A/N: So after a nice dinner, guess what's next on the menu? This is a birthday fic for the amazing PiperHolmes. Without whom, you would not be reading this right now.

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows! They always brighten my day. :)

Thanks to Tripp3235 for a quick beta. Same universe as The Journey to Happiness and Branson and Crawley and one where Sybil and Matthew live and Edith marries Sir Anthony in 3x03 (which is a slight change from an earlier chapter of Branson and Crawley).

Disclaimer: Not mine. All Downton Abbey characters belong to Julian Fellowes and ITV. I'm just playing with them.

Chapter 7 - A New but Familiar Routine

When Tom returned, Sybil had taken the dessert out of the food hamper. It was a couple of slices of chocolate cake and a Pears a l'Allemande as pear picking season was just starting.

"Would appear that Mrs. Patmore knows you rather well," Sybil said, looking at her husband while making his tea. "I think the significantly larger slice is meant for you."

"I don't know what do you mean?" asked Tom, trying to look innocent when he sat down on the sofa beside her.

Sybil raised an eyebrow. "The larger piece is twice the size of the other and Mrs. Patmore knows I'm not all that fond of chocolate cake."

"Perhaps she thinks that you require more cake because of Nora," Tom countered with a wicked grin.

"Perhaps she knows you have a sweet tooth after she caught you looking for midnight snacks when we were here for Mary and Matthew's wedding." Sybil smiled knowing she won this one since Tom had been caught red handed one evening cutting a slice of leftover cake. Being a member of downstairs for six years, he had known where she had kept such things.

"How was I to know that she wasn't asleep yet?" asked Tom, suddenly defensive. "It was one o'clock in the morning. She usually headed upstairs by ten when I worked here."

"Maybe she knows you better than you think she does." Sybil handed Tom the larger slice of cake, which he accepted without protest.

"Perhaps she does," Tom conceded. Taking the first bite of cake, he looked around the front room. Nearly everything was in place. Changing the subject, he added, "I'm astonished by what you've accomplished the last two days."

"I had help," said Sybil, taking the first bite of the pear.

"Still," said Tom in slight awe after a second bite of the cake. "Almost everything is in its place."

"We do have limited belongings," said Sybil with a chuckle after she swallowed. "There's more than sufficient room to put everything. Once everything has a place, it's very simple to unpack. As well, I was eager to make this place our home. I was thinking earlier that I'd like to invite various members my family over for tea once we've established a routine."

"If you wish," said Tom, non-committal.

"I wouldn't have them all over at once," Sybil explained. "Maybe Mama and Papa first, and then perhaps Cousin Isobel, then Mary and Matthew and Edith and Anthony, and of course, Granny. I want them to see how we live and how happy we are with our choices."

"I understand," said Tom, after swallowing another bite of cake. "You want them to see us as a family separate from them."

"Exactly," said Sybil, getting excited. "They never really saw us living as man and wife, even Mary and Edith, and I want them to see that we can manage ourselves, despite having to leave Ireland in such a hurry."

"Invite them when you're ready." Tom smiled at his wife. "And I'll welcome them when they're here."

They then settled for companionable silence until the dessert was finished. After placing the plate down on the coffee table, Tom put his arm around Sybil's shoulder and when she finished hers, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Looking into the fire, Tom said, "This place feels like home, even if it's temporary, thanks to you. I've missed that since we left Dublin so suddenly." Tom then kissed the top of Sybil's head. "Thank you."

Sybil shifted to look at Tom. "I'm glad."

Tom then leaned down to kiss Sybil, who returned the kiss fervently. Pulling apart, Tom said breathlessly, "I want this as much as you do, but perhaps we should get settled for the night?"

"Spoilsport!" Sybil gave Tom a look and then stood up. Walking over to where Nora slept, she picked up the moses basket and took it into their bedroom.

Meanwhile, Tom did a final check of the house, locking the doors, closing the windows since the nights were getting too chilly. When Tom entered their bedroom, Sybil was wrapping the last of the blankets around Nora in the bassinette, who slept longer when swaddled since the day she was born. "Now that we're in the cottage, perhaps we ought to start having her sleep in her own room?" Tom asked quietly, looking at Sybil hopefully.

Turning to look at Tom, Sybil asked in low tone,"Do you think?" She actually liked having Nora nearby, especially for nursing in the overnight.

