Charlie scribbled down some hurried notes and lyrics on a note sheet, too preoccupied to notice Claire coming in with Aaron. She asked if he could take him for a bit so she could go to the store. Charlie looked up, pencil in his mouth. "Of course love, of course. I'll turn off the amp so he can stay in here, I think I've finally got something!" He said elatedly. Claire came forward, removed the pencil from his teeth, and kissed him. It felt so good to finally be a family. So what if the wedding had been a disaster, they'd laughed about it in the end. "Where's Liam?"

Liam didn't take the way straight back at Charlie's after work, he stopped at the DIY to get some more stuff for the roof he had started to work on the day before. When he passed the planks department of the store he shortly thought about building a little cabin in the garden for Aaron. But he would ask Charlie first.

Charlie didn't get much work done with Aaron usually. Aaron always would try to pick up an instrument and follow Charlie's lead, but they were usually too heavy for him, so Charlie would have to jump to rescue him. But still, they got some work done, and Charlie set the guitar down and swung Aaron into his arms. "Are you hungry, my lad? Lets go find you some yummies." Aaron laughed into his neck, telling stories about his day.

On his way home Liam thought that it was weird and maybe kind of unfair that lately he treated Aaron more than he thought about his own kids and his wife. But he had learned to let them be and wait if they someday would accept him again. And in the meantime he would do his best to be respectable and trustworthy.

Charlie always tried to keep one eye on Liam these days. He knew he missed his kids ridiculously much, but there was nothing really he could do about it. He was going to talk to Karen eventually, it had been nearly 6 months. But things had been so busy with the wedding that it kept getting pushed back. Karen and the kids had gone to the wedding, but that wasn't the place to talk. Charlie made Aaron a bowl of apples and sat and ate with him.

Liam parked his car in the gateway and went straight to the backyard to put down the things he got at the store there and then went inside to find Charlie and Aaron. He took a piece of apple and sat down. "Hey. Need some help, or can I go back on the roof?"

Charlie smiled at his brother. "I'm alright here, are you sure you can do the roof by yourself? I'm worried you'll fall off like that crazy Orlando Bloom guy... god knows that screwed him up for life." He laughed, taking another apple for himself.

Liam laughed. "Well, we'll see. We'll see when it's too late I guess." He took another apple and got up. "Gonna change and then get up there. You'll know where to find me."

"Hey Liam?" He waited for his brother to turn around. "I know I say this a lot, but thank you so much. You've helped us out so much in the past couple months, its insane. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Liam smiled at his brother. "I'm only trying to return somehow what you're giving me. I don't know what I'd do without you, all three of you, either. So, we're even I guess."

Charlie smiled. "Deal. When Claire comes back, I'll help you out there on the roof. Don't want you breaking your back." He grabbed Aaron around the waist, throwing him over his shoulder and running out to the back yard with him screaming in delight.

Liam laughed. He went upstairs to change into a quite used and old trouser he used for making the work on the house. And given that it was pretty hot he didn't put on a shirt. Then he went downstairs, through the backyard and up the ladder to the roof.

Aaron loved to see Liam on the roof. He always jumped and cheered to see mankind on such a high area. Charlie had no idea how to explain to him the universe. He sat back, letting Aaron cheer Liam on, just making sure he didn't get too close under the ladder in case something dropped. "Liam, you've got a future cheerleader all to yourself!"

"Now that's nice. Maybe I'd thank my cheerleader by building him a play-cabin? What d'you say?" Liam shouted back at Charlie.

Charlie sat back and thought for a bit. "I dunno. It seems like a good idea, I just dont know exactly. How much would it cost to build? And how safe would it be?"

"I've no idea yet how much it'd cost. And I haven't thought that much 'bout safety yet. I first wanted to know what you generally think of it." Liam answered, not really trying to look at Charlie but keeping to his work up there.

Charlie nodded. "I like the idea. We should run it by Claire tonight." He scooped up Aaron again, setting him on his lap. "Ok Aaron, lets practice. ABCs, ok?" The small boy scrunched up his face in concentration, but did the song flawlessly." Charlie clapped with him at the end. "now, spell your name!" He said.

"Charlie, aren't you torturing the boy? He's three! How old have you been when you could spell your name, huh?"

"I'm not torturing him! I want him to be smart!" Charlie said, laughing. Seeing that Aaron was stuck on his own name, Charlie spelled it out for him. "A a r o n. Aaron!" And he leaned in to tap the boy's nose.

