Standing in pharmacy aisle of their local grocery store, Rory had lost track of time. Why were there so many options? Had there always been this many options? It was never something she had paid attention to before. One boasted it read PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT, but was that more accurate than the one that had one line or two? What about the one with a plus or minus sign? She suddenly felt overwhelmed like if she didn't select the right test, they wouldn't get the answer they wanted. It was an absurd notion, but her brain wasn't being its best logical self at present. She'd picked one up and was holding it in her hand, studying the back, when she heard a woman clear her throat. She looked to her left to see a woman who was probably in her sixties, who reach past her and pulled out the one that read pregnant. She put it on top of the one Rory was looking at. "My granddaughter used this one. It detects very early." She said kindly. Rory smiled, blushing a little bit. "Oh, thank you." But of course, an older generation couldn't help but be nosy. "For you?" Rory didn't hesitate when with a beaming smile she said "My wife." Rory hadn't even paused to think that she could be faced with a negative reaction. Thankfully for everyone involved, the older woman's smile only grew like she'd just won a million dollars. "Oh that's so lovely! Oh, good luck, sweetheart, good luck."

Rory got both tests, and then ended up getting another one of the one that the woman suggested, just in case. She was practically bouncing as she moved about the store afterward, grabbing a pack of oreos (double stuffed, of course), and then wandering over to get each of them their favorite ben and jerry's flavor. She grabbed some things for dinner that would be easy to heat up, just in case. Before she left, she thought about a bottle of champagne, but all things considered, didn't want to risk it. So she swiped a bottle of sparkling Martinelli's.

She made her way home quickly, and then it felt real. They were going to do this. And whatever the result was going to be okay. Because of course it was. Because no matter what, they had each other.

But even as she believed all of that to be true, and even though she really did think she'd done a great job not obsessing over the possibility... her hope was bigger than she had anticipated. She saw it, the family they wanted so badly coming together now, not later on.

"Babe? I'm back." She called into the house as she moved into the kitchen, putting the goodies away and leaving the various tests on the counter, next to the oreos. She just stared at them again, the butterflies roaring to full flurry life in her stomach.

Maris had been enjoying a Coffees of Christmas advent calendar Jenna had sent. There was a little festive coffee pod in a flavor like gingerbread cookies or peppermint stick behind each little door. She usually sat down and tried that (giving Rory a few sips or the whole mug when it was something she didn't like) as soon as she got home from school to help her wind down, but there was no loosening up today.

Maris' Virginia Woolf mug was full and going cold a few feet away from her on the kitchen table.

She was nervous. Because she was so sure she knew how this was going to go.

She knew periods weren't skipped for no reason. She had never gone this long without one and if she hadn't just had the procedure done, she would have been nervous, fearing some worst case scenario that meant she probably needed to get to the doctor, stat. Or that she was the next unsuspecting Jewish woman about to have a baby through mystical means, but she still couldn't really allow herself to believe that it had actually worked.

Maris didn't feel pregnant. And if movies, television and other women had taught her anything, it was that she should probably know by now.

Still, she was putting a brave face on for her wife, trying not to show the defeat she already felt. Maris was already rehearsing what she'd say once the test was tossed in the trash.

We'll try again.

Which meant sticking to the cycle of shots this time, something Maris really wasn't looking forward to but she had no other option.

She just hoped Rory wouldn't be too disappointed.

Even if she tried to imply otherwise, Maris would be too.

She'd liked the idea of conceiving around her birthday and knowing she was pregnant around Christmas. It seemed like a wonderful gift at the perfect time but...

Nobody got everything right on the first try, not even this.

Not even Maris.

"Geez, Rory. I'm not a camel. I'm not sure I have enough pee for all these," she joked, trying to play off her nerves. But she didn't tease her wife for overpreparing the way she normally would have. Neither of them really had experience in this department. Extras were good in case they somehow screwed up. It was best to be sure.

Even if three negative tests would probably feel worse than one.

Maris grabbed the test that boasted the most accurate, clear and early results, flipping it over to read the directions. It seemed like a pretty simple go on the stick and wait affair, but it didn't hurt to be thorough, especially when she was notorious for scolding her students for not reading instructions.

"Okay," she said, the word coming out as a slightly nervous exhale. "Let me go do this thing."

Maris disappeared into the nearest bathroom, able to be heard because it branched off a few feet away from the kitchen. Her hands were shaking, the flimsy cardboard housing the stick rattling as she attempted to rip open the box. She stopped to read the more detailed paper instructions inside then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Here goes....everything.

She was quiet for a few moments, then let out a oh fuck as she missed the stick entirely.

"I'm not a man, I've never had to aim before!" she muttered, adjusting a little before there was a flush, then the sound of running water as she washed her hands.

She realized a second too late she probably should have done them all at once. It was probably best to get it over with like ripping off a band aid but her bladder was empty and one would do for now. She carried the test out somewhat gingerly on a wash cloth, sitting them both on the kitchen counter.

"You'd think they'd come out with something a little more hygienic. I peed on my hand a little," she said dryly. She was trying to lighten the mood and take both of their minds off things, but her eyes never left the blue washcloth or the little bit of plastic on top of it.

Maris wasn't a nervous person. She had no tics or tells, but she was starting to nibble her bottom lip, fighting the urge to pace if only to give herself something to do.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, the word slightly sharp thanks to her anxiety and seemingly apropos of nothing.

"For going to get them. I realized I didn't... thank you."

She meant it. But Maris was also talking just to talk, because of the sound of her racing thoughts was driving her crazy.

It didn't work. It didn't work. This is just a waste of time. It all was.

But what if it did?

Maris was trying not to look at Rory because she really wasn't looking forward to seeing disappointment on her wife's face in a few minutes. She was trying to play off her fears, wanting to be strong for the both of them because today she might really need to be, but it still made her feel guilty.

She couldn't think of a moment that was more about togetherness.

She scoffed, a slightly nervous, helpless sound at the ridiculousness of this whole situation and shook her head a little before slowly looking up at her wife. Maris' eyes were wet. She was already emotional which meant the reveal definitely would be.

Rory could try to tell herself a million times over that today was just any other day and that if the test was negative, that didn’t change anything for them. In theory, that was true. They’d take their licks and regroup. They’d make a plan for next steps. They would move forward, because this was what they both wanted. Things wouldn’t actually change that much with a no result, even if it would be a blow.

The fact was if they got what they wanted, everything would change in a second. It wouldn’t be just the two of them anymore, and that hope they both had for a family would become tangible, real, something they could grasp. It was a little bit scary to think about, but more than anything it was exciting. More than anything, she felt ready for all that would change for them.

But she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. She didn’t want that extra pressure on her wife, either. She knew that Maris could be hard on herself, even with something like this that would be absolutely no fault of hers.

