The lights in the huge aquarium travelled across Jeff's face as he gazed up and around in awe.

He looked down, expecting to find his second youngest son equally excited. Instead though, Gordon's tiny shoulders were slumped, and his forehead was resting sadly against one of the walls of the tank.

Jeff let go of Alan's pushchair and crouched beside Gordon, "What's troubling you, Gordon? You usually love the aquarium."

"I can't find my favourite fish," Gordon explained, his huge eyes and the gap in his teeth only seeming to add to the tragedy of the situation. "Last time I came he was swimming all over, and now he's gone."

"Well that is concerning," Nodded Jeff sagely. "What did he look like? What was his name? Three pairs of eyes are way better than one, maybe we can find him together."

Gordon threw his arms around Jeff's shoulders. "Thank you, Daddy! His name is Nemo and he's small and blue and has white stripes," He said confidently.

"Well remembered," said Jeff, wondering if the fish had been named before or after his disappearance. "Tell you what. This bit of the aquarium goes in a square, so if Alan and I search one way and you search the other, we'll meet in the middle. Got it?"

His son gave him a clumsy salute. "Got it!"

Jeff got to his feet and began to push Alan in one direction. "Nemo!" He called, for Gordon's benefit. "Nemo! Nemo!"

"Neeeeeeeeee!" Shouted Alan, trying to help.

"Nemo!" A group of young teenage girls were giving them a funny look. "Excuse me," He said politely. "Have any of you seen a 'Nemo'? He's small, he's blue and he has white stripes?"

Before any of them had chance to answer, he heard Gordon shout "Daddy! Daddy!"

He turned the pushchair around and headed towards the sound of his son's voice, where he saw Gordon excitedly jabbing his finger at the tank. "Did you find him?"

"No," said Gordon. "But look. Nemo left a message for us!"

Jeff crouched down and squinted. On the side of one of the larger rocks, one of the aquarium staff had etched a tally – presumably the number of times they'd cleaned the tank or something to that effect.

"My Fish is a little rusty," Confessed Jeff, scratching his chin.

"Can you read it?" Gordon's huge eyes were full of hope.

"Well I think it says…" Jeff widened his eyes and opened and closed his mouth a few times, in his best impersonation of a fish. "Which roughly translates as…One Fish to rule them all, One Fish to find them, One Fish to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. Gordon, I think Nemo might be a really important fish…"

Gordon's eyes were wide, and he immediately lowered his voice conspiratorially, "I knew it."

"You know what?" Jeff reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Maybe he's back in those smaller tanks, where they put the most high-ranking fish?"

The little boy didn't even have time to reply, he'd turned on his heel and was bolting towards the VIP tanks, where A-lister fish were kept after they got sick or fought with the other fish.

"Uh oh," Said Alan, although his huge smile and clapping hands betrayed his true lack of sincerity.

"Indeed," Agreed Jeff. "We'd better go find him and hope that Nemo is in there."

He found his son bouncing with delight in front of a tank containing a blue and white fish. "Look! Look! Look!"

Jeff parked Alan in front of the tank. "You found him!" There's a sign on the tank saying 'This Pseudotropheus demasoni has been removed from the main exhibit in preparation for the Kansas City Aquarium's breeding program'.

"Oh, look!" Jeff pointed at the sign. "Do you know what that means? It means that Nemo is getting married!"

Gordon gasped. He leaned towards the tank and whispered, "Congratulations."

"I guess that's why he wasn't in the main tank. It's bad luck for him to see his new bride or groom before the wedding. I bet next time we come there will be lots of baby Nemos."

"Loads! Did you know daddy that fish can make lots more babies than humans? More than you and mommy, even though you make babies all the time," He explained, a little too loudly to the crowded aquarium.

"Uh oh," Said Alan.

Jeff winced, "I guess we'll find out on our next trip. Come on. Let's leave the groom in peace."

They walked away together, having averted fish-related tragedy one more time.