A/N: Here is the final chapter. This concludes the birthday fic for the amazing PiperHolmes. Without whom, you would not be reading this right now.

Thanks for sticking with me this past week with all the lovely reviews, favorites, follows here, and reblogs and likes on tumblr!

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 (which is a slight change from an earlier chapter of Branson and Crawley) is that Edith marries Sir Anthony in 3x03.

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

Chapter 9 - We're home!

The rest of the cricket match was uneventful. It ended with Tom catching a fly ball for the final out. After the customary handshakes between the two teams, everyone dispersed soon thereafter to their homes and the staff began to take down the tents erected for the game.

On the walk home, Tom was still holding the cricket ball he caught in his hand and feeling happy with his contributions to the game.

"So I suppose, you'll be playing again next year?" asked Sybil pushing the pram with Nora in it.

"Perhaps if we're still here and the house team needs another player," said Tom. "I certainly have the uniform for it."

"As do I apparently," said Sybil, gesturing at her dress. "So did the practice sessions with Matthew help?"

"A little," said Tom. "I'm still not very good at batting, but I suppose I would have more time to practice if we're still here." Tom paused at little to change the subject. "Matthew asked if I could stay and play billiards with him this evening after dinner. I said I'd discuss it with you first, if it was too much after such a long day and busy week."

"If Pratt could drive me and Nora home first after dinner, feel free to stay and play as long as you wish." Sybil adjusted Nora's blanket. "It has been a long day and not just for me. Mary offered to ask Anna to watch Nora while we're at dinner, when Mama asked what my plans were for Nora tonight. I had completely forgotten until then. As you know, dinner isn't as informal as breakfast."

"Do you think it would help if you took a nap before we have to dress for dinner?" asked Tom when they reached their laneway. "I'm sure we could both use one. I can give her some belly time once we've put everything away and you can start your nap."

"I could use it, thank you." Sybil lifted Nora out of her pram and Tom wheeled it into the garage. "As Grandmama likes to say, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a raincheck on helping me undress."

"It's been a long day," said Tom. "After such a busy week, you need your sleep."

Once inside, Sybil put Nora in her basket with a toy while she emptied the bag of Nora's dirty nappies first. Normally, it would be tea time but tea was provided at the game when the batters switched, so neither of them were very hungry. Sybil unpinned her hat and placed it in its box and put the box on a shelf in the alcove just when Tom was entering the house. She smiled at him and he pulled her in for a long kiss, which she returned with great enthusiasm.

When they broke apart, Sybil asked in surprise, "What was that for?"

"I've been wanting to do that since I saw you this morning." Tom grinned. "I didn't want to give everyone a spectacle at the match or on the streets and we were already late when you appeared in the dress."

"Thank you," Sybil leaned in for a quick kiss. "Maybe I'll be waiting for you with a surprise when you come home tonight."

"I definitely like that idea," said Tom while he caressed her backside through the dress.

At that moment, Nora started to call out for attention, so they looked at one another and chuckled.

"You do know that the more of this will lead to more of that, right?" asked Sybil, her hands against his chest.

"I wouldn't mind a dozen more," said Tom, leaning in to give Sybil one last kiss before letting her go. Walking to his daughter in her basket, he added, "Nora is the sweetest baby. Aren't you my darling girl?" Nora gurgled at him.

"There's something we need to discuss."Sybil looked at Tom with some seriousness and sat down on the sofa.

Tom soon followed with Nora in his arms. "This sounds serious. Should I be worried?"

After Tom was seated, Sybil looked at him and Nora one last time before speaking. "I should have thought of this earlier, but I must look into birth control. We spoke about this before we married that I would like to space the children out, but more importantly I would like to work again once Nora is a little older. Cousin Isobel asked me today at the cricket game if I was interested and if I was, when I was ready, I could join her part-time at the centre to help with expectant mothers. Our conversation just now in the alcove reminded me to discuss it with you."

"Is it something you want to do?" Sitting down on the sofa with Nora, Tom offered, "You know I'll support you, whatever you decide."

"I don't know yet," said Sybil frankly. "I have the right skill set for this particular position and I don't think I'll be able to work full-time again until the children are older, but I don't know what other part-time work is available to me."

