George silently peeps his head around the doorframe leading to Gemma's bedroom; she is sound asleep, like her brother in the next room. For a moment, he forgets all the hardships he is enduring; simply by looking at the innocent, beautiful little bundle of life he has been blessed with. He heaves a soft sigh, saddened that within the hour, Gemma and Kieran's worlds could come crashing down; once they've learnt of their grandmother's passing.

"Have you rang the school to tell them they're not going in today?" Levi whispers from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah," George responds, at the same volume. "I just can't bring myself to wake them up. I don't want to tell them."

"You have to, my darling." Levi ventures closer to his husband, resting a hand against George's back to suggest a combination of love, and of encouragement. "The sooner it's done, the sooner they can process everything."

"I suppose you're right," George evaluates; he swallows nervously, before moving further into the little girl's room. He approaches the sleeping child, ever-so-gently shaking her, to provoke her to stir. Her eyes flicker as she rolls over; in her slumbering state, she rubs at her eyelids with her knuckles, before her consciousness starts to fade her in to reality. "Good morning, my little Gem."

"Hi Daddy," Gemma answers, the typical breakage in her voice from fatigue.

"Listen," Levi chimes in softly. "You and Kieran don't have school today. I know it's a your first day back after the holidays, but we've called your school to tell the teachers that you can't go today."

"Am I poorly, Daddy?" she panics, lifting herself up off the bed in a tired-yet-frenzied manner. "Do I need to go to the hospital?"

"No, sweetheart," George reassures her, placing a fatherly hand against her tiny fingers to hold her still. "But we didn't want you to go to school, because we need to tell you and your brother something."

"Kieran?" Levi calls into the next room. "Can you come to Gemma's room please, mate?"

"Okay, Daddy," Kieran shouts back; moments later, he appears, with his sweet blue dressing gown on. "When is school?"

"You don't have to go for today," George informs him; he then pats an empty space on Gemma's bed, inviting his son to sit with them. "Come here. Your father and I have something to tell you both."

The young boy bounds over to the bed, leaping onto the mattress in the usual childlike way. He gets himself comfortable, then, he looks up at George; it's clear to see the subtle admiration he feels for his dad, and it's enough to thaw even the coldest of hearts. Once Kieran has settled, Levi and George start to talk to the pair.

"So," Levi begins. "We still aren't really sure how to tell you this, but—"

"—But, we didn't want to hide it from you, because that wouldn't be fair on you both. So," George intervenes, deeming it suitable to explain the situation for himself. "So yesterday, me and Daddy went down to London to see Grandma. B-But she um—she told me something very important; and it's important that I tell you too." He continues to stutter, having not planned the wording of his news. "B-Because it's very important." He can barely bring himself to look at his children, though he knows he must; his eyes flit between the two pairs of bright eyes as he continues. "A-And she told me that she got a special invitation from the angels in the sky. And the invitation was for a party in Heaven!" His enthusiasm is difficult to maintain, but he tries to keep it up for their sakes. "And so she decided that she would go to the party. But, um, that means that ... " George starts to lose his composure; frantic throat-clearing is only just able to save face as he concludes his divulgence, "It means that you won't be able to see Grandma any more. But you need to remember, she loves you so much! And if you ever want to talk to her, all you have to do is look up at the sky. A-And if it's day time, you have to find the fluffiest cloud; because that's where she will be sitting. If it's night time, you have to find the brightest star; because that's the one she's lighting up with her magic. And then, all you have to do is tell her whatever you want to tell her. Do you both understand?"

Levi glances over to George, giving him a nod of the head to indicate that he's handled the subject very well. George forces a tiny smile, before his attention falls back onto the children.

"So does that mean that Grandma is an angel, too, now?" Kieran asks.

"It does, yeah." George quickly swipes away the solitary tear that has run down his cheek; as not to seem upset in front of them. "But you have to remember — she is very happy to be in Heaven with the other angels."

"If it's a party," Gemma starts, "Does that mean she gets to eat cake?"

"D'you know? She gets to eat as much cake as she likes. Forever, and ever," Levi interrupts, sensing that George may be struggling. "And she gets to dance to whatever music she wants to."

"Do you think she'll listen to Michael Jackson like you, Daddy?" Kieran giggles.

"I ... I'm not quite sure that she liked Michael Jackson quite so much as I do," Levi chuckles — his way of keeping the conversation lighthearted. "But maybe she'll put on Billie Jean, or Thriller and start dancing like I do."

"So we won't get to see Grandma anymore?" Gemma interrogates quietly. "But ... But she is happy with all the angels in Heaven? And she is having a nice time eating cake and dancing to music?"

"That's spot on," George praises her. "So you don't need to ever worry about her. She's having the best-est time ever. Is that okay with you both?"

"Yeah." Kieran smiles, finding peace in what he's been told. "As long as she saves us some cake as well."

"Oh — I'm sure she will," Levi assures him. "So, you guys can do whatever you want to today. You can play your games; or do some painting; or play outside in the garden. Whatever you want to do. We just want you both to feel happy, today."

"Can I play the games on Daddy's iPad?" Kieran questions. "Ple-ease?"

"Of course," George answers, standing up from his seated position at the foot of the bed. "Let me just go and grab it for you." He heads down the stairs, arriving into the living room to find his iPad perched on the gorgeous, dark oak coffee table; he picks it up, pressing the button to unlock the tablet. He glances at his Lock Screen; it's a photo of himself, Levi, the kids and his mother — from their small wedding only last year. Just seeing his beloved mother's face is enough to bring the poor soul to tears again; he makes quick work of typing in his passcode to rid the painful memory, before hurrying back up the staircase to the rest of the family. He hands the device to his son. "There you go. Have fun; but don't buy anything in the apps."

