"So… Remember the conversation we had after Ainsley's birthday party?" James murmured against her skin as the sweat cooled and their hearts slowed back to normal.

"Mmm."

James snorted softly and pressed a parting kiss to her breast before he rolled off of her.

"Was that a yes or a no?" he teased, opening his arms for her as she nuzzled her way into his chest.

"Mmm."

James laughed and gave her a squeeze. God, he loved this woman.

"You should know better than to try and have a conversation with me right after a good shag," Rose mumbled into his chest.

"Was that a good shag?" he asked lightly.

"Oh, shut up, you know it was," Rose said.

James giggled, the lingering endorphins making him feel happy, warm, and giddy.

"Right, what were you trying to say?" Rose asked, turning slightly so her head was on his shoulder.

She rested her hand on his chest and slowly rubbed her fingertips through his sparse smattering of chest hair. The motion lulled him into peacefulness, and he blinked heavily to keep from tugging her close and falling asleep.

"The conversation you and I had after Ainsley's birthday party," he prompted. "Do you remember it?"

"The one where we decided to try and expand our family?" Rose asked.

"That's the one," he said. James swallowed thickly. "It occurred to me that it has been a month and a half, and we still haven't tried for a baby."

"We've been shagging regularly without a condom," Rose pointed out. "Doesn't that constitute as trying?"

"I suppose. But we haven't exactly been intentional with our shags," James said. "We just go where the mood takes us. I haven't been keeping track of your ovulation cycle, and I don't think you have either. And we haven't exactly been eating healthily this holiday season. And end of term stress was high for me. And—"

"James, what are you getting at?" Rose asked.

"Well, I was just wondering if you still, y'know, wanted to…" He trailed off awkwardly and stared resolutely at the ceiling.

"James, look at me."

Never able to resist that command, James turned his head and looked at his wife.

"I still want to try for a baby," she said softly. "Do you?"

"Yeah," he whispered immediately.

"All right, then," Rose said, nodding decisively. "New Year's Resolution: start seriously trying for a baby?"

"Yeah. Yeah, agreed."

Rose returned her head to his chest and cuddled close to him as he stroked his fingers through her hair.

"I-I was worried maybe you'd gotten cold feet," he admitted. "And didn't know how to tell me."

"Nope," Rose said. "Just been busy, like you said. I definitely want another baby with you. Yeah, there are days I panic and think one is enough. Like when Ainsley tried to flush a dirty nappy down the toilet and backed up the plumbing. Or whenever she throws a fit in public. But then there are the moments when she snuggles with us in bed or cries for one more bedtime story because she doesn't want us to leave yet or she picks a flower for us, and I want about a million babies."

"A million?" James asked, grinning. "Well, let's stick to two, for now, then we can talk about more later."

"Fair enough." Rose groaned as she arched her back in a stretch, and she nuzzled even closer to him, ready to drift off to sleep. "Happy anniversary, James."

"Happy anniversary, Rose."

oOoOo

True to their resolution, James and Rose started working towards another conception. They both began using the period tracker app again, and they made a point to eat healthy and get enough sleep—well, as much sleep as they could, with a toddler in the house.

The winter gradually turned into spring, and there was still no hint of an impending baby.

"D'you think something's wrong?" Rose asked James one night. She was laying on the couch with her head in his lap and a heating pad on her abdomen, dealing with the monthly reminder that they weren't pregnant.

"Wrong?" he asked, looking down at her from the crossword puzzle he was finishing.

"Yeah. D'you think there's a reason we're not getting pregnant?"

"Rose, love, it's only been four months," James said softly, setting his puzzle to the side. He stroked his fingers through her hair and said, "These things can take time. You know that."

"Didn't take any time last time," Rose mumbled, closing her eyes and relaxing into his touch.

"Well, we were spoiled by that," James said. "Please don't get discouraged. We've still got time. If by the Christmas holidays it hasn't happened yet, we can go to the doctor's to make sure things are all right for us both."

"The Christmas holidays?" Rose spluttered.

"It'll have been a year, then," James said patiently. "Besides, most doctors won't call it fertility problems until a couple has been trying for a year or more."

"I know," Rose murmured. "I just… I want to be pregnant, James. I want another baby. I want to be a mum again and to give you another child and to give Ainsley a sibling."

"I know you do," he whispered. "I want that too, love. But don't put that pressure on yourself. This isn't all down to you. I think I'm a pretty important contributor, eh?"

Rose chuckled as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she reached for the hand that wasn't playing with her hair.

"I love you," she murmured.

"I love you, too."

But as springtime waned into hints of summer, James was finding it harder to stay positive. He knew five months was hardly any time at all, regarding pregnancy, but he really wanted another baby.

