rightly | open post.

"You were recruited by the Brits?" she asked. She had no idea that they recruited Americans. Now that she thought back on it, it made sense that he had been sent to Downton to convalesce, since he was technically a British soldier. Downton got very few Americans anyway. "Did you technically serve in the RAF?"

"No, I'm a military aviator with the Aviation Section, Signal Corps. I was part of the British Expeditionary Forces during the war, and I was recruited as an agent for British Intelligence. It's sort of... difficult to explain," he shrugged. Sometimes he answered to the British Secret Service, particularly when it came to his missions overseas and all over Europe, but he'd never stopped being an American officer. And now, with the war being over, that was all he was again.

Mary thought for a moment before continuing. “I wonder I feel you can collect any pension in Britain since you served with us as well.”

It would be something to look into since they would be living in Britain. Another source of money couldn’t hurt.

"It's... possible," he said with a tilt of his head, surprised she'd even remember that. Steve hadn't even thought of it. "We can look into it later. I mean, I'd still want to find work, but that'd certainly help."

Mary nodded. “Perhaps you can give flying lessons in England.” She are another fry before speaking to him again. “There are an increasing number of passenger flights now which will need pilots as well.”

She didn’t love the idea of him going up in an airplane every day because she worried about his safety, but she wouldn’t stop him from doing what he loved, either.

"I was thinking about that, actually. I like teaching, so if I could find a vacancy, I'd like to take up a teaching position somewhere." Nothing terribly fancy, evidently, but it should pay well enough. He certainly wasn't planning on having to lean on Mary or use her money, no matter how much or how little she ended up getting once she married him.

She was sure that he would be able to find some work doing that. Before continuing her food, she reached across the table for his hand and took it in hers.

“How.. many children would you like?” Mary’s tone was almost a bit shy. It was important that they talk about things like this before the wedding though.

He took a bite from his hot dog, smiling as he wrapped his fingers around her own, although he looked a bit surprised by her question.

"Many," he offered vaguely at first, after swallowing the food in his mouth and taking that moment to give it some thought. "As many as you'd like, I suppose. How many do you want?"

She was a bit surprised at first to hear the word “many”. Just how many was that? “Two or three,” she answered. “I’d like to try for at least a boy and a girl. How many were you thinking?”

Mary was a bit terrified at the idea of being a mother. Being one to a whole lot of kids was even scarier. She worried that she wouldn’t be able to handle them all, especially if they couldn’t afford to have a nanny.

Steve never really pictured himself being a father before, but now, with Mary, he wanted nothing but to have a house filled with children running around wreaking havoc and quite possibly turning his life upside down. He wasn't unreasonable, though, and he knew they couldn't afford raising too many children. So at her answer he nodded, smiling as he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Three sounds perfect," he brushed his thumb across the back of her fingers. "Will you want to try for one right after the wedding?"

“If you would like to,” she said, lowering her voice before continuing. “I would like to have sex with you without using the condom.”

Once they were married, it didn’t matter if she got pregnant. Since she didn’t need to produce an heir, there at least wasn’t a sense of urgency about the whole thing. They could go at their own pace.

Mary smiled. “A little boy who looked like you would be so beautiful.”

"I would like to, very much so," he answered promptly, smiling shyly at her next words. "I... look forward to that, as well." Honestly, so far as he was concerned, they wouldn't need to use condoms at all once they were married. Then again, Mary might have something to say to the risk of getting pregnant whenever they had sex, since Steve had a feeling they would be having sex pretty regularly.

"I would rather he looked like the both of us," he chuckled, kissing her fingers again. "God, Mary. I can't wait to be married to you."

It did dawn on Mary that with how much she enjoyed sex with him, there was a very real possibility that she could be pregnant quite often. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. In her mind, married people didn't use condoms, so she didn't consider that as an option. Her cheeks tinged slightly pink, and she felt a bit worried that they might end up being overburdened with children - and wouldn't the burden fall mostly upon her?

But that was further down the road, and right now it was more pleasant to think about a singular child, their first. "Neither can I. I think you'll make a brilliant father."

Steve had no intention of letting her carry most of the burden on her own. If they did end up having more children than planned, then he would give his best to be as involved and supportive as possible, and while he couldn't carry the babies in her stead, there was still plenty he could do, and he fully intended to, no matter if they had one child or six.

For now, it wasn't something he was too worried about. As it was they were getting a bit ahead of themselves already, but Steve didn't mind that. He was sure they'd find a way for her family to accept their wedding, and he was impatient to start his life together with Mary, and build a family of their own. "Just like I'm sure that you'll be a wonderful mother."

