Hi guys! Yellow Brick Queen here, but for most of you know me as TheLadyChelsieofDowton on Tumblr. I haven't written fic in ages, for real check my last story! Several years old... Anyway it's a diff fandom so that's not important.

I always say to my friends, oh I don't write fic.. I'm not good enough.. I'm usually the idea girl! I have millions of fic ideas up here, and I'll whisper them to my friends and let them have it. Well, they finally convinced me my writing wasn't horrid. So this little beauty came out of an idea I'd been brewing as well as something I saw on Facebook. I've got three chapters planned already, Here's the first. If people seem interested in these guys more will follow. Hang around cause it doesn't get really interesting till chapter 2 or 3. This is a Modern Chelsie Au in case you missed it, and I'm pretty sure this is like none you've seen before... Well Maybe not.

Huge shout out to my team, yep I have an army of friend's I consulted while writing his. Thanks to the funniest Beta: SilhouettedSwallow. She took my jumbled thoughts and pieced them together beautifully.. With super amusing notes. That being said, I edited this on the fly one last time and she's not looked at it due to time, so any mistakes are mine! Let's also hear it for the team: LadyAureliaCrawley, Lisa Douglas, and ChelsieSoulOfTheAbbey. Thank you all for your help and kind suggestions. Rating is T for now, night likely to change but who knows.. Enjoy.

May 12, 2015

Elsie stifled a yawn as she filed through another endless pile of children's books, effortlessly scanning the returns in the library's computer system. Thomas and Friend's Miraculous Adventure, Fancy Nancy, Elsa...Frozen something or other…

Her eyes slowly beginning to drop with each bleep of the scanner.

"Cus' me!" Came a little voice just loud enough to rouse the nearly dozing librarian.

Elsie's head bobbed up in a flash. "Ouch" she hissed, rubbing at the sharp pain that jolted through the nape of her neck.

'Falling asleep at your desk again, Lass!'She chided herself as she looked up to see the top of a very blurry pair of pigtails, her glasses having falling to the very tip of her nose. Pushing them back up her nose, she slowly inched herself up from her chair.

"Hello there." She smiled warmly despite the strain in her lower back.

"Hi." The tiny girl, who couldn't have been more than four, offered a shy grin.

"What can I do for you, little miss?" Her Scottish lilt hummed as she braced her weight with her left hand. "Perhaps you'd like to check out that book?" She pointed to the tiny blue backed volume the child clutched to her chest.

"Uhm." The girl nodded as she slowly stretched her tiny arm up to relinquish the book to Elsie.

Elsie smiled in delight as the child pushed up on her tiptoes, as she tired with all her might to place the book on the desk that she could barely see over.

'Precious wee thing.'

"Oh! The Tales of Peter Rabbit! " Elsie beamed excitedly as she held the book in front of her; it had been one of her favorite books as a child, one she'd imagined reading to her own wee boy or girl. "Such a lovely little story, you've made a very good choice, my girl." Elsie winked as she moved back to scan the book.

"Mummy! I chose well!" The tiny tot exclaimed quite proud of herself.

"Yes you did, my little love." The mother replied, patting the child's head. "She's always enjoyed me reading her bedtime stories. She's only recently turned four, her father and I can't believe how well she is already reading nursery books. She certainly didn't get that from me. "

"Well in any case it's quite a gift to have, a love for reading at such a young age. It's never too early to find the joys of a good book." She turned to the small girl. "Carry on reading, pet." She cooed, bopping her little nose. "Now, Could you tell me your name please? So I can put it down on the register."

"Go on then, tell her love…" Her mother urged as the little girl clung on to her skirt.

"See-bal." She announced as her mother passed over the library card.

"What a lovely name you've got." Elsie smiled as she pulled up the checkout screen on her computer. "My names Ms. Hughes and if you ever need help finding a book or have a question, you ask me and I'll gladly help you."

'In a heartbeat, I would. What a sweet little child, hiding behind her mother's skirts.'

