"I don't understand."

"What's to understand."

"I'm just a bit bewildered."

"What's new?"

"Lennox leave your brother alone." Mel said taking a sip from her travel mug.

"Right that's everything!" Joey said putting a large bag into the back seat. When he came around to the drivers seat and sat in Ryder tried again.

"Where are we going Joe?"

"Out."

"All of us?"

"Yes."

"Together?"

"That's why we're all in the car."

"So we're all going out together."

"Is it really that strange?"

"Well the last place we all went together was a funeral so yeah!" lennox shrugged.

"Well Longo and I were talking and after the breakdown on live telly and Ryder's suspension and everything we realised maybe we're not spending enough time all together, our family unit may need tightening."

"Joe's the nanny?" Ryder said "I mean…"

"No that's grand Ryder…" Joey started the car.

"Well as much as he'd hate to admit it Joey has become part of this odd family. And well maybe we need to be a little more conventional." Mel said shooting him a smile. Lennox looked between them both and tried to suppress a smile. We're they trying to ease them into it?

/ / / / /

"Oh god." Ryder leaned his head on the window. "You know you don't have to make up for not being there as children…" he muttered.

"You are getting very smart homeschool." Joey said parking the car.

"The Zoo though I mean"

"they've recently opened a new reserve section Len where the animals roam free. We thought you'd like that." Mel said putting on her sunglasses.

"And Ryder… lots of girls work here." Joey added as the teen sat up straighter.

"This is just so unlike us." Lennox said eyes wide. "but I don't mind it!"

/ / / /

"I'm going to go check out the gift shop!" Ryder said as he spun on his heel and walked away from them.

"Ryder…"

"I'm going to see the monkeys!" lennox said pulling out her phone and heading off.

"But guys!" Mel turned watching them both walk away. "We're meant to be spending the day together…" Joey laughed beside her.

"Well that worked faster than I'd hoped!"

"They couldn't wait to get away from us!" she smiled. "Are we awful?"

"Meh they'll thank us in the future."

"I want to go see the big cats!" she said not letting it worry her anymore.

"Well then lets go."

/ / / /

she sighed and just rang him.

"Lennox? Are you alright?"

"of course Xander! I just said I'd ring you."

"But we never talk on the phone."

"Seems it's a day of strange occurrences. Mel and Joe brought us to the Zoo."

"The Zoo?"

"Yeah! I think they're trying to get us to bond more as a family."

"You think they're going to tell you soon?"

"I don't know they're still lying through their teeth." She walked passed the penguins and froze. There they were her aunt and Joey, arms linked chatting animatedly.

"len…" Xander said through the silence.

"Shhhh…" she said walking closer trying to see what they were talking about.

"What are you do…"

"Joey and Aunt Mel shhhh…"

"Oh god are you spying!"

"Xander shh!" she walked off the path and crouched behind a palm tree. She couldn't hear a word they were saying but the smiles on their faces were adding so much to the thoughts running through her mind.

"Can I talk now…" she huffed and by the time she looked back up they had gone around the corner.

"Yes you can they're gone."

/ / / / /

"God Mel who wears wedges to the zoo." He said as she gripped his arm, a little jolt of pain still shooting up her ankle.

"Someone who is extremely insecure about her height and didn't want to be up to your shoulder all day." She smiled at him.

"You could take them off for a while."

"No I'm ok, can I just lean on you for a while."

"I don't know can I hold up all that hair."

"With those arms I'm sure you'll be fine!"

"Oh you do know how to compliment a guy!" he smiled back .

"The penguins are cute aren't they? Like little waiters."

"little waiters without hands!" he said laughing at his own comment. She didn't know why but she found herself laughing aswell. Her arm seemed to slot perfectly into his, and she was finding she didn't want to take it away.

"That really wasn't that funny…" he said half to himself.

"Come on there's a polar bear down here." She said pulling him forward, the pain now gone.

/ / / /