Rory might not have been in for the procedure itself, but the moments leading up to it from that very first shot they’d done together truly felt to her that they were making a baby. The love they shared for each other and the care they were putting into the whole process felt like they were building the steps to their family. That couldn’t be for nothing. That had to mean something for the whole of them.

“I know, I just thought y’know, in case.” She chewed on her lower lip, showing her own nerves with a small smile. But she rolled her eyes in a good natured way, glad that Maris could joke.

Rory cringed a millisecond after she told her wife “Good luck,” When she went off to the bathroom, laughing and shaking her head at herself. She paced a little back and forth in the small space between their counters, before finally leaning back and chewing on her thumb. She didn’t want to acknowledge the way her stomach was already in knots or how her heart hammered in her chest even harder when her wife returned from the bathroom.

“You would think, but you survived it.” Rory said with a smirk, but her own gaze followed down to the plastic like it would start yelling at them the result.

Rory’s smile softened as she moved towards her wife, instinctively wrapping her arms around her. Emotion tightened in her throat, her own eyes brimming with tears. “Of course, sweetheart.” She murmured close to her ear. She gave her a gentle squeeze and tucked her chin against her neck. “I love you so much, you know?” Rory knew that Maris knew, but she still felt the need to say it. In fact, she felt downright overwhelmed by how much she loved her wife. She didn’t mean despite what happens or no matter what. She loved her entirely separate of what they were doing, and still encompassing it all. No matter what, she still had Maris, and Maris had her. Whatever that result was, Rory was determined it would only bring them closer together.

"I know," she whispered, pressing a lingering kiss on the top of Rory's head. She held her wife for a moment. Her closeness soothed her for about five seconds before she reached into her back pocket for her phone.

"I should probably..."

Maris didn't need to set a timer. Despite her best efforts to look away, her eyes kept drifting back to the test a few feet away from them. Playing with her phone (yet another thing she normally didn't do because she was a luddite who often complained about just how reliant everyone else was on theirs) was something to keep her hands busy and kill time.

Because she was pretty sure this was the longest five minutes of her life. She told herself next time would be easier. She'd know how to work a test. She'd be used to waiting. Part of the reason today was so nerve wracking was that everything was so new. The last thing she wanted was this cycle of trying and waiting to become routine. She knew neither of them nor their bank account could handle that, but things would be better. They just had to get over this speed bump.

Despite a missed period and every reason to believe the doctor knew what she was doing and the procedure worked, Maris had very little hope the test was positive. She'd assumed crash position, mostly worried about how she'd regroup and start the whole process all over again.

She hadn't really pondered how her life would change if things actually worked out. Which is why her knees gave way a little after her phone buzzed and she plucked the test off the table, momentarily forgetting her squeamishness over handling the test.

"No," she said firmly, gripping the counter with one hand and holding on to the test for dear life with the other.

Pregnant.

There was no second guessing faint lines or plus signs. It didn't get any more foolproof than the actual word spelled out on the applicator but Maris couldn't think of any of her own.

"I need more water," she said briskly, sitting the test down on the counter (and probably giving Rory her first real chance to take a peek) before hurrying to the fridge. "I gotta take another one," she said, pulling open the door. She didn't even look up as she rummaged around for some, clearly a woman on a mission. There was a pop then a hiss as she opened up a can of sparkling water, a flavor she said she hated and wasn't about to buy again the night before and took a huge gulp. The taste barely registered. She couldn't even think straight.

"Is it hot in here?" she said faintly, fanning herself with the front of her blouse.

Rory was trying to be calm, trying to be comforting for her wife. She didn't want to show her own anxiety. She didn't want Maris to worry about her when she was dealing with the same feelings on her own. It felt good to hold her, to remember just how in this they were, together.

But it felt like eons, waiting. Her heart was pounding and her breath felt a little short as time ticked down to go time. In her mind, Rory rehearsed how it would feel to read not pregnant. She rehearsed to prepare herself for the heart-sink feeling, but not to let that in. No, she would be full of things to tell her wife that would soothe them both ... but find the balance to not add pressure like next time will be different. She knew how hard the injections were on Maris.

She was even thinking that tomorrow they should do something fun, just the pair of them. They should do something that took their minds off of their disappointment.

In all of those minutes, Rory had, she supposed, tried to talk herself out of overwhelming hope. It would be easier that way. But somewhere in all that time, she hadn't prepared herself for what it would feel like to read the opposite.

It was time. Maris' word made her heart lurch. No. Fuck. Rory put her hand on her wife's back, ready to comfort her. "Honey..." She said softly, but then Maris moved away from her. Her heart felt heavy, and she didn't even want to look. She didn't want to see their hopes shattered.

But then she saw it. The name so bold and clearly written. The room itself seemed to blur around her, she barely heard Maris as she talked over by the fridge. She just stared, blinking at the test. She didn't realize why her vision was going blurry until a fat tear landed on the counter.

"Mari." She turned to her wife, the gentle tone and rarely used nickname coming out just above a whisper. "Did... are we...?" She couldn't even form a real sentence. Her tears were relentless, brimming as her heart was beating so fast she thought she legitimately might pass out. "Are we having a baby?"

A missed period following a medical procedure to get pregnant would have been enough for some people to start planning for baby. A positive test on top of that should have erased any and all doubt, but Maris was nervous. Still unable to get over the fact that she didn't feel any different apart from some strange taste in her mouth that didn't even seem like a real pregnancy symptom. She was half convinced it was half imagined, a little crumb Maris' normally logical mind had given herself so she wouldn't beat herself up or assume the procedure was a failure right away.

One positive test was great. Three were better. Even Maris couldn't dismiss that.

But as she looked up, she couldn't dismiss her wife, either. Rory looked so happy, hopeful and emotional. Three things Maris was trying so hard not to be. She was more worried about getting Rory's hopes up than her own. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her but Rory was happy.

She clearly believed the test.

So Maris let herself believe it and be happy too.

"I think so," she said, her voice just as faint before she put down the can hard enough to send a faint metallic clang throughout the room. "I think so," she repeated. "Fuck, come here."

But Maris was already on her way to Rory, pulling her into a hug that was tighter than she could ever remember giving her, burying her face in her neck as she started crying too.

One test wasn't the be-all-end-all of positivity. The doctors would have to confirm of course, there were still hurdles in pregnancy to get through. But with how much Rory had tried to remain cool and whatever happens will be the right thing about it all, it was like a levy broke and she allowed herself for the moment to be filled with joy. The logical part of her brain could come back to play later. Right now, she wanted to rejoice with her wife.

Rory had learned to trust Maris' instincts. Even when she listed the mild symptoms, Rory had just noted those things. But going back further, Maris knew when she wanted to stop with the treatments, to just go for it, to try. Maybe her wife really did have a complete bodily intuition on this sort of thing.

