#HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE PEOPLE WHO BIRTHED ME RAISED ME TUCKED ME IN BED KISSED ME ON THE FOREHEAD <3333

[lastbluetardis]

And Baby Makes Three (6/6)

And here we are, at the end of Ainsley’s section of this series! There will be a short epilogue that I’ll post probably tomorrow.

This was beta-ed by the incomparable @chocolatequeennk. Thank you!!

Ten x Rose, Soulmates AU, NSFW (most of this chapter is nsfw, as James and Rose celebrate their anniversary).

With the decision to try for a baby made, James and Rose eagerly look forward to this newest chapter of their lives.

AO3 | TSP | FF | Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5 | Ch6 | Epilogue

James and Rose spent the next week decorating their house for Christmas, which they had decided to host alongside Robert and Jackie. When the decision had first been made a few weeks before Ainsley’s birth, James and Rose had wanted to be in a familiar environment, both for themselves and for their baby, and they hadn’t wanted to make the long journey to Scotland with a baby they thought would be barely a week old.

Jackie and Robert arrived at the house on Christmas Eve morning to help finish decorating, begin the meal preparations, and dote on their growing granddaughter.

“Want to show Gran and Grandad what you learned to do, sweetheart?” Rose cooed when they first arrived.

Ainsley rewarded them with a beaming smile, and an enthusiastic flailing of her arms.

“Oh, how beautiful!” Robert praised, tickling the bottom of her feet. “So gorgeous, sweetheart!”

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” James said proudly from where he was standing on a chair to put the star atop the tree.

Christmas day found their house bustling with people as family members arrived for Christmas dinner. While it was exhausting to entertain so many people and keep a six-week old baby happy, James and Rose delighted in being able to show off their daughter and introduce her to their family.

“So precious!” James’s grandmother said as Ainsley smiled her way around the room, contentedly tucked away in her father’s arms. “Can I hold her?”

James nodded and passed her off, before he wandered back into the kitchen to check on dinner.

“Where’s Ainsley?” Rose asked as she sampled a bit of the turkey that was ready to be carved.

“Ainsley?” he asked, feigning ignorance. “Who’s Ainsley?”

Rose smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you mean the gorgeous baby everyone is cooing over? I left her with my grandmum.”

“She really has everyone falling in love with her, doesn’t she?” Rose said, peeking into the living room as grown adults crowded around their baby and babbled nonsense at her.

“’Course! She’s the most loveable human in the universe!” he exclaimed proudly. “Just like her mum.”

James wrapped his arm around Rose’s waist and pressed a firm kiss to the side of her head.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always,” he said, grabbing a fresh bottle of wine from the fridge.

“Are your dad’s parents still around?” she asked. “It’s just… I’ve never seen them, or even heard of them. And I’ve never been able to bring myself to ask.”

James sighed and scrubbed at the back of his neck.

“His mum died when he was just a baby,” James said. “And his dad… Well, let’s just say he was a product of his era and his parents. He drank a lot and wasn’t a very pleasant man to my dad. Dad left as soon as he turned eighteen. Moved into my mum’s parents’ basement, actually. They cheated with the whole “no meeting your soulmate ‘til you’re eighteen” rule. But Mum was only ten months younger than Dad, so no one really said anything.”

“I’m sorry,” Rose said, feeling her heart break for Robert.

“Yeah,” James said. “But Mum’s family adopted him like one of their own. He hasn’t heard from his dad since, and I don’t think that really bothers him.”

Rose nodded and glanced into the living room where Robert was on the floor on his belly, mirroring Ainsley’s position as she practiced lifting her head up. It flopped to the ground after a few seconds, but even her small victory earned her an enthusiastic round of applause.

Later that evening after dinner and dessert and gift-giving—wherein everyone brought mostly things for Ainsley—Robert and James retreated to the kitchen to clean up from the meal.

“That went well,” James said, rinsing the dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. “As well as can be expected with a young baby.”

“Ainsley did great,” Robert agreed. “And so did Rose.”

James smiled softly, having just left his wife napping on the sofa, exhausted from the day’s events.

“So,” Robert said, “your anniversary is coming up. Any plans?”

James turned to face his dad and smirked. “You angling for a babysitting job?”