"Ah, yes! Miss Sybil.. Crawley is it?" Elsie looked from the computer to the tiny girl, seeing her bashful smile as a yes. She quickly entered the book and scanned the mother's card.

"Here we are Mrs. Crawley." She said, passing her back the card. "And here we are, Little miss Sybil." She leaned over once more to pass her the book. "It was lovely to meet you and I hope to see you here again."

"What do we say, Sybil darling?" She asked softly as she took her daughter's hand.

"'S'ank you Ms. Hughes." Sybil lisped adorably as she spoke above a whisper at last, her tiny hands holding the book as if it was a treasured toy. After all, to her it was.

"You're most welcome ma' lass, Enjoy your book."

Elsie nodded to girl and her mum once more before she turned back to her chair, sighing at the idea of getting back down into it. She placed her hand at the small over her back, stretching against the baby's weight. So far she'd managed most of the morning without any discomfort, a victory on her part considering how consistent the pain had been lately. Normally it eased up once she'd maneuvered into a comfortable position but getting there was a feat of its own.

Ah, well… No use prolonging it old girl.. She thought, preparing herself as she took hold of the sides of the chair. Just like plasters. Quick and painless… More like less pain. Elsie mused, knowing all too well that there was no escape. It happened every time she stood or sat no matter how gentle she was.

"Ooohh." Elsie grimaced as she sat on the very edge of the chair, a fiery jab echoing from the depths of her back and up into her shoulders. Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth Elsie willed herself to scoot further back into the cushioned desk chair. 'This isn't right.. It.. It can't be…' She muttered through grit teeth as a lighting jolt resonated in the pit of her stomach.

The pain had started around the end of her third month, mild and sporadic it was, making it quite easy to manage. It was initially a pressure rather than stabbing throws. However, it had rapidly progressed in the passing weeks to random waves of painful discomfort from which she found little relief. The increased frequency and volume of pain had kept Elsie awake the past couple of nights and honestly it was beginning to frighten her. Could something be wrong with her or the baby? Was she in premature labour? She was hardly decrepit at thirty-nine, but that did put her firmly into the high risk category.

Frantic phone calls to her two best friends had resulted in Beryl's assurance that it was just a little sciatica, and Isobel's slightly more knowledgeable suggestion of a quick check up. There were benefits to having a best friend who happened to be a Gynecologist. She had booked an appointment to see Isobel immediately, fearful, despite her friend's assurances, that something might be wrong; so, for peace of mind, Isobel agreed to see her. Elsie was now waiting for Phyllis Baxter, the other librarian, to relieve her so that she could make her appointment. At last, just before twelve o'clock, Phyllis arrived, red faced and clearly in a rush to get there.

"I am so sorry Elsie," she said as sat down her purse and cuppa. "Jason's school called at half eleven to tell me he's been sick so I had to hurry and get him. Then it took me forever to get across town thanks to these bus strikes, again." She sighed, removing her jacket. "Anyway I'm here now. I hope you haven't missed your appointment."

Elsie waved her off with a forgiving smile. "It's fine Phyllis, I really appreciate you doing this for me on your day off, but I'm afraid I don't have time to do a proper handover. My appointment is in fifteen minutes and Isobel will kill me if I'm late.. To which I most certainly will be with-" She paused, breathing through a sharp pain "With whatever this is- Hopefully nothing." She replied wearily. "Any who, I'm off. She's seeing me on her lunch break as a favour.' Elsie quickly grabbed her own coat and said goodbye to her friend and colleague before rushing out onto the pavement.

Usually the walk to Isobel's took her barely ten minutes, but she had noticed that, in the last couple of weeks, her pace had become much slower and she was starting to find it difficult. Eventually though, she did make it to her friend's surgery.

"I was just starting to give up on you," Isobel greeted with a slight frown, yet playful smile playing on her lips.

"I'm sorry Isobel; honestly. I had to wait for Phyllis to arrive, she'd been detained and then I underestimated how long it'd take me walk here today." Elsie replied rather apologetically as she hobbled towards Isobel.

