On the way home from the park, they stopped at Mcdonalds for Harlow. She got a kids meal, with her toy and ate happily in the car as they drove back the way they came. Elle felt strangely calm, whatever happened next, she had Carmella. If it all went to Hell, she still had Carmella. She still had all the love she had for Carmella, it was right there, easily accessible. As she pulled up the drive to the house, she turned to glance at her. Carmella took hold of her hand again and squeezed it tightly.

"You got this." She said, "And when you're done, we can go out. Catch a movie, or just…Hang around. You know, I have all my Taylor Swift CDs we can listen to."

"That sounds like Heaven." Anywhere with Carmella would be Heaven. They pulled into the drive, and slid out, Elle gathering up Harlow in her arms. She'd since decided that Carmella's necklace was hers and clutched it in one chunky fist. "Not sure you're going to get that back." She observed.

"It's fine, I have plenty of cross necklaces to choose from. Benefits of being Catholic and Italian."

They approached the house, and as they did so, the front door opened and a very frazzled Dad stood on the stoop looking like he hadn't slept in days. His face softened when he saw her, and Harlow in her arms. She set the child on the ground and smoothed her fingers through her hair.

"Go find Daddy and show him your toy." She suggested, and Harlow did so, sliding between the space between Dad's leg and the front door. Dad looked at her, and patted the top of her head as she went by before looking back at Elle. "Hi, Dad." She said, finally. Dad didn't say anything, he just wrapped her up in his arms, tugging her close and kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, Baby. I was scared I was never going to see you again." He sighed, "When you didn't come home last night, I was so worried until you replied to Rob's text I just thought…Maybe you would just move back to the Penthouse forever -"

"You don't need to worry about that. I do love you."

"Rob told me what happened, and what he did."

"And what I did."

"Yeah." Dad slowly pulled away so that he could look at Elle. She gave him a hesitant smile.

"I think you should talk to him."

"Why? He hates me already."

"He does not hate you."

"Yes he does." Dad sighed, and then opened the door so she and Carmella could enter. He gave her a once over, scowling at her.

"You must be Carmella."

"I am."

"Elle speaks very highly of you."

"That's nice of her." He sighed, but allowed her to enter.

"I'm going to go see Leo. Business stuff." She said, looking between them, "I think you guys need to talk. Call me if you need me." She said, placing her hand on Elle's arm as she passed by toward the back of the house.

"You need to speak with Julie." Dad deadpanned, "I know what he did was wrong but she wasn't trying to hurt you. She's just doing what everyone tries to do, and get you out of your shell."

"I know, Dad. But I need to talk to you, too. I didn't mean what I said, before I left. I know you did your best with seven kids and no wife. "

"You were right, though. I didn't do as good of a job as I could have done with you kids. Especially not you and Cam. It was just…You two never made problems. Rob was sick, Leo was in trouble and I was fighting for custody of Andrew, or with Nene as to what it's appropriate for Amy to do be doing, I know you two got lost in the shuffle sometimes."

"You weren't a perfect Dad." Elle told him, "But you have been a dad who loves me, and believes in me. I think that might be all you have to be."

"I love you, Elle."

"I love you too. Is Aunty Julie in your room?"

"Yes, I haven't been able to get her out since you left. She's heartbroken." Elle walked away, and then went to Julie's door, and knocked twice.

"Go away Paul!" Julie yelled from the inside, "I don't want to talk."

"It's not Paul. It's Elle!" There was a crashing sound, and then the door opened and a rather bedraggled looking Aunty Julie stood there, looking at her.

"Elle." She said, which was a surprise because Aunty Juile almost never called her that. "Darling, I'm sorry I -"

"No. I'm sorry. No matter how angry I was with you, I shouldn't have said what I said. Debbie and Hannah love you, even if they live with their dad, and my dad loves you too. It's a good thing that you moved in when Cam died, otherwise this house would have fallen apart. I know that I don't show it very often, but, you know, you've kind of been a mum to me since Chrissy and Dad broke up, and Gran died. You didn't have to move in with us, or help, but you did and that's…That's commendable. I was really hurt that you would submit my story to the paper without my permission because it's private and personal. But I get that you weren't trying to hurt me, you were just doing what you thought was the best thing."

