two have an older brother."

"An older brother?" the two girls asked at the same time.

"I know it's a lot for you two to process, but that is the truth" Bandit replied. "I have another kid, but just because Thomas is my son, it doesn't mean I will stop loving you both any less. However, right now, he needs me."

"You mean because he lost his mommy?" Bluey asked.

"Yes, because of that" Bandit replied.

"Daddy, how old is Thomas?" Bingo asked.

"He's ten."

"Wow!" the two girls exclaimed.

"Bingo, we have a big brother that is ten years old!" Bluey asked, in an excited way, while wagging her tail.

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet him!" Bingo said, also wagging her tail, before turning to Bandit. "Daddy, can't we go with you?"

"I'm sorry, mate, but you can't" Bandit replied.

"Aw, why not?" Bingo asked, disappointed.

"Because… Thomas doesn't know me" Bandit replied. "We never met, so first we need to know each other a little bit."

"I still can't understand how can Thomas be our brother, if not even you got to meet him" Bluey said.

"That's… complicated, Bluey" Bandit told. "When you and your sister get a little bit older, you will understand it. But what you must know is that, if things go right, maybe I will bring a new addition to our family when I get back home. Are you… okay with that?"

It was then that both Bluey and Bingo went to give a big hug to Bandit.

"Yes, we're okay with that" Bluey replied.

That caused Bandit to express a big smile, while tearing up, and he hugged his daughters back, all while Chilli observed that scene with a tender smile.