"Maybe now that she's sleeping through the night." Tom pleaded with his eyes and added a little too quickly. "If you can't sleep, I promise I'll bring her back whenever you want."

Slightly suspicious, Sybil asked, "I know that you promised to devote every waking minute to my happiness, but what is it that you want exactly?"

"Nothing," whispered Tom. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," said Sybil, giving him a harder look while she stood to face him. "Perhaps the way you're looking at me."

"Alright," Tom admitted with a blush. "I really enjoyed how you vocalized your desires yesterday and I suspect that if Nora was in the same room with us while we … you know that you won't be nearly as vocal."

Sybil blushed and softened at the explanation. "I suppose you have a point. Whenever you want to bring her to the other room, she's swaddled."

Tom smiled and walked over to take the bassinet to the other room.

When Tom returned and closed the door, Sybil had changed out of her clothes and was sitting in the nude in front of the vanity she found in Downton's attic, brushing her hair. Sybil had missed having one in Dublin, but their old bedroom didn't have room for such an item anyway. When she realized how large their bedroom would be, she knew that there would be room for one, so she browsed the attic when she was looking for a chest of drawers for Nora and was rewarded with this one. It was of a dark-coloured wood and was scratched and dented in various places, plus the front of one of the drawers were cracked where the wood split, but he mirror was still intact, so it was a worthy find.

Catching her eye in the mirror mid-stroke, Tom smiled and approached her from behind, portions of his anatomy awakening from seeing his wife in the nude. Leaning down, he kissed her at the nape of her neck. With her shorter hair, it was exposed and easily accessible. When he moved to her shoulder, Sybil let out a sigh with the breath she didn't know she had been holding. She then reached up to caress his cheek.

When he kissed her palm, she took advantage and turned to face him. Leaning up to kiss him, she eventually stood up to make their positions less awkward. He then ran his hands down her bare sides while they deepened the kiss. When they broke apart, Sybil said breathlessly, "I think you're far too clothed for this." Tom just pulled Sybil closer and kissed his response.

After playing with his hair while they kissed, she reached down to his waistcoat and made short work of the buttons. Slipping the watch chain into the pocket with the watch, she quickly divested him of it and placed it haphazardly on the chair behind her. His suspenders were quickly pulled off his shoulder. His tie, shirt and undershirt soon followed in quick succession after a round of kisses. When they, too, were safely deposited onto the chair, Sybil took his hand and led him to the bed. After another round of kisses, Sybil said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Sit down."

Tom promptly sat down and wondered what Sybil was going to do next. With a slight push of her finger on his shoulder and he was lying on the bed, still clothed from the waist down. Then, Sybil reached down to untie his laces and removed his shoes, one after another, soon to be followed by his socks. Once she was finished with that, she sat down on the bed beside him and began to caress his growing hardness through his trousers. The gentle caress was enough to have his eyes rolling in the back of his head. This was heavenly. He had missed their intimacy so much the last few months.

The next thing he felt was her gentle hands caressing his member through his pants from the waistband down. He didn't recall her unbuttoning his trousers.

"If you move up a little, and lift your behind, I can take these restricting clothes away," said Sybil in a sultry voice.

Without question, he obeyed her and soon thereafter he was divested of the remainder of his clothes. Reaching up, he pulled Sybil down for a kiss, while she continued to gently run her hands along his shaft, further hardening him and sending exquisite sensations throughout his body.

While they kissed, Tom ran his hands all over her bare body, squeezing her behind. He wanted to kiss every inch of it. There was no urgency tonight. When she reached up to touch his cheek, Tom took advantage and gently rolled them over so that he could take care of her. Lifting himself up, Tom moved to kiss her jawline and down her throat. Careful to avoid her breasts, he kissed in-between them. He longed to suck on them until her nipples were taut, but they were temporarily on loan to his daughter. Moving lower, Sybil giggled when he reached her navel, but soon that turned into sighs and moans when he reached her mound.