He couldn't tell Rose how much it was bothering him that they weren't pregnant yet, not when he was constantly reminding her to not worry about it and that they still had plenty of time to conceive a baby and that it would eventually happen.

But he couldn't deny their failures were weighing on him.

"Everything all right, mate?" Robert asked as he played his latest move in their game of Scrabble.

"Hmm? Oh, sure. Yeah. Why?"

Robert raised an eyebrow, and James sighed and dropped his gaze to his own tile rack, where a string of vowels greeted him. He'd gone to visit his dad while Rose, Ainsley, and Jackie went on a shopping trip, and he had hoped to get advice from his dad, but James knew there was really no advice to be given on this, except to be patient. But he was sick of being patient.

"Rose and I have decided to try for another baby," he said softly, arranging the tiles alphabetically.

"That's great," Robert said, smiling.

James shook his head. "We decided that six months ago. Still nothing."

Robert's face pinched in sympathy. "These things take time, you know. Your mum and I…"

"Yes, I know," James said shortly. "You were trying for five years and lost three pregnancies, so it could be worse and we should be thankful to already have Ainsley."

"That's actually not what I was going to say," Robert said coolly, leveling James with a hard look.

James felt the tips of his ears heat up. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"What I was going to say was that your mum and I never stopped trying, despite all of our failures. Yes, it was hard, and it was heartbreaking, but then one day it all paid off," Robert said. "I know it's frustrating and disappointing—believe me, I know—and I know you both are probably wondering if it's something wrong with you. But James, mate, as you said, it's only been six months. Yes, it's longer than you'd like, but give it a bit more time. Things will work out all right in the end."

"But what if they don't?" James asked. "What if we never get pregnant?"

"Then you and Rose can discuss that if the time comes," Robert said simply. "You could look into other options, if you both want more kids that badly. But try not to worry too much about it, James. Things will happen in their own time. Have you spoken to Rose about how upset you are?"

"I'm not upset, per se," James said. "Just frustrated. And no, because she's frustrated too, but I keep telling her not to worry and that it'll happen."

"Time to heed your own advice, I think," Robert said with a smile. "Easier said than done, I know. But I have hope for you and Rose that everything will turn out all right."

James nodded and then said, "My tiles are all rubbish. D'you have a consonant I could have? You can take your pick of vowels."

Robert laughed and said, "I've got a 'T' you can have if you give me a 'U'?"

"Oh, no, you've got the 'Q', haven't you?"

"Do you want a consonant or not?" Robert asked sweetly.

James rolled his eyes and looked at the board, where the word 'long' had already been played. He stuck two of his three 'O's in front of the word.

"Ha! Seven!" James scribbled down his points and tallied the score; he was losing miserably to his father. He then stuck his hand into the velvet bag of letters for new tiles. "If I get any more vowels, I'm turning them back."

oOoOo

James's conversation with his dad helped calm his fraying nerves. Robert was right; he and Rose still had plenty of time to conceive another baby. They were both young and healthy; he had to believe it would happen in its own time.

He was soon overcome with end of term madness, and hardly had any time to worry about the lack of pregnancy. His students were constantly emailing him and showing up to his office hours for last-minute help, but then finally all of his exams were given and graded, and he was free, save for the one summer class he taught.

He loved summertime. It was far less hectic than any other season, and he spent his extra free time with his wife and daughter. They took long weekends as often as they could, and they frequently visited the beach, where James made sure to thoroughly slather on sunscreen so as not to have a repeat performance of the dreadful sunburn he had gotten the summer before.

James and Rose had taken several private weekends away together, too. While they absolutely adored vacations with their daughter, it was nice to have alone time and not have to worry about little eyes and ears seeing and hearing things they shouldn't. Those trips always left them feeling refreshed, exhilarated, and giddy.

After one of their private weekends away, James was due to give the midterm exam of the summer session. Rose cooked him his favorite dinner that night as he shut himself in the home office to get grades in, and after supper, she had an even bigger surprise waiting for him.

"I got a new photo album while I was out today," Rose said as they walked back to the living room after putting Ainsley to bed.

"Ainsley's album isn't full already, is it?" James asked, his eyes widening. He knew they took a generous number of photos of their daughter, but the last he looked, there were plenty of pages to go in the current baby book.

"Oh, this one isn't for Ainsley," Rose said, and James narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the note of excitement in her voice. "Anyways, I took the liberty and started adding to it."