"I'm sure you'll find something you want to be involved in," said Tom, keeping Nora busy with his fingers. "Be it this or another position."

"Working isn't the only reason I wanted to look into it," confessed Sybil. "Last time I spoke to Sarah, she mentioned that of mothers who survive, if toxemia occurs once, there's a greater chance that it will occur in a second birth." Sybil had debated telling this to Tom, afraid that he would take an entrenched position against more children in the future, but she decided that it would be unfair to him to make such a decision on her own that could affect their whole family.

"I wasn't aware of that," asked Tom, worried. He quickly added, "That might be more of a reason to look into it because otherwise we may have to abstain. What we've been doing the last few days, will it result in a child?"

Sybil pursed her lips, "There's always a chance, but it's very unlikely since I'm still nursing Nora and she's not started solids yet."

"We still have the device we purchased a year ago," said Tom, "We never did use it. Perhaps the prices have gone down a year later and we can make a visit to Ripon to buy more. But the bigger question is do we want to risk another child?"

"According to Sarah, if I do become pregnant again, I will require constant monitoring for signs right from the beginning." Sybil pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket to wipe the drool from Nora's cheek. "I would be put on anti-convulsants once the signs reach a certain point. The danger is suppose to decrease with each subsequent pregnancy, but most mothers died before giving birth, so there aren't many examples, just mainly anecdotal evidence."

"You almost died this time," said Tom, worried. "I'd rather try preventing first. I don't know what I'd do if you were taken from me."

"Maybe in a few years, there will be discoveries that would help with the condition," said Sybil, wistfully. "Most of the problems this time were because Dr. Clarkson and Sir Philip were arguing over the course of treatment. There will be no arguments next time."

"I suppose ..." said Tom.

"I'd like to give Nora some brothers and sisters, eventually." Sybil placed her hand on his free one. "Despite that Mary and Edith never got on, I would have been a very lonely child on my own."

"Nora has a bushel full of cousins in Dublin," said Tom. "I'm sure that your sisters will have children, too. That's probably all that Nora needs."

"Cousins just aren't the same, darling," Sybil explained. "When I was little, Patrick would visit for weeks at a time every year as part of his education, but he wasn't the same as a brother. I thought the plan was to stay here just long enough to build a nest egg? Also, there's no guarantee that we'll be able to return to Ireland in the foreseeable future. I'm not asking to have another right away. I just rather not decide right now not to have other children because of toxemia."

"I see your point," Tom conceded, moving his free hand to squeeze Sybil's. "Just let me know the options available to us."

"I will." Sybil smiled at her husband, then stifled a yawn.

"We can talk more about this later," said Tom. "Why don't you go change and take a nap. My darling girl and I have a appointment with her belly."

Sybil stood up and went into their bedroom, while Tom kept Nora busy for about a half hour before bringing her to Sybil, who nursed her lying down. When Nora was done, Tom sleep-changed her before putting her in her bassinet and taking a nap himself.

Dinner was uneventful. It was just the local extended family, but with Lady Rosamund and Rose visiting, it was a full dozen at table. Mainly, conversations revolved around the cricket game. Lord Grantham was still happy over Tom catching the fly ball. After a short visit to the drawing room post-dinner, Sybil asked for the car and Pratt drove her and Nora home and Mrs. Crawley took advantage of the car being brought out to leave early as well. Lord Grantham and Sir Anthony joined Matthew and Tom for billiards, so it wasn't the usual friendly game to which they had become accustom.

Splitting up into teams, it was Lord Grantham and Matthew against Sir Anthony and Tom. Sir Anthony surprised them with his billiards skills even with the injured arm, which he mainly used to rest his stick when he took a shot.

"One can only read so long after such an injury, so I spent some of my time recovering in the billiard room." Sir Anthony said in response to the looks of surprise by everyone in the room after his first shot, which touch several red balls before sinking into the corner pocket.

In the end, Lord Grantham and Matthew lost two games out of three. After the men join the ladies for fifteen minutes, the Dowager Countess sent for the car. Hence the Strallans' car and the old Renault that Tom borrowed every Sunday to take his family to the Catholic church in Ripon were also brought out.

