A four year old Nat sat around in the living room watching TV. His dad walking in slightly grabbed his attention.

"Nat, where is your brother?" Mr Wolff asked as he noticed Alex wasn't around.

"What brother?" Nat sulked. He had been like this since his mom died giving birth to Alex, he refused to be nice to his little brother.

"Nat you know what I'm talking about," Mr Wolff said seriously.

"He's not my brother dad," Nat said defiantely.

Mr Wolff sighed heavily, it looked as though Nat would never accept Alex as his brother.

"Nat?... You didn't find me," Alex said timidly slowly walking up to Nat.

"That's because your such a great hider," Nat said sarcastically, he had no idea where Alex hid, he never bothered to look.

"Really?" Alex asked excitedly

"No you dork," Nat said sullenly.

Alex looked at Nat a bit hurt.

"Can I have a hug?" Alex asked walking closer to Nat.

"Get away from me," Nat said pushing Alex away and causing him to fall over backwards.

"Nat apologize to your brother!" Mr Wolff said angrily as Alex started crying.

"He's not my brother," Nat said angrily before running outside slamming the door closed behind him.

Mr Wolff sighed as he bent down and picked up Alex.

"Hey, your ok little buddy," He said soothingly to Alex.

Mr Wolff looked at Alex who stopped crying, he wasn't really hurt, just a little shaken. Not that it was an odd occurance, Nat lashed out at his brother any chance he got.

"Is Nat tired?" Alex asked holding on to his dad.

"Yeah," Mr Wolff lied, he knew he couldn't explain to Alex why Nat was the way he was.

Mr Wolff smelled the air.

"Does someone need a change?" He asked softly.

Alex just nodded.

"Does Nat need to take a nap?" Alex asked as his dad carried him to change his diaper.

"Possibly..." Mr Wolff lied again, he knew no amount of sleep would help Nat with this.

"Dad?" Alex asked as he was laid down on the changing table.

"Yeah Alex," Mr Wolff said as he prepared himself for the grizzly task of changing a messy diaper.

"Why do kids have a big girl with them," Alex asked curuiously.

Mr Wolff knew this question would come eventually, it didn't mean he was ready to answer it.

"Well Alex, Everyone has a mom...." Mr Wolff began.

"What a mom?" Alex asked.

Mr Wolff sighed, this would be harder than he thought.

"Well, there is a dad and a mom...." Mr Wolff tried to continue as he started changing Alex's diaper, before he was inturpted again.

"Are any robots in this story?" Alex asked.

"Alex, do you want to know what a mom is or not?" Mr Wolff asked a little frustrated.

"Is a mom a robot?" Alex asked.

"Yes Alex, a mom is a robot," Nat said annoyed as he walked back in.

"Why don't we have a robot?" Alex asked as his dad got rid of the messy diaper and replaced it with a clean one.

"Shut up Alex," Nat said annoyed as he grabbed a baseball glove and left the apartment again.

"I want go out and play with Nat," Alex said impatiently as his dad taped up his diaper.

"Bad luck buddy, it's nap time," Mr Wolff said relieved to get out of answering the mom question, he knew he would have to answer it one day.

"I don't want go for a nap... I want to play with Nat," Alex persisted.

"Alex, is 1oClock, if you don't go for a nap now you'll be going to bed at five," Mr Wolff said picking Alex up.

"I'm hungry," Alex complained.

"Your always hungry," Mr Wolff said softly, for someone who was a day shy of being two he was a handful. "If your good and stay in your crib I'll bring you in a bottle."

Alex licked his lips, now his dad mentioned it he was thirsty too.

"You should bring Nat in for a nap too," Alex said as his dad laid him in his crib.

"I don't think he'll be home for a while," Mr Wolff said passing Alex his bear, and pulling a blanket up over him.

Mr Wolff left to get Alex his bottle, in some ways he felt sorry for Alex, he could see that Alex couldn't see that Nat hated him.

