"You look knackered" Ant laughed as Dec climbed into the car beside him "Isla keep you up all night did she?"

"Five times she woke up last night Ant" Dec moaned "FIVE BLOODY TIMES"

"That's what young babies do" Ant shrugged "she's only four months old"

"I know" Dec sighed "but it's exhausting"

"What about the nanny?" Ant enquired.

"She works all day" Dec stated "can't expect her to work overnight as well and anyway,Ali wouldn't want that"

"That's understandable" Ant nodded.

"At least she can take over so Ali can catch up on some sleep during the day" Dec smiled.

"And you?" Ant enquired.

"I just have to battle on as usual" Dec sighed "got work to do,so how are you feeling about today?"

"I'm so nervous" Ant mumbled.

"You'll be absolutely fine" Dec assured him "it's going to be great"

Ant and Dec were being driven towards the London Palladium where the first round of auditions for Britain's Got Talent were about to start.

It was Ants first day back at work in almost a year and he was scared.

Scared about how he would be received,scared about how people would react to him after everything that had happened and scared that his career might actually be over if the public just didn't want him back.

As they pulled nearer to the venue,Ant was grateful for the blackened car windows,so at least no one knew he was there yet.

"Good crowd" Dec grinned,as he observed a large group of people gathered along Argyll Street,hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols.

"What if they heckle me?" Ant sighed nervously.

"They're not going to heckle you" Dec laughed "these people are our fans,they love us...love you,now let's go and say hello"

Ant nervously stepped out of the car and followed Dec up the short street towards the front of the Palladium.

"THEY'RE HERE" an excited girl squealed out suddenly and a rush of fans were soon gathering around the boys,requesting pictures and autographs.

It wasn't long before Ant was totally put at ease when he was greeted with choruses of 'we've missed you Ant' and 'welcome back Ant'

All of a sudden it was like he was home,back where he belonged,like he'd never even been away and that feeling was only confirmed when the show started and Dec introduced him on stage and the audience of over two thousand people went wild.

"Told you it would be ok didn't I?" Dec whispered as Ant lapped up the adoration.

"Yeah,ya did" Ant nodded,with tears in his eyes as he waved happily to the crowd.

It was the perfect start to Ants comeback and the boys would soon be travelling around the country looking for wannabe stars,desperate to audition for the series.

If Ant and Dec had ever doubted that the great British public still loved them,those doubts were totally quashed one evening as the Palladium was linked to the 02 Arena for the National Television Awards.

Sadly,they couldn't attend the show like they usually did,because the Britain's Got Talent schedule clashed with it,so instead a link was set up between the two venues.

After the events of the last year,winning the best presenter award would mean more than ever.The boys had won it so many times now,but they never took it for granted and their gratitude towards the people who voted for them was endless.

This year,for obvious reasons,they were more nervous than ever.

"I want this so badly" Dec whispered as they waited for presenter Dermot o'Leary to appear via the video link.

"I know ya do" Ant replied "but if we don't get it,that's no reflection on you,so don't feel bad ok?if that happens it will be because of me"

Dec didn't have time to answer as the award was now about to be announced.

"And the award goes to Ant and Dec" applause erupted from both venues as delighted fans celebrated the win.

Dec was suddenly overwhelmed and bent over,placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath,the feeling of relief evident to everyone present.

Ant was feeling pretty much the same as he stretched out his arms and rested them on Decs back while burying his face in his hair.

This event told them everything they needed to know,they were still loved and that meant the world to them.

Ant gave a heart felt speech, dedicating the award to Dec for how he had kept things going for both of them and Dec continued the speech by thanking various people.

"We did it" Dec grinned,as the cameras cut the link with the O2.

"Yeah,we did" Ant smiled "or you did,to be precise"

"Nah" Dec shook his head "it was both of us,but it doesn't matter now,all that matters is that we're back"

"Yep" Ant replied and pulled Dec in for a hug "we're back"

Just when Ant and Dec thought things couldn't get any better,they were given a huge surprise the next day when a representative from Guinness World Records,Robert,turned up to present them with another unexpected award.

"This" Robert smiled as he carried the two framed certificates on stage "is for the most national television awards won consecutively for best presenter"

"What?" Ant and Dec asked together as the crowd cheered and applauded "really?"

"Absolutely" Robert grinned as he handed the certificates over and joined in with the audiences applause "for winning best presenter 18 years in a row,congratulations"

"Wow" Ant laughed,as he gazed down at what would no doubt become a treasured keepsake "what a week eh?"

"Yeah" Dec agreed "it doesn't get much better than this"

"What a great day" Ant smiled as he and Dec were driven home later that evening "oh and guess what?"

"What?" Dec asked curiously.

"Me and Amzie have decided to get two new dogs" Ant announced proudly.

"Really?" Dec replied excitedly "when?what kind?"

"As soon as we've wrapped up the auditions" Ant grinned "we've already chosen them,two Maltipoo pups and we've already named them Milo and Bumble"

"Aww,that's brilliant" Dec smiled "what about Hurley though?"

"What do you mean 'what about Hurley?'" Ant asked "he'll still be spending half of the time with me and half of the time with Lisa,that won't change"

"Good" Dec nodded relieved.

"Did you actually think I was replacing Hurley with these two?" Ant frowned.

"I...um...I don't know" Dec winced awkwardly.