After Tom parked the Renault in the garage, he was surprised to find that the light was still on in the bedroom, when he entered the house. Once he finished checking the house for open windows and unlocked doors, he entered the bedroom to find Sybil under the covers, awake and reading. Nora and her bassinet were conspicuously absent.

"I'm surprised you're still up," said Tom, taking off his dinner jacket and placing it on the back of a nearby chair. "Is Nora in her room?"

"Nora and I fell asleep after I settled her when we arrived home," said Sybil, glancing at the alarm clock on the night table. "But she was up just a half hour ago looking for her last meal of the night, so I took her to her room afterward. Since you weren't home yet, I decided to stay up to wait for you. What made billiards so long?"

Removing the tie and putting it on the jacket, Tom said, "Your father and Anthony joined us for and Matthew and Lord Grantham insisted we play best of two out of three games after they lost the first one."

"So who won?" asked Sybil, watching her handsome husband unbuttoning his shirt.

"Anthony and I did," said Tom, noticing Sybil's raised eyebrow at his informality with Sir Anthony and put her book on the nightstand. "Apparently, he spent a lot of his time recovering in the billiards room."

"That's not what I meant," said Sybil, smiling. "You called Anthony by his first name."

"He asked me to call him by his first name since I call Matthew by his first name and they are both my brothers-in-law now." Tom placed his shirt on a hanger and put it into the wardrobe.

"I was wondering when you were going to start doing that." Sybil smiled when Tom removed his trousers, his shoes and socks. He was about to put on his pajamas and she pulled down the covers to reveal her bare breasts.

"I see," said Tom, quickly removing his pants, too. "Are you the siren who beckons me to you?" Tom then climbs into bed.

"Perhaps," said Sybil, smiling seductively. "I promise that I won't lead you to your death."

Tom settled in bed and pulled Sybil close to him, kissing her first before moving to her cheek and jawline. He then kissed her throat, eventually moving to her shoulder. The faint smell of her lilac perfume arousing him in short order. "You are so beautiful. I want you so much."

"Oh, Tom!" said Sybil, aroused by the kisses and his hardness against her. "Love me."

Tom then proceeded to kiss her under the covers until he found her centre. Working hard until he felt it moisten and soften a little. Sybil, for her part, was enjoying the attention.

"Did we want to use the thing?" Tom move up on her body. "I found it this afternoon."

"Let's wait until we find more," said Sybil, running fingers through his hair. "We've done this twice already without it. One more time won't make a difference."

Tom then moved up to kiss her thoroughly before moving to enter her. "Help me," he whispered into her ear. Sybil then reached down to align him and he pushed in. Having done this the last two days in a row, he was able to start moving immediately. Sybil then started moaning his name into his ear. "Oh, Tom! Yes, Tom!" So Tom sped up his pace a little and he started rocking back and forth to ensure that he was hitting her nub. Once he started rocking, Sybil started to breath harder and vocalize more, signaling she was getting close, so Tom sped it up some more to get himself closer. When he did that Sybil reached her high with a loud moan. She then shuddered and started pulsing on him, which tripped his climax. "Oh God!" He then came and split into her. When he was done, he shifted and collapsed next to her.

After they cleaned up and snuggled next to one another, relaxing after some wonderful intimacy, Tom said, "I'm so glad we moved into this cottage. I love hearing you vocalize your desire."

Turning to face him, Sybil said, "It is rather nice not to have to worry about neighbours, staff, or heaven forbid, family overhearing us. When do you think this cottage will feel like home? " Running her hands in his hair, she leaned in for a kiss. She didn't realize until now but she did miss being able to love her husband any time they weren't expecting anyone. They kissed for quite some time and before long they were ready for another round. This time it was slow and languorous, but nonetheless, it was ultimately satisfying.

Afterward, when Tom spooned Sybil, just when they are about to fall asleep, Tom whispered in Sybil's ear, "We're home!"

Finis!

A/N2: I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!

I'm considering continuing to write in this universe and making this the first story in the Moving Forward series (sort of like doing a Star Wars wherein Episode IV was not called A New Hope originally). Is there interest in this endeavour? Please drop me a review if there is and of course the more interest there is, the more likely it will happen. ;)