She moved into her wife's arms without hesitation, hugging her, holding her, kissing the side of her neck. Rory was trying not to downright weep all over her wife, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't even realized how much she wanted it until now, even if she knew things could still go wrong, or be false, and even though she'd been sure about wanting a family before now.

Now they had their first real glimpse at a big ol' maybe.

"Oh my god." She murmured into Maris' neck, clinging to her tightly. "I love you, I love you." She just repeated, gently swaying with Maris in her arms and refusing to let her go just yet.

Eventually, she took a breath, but didn't let Maris go either. "I know this is just a giant maybe." She had to let her wife know that she wasn't buying onesies and bottles just yet. "But god damn it feels good. How do you feel?"

While cautiously excited, the main emotion Maris was experiencing was relief. She hadn't let Rory down. She probably hadn't been imagining her one potential pregnancy symptom. The wait (at least for one stupid test) was over. She might not even have to do those stupid shots again.

Although her hormones were probably about to go into overdrive either way. Pregnancy was hard. If she was, it was probably going to make the shots and awkward insemination appointment seem like a cake walk, but for now Maris was focusing on the positive.

Even if not pregnant was the first thing to come to mind when Rory asked how she felt.

She didn't feel any different physically and that kind of bothered her. Maris knew some women had a tough time of it right away. She didn't want to be immediately run down or constantly running to the bathroom to throw up, but she did kind of wish she had something more concrete to confirm her suspicions.

It would have made the experience more real.

Because it hadn't really sunk in yet.

More tests would help and Maris couldn't help but scold herself again. Why hadn't she taken them all at once?

She knew she would the moment she had to go again, but she wanted answers now. Part of her felt like she couldn't celebrate without them or even confirmation from the doctors, but they also seemed like a bit of a formality.

She'd been trying to get pregnant, she had a symptom, no period and a test telling her she was.

There was little room to second guess that.

Things would feel real eventually. Nine months wasn't a long when you considered she'd be growing an entire human in that time frame.

Things probably got very real very quickly.

Was she? The idea that she wasn't the only one inhabiting her body anymore was... a lot. Something she didn't really want to think about, at least at the moment. Today had already been...

But she couldn't be overwhelmed with anything but happiness when she looked at her wife. Rory looked so happy. Maris had seen her this elated before. Their wedding day came to mind but... there was something different in the way she was looking at her.

Maybe things were changing already.

"I need to take the other two," Maris said, practical as ever. But her gaze and touch was soft as she stroked Rory's hair before tucking it behind her ear. "But I sort of feel like... if they come back saying I am, seeing the doctor is kind of a formality?"

She would, of course. She wanted the most accurate test possible and to get checked out to make sure everything was going as well as could be thus far.

But it already was.

Everything was going according to plan. They had the best possible outcome. Nothing was going wrong and they had no reason to doubt. They'd ticked every possible box so why shouldn't she be happy?

Maris had actively worked for this in a way most straight women never needed to (something that still, somewhat irrationally pissed her off).

She deserved to relax. They both did.

"I'm happy," she said firmly, taking her wife's face in both hands and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "But I'll be really happy once I have three reasons to be."

In all of the way she was feeling, Rory’s main concern and focus was her wife. She knew enough of the symptoms or lack of what she had felt thus far, but she was just as concerned about what Maris was feeling, what she was thinking.

They both had wanted this so desperately, but it was Maris’ body this was happening to. Rory wanted to take care of her. She didn’t want to project too much of her own hope onto her, but this ray of sunshine that was one positive test felt brighter than anything.

Could it really have worked so quickly for them? Of course logically it could, and it apparently had… if the test was accurate. She had prepared herself mentally as much as she could have for the trials that they might face in even the trying. In selecting the right donor, but she was confident they had. But then there were so many moments where they should have had some kind of obstacles. Was it supposed to happen on the first try? Was the universe that kind to them? God, she hoped so. She felt like they were owed it to some degree.

“You do.” Rory chuckled softly, her own gaze just as soft. “I think probably, because she’d at least have some information or … a plan?” God, for all that Rory had read about the steps that needed to be taken, she realized she had no real idea what a doctor would tell them, or what might come next. Something about prenatal vitamins? Her sister had told her about an app that tracked your baby’s size by various fruits or items based on your due date. Probably a few weeks off from that, just yet.

What Rory hoped for, what she wanted to hear, that was exactly what Maris gave her. “I’m so happy you are, my girl.” She murmured softly, kissing her cheek after her wife kissed her forehead. “Go pee on sticks!” She said through a laugh, ignoring her emotions as they rose up again as she was grinning through them anyway.

"I can't! I used up all my pee on the other stick!" Maris said with a laugh, shaking her head at how ridiculous (and borderline gross) this conversation was. "I will as soon as I have to go again."

Which meant more waiting. Maris sighed a little, picking up the water she'd gotten out to help hurry the process along.

It did feel like a bit of the weight had been lifted. Maris didn't want to have to wait to go again. She didn't want to have to wait for two more results even if they would happen simultaneously, but a good bit of her anxiety was gone, replaced with cautiously optimistic nervous excitement.

This felt like waiting for a surprise. The sort of giddy, childlike impatience you felt around the holidays growing up because you knew you were about to get something good.

But how to kill time?. Maris paced a little, but stopped herself before she felt like some caged jungle cat, removing her thumbnail from her mouth.

She didn't usually bite her nails. She thought it was a disgusting habit but she was apparently itching for something to do. Deciding drinking her water so she could just do the damn thing would be a better use of her time, she started to chug the can like a beer she probably wouldn't be having for nine months if these tests came back right.

She hadn't had a drink in months already. She just hoped it wasn't for nothing. If the first test was some kind of a fluke or even if, after all this they went to the doctor and she told them Maris wasn't expecting, she made up her mind then and there to get absolutely hammered in a way Rory (who had never seen her more than slightly buzzed) had never experienced.

She'd earned it.

She, somewhat selfishly, thought she'd earned this baby too.

She'd done everything right.

And she'd agree with her wife's thoughts if she somehow heard them.

They deserved this. Things had been downright blissful once they got married, but it had been a steep climb to get there. One Maris hadn't forgotten.

Smooth sailing was welcome, especially when you considered Maris had nearly talked herself out of motherhood in the first place.

Oh god, what if it knows?

It was an awkward thought, and not just because Maris felt slightly awkward calling her potential child an it. She was actually acknowledging the possibility that she was carrying something other than her own organs.
Something that'd become a someone.

Maybe things wouldn't come easy because Maris had kind of made them needlessly hard. Doubted herself to the point where she nearly convinced herself to go through with this. What if karma was a bitch? One who teased then took away her shot now that she actually wanted it more than anything she could remember save the woman at her side through all of this.

The woman who would be there for her through this too.

She sighed again, crushing her can to vent some of her frustration once she was finished.

She grabbed another can, muttering, "I really do hate the watermelon. We're not buying it anymore." But as she slid her nail under the tab to pop the top, she realized she had to go again and quickly snatched both tests off the table.

