His Favourite Toy
By: Miss Phyllis Baxter
Ship: Robert x Cora
Word Count: 947
Summary: After George receives a toy train for Christmas, Robert decides that it is quite fun to play with. Cora soon reminds him that the train however, is not his favourite thing to play with.
27 December 1925
Robert sat on the floor in the library setting up the train set that George had received for Christmas while his three grand children: Sybbie, Marigold, and yes, George slept in various locations of the library, worn out even though Christmas Day was only half over. Cora, Mary, Edith and Tom had decided to take a walk, while Robert agreed to watch the children in their absence. However, soon after the others left for their walk, the children that he was now caring for fell asleep. He barely noticed though as he continued setting up the train set that he intended to play with (even though it belonged to his grand son- it wasn't his fault he was born too soon).
A small time later, Robert was sitting in the middle of the set up train set, watching it go around over and over again, saying things like, "all aboard", "choo choo", and other train related things until he heard laughter from behind him. He turned around and saw his wife, his daughters and son-in-law who had just come back from their walk. He watched as Tom picked up Sybbie and her doll and Edith doing the same with Marigold. Mary found George on the settee and she smiled, leaving him there since no one would step on him there.
"What were you doing papa?" she asked, stroking George's hair as he continued to sleep.
"What did it look like?" he asked, stopping the train from continuing on, making eye contact with Cora who was wearing a broad smile though she was shaking her head.
"Like you were playing with George's Christmas present," Mary replied. "I got it for George, not for my father to build and play with."
"Leave your father alone, he's a child at heart," he heard Cora pipe up from where she was standing and he nodded. "They didn't make things like this when he and I were growing up."
"Thank you darling," he replied, standing up and brushing off his trousers, walking towards her and pressing his lips to hers, before taking her hand and leading her from the library, the sounds of disgust from their daughters and son-in-law behind them.
"Where are we going?" she asked, following him up the stairs with a smile on her face.
"We're going to the bedroom," he replied. "I thought that was obvious."
"Well, it was slightly obvious, but after that spectacle downstairs, I thought we were going to just nap."
"Not a chance, though I must say with all the modern gadgets and things for the children, I feel like I was born too soon," he remarked, somewhat confused when Cora dropped his hand and stopped on the stairs. He turned around with a frown, unsure what the matter was with her. "What's wrong?"
"You've basically just said that you'd rather have the toys of today than me," she said. "Because if you wanted to be as young as our grandson then I'd have been married to someone else. We wouldn't have each other."
"Darling, I really didn't mean that. I just meant I wish they had come out with the toys George plays with when you and I were children. I would never give you up for toys. Never. I'd much rather play with you than a train set," he said, smiling and holding out his hand to his wife. She stood where she was for a moment, looking at him before exhaling loudly and allowing a smile to grace her features before she took his hand. "Besides, you could always buy me one of those trains, right Cora? Then I could set it up in my dressing room. Bates would like that, right?"
"No, I don't think so," she replied with a laugh. "Though for a moment I did fear that you'd say you would set it up in our bedroom. Imagine me trying to seduce you while you're playing with the train. Though I do think the dressing room would be worse, I'd never get you back into our room."
"Cora, do you really think I'd love a toy train more than you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her, putting his hands around her and resting them on her bottom. "I can't touch a train like this." He moved his hands up her sides and placed them on her chest. "Nor can I touch a train like this." He moved his thumbs over her, eliciting soft moans from her. "I don't think I can make a train react this way to my touch either."
Cora finally calmed enough to still his hands, looking into his eyes with extreme lust. "Bedroom. Now," she whispered, taking his hand and pulling him after her. Once they were inside, she shut and locked the door, pushing him back to the bed. He fell onto the bed, landing on his bottom and Cora approached him slowly and seductively, a glint in her eyes as she pulled up her skirts and straddled him. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and ran her hands down his chest, unbuttoning his waistcoat as she went. She pushed it off and onto the bed to join his jacket. She pulled at his tie and threw it across the room before crashing her lips to his. Robert's hands gripped her waist tightly, while rubbing her sides and pulling her closer to him. Robert eventually broke the kiss and stared into Cora's eyes. "What?" she asked, nervously.
"This is why you're my favourite thing to play with. Because you play with me right back," he whispered.
"And the playing is very mutually satisfying," Cora said, resuming their kiss.