"Cal?"

His eyelids fluttered but he gave no other indication that he had woken up properly. "Your turn," he mumbled.

Gillian gave a soft laugh. She caressed the back of his head. He was on his stomach, facing away from her. "Are you awake sweetheart?"

"Mmmmmph," Cal responded.

"Because," Gillian spoke purposefully breathlessly. "Lewis isn't awake yet." She leaned over him, to whisper in his ear. "And today is the one day you and I know he tends to sleep in." Because he was exhausted from his week.

Cal's arm twitched. Gillian waited for some other signs of life. She slipped a hand along his bare back and over his waist. "I've been awake for half an hour Cal."

"Mm?"

She pressed her lips against his neck. "Thinking about you," she whispered. She actually had been awake for the last half hour thinking about him, waiting for him to wake up, and quite frankly, turning herself on. She sighed. "I can't wait anymore. I want you."

Cal half lifted his head and she could see him blink bleary eyes at the room.

"So are you awake?" She snaked her hand further under his body. She had to press flush against his back to reach around his hips. She brushed her hand against his groin. "I can feel that you are."

Cal groaned and started to sit up. He shifted over swiftly, still looking half asleep, but sexy along with it; his hooded eyes and tussled hair. Gillian pulled his mouth against hers, feeling her stomach shiver slightly at the first touch. It didn't cease to amaze her that they still had these kinds of fireworks. In every other relationship she'd had, the electricity dimmed down after a while. But not with Cal. Not even seven and a half years later.

He pushed his body weight against hers as his hand moved down between her legs. "Mmm," he murmured as she leaned back against the mattress. "You really weren't kiddin' were you?" His fingers stroked and Gillian gave an involuntary squirm.

"No," she panted. She pulled him down for another kiss; his fingers pressed harder and she twitched, shifting to get closer to him, tilting her hips up into his hand. "I wasn't kidding."

"Mmm," Cal moaned. He kissed her neck and removed his hand to shift the bunched sheet out between them. Gillian slipped out of her underwear and opened her legs to him. Cal positioned his body between them and rubbed his hips against hers. Gillian gave him a little groan of displeasure; he still had his underwear on.

"What were you thinkin' about?" Cal murmured against her neck again, giving the skin there the slightest nip, so the welts would go down quickly again.

"You. Your thick fingers."

"Mmm," Cal hummed. "What else?"

"It's too dirty to repeat here."

Cal chuckled and rubbed himself against her again causing her muscles to constrict a little. "I like dirty," he whispered in her ear.

"I know you do," Gillian responded happily, the combination of his accent, tone and scruff giving her a welcome thrill. She finally ran her hands down the sides of his waist to his hips and found the edge of his underwear. "The naughtier the better right?"

"Oh yeah darlin' you know how I like it," he moved for her so she could push his underwear down to his thighs. She could feel his hot skin against hers now and it made her throb. Her hands shifted to grip him.

"What are you waiting for?" She looked up into his grey eyes as his head drew back slightly.

"I'm still wakin' up luv," he gave her a slightly amused expression. A hand shifted to her cheek and caressed it softly. For a second she forgot the ach of wanting him as she gazed into his eyes and he saw right through her. She reached up to kiss him slowly and softly feeling a delightful warmth spread out from her heart. Then his tongue was in her mouth again and that warmth was a fire that raced out of control. All of a sudden the pace was frantic again and Gillian just about forgot to breathe with the sensations Cal caused within her body.

Afterwards he turned to roll on to his back, slipping away from her. Gillian turned with him, laying her body over his, cheek resting against the front of his left shoulder. She could feel him catching his breath as she did the same. He draped a heavy arm across her back and grounded her to him. "Mmmm," Gillian hummed happily. They were having sex on average four times a week at the moment. And it was so god damn amazing every time. She wondered if she would ever get tired of him.

Cal drifted his other hand through her hair lazily. "Best wakeup call yet darlin'."

Gillian grinned where she lay. The only time she had worried about their connection was after she had stupidly gone to New York. Seeing the sheer pain on Cal's face had been an agony she wished she could take back a million times over. She was astounded by and so grateful for his capacity to forgive. At least now it felt like it was all behind them. All of it.

