Spoilers for 3x05 and 3x06.

Sanctuary

1920

In the early days of her marriage, when she was still rather unhappy and alone, Cora had made a habit of disappearing to free herself from the judgment and biting remarks. The obvious place, for a couple of weeks, had been her bedroom. She would excuse herself, claiming a headache, or some other form of illness, and disappear. However, that soon changed when she realized people could still easily come to her, whether she wanted them to or not. So she had gone in search of a new hiding place, one where no one knew to find her, or thought to look.

Her search had led her to the attic and to a quaint, quite little area with a window seat behind some sheer, white curtains. From that day on, it was there she went to escape the loneliness and terrifying reality of her new life. It had become her sanctuary rather quickly, since no one ever thought to come searching for her in the attic.

At dinner, she often got questions inquiring as to her whereabouts, to which she simply answered, "We were never in the same place at the same time, it would seem." It was almost like a game of cat and mouse, which rather amused her, knowing she was in a place they would never find her.

The day Robert finally confessed his love to her was the day she found she no longer needed the little sanctuary in the attic. Instead, he had become her new escape. Since the day he had confessed his love, she had never once felt lonely; she had always had someone on her side. Even during his time at war, she had his letters and their children to keep her company.

For years, she hadn't found herself in need of her little sanctuary once. But the sad day came when the little area in the attic was finally put to use once more: the day after her baby's funeral, her Sybil. No longer did Cora have her husband as her escape, as her form of comfort; he had drastically altered her view of him and essentially ripped her heart out the minute he refused to listen to Dr. Clarkson. In that moment, all she had heard was his refusal to save their little girl. Her death had been his fault. Rather than taking Dr. Clarkson's side, Dr. Clarkson who had known Sybil all her life, he took Sir Phillip Tapsell's side … a stranger. He believed Tapsell because he was knighted and fashionable and had a practice on Harley Street. He let all of that weigh against saving their daughter's life. And that … well, she found that so very hard to forgive.

So now, she had hidden herself away in the attic once more for the first time in thirty years, her knees pulled to her chest and her head buried in her skirts as she sobbed for her baby. Even after Dr. Clarkson had declared there truly was nothing that could be done for Sybil—that she was destined to die either way—even after she and Robert had somewhat reconciled, she still disappeared into the peaceful little area of the attic. She still disappeared to the attic because she still felt alone and angry and betrayed. A part of her still felt her husband was to blame, despite Clarkson's words. Sometimes she cried, and sometimes she simply stared out the window in a trance at the gardens below.

The attic was where Robert had found her a few days after Dr. Clarkson's confession. She had opened the window due to the room's stuffiness and the autumn breeze was gently blowing the sheer curtains from their normally still position. He had quietly approached her, saying her name in a soft tone that still succeeded in making her jump. She hadn't expected him to find her and he soon explained that Anna had believed she had seen her head in the direction.

For a few moments, they simply sat in silence. Hesitantly, Robert sat beside her, relieved when she didn't refuse him. The silence ticked on. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't comfortable either; it was just there. Then the silence was broken by a soft sob from Cora. Robert didn't hesitate in taking her into his arms, and for the first time in days, she didn't struggle against him. For the first time in days, she allowed him to comfort her.

And on that day, her sanctuary became their sanctuary.

A/N: So this was really quickly thrown together when I was supposed to be studying for finals. This is my very first Downton Abbey fic, and my first story with absolutely no dialogue. I'm considering turning this into a series of unrelated Cobert oneshots, but I'm still debating. While I think on that, please leave a review with your thoughts!

Prompt: Your favourite hiding place.