"Thank you, Daddy." Kieran contently flicks through the pages of games on the tablet with his finger; he almost seems oblivious to the turmoil that his fathers are facing in reality, but George is more than satisfied with his response.

"Gem? What do you want to do today?" Levi asks his daughter invitingly. "You could dress up in your Disney Princess dresses if you like? Or you could do some colouring?"

Gemma seems a little more aware of the true meaning behind what George has just said to her; after taking some time to think over the concept of her grandmother becoming an angel; and being invited to a special function in Heaven, she comes to a realisation. "Did Grandma die, Daddy?"

George furrows his brows sadly, carefully ushering her out of the bedroom so that she doesn't upset Kieran with her interrogations. Once they're out of earshot, George kneels down to her level, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Grandma ... did die, my darling. But do you know what happens when somebody you love very much, passes away?" The puzzled shaking of Gemma's head encourages him to continue talking, "Well, inside everybody, there's some magic dust called a soul. When you pass away, the soul is the part of you that lives forever. And the soul floats up, up, up—" He gestures with his hand, towards the ceiling, "—Into the clouds; and that's the most important part. The soul is the part of Grandma that will always be alive. And even though you can't see her, or her soul ... she's everywhere. She's in the sky; she's in the grass; she's in the beautiful lake outside the house—"

"Is she in the pretty statue in the garden, too?" she questions.

George, despite the poignancy of the subject, can't help but expel the softest laughter at her inquisitiveness. "Of course. She's absolutely everywhere you look. Grandma passing away just means that now, she gets to be wherever she wants to be — without paying for a plane ticket, too."

Gemma nods, comprehending what she's been told; this doesn't, however, prevent tears from clustering in her tiny green eyes. "I'll miss her though, Daddy."

Seeing her becoming emotional evokes George to react in the same manner; his amber irises gloss over as he pulls her in for a hug. "And so will I, my sweet. I'll miss Grandma, as well. And that's okay; it's completely normal and okay to miss her. And I'm giving you this hug, because she asked me to."

"So this is a Daddy and a Grandma hug?"

"It is," George closes his eyes as he warms into the embrace; a sigh passes his lips. "And that's the most special kind of hug you could ever ask for, isn't it?" As he feels the sensation of Gemma nodding her head against his shoulder, he withdraws from the hug, to look her in the eyes. "Do you know, Gem? You are so beautiful. You're so clever; and so grown-up. And I'm extremely proud of you."

Gemma gives her father a melancholy smile. "Thank you, Daddy." She moves her head a little, so that she can glance outside the window; she sees the clouds in the sky, which gives her an idea. "Can I write a letter for Grandma, and send it to Heaven for her? Because then, I can still talk to her."

George beams, nodding firmly. "Of course. That sounds like the most fantastic idea. Will I be allowed to read it after you've done it?"

"Yeah." She giggles a little, before rushing off to find a pen and some paper to draft out her words.

He watches her go; not too much time passes, before Levi emerges from the bedroom, planting the most gentle kiss upon his partner's lips. "You handled that amazingly. I couldn't have told them half as well as you just did."

"I think your brain just goes into autopilot when you have to sugarcoat things for little ears," George explains, dismissing any kind of credit he is being given. "Even I started to believe Mum's gone to a special party in Heaven, after a while."

"You're doing amazing," Levi reassures him. "And in time, things will feel a little easier to cope with. Your head's underwater right now. But eventually, you'll feel like you're starting to come surface level again. Trust me; I know."

"How did you cope with losing your father so young?" George asks, hopelessly. "Because I'm fifty-one years of age, and I'm coping worse than you did as a child."

"It's a different way of grieving," Levi states. "I was so young. I had less time with him. The bond was unbreakable, but we weren't given enough time. You've had half a century with your mum; you've had plenty of time to build the connection over the decades." He averts his gaze down to the ground, as he reminisces his own loss from years and years back, "In a sense, I believe adult grief is much worse than child grief — just because there's more memories."

"It doesn't make it any less painful for you, though," George answers. "Losing a parent at any age is the worst kind of pain — aside from losing a child, that is."

"I couldn't imagine losing either of the kids." Levi shakes his head, not even wanting to think about the notion. "But anyway ... you did brilliant with telling them. Don't discredit yourself, George."

"Thanks." He can't bring himself to utter another word, for he knows he will start to cry again if he does.

"Do you want a tea?" Levi offers, rubbing George's shoulder comfortingly. "Only a splash of milk, and a couple of custard creams to go with it?"

"Well, I wouldn't have piss-weak tea like you," George remarks sarcastically; though with very little emphasis. "At least, if anything, the last twenty-five years has taught me you have very little taste in beverages."

"Cheeky mare," Levi teases, heading towards the staircase. "I'll go and make it, then. Go and get yourself comfortable — bedroom; living room — I don't care where. Just whatever's best for you. I'll bring it to you."

"What did I do to deserve you, hey?" George forces a smile, feeling drained in every sense of the word.

"I don't know. Maybe it was the sarcasm; or maybe the self-deprecating humour; or perhaps it was the boyish charm and the fluffy hair. It certainly wasn't the waiting game I had to play, for you to tell Steph about us."

"That cup of tea is going to end up in your face," George jokes monotonously. "You still love me anyway. I must have done something right."

Levi chuckles, letting his guard down at last. "Of course I love you. You're easy to love."

"Soppy git." George shakes his head. "I'm waiting for my tea."

"Right. Sorry, Master." Levi rolls his eyes, with every intention of being playful; then, he makes his way down to the kitchen to make the drink.

George is unsure how to feel or what to think, as he heads in the same direction; to go and settle in the living room.

• • •

Chapter two! Are we still enjoying? xx