A/N: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed this. I appreciate your interest and your encouragement, and, above all, your patience. Without further ado...

Chapter 2

"Bad news, good news," Cal informed the others when he returned to them from the hotel check in desk.

Surrounded by suitcases, Gillian was seated with William in her lap; Emily was standing beside them. Gillian frowned at Cal's words. "What happened?"

"Mix up with the reservation."

"I checked that reservation three -"

"I know, love. And I told them that. It's sorted. We've got a room," he grinned, holding up a packet of key cards.

"A room?" Emily questioned, while Gillian watched Cal closely, very suspicious of his tale.

"Well, a suite: Four beds; three bedrooms; two bathrooms; one living room and a partridge in a kitchenette."

Emily's eyes widened. "Wow!"

"Yes. Wow," Gillian echoed, although hers held less genuine amazement and more pointed suspicion. She could tell by the look on Cal's face when he smiled at her that he was well aware that she knew there was more to his story.

"Well, come on," he encouraged to change the subject, "Don't just sit there: We've got a city to see!".

He grabbed hold of his suitcase, and of Gillian's, and led the way.

...

Emily's 'wow' was repeated when they entered the suite and Gillian had to admit that it was beautiful. Large, dark wood framed windows ran the length of the living area, offering lovely views of the park across the street. The furnishings were of a matching wood, with deep red upholstery, offering a warm, comforting welcome.

William ran straight to the windows, gazing out across the area.

"Your room's over there," Cal explained, gesturing to the open door to their right, through which Gillian could see two double beds. "Emily and I will take the other two rooms, if that's okay?"

Gillian nodded. "That was the plan when we originally booked three rooms."

"See, perfect," Cal remarked, quickly and overly cheerful. He took hold of his case again and moved in the direction of his room, rambling about the rest of the suite as he went. "I believe your room has an en suite," he told her. "The other bathroom, I think, is just down here..." He indicated the short corridor that led to his and Emily's rooms. "Yep, here," he said, nudging open the door at the end of the corridor. "Right, I'm going to take this bed," he declared, disappearing through another doorway.

Gillian couldn't help but smirk a little at watching Cal squirm. She was just turning back to see what William was up to when she found Emily looking at her.

"There was no mix up with the reservation, was there?" Emily asked.

"I doubt it," Gillian answered.

Emily shook her head. "He has got to learn to ask before he changes plans that affect other people."

Gillian agreed. "This is nice, though," she added, "And it will be good to have this central area where we can talk and plan without invading each other's space."

"But you are mad at him?"

Gillian smiled, reassuringly, at Emily. She was annoyed that he hadn't consulted her, yes, but the predominant emotion she was feeling was apprehension. She hadn't been prepared for being in such close quarters all the time. She couldn't exactly share that with Emily, though. "I'll be having words with him. But he meant well. Plus, we're on vacation."

Emily smiled back at Gillian. "Don't let him hear you say that: He'll try to get away with all sorts of things if he knows he can."

Gillian laughed. "He knows I won't hesitate to give him grief once we're back home."

Cal's voice drifted in from his bedroom. "If you two stop yakking and start unpacking we can get out and see some sights!"

"Can we see the palace?" William asked, excitedly.

"That's the plan," Gillian grinned at him. "Come on, let's unpack our clothes and get ready."

... ...

An hour later, they were all unpacked, showered, changed and ready to go.

The plan for the first day was intentionally relaxed: Take the underground to Trafalgar Square; enjoy a light lunch somewhere then walk The Mall down to Buckingham Palace. They would decide on plans for the evening once they knew how they were all faring in terms of jet lag.

William had made sure to put his 'London List' in his pocket. With Gillian's help, he had compiled a list of not only the places in London that he wanted to see, but also the other sights. Things he had seen in pictures of London he had looked at in books and on the Internet. A double-decker red bus; a red telephone box; a black cab, were at the top. His plan was to check them off once he had seen them. They had even bought him a pocket-sized pencil especially for that purpose.

So, William almost squealed with delight when they stepped out of their hotel to find a red bus passing by.

"Well, it doesn't get much more stereotypical than that," Cal commented, and the group paused at the side of the road while William took out his list.

"Could have been raining," Gillian retorted, earning her a chuckle from Cal before he returned his eyes to William.

"Here," Cal said, crouching down so that William could lean on his back while he wrote on his paper.

"Thank you," William grinned to Cal when he had finished.

"You're welcome. Ready to carry on?"

William nodded emphatically and took hold of Cal's hand with his right and Gillian's with his left. "M and M," he called to Emily, "I will hold your hand later."

Emily laughed and assured him that she would make sure he did, and the little group set off for the underground station.

... ...

William had traveled on the Metro in Washington, DC, so he was no stranger to underground travel, but still he took in every sight and sound with absolute awe. While they waited for their train, he studied the map on the wall, following each of the different coloured lines. Emily joined him and they found their station and their destination, counting how many stops there would be in between. Then Emily attempted to answer all of William's questions about why this map was different to the one in his London Game.

Cal, meanwhile, stepped close to Gillian, who was standing next to the map.

"So, I heard you and Emily talking earlier..." he said, quietly.

"I thought you might have done," Gillian responded, equally quiet, aware that this was not a conversation that William or Emily needed to hear.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask first, I -"

"You just thought you would do something nice."

"I didn't really think about the details of the gesture. I'll get it changed back if you want."

Gillian shook her head. "It's okay, Cal. It probably will work out for the best."

Cal laughed. "You make it sound like there's a possibility it could work out terribly."

Gillian was stopped from responding by the approach of their train. She simply smiled at Cal and retook William's hand.

Cal watched Gillian board the train and followed on behind Emily. It was relatively quiet, so they were able to sit down. Cal and Emily sitting opposite Gillian and William. Cal noticed that Gillian was intentionally keeping her eyes anywhere where his couldn't capture her gaze. He frowned, curious. He had been teasing, at the airport, when he had said she was worried about what she might reveal on this trip. He knew she had been busy and he hoped that she had not, in fact, been avoiding him. But, given what Emily had told him about William's question, and Gillian's apparent apprehension regarding their amended accommodation arrangements, Cal could only surmise that she really was nervous about this holiday. Which meant that she too saw the direction they seemed to be heading in.

Since William had come into their lives, Cal certainly felt that he and Gillian had grown closer. They spent a lot more time together, and, rightly or wrongly, he thought of William as his son. Sometimes he had to remind himself that he wasn't and each time he felt the pangs of disappointment quite deeply. So, now the question was: Why was Gillian so scared? Because she too wanted their relationship to move forward and that was a big step? Or because she didn't want that and she was trying to avoid a situation where she would have to reject Cal? He really didn't like even the thought of the latter.

Cal was still pondering these possibilities when the train reached Charing Cross and as they got off and made their way to the surface. As they emerged into Trafalgar Square, William took hold of Cal's hand again, to resume walking between him and Gillian. Cal smiled down at the little one then let his eyes drift once more to Gillian, admiring her grace, her smile, her voice, as she discussed Nelson's Column with William. Cal's lips curved automatically into a smile of their own and he was rushed with the warm, contented sensation that so often accompanied Gillian lately. And he came to a conclusion regarding the topic playing on his mind: Whatever the root of Gillian's nerves, Cal knew exactly what he wanted. If Gillian needed proof that it was a good idea, well, Cal had the duration of their trip to provide that.

TBC