"Oh, Darling." Aunty Julie said, and then pulled Elle into a hug. "Come, sit." Elle did so, crossing the floor to Dad's bed where the sheets were ruffled and there was a large makeup stain on one of his pillows. Elle sat down next to her, and then looked up. "I know that I don't have a habit of being the easiest person to get along with." She began, "But I do love you. All your life, when I've known you…I know people tell you that you're like your Dad but I don't think that's true. I think that you're like me. I know that I…I disappointed my father when I dropped out of school to work at the bank. He always wanted Paul and I especially to go to university but I just…Didn't think that I could. When I saw your writing, and how skilled you were…I knew that I didn't want you making the same mistake that I did. You are so talented, and so good at anything you put your mind to. I wanted to prove to you that…You can do it. Without Cam, I know life looks very different from how you imagined it would look. But it's still your life. Your entire life and you can, and will be very successful. I just thought you needed a push."

"Maybe I did." She admitted, "Carmella and I were talking about what being healed looks like. And I don't know if I can ever heal from Cam's death. But…I think I need to start trying. And I think trying might be doing the things you and Dad have been telling me. That I need to plan for my future. I need to start…Making myself proud."

"Do you have a plan for that?"

"Yeah. I think I do. But..I need to get my ducks in a row, first."

"I'm glad to hear it." Aunty Julie smiled, and wrapped one of her arms around Elle and kissed the top of her head. "Here, your winnings." Elle opened the folder. Inside was a selection of vouchers for various places in town. She flipped through, and then grabbed one for Lanzini's.

"Well, you entered my story. Only fair you get some of the proceeds. I know you love their chocolate cake. You should call Phillip, you know. If you still love him. You shouldn't give up, when it comes to love." She laughed -

"I think that boat has sailed."

"Well, you should still try. Or maybe take Debbie and Hannah. Make the best of it."

"Maybe I will." She said, "Maybe I will."

By the time she tracked down Rob, he was sitting on one of the reclining chairs in the backyard looking very sorry for himself. Harlow's sandbox toys were piled at his feet, and his hands were gritty, so obviously they'd come out here to play, but last she saw Harlow was in the kitchen, making hot drinks with Dad and Aunty Julie. So, it was just the two of them. She sat so that their knees were nearly touching, on the bench opposite to him. He looked at her, but didn't leave. He just scowled.

"Cind."

"Rob."

They sat for a beat before he spoke -

"Thank you for bringing Harlow back. I don't know what I would do, without her." And he truly means that. She can tell. And she would never have kept her away anyhow. Daughters like Harlow belong with their dad, the same way that she belonged with hers.

"Yeah, well. I wouldn't make a good mother anyway." They went quiet again. They've never been good at talking about feelings and now isn't any different. Perhaps that had always been Cam's skill. Opening them up the way that he did. She never felt strange talking about how she felt with him. She doesn't want to shake Cam away, but she decides that in the absence of him, and his sweet artist's fingers twirling in hers that she will have to be the next best thing, rather than letting the weight of his absence sit between them any longer. "So. Why are you stealing our dead brother's identity?"

"Everyone loved Cam." Rob said, looking away from her, and up at the overcast sky. It might rain soon. "Cam was handsome, funny, and sweet and he got on with you, and everyone else. Girls liked him, and when I pretended to be Cam, girls liked me."

"Girls liked you before."

"Pru Wallace? Yeah, I think that had less to do with who I am, and way more to do with the fact that I was there." He scoffed, "I don't want to be a one night stand. I want to be someone's boyfriend. You wouldn't get it. You just have to look at someone and they're all over you. Oliver, Glenn, Ned, and now Carmella."

"So, this Katya girl. You really like her?"

"Yeah. I do. She's kind, and sweet, and…And she never makes me feel stupid, for not having the teenage experience everyone else did."

"Because you had Harlow."

"Because I was sick. You and Cam were out there, partying and dancing and drinking and I was laid up in hospital wondering if I was going to live to see eighteen."

"Believe it or not, we were worried about you. We're triplets, Rob. I don't know about you, but I'm not built to be on my own. I'm built to be with you."

"You were built to be with Cam more. I know you blame me."

"I shouldn't have said that." Elle sighed, "Because it's not true. I don't blame you, not really. I blame the surgeon, I blame the doctors who didn't pick it was sepsis but I don't blame you. Cam chose to give you his kidney because he loved you and he wanted you to be here with us. Blaming you now…He wouldn't want that. I know he wouldn't. And I know you blame me, too. For what happened to Mum."

"I don't blame you for that anymore. I used to. I never felt the same way about Dad that you did, even when we were kids. I felt like I needed our mother, like she would…Get me. I didn't understand, I guess, why she would want to save you over herself. She had two healthy babies. Why did she need a third? But…I get it now. When Harlow…When Pru gave her to me. I understood. I just knew, no matter what, I would do anything for this baby. I'd make the same choice Mum did, if I had to." Elle reached out, and placed both of her hands on Rob's bony knees. He looked at her hands for a moment, and then covered them with his own.

