It was late in the evening, and Katrina Cornwell was cuddled up with her wife on the sofa in her quarters. Tilly had been slightly off all day, leading Kat to believe she had something on her mind, but years of experience both professional and personal had told her not to push, and to let Tilly come to her when she was ready. So she was not entirely surprised when Tilly sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes and taking a deep breath as she looked Kat in the eye.

'I want to have a baby.'

Katrina looked at her, noticing the tension in her body and the nervousness emanating from her. 'Go on,' she said gently.

Tilly relaxed minutely and continued. 'I don't know if you've thought much about kids, but I've always wanted them. I always imagined little mini-Tillys running around, making mischief and causing mayhem. And now that I'm with you, now that I know you're the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, I want to get started.' She exhaled, clearly relieved to have got this off her chest, and Katrina's heart melted.

'Come here, you,' she said, and Tilly relaxed back into her arms. Katrina took a deep breath, taking comfort from the scent of her hair and the warmth of her body. 'I never wanted kids when I was younger; I was too focused on my career. By the time I started to see what all the fuss was about, it was too late. So maybe,' she paused, and Tilly pulled back enough to look her in the eye. 'Maybe now is the right time for both of us?'

A broad smile spread across Tilly's face, and she kissed Kat earnestly. 'Really? You'd really like to have a family with me?'

Kat shuffled around until she found a position where she could see Tilly enough to continue the conversation but keep hold of her. 'It's not the first time I've thought about it, to be honest. I've seen what you're like around your family, and from the way you light up around your nephews and nieces it was obvious you wanted children too. So I've had time to think about it, and about what I'd say when you asked me.'

Tilly mock-pouted . 'Just once I'd like it if you weren't two steps ahead of me.'

Kat laughed. 'Admiral, remember?' She kissed Tilly playfully, then turned serious again. 'You're right, though. Now, or rather soon, is a good time. I'm on desk duty enough I can be around, and you're young enough that you can still fit in kids and your career.'

Tilly grinned, her eyes alight. 'So we're having a baby?'

Kat nodded, her smile nearly as wide as her wife's. 'We're having a baby.'

Six months later, Kat came home from work one day to find Tilly sitting at the table with a pot of tea, two cups and a carefully controlled expression that didn't quite disguise the excitement bubbling under the surface.

'Seriously?' she asked. 'Already?'

The mask shattered and Tilly exploded in delight. 'I know! I can't believe it! 7 weeks! So due in May!'

Kat smiled and kissed her. 'I guess we'd better get planning then.' She pulled a mug towards her and poured herself some tea, unable to stop herself from grinning as she watched Tilly almost vibrating with happiness.

Another six months after that, Kat was regularly coming home to find her now rather large wife on the sofa surrounded by PADDs, fast asleep. The third day in a row it happened, she gently removed the one that was threatening to fall from her hand and sat down in the chair opposite. When Tilly started awake half an hour later, Kat handed her a cup of tea.

'Thanks,' she said gratefully, taking the tea and blowing on it, unsuccessfully trying to hide a yawn behind her hand.

'Maybe we should think again about you stopping work early,' Kat suggested gently.

Tilly glared at her without heat. 'I'm fine. I'm tired, that's all. I don't want to stop early, I'll be so bored! And you know staying active is good for both me and Bumpus.'

Kat sighed. 'I know. I just wish I could do more.'

Tilly's eyes brightened. 'You can! You can help decide which colour pram we're getting! I think we've narrowed it down to three choices now. And we were going to paint the nursery this weekend. And don't forget to research which sling you think would suit you best; I've already got one but it depends if you think that will work for you too or if you'd prefer a different style.'

Katrina sighed again, smiling, and got to her feet, placing her empty mug on the sideboard. 'Of course love. What do you want for dinner?'

Tilly paused, sitting up with a thoughtful look on her face. 'Ooh, potatoes. And chilli. Potatoes with chilli?'

'Potatoes with chilli it is,' Katrina grinned as she left the room.

Tilly's voice followed her. 'Oh, and have we got any..'

Kat poked her head back round the door. 'Yes, I picked up more chocolate ice cream this afternoon!'

Tilly smiled sheepishly. 'I love you!'

'Love you too.'

'Kat, I really think this is it this time.'

Katrina opened her eyes blearily. 'Are you sure?'

Tilly nodded, her face close to Kat's but barely visible in the darkened room. 'Yes. I've been timing the contractions and they're still pretty slow, but I've had a few now and they've been getting stronger. Go back to sleep for a bit and I'll let you know when we need to do something.' She wiggled her sizeable bulk further under the covers and shut her eyes again. Katrina, however, felt wide awake now. She knew Tilly was right and the most sensible thing to do was get some rest while they still could, but was also pretty sure she wasn't the only person in history to be unable to go back to sleep after being informed by a partner that labour had begun. She checked the clock as quietly as she could and tried to rest.