Mr Wolff was suprised when he came in a few minutes later not only to find Alex still in his crib but fast asleep aswell. He gentley placed Alex's bottle beside him before raising the crib side.

When Nat returned an hour later his dad tried to have a talk with him.

"Nat, why want you give Alex a chance?"

"Why don't you get rid of Alex, and make us happy," Nat snapped, he wished his dad would one day see sense and take Alex to the adoption agency.

"Nat! He hasn't done anything to you, I wish you would be nice to him," Mr Wolff said sadly.

"So far as you want to admit," Nat snapped and walked to his room, making sure to walk up Alex along the way.

That night as Mr Wolff was cooking dinner, Alex was sitting on the bench.

"Hey Alex, you should feel the water in the pot... it's cold" Nat said as his dad went to get something out of the deepfreeze.

"Weally?" Alex asked through his pacifier.

"Yeah man go for it," Nat said sinisterly.

Alex crawled along the bench until he was next to the stove.

"Wu shore? It got bubblies in it," Alex said looking at the boiling water.

"Of course...." Nat said sarcastically.

Alex curiously put his hand in the boiling water, his scream sending his dad running back.

"Alex!" He said urgently pulling Alex's hand out of the pot and quickly putting it under the cold tap.

"......." Alex screamed in pain.

"It's going to be ok," He said softly as he continued to run Alex's hand under the water.

"Stupid Alex," Nat muttered under his breath, deep deep down he felt a little bad for Alex, but at least he got a fraction of the pain Nat felt.

"Nat, go get a coat for you and your brother," Mr Wolff said urgently.

"He's not my brother," Nat retorted.

"Just do it," Mr Wolff said exhasperated.

Nat sulked as he went to his room and grabbed a coat before heading to Alex's room.

"He doesn't have one," Nat said with out even looking.

"In the cupboard," Mr Wolff said urgently.

Nat opened the cupboard.

"It's not in here," He said with out looking through it.

"Ergh..." Mr Wolff said frustrated, " Just grabbed his bag then,"

Nat returned with his coat and Alex's bag.

"Come on, we need to go to the doctor," Mr Wolff said, wrapping a wet facecloth around Alex's hand.

"...." Nat muttured under his breath. His dad was supposed to ignore Alex for being dumb enough to put is hand in boiling water.

Two hours later and Nat sulked as they climbed the stair to the apartment... or more specifically, he and his dad climbed the stairs and Alex slept in his dad's arms.

It was the middle of the night when Alex woke up again, sore and hungry. He bleary eyed looked at his bandaged hand before crying.

He cried for twenty minutes before his dad walked in half asleep.

"Whazamatter..." He said tiredly.

"I'm hungry.... and it hurts," Alex moaned.

"Alex, I left a bottle here for you," Mr Wolff said exhaustedly picking up and passing Alex his bottle.

"What about hand," Alex cried.

"You'll have to put up with it til morning," Mr Wolff said quietly.

"But it hurts....." Alex cried.

"Alex, if I let you sleep with me will you go to sleep?" Mr Wolff said wanting to go back to sleep.

Alex nodded grabbing his bottle with one hand, as his dad picked him up and carried him to his room. Alex lay next to his dad drinking as he gentley drifted to sleep.

When Alex awoke again it was early. Alex climbed out of bed and went into Nat's room, and woke him up.

"Nat, my hand hurts," Alex sobbed showing Nat his bandaged hand.

"Good for you," Nat yawned tiredly.

"Help it?" Alex asked crying.

Nat swore under his breath.

"Ok poopypants," Nat lied cruelly, before leading Alex back to his crib and locking him in it before heading back to bed, with Alex still crying in his crib.

Mr Wolff sort of got annoyed with Alex's misplaced trust in Nat. Nat never did anything to earn it, and he always abused it, and Alex always went back for more. So wasn't the most sympathetic when woke up and found Alex back in his crib.

"Morning Alex," His dad said letting him out.

"Breakfist," Alex said hugging his dad.