James opened up the book, and saw three things tucked inside the book that made his throat swell shut. The first was a photo of Rose standing sideways from the camera with her shirt tugged up to reveal her flat belly, and underneath she'd written "five(ish) weeks". The second was a painting of a pair of hands cradling a swollen belly, and the words "And baby makes four" were painted across the stomach. The third was a thin piece of plastic: a positive pregnancy test.

James's ears were ringing as he stared down at the book unseeingly. A baby. They'd finally made a baby.

"Oh, Rose," he rasped, setting the book down on the coffee table before he curled into Rose's side and held her. He was going to be a dad to another little person. "We made a baby!"

"We made a baby," she confirmed softly, reverent awe coloring her tone.

"When did you find out?" he asked.

"Just this morning," she answered. "My day off wasn't much of a day off. I went into the office so Penny could help me with the photo, then to paint the picture for you."

James giggled high in his throat as he hugged her tighter, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry or both. After seven months, they finally succeeded.

"I'm so happy," he whispered, pressing kisses along her collarbone.

"Me too," Rose sighed, tilting her head to the side as he kissed the join of her neck and shoulder. "I was half tempted to burst into your lecture this morning to tell you the news."

"You could've," he said, letting his lips and tongue taste more of her as he nudged aside the collar of her shirt.

"I wanted to be a little more creative than interrupting you at work," Rose said dryly. "Especially during an exam."

James hummed against her skin and started sucking more boldly at her neck as his fingertips stroked her upper thigh. He rested his hands on her hips and tugged, urging her to straddle his lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she caught his lips in a kiss. He hummed into her lips as she leisurely explored his mouth with her tongue while he stuck his hands down the back of her jeans and massaged her arse, feeling overjoyed and overwhelmed with love for his wife and family.

Later, they moved from the couch and to their bedroom to clean up and get themselves ready for bed.

But when James stepped into their en suite, he stopped short.

"Blimey, did you buy out the entire shop?"

Rose poked her head into the en suite to see what caught his attention, and she laughed when she saw her husband gawping at the six other positive pregnancy tests on the counter.

"Wanted to be thorough, is all," Rose said, stepping up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist. She scraped her teeth across his back and laved her tongue across the mole between his shoulder blades as she let her hands wander. "M'always thorough, if I do say so myself."

"That you are," he sighed, his head tipping back in pleasure as she took his soft cock in her hand and coaxed it to life under her gentle touch.

"Efficient, too," she murmured, smirking against his skin as she felt him hardening in her hand. "Speaking of efficiency, care to share a shower with me, my love?"

"There's nothing I'd like more," he growled, spinning in her arms to press a hard kiss to her lips.

The following morning, Rose awoke slowly to the feeling of fingertips tracing across her bare stomach. She let her eyes flutter open, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision and then saw James curled up on his side with his head on the edge of her pillow as his hand covered her stomach.

"Morning," she whispered, pecking a kiss to his forehead.

"Morning," he replied, scooting closer to her to drape his body across hers now that she was awake.

Rose opened her arms for him as he nuzzled his cheek into her shoulder and threw a leg across hers and continued mindlessly tracing patterns across her belly. Happiness flared deep inside her when she saw how peaceful James looked. She hadn't noticed how tense he had become these last several months, but now that all traces of his tension and frustration were gone, she realized it had been ages since he'd looked this young.

"I love you," she whispered, carding her fingers through his hair as she pressed lazy kisses to his forehead.

"I love you, too," he said, turning his head to brush his lips across the swell of her breast. "You and Ainsley and our new baby."

"How soon should we break the news to Ainsley, do you think?" Rose asked. "We waited a long time before announcing our pregnancy last time… If we do that again, we'd have to keep it a secret from her for another couple of months."

"Yeah, and she's bound to pick up that something's changed," James mused softly. "She's such a perceptive child."

"Mhm," Rose said. "Speaking of perceiving… she ought to be up soon."

As if the very words alone conjured her, they heard a soft tapping of knuckles against their bedroom door.

"So… do we tell her now? Or wait?" James asked, moving so they could let their daughter into their room.

"Let's… let's wait," Rose said hesitantly. "Like we did last time. Wait until we're sure the pregnancy is established. But if she notices something or explicitly asks, we tell her?"

"Sounds good," James said.

They heard another series of rapping on the door and a quiet whisper of, "Mummy? Daddy?"

"You can come in, darling," James said, opening the door. Ainsley was standing in just her nappy, and was bouncing excitedly on her toes.

"Daddy!" she squealed, beaming up at him.

James grinned down at her and scooped her up into his arms. God, he loved his daughter, and soon, he would have another daughter or a son to love and care for.

oOoOo

The rest of the summer passed without much excitement, though James and Rose were dying to tell their daughter about their good news. It was easier to keep the secret when they found that, much like the last pregnancy, Rose was hardly experiencing any symptoms. There were a few mornings she felt nauseated, but it thankfully wasn't severe enough to cause vomiting.

