"Charlie." Alfie was lying on the floor next to his cousin. He just loved babies and had adored Iris when she was little. "We are the men, I have to show you how to look after Viv. Being a brother is a hard job, they are a little crazy but…" He was whispering to him and Charlie was just staring at him wide eyed. "…it's a very important job and I will help you."

He was obsessed with Charlie and they figured out by listening to him he was using his little cousin as his counsellor. Things he told Charlie were amusing, sweet and sometimes really heart breaking.

"Next week is Christmas. I loved Christmas but not anymore. I think I miss my Mom and Dad too much right now. I know Pops and MiMi will try really hard to make it fun but it's just not going to be possible." Alfie kissed his little cheek. "But you can have fun, it's your first Christmas. That's special for you. I'll make sure you have a fun day. I bought you a present." Alfie had insisted that he had to buy not only Charlie and present but Viv too and his sisters. He had made Adam take him shopping and was very diligent with his pocket money although he ended up having to ask Adam for some more and Adam couldn't bear to see how devastated he was when he realised he didn't have enough for everyone and told Adam that they can take his present back to the shop for the money so he could get everyone else a present. It was sweet and Adam crumbled like a sandcastle at high tide and topped up his funds.

Adam was watching them, he loved watching his grandsons together. Charlie was such a sweet baby, he was calm and placid and a godsend for Gus and Rhiannon. He was smiling a little now and he certainly had bought a lot of light into their lives.

Rhiannon and Kim had taken the girls out for some shopping and a mani-pedi. They tried to leave Iris with Adam but she wanted to go on the 'girl date' because she didn't want to stay home with the boys. Gus was working so it was just Adam with the two boys and he was in heaven. Charlie had a feed just before they left and Rhiannon had left some milk for him.

"G'day Pops." Alfie noticed Adam watching them, he was obsessed with saying G'day all of a sudden, he was clinging to his Australian accent for as long as possible. "Charlie is talking to me." He was six weeks old and as well as smiling he loved trying to talk and Alfie loved it.

"I can see. What's he talking about?" Adam stretched out on the floor beside his two boys. Alfie was propped up on his elbows with his hands under his chin while Charlie was all arms and legs as he squirmed about on the rug.

"I was teaching him about being a brother."

"Well that is a very important conversation. I don't want to interrupt."

"It's okay Pops." Alfie looked at his Pops sadly. "I wish I had a brother."

"Well you have three pretty awesome sisters, so there is that." Adam reached out and touched his hand. "And you have Charlie Boy here."

"I can't have a brother now can I? I mean if Mom and Dad weren't dead do you think I could have had a brother?"

"Probably not, Mom and Dad couldn't have any more babies and I think you and your sisters were more than enough for them. Instead you've got an awesome little cousin to hang out with and play with and teach all those very important boy things too."

"Like what a penis does?"

"Well yes." Adam almost choked, he remembered all these insane conversations with Polly and Gus when they were growing up and he knew that Sam was always in mid-panic attack when they had to talk about sex and puberty with his kids. He completely wigged out according to Polly. "That is important."

"Don't worry Pops, my Dad told me all about my penis." Alfie told him very matter of fact. "So you don't have to tell me."

"Fantastic."

Thankfully he changed the subject and Adam exhaled. "About Christmas Pops?"

"Hmm." He was tickling Charlie's toes and smiling as he pulled his foot away. "What about it?"

"Can I buy Mom and Dad a present?"

"Sure." Adam didn't know what to say or where Alfie was going with this, sometimes it was hard to figure out and he often took a sharp right turn. "What do you want to buy them?"

"A tree."

"A Christmas tree? We already have a tree?" That had been a bit of a drama. Alfie and Mae didn't want a Christmas tree but Lola did because Iris just loved them and Viv had always helped decorate MiMi and Pops tree. There were tears, tantrums and Mae reverted back to a non-talking day and refused to help but eventually they compromised and got a tree and but it only went up yesterday and would come down the day after Christmas. Mae had since been caught ferretting around under the tree looking at all the presents. Every day a parcel arrived with more gits for the kids from people they knew and even those they didn't know. They were sent to BraveHearts and they dropped them off for them.

They had no idea what to do with all the presents and they were sure their were children who needed them more than these kids did but it was also something that people had taken the time to send for the kids specifically because of what they had been through. It was an ongoing discussion and the more gifts that arrived the more they needed to make a decision.

"No a tree for the zoo, so when it grows big and strong we can sit under it and think about my Mom and Dad. I saw it in a movie." He wasn't looking at his Pops but was playing with Charlie's hand. He had been watching Hallmark Christmas Movies with his sisters lately, much to Adam's disgust. He hated that crap. "This girl's mommy died and she planted a tree and when she was sad she would go sit under the tree and talk to her Mom. If we plant a tree when I am sad I can go talk to Mom and Dad and then I won't feel so sad anymore."