“You know I love that little girl to death,” Robert said, shrugging. “So, yeah, I wouldn’t mind keeping her overnight if you and Rose want a proper date night or something for your anniversary.”

“That’d be brilliant, actually,” James said. “Though I need to talk to Rose and see if she’d want to be away from Ainsley for an entire night. I’ll let you know, but one way or another, it’d be brilliant if you could keep Ainsley for a bit on the thirtieth.”

oOoOo

“You look stunning,” James breathed as he stepped into their en suite as Rose was touching up her makeup. They’d taken Robert up on his offer to babysit Ainsley overnight, and James had made reservations at one of their favorite date night restaurants, one they hadn’t visited in months. “So stunning.”

Rose beamed at him through the mirror as she capped her mascara and fixed her hair.

“Might I interest you in a pair of earrings?” James murmured, stepping up behind her and opening a velvet box. “You picked a perfect dress for these.”

Rose eagerly spun around and opened up the box, revealing a pair of drop earrings. Two diamonds led the way to the main ruby gemstone, and Rose delighted that the earrings would match perfectly to the deep burgundy gown she had donned for the evening.

“James, you spoil me,” Rose said breathlessly as she put on the earrings.

“It gives me such pleasure to do so, my love,” he murmured into her ear, and the gravelly tone of his voice and his warm breath made her shiver. “Come on. Don’t want to miss our reservation.”

“But I haven’t given you your gift yet,” Rose protested.

“Is it something I can use or wear at dinner?” he asked. At her negative shake of her head, he said, “Then you can give it to me when we get home. That all right?”

At her nod, he took her hand, led her to their car, and drove them into town for dinner.

For it being the end of December, the night air was refreshingly cold rather than unbearably bitter, and they didn’t mind the short walk from the carpark into the restaurant.

“Ah, so lovely!”

Rose turned and saw a late middle-aged man walking towards them.

“My youngest is pregnant with her first. When are you due?” the man said before he touched his hand to Rose’s belly.

“Oi!” Rose batted his hand away as James tightened his hold around her waist. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I had my baby seven weeks ago!”

The man had the decency to look embarrassed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“My apologies. I didn’t realize…”

“You know, even if she was still pregnant, that doesn’t give you the right to just come up and touch her,” James snarled. “Her body is her own.”

“Let’s just go inside, James,” Rose murmured, stroking her hand along his arm. “Come on.”

James huffed out an angry breath, but turned away from the flustered-looking man and the passers-by who had stopped to see what the raised voices were about.

“What a wanker,” he growled, leading Rose to their table. He helped her out of her coat and into her chair before plopping into the seat across the table.

“Yeah, he was,” Rose said simply, reaching out and taking her husband’s hand. “But forget about him. This night is about us, yeah?”

His face softened, and he smiled and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

They spent the rest of their evening enjoying each other’s company without having to worry about being interrupted by a baby. It had been too long since they’d simply reveled in being alone together, and while they missed Ainsley, and sent Robert several check-in texts—to which he always replied with a photo of their daughter—they appreciated being able to celebrate their anniversary in peace.

After dinner, dessert, and dancing, they returned home, warm from the good food and wine they’d drunk, and with the anticipation of what was to come. With Rose cleared by her doctor to resume sexual intercourse, there had been an underlying buzz of excitement and arousal all evening, spurred on by the teasing touches and smiles they gave each other throughout dinner.

When Rose had tugged him in for a sensual kiss on the dance floor, scraping her nails through his hair and teasing his bottom lip between her teeth, it was all James could do to not drag her to the loo and shag her against the wall. Only the desire to make sweet and tender love to his wife all night long had kept him sane as she seemingly tried to unravel him, and he had hastily ushered her out of the restaurant and to their car, barely remembering to pay for their meal before they left.

She hadn’t been much better in the car, and her wandering hands and flirty glances had him aching with need by the time he pulled into their driveway. The cold night air cleared his head enough to be able to get them inside the house before he pounced.

He pinned her against the front door and pressed every inch of himself against her, letting her feel how much he wanted her, as though his hungry kisses weren’t evidence enough.

“Shall we at least get to the bedroom?” Rose murmured as he unfastened her coat and slipped his hands around to her back before dropping them to her bum.