"You had a sex dream this mornin' didn't you?" Cal accused lightly.

Gillian nodded her head this time and smiled as Cal chuckled and she could feel it in her own chest. Yeah, she was god damn lucky he had found it in his heart to forgive her for the stunt she had pulled last year. She pushed herself away from his chest and then leaned down to kiss him. "Coffee?"

"I might need a cigarette," Cal joked and Gillian giggled as she slipped out of bed to shower first.

PJ

Gillian fastened the tie of her chocolate brown bikini behind her neck. It was cooler than yesterday but certainly still hot enough; perfect weather for going for a swim. Cal strode into the room and dumped a wad of towels on the bed. He was in underwear only and she wondered as to why he hadn't dressed yet. "Are you going to swim?" She guessed. She turned to open a drawer for a casual fitted t-shirt.

"Definitely," Cal responded. "Christ almighty!"

"What?" She turned startled.

Cal crossed the room quickly to put his arms around her waist and grab her ass. "You look bloody fantastic in that bikini!"

Gillian gave a delighted laugh, her skin feeling suddenly hot, but fended him off good-naturedly when he attempted to nuzzle into her neck. Cal stepped away again and reached into the bedroom wardrobe for a very large bag in the top. Gillian could feel his eyes on her figure until she covered up with loose clothing. It made her feel really, really good and she was glad she had kept up working on her body to tone it again. She had done it for herself, but well, if the extra benefits spilled over into her husband lusting after her she wasn't going to complain.

Cal packed the towels into the bag and Gillian periodically threw things at him that she wanted in the bag too: a change of her clothes and underwear, sun-block, clothes and a swimsuit for Lewis, nappies, wipes. In the meantime, Cal slipped into board shorts and a t-shirt. Gillian went to the kitchen to pack a picnic lunch and listened to Cal wrestle Lewis into clean clothes for the day; he would get changed for swimming at the pool.

With everything loaded in the car they headed across the city. Lewis squealed and babbled to himself in the back, excited that they were going somewhere. Most of his 'swimming' up until now had been in the backyard in the paddling pool. Gillian wanted to enrol Lewis in swim classes but for now, Cal had convinced her that it was probably a better idea to focus on getting him talking. She did worry about overloading the little guy. There was still toilet training to think about soon too. They had already moved him into his first bed, and day care, speech therapy and hearing aids. She hated that he was missing out on the normal.

Gillian felt Cal's fingers on her cheek and turned towards him briefly before focussing on the road again. "What's with the thinkin' face?"

Gillian gave a slight smile. "Just thinking," she responded lamely.

"About?"

"Our life."

"Bloody hell. I hope they were good thoughts, though by the crease of worry I'd say that isn't likely. What's on your mind?"

"This morning? Definitely happy thoughts. Now? Just worrying about Lewis."

"Hmm," Cal mused. "Just what I was thinkin'." There was a pause. "He betta not pee in the pool."

PJ

They pulled up at the water park in Fairfax around ten o'clock. Because it was barely mid-morning the amount of people there was mild. They found a good spot outside under a tree, to protect Cal's delicate English skin, near the shallow children's pool. Lewis squealed his delight and clapped his hands together and attempted to take off to the water straight away. It really did look very inviting; crystal clear and sparkly. Gillian was looking forward to baking herself in the morning sun and then cooling off again. Cal was quick though. He grabbed Lewis and carried him under his arm like a rugby ball. See? She could even loosely explain the off side rule in football (not soccer, it was football). Loosely.

Gillian spread the blanket and Cal set down the bag and their son but held on to him. Even as Lewis tried tugging his hand free Cal dug through the bag to find a swimming diaper and Lewis's swimsuit; the one with imprints of Sesame Street characters partaking in various water sports. Gillian found the sun block while Cal changed Lewis and took the case from her hand bag for Lewis's hearing aids. Then she lathered up the toddler while Cal lathered himself.