"Well,of course I'd never do that" Ant snapped "Hurley is my boy,he's irreplaceable,Milo and Bumble are just new additions to the family and I know the three of them are going to get on brilliantly"

"And Rocky" Dec grinned.

"Yeah,of course" Ant smiled "and Rocky"

The dogs had soon joined Ant in his new home and Anne-Marie basically had too.

They had just about moved in together as she spent practically all her time there with Ant and her two young daughters,so much so that the couple decided to buy a place together and started house hunting for their perfect home.

They eventually found somewhere they loved in Wimbledon,but it would be a few months before they could move in as they wanted to make some changes to the property.

"Wimbledon?" Dec frowned as Ant told him the news.

"Yeah" Ant immediately knew what was bothering Dec "it's not that far,only about eight miles"

"It's not just a couple of streets away though" Dec pointed out sadly "or the same street"

"Declan" Ant sighed "this isn't going to change anything ya know?I'll still be round yours all the time or you'll be round mine"

"Things are changing though aren't they?" Dec replied sadly "I loved it when you were three doors away"

"Me too" Ant smiled and patted Decs thigh "but you know,change isn't necessarily a bad thing"

"Isn't it?" Dec frowned.

"Well" Ant smiled "you and Ali have got Isla now,that was a huge change,do you think that was bad?"

"Of course not" Dec smiled as he though of his cherished baby daughter.

"Well then?" Ant laughed "I rest my case.I need this Decs,to start again in a new area,away from all the memories,you get that don't you?"

"Yeah,I guess I do" Dec replied.

"Good" Ant smiled "just imagine it though,walking the dogs together on Wimbledon Common,how great will that be?"

"Pretty great" Dec beamed,he knew he was worrying over nothing as usual and time would prove that.

Usually after the Britain's Got Talent auditions had been wrapped up,the boys would go straight into Saturday Night Takeaway,but it had been agreed that the 2019 series would be put on hold.It wouldn't have been possible to go ahead with it anyway as filming and planning for various segments started months in advance and with Ant taking time out,that just hadn't been possible.

So everyone agreed that the show should be rested for that year and be brought back bigger and better the following year.

This at least gave Ant and Dec the chance to complete another long awaited project.

It had been nearly two years since they'd started working on their DNA journey and they were keen to take up where they had left off.

So they spent the next couple of months travelling to Ireland and America to learn more about their ancestry and meet relatives they never knew existed once again.

They had a great time.It had been surprisingly emotional,they'd laughed,they'd cried,but no one could have foreseen the surprise ending to the journey that was about to blow both their minds.

Ant had been told to make his way up to the top of a tower in Ward Castle in Northern Ireland and just wait there and someone would join him in due course.

Before long,he heard footsteps coming up the stone steps.

'Someone's coming' he thought to himself.

He was surprised to see it was actually Dec who was coming to join him.

Dec explained that his newfound American cousins were there and had handed him a large brown envelope and told him to also make his way to the top of the tower.

As the boys chatted on camera about how clueless they were about exactly what was in the envelope,Dec eventually began to open it and read from the enclosed piece of paper.

"Oh my God" Dec laughed and threw his head back in surprise.

"What?" Ant asked curiously "what is it?"

At that point,the cameras stopped rolling to give the boys some privacy to let the unexpected news that Dec had yet to share with Ant sink in.

As the camera and sound crew made their way down the stone steps,leaving the boys alone,Ant was getting increasingly impatient.

"What Declan?" Ant snapped "just tell us what it says will ya?"

"Well" Dec giggled "you know it says we have the same DNA marker?"

"Yeah" Ant nodded expectantly.

"Well" Dec continued "it says,there's only one way for that to happen"

"Go on" Ant urged.

"The only way for that to happen" Dec grinned "is for us to be related"

"What?" Ant replied confused "me and you?related?how?"

"Says here that we're related through an unknown warrior from well over a thousand years ago" Dec smiled "on our dads sides"

"What the hell?" Ant laughed "what does that even mean?"

"It means..." Dec replied joyfully "that we're cousins"

"No way?" Ant laughed "really?"

"That's what it says here" Dec confirmed,while staring down at the words on the sheet of paper "I can't believe it"

"Me neither" Ant smiled at Dec warmly "best friends since we were kids and now we turn out to be cousins,it's nuts"

"Yeah" Dec smiled "it's amazing though isn't it?what a brilliant ending to our DNA journey"

Ant nodded silently as he gazed at his cousin.

"Oh my God Declan" he laughed "are you crying again?"

"Can't help it" Dec sighed "it's so emotional"

"Come here" Ant smiled and patted the space next to him on the cold,stone bench.

Dec obediently did as he was told and sat as close to Ant as was physically possible in the small space.

"It really is amazing" Ant smiled and pulled Dec in for a sideways hug,kissing him affectionately on the forehead "just when we thought our bond couldn't get any tighter"

"Yep" Dec sniffed as he buried his face into Ants jacket.

"Thought you weren't gonna cry on telly anymore" Ant teased,reminding Dec of the promise he'd made to himself earlier on in the journey.

"Well,it won't actually be on telly will it?" Dec replied "the film crew have gone"

"I'll let you off then" Ant joked.

"I never in a million years expected it to end like this" Dec smiled as he sat up and wiped the tears from his face.

"Me and you...cousins!"