“Why?” he asked, rocking against her as he caught her lips in short, hard kisses. “No one here but us. Feels so good. Bedroom’s so far away.”

Rose hummed lowly in agreement, but she didn’t fancy their first real shag after three months of celibacy to be against their front door.

“Please, James? Please take me to bed.”

James groaned, never being able to resist her when she said “please” like that. He rested his forehead against hers and took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself before he stepped away from her. He shrugged out of his own coat and took Rose’s to hang them up by the door, before he took her hand and guided her down the hall to their bedroom.

They toed off their shoes and as Rose reached back to undo the zip of her dress, James grabbed her hands and moved them away.

“Let me,” he pleaded softly.

Rose’s breath hitched at the lust burning in his eyes, and she swallowed against her suddenly dry mouth as she spun away from him. Goosebumps broke out across her skin as he let his fingertips brush across her bare shoulders before walking their way to her zipper.

He inched the zipper down tooth by tooth, before he slipped his hand between the fabric and her skin and helped it fall to the floor. Rose stepped out of the dress, and watched James carefully put it back in their closet.

“It’s a beautiful dress,” he explained when he saw her smirk. “It’d be a shame for it to get all wrinkly.”

He then stepped towards her and reached around as though to remove her bra, but Rose stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“My turn,” she said simply when his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “There’s a severely unfair clothing deficit in this bedroom.”

“Well, by all means, please level the playing field.”

Rose reached up and slowly unknotted his tie, letting the dark navy silk slip between her fingers.

“Always love undressing you,” Rose admitted as she pushed his suit jacket off his shoulders. “S’like unwrapping a present.”

“Yeah?” James asked, his eyes fluttering shut as Rose slipped her fingers under the waistband of his trousers to untuck his shirt.

“You haven’t noticed?” Rose teased, letting her fingers slowly slip all of his buttons from their holes.

“Well, yeah, but it’s still… Even after all this time, it feels nice that this part of our relationship hasn’t changed,” he admitted, a faint pink blush staining his cheeks. “Making love… It always feels as special and intense as our first night together. At least for me, it does.”

“For me, too,” Rose assured, lifting up on her toes to peck a kiss to his lips.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him as he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue tease its way around the inside of her mouth. He knew exactly where to dance his tongue to pull a delicious shudder from her, and he used her distraction to unclasp her bra and tug it free.

“Oi!” Rose rasped, her lips red and kiss swollen. “Cheater!”

“Can you blame me?” James asked with an impish grin.

“Incorrigible, you are.” But she was laughing and still undressing him, so James let his lips continue tasting and exploring his wife.

He squeaked and bit her neck in surprise when Rose popped the button of his trousers and immediately stuck her hand into his pants to stroke him.

“Sorry,” he murmured, pressing a delicate kiss to the teeth marks he’d left on her skin. “Surprised me, is all. Eager minx.”

“Glad I can still surprise you,” Rose said, slowly stroking him to full hardness within the confines of his pants.

“Oh, love, you surprise me every day,” he said, resting his hands on her hips as he rocked into her touch.

Rose continued teasing his erection as she one-handedly worked his trousers down his legs, and James helpfully stepped out of them.

“Leave it,” he said when she made to pick up the pile of clothes.

“They’ll wrinkle,” she protested.

“Nothing a good startching and ironing can’t fix,” he growled, tugging her firmly against him. “I’m in the middle of making love to my wife.”

“You’re in the middle of combusting your wife from sexual frustration,” Rose corrected, resting her hands on his shoulders for balance as she wrapped a thigh around his hips to grind herself into his erection.

He groaned deep in his throat and clutched at her hips to help them move as he dropped his mouth to the join of her neck and shoulder. He smirked against her skin as she shivered in his arms and dug her nails into his skin, moaning in pleasure.

“Let’s get in bed,” James suggested. His legs were shaking as he was consumed by his arousal and his need to be inside Rose. “Before I make a mess of my pants and our evening.”

“Oh, I know you better than that, James,” Rose purred, continuing to rub against him. “You’d be ready to go again in no time.”

A thrill of pride and self-satisfaction shot through him, but he still tapped her thigh to get her to drop her foot back to the floor.

“Be that as it may, I want to properly make love with you,” he said. “Please, Rose. I really want to be inside you.”