Similarly to her last pregnancy, though, she became a picky eater. However, unlike her last pregnancy, where James made sure to keep a constant stock of bananas in the house for her, Rose couldn't stand the fruit. The smell alone was enough to turn her stomach, and she nearly gagged one morning when James tried to kiss her after having eaten one.

He apologized profusely, and after he thoroughly brushed his teeth, Rose watched him dump the entire bunch into the trash.

"You don't have to do that," Rose protested.

James turned back around and stepped up to her to peck a kiss to her forehead.

"It's no problem," he said. "I love bananas, yes, but I love kissing you more. And I'd rather you not gag and pull away at my kisses. I'll start to get self conscious."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. You know you're a great kisser."

James preened at the compliment, and as though to show her just how good a kisser he really was, he bent down and pressed a long, smacking kiss to her lips.

The beginning of the new semester brought with it the end of the first trimester of Rose's pregnancy, and they were relieved and excited when their obstetrician told them everything looked absolutely perfect with their baby.

"I can give you my tentative guess on the sex," Doctor Ashwood said, rolling her ultrasound probe over the small bump between Rose's hips. "But your baby isn't in the most helpful of positions at the moment."

"Then let's hold off," Rose said, glancing up at James to make sure he was in agreement.

His eyes were glued to the screen showing their baby, but he nodded mindlessly and said, "Yeah, sure, sounds good."

Rose smiled at her daft soulmate, and they left the clinic later that afternoon with a fresh ultrasound photo in their wallets, and a feeling of excitement at the prospect of finally being able to tell Ainsley and their family and friends about their good news.

They picked Ainsley up early from daycare, much to her delight, and they walked to get what would probably be their last ice cream of the season, now that autumn was on the horizon. James and Rose each got a different sundae, and shared it with their daughter until they were all full and hyped up on sugar.

When they got home later that afternoon, there was a buzz of excitement between Rose and James, and Ainsley seemed to pick up on it, because she was in a much bubblier mood than normal.

"Ainsley, darling, Mummy and I have something to show you," James said after glancing over at Rose to get her approval. "C'mere."

James and Rose sat on the sofa, and James pulled Ainsley into his lap as Rose took out their latest ultrasound photo from her purse.

"What's that?" Ainsley asked curiously, leaning over to see what her mum had in her hands.

"It's a picture of your new little brother or sister," Rose said, scooting over until her thigh was pressed tight against James's. "It's a baby. You're going to be a big sister, sweetheart. Isn't that exciting?"

Ainsley looked less than impressed, as she took the photo and blinked at it.

"Not baby," she proclaimed.

"What do you mean, 'not baby'?" James asked, stifling a laugh as he stroked his fingers through her hair.

"Not baby," Ainsley repeated. She paused for a moment, then said, "Jellybean! Biiiiig jellybean."

James and Rose broke out in peals of laughter, then Rose turned slightly and lifted up her shirt to reveal her small baby bump.

"I assure you, sweetheart, there is definitely a baby growing in here," Rose said, holding out her hand for Ainsley's. She took her daughter's hand and rested it on her belly as she tried to think of a comparison to draw to help Ainsley understand.

"Remember the movie The Emperor's New Groove?" James said suddenly, resting his hand reverently on Rose's belly next to Ainsley's. "Remember how Pacha and Chicha have two kids, and Chicha is pregnant and then they have three kids? Or Princess Merida, and her three little brothers. It's the same idea, darling. Mummy is pregnant, and next spring—around March twenty-fifth—we'll have another baby, and you'll be a big sister."

Ainsley regarded them for a few moments, then looked down at Rose's belly.

"Three brothers?" she asked warily.

"Oh, no, sweetheart, just one," Rose assured. "And it might not be a brother. It could be a sister. Like Lilo and Nani, or Anna and Elsa."

"Why?" Ainsley asked, pulling her hand away and leaning back against James.

"Why what?" James asked.

"Why baby?" she asked.

James glanced at Rose over the top of Ainsley's head, unsure of their daughter's question, or of how to answer it.

"Well, Mummy and I wanted another baby," he said slowly. "And to give you a sibling to play with and love forever."

"Other baby?" she asked, and James was alarmed to hear her little voice break.

"What's the matter, darling?" he asked, spinning her on his lap to look at her.

"Love baby," she whimpered, her lower lip quivering. "Still love Ainsley? Please?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Rose gasped as James lifted Ainsley for a tight hug.

