There was no way that she was going to be able to do this, Gwen knew. Yet, she had to try. For Toby's sake, if nothing else. She had to try. So, the next day, after she'd showered again first thing, scraped her red hair back into a pony-tail and pulled on a pair of long shorts and a t-shirt, Gwen stepped out into the garden. "Toby, I'm really not very good at football, darling." She looked at him and raised an eyebrow as her young son gazed at her with a disbelieving look on his face. Then, he started to giggle. Once he'd giggled, he began to laugh in a way that she rarely heard from him and Gwen looked at Toby in some amazement.<br/><br/>"What is it?" If she sounded slightly peeved, she hid it well.<br/><br/>"Mom, you've... mom..." Toby walked over and took her hand. In that moment he was a sweet young boy and he looked up at his mother as though he were the adult and she the child. "Mom, you can't play football. You're too pretty."<br/><br/>Gwen's heart flipped in her chest slightly and she knelt down next to him, lowering herself on to her haunches. "Now then, young man. Look at these hands." She gave a greatly exaggerated frown and he grinned at her - they knew this game together. "These hands can.... "<br/><br/>"Hammer a nail!" Toby called and Gwen grinned.<br/>"Or set sail!" She quickly replied.<br/><br/>He thought about it for a brief second and then said, "those hands can saw some wood!"<br/>Gwen grinned and shot back, "or tickle you, good!" She tickled him for good measure.<br/><br/>They continued for a few more rounds, back and forth until he said that they could beat Darth Vader and Gwen had no idea just what to rhyme with that, so they declared Toby the winner. "But sweetheart, Mom can do anything a Dad can do. My hands, remember? They're magic."<br/><br/>Toby looked at her, and his gaze was despairing. "Mom. This is<b> foot</b>ball. We're not using our hands."<br/><br/>It was all she could do not to laugh.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">~~--~~​</div>Since evidently Toby wasn't going to be sold on the whole "mom plays football" idea, they decided they'd go hunting bears or monsters. Gwen pulled together some things for them to eat, and the got in the car and drove. There was a small woodland close enough, and since it was Sunday afternoon, it wasn't busy. They hunted, they dug for treasure and, the pair of them came back to the apartment some hours later, both of them muddy, dirty, and laughing. It was days like this which reminded her of what she was doing and why, Gwen thought to herself and, as she bathed Toby and got him ready for bed, she knew that she'd done the right thing.<br/><br/>Once Toby was in bed, Gwen started on what she needed to do for her class the next night. She had an induction class at the local College, where she'd meet her tutor and some of her fellow students. They'd sent reading to do and some exercises to get done before class. Gwen had a few hours of work ahead of her, but she was happy to do it. She'd arranged that she'd pick Toby up from after-school (which she was going to pull him out of the next morning, but she paid a week in advance), and she would then get him fed and Mrs Quincey would come in to get him in to bed. Switching on the laptop, she glanced at the large cup of coffee and thought that, in fairness, she probably would need another cup.<br/><br/>And, as it turned out, she needed two.<br/><br/>Gwen didn't let herself get distracted, and she made sure that she did everything they'd asked. She was working tomorrow in the day, so she'd have no time.  But it meant that, when she fell into bed, Gwen was exhausted.<br/><br/>Monday, as it is prone to do, dawned far too early. It was a struggle getting Toby in the car, and he was right on the verge of a melt-down, Gwen knew. So, she placated him with sweet treat, and the promise that they could stop and buy a toy on the way home. She knew she shouldn't do it but, equally, Gwen couldn't be late for work. So, she bribed him, got him into school on time - just - and then got herself to work on time - just.<br/><br/>The shift was long, and Gwen was tired to begin with. However, it was done and they were pleased with her work from the Toni Childs gig, so that was good. On the way to pick up Toby from after-school, she spotted a familiar car and so she drove around for ten minutes, then went to get him. By the time she picked him up, she knew she was going to be rushing to class that night. But, that was what it was.<br/><br/>"Hey, sweetie," she said, and gave a quiet prayer of thanks to any deity listening that Miss Sinclair (putting the Sin in Sinclair, the thought shot wildly through her mind) wasn't there.  "What's this?"