She sighed, and reluctantly stepped away from him to walk to their bed. Even through their pants, she’d worked herself into quite a state, and she was impatient for him to continue touching her. She slipped off her knickers as she saw James working the elastic of his boxers over his erection, and she playfully tossed them at James, giggling when they hit him square in the jaw.

“Nice aim,” he said dryly, crawling onto the bed with her. “Nine out of ten.”

“Only a nine?” she squawked.

“Mhm.” He pressed long, sucking kisses to her legs as he worked his way up her body. “Would’ve been a ten if you’d centered it around my nose.” He scraped his teeth across the soft skin of her inner thigh before laving his tongue across the seam of her hip and thigh. “You smell so good, love.”

Rose shuddered in desire as he pressed kisses to her labia before inhaling deeply. That once would have made her blush and squirm in embarrassment, but now it only made her wetter and desperate to feel him inside her.

“Get up here,” she croaked, sitting up so she could tug on his shoulders.

“Aww, do I have to?” he whined, but he dutifully kneeled between her legs.

“Yep. You’re being a bloody tease.”

She smacked him lightly when he hummed happily. How could he look so put together when she felt like she might implode if she didn’t get him inside her in the next two minutes.

“I wouldn’t look so pleased, love,” she warned.

She reached out and grabbed his erection, rubbing him in short, firm strokes she knew he loved while she also licked and sucked her way across his chest and around his nipples.

“Oh, Jesus,” he choked, shuddering bodily as Rose bit down hard on the skin at the side of his neck.

“No students to hide these from,” she mumbled into his skin just moments before she sucked hard enough for his eyes to roll back in his head from the overwhelming sensations she was making him feel.

He whimpered and as much as he wanted her to continue, he felt his tenuous grasp on his control slipping. He knew he could go a second round—and he intended to, if Rose was amenable—but he didn’t want to come to just her fingers.

“Bloody hell, Rose,” he gasped, prying her hand away from his cock. “Can-can we get to the main event? Please?”

Rose nodded and turned away from him to root around in her nightstand for the box of condoms she’d put there that afternoon. She crowed triumphantly and faced James once more, holding up a little foil packet.

“Can’t forget this. I wouldn’t mind having another baby with you, just not quite yet.”

James nodded in agreement and gestured down to his erection. “Care to do the honors, my love?”

Rose pursed her lips as her cheeks went pink, and she said, “Don’t make fun, James.”

He furrowed his brow, wondering what he’d said to embarrass Rose.

“I don’t understand,” he admitted.

“Never put on a condom before,” she mumbled. “You know that.”

“Well, it would be a little hard for you to wear one, I’ll admit,” he said breezily.

She snorted and rolled her eyes, and James grinned, pleased to see her embarrassed blush fade.

“C’mon, I’ll show you,” he said, taking the condom from her. “You know you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything around me. If you don’t know something, just ask. I’ll never make fun of you for it. Especially this. I’m sorry, I truly didn’t realize you would have no idea how to use a condom.”

“Then how do you know how to use one?” she asked, biting her lip. “I mean… we’ve never used one before. Always relied on my birth control.”

“I’ve never used one with someone else, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said flatly, clenching his jaw.

“No, I know,” Rose assured, cursing herself when she realized how her question sounded. “I know you’ve only been with me. But that’s my point. We’ve never used one.”

James’s cheeks pinkened and he chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Want to know a secret? I practiced putting one on in the few weeks prior to your eighteenth birthday.”

Rose stared at him for a moment, then giggled at the absurdity.

“Oi, you’re not supposed to laugh at me,” James growled, dropping the condom so he could tickle his fingers across her ribs.

“Sorry, that’s just so sweet,” Rose gasped as she suddenly got a mental picture of James fumbling around with a condom as he Googled how to wear one.

“Wanted to be prepared, is all,” he said, shrugging. “Right, ready to do this?”

“So romantic,” Rose snorted. “Let’s get you ready again.”

His erection had wilted slightly in the interim, and he sucked in a breath as she pushed on his shoulders and forced him to his back. She laved her tongue across his nipples, nipping at them as she covered his cock with her hand. She massaged him softly as she trailed her tongue across his chest, down his stomach, and to his hips.