"We will always love you," James whispered fiercely, rubbing his hand up and down Ainsley's back as she clung to him. "You hear me? Always. Having a new baby won't change that. Ainsley, do you understand?

Ainsley pulled back to look at him, and she rubbed her arm across her nose.

"Always love Ainsley," she repeated, leaning forward until her forehead was pressed against James's.

"That's right," he said, nuzzling his nose against hers. "Mummy and I will always love our Ainsley. We love you so much, darling. So, so much. Nothing will ever change that."

"Love you," Ainsley replied, pressing a sloppy kiss to his lips. "Watch Frozen? Please?"

James groaned as Ainsley blinked up at him with those big blue eyes he could never say no to.

"Oh, all right," he said with a long-suffering sigh. "Go on and find it for me."

Ainsley beamed and jumped off his lap to run to the cabinet that contained all of their DVDs.

"This is your fault," James grumbled as he watched Ainsley search for the film. "If you hadn't mentioned Anna and Elsa, we could be watching a good Disney film."

Rose smirked at him, even as she tried to hide her distaste for the film their daughter wanted to watch.

oOoOo

They took a couple weeks to let Ainsley adjust to the idea of there being a new baby on the way before telling anyone else about the pregnancy. And as it turned out, they weren't even the ones to tell Jackie and Robert about the new baby.

"What have you got there, Ainsley?" Robert asked, crouching down next to his granddaughter as she talked to herself while she colored.

"Drawing," she said, setting down the yellow crayon before picking up the brown one.

"It's lovely," Jackie said, settling down on Ainsley's other side. "Do you want to tell us what you're drawing?"

"Mummy and Daddy," Ainsley narrated as she pointed to each amorphous blob. "Ainsley and baby."

"And baby?" Jackie asked, furrowing her brow, before she shrieked, "And baby! Oh my God!"

Ainsley jumped at her gran's loud shout and looked around, alarmed.

"What's wrong?" James asked, poking his head into the living room to see what the fuss was about.

"Ainsley said 'and baby'! You're pregnant?!" Jackie shrieked again.

"Ehm, surprise?" James said meekly, even though he was grinning widely.

"You plum! How long have you known?" Jackie asked, pushing herself up off the floor to harass James and Rose.

"Since the end of July," Rose answered, rooting through her purse for the latest ultrasound photo to show her mother.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Jackie exclaimed. "Congratulations! When are you due?"

"End of March," James answered, lifting Ainsley up when she wandered into the kitchen to see what the adults were talking about.

"Oh, aren't you so excited, Ainsley?" Jackie cooed, tickling Ainsley's neck as she passed the sonogram to Robert. "You'll have a little brother or sister to play with!"

"Little sister," Ainsley said firmly.

"Oh! It's a girl!" Jackie squealed.

"No, no. We're not sure yet," James admitted. "But Ainsley's convinced she's getting a little sister. Not sure what'll happen if it's a boy."

"A girl," Ainsley said, touching James's face. "Daddy. S'a girl."

James smiled indulgently and pecked a kiss to Ainsley's forehead.

"Ah, she'll come around if it's not a girl," Robert said, handing the sonogram back to Rose. "Congratulations, darling. This is excellent news!"

"Thanks, Dad," Rose said, opening her arms for a hug.

"I'm so happy for you," he murmured into her ear, giving her a tight squeeze. "I told James it would happen it its own time."

Rose grinned into his shirt and held him for another moment before letting him go.

"Well, now that Ainsley spilled the beans prematurely," Rose said, winking at her daughter, "let's go out to lunch?"

They spent the day celebrating with their parents, and afterwards, when they put Ainsley to bed that evening, they snuggled up on the sofa with their respective iPads to begin planning for their new baby. Rose was looking up ideas for how to paint the bedroom that would become the nursery while occasionally flipping through lists of baby names; James was rereading all of the facts about the size of their baby and her rate of growth inside Rose, despite still remembering most of it from when they were pregnant with Ainsley.

But just as he flipped to an article warning parents about potential sibling rivalries, Rose interrupted him.

"So, I've been thinking…"

James looked up as Rose trailed off nervously.

"About?" he prompted.

"Giving birth."

James quirked an eyebrow and set his tablet to the side.

"Already? Love, we don't have to worry about that for another six months," he said gently.

"I know. But… what do you think about the idea of a home birth?" she blurted out.

James blinked at her for a moment.

"Excuse me?" he asked, sure he'd heard her wrong.

"A home birth," Rose said again.

"No," he said flatly.

Rose frowned. "Just like that? 'No'? We're not even going to discuss it?"