"Come on," she said as she practically jogged to the bathroom. "You're coming with me this time. It's nothing you've never seen before."

Rory had to laugh at Maris' exclamation, and really the entire topic of conversation. Come to think of it, if things really were on track and a reality... they'd probably have to get very comfortable talking about all sorts of bodily functions between pregnancy, birth, and everything their newborn would have them go through. It made Rory giggle a little more, just at how much people glossed over any and all of those parts.

She thought about sitting on the counter while they waited, but decided not to. She wanted to be able to move around, or fidget - which is what she did in arranging the spices she had out by their coffee. Keeping her hands busy, keeping herself from just staring at her wife and feeling like she was putting any sort of pressure on her at all.

But Rory was excited. Even to just live in the excitement for a few minutes, she'd take it. Because in her mind, it meant that they were doing the right thing. They were doing something that in their very bones felt right. A baby who would be theirs, who would look like her wife. God, it was enough to make her weep fro, the pure joy of it.

There were certain parts of this whole process that Rory tried to see the bright side of, even when it was hard to feel a bit... outside of the process. Through now fault of their own, it was just the nature of it. She had hoped and prayed that she would feel just as connected not only to her wife, but to the child that they so desperately wanted. It really was a relief, to feel this strongly at just the idea that it had worked.

"We need to find more of the tangerine, that one is the best." She agreed, idle conversation that suddenly had no purpose whatsoever.

It shouldn't have even made her this excited to run off to the bathroom with her wife, but it did. "We've just become that couple." She joked, as if they hadn't shared space in the bathroom before. But it was really just an attempt to hide the way her stomach filled with butterflies. She took one of the tests from Maris and opened the box, figuring it would make her useful as she leaned back against the vanity in the bathroom, trying to keep her own damn hands from shaking.

Maris could tell Rory was nervous. Her own hands were still unsteady as she ripped open the box she was holding.

Her aim was better the second time around, which was a relief because she kind of wanted to get the tests over and done with now that she had an audience.

Even if she had dragged Rory into the bathroom with her this time.

It did feel a little better with company. Especially now that a positive test had given them reason to be optimistic, but Maris knew there was no avoiding their nerves. They'd probably feel uneasy until the doctor confirmed her pregnancy, then even more uneasy until their (hypothetical) baby was out and into the world.

She sat the tests side by side on the bathroom sink, taking a long time to wash & dry her hands because she wanted to waste as much of it as possible.

Her gaze was soft when she looked over at Rory and maybe a bathroom wasn't the best place for a tight, swaying hug but she gave her one anyway, lightly rubbing her arms as she stepped back a bit.

"It's gonna be okay," she said softly.

Maris knew, no matter what, it would be. She kissed her, lips twitching a bit once she realized that was precisely how they could waste time (and probably should have been) all along. But what ifs still didn't let her become fully engrossed in making out with her wife and she found herself pulling away a few seconds before her phone alarm signaled the tests were ready.

"I think it's your turn to look at the tests first this time," she said, pressing their foreheads together playfully before reluctantly letting her go.

Though Rory might often be the softie of the two of them, she was resilient and currently trying not to show how nervous or excited she was. Even though, looking at her wife, Rory knew it was a futile exercise. She could never hide anything from Maris, the woman who knew her better than anyone, and always had.

Similarly to before, Rory tried not to stare at the sticks once they were placed together on the counter. It was a feat that became much easier once her wife was in her arms. The way Maris said those words, Rory knew that they were absolutely accurate. She hugged her wife a little tighter, nodding as she pressed her lips against her neck. "It is." She agreed softly, glad for the distraction.

Even more so when that distraction took shape with her wife's lips on her own. She kissed her slowly and deeply, every ounce of overwhelming love she had for Maris in each lingering kiss. Time certainly did fly when having fun.

"Okay. Okay." She breathed the words, a little flushed, but still nervous. She bumped her wife's hip with her own just gently as she looked towards the tests.

Just prepare yourself for negative, and that will be okay too, she told herself, willing her mind to be calm. But the first one she picked up had a bold, dark + in the window. She thought her heart might stop right then. She let out a little noise, entirely unfiltered as she picked up the second one, one that read the same result as the first one of the same brand. PREGNANT.

There in black and white and gray. Undeniable. Three confirmations. Tears were brimming in her eyes as she breathlessly turned back to Maris. "They're both ..." She nodded, choking on the last word as emotion couldn't quite be contained. "Pregnant."

"Really?!" Maris was trying to play it cool. Like Rory, she kept repeating that a negative result would be fine and was doing her best to tamp down her emotions in preparation for one, but Maris' excitement was evident in her voice.

In fact, the word really sounded a lot more like an uncharacteristically high pitched squeak.

She leaned over Rory to take a peek of her own.

Well.

Even she couldn't talk herself out of that.

Now she really needed to book an appointment. Because she really wouldn't be wasting anyone's time with paranoia. But it was hard to think about that in the moment.

The room started to spin again, her heart beating even faster than it had thanks to one positive test.

This was really happening.

Maris may not have felt pregnant. But she was.

And she was excited, if a little shocked about it.

For all her insistence that things would be fine if they just went for it, she hadn't been expecting their first time to work.

Her doctor really hadn't been exaggerating when she said she was fertile.

"I...." Maris scoffed a little, not sure what to say, but pure joy was written all over her face in the form of a smile wide enough to make her cheeks hurt if she kept it up for much longer. "It worked," she said softly, still not able to wrap her head around it.

She laughed, hugging Rory with enough force to send her back into the nearest counter. "It worked," she said, more firmly this time, pulling her wife into the sort of kiss that wouldn't stop any time soon.

Rory could stare at the tests for a while longer, but instead her gaze was firmly focused on her wife. She wanted to take in this moment, to let it sink into her very bones. She'd remember this very moment for the rest of her life, that she had no doubt about.

"Really." Her voice was breathless and emotional, but she didn't even try to downplay it. Their family was here in this room.

Rory drew closer to Maris, maybe sensing she was spinning a little, or maybe just because she needed to be closer.

How had they gotten so lucky? How were they downright blessed by whatever goddess was looking out for them to have it take on the first try? They had other obstacles and milestones to get passed of course, but right now all she could think was that it worked, and her wife was carrying their child.

That look of joy on her wife's face said it all. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks at this point, laughing as she wrapped her arms tightly around Maris. "It worked." She repeated, her voice barely a whisper through her emotions as she kissed her wife a second later. She kissed her deeply, her heart slamming in her chest all the while. "I love you." She murmured into her lips, repeating it again but mumbled, barely audible as she kissed her wife even more passionately than the one before it.

It would probably take months to actually feel real, but Maris was still excited.

Rory was excited. And she was allowing herself to think of everything that would come, seeing their baby on a monitor, hearing its heartbeat, actually feeling it move around inside her and guiding her wife's hand in place so she could feel it too.