"Sometimes I'm sad, that Mum never got to hold me."

"Me too." Rob sighed, "I'm sad for all three of us. I'm even sad for Dad as well, sometimes. I can tell that he loved her." Mum, or Gail Lewis, was not a regular feature of discussion in their home unless it was a special occasion where Dad might deign to tell them how proud she would have been. How much she loved them. She wonders, on occasion, if it's hard for him for the same reason it's hard to talk about their grandmother. Not Gran, but…Her daughter. Anne Robinson, who died giving birth to Aunty Lucy. He struggles to talk about the people who aren't around anymore, since Grandad's funeral she could count on one hand the amount of times he mentioned his father, despite having lived within walking distance to him for most of his life, with the exception of the three years he lived in Tasmania when they were babies.

Mum, as Dad told it when he did mention her, was smart, funny, beautiful, caring and business savvy. That, and the few photos that had remained were all that there was of her. Dad had loved her, but remembering her was too painful. She'd always hoped someday, she would wake up and be like Rob, and feel like Gail Lewis's daughter. Rob found comfort in their mother, in going to her grave on their annual pilgrimage to Tassie to see Ian, but she just…Didn't. Her mother was Christina Alessi. She was sure that Mum had loved her, and in that way Elle loves her too but Chrissy had raised her, braided her hair for school pictures and had taken her to her first Taylor Swift concert. Does she even know Cam is gone? Does she want her CD's back? Does she miss Elle as much as she misses her, or was she just Andrew's sister? An unfortunate time sink that came with her father? She doesn't know. And she worries that she will never know. Elle doesn't want Rob to be alone with his grief about their mother, of course she doesn't, but she can't connect to him on this. Mum held him. She didn't hold Elle..

"So. Katya, huh?"

"What about her?"

"She's mad at you?"

"Yeah. Furious. Elle glanced down at the stack of coupons she'd set on the chair next to her, and then picked through them before handing him a family pass to the Magic Gardens display at the parklands. He glanced at it, and then to her with his habitual frown.

"Did she tell you it's over for good?"

"No. She didn't say much of anything."

"Well, promise to tell her the truth this time, and take her and Harlow out so they can get to know one another. People want closure. She won't say no. If she does, just go with Harlow. She'll love it."

"Yeah. I guess she will." He said, and then leaned over to give her a very brief hug. She hugged him back, grinning.

"Love you." She said, into his shoulder. He didn't say it back, but he did pull her a little closer.

They went back inside when Dad called them in for dinner after a long couple of hours they spent getting their ducks in a row. When they entered, Dad had put together a large pasta meal, and assured Elle as she entered that it was vegan. She smiled in appreciation, she couldn't help it. She introduced everyone to Carmella, and it went much better than expected. Aunty Julie didn't say anything untoward, in fact, she seemed to even like her. Dad seemed to have been persuaded by the fact that she was a business owner herself and could 'provide' for Elle. He was old fashioned like that. But overall, it was a success.

Then, it took her two additional days, between work and hanging around with Carmella (She was still yet to meet the ever elusive Rosie but was sure they would get to it) to finish getting her ducks in a row. Then, she printed it, slid it into a folder, and drove into the city to find Leo. He was at the bar, in the back office staring with concern at a spreadsheet on his computer. When she entered, he glanced up at her, then looked back down.

"I don't have time to hang out." He said, scowling in a way that somehow makes him look identical to Rob.

"I'm not here to hang out, and you have time for this." She slid the folder across the table to him. His desk was littered with printouts, an old fashioned rotary phone, spilled pens and pencils and what seemed to Elle to be many alcohol and coffee stains.

"What is this?" He asked.

"Read it." She insisted. He opened it, and browsed the contents, drawing along the page with his finger as he read. He studied the page with his persistent frown then looked up at her.

"It's a business plan."

"A good business plan." She clarified, "Rob and I have Mum's life insurance money in the bank gathering interest. You bring us in on the tea shop as part owners. You become a silent partner and focus on saving the bar. That way, you get the credit for both businesses, you only have to actually work on one and Rob and I have a business of our own. We know the store better than you do, we know the clientele and we know how to get people in the door."

"Why do you want the failing tea shop? To keep your girlfriend in business?"

"Yeah, partially. It will be a load off her mind if she has consistent work that's for sure but also because…I work there. I'm going to get my ducks in a row, next year I'm going to Uni. If we can get the tea shop to a workable state then I can focus only on managing while I'm doing my degree rather than working." Leo sat back in his seat and studied her with narrowed eyes. He seemed to be genuinely considering her proposition thank god.