"What's there to discuss?" James asked. "I don't want you giving birth anywhere other than in a medical facility with trained medical staff on hand. This is non-negotiable, Rose."

"Midwives are trained to deliver babies, you know," Rose huffed, beginning to get irritated with him. What on earth is his problem?

"Our home is not an appropriate medical facility," James said through clenched teeth.

"It's not like we're talking about surgery, here," Rose said hotly. "It's just delivering a baby!"

"And what if something goes wrong?" James shouted. "Eh? What then? We are a fifteen minute drive from the hospital, Rose. What if you or our baby need emergency medical assistance? Fifteen minutes might be too late! I won't put you or our baby in that kind of danger. I can't. I can't."

Understanding dawned on Rose, and with it came guilt. She should have realized…

She reached out and touched his thigh.

"James, look at me, love," she commanded softly as he glared at the coffee table.

He slowly raised his head, and Rose saw the utter fear in his face.

"I'm sorry," Rose murmured, scooting closer until her thigh was pressed against his. "I'm sorry I didn't realize where your reluctance was coming from."

"You giving birth to our child involves two of the most important people in my life," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "If something goes wrong… If I lost you… Or the baby… God, or-or both of you…"

Rose reached up and cradled his head against her neck and stroked her fingers through his hair.

"You won't," Rose assured. "Hundreds of thousands of women give birth safely every day."

"Some women still die from giving birth," James countered. "I will not gamble with your safety, Rose. Please don't ask me to."

"I'm not asking you to," Rose answered. "But… don't you think it would be nice for us to be able to labor and deliver in the comfort of our home? Last time, with Ainsley, I was being poked and prodded and examined and bothered every few minutes, it seemed."

"You were in labor five weeks early," he pointed out.

"All my mates tell me that's normal, even for a completely problem-free labor," Rose argued. "I don't want to feel like a lab rat, James. I want to be as comfortable as possible, and there is nowhere I feel more comfortable at than in our home, with you."

James sighed.

"Can you at least promise to think about it?" Rose asked, rubbing her hand along his thigh. "Please? For me? And I promise, James, I promise that if my doctor at any point tells me that it would be a risk to give birth anywhere other than a hospital, I'll drop the idea."

James nuzzled the top of her head.

"Okay," he whispered, kissing her hair. "Yeah, okay. Let me think about it and look into it more."

"Thank you."

oOoOo

"All right, it looks like your baby is in a much better position this time," Doctor Ashwood said, rolling her wand around Rose's stomach. "Do you still want to know the gender of your baby?"

"Yes, please," James and Rose said in unison.

They waited with bated breath as they watched the screen and listened to the strong, healthy heartbeat of their baby. Doctor Ashwood pressed a few keys on her computer, and the picture froze.

"Congratulations," the doctor said, smiling. "You're having another girl!"

James smiled down at Rose, his heart full to bursting. He was getting another beautiful little girl!

He leaned down and caught her lips in a chaste kiss as the doctor printed out new sonogram photos for them and wiped the gel off of Rose's stomach.

"Ainsley is going to be thrilled," James murmured against her mouth.

"Yeah she is," Rose agreed, standing up from the exam table. They accepted the newest photo of their baby—their daughter!—and walked out of the clinic, hand in hand.

James had to go back into work for a few hours—"Damn faculty meetings," he grumbled—so Rose left to pick up Ainsley.

"Ainsley, do you want to know if you're having a little brother or sister?" Rose asked when they got home from from the daycare.

"A sister," Ainsley answered gravely. "Mummy, want a sister."

"Well, you're in luck," Rose said with a grin. "The baby is a girl. You're getting your little sister. Isn't that exciting?"

"Little sister," Ainsley said happily, stepping up to Rose. She rested her hands on Rose's baby bump, and looked up at her mum. "My sister."

"Yep, your sister," Rose answered, brushing Ainsley's hair out of her eyes. "You're going to be a great big sister, you know. I love you so much, Ainsley."

"Love you, Mummy." Then Ainsley rested her head on Rose's belly and whispered, "Love you, sister."

Rose's eyes stung with tears, and she sniffed as she stroked her fingers through Ainsley's soft hair. At the sound, Ainsley looked up and her little brows furrowed.

"Mummy sad?" she asked.

"No, sweetheart," Rose said, picking Ainsley up for a hug. "I'm just so happy. And I love you so much. Are you happy to be getting a little sister?"

"Mhm," Ainsley said, nodding. "Wanna play?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, I do," Rose said, crawling onto the floor with Ainsley to help her daughter build the tallest block tower she could.

The next several weeks passed uneventfully. They slowly started stocking up on nappies and wipes for the baby, but they'd kept all of Ainsley's baby things, so there wasn't much for them to buy.

