Author: Molize.

Story: Dubliners

Summary: The life of the Bransons, beginning with the day they found they weren't two but three.

A/N: I'm so in love with all of you! I'm very happy with the reception that this story has had in its first chapter. Thank you for all of your reviews and alerts. Really.

Here it's the "second" chapter, and I say "second" because it's just a third of what I had in mind for this update. The problem is that my mid-terms are coming and I have to put first things first and concentrate on my studies, so I haven't had the time to write proper chapters on this story yet. (Good luck in your exams if you're in my situation!)

So for you, I've made the effort to give form to this little shot as a way to make you know that this story will continue and you don't have to worry about the delay in new updates… because I'm still right here!

Your reviews and opinions are always welcomed.

Also if there are moments or scenes you'd like to read in this story, I accept ideas.

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Chapter Two: Tiny little moments.

The Bransons remained in their room for a long while, simply enjoying one another's company and the comfortable silence. The room glowed orange from the dim light emitting from the lamp on the nightstand, softly illuminating their features.

Sybil was the one to break the serene moment.

"I could stay forever like this, but…" She turned in his arms so that she could see his face.

"But..?" Tom prompted.

She pushed her lips into a little pout. Tom grinned down at her, awaiting her response and thinking to himself that he would give anything for their child to have that adorable expression of hers. "I don't know if it has something to do with me being pregnant, but I'm starving." Sybil finished, not looking into his eyes as though she were a little ashamed of her confession.

Tom laughed at that and sat up properly on the mattress, allowing Sybil to lie over the comforter.

"Alright, I'll go to the kitchen and I'll start making dinner." He said as he caressed her bent legs resting on his side. "You two stay here." Tom smirked as he leant over her to kiss her pouting lips.

Sybil smiled at the mention of her and their baby. Then she waited for him to close the gap between the two of them, but at the last second she moved her head as far back as the bed would permit, causing a look of confusion to pass her husband's face.

"Remember we established that making dinner is team work…" Sybil answered, with all the seriousness she could muster, to his silent look of questioning.

Tom rolled his eyes and gave up the kiss he wanted for an exasperated sigh.

"What difference does it make? Your cooking skills are unimpressively deficient, milady." He retorted in an English accent paired with innocent eyes

Sybil gasped at his words and raised her hand to pull at his ear (she had learned since living in Ireland that this was a punishment of his mother; something she still used on him even at twenty-six years of age). "Unimpressively deficient? Milady?" She marked each word with a tug.

It hadn't taken long into their marriage for it to become evident that Sybil's domestic skills were not as good as those the other working class girls could perform, and definitely not as good as a husband would expect from his wife. She knew that (and Tom did too). In fact, a week after their arrival, when she was sure she was in her mother-in-law's good graces, she had asked Gráinne Branson if she could teach her some essential tasks and most important of all, how to cook. Gráinne had gladly accepted and had taken great pride in being the one to introduce a posh English Lady into activities that she believed every woman and every man should have learned in their youth.

Sybil had mastered, to perfection, every task that Gráinne had taught her.

Well, almost every task.

All except cooking.

As the perfectionist she was, she had thanked her mother-in-law for her sweet words about how it wasn't something you could learn in just a few days and of how she had improved in so little time, but deep down Sybil was not pleased with her clumsiness. And was not pleased at all when Tom found her crying at her helplessness on his mother's shoulder.

That little incident had been the reason they had made their dinner deal; each meal would be spent together and each meal they would make together. That way they would learn from each other (although she had suspected that she would be the one learning more from the other) and could practice from an old recipe book his mother had lent them.

Three months later, her meals still weren't anything compared to Ms. Patmore or Mrs. Branson's, but she felt she had managed quite well. Yet Tom couldn't help but make fun of what he considered a silly embarrassment on her part, nor stop himself addressing her as 'Lady' in teasing.

Tom leant down again, but this time bit her cheek playfully. Sybil giggled and felt him glide his mouth down her body until he reached her belly, where he then proceeded to lift the fabric of the blouse covering her skin. He blew a soft puff of air on the exposed spot, making her shiver a little. Then he murmured his words so close to her abdomen that it tickled her.

"I hope you're a boy in there, your Ma is too much woman already for a simple man as me." He ended his sentence with a kiss and got up from the bed to walk towards the door to the kitchen.

Sybil chuckled at his words. "Tom!" She exclaimed as she began to sit up in bed, arranging her blouse. He had stopped beneath the door frame at her voice. "I'm serious, hold on."

He turned to look at her and with a smirk upon his face he retorted "Catch me." With that he continued on his way to the other part of their apartment.

Sybil sighed, smiling. Oh, that smirk. That smirk that made her melt. If, indeed, she was carrying a baby boy, she hoped to see that beautiful smirk on his little mouth.

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Extended A/N: Special thanks for their reviews to: aridnie , jjjc, lovingthe sandt-iidge , Lovesyounot971 , GinnyOlivia, Beebbop, A Forgotten One, DuskyIndian, niandra, The Yankee Countess, peps281, Lady Rosesong, Major Downton Fan, Apolla Broadpath, confusednikki24-7, ella and amylily123 .