“Oh, blimey,” he panted as she bit and sucked his hipbone until she left a bright red mark he knew would still be there the next day. He felt himself hardening beneath her palm, and he hummed in pleasure as she teased the tip of her tongue across the head of his cock. “I-I’m quite ready now.”

Rose hummed in acknowledgement, and she pressed a long, open-mouthed kiss to his cock before she sat back on her knees, grinning cheekily at him.

“Minx,” he rasped, sitting up. He fumbled around in the sheets, looking for the condom they’d dropped, and he crowed in triumph as he found it. “Right. Condom application 101. Ready?”

“Yes, Professor McCrimmon,” Rose said sweetly, biting her lip.

James’s hands shook as he ripped open the foil packet, and took out the condom.

“Hold onto the tip,” he said, swallowing thickly as Rose cupped his balls in her hand and rolled them gently. “Are you paying attention, Miss Tyler?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, snapping off a salute. “Just steadying your cock for you. Aren’t I being so helpful?”

“Extremely,” he muttered, his eyes fluttering shut as she continued playing with him. “Right. Keep hold of the tip, and place the condom on the head of the erect penis.”

Rose watched him settle the latex on his erection.

“Then smooth it down,” he instructed, still pinching the top of the condom as he stroked it down his erection.

“Need some help with that, sir?” Rose asked, bumping his hand out of the way so she could work the condom down to the base of his cock while giving him a few teasing squeezes as she did so.

“Oh, brilliant,” James sighed, rocking up into her fist. “And that’s it. Simple. Hope you were paying attention; this’ll be on the final exam.”

“Hmm, not sure I completely followed,” Rose murmured, straddling his hips so his erection settled against her lower belly. “Might need a few tutoring sessions. Some hands-on practice.”

“I think that can be arranged,” James mumbled, tugging her flush against him and moaning when he felt the heat of her radiating against him. “C-come to my office hours.”

James reclined on the pillows and reached over for the bottle of lube on his bedside table. He handed it to Rose and said, “Use as much as you need.”

Rose took the bottle from him and drizzled some lubricant down on him.

“I’m driving?” she asked, slowly rubbing his cock through her folds, enjoying the slippery feeling of him, even if she wished she could feel him skin to skin.

“Yep. Following your lead on this. If at any point you want to stop, just say so,” he sighed, rocking his hips against her, chasing her heat.

“Trust me, we’re not stopping,” she said, feeling her need for him growing exponentially as she ground down against him. “Ready?”

“Been ready all night,” he sighed, clutching her hips as she lined him up.

She sank down slowly on him, and he tensed his muscles to keep from thrusting up into her in one quick move. God, she felt so good. Her muscles gripped him tightly, squeezing him so deliciously in a way he hadn’t felt in three months.

“You feel good,” James gasped, tightening his grip on her hips.

“Do I? Really?” Rose asked, and James’s heart stuttered at the uncertainty in her voice.

He opened his eyes, and saw an odd expression on her face, but it most certainly wasn’t an expression of euphoric rapture.

“Everything okay?” he asked, rubbing his hands up and down her thighs.

“It feels… different,” she said, tightening her muscles around him.

“Good different, or bad different?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Just… different.”

“Am I hurting you?” he asked worriedly, ready to lift her off of him, but he breathed out a thankful sigh when she shook her head. “Want to stop?”

She shook her head again, and James couldn’t help but feel relieved. If she’d said yes, of course he would’ve agreed and stopped, but he really, really wanted to make love with his wife.

“Go as slowly as you need to,” James encouraged when she rocked tentatively against him.

“I want this to be good for you,” Rose argued.

“It is,” he promised. “It always feels brilliant to be inside you. I want this to feel nice for you, too. Just… do what feels good. I’m just along for the ride.”

Rose snorted at him, but planted her hands on the bed on either side of his head as she started to really move.

James sighed in pleasure and his eyes rolled back at the hot, wet friction. Her breasts swung in front of his face, and he reached up and palmed them. They were much bigger than he was used to, and he enjoyed squishing them around in his hands and tugging at her nipples and…

“Shit, James, stop,” Rose said, sitting up just as liquid squirted into his palms. “I’m sorry. Shit.”

James glanced up at her, his hands soaked with milk as more of it dribbled out of her breasts as she helplessly sat on top of him.

