A/N: Hey guys, I am back with MaryAnna fic writing! I know this has been a long time coming, and I am so sorry for the wait. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter Four

As Mary and Anna set up the nursery for their babies, they were filled with pride. They had everything in its place exactly as it should be and everything was clean and ready to welcome their babies. The wall was painted a light gray color, and there were soothing tones of light blue throughout the room decor. The cribs were against the wall with a navy blanket draped over the side of what would be their boy's crib and a light pink one over their girl's. Above that was a picture from their maternity shoot with a 4D ultrasound picture of each baby on either side. In the picture, Mary was wearing a white and blue pastel pant suit with one arm wrapped around Anna and the other hand interlocking fingers over Anna's bump as she glowed in her absolutely stunning Cinderella blue dress.

Mary thought back to the day of the maternity shoot and smiled. It had been magical. Anna was absolutely glowing the entire time, and her happiness was infectious. They had felt more in love with each other that day than any day before it. And that came through in the photo Mary kept on her bedside table: they were head-to-head and staring into each other's eyes, their eyes clearly conveying their love for one another.

Anna's bedside held two photos from that day: one of Mary kneeling down and kissing her bump and one a close up of her face on Anna's bare stomach, listening for the babies. The photos there and in the nursery did a good job of conveying just how much they loved the babies and were excited to meet them and become mothers.

Mary put the final touch in the nursery as she placed a soft teddy bear in each of the baby's cribs before looking over at her wife who was sitting in the rocking chair behind her. Their eyes met, with tears shining for both of them as they realized the nursery was ready for their babies. This was a big step in building a family together, and they both felt that they couldn't possibly be happier they were doing this. They were excited about the direction their life together was headed. Their family was expanding, and it was all they could ever want.

"I can't wait to meet them," Anna said, stroking her stomach gently.

"Me too," Mary agreed, "Well, we're ready now, so they can come any time I suppose."

"Not any time, we've still got a month and a half to go," Anna responded back with a light chuckle. "You hear that guys? You've got to stay in there a bit longer. Don't listen to Mama."

"Okay, maybe Mama was exaggerating a little bit, but I do hope this last bit of time goes by quickly. I'm itching to meet them."

"Me too. And I can't wait till I'm not the size of a house anymore," Anna added with a laugh.

"You're gorgeous, Anna," Mary assured her.

"I know you think so, and I love you for it."

"I love you too," Mary said sincerely before pressing kisses up her wife's chest and neck. "I love you so much," she whispered hotly in Anna's ear, making Anna moan slightly.

"Shall we go lie down?" Anna asked, her voice breathy with want.

"Yes, I think we shall," Mary said with a smirk, helping her wife up from her seat and leading her into their bedroom, the love they felt for one another making itself known with great passion.

Anna knew there was an important conversation she needed to have with her wife before their babies would make their way into the world. She wanted to bring their children up in the church, but she wanted Mary's approval before going down that road. She knew her wife might be against the idea, and if she was, Anna would respect that. It was just something she had always wanted, for her children to feel loved and welcome in a community of faith. She figured maybe if she had had that, she might have felt more supported when her parents shunned her during her teenage years. It was no use dwelling on her past now, but if she could set her children up for success in the future, she would.

"Mary, can we talk?" she asked, approaching her wife as she sat on the sofa.

"Of course, my love," Mary answered, patting the cushion beside her so her pregnant wife could sit down. "Is anything the matter? Are you feeling well?"

"I'm feeling fine, everything's alright with the babies," Anna assured her as she settled in beside her wife. "I just wanted to talk to you about something. It's a big decision and one I feel you ought to have some input in: I.. I want to bring up our children in the church."

"O..okay. Anna, I don't really know what to say. I mean, I suppose if it was a queer-affirming church I'd be willing to consider it."

"Well, that's what I've found. I was talking to some people at work, and they recommended we try Ripon Church of Christ. Apparently, a lot of gay couples go there, and some even have families. Our kids would get to be in nursery and youth group with other kids with two mums or two dads, something they likely wouldn't get at Downton's school. I want them to have fellowship with other believers and other people who are growing up in similar circumstances just as much as I want them to get even more experience and friendship from their schooling."

