Gillian closed her eyes as she lay in bed and listened to the sound of the water running in the en suite bathroom. Cal was having a shower to warm up, having been caught in a downpour on his way home. The boys were playing in their room and every so often Gillian could hear one of them calling out enthusiastically. She loved that they were so good with each other. Owen learnt more signs from his big brother than he did his parents. And Lewis relished the fact he had a little admirer. Although, Gillian supposed, the puppy dog attentiveness would probably get annoying as Lewis got older. That's when their age gap would get more noticeable.

Gillian tilted her head to the side, getting more comfortable. Through the door she could hear Cal singing to himself, though she couldn't hear the words and it made her smile. It had been a tough week, with her father's death and then their argument. Fight. It had been a fight and it was so rare for them to have one that Gillian was still a little worried about it. Granted, they had been talking too, a lot, about lots of different things that had maybe slipped under the radar after being married nearly ten years. (Geeze, next year it would be ten years!)

Mostly it was Gillian stuff, things she hadn't noticed about herself until something came up to throw it back in her face. She was paying attention now. This was the kind of stuff that had collapsed her first marriage but had been buried under Alec's addiction and then again, under IVF, Cal's abduction, Lily, Cal's accident. She hadn't worked on herself in a long time. That's how things like New York happened. But it was ok because she wanted to. She wanted to keep her marriage the best it could be. If she wanted to go back to counselling she was going to have to work on herself.

Gillian heard a giggle and a whispered 'shh' and realised she was not alone. She heard Lewis give a slight grunt and then the weight of a small body on the bed. She felt the little person crawl up towards her and Lewis's hand on her shoulder. Owen was patting her face as Lewis asked her if she was awake.

Keeping her eyes closed, Gillian responded: "Yes I'm awake." And then she brought up her arms to tickle the weight practically sitting on her chest. Owen screeched and laughed and wiggled to get away from her, legs kicking and hands clawing. She worked her fingers around his neck and into his sides. He rolled away from her and was finally out of reach. Gillian turned to Lewis, who was still standing beside the bed, grinning. "What about you?" She pointed to him. "Do you need tickles too?" She wiggled her fingers at him. Lewis shook his head. "How about you climb up and have a cuddle?" Gillian suggested instead, signing 'hug'. Lewis nodded and pulled himself up to the bed and Gillian reached to give Owen another quick dose just to keep him catatonic for a moment longer, before he tried to worm into Lewis's hug. Lewis was incredibly patient with his younger brother too, was that mentioned?

Lewis lay down on top of his mother and she wrapped her arms around him. He turned his head but didn't press his ear against her chest; his hearing aid would dig in and hurt them both. Gillian smoothed her hand up and down his back and she felt him sigh. In the bathroom Cal sang a few more lines. Owen sat himself up, red in the face, and still catching his breath. "That's Daddy."

"Yeah," Gillian murmured.

Lewis lifted his head to turn it the other way, to face his brother, so he could see what they were talking about. Owen giggled. "That's Daddy singing." His eyes glittered with amusement. Suddenly the shower stopped. "Oh," Owen looked at his mother surprised, as if he were worried his father had heard him.

"Dad's finished with the shower," Gillian noted.

"Mum?"

"Yeah Lewis?"

He turned is head to look at her, his chin resting on her sternum. "Do you miss your dad?"

Gillian watched his blue eyes for a moment. The weight of him against her body was grounding. She gave him a slight squeeze. "Yes."

Lewis looked up at her, seemingly agreeing, or sympathising with just his eyes. It made her lean forward to kiss his forehead. She was going to miss having cuddles like this with him. Soon he would be too big; physically and mentally.

"Owen quick," Lewis whispered to the three year old. "Let's pretend we're asleep and see if Dad notices us." He used 'hurry' and 'asleep' and 'pretend'.

"Oh!" Owen's eyes went wide. He turned himself awkwardly on the bed and lay down. The wee guy was half Gillian's height and he looked comical lying so straight and so still. Seriously, could he be more obvious.

"You too Mum," Lewis told her.

She closed her eyes obediently and felt Lewis's head settle against her heart again. She cracked an eye to check and yes, he had his eyes closed, but his 'pretending to be asleep' face was much more relaxed and natural compared to Owen's, whose eyes were all scrunched up. She suppressed a laugh, which would only clue Lewis into the fact that she was sneaking looks. The bathroom door opened suddenly and Gillian felt Owen flinch against her. Lewis kept perfectly still; Gillian was sure he was holding his breath.

"Aye aye," Cal noted softly. "What do we have here?" Gillian bit the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling. "It looks like everyone is asleep," Cal went on. She heard a drawer slide open carefully and the rustle of material against skin. Then silence and she waited and then Cal's weight jumped on the bed, jostling all of them.

"Ah!" Owen cried out and erupted into giggles. Gillian opened her eyes to see Cal inflicting more tickle torture on the boy, naked torso, inked right arm, towel wrapped around his waist, hair sticking up at sexy angles. Lewis laughed and pushed away from his mother, accidentally grabbing a fistful of her breast that made her push his hand away quickly. Lewis launched himself at his father's back.

"Attacked from behind!" Cal crowed. "It was an ambush!" He pulled Lewis around his body, on the side opposite to Owen who was still rolling around and screaming, red in the face again, breathless. Lewis got his fair share of torture and then Owen again and then Cal looked over at Gillian who had curled up on her side so she could protect herself from stray feet. "What about you? Were you involved in this deception?"

"Oh please," Gillian sighed. "I'm far more subtle and devious and seductive than that."

"Too right," Cal gave her an openly brazen expression.

"Get him!" Lewis cried and launched a new attack. Owen got himself to his hands and knees, then threw himself at their father a second later.

"Oi!" Cal hollered, falling back against the bed. "Ow! Pinchin'!" He captured Owen's fingers quickly, dwarfing them with his own.

"Tickles for Dad!" Lewis declared. Gillian thought she might get in on that if only Cal were ticklish. If only the returning punishment wasn't so harsh, as it was bound to be. Owen let out a squeal as he tried to get closer to Cal again. Cal tucked Owen under one arm and sat up. Lewis hung off his other arm and Gillian was glad they were a lot gentler with her; she could see red marks on Cal's toned chest where one of the boys and knocked against his skin. Cal stood with Owen still under his arm. "Look!" Lewis cried out, laughing. "Dad's got no clothes on!"

The towel had slipped away completely but at least he had underwear on.

"Nudy! Nudy!" Owen chanted from behind his father's back, as he was held like a rugby ball, slapping his hands against his father's backside.

Cal turned towards the bed where Lewis was sitting on his crossed ankles, joining in the chant. "I've got undawear on," he pointed out.

"Nudy! Rudy!" Lewis called louder.

"Right, that's it," Cal grabbed Owen's legs and pulled him around his body, then threw him to the mattress. He proceeded to tickle him harder than before, periodically reaching out to get Lewis too. "Little smart arses," Cal murmured. "The tickle monsta will get you both!"