He imagined they looked completely ridiculous, and the absurdity of the moment made him break out in peals of laughter.

“God, we’re a right mess,” he giggled, wiping his hands on the sheets.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, crossing her arms across her leaking chest.

“Hey, do you see me complaining?” he asked, reaching up to cradle her cheek in his palm. “It was my own fault, anyway. Keep forgetting those aren’t mine at the moment.”

Rose smiled wryly as swiped drops of breastmilk off of his chest.

“Now, if you’re all done trying to drown me in Ainsley’s breakfast, d’you think we can keep going?”

Rose rolled her eyes at her daft soulmate.

“Hands to yourself,” she warned as she once more moved against him.

“You sure about that?” James asked, ghosting his fingertips across her hips and down to her bum. “Are absolutely sure about that?”

He gave her arse a quick squeeze then dropped his hands to his sides.

“You nutter.”

“But your nutter,” James said happily. “And anyways, you said to keep my hands to myself. So… hands to myself…”

He raised his hands and tweaked his nipples and scratched at his chest hair. He moaned loudly and arched into his own touch, even though it didn’t feel nearly as good as it did when Rose touched him like that.

“My nutter indeed,” Rose mumbled fondly, recognizing his false and exaggerated moans. She reached down to tease her fingertips around his nipples. “Hands off the tits. Is that clearer for you?”

“Mhm,” he murmured, shivering as she scraped her nails across his chest.

He reached out and grabbed her arse again, squeezing and squishing her firm flesh in his hands.

After a few minutes of her grinding slowly down on top of him, he tentatively thrust his hips up against her as he tugged her hips closer to him.

Rose understood his request, and she braced herself with her hands on his chest as she started thrusting on him more quickly. His sighs and moans of pleasure began increasing in pitch and tempo, and the sounds made her own arousal roll to a boil low in her belly.

He started chanting her name pleadingly, as his eyes squeezed shut on their own volition, and the telltale furrow appeared between his brows. She tried to keep watching him, loving when she could see him tip over in pleasure, but she was so close to her own climax that she let her eyes flutter shut and let her pleasure consume her as she heard and felt James’s orgasm overtake him.

When she returned to awareness, she shakily lifted herself off of James and flopped down on the bed beside him.

He curled up against her instantly, and as he tried to wrap his arms around her, Rose murmured, “Take care of the condom first.”

He grumbled, and reached down between his legs and removed it before he tied a knot at the top of the latex and dropped it over the side of the bed.

“James,” she chastised, hearing the wet thud.

“I’ll get it in a minute,” he promised, finally wrapping her up in his arms. “Just let me hold you.”

Heat and love pulsed through her heart, and she couldn’t refuse. He was trembling beside her and still breathing heavily, and Rose had forgotten how much she missed these post-coital cuddles.

“That was fantastic,” she murmured, nuzzling her nose into his hair.

“So bloody fantastic,” he agreed, humming happily. “Good thing Dad took Ainsley. I think we’d’ve woken her up.”

“Guess we’ll have to practice staying quiet,” Rose mused.

“Guess so,” James agreed, pressing soft kisses to the swell of her breast. “Not tonight, though. Tonight, Rose Tyler-McCrimmon, I plan on making you scream again and again and again.”

oOoOo

The next morning, Rose frowned as she poked at her belly, the words the man in the restaurant had said echoing in the forefront of her mind. She still looked like she could be at least six months pregnant, and the skin was saggy and stretched, and she grimaced as she was able to gather up a handful of her stomach.

“All right there, love?” James asked, stepping out of the shower behind her.

The sated, goofy grin on his face made her feel marginally better, but she still felt a spike of self-consciousness. They’d made love quite enthusiastically last night and that morning, and James never once seemed to be bothered by her figure, but she knew that he would be too bloody nice to ever say anything about it.

“I’m flabby,” she muttered, looking back down at her stomach.

“You’re gorgeous,” he countered, stepping up behind her to look at her through their mirror.

“No, I’m not,” she scoffed. “Bloody hell. You must be incredibly horny if you’re at all turned on by me right now.”

“Hey, now,” he chastised. “That’s my wife you’re insulting.”