The weather quickly grew cold and damp, and it seemed that it rained every day in October. Except for James's birthday: the clouds broke and the sun seemed to shine just for him.

"Did you have a nice birthday?" Rose asked as she loaded the dishwasher from the dinner they'd shared with Robert and Jackie.

"Yep! It's always a good day when I can spend it with my family," he said brightly. "You know that."

He watched her for a few moments as she put the detergent pod into the dishwasher and started the cycle. She was utterly stunning. She was sporting a definitive baby bump, and every time he looked at it or touched it, James went giddy with happiness. They were just about at the halfway mark of the pregnancy, and James could hardly wait for the arrival of their daughter.

"So, I've been thinking a lot about your idea of you giving birth here in our home," James said, taking her hand in his to walk them to the living room.

Rose sat down on the sofa and angled herself towards him, giving him her full attention. She had been wondering if she should bring up the conversation again. On one hand, she knew James liked to be thorough in his research; on the other, she knew he often avoided topics that made him anxious, and so she hadn't known if he was still looking into home births or if he had been ignoring it in hopes she would let the idea die.

"Just a general recommendation, don't go onto those parenting blogs and read the horror stories that come from home births," he said lightly, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, I've stopped reading those types of blogs," Rose said with a grimace, recalling the many tragic stories that she couldn't believe people posted on the internet for the public to read.

She then felt a swell of disappointment; she knew James's penchant for fixating on everything that could go wrong, and she knew that him reading about the negative experiences others had had with home births had probably turned him off of the idea completely.

"But there are loads of positive ones, too," he said, mindlessly spinning her wedding and engagement rings around her finger. Rose looked down at their hands; before too long, her fingers would be too swollen to continue wearing her rings; she could already feel the metal pressing slightly into her skin. "And there are loads of really great midwives in our area. There's this one I saw… It's a birthing center that has a direct connection to the hospital. They're about twenty minutes away, and had some of the best reviews online. They have a 'round the clock emergency on-call staff. And their midwives are trained to even give prenatal care, so we could let the midwife start being part of the pregnancy so we could all become comfortable with each other."

"James, are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?" Rose asked excitedly, barely daring to hope.

"I'm trying to say that I think we should check out this facility," he said, finally looking at her. "To get all the facts, you know. They've got free first-visit consultations for the clinic, as well as for first interviews of the midwives. I'm still bloody terrified, Rose. But the thought of us being able to stay in our home for the birth and recovery… I can't deny that it sounds appealing. Hospital food is atrocious, you know."

"Just agreeing because of the food, eh?" Rose teased, beaming up at him.

"Of course." He flashed her a wink.

Rose reached up and cupped her hand around the base of his neck and tugged him in for a gentle kiss. She rubbed her thumb through his hair as her lips moved against his. He breathed in sharply through his nose as Rose sucked his bottom lip into her mouth.

Their mouths broke apart with a soft, wet pop, and Rose nuzzled her nose against his.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for thinking about this and for taking it seriously."

"Of course I took it seriously," he protested at once. "How could I not, when it involves you and our baby?"

Rose shrugged. "Still, thank you." She then leaned up and caught his lips in for another kiss, intending on continuing his birthday with a more private celebration.

oOoOo

"You're getting to be such a big girl," Rose said, guiding Ainsley to her bedroom for her birthday present. "Daddy and I have a surprise for you."

She and James stood anxiously in the doorway as Ainsley stepped into her bedroom. For the last three years, a crib had been the main feature of the room, but now, the white wooden crib had been replaced by a small dark wood bed.

Ainsley stood motionless, then she turned around and looked at them with a deep furrow in her brow.

"Where's my bed?"

"This is your bed, sweetheart," Rose answered, injecting as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could. "It's brand new! It's a big girl bed, for our big girl. Isn't it lovely, Ainsley?"

"No." Ainsley shook her head. "My bed."

"Well, we moved it," James explained, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. "To the baby's room."

"I want my bed," Ainsley said, frowning. "My bed. I want my bed!"

"I'm sorry, darling, but your sister is going to need the crib," James said gently, crouching down beside their daughter. "This bed is just like Mummy's and Daddy's, only it's Ainsley sized! C'mere. Why don't we test it out?"

James sat down on the low-lying mattress, and his knees nearly touched his chest. He patted the mattress beside him, and Ainsley crawled over his thighs to sit beside him. She reached out and touched the safety bars near the head of the bed.

"That's to make sure you don't fall out," James said. "It's a short fall, but I'm sure it'd be scary nevertheless. So what do you think, darling? Will it do?"

