Toby would make a lousy spy? Gwen watched him as he spoke and, despite the situation and extreme shame she felt, she couldn't help but grin in response. There was no doubting it, Elijah had a point.<i> "I think he's going to be a politician, you know."</i>It was very obvious that she was joking when she said it.<i> "Can you imagine, that razor-sharp ability to say just the right thing, to the right person, at the right moment? It would be amazing."</i>Her face changed, however, from amused to serious when he spoke of Madelyn, his wife, and how she left. Gwen - who had a deep well of compassion - put her hand on his. As she did, she saw the  tattoos on his hands and she smiled.  Her hand squeezed his arm, and vivid green eyes lifted to meet his.<i>  "Paul didn't say goodbye to Toby either.  Or me, come to that,"</i>The memory of it was burned in her mind and, Gwen looked at Elijah and sighed, just slightly.<i> "He said he was going to the shops and just … never came home. There was a police hunt,  missing persons, all of it."</i>She smiled and gave a slight shrug.<i> "I even made a plea on television, for anyone with any news about my husband."</i>Shaking her head, she took her hand off his arm, and picked up the menu.<br/><br/><i>"Turns out, he'd gone home to his other wife,  other family, other children. We haven't seen him since,"</i>Gwen wasn't sure, to be honest, what the legal situation was with her marriage, but she didn't really care, either. Toby was her focus and she couldn't have a better one, in her mind.<i>  "Better for Rosalie that she doesn't remember. Toby has just enough memories that he asks, not enough to form opinions of his own."</i>She smiled,  the bitterness she felt lessened by the shared experience,  and then she smiled at the thought of Rosalie making friends and them coming here for celebrations.<i> "It's good that she's got friends. There don't seem to be other children in our apartment block. I hope he makes a few at school."</i>She very much did hope that, Toby needed friends.<br/><br/>As the children piled back in, Liz rolling along beside them, Gwen had to admit that the place catered well to children and what they wanted. The pair of them were laden down with pens, markers, things to colour-in and do. They also both had plastic cups, ready to take and fill at the drinks station. Liz grinned a cheery grin as the children chatted away - apparently about Gonzo - and took their order. Gwen was more than happy for Toby to order what he wanted, yet she was very careful with what she did; Toby got a starter, a kids meal, a side dish, and dessert. She had a salad, which she ate slowly.  If Elijah noticed that she ordered herself the single cheapest thing on the menu, well that was his to notice and she didn't really mind.  She chatted happily throughout the meal, though her focus was largely on both the children. She didn't focus on Toby exclusively, and did her best to make games and have conversations which both of the kids would appreciate. Although she didn't realise it, she was naturally good with children; Toby for his part was well behaved. Gwen didn't notice, but he always was better when there was a man around.<br/><br/>Yet, Gwen was absolutely determined that she would manage alone. That included being able to pay her own way and all of the things necessary to make sure that Toby was cared for. It was why, after all, she'd taken the job she had; a waitress in a bar. There was no shame in that, in and of itself, but the interview had been downright degrading, and the owner was a sleaze. Her "uniform" was given to her, but the message had been given, loud and clear. Her job was to be as attractive as she could be, to be eye-candy and keep the customers happy. She'd been more than a little sure that - had she wanted to - she could have slept her way to a promotion before she began. Still, the money was better than anywhere else and she'd been one of only a few girls who got the job out of a lot of them there on the day.<br/><br/>Looking at Elijah, Gwen had a thought and she spoke her mind.<i> "So, we're not going to argue when it comes to the bill, I hope? We are, in fact, just going to split it, fifty-fifty?"</i>Considering her meal had cost probably a tenth of the whole thing, that was pushing her luck, Gwen thought. But equally, she wanted to start from a place of strength.  As the children devoured their desserts, she smiled at him.<i> "I'm so grateful for all your help. Really, I'd like to argue that I should pay."</i>