"Not to worry, dear. Let's have a look at you now, shall we?" Isobel asked with a friendly, warm smile and guided Elsie over to the examination table.

Elsie lay on her left side, paper crinkling beneath her, as she tried with no avail to get into a more comfortable position on the examination table. She wanted to scream, but refrained for the sake of her friend's ears not to mention the ladies in the waiting room.

"Any better since getting you on your side?" Isobel asked.

"None, none whatsoever…" She grimaced. "Still a burning in ma' back, but the pressure has let up some!" For that Elsie was extremely grateful. "Beryl thought it might be the baby lying on my sciatic nerve, playing it up?" She asked, regretfully trying to sit up again.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to listen to everything Beryl Says? She's one of our nearest and dearest friends, but her assumptions and these old wives tales she's spewing are just that- assumptions." Isobel laughed. "I'm the one with the certification, if you have a medical question you come to me. If you have a cooking question, you can go to Beryl."

"Aye, aye!" Elsie urged. "Just bloody tell me what the craic is with my back." Her eyes were almost pleading.

"Yes, well it isn't sciatica and if it was, it wouldn't have to do with the baby; sciatica is not caused by the little one pressing on your nerves. You actually have something rather common in expectant mothers: symphysis pubis dysfunction."

"Ehh?" Elsie tilted her head in confusion. ' Sym- what?'

"Sorry, Pelvic Girdle Pain or PGP. It has to do with the baby growing and the joints stretching.. .often this condition mimic sciatica symptoms... It's nothing to worry over, for now."

Elsie had stopped listening to anything Isobel had to say, but rather began to worry that it could turn into something more serious. Her emotions felt to overwhelm her and she suddenly found a couple of tears running down her cheeks, which soon turned into a full deluge.

"Oh Elsie, what's got you so worked up? This isn't like you," Isobel said as she grabbed a couple of tissues from the box on her desk. When she returned to her friend's side, she gently caressed her back and waited for her to calm down.

"I'm just worried that something is wrong," she cried.

"Elsie, if I thought for even a millisecond that something was wrong, I would have no qualms in referring you; but I can assure you that your baby is strong and healthy and growing beautifully. What you're experiencing now has nothing to do with age or ability on your part, it is quite normal and will correct itself, for the most part, as your baby grows," Isobel coaxed softly as Elsie settled down again, suddenly feeling sheepish for her reaction.

"I'm sorry; you must think me such a fool Isobel," she replied as she dabbed at her eyes, shaking her head at her silliness.

"No, noo! Not at all Elsie. I know you've waited a long time for this, it's only natural that you should feel apprehensive about it; but I am your friend and supporter and together, we can get through anything." Isobel hugged Elsie tightly which came as a great comfort to her.

Elsie stayed with Isobel for the remainder of her lunch break before setting off towards the library. The walk back took almost twice as long as it had to get there as the pain seemed to have increased since her visit.

"Hey you, now listen here. Listen to mummy." Elsie whispered as she ran her hand across the top of her bump and over towards the left of her stomach where she could feel the majority of the baby's weight. "I know you enjoy stretching out in that particular place, but your little head's in ma' spine and your feet are- 'Playing with mummy's pelvis as if it were a pair of bloody bongos?' And it's quite uncomfortable for her, my wee one." She sighed as she walked down the street. She pressed her palm deeper into her side to try and rouse the baby. "Could you please move over, Wee'un? Just a smidge to your right-" She coaxed the child, her voice warm and full of endearment, yet conveying the tiredness that she felt too, as she received another jolt in her pelvis. "Ha!" She exhaled deeply as she fought the urge to cry through the dull throbs prickling her lower spine, as she stopped in the street for a few moments, resting her right shoulder against the wall of the building. "There's no need to be cross with your old mum, she's sorry she woke you, but really- She needs you t-" Elsie sighed as the child complied, and a smile of relief now played about her lips.