Ainsley clenched and unclenched her hands around the guard rails.

"I want my bed," she said again, frowning.

They continued to try to get Ainsley excited about her new bed, but she was still less than impressed when it came to bedtime. She refused to be put into her new bed, and screamed and cried loudly when they tried. James and Rose took turns soothing her for nearly an hour before she tired herself out and fell asleep in Rose's arms.

She let Ainsley sleep in her arms until she and James went to bed, and they cautiously tucked her into her new bed, hoping for the best.

Everything was going wonderfully until two in the morning, when James and Rose awoke to loud wails and screams. They both vaulted out of bed, thinking Ainsley somehow fell out of her bed, but when they opened their bedroom door, they saw Ainsley pulling on the latched doorknob to the nursery.

"Want my bed!" she screamed through her tears. "Want my bed!"

"Darling, you have a bed in your room," James said, crouching down beside her after he ushered Rose back to their room, assuring her he could handle their upset child. "C'mon. Let's get you tucked back in bed."

"No!" she cried. "No, no, no, no, no! Want my bed! Daddy! I want my bed! I want my bed! I want my bed!"

"What if Daddy comes and lays with you for a bit in your bed?" James offered, walking into Ainsley's room.

"No! Don't want to!" Ainsley flailed and shoved at his shoulders and her foot kicked into his hip.

"Ainsley Grace, stop it," he said firmly, setting her down on the ground before she kicked him in a more sensitive area. "You know better than to kick and hit me. Ainsley, look at me."

But Ainsley continued to cry and sob, and James rested his hands on her waist and massaged his thumbs across her belly as he waited for her to listen.

"Ainsley," he whispered, and her cries quieted so she could hear him. "Ainsley, darling. Look at me."

Her shoulders shook as she sniffled and tried to stop her tears. James wiped her face clean with a tissue, then tried the conversation again.

"Darling, what happened?" he asked gently. "Why don't you like your new bed?"

"I want my bed," she whimpered. "My bed. Not baby's. Mine."

"But you're too big for the crib," James lied.

"Nuh uh," Ainsley said, shaking her head. "S'my bed."

James sighed, and rubbed his fingers into his eyes.

"Sleep with you?" Ainsley asked suddenly.

"Do you want me to lie with you?" he asked, gesturing to her bed.

"No," Ainsley said, shaking her head vigorously. "Sleep with you. You and Mummy."

James nodded and sighed. He'd hoped the transition to her bed would have been smoother, but it was the middle of the night and he was exhausted.

"Okay, darling," he said, picking her up. "Just for tonight, okay?"

Ainsley nuzzled her face into his neck, stuck her thumb into her mouth, and let out a yawn.

"I love you, Daddy," she murmured, and James pressed his lips into her hair.

"I love you, too," he whispered, carrying her into their bedroom, where Rose was still awake.

Thankfully, there were no more tantrums that night, and by the time Ainsley woke up, bright and early, she seemed to be completely over her distress.

"So how did Ainsley like her new bed?" Robert asked that morning over the phone.

"She didn't like it as much as we'd hoped," James replied, rubbing his tired eyes as he refilled his coffee. "We woke up to a very unhappy three-year-old."

"Ah. Did she try to climb back into her crib?" Robert prompted.

James frowned. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"You did the same thing," he answered with a laugh. "It took about a month for you to sleep a full night in your big boy bed. Your mum and I left your door open and the door to the home office, where we stored your crib, and we let you come and go as you pleased during the night."

"Do you think Rose and I should do that?" James asked. "What if she falls trying to get into the crib?"

"She's been able to climb in and out of her crib for months. She'll be fine," Robert assured. "See if it helps. It might take awhile for her to get comfortable with the change you're trying to bring. There is a lot of change going on in her life at the moment. Just be patient and let her adjust at her own pace. She'll be fine."

They decided to heed Robert's suggestion. That night, they made sure Ainsley was asleep before they tucked her into her toddler bed, and they left the nursery door wide open for her, but gated off the hallway so she couldn't wander the rest of the house.

The following morning, they found Ainsley curled up in her old crib with her favorite blanket.

They continued the routine for a week, until one morning, they awoke and found Ainsley still asleep in her bed.

After that, she spent her nights in her bed, and she eventually was able to be tucked into bed while still awake.

When James and Rose asked how she liked her new bed, she replied, "S'my bed. Crib's for baby."

James and Rose smiled at each other over the rims of their mugs. They still had four and a half months to wait, but with Ainsley's acceptance of her role as big sister and her concession of her crib, it felt like they made a big step in the right direction, and that they were more or less ready for the baby to come.