Liam shook his head laughing. Torturing or not, it was lovely to watch how much Charlie cared about Aaron. One would never have thought he wasn't his own kid.

The fact that Aaron wasn't Charlie's biological child was always pushed as far back in Charlie's mind as he could throw it. There was always a twinge of jealousy at the thought, but it didn't make a difference. Claire wasn't ready for another baby, and Charlie wasn't sure he was either. He didn't want to rush anything. No offense to his brother, but he didn't want to turn out like him with his family.

Liam tried to not let himself be too distractracted from the father-son-scenario, but to keep on doing his work up there. He knew it'd only made him think about Karen, Meghan and John and that would not be the best thing to think about being up there on the roof.

He saw Liam pause on the roof and he pushed Aaron off him gently. "You ok Li?" He said, going near the ladder as if he could support him if he were to fall. "Need a break?"

Liam shook his head. "No, no I'm fime." He wouldn't let himself have a break. If he would give up to his thoughts now he wouldn't win the battle over them today and wouldn't be able to get back to the roof, so it wouldn't be only a break and he wouldn't let that happen.

Charlie watched his brother carefully. He was desperately afraid that his brother was using work to replace his children. He worked hard at the office during the week and hard on the house on the weekends. It seemed he'd never rest, and Liam was afraid sooner or later, he'd crash

Liam didn't think he was working too hard. He felt good when he was working and was feeling rather bad when he didn't. After the roof would be done, the house actually didn't need more working on, he had done everything over the last six months, so he was glad Charlie thought the play-house for Aaron was a nice idea.

Charlie shook his head, turning back to Aaron. He smiled at his boy, saying "Do you want to go for a walk, big guy? Come on, lets go to the park and watch the dogs." He turned to Liam again. "I'm going to go take him, if you need me, I have my cell on, ok?"

"Yeah, sure. Have fun boys!" Liam told them, while going down the ladder to search for some nails.

Charlie walked hand in hand with Aaron, who stumbled along besides him. Claire spoiled him (not that Charlie didn't) and he was a bit plump, baby-fat showing on his cheeks. Charlie made sure he got exersize every day. He looked at the autumn leaves that littered the sidewalk and fell like colorful rain around their heads. As each leaf fell, a note signaled in Charlie's head. His mind was creating music again, his lips figuring out lyrics as he thought.

Liam didn't go right back onto the roof, he sat on the grass leaning against the wall of the house. Someday he would have to stop lying to himself. He wasn't really feeling good, he was feeling good now, as long as he had a lot to work and had Charlie and Claire to support him. But he still had to find his own appartment and he'd be alone again, and he would have too much time to think.

Charlie picked up Aaron as he started to slow, going to sit with him on a bench. Aaron, of course, asked for a song, as he did often, probably because Charlie always complied. Charlie smiled, throwing his head back and saying
"A day of perfection,
chill and sweet
brings lovely apples to your cheeks,
all I want
Is to bring you home
and wrap you up
in our room alone."
Charlie sang quietly, thinking of the leaves falling around him.

Liam finally went up the ladder again. He just stepped onto the roof when he slipped. Stupid autumn! Stupid falling leaves! He slipped down, first crashing his chest against the ladder. He got a weak hold on the eaves gutter but it really didn't last very long. He fell, still trying to get a better grip on the rungs, but the ladder only helped to get more bruises. When he hit the ground it went all black.

Charlie stopped singing abruptly. Something fell like a brick in his stomach. He looked at Aaron's expectant eyes, and picked him up. "I think we should go home, baby boy. Lets go."
And he carried Aaron home, despite the boy's cries.

Liam wasn't sure if he should be glad that he still felt something, meaning he wasn't dead. But he couldn't open his eyes, his head hurt like hell, his limbs hurt, his back hurt, it wasn't a feeling to be glad about at all.

The pair hurried home, hearing Claire yell when they came around the house. "Claire??? Are you alright?" He lifted Aaron higher on his waist, rushing towards the sound. He saw Claire leaning over Liam, checking his pulse and looking frantic. "Oh shit..." Charlie said, putting Aaron down. "Claire, take him inside, call an ambulance." He rushed to his brothers side, calling his name. "This is sooo not funny big brother."

Liam heard nervous voices around him, which sounded like miles and miles away. He heard orders being given, he heard his brother scolding him, calling his name, but as much as Liam wanted to react he couldn't. He didn't have his body under control anymore, he couldn't do anything but lying on the ground.