"Listen," Cal told Lewis and signed the word by cupping a hand around his ear. "You be a good boy." Which meant, don't take off, or don't ignore them on purpose, now that he didn't have his 'ears' in. Gillian wasn't so sure Lewis was old enough to understand what Cal was asking of him. He fingered the case of his hearing aids as Cal put them away safely, almost as if he missed them. Cal argued that it was important to cement as many good habits as possible while he was still young, then he wouldn't fight them on it when he was older. If it meant Lewis was more attentive and careful without his hearing aids on, that was fine by Gillian.

Gillian, satisfied that Lewis was covered completely with sun lotion, let him go and he raced squealing towards the water. He ran in to it not even ankle deep before he stopped and hesitated. The paddling pool at home was not this big. He reached down and flung the water through his fingers, watching it sail through the air. "Do me," Cal requested and Gillian startled out of watching her baby boy playing, sheer delight on his face, to look over at her husband. She quickly realised Cal meant his back as he turned to sit in front of her.

"I already did you this morning," she pointed out in a low voice right by his ear. Cal chuckled as she made a pattern with lotion on his back. She threw the bottle over his shoulder and started to spread the viscous out along his skin. "Did you put lotion on your face?"

"Yep."

"You made sure you got your ears?"

"Yes Mum."

Gillian suppressed the urge to roll her eyes or sigh heavily to indicate she was annoyed with him. The truth was, she was smothering and he hated that and he tried so very hard to work on himself, the least she could do is curb her less than desirables too. She made sure she covered every inch of his back, then rubbed his shoulders for a moment, the greasy sun block perfect for allowing her fingers to glide smoothly. Cal took a deep breath and relaxed further. Five meters away, both of them watching him like a hawk, Lewis kicked up water and splashed and squealed to himself. Gillian slid her hands down over Cal's spine and then under the back of his shorts. Cal arched away from her. "Oi!"

"Just checking I got everything," Gillian supplied lightly rubbing her hands over her arms to rid them of the greasy lotion.

"Thanks," Cal turned slightly as he got up. "At least I won't come home with a bright red ass."

Gillian grabbed her sunglasses and her paperback. She took a beach towel and moved into the sun on the edge of the picnic blanket. She spread it out and lay back, using another towel as a pillow. She reached for another one, not liking that she wasn't quite as propped up as she wanted to be. She could see Cal now. He walked casually across the paved pathway around the pool. Lewis spotted him and pointed, delighted, with his left hand. Gillian wondered if he really was left handed and if teaching him to sign with his right hand was a good idea. He seemed to be ok with it; his signs were sometimes lazy, but not awkward. Then Cal raced into the water, kicking up large waves as he splashed his way to a depth where he could dive under. Lewis squealed and laughed and attempted to follow his father, but the water got up to his thighs before he got unsure again and stopped and turned to run the other way, kicking the water out of his way too.

Gillian smiled to herself and continued to watch as Cal emerged again, giving his head a shake to flick the water out of his hair. He turned to face Lewis, keeping the water around his neck and moved forward up the slope. Then all of a sudden he stood; the water only came up to his knees. He lunged forward and grabbed the giggling Lewis and pretended to munch on him like he was a hungry monster. Lewis's excited laughter easily peeled across the open space and Gillian found herself chuckling too. Cal waded into the water again until it was up his thighs and then sat, submerging Lewis up to his shoulders; the water only came up to Cal's waist.

Lewis clearly looked uncomfortable for a moment but Cal's large and reassuring hands stayed on him firmly. Then Lewis straightened up a bit and Gillian figured he was standing on Cal's legs. It was then she decided to focus on her book. It wasn't about trusting Cal with Lewis in the water; she just enjoyed watching them together. Cal was so damn sweet when it came to his son. She wondered if he had been like that with Emily too. Probably. But then he hadn't been very happy back then...

Gillian focussed on her book. After a few chapters the warmth of the sun really started to kick in so she put the book down, removed her sunglasses and closed her eyes, letting the heat seep through to her bones.

"Don't mean to interrupt."

