2005

"You're going to introduce yourself in public?" Alan tried to keep his voice even.

"I'm going to show up to the exhibit" Charlie said.

"And then...?"

Charlie said after thinking for a bit"I don't know"

2003

"Let's work on a jigsaw puzzle together tomorrow afternoon!" Margaret suggested.

Both brothers sighed inwardly, but they wanted to please their mother. They were reminded of when, during the long summer vacations, she would get them to do puzzles with her.

As the foursome sorted out the pieces of a several thousand piece puzzle the next day, Margaret remembered the first time the two brothers met. It was at home, as visitors under sixteen weren't allowed in the hospital. Her mother had stayed with Donnie.

"This is your brother. His name is Charlie" Margaret showed the baby, who had a lot of black, curly hair, to Don.

"He's got lotsa hair !" Donnie exclaimed.

"He sure does! When you were a baby, you had no hair at all!" Alan explained. Having another son really made the city planner happy.

"He looks too little to play!" the little boy realized with a pout.

"He'll grow, and soon you two will be playing rough out on the yard!" Alan told the boy in consolation.

"Not too rough I hope!" Margaret held the baby more protectively.

"Why don't we take some pictures? set the baby on the bed, and have Donnie sit next to him." Alan suggested.

Margaret returned to the present, and saw one of those very pictures on hanging near the dining room table, where the family worked on the puzzle.

Alan noticed her looking at them, and commented with a smile. "Don noticed that Charlie was too small to play with"

"You told him that Charlie would grow and they'd soon play together in the yard"Margaret added.

Alan gave her a kiss and they continued with the puzzle.

2005

"What made you decide to accept me?" Charlie asked suddenly, remembering his exchange with Don. "As your son?"

"I loved you, from the moment the nurse placed you in my arms. That love grew, as time passed." Alan said gently, surprised at the change of subject, but continued "DNA has no bearing on love, Charlie.When I found out what your mother did, that didn't change how I felt, or the fact that you needed a father."

"If you think that DNA has no bearing on love, why did you and mom lie to me?" the professor's tone grew curt.

"Charlie..."

Charlie left the living room in a huff, to go contemplate the Koi pond, and think about how he was going to do almost three decades' worth of catching up with his biological father.

TBC