It didn't seem right that you could have another human being growing inside you and not even know it until a little piece of plastic told you otherwise, but Maris pushed her slight annoyance over not having any real pregnancy symptoms and experiences (and having to wait even more than she already had) to the back of her mind.

And focused on her wife. Sure, she was now aware and obviously concerned about the baby but if it wasn't making it's presence known, it was probably fine.

No news was good news, right?

Time slowed, their kiss seemed to last for ages, but Maris eventually found herself leading Rory out of the bathroom. The tests could be dealt with later.

She'd suddenly been given a lot to think about. The room spun and her mind raced a little less once she stepped into the hall where things were a little less claustrophobic.

She reached out to gently wipe Rory's tears away with her thumbs. Maris had apparently used up the few tears she had on her first test, but couldn't help but smile at her wife who seemed to be getting them all out for her.

"I love you," she whispered, taking her face in both hands. "You're gonna be so good at this."

Reality could come in the morning, when they would have to think about tempering their excitement, and doctors appointments, and all of the what ifs that could spring up.

For now, all she wanted was to hold her wife. All she wanted was to fully immerse themselves in this idea that yes. They were going to be parents.

She'd always thought that there wasn't any way that she could possibly love her wife more than she already did. But something in her burst open right then, pouring more of it through her like a tidal wave. But something told her that a similar, if slightly different feeling of overwhelming love for her wife would have happened if Maris wasn't pregnant.

Pregnant. That word felt insane, and beautiful.

Rory felt a bit in a daze as they moved out of the bathroom, her hand tightly in her wife's until she was facing her. "I love you." She laughed a little bit at herself, the overflow of emotions always making her feel a little absurd - but her wife never made her feel that way.

"I hope so. I'll have you to keep me in check." Her gaze was steady on her wife as she slid her hands over her hips, giving her a little squeeze. "You're going to be amazing, Maris." She kissed her cheeks, and then her forehead before leaning back to fully look her in the eye.

"We're going to have a little you." Her voice was barely above a whisper, so overcome with the idea of it. "If we're lucky, they'll be a lot like you."

"Oh god, I hope not," Maris said after a sharp bark of a laugh.

If her current problem student was anything to go by, Maris had a tendency to butt heads with other strong personalities. People that were too much like her drove her crazy, but she knew things were bound to be different with her own children and she was kind of determined to raise a child that was well... determined.

Someone independent and while kind and well behaved, didn't allow the world to walk all over them.

She was firm on that but above all else she just wanted them to be like... well, Rory.

Her wife may have wanted a mini her. She just wanted a mini Rory, but would definitely settle for more of a combination of them both.

"I'm going to keep everyone in check," she teased, tucking some more hair behind Rory's ear. "We both know I'm going to be the bad cop."

And that Maris was surprisingly okay with that.

"It's just..." Maris wavered a little, knowing her current complaint was about to sound very silly when plenty of women had a rough time of it during and after pregnancy. Her own mother had been through hell, but that was partly why she was so shocked everything had been so uneventful thus far. Since learning about Christina's problems, Maris had prepared herself to have them too but...

"Nothing's happened yet," she muttered. "And I know that's probably good," she said quickly. "And I don't want to poke the bear or anything but it feels strange. Not to feel anything yet. I suppose I thought I'd sense a shift right away?" she offered, hoping she explained herself well and conveyed that she was happy. "It's just different. Than I thought it be because everyone makes it seem... different."

Rory could only grin fondly as Maris laughed at her hopes for the little one that they'd welcome into their lives.

She'd fallen in love with her wife all those years ago, and every day they spent together since, because of all of those parts that made up the incredible woman she was. Headstrong, absolutely, and she welcomed that with their kids. She honestly couldn't see a world in which their kids would be pushovers, or be anything but independent thinkers. She hoped their kids would inherit Maris' strength, her humor, her brilliance, her fierceness. All well before she hoped they'd have her eyes and her cheekbones.

"Oh I know that." Rory laughed, her own fingers dragging through her wife's hair at the base of her neck. "But that's because I'm going to be a complete soft mess for a good long while with our kids. Until they start really acting up." She smirked, well aware that her patience was very high... until it wasn't.

Rory listened to Maris' concern, her arms tightening around her just a little more. Rory supposed that if she were the one pregnant first, she would also expect to feel different. Even if medically not so, she would expect that there would be some tingly sense of some kind. But then again, that wasn't really reality. Just what TV and movies and books wanted you to think. "I understand that, I probably would too." She offered, considering how her wife was still so early. "But you also had that taste in your mouth, right? Which ... I get, isn't the most earth shattering of symptoms." She smiled softly, gently brushing her fingers over her wife's shoulders. "It'll be really hard to deny soon enough, I think."

She couldn't help but smile at her wife's attempts to soothe her. Not only did she understand Maris' frustration, she'd put it into words better than she could.

It was a kind of weird, miniscule symptom. Disappointing in a way.

If someone asked her how she had an inkling she was pregnant, she'd have to mention that and probably have her audience look at her like she was crazy.

She didn't want to be running to the bathroom every five minutes to throw up like a housewife on a sitcom yet did she?

Part of her kind of did.

"You're right," Maris said fondly, sliding an arm around Rory's shoulders, giving her a little half hug.

"I keep thinking nine months is nothing in the grand scheme of things, especially when the past few years have just flown by but..." She shrugged.

What would happen next?

Appointments. More tests. More appointments to go over the tests.

Maris wasn't sure if she liked their doctor's realistic, unsentimental approach or not. She hadn't exactly done much to ease her fears over whether the IVF would take. Maris didn't want her raining on her parade when she was more than capable of that on her own, but she knew she'd have to go see her eventually. And despite just thinking she didn't want to rush on the appointment front, she knew she probably should.

As wonderful as the UK's health system was, there was a lot of waiting and red tape.

"Well, I can't call today," she mused aloud, knowing her doctor was closed on weekends. Technically Maris could but she'd rather call on Monday and speak with a person to book something rather than leave a message and wait for them to call her back.

They would just have to wait until the weekend was over.

Maris liked the idea of their news remaining theirs a little while longer.

"You'll come with me, right?" she asked hopefully.

Maris was far less nervous about this appointment than all the others she'd had recently. She already had an idea of how it would go. Another test, confirmation from the doctor that she was pregnant followed by a lecture on things she should and shouldn't do, most of which were probably common sense or things she'd read already.

She wanted Rory there, knowing she'd shut her wife out a little when it came to going in to get inseminated. As embarrassing as that had been, it was done and Maris really didn't see the need to be quite so self conscious anymore.

Things would probably get weird, gross, mortifying and uncomfortable. The idea of giving birth still made her a little queasy and ready to crawl under a rock at the thought of Rory seeing her that way but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

They would.