"Thank you." Relief in her face, she eased back into a standing position, composed herself with a deep breath and began to walk the rest of the hundred yards into the library.

She looked around and found the library to be mostly deserted; she rather enjoyed the laughter coming from the children's play area, but there seemed to be very few children in there today. The sounds helped her to imagine her own little one toddling about, hopefully inheriting her love for books. The chances were high given the baby's father was also an avid reader, or so he'd said.

"That's me back now Phyllis, you might as well get yourself away home to your bairns. Especially your sick wee boy." Elsie said as she dumped both her handbag and jacket unceremoniously onto the floor in a rush to make it to the staff bathrooms. She returned a few moments later with a bottle of water she'd pulled from the break room in hand.

"Are you sure Elsie? You look like you could do with the rest and my mother is perfectly fine looking after Jason and Emma" Phyllis asked when she returned, a look of great concern as she took in Elsie's frazzled appearance.

"I'm quite sure; we're very quiet today, so it'll be a nice restful afternoon.' Elsie assured her through shortened breaths, taking a generous sip of water. "We'll be just fine, won't we?" She asked her midsection playfully as she moved her hand to where she felt the baby kick.

Phyllis did as she was told and left, but advised Elsie to phone her if she needed her, she'd be there in a moment's notice, leaving Elsie to her thoughts. She felt bad for the way she had grumbled about the baby earlier and wondered if the baby thought her a terrible mother.

"Not even born yet and I'm already telling you off; what must you think of me?" She said as she rubbed her bump. It's not been an easy go for us, has it lass?" She felt the baby stir beneath her hand in response, evoking a broad smile to her face. "Mummy is sorry for being cross and rather weepy with you when she's hurting. It's not your fault, not at all." She smiled as she caressed her belly. "You know what? This pain in my back is such a small price to pay for you, my special little lass. I've waited such a long time to have someone as precious as you in my life." She whispered to her mid-section softly as hot tears fell from her cheeks onto her purple blouse. "I love you, little Graidheag."

Elsie soon found herself reaching down into her hand bag in search of her handkerchief again, sniffling as she dabbed at her eyes and willed herself back to work. 'Elspeth Hughes, what are you doing blubbering about like a child? At work as well! Silly woman.' She'd never been much of a crier before the baby, now she could hardly keep herself in Kleenex. Motherhood was undoubtedly leaving its mark on her.

Elsie reached further into the bag of pickled onion crisps, gathering up the remaining crumbs as she sat tallying up the libraries overdue books sums. She'd been at it for a good forty-five minutes when the felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry to bother you Ms. Hughes, But there seems to be an issue with the photo copier. I think the papers are jammed."

Elsie looked over her shoulder to see Anna. She'd begun as a work experience student and had been such a help to both Elsie and Phyllis that they practically begged her to stay on. She'd been a dream compared to the horrid O'Brian woman who Elsie had caught pocketing some of the libraries funds the previous autumn.

"Are you serious?" Elsie huffed, spinning round in her chair. She pulled back her glasses, sliding them up through her hair until they sat atop her head "Do you know that's the third time this week! Bloody thing's doing my head in." With a subtle grunt she was on her feet dusting off the crumbs that had fallen in the crease of blouse. "Something with the paper sensor or what have you is highly sensitive. I'll see if I can sort it out but i'm afraid we'll have to phone the engineering company again.."

Elsie shook her head as set out the 'Ring Bell For Assistance' sign and followed Anna back towards their straff room which also housed the machines.

"I've never had so much trouble with a machine, not in the fourte-"

"SURPRISE!" Came several excited voices.

"Ah!" Elsie screamed, throwing her hands up over mouth in shock.

There stood little Daisy Mason holding a wicker picnic basket. Next to her stood her older brother William with a hand full of multicolored balloons, One which read 'Happy 40th' And last but certainly not least, Beryl Mason. She wore a proud grin as she displayed a perfectly crafted two-layer birthday cake.