“Seriously, James. Look at me,” she said, taking her stomach in hand and rolling the loose flesh around in her fingers. “This is disgusting.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with what that arsehole at the restaurant said last night, does it?” he demanded, frowning at her.

She felt her cheeks heat up and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.

“He’s a wanker,” James said softly, covering her hands with hers where they rested on her belly. He smoothed his hands across her skin, encouraging her stomach to rest naturally. He stroked his fingers up and down her stomach, tracing her stretch marks as he went. “Listen to me, Rose. Your body has just done an amazing thing. It nourished and cradled our beautiful daughter for eight months. It had to grow and expand as she did. It’s only been seven weeks, love. It underwent eight months of changes; you can’t expect to look like you did before Ainsley overnight.”

“Yeah,” Rose mumbled, feeling an uncomfortable mixture of embarrassment and self-consciousness. She knew James would love her no matter what she looked like, but she still felt a little uncomfortable in her body that hadn’t been her own for the last nine months.

He nuzzled his lips against her neck and pressed kisses to her skin as he murmured, “And while I still think you are the most stunningly gorgeous woman in the universe, if it really bothers you so much, we can start an exercise regimen, if you want. I’ll do it with you. We can tone your tummy until you’re satisfied. Or if you don’t want to do it with me, I’ll be on baby duty so you can work on looking the way you want to look. Whatever you want.”

Rose sighed and nodded, and leaned back into his touch. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and careful cradled her stomach in his hands.

“I love you,” he whispered, sweeping his lips across her neck. “Saggy belly and all.”

He gave her stomach a playful pinch, and grinned at her when she elbowed him in the gut.

“Git,” she said, but James was pleased to hear the laughter in her voice. “Come on, I’m starved. And I still owe you an anniversary gift.”

James eagerly followed her into the kitchen and together they whipped up a full English breakfast.

Later, as they sat on the sofa with their empty breakfast dishes, Rose hopped up and disappeared down the hall to the home office. She returned a moment later with a wrapped box, and James took it from her with a thank you kiss.

He ripped off the paper to reveal a box with her company’s logo on it, and he excitedly opened the box, knowing some sort of art lay within.

He pulled out a long, rectangular picture frame that had two pictures side by side. The one on the left was a black and white photograph of him and Ainsley asleep on the sofa. Ainsley was naked save for her nappy and she was curled up on his bare chest, and his hands were cradling her tiny body as they slept.

The picture on the right was a fully-colored digital art rendering of the photo to the left. James marveled at the soft colors Rose used to make the photo come alive.

He ran a reverent eye over the photo and the portrait; the love behind each piece was so obvious, it made him ache.

“Oh, Rose,” he whispered, a lump of emotion lodging in his throat.

“Do you like it?” she asked, biting her lip.

James breathed out a disbelieving laugh, and he leaned forward to press a grateful kiss to her lips. How lucky was he to have such an artistic soulmate who could beautifully document every stage of their life, and their child’s life?

“I love it,” he whispered, continuing to press kisses to her lips. “I love it so much. I love you so much. I love our daughter so much.”

Rose grinned beneath his mouth and twined her fingers through his hair to deepen the kiss.

oOoOo

James grunted in her ear as he moved more quickly on top of her, chasing his release in sync with the countdown on their television. She’d come too quickly, much to James’s satisfaction, and he was now thrusting into her with abandon, focused on his own pleasure.

Rose loved being able to watch him like this. She was drowsy and sated from her own orgasm, and his movements felt so good inside her, sending delicious aftershocks of pleasure through her body. She worked on helping him lose himself in ecstasy by clenching her inner muscles as tight as she could as she held him closer, knowing he loved being surrounded by her.

His grunts turned more urgent and his hips stuttered, and it was all Rose could do not to laugh and break the mood as the countdown hit ‘four’.

“Come on, James,” she whispered in his ear, making her voice breathier for him.

She squeezed her thighs around his hips, dug her nails into his scalp, and nipped his earlobe, and that was enough to tip him over. He buried himself as deeply as he could go as shudders rippled through him before he arched his back and let out the most beautiful sounds of pleasure.

Rose held him through his release, gentling her touch on him even as she still squeezed him tightly from inside.

He flopped down on top of her, still letting out the occasional sighing moan.