This situation wasn't something that either of them had been in before. The closest Rory had been was when Maggie was pregnant, but even then, she hadn't known until her sister was a couple months along. She'd never been responsible for this part of it, for looking forward to the life they were creating and bringing into the world. Oh god, she could already feel how invested she was, no matter how much she wanted to let reality dictate that they still had a long way to go.

But something in her just felt like this was right. They were supposed to be here in this moment, starting their family. But she kept that part to herself for now. The last thing she wanted was to feel like she'd jinxed something.

Nine months really was short, and felt even shorter now that they were really staring down the road at it. They were stepping into a whole new chapter of their lives, or really a new volume that would change everything. It was as exciting as it was a bit scary.

Maris was right, today was not the day to call, but the question that followed her assessment hit her right in the chest. Rory nodded before she said anything, a little tightness in her throat. "Of course I will." Rory wanted to be with Maris every single step of the way. She wanted to hold her hand when she needed it, to offer whatever strength she could give. She wanted to feel as involved as possible when her wife was the one carrying. They were in this as together as could be. She couldn't even imagine those poor couples (usually heterosexual ones, honestly) who had to deal with one party not being as invested as the other.

Rory pulled her wife in a little closer, bowing her head to brush her nose against Maris'. "You are going to be so great, Mar." She murmured above a whisper, her heart so full of that conviction that poured out of her as she kissed her wife again.

While the news of her mother's troubles and just how big of a role they played in why she left had sent her into a bit of a tailspin, Maris was doing better now, only slightly more worried about her ability to parent than most first timers.

Rory's words, paired with a nickname only her wife used for her, were still a balm she didn't know she needed.

"We're going to be great," she corrected gently, but she firmly held Rory's face in both hands as she kissed her.

"I can think of something else we're already good at," Maris murmured when they came up for air. Her tone and the way her fingers slid down the front of Rory's top gave away exactly what she meant, but she looked almost sheepish, ducking her head for a moment.

"I mean, if you want to," she added quickly.

Maris had never been shy when it came to sex. Nor did she ever really doubt that Rory wanted her, but her confidence was a little shaky today.

Some people might find intimacy after finding out their partner was pregnant was weird. Rory might just be too distracted to want to do anything. Their sex life was going to have to change to, something that worried her more than it probably should have, but Maris was a physical person.

A slightly vain, greedy one to boot.

She always wanted to feel wanted, but she also wasn't about to push Rory into anything she didn't want to do.

Rory smiled at Maris' correction of her words. Yes, she was right. They were going to be great. Because as a team, they were unmatched. Be it trivia or raising a family, the way they worked together was the truest kind of partnership. They were going to find exactly what worked for them, and learn along the way.

But the way Maris included her like that, it was exactly what she needed to hear. She hadn't even realized how much.

Rory kissed her wife with the kind of abandon they were particularly good at. She kissed her wife deeply, her lungs burning as they came apart.

The kiss, she was a bit dazed from, so it took her a moment to understand what Maris was saying.

"Oh my god." She scooped her wife up closer to her, her fingers sliding up the back of her neck, her grasp almost desperate as a grin spread across her face.

"Baby. There is not a day that ends in Y I don't want to." Their sex life might have had some adjustments when Maris was going through hormones, but that didn't mean her desire had waned. The exact opposite. If anything, seeing everything that Maris had gone through for their family made her love her wife even more, desire her even more.

Today, it felt even more so. Like every ounce of her body was filled up with so much want for her wife. The joy that couldn't even be properly expressed in any other way. For Maris to think one second that she might not want her simply would not do.

Rory's hands had begun to wander before she even fully found herself aware of it, but they moved with purpose. She pulled her wife against her until her hands gripped her hips and pressed her own against her wife's. "I want you." She murmured against her lips, easing her forwards as she backed towards the hall. "Let me show you."

Maris giggled as Rory pushed her around, giddy for what was to come (namely: them). She felt a little silly for feeling relieved, but so much of this was uncharted territory.

Hurrying into their bedroom was anything but new and Maris felt a bit of her anxiety fade once they were in the familiar space. It still smelled faintly of the sandalwood perfume Maris put on that morning. The bottle was old and she suspected there might be a tiny hole in there somewhere.

She wouldn't rush out to get another one anytime soon. Bad sinuses meant Maris was sensitive to smells. Too much of even her own perfume gave her a migraines. She'd always used any scent sparingly but her perfume seemed extra strong today, making her temples ache and her stomach turn, a possible symptom she hadn't noticed because it was one she experienced when she wasn't pregnant.

"Oh you're gonna show me, huh?" Maris teased, giving her wife a little shove while not moving an inch away from her.

"Not if I show you first."

Her grin was cheeky. Some things really never changed and Maris wasn't going to let anyone take the lead without a bit of a fight. She pulled Rory against her by her belt loops, fingers already making quick work of the buttons on her shirt.

Rory didn't ever give much thought to other couples and how they worked; she was selfishly so focused on her marriage that she didn't ever really compare. But she did have to feel bad for those marriages that might see a wane in passion, or desire for each other that seemed "natural" by the way of things. But she didn't ever see that happening. Sure, there had been and would be times when they weren't in the mood, but Rory always looked at her wife with the same mixture of adoration and desire she always did.

Today just felt even more charged than usual.

Rory couldn't help her own giggle as they moved through their house, the space they had meticulously made their own since moving into it. They had filled every room just so, mixing and matching their aesthetics, thinking about and dreaming about the kids that would run through these halls with them one day. It was hard to believe that that day was already so much closer than ever.

"Oh you think you're getting everything you want cause you're pregnant, huh?" Rory teased right back, hooking her fingers firmly under her wife's chin and holding her gaze for a second. It still felt insane to say out loud, but filled her with such a thrill, she kissed her through a big grin.

Her hand dropped, instead moving to make quick work of ridding Maris of her clothing as well. She shrugged out of her own shirt once Maris got it undone, just moments before she lifted her wife's above her head and tossed it wherever. She kissed her deeply, her tongue finding hers with a soft groan. She pulled Maris against her, nuzzling her nose against hers as she slid her hands down over her wife's ass and gave her a squeeze. "You're going to get almost everything you want, though."

Maris quirked her eyebrow, an expression that said really?

She usually got what she wanted in every aspect of her life and today's events were further proof of that, even if hearing Rory say so out loud hammered home just how true that was.

She'd found Rory again. They'd gotten their dream house. She'd married her. Now she was having their baby. None of it had been picture perfect and she was still terrified of somehow jinxing it, but she didn't see how things could get any better at the moment.

Maris' hormone shots seemed to have caused more trouble than her pregnancy thus far.

Her sex drive had plummeted. She'd been constantly hot and with it, sweaty which had actually lead to a very red, very embarrassing and very painful heat rash along her bra line and lower back that had faded with a bit of time and an over the counter cream she had found thanks to a bit of googling.