Expertly, he inserted his finger into her warm centre, eliciting an "Oh, Tom!" Moving it in circles, soon he added a second finger and used his thumb to rub her nub. Reaching further in, he pulled in a come-hither motion at the roof of her centre, causing Sybil to writhe in ecstasy, her breathing becoming laboured while she came closer and closer to her climax. He continued speeding up the motion until he had her body shaking, finally coming with a very loud moan. Quickly taking his fingers out of the pulsing centre, Tom sucked at the juices that were now flowing out of her. Licking her still quivering nub, Sybil shuddered a few final times before her breathing finally started to settled down.

Looking at Sybil, Tom smiled. "Did you like that?"

"It was rather obvious that I liked it very much." Sybil smiled weakly at him after that amazing event. "You were right. I don't think it would have been nearly as good if Nora was with us. I would have been inhibited from feeling it all." Sybil made a come-hither motion with her finger. "Come here so I can kiss you." When he was above her, she encircled her arms around his neck. "Thank you. That was wonderful!" She then pulled him in for a kiss.

"Why is my chest wet?" asked Tom when he pulled up to look.

Sybil looked down, slightly embarrassed. "A by-product of nursing and sexual climaxes. Sarah mentioned it might happen." Sarah Byrne was not only Sybil's boss at the clinic in Ireland, but her personal physician and good friend, too. Reaching over to her nightstand, Sybil pulled out a handkerchief and wiped Tom's chest before wiping her own breasts. "I'm sorry I didn't notice before."

"Don't worry," Tom smiled. "I think it's funny that when you reach your 'goal' that liquids flow out of more than one location."

After discarding the handkerchief, Sybil leaned against the pillows at the top of the bed and looked at Tom seductively. "Be quiet and come kiss me."

"You wish is my command, love." Tom moved closer to Sybil and leaned in to kiss her.

While they kissed, Sybil reached down to stroke Tom and harden him once more. Once he felt ready, Sybil motioned to roll over and moved to climb on top of him. It wasn't a position they used often before the pregnancy, but Sybil liked the control it gave her and with Tom's helping hand at her nub as instructed by The Perfumed Garden book, she had no trouble reaching her high. Tom, for his part, didn't mind it at all.

Once she was in position, she lowered her still moist centre slowly onto him and Tom was reminded why he had no objections to this position, though it did feel different than before. Hence he was ready for Sybil to move right away. While she was moving above him, he noticed that her curves had filled out nicely with the pregnancy, not that he didn't admire her curves before. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he liked this very much. He looked up at her face. "You look beautiful tonight." Sybil smiled at him.

By talking, he felt confident enough that this would not end right there and then, so he relaxed his hold on Sybil's hips, who then started moving. Sybil closed her eyes to savour the sensations. Tom originally moved his thumb to rub her nub, but still sensitive from her previous climax, she gently pushed his hands away. Sensing that she might tire sooner than normal because it had been so long since they last used this position, Tom helped by moving her hips back and forth in a rocking motion.

Sybil could see from his facial expressions and hear in his breathing that he was building up to his high, but she was only starting. Also, tiring faster than normal, she couldn't very well ask Tom to help her with both, so she reached down to rub it herself. This was still a new sensation for Sybil since her nanny then her governess had railed against the evils of self-touching, so she had only rarely done so and often felt guilty about it. With Tom's patient teaching during the first few months of their marriage, she had learned to do it without guilt when the situation arose. Rubbing faster, the sensations radiating from her centre started to peak and from what she could tell, Tom was getting close as well. She was surprised when she suddenly climaxed, moaning loudly. Her centre started pulsing, gripping Tom's shaft and she felt Tom give one last thrust. "Oh, God!" Soon, he was spilling into her.

Once the heat of the moment started to wane, she collapsed onto Tom who was still breathing heavily. When their breathing started to return to normal, they could feel the chill in the late September night air.

Sybil shivered and snuggled closer to Tom for body heat. "Are you getting cold, too?"

"I am," said Tom. "Shall we move under the covers?"

Sybil just nodded. Tom then pulled out of her and found his undershirt to clean himself before passing it to Sybil, who had pulled up the covers. He turned all the lights off in the bedroom while she cleaned herself and then they both jumped under the bedclothes together. They snuggled together to generate heat.

"From now on, we should add more wood to the fireplace before going to bed." Tom whispered into Sybil's ear when he spooned her.

Sybil yawned. "Agreed. Good night, darling!"

"Good night, love."

After such blissfully exhausting exercise, soon they were both fast asleep.

A/N2: A slow dance this time. :) I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!