Gillian came to. She felt a spatter of cold droplets of water on her legs and sat up abruptly. She had been asleep. Cal stood at the end of her towel, dripping on to the grass. Lewis was looking through the large beach bag. "Can I have a towel?"

Gillian reached behind her and threw one at him. The other one she threw at Lewis. He startled and turned to see who had thrown it. Cal and Gillian both watched him neutrally Lewis decided it was Gillian and squealed and clambered into her lap. His skin was cold compared to hers and his clothes wet. She shifted him off her again and reached for the towel. She dried him off quickly. Cal wrapped his towel around his waist and sat on the blanket, spreading out their food. Gillian checked her phone for the time. It was just after midday.

After they ate Cal dried out in the sun for a while and then moved back under the shade while they let their lunch digest a little. "Are you gonna come for a swim?" Cal asked helping Lewis complete a puzzle.

"Maybe later."

"Gonna bake your otha side?"

"Pretty much yeah."

Cal gave a sudden grin. "Great. Then I can stare at your ass for the rest of the aftanoon."

He was leaning on his stomach next to where Lewis was sitting and Gillian was quite enjoying the view of his ass at the moment.

The water park started to fill up with other families and teenagers. Most of the adults stuck to the lanes pool. Cal took Lewis back into the water after a second dosing of sun lotion, while Gillian turned on to her back in the sun again. It was far too awkward a position to read so she closed her eyes again and let the much hotter afternoon sun warm her back. The noise of other children in the water faded in and out and Gillian lazily figured she might go back to sleep. That would be nice. She did have a much earlier start that morning than she had actually planned on.

PJ

Cal dragged Lewis through the water towards him by his hands while he backed up. He periodically checked behind him to make sure he wasn't about to power boat into someone or the wall for that matter. Lewis laughed in delight, his blue eyes flashing with amusement. Cal grinned back at him and did a loop around the shallow end of the pool. Then he stood and picked Lewis up and threw him above his head, not so easy now that Lewis was getting bigger and dropped him under the water briefly. Lewis came up blinking and blowing water out his mouth, but laughing all the same. Cal put Lewis down on his feet again and sat down himself. The water came up to his waist. "Shall we go home now?" Cal asked Lewis, signing home. Cal had had enough.

"No!" Lewis threw a hand in his father's direction, which connected with nothing but air, and started backing up out of his reach. He glared.

"Ten more minutes," Cal signed the 'ten'. He got up and walked back to where Gillian was lying. She was very still and he could see her golden skin was glistening with sweat. Cal reached for his towel drying in the sun. He wiped his face and turned to keep an eye on Lewis in the water. Cal was pretty confident he could get to him quickly in an emergency. Even so, he kept his eyes glued on the two year old while he sat in the sun and dried off. When he got hot he moved under the shade. Gillian stirred next to him. "What time is it?"

Cal leaned over to her purse and found her phone. He checked the time and told her, while keeping an eye on Lewis.

"We should get going. Lewis is due for a nap."

"I could do with one too," Cal agreed. "I told him ten minutes."

Gillian peered over his shoulder to look at the water. "I think he had a good day today."

"I'd say so." Cal lay himself down, tired with playing for several hours. He propped his head up with his hands behind his head.

Suddenly Gillian's lips were brushing against his from above. "You're so cute with him."

"He makes it easy," Cal responded lightly.

Gillian started packing up their things. Cal finished off the last sandwich. Lewis splashed water into his own face. They agreed to have showers at home and so Cal went to retrieve Lewis from the water. Lewis attempted to run. At first it was funny but then his squeals turned to whimpers and he was bawling and trying to fight Cal as they walked out. Cal wrapped him in a towel and clicked him into his car seat and dropped into the passenger's side exhausted. He dozed as they drove home; Lewis fell asleep. He carried the little guy inside and put him down on his bed. Probably would have been better to change him at the pool after all. Then Cal dropped full length onto the couch and closed his eyes again. Gillian came in and draped a blanket over him. He was only partially aware of her kissing his forehead and smoothing his hair and murmuring, "both my boys, all worn out."