She was a bit paranoid about it returning again, so she had taken to wearing bras only as long as she needed to, not wanting anything to rub her too much and cause another one. It was for the best in more ways than one, really.

Her breasts were sore and had been since the shots, a dull ache that wasn't much different than the one she felt before or during a particularly bad period, but now she supposed she knew why the pain hadn't faded after the shots had presumably worn off.

Maris may have been topless once her tee shirt (the heat rash had also caused her to keep opting for breathable fabrics, just in case) was gone but she still had to get Rory's bra off. She let out a purr as her wife gripped her ass to bring her closer, her gaze hungry as it fell back down to Rory's chest.

"And if all I want is you?" she murmured, pressing kisses along Rory's jaw that quickly made their way downward.

Rory had to purse her lips together to keep herself from laughing out loud at the look Maris gave her. Her lips were in a tight line, barely staving off a smile as her own brow arched as if to say yes, really.

She wasn't sure what exactly had come over her, this quality that she'd felt a few times before, but maybe never quite this strongly. Maybe it was a little possessive, but it was protective, too. That here was her wife, carrying their baby now.

She wanted to take care of her. Rory always wanted to take care of her wife, but this felt somewhat different. It felt primal, like it was in her very marrow to want to love on and take care of and please her wife. Maris often was the more dominating one between them, even if they took plenty of turns, but Rory's energy felt like it was radiating out of her in waves.

As they made it into their bedroom, Rory paused to help Maris out of her shirt and get her own bra off. She moaned softly as she pressed her breasts against her wife's, her fingers digging harder into her ass as if she couldn't possibly get close enough. In some ways, she couldn't.

"You have me, Maris." She murmured as she let her head fall back a little bit, giving her wife better access to her neck. "You always have me." Her tone was rushed, deeper in timbre as she moved one hand up to slide through her wife's short hair, curling her fingers into it. She backed Maris towards the bed, shuffling with her to not allow an inch of space between them.

As determined as she was to get her way, Maris also sensed the change in Rory. When her wife came closer, making it harder to move, she let herself be cornered.

Her eyes never left Rory's even as she sat back on the bed. Maris being Maris, she couldn't resist the urge to pull Rory into her lap once she was settled, but her grip was relatively loose, giving the other woman the option of taking the reigns if she wanted them.

It was a relief, really. That Rory was leaning toward dominance and looking at her with want rather than... softness?

Maris felt soft, of course. She loved Rory now more than ever and no matter how often their doctor had warned not to get attached in the early stages, she sort of already loved the baby she was carrying but Maris wanted things to stay as normal as possible.

Especially on this front.

She wanted to be desired. Treated like a woman. A lover as opposed to someone's mother.

Even if she was about to be.

She didn't want Rory to go easy on her, being hesitant and treating her differently or with kid gloves because she was having a kid. She wasn't fragile.

If anything this whole baby thing was making her feel a bit stronger. Even if she had physically felt like garbage for some of it.

"But I'm greedy," she said, pouting for emphasis. "I want you even more," she teased, sliding her hands up Rory's sides.

From the moment they were married, or really from the moment she realized how much she loved Maris, Rory had wanted to take care of her. While fully aware that Maris was an independent, self sufficient woman, she wanted to care for her in a way that made her feel safe and loved and sure of her place in their unit. Now they had another part of them and Rory already loved that little fleck of a being crowing inside of her wife.

It drew out something big out of Rory, too. Something she didn't expect, but was certainly not shying away from. A little sound huffed from her lips as she was pulled into her wife's lap, a wry grin on her lips as she slid into her lap a little more comfortably, her hips angling to press into her wife's.

"I love you greedy." She murmured against her lips, taking her time to slide her own hands against Maris' body. Her hands slid between their bodies, a bit gentle in their approach but still rolling her warm palms over her wife's breasts. She hummed a soft sound, sighing as she took in her wife's pout, grinning as she nipped at her lips.

Rory could spend hours just touching her wife, but her desire for her was already in overdrive before she even touched her properly. "Fuck, you're so sexy." Her voice was almost a whine, so overwhelmed with how much she wanted Maris. She knew her wife knew how much she loved her, how beautiful she thought she was, how sexy she thought she was. But it felt important to tell her that, to drive that point home even though she figured her body was practically radiating with how much she felt that.

"Tell you what. We'll be greedy with each other." She said with a wicked grin, nudging her wife's nose with her own as she leaned in to kiss her again.

"Sharing is caring," Maris said dryly.

Such generic platitudes were usually only saved for teasing. Said ironically because Maris hated cliches, but she meant it now. She wanted her wife as much as she wanted her. She wanted them to share this experience as much as possible. She didn't want Rory to feel like she was on the outside looking in for a second.

This was her baby too and she wanted to make sure her wife felt like she was in on the process, a shared experience with shared joy and when she caught her wife's gaze she knew that Rory was feeling every bit of it too.

She moaned a little as her breasts were toyed with, leaning back a little to give her more access to them. Their sensitivity hadn't always been a bad thing lately. It meant good sensations were amplified too.

She pulled at Rory's pants as they kissed, managing to get them off before scooting back a bit more so Rory could do the same, her pulse quickening with anticipation and every brush of their lips.

Eventually they had to break for air, but Maris' head dipped downward to press soft kisses along Rory's chest before running her tongue along one of her nipples with a soft purr before taking it into her mouth to suck.

Rory chuckled and shook her head at her wife, "Exactly." She teased back with a bit of a triumphant tilt of her jaw.

They did have certain ways they were excellent at to ensure mutual pleasure, and Rory thought there might be no better occasion than this one. Or well, whenever the hell they wanted to.

Rory wanted to take her time to please her wife, the moan that filled the room making her own desire rise inside of her with her body temperature. She loved the way Maris reacted to her touch, never a guessing game just how affected she was.

She only pulled herself away from Maris long enough to get the both of them completely undressed, a soft sigh of relief escaping her lips as she moved back towards her wife. "Maris," She moaned her wife's name, goosebumps racing over her skin from the first contact of Maris' tongue to her nipple. She whimpered as her hand curled into her hair again, easing herself down on top of her wife and keeping one hand pressed into the bed for leverage. She reached down and lifted one of Maris' thighs, easing herself down between them, but slipping her hand between their bodies first. She slowly began to stroke her wife's pussy, moaning again as she pressed her palm into her, teasing, slow.

She never really resisted to take charge, even with her wife.

Especially with Rory. She wanted her. She wanted to possess and please her pretty much every second of any given day but especially now.

Maybe it was hormones heightening things. Maybe it was everything that had happened today resulting in a need to just shut everything down, including her brain for a moment. Maybe pregnancy did somehow make things different and more intense but Maris whimpered, eyes already watering with pleasure when she was touched, letting herself be topped.