A couple of hours later, Tilly poked her again. 'I'm getting up. I'm going to have something to eat and drink before it gets any more intense. I'll come get you when I need you.' Kat mumbled something in response and Tilly left the room. Barely half an hour later though, she was back, turning on the light as she entered the room. 'They sped up when I got up. I've had three since then. I'm going to call triage .'

Kat sat up, rubbing her eyes in the sudden brightness. 'Right. What do you need me to do?'

Tilly smiled. 'Have a shower and a coffee. I'm ok, it's still early... ' she trailed off and her expression changed, her eyes closing and her breathing deepening. She breathed slowly in and out for a minute, holding on to the doorframe, but before Kat could reach her her eyes had opened again and she was smiling at Kat's expression of concern. 'I told you, I'm ok. You sort yourself out while I call the midwife and then I'll let you know.'

Kat nodded and kissed her before heading into the bathroom. When she emerged, barely five minutes later but feeling considerably more awake, she could hear her wife's voice coming from the kitchen and wandered through. Tilly smiled at her as Kat headed towards the coffee machine and finished up her conversation, deactivating the screen and turning to face her.

'They're going to get in touch with the midwife on call and get her to comm me. Do you mind starting to set up the pool when you've had that? I'm going to get ready.'

Kat nodded her agreement, impressed and slightly awed by Tilly's calm approach. She finished her coffee and wandered through to the lounge, where Tilly was in the process of lighting candles and creating the atmosphere she wanted. Maternity care had come on a lot in the last few centuries, and the invention of the emergency medical transporter meant it was now the norm for women to have their babies at home, safe in the knowledge that if they or their baby needed urgent care it was still only seconds away. The shift towards a more natural birthing environment, however, combined with the excellent ante-natal care all women received, meant that such interventions were rarely needed and most human babies came into the world in as natural a way as their counterparts in the animal kingdom. Tilly finished placing candles, pausing once to breathe her way through a contraction, and called up the playlist she had made.

'I'm going to focus. Can you answer if the midwife calls?'

'Of course,' Kat agreed, and Tilly climbed onto the sofa, getting on her knees and leaning over the back of it with her arms folded and her head resting on them before closing her eyes. Katrina worked as quietly as she could, setting up the birth pool Tilly had decided she wanted and gathering everything else together. The midwife called, spoke to Kat calmly and asked to speak to Tilly. Kat transferred the call to the portable unit and took it through to where Tilly was still kneeling on the sofa. When she was done, Tilly handed it back and the midwife spoke to Kat again.

'It sounds like she's doing really well and progressing nicely, so I'll head over to you now. I'll be with you in about twenty minutes.' Kat confirmed, signed off and continued to work through her list. She occasionally glanced over at Tilly, who seemed to have completely zoned out and was showing no signs of registering what Kat was doing. The midwife arrived and Kat was relieved to see her smile and nod when she, a little nervously, explained what Tilly was doing. 'That's really good, that's exactly how it should be. I'll come through and watch her for a bit and see how she's doing.'

Kat led the way through to the living room and the midwife took a few moments to observe Tilly before heading over to her.

'Hi Sylvia, I'm Amy. Do you mind if I have a quick check to see how you're doing?' They ran through some checks before Tilly got back into her position and Amy came back over to Kat. 'You can start filling the pool, I think she'll be wanting it soon.' Kat nodded, still slightly dazed but aware that the fact it was five in the morning might well have something to do with that. The pool filled slowly but steadily as Kat kept an eye on Tilly, supplying her with drinks and helping her move as required. Her calm demeanour was starting to look like a bit more of a struggle, and Kat could see the concentration on her face as she breathed through another contraction on the way back from the bathroom. Finally, Amy withdrew a hand from the pool and turned to Tilly.

'You can get in now if you want.'

'Yes please,' she exhaled, and Kat supported her as she stepped out of her old tshirt and sweatpants and climbed into the pool. 'Ohhh that's nice,' she sighed as she slipped into the water. Then her expression changed. 'I need to push.' Amy smiled and nodded, and Kat moved so she could look into Tilly's eyes. Tilly focused again, Kat offered encouragement and drinks as required, and barely half an hour later Tilly was reaching into the water beneath her and pulling a tiny baby up to rest on her chest.

'Hello,' she murmured, holding the infant close to her. 'It's nice to meet you.'

Kat couldn't take her eyes off the picture they made, and when Tilly wrenched her gaze away from the baby to look at her she couldn't hide her delight. 'You did so well,' she said, kissing Tilly's forehead. 'I'm so proud of you.'

Tilly grinned back at her, tired but ecstatic.

'Are you going to check to see what sex the baby is?' Amy's voice suggested gently after a moment.

'Oh! Yes!' Tilly shifted the little bundle in her arms to look, then beamed up at Kat.

'She's a girl.'

Kat beamed back.