"And Rob's okay with this?" There'd been a whole thing when they turned eighteen and Mum's life insurance was released to them. Elle wanted to invest it in the stock market. Rob didn't want to spend any of it. The compromise had been to stick it in a high-interest account and eventually use it to put down a deposit on a house together when they moved out. It was a safety net, of sorts.

"If he's managing then he hopes to have more time for Harlow, and having a passive income stream while he's looking for a job will be good for him."

"You think that you can pull this off?"

"Leo, I've been attending business meetings on Dad's lap since I was old enough to sit. Yes, I can pull this off. " He sighed deeply and opened something on his laptop to examine. Maybe his finances. "And, if you'll remember, I've been helping Aunty Julie with the books for the Newspaper for years. I can do business, Leo. And I'm good at it."

"You're going to Uni next year."

"I've been thinking. About what you said. About what everyone's said. I want to start putting my life back together again. I want to be challenged. I want to study creative writing and journalism. I want to be someone that Carmella's sister will approve of. I want to be a good sister, a good daughter, a good aunt and a good girlfriend. I need to start working on that. This is my plan."

"I made you realize that?"

"You and Carmella. Let's face it. You've never been anything other than a good big brother to me, and up until now, I haven't returned the favour. So. Let me now. You save the bar. I save the tea shop. We both win." He stared at her, and Elle saw him like she was looking at him for the first time. Square jaw, the deep bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, clumped eyelashes from rubbing his face. Then, he held out his hand to her, she reached over and shook it. His grip was warm and firm. When she smiled, he smiled back. She sees dimples she hasn't seen for a while.

"Welcome aboard, Robinson."

"Great to be here, Tanaka."

"Oh! I almost forgot." She said, "Did you break up with Mannix?" Leo glanced aside, telling her no. He hadn't. She rolled her eyes at him. "Really?"

"He's…No. Not yet. I will." She doesn't believe him. Leo, as a general rule, does not do the leaving. Reaching into her handbag, she produced one of the vouchers from her winnings and passed it to him.

"Here. I thought you might like this. It's for a massage at some fancy place in the city." He took it and looked at it in confusion.

"Where did you get this?"

"I won it. The prize for my story being published was a bunch of vouchers for local businesses. You should take some time away, have a break, then come back."

"You sure about this? I am a man."

"They take men. Look at your posture, Leo. You need a break. You'll being doing no one any good if you work yourself to death. And while they're beating the crap out of your back with their elbows or whatever maybe you'll come to your senses and ditch the boy."

"Maybe I will," he said, and turned around in his spinny chair to tack the brochure to his pinboard. "Maybe I will."

Over the next few days, Elle was able to pawn off the vouchers for Tennis to Dad and Terese (and was forced by Dad to give an apology to her. She swallowed her pride and did so), there was a gift voucher for some online music service which she gave to Andrew and invited Amy to come with her to some High Tea thing she was given a voucher for. For herself, she kept the voucher for a romantic ride on the Melbourne Star.

Carmella sat by her, leaning her arms around her shoulders as they travelled high above the clouds in the little capsule.

"It's a lovely day for it." She said, pleasantly.

"Hm."

Back home, Elle had decided to move Cam's ashes away from the air conditioner and instead of relighting the memory candle, she opted to place Carmella's cross necklace around the base of the tin. She was sure Cam would have liked that.

"You're still good to do dinner with Rosie and Fraser tonight?"

"Yep." She'd saved her best voucher for last. A fancy buffet restaurant housed in the middle of the city for two couples. She hoped that along with her recent Uni acceptance would be enough to convince Rosie that she and Carmella made for a good couple. The Melbourne River looks nice from up here, you could almost forget that people have probably been dumping bodies there since the dawn of time.

"You good, Elle?"

"Yeah. I'm good. Just…Lost in thought is all."

"Well, I hope you're thinking about me," Carmella replied, leaning in for a kiss, which Elle happily gave her.

"I think of little else." She said, "I think especially about you wearing your nun's hab -"

"Don't joke about that!" She said, with a laugh, and that made Elle laugh too. "I might just go back to the convent, then who would help you dye your roots?" Elle sighed deeply and dramatically before leaning in so she was resting her chin on Carmella's shoulder.

"Well, I guess I'd just have to be a brunette. Lucky for me, I happen to think brunettes are hot." Carmella put her chin on Elle's head and twisted a strand of blonde hair around her finger.

"Lucky for you, I happen to think blondes are hot." She smiled up at her, and then kissed her exposed neck.

"So you'll keep helping me, then?"

"Come Hell or high water."