The sound buzzed against Rory's skin, her mouth falling from her wife's breast with a barely audible pop as she kept scooting back on the bed until her back hit the pillows. Their eye contact never broke and her hips never really stopped, automatically lifting to meet and rock against Rory's hand the moment it had slid between her legs.

This felt good, too good already but it didn't stop Maris from wanting more. She was panting a little as she leaned forward again, giving Rory's other breast the attention it hadn't gotten, but this time she kissed and sucked harder, the sound audible as her hands fumbled for then gripped Rory's ass, trying to pull her against her more quickly.

Rory had always rolled her eyes at those women who insisted on labeling what they were like in the bedroom with their partners. It was sad really, how much someone could miss out on just because of some preconceived notion of what role you were meant to play. Maris had opened Rory up to so much in their sex life, made her damn near insatiable when it came to how much she wanted her wife.

And they knew more and more with every passing day just what turned each other on, what made their bodies yearn for the kind of pleasure only they could deliver to each other. Rory would easily say she loved her wife more and more every day, but she felt just the same about how much she desired her.

Then there was today which seemed to be in another universe all for itself. The sounds that came from her wife only egged her on, making her want to earn more and more. Her nipples were hard against her wife's mouth, her own sighs and moans filling the room.

Rory's lips curved into a grin as she continued to rub her hand against her wife, using her thumb to begin to roll pointedly against her clit.

But as much as she loved to watch her wife squirm for her, she was throbbing with want. She moaned aloud as Maris' fingers dug into her ass. Her hand pulled from between them as both of hers returned the ass grab herself. She pulled Maris against her, angling her hips and spreading her thighs just so that she could angle herself to lower her own wet pussy against her wife's. "Fuck," She whined, a gasp that had everything to do with the myriad of sensations running through her thanks to her wife. She told herself to go slow, but even as she did so, her hips began to rock harder against her wife's, fucking her into their bed.

Her breath hitched, face automatically falling into her wife's shoulder as their most sensitive parts brushed. They slowly but steadily fell into rhythm, earning a breathless laugh from Maris who could remember a time when she'd warned Rory she was pretty sure she couldn't come this way.

Times had definitely changed.

She clutched and clawed at her wife like she couldn't get her close enough, soft sighs and moans spilling from her lips before she was even aware of them.

From her position backed against their pillows, she couldn't just see her wife moving above and against her. A glimpse over her Rory's shoulder allowed her to see them moving together in their bedroom mirror, not to mention a perfect back view of her in motion, but she didn't linger on the sight for long. Pleasure caused her eyes to blur as her body bucked faster, her lungs starting to burn with all the effort they were putting in

"So good," she breathed. "Fuck, it's so so good..."

She laughed a little at how inarticulate and stating the obvious she was, nails pressing into Rory's hips and ass as she let out the sort of sharp cry she knew gave away just how close she was.

"I'm gonna come all over you," she hissed in her wife's ear. Her voice deepened, taking on more of a growl. "I'm gonna come inside you."

Rory was hyper-focused on her wife, everything that wasn't the woman beneath her blurred into nothing. She noticed the way her breath hitched, a small smile on her own face as she felt her bury her face in her neck. It only made her begin to churn her hips harder, more pointedly to press herself against Maris. She wanted to chase the feeling the flood of warmth that spread through her own body at each brush of their most sensitive parts.

Rory cradled the back of Maris' neck in one hand, almost soothingly brushing her fingers through her wife's hair as she dropped kisses against her cheek, and her temple. An undeniably soft gesture even as she rolled her hips and rocked them harder. She moaned into her ear, her own breath heavier as she held her so close.

Her gaze fell heavy on her wife as she redoubled her efforts, leaning back to buck her hips harder than before, making sure that contact in their friction remained constant. Her own cheeks were flushed, sweat on her forehead from the effort, but it was Maris that she noticed. Every flicker of pleasure that graced her wife's beautiful features only made Rory want to give her more.

"That's it baby," She nodded, sucking her own lower lip between her teeth that barely muffled a whimper of a moan.

Rory felt heat and pleasure surge within her with every rock of their hips, but especially with the twinge of pain that Maris' nails in her skin. She began to tremble, her movements becoming more jolted as she felt her own end too near.

"Do it. I'll fill you up baby." Rory's own tone was a deep growl back, her entire being taken over with want for her wife. She lowered herself to Maris, kissing her lips briefly, her tongue flicking over them. "Come with me Maris." She cooed against her lips, her voice breaking midway through. She rocked her hips harder, her movements taking almost a bouncing quality with each buck of her hips that rocked her into her wife.

It was only seconds before her entire body began to shake, her fingers gripping her wife hard enough for her short nails to leave indents in Maris' skin as a cry ripped from deep in her throat and she came, spilling over her wife's pussy as promised, but never stopping the way she nearly frantically rocked against her.

The moment Rory pulsed against her she was a goner. Her own sharp cry left her throat, replaced by an almost sob of pure bliss as her nails dug into the lower half of Rory's body and she felt a shared trickle of wet warmth between her legs, a satisfied shudder overtaking her because they had done what they'd promised each other to do.

As her eyes fluttered shut she allowed herself to think, as she often did these days, that this was how their baby would come into being.

There would be no doctor's tables with scratchy , rustling paper or cold, prodding instruments. Just this. Two people who loved each other bringing new life into the world with a kind of primal tenderness.

She believed it now more than ever because technically their baby was already here.

That was too much to wrap her head around yet, especially at the current moment when her head was still spinning and all she wanted to do was rock and ride out every little shudder of their bodies for all it was worth.

Her breathing was shaky as her grip on Rory's ass loosened ever so slightly, but she didn't let go, a silent signal that she didn't want Rory to stop either, even if their bodies had slowed.

"Rory," she whispered softly, her name almost as much as a sacred word as it was a plea for her to keep going as she rested their foreheads together, her breathless kisses turning tender like she was trying to breathe air back into her lungs after the frenzy that had happened moments before took it away.

Watching her wife come for her was something that would never, ever get old. Rory watched Maris climax with a kind of awestruck darkness in her eyes, that drive for more pleasure and just more thrumming through her body even in the moments after her own orgasm. Feeling her wife pulsing and slick against her could have made her come all over again. But she was too honed in on Maris to follow that at present.

Rory had that same overwhelming feeling that here they were, making their baby. It was a romantic (and scientifically inaccurate) notion, but it felt that way. Their child was being born into a family full of so much love.

She lay on top of her wife, careful to shift her weight to her hip so she didn't actually squish her. Maybe actually a little extra careful with her abdomen. Her breathing was ragged and heavy, her heart hammering just as fast in her chest as she barely felt the need to come down.

"I love you." She murmured into her wife's lips, kissing her deeply a moment later. A soft moan echoed her words as she kissed her, her hips rocking a little extra as she held her close. She brushed her fingers through Maris' hair, taking a deep breath as their lips parted. "I think we both got our way."