A reponse to a Tumblr anon asking for the parents' reaction to finding out Mary's pregnant. Enjoy!

Mary yawned, feeling exhausted as Matthew drove the two of them to Sybil and Tom's flat. In lieu of a baby shower for Rory before he was born, the Bransons had waited until he was a few months old to have a small party, in order to let friends and family admire the baby rather than Sybil's pregnancy bulge.

"Are you feeling alright?" Matthew asked as they drove, his eyes worried as he glanced at her.

"I'm fine," Mary sighed, not believing the words herself. "Just because I haven't eaten much today, you think I'm falling apart."

"I think you're exhausting yourself with worry about house hunting, Mary. You need to take care of yourself," he said. Mary's eye roll went unnoticed, as he returned his eyes to the road.

"I was saving room for Sybil's catering," she lied. "She said they were going to have those tiny little hot dogs, so I had to moderate my food intake."

Matthew sighed, his annoyance at her obvious, but Mary didn't want to get into it right before seeing their family, so she let it slide.

After they arrived at the Bransons and parked, Matthew insisted on holding Mary's arm as they crossed the street, partly because she stumbled getting out of the car.

"I'm alright," she insisted, feeling cross as they walked into the building. "I just stood up too quickly."

"Are you sure you want to tell them all today? About the pregnancy," Matthew added, as though she'd forgotten she threw up nearly every night.

Mary adjusted the strap of her purse as the lift doors slid shut. "Sybil and Tom already know. We can't trust them with the secret for much longer. And they'll all be thrilled to find out. Are you only asking because I'm so snippy?"

"I'd rather not answer that," he replied, giving her a careful smile as the lift doors opened again.

She tried not to look too annoyed as the lift doors opened and they walked the remaining steps to the Bransons' door. Matthew knocked, Tom appearing on the other side moments later.

"Greetings," he said. Mary frowned again and Tom raised his eyebrows. "Doing alright, Mary?" he asked in a knowing voice.

"Fine," she retorted, shoving the gift she carried into her brother-in-law's arms.

"Who's here?" Matthew asked, both noticing the calm of the flat as they entered.

"Only Cora and Robert and Isobel," Tom replied, nodding to the kitchen where said adults were fawning over Sybil and baby Rory while Clara was held by her grandfather. "Isobel's here because she adores me," he added, making googly eyes at Matthew who snorted.

"Where's Granny?" Mary asked, heading into the kitchen.

"She had a slight cold and didn't want to infect the baby. Edith and Anthony are still in Helsinki," Tom explained.

"And apparently only family arrives before the party's set to begin," Sybil said in good humor. Rory gurgled in her arms, his eyes wide and happy as Cora made funny faces at him.

Isobel approached, kissing both Matthew and Mary on their cheeks. "Mary, you're looking a bit peaky, dear. Are you well?" she asked, face concerned.

Matthew gently took Mary's arm, as though prompting her to share their news. Her news.

"Actually, there's something I wanted…we wanted…to tell all of you," Mary began, feeling nervous without cause. "If Sybil doesn't mind."

At this, Cora looked up from her grandson, her brow etched with worry as Mary paused.

"Not at all," Sybil interjected, smiling as she kissed Rory's forehead.

Mary took a deep breath, forcing a smile she didn't really feel, but she didn't want to scare their parents. It wasn't as though there was anything actually wrong with her. "I'm pregnant," she stated simply, finding assurance in Matthew's touch despite feeling annoyed with him. "We're going to have a baby."

There was a collective gasp from Cora and Isobel.

"Well, Mary's actually going to have him or her, but some of my DNA is mixed in there, so I claim responsibility for any portly or awkward children that may appear," Matthew teased, his words making Mary smile for real. Noticing this, he hooked his arm more tightly around her waist and brushed his lips against her cheek.

"A baby? That's wonderful!" Cora exclaimed, leaving Sybil's side to throw her arms around Mary's neck while Isobel hugged Matthew.

"Splendid, absolutely marvelous," Isobel was saying.

"Well, it looks like I'm halfway to having my own football team," Robert interjected. "Clara will be our striker, Rory can keep—"

"Oh, Papa," Sybil groaned, as though she'd heard this pitch one time too many.

"A grandfather can dream," he replied.

"How far along are you?" Cora questioned, placing her hand on Mary's still-flat belly in the customary pregnancy invasion of personal space while Isobel clutched Mary's hand. Matthew returned to his earlier posture, arm around his wife's waist, providing Mary with the only physical contact she wanted at present. But she indulged the mothers, as one would be a grandmother for the first time.

"About nine weeks," Mary said, looking at her husband as their mothers squealed again in delight.

"How thrilling," Isobel murmured, eyes filled with moisture. Cora too looked as though she were about to cry.

Sensing his wife's discomfort at dealing with two tear-filled grandmothers, he herded them away under the pretense of looking at Rory. Now free of hovering grandmothers, Robert approached, Clara still in his arms.

"If it's a boy, I hope you'll name it after me," he said as Clara kissed Mary's cheek.

"You can't name a baby Grandpapa," Clara said matter-of-factly, her words bringing a chuckle from the adults.

"Too right you are, my darling," Robert replied with a grin.

Thoughts?