"Well, I want that too. I just don't know if I want it happening in a church setting, but since it means that much to you, we can certainly try," Mary said. "How about we go to services on Sunday and try and get a feel for things? If we like it, we can continue attending and see how it goes as the babies get older. If they don't get on well with the other kids, we can find other kinds of activities for them to do."

Anna nodded in agreement at her wife's suggestion. She knew this was a big concession Mary was making to abide by her wishes, and she was immensely grateful to her for making it.

"Thank you, Mary. I know this is a big step for you, and I am glad we are going on this journey together. If you get uncomfortable at any point, just let me know and we can readjust the plan."

"That sounds good. I love you so much, and I want us to raise our children together. I'm on the same page as you on this, I assure you."

"Oh, Mary, my love, I love you so very very much," Anna said, placing a gentle kiss on her wife's cheek. She was so incredibly in love with this woman before her, and she knew she always would be.

Anna and Mary went to the church the following Sunday. The sermon was about how God loves everyone and how it is everyone's job to look after each other regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. Mary was inspired by the sermon, and she was glad to hear people voicing how important it was to love one another. She hadn't found many experiences with people of faith promoting love, but she felt love here. And she knew if Anna could love the Lord this much, she thought she could too.

After the sermon was over, another couple approached them. Anna and Mary introduced themselves and the couple inquired after whether they were looking to join this church, which they confirmed they were. Upon hearing this news, the couple introduced themselves further.

"I'm Susan, and this is my wife Jiah," the woman said.

"Nice to meet you both," Jiah said, shaking Mary's hand. "I need to go pick up the girls from children's church, but you can stay and chat and we'll come back to you," she told her wife.

"You have kids? Maybe when ours are born, they can be friends with yours," Mary suggested.

"I'm sure they'd love that. My eldest is almost five, and she is obsessed with babies right now. I don't think she quite understands that babies can't really play with her," she said with a chuckle. "Our younger daughter is three, and I'm sure she'd love to play with them as they get older."

"Oh that'd be so fun for them. I would love that," Anna said, Mary nodding beside her.

"I think that'd be nice for Sophie. When my husband died, I isolated myself from the world, and I inadvertently isolated Sopie. When Jiah came along, I opened my heart again and I consider her the love of my life. I love our family, and I feel so blessed we have two amazing kids together. Sophie and Brielle get along so well. They have from the very moment Brielle was adopted. They bring each other out of their shells quite a bit, and I just love to see the joy on their faces while they're playing together."

"That must be so lovely for you to get to witness," Mary commented.

"It truly is one of my favorite parts of being a mom," Susan agreed.

"I can't wait for our two to play together," Anna said, excited for her twins to have built-in playmates.

"We're back," Jiah said, ushering in her girls. "Sophie, Brielle, meet Anna and Mary."

"Hi," both girls said in unison, giving a small wave to the people they were being introduced to.

Sophie was the double of her mom with straight brown hair and brown eyes and Brielle was a gorgeous little girl with a bright smile. "Do you like my beads?" Brielle asked Mary, shaking her head to show off the purple and pink beads at the end of her braids.

"They're wonderful," Mary said, crouching down to talk to the little girl. "Are pink and purple your favorite colors?"

Brielle nodded happily. "Mine too," Mary whispered, "and red."

"Red is like Moana's outfit," Brielle noted.

"Oh, I've heard that she's a great princess," Mary noted.

"She is," Brielle agreed excitedly, "She has a boat and she knows how to sail it, and there's a chicken and a pig called Pua that's her best friend."

"That sounds like fun," Mary said.

"Ask her about her hair or her favorite Disney princesses and she's suddenly not so shy anymore," Jiah commented with a slight chuckle, making the other adults laugh quietly.

"She's very sweet," Anna said, "You two have done well with your girls."

"You will do well with your kiddos too," Susan said.

"We are very much looking forward to it. Hopefully we can see you again before they make their arrival," Anna said sweetly, giving them a kind smile as they said their farewells for the moment.

As Anna and Mary left the church, they nodded to each other, silently signaling to one another their intentions to return to this church in the future. They had already met a wonderful family who they knew would be supportive of them as their family grew, and they felt there was potential to build community here. This was the place they were meant to be if they were going to have fellowship with other families like theirs, and they were so glad to have found it.