“Lift your hips,” Rose murmured, stroking his hair away from his face. “Just for a second, I promise.”

He grumbled but dutifully pulled out of her so they could take care of the condom. Rose tugged it off of him and wrapped it in a few tissues before dropping it onto the floor, then she urged James back on top of her.

He nuzzled his face into her neck and sighed happily.

“Happy New Year, Rose,” he whispered, pressing lazy kisses across her skin.

“Happy New Year,” she replied, mindlessly running her fingers through his hair. “And guess what? You got it this year.”

“Yeah?” He lifted his head to look at her, a daft grin on his face.

“Mhm. I think the countdown got to two just as you started.”

He hummed deep in his throat. For years they’d been trying to time their shagging so their orgasms would hit right when the countdown ended.

“Gonna have to work harder to get you to come on schedule next year,” he mused sleepily.

Rose snorted. “You worked too hard this year. I was finished a full minute before you were.”

He giggled proudly, and Rose felt her chest get warm and heavy with her love for him.

She pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead, before nudging him off of her so they could clean up then get ready for bed. But just as they stood on still-shaky legs, the pop of fireworks began, far closer to the house than they were anticipating. The froze, and glanced at each other, then the baby monitor just moments before Ainsley let out a startled cry.

“I’ll get her,” James said, wiping himself clean with his discarded boxers. He slipped on a fresh pair of pants and a t-shirt and made his way out of their room.

Rose used the loo and slipped into new knickers and one of James’s shirts just as her husband returned with their still-crying baby.

“Oh, shh, darling, you’re all right,” he soothed, bouncing slightly. “You’re all right. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s got you. Those fireworks are pretty scary, huh? And loud. But they’re so pretty and colorful. When you’re a bit older, we’ll take you to see some. But for now, let’s just have a cuddle in bed until they stop.”

A particularly loud boom echoed through the house, and James winced as he felt Ainsley flinch against him and let out a wail.

“Shh, I know,” he murmured, rocking her slightly as he pressed kisses to her hair. “But don’t you worry, darling. You’re completely safe. I’ll always do whatever I can to keep you safe.”

Rose joined her family in bed, then flicked off her bedside lamp. The only light came from the nightlight in the hallway and the occasional burst of color outside their window.

“Must be setting them off in the park,” James mused, moving so he was lying on his back with Ainsley on his chest.

Rose stroked her finger down the back of Ainsley’s hand, then tucked it into her palm. The baby clutched Rose’s finger tightly for a few minutes, before letting go to stuff her fist into her mouth.

“Want me to put her back in her crib?” Rose asked when she saw James’s eyes droop shut.

“Nah, she’s fine for now,” he replied, his eyes still closed. “Reckon fireworks will be going off throughout the night. At least for the next hour or so.”

“M’kay.”

Rose tugged up the sheets and draped them over James and Ainsley.

“Love you,” she mumbled, resting her head on his pillow to better cuddle with her family.

“Love you, too,” James murmured, turning his head to kiss her forehead. “And happy anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary, James.”

Eighteen years ago, her life had changed dramatically overnight when she’d been marked as soulmated. It was the best day of her life, knowing she had someone who was hers and hers alone, and that she was completely and utterly his. And now they had a little someone who was theirs.

She never knew she could love someone so much that it felt like she might burst apart because her body couldn’t possibly contain it all. That feeling grew and strengthened every day, and not just for Ainsley, but for James. She felt as though she fell in love with him all over again whenever he smiled at her, or made her a cup of tea just the way she liked it, or tucked a blanket around her when she got too immersed in her art to realize she was getting chilled.

There was no better feeling than being with her soulmate, and she was so pleased to find that despite having spent almost every day with him for the past six and a half years, she still wanted to spend all of her time with him. He made her feel so safe and loved and comfortable. They had made a home in each other, and now it had grown to encompass their daughter.

Rose sighed contentedly and let herself drift off to sleep, tucked in beside the two people she loved most in the world.

If you’re curious, these are the earrings James got for Rose.

#ficandchips #dwfic #doctor who #ten x rose #soulmates au #and we're done! #except for the epilogue that will be up probably tomorrow #i hope you enjoyed going on this adventure with james and rose! #my fic #lemons #perfectly matched series #and baby makes three