Mary gazed down at her half-eaten hot dog for a moment, rubbing her thumb over Steve's. "I hope you're right," she said. "I haven't been as interested in babies as some of the other girls usually are."

Her sisters were more likely to fawn over a new cousin than she was. For some reason, babies made her feel a tad uncomfortable. It was as if she didn't know quite what to do with them.

"Well... I have to admit I don't have a lot of experience with babies, myself. Wouldn't know what to do with them." But he was both eager and willing to learn. Her admission gave him a bit of pause, though, and he added. "You know, Mary... we don't have to have children right away. We don't even have to have children at all, if that's not something you want."

Mary looked up then, not wanting him to misunderstand her. "I do want to have children with you, Steve. And they will come when they come. I'm simply nervous about it... which I suppose all young women must feel at the prospect of being mothers."
She wasn't so sure if her feelings were normal or not, but saying it out loud at least made her feel better. With a sigh, she continued. "Before you came along, I had trouble giving my heart to anyone. I suppose that is why I worry about what sort of mother I would make."

"I'm glad," he nodded, fingers tightening briefly around hers. He trusted Mary to tell him if there was ever something she was worried about or would rather have some time before taking a big step like this one, but he was glad to hear confirmation nonetheless. He sure wouldn't want her to just go along with trying for a baby immediately after the marriage just because Steve wanted to.

"It's normal to worry, I think. I'm sure your parents worried when they had you, too. But we'll figure it out," he said with certainty. "We'll do great. Any child we have will be beautiful, bright and terribly spoiled."

Steve’s confidence helped spur her own and she smiled. Having him of all men at her side would surely help. “I believe you’re right about that,” she said. Their children would be gorgeous.

After they finished eating, Mary took his hand again. “Is it time to go up in the plane?” There was a jumble of excitement in her stomach, both from anxiety and anticipation.

"Of course I am. You'll see," he smiled, going back to his food. As new parents they would likely have their fair share of obstacles and complications, but they loved each other and they would both equally love any child they had more than anything in the world. Anything else could just be learned with time.

Once the food and drinks were gone, he reached for her hand too, laughing softly as he got to his feet. "Thought you were scared before?" Not that Steve was complaining about her eagerness, of course. "We can go now, if you want. Or we can go for a walk by the beach and get going afterwards."

"I might still be, a little," she replied, cocking her head to the side as she looked at him. Mary had a feeling that it would all really hit her when she was seated in the plane and they were rolling down the runway. "A walk on the beach would be lovely, actually." That was something she didn't get to do very often. Even though England was an island, and not a terribly big one, the family didn't frequently go out to the shore. While Mary preferred the rolling hills of her home, it was nice to visit the ocean once in a while.

"You'll ease into it. I promise you, it's not as frightening once you're up there." Steve felt that, to people unused to flying, it was the taking off and the landing that scared them most, even though technically those were the safest moments of the journey. Not that he'd tell her that, of course, lest she be terrified the whole time.

"Come on then," he tugged her along gently, stopping by a small candy stand to get them a bag of fairy floss that they could eat while they strolled through the beach.

Mary trusted him, of course. Even if she was anxious, she knew that Steve wouldn't do anything that would intentionally frighten her and that he would keep her as safe as he could. She still wanted to experience what it was like to go up in an airplane.

Holding onto Steve's arm, Mary walked with him down the boardwalk before they started to descend to the sand. "I used to love going down to Brighton as a girl," she told him.

To avoid getting his shoes and socks dirty or wet, Steve paused as soon as they made it to the sand, toeing off his shoes, then reaching down to tug his socks off. He tied the laces together and settled them over his shoulder so he had both hands free to hold the fairy floss between them.

"I've never been there, I don't think," he pulled a string of fairy floss from the bag. He probably looked silly trying to eat the sticky treat, but he didn't seem to care much. "Is it like Coney Island?"

[ ooc: I emerge after disappearing for two weeks... sorry for vanishing. ]

Mary put her stockings in her heels and carried them with one hand, while she clutched Jim's arm with the other. He did look a bit odd with the fairy floss, but it mostly amused her, seeing him shove pink strings into his mouth. She leaned over and bit a piece of it out of his hand.

"Not exactly. It doesn't have games or rides like this. There are a few arcades, and a theater. We would mostly go to enjoy the shore and to swim if it was warm enough."

[ooc: yaaaay I missed you!]

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