Adam leant over and kissed his head. "I love you Bud. We'll buy a tree."

"Two trees." Alfie reminded him. "One for Chicago and one for Australia."

While Charlie was asleep after a feed Adam helped Alfie research what trees they needed. When he got a bee in his bonnet he wouldn't stop until he got it sorted. He was very much like his Dad in that regards. He decided on an oak tree for Chicago and a Gum tree for Australia. He asked Adam to help him write a letter to both places asking if that would be okay when Adam had pointed out that they would need permission. They couldn't just go and plant a tree.

Kim wasn't having such a sweet time as Adam though. Mae could be a little rough with her conversations, she just cut to the chase and didn't mince her words and when their manicurist made an innocent comment when Mae chose her nail colour Mae cut her down swiftly.

"You picked the same colour as your Mom."

"She's not my Mom. My Mom is dead, so is my Dad. She's my Aunty." She pointed at Rhiannon. "I'm an orphan."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The poor girl stuttered and Lola tried to shush her but Mae just ignored her.

"Did you know my Mom?"

"No I didn't sweetie, but she must have been beautiful like you."

"You didn't know her, why are you sorry?"

The poor girl was speechless. Mae had got on this rant lately that she didn't get why people were sorry her Mom and Dad died when they didn't know them. She didn't get that people could be sorry about things that had nothing to do with them. They had tried to tell her it was because they were sad for them but Mae didn't get that either. "Okay Mae, that's enough." Kim learnt the best way was to just politely remind Mae to stop.

Iris wanted the same colour as her sister and the young girl manicurist didn't say a word. She wasn't stuffing up again, she was actually too scared to talk to Mae. While Mae was getting her pedicure, Kim had her nails done and apologised to the girl. "I'm sorry about Mae, she gets a little too honest sometimes."

"I am sorry about her Mom and Dad and if I upset her."

"You didn't upset her, she's just taken to being brutally honest lately. It can be a little confronting. I don't think she does it to be mean."

"I am sure she doesn't. It must be hard for her."

"For all of us. She has two sisters…" Kim pointed to Lola and Iris. "…and a brother at home."

"How awful for them." Kim was starting to regret saying anything. The last thing she wanted to do was get dragged down that rabbit hole. People were naturally curious and it was obvious why Mae was the way she was. If she brutally told them her parents were dead they tended not to ask any other questions. Pussy footing around it only made people feel like you wanted to talk about it. Kim didn't want to talk about it, living it was hard enough.

"MiMi read this letter." Alfie shoved it at her the moment she walked through the door. "Pops helped me type it out." All Adam did was make sure the spelling was correct, he didn't try to correct his grammar or what he wanted to say. It took them forever because Alfie's typing skills were as good as his grandfather's. This was Alfie's idea and his letter.

Kim felt her heart tear as she read it.

Dear Matt

ZooKeeper in charge,

My Mom and Dad got married at your zoo; it was their favourite place in Chicago. When he used to work at your zoo and I used to come in all the time and play in his office and visit the animals. His favourite was Ada, he grew her in Africa and her baby is going to live in Australia at my Dad's other zoo. We came to see her.

I want to come and plant a tree for my Mom and Dad so that when we get sad me and my sisters, Charlotte, Mabel and Iris can come and talk to our Mom and Dad because they are now in heaven. They died.

Is that okay?

Their names were Sam Hollister and Polly Ruzek Hollister and we miss them so much. Do you remember their wedding?

It might help us feel better if we have a tree to come and visit and tell them how much we miss them. Can we call it the Ruzek Hollister Tree? Other people can visit it too if they are sad or lonely or missing someone they love very much. I think this is a very good idea. I want to buy the tree with my own money for Christmas.

For your zoo we think an Oak Tree would be best. I asked my Pops and we looked it up on the computer. If you think that is a good tree? For his zoo in Australia we are going to plant a Gum tree. One day soon we will go back to Australia and plant it and when I am bigger I am going to live there.

Thank you.

Alfred Ruzek Hollister.

'That's beautiful Alfie." Kim was obviously crying. "It's perfect."

"Yeah? Pops said it was okay. I think it's a nice idea." He was so excited and it was nice to see him happy about something to do with Christmas. He'd been so reluctant up until now to talk about it. "It's okay to buy a Christmas present for Mom and Dad isn't it? Even if they can't see it?"

"It's a beautiful idea. You are a very special boy."

He leant on his MiMi's legs and waited for a cuddle. "You know MiMi I think we need to make Christmas special. It's Charlie's first Christmas and Bug really loves Christmas, she's still little, I think Charlie and Bug will really like it."

"I think that's a very sweet thing to say."

"I also told Pops I need to teach Charlie about his penis when he's bigger."

"Did you just?"

"It's okay MiMi my Dad taught me, Pops doesn't need to help."

All Kim could do was laugh. It was a sound that was being heard more and more often in this house.

The passage of time was the biggest healer of hearts.