This is a fic I originally posted on tumblr from a prompt from babageneush: In canon setting, Sybil and Tom secretly get married during the war and are trying to arrange for some alone time! (Doesn't have to be smut but.. you know.. wouldn't hate you for it…) (:

I originally wrote it as a one shot, but I think I want to come back to it, and do a sort of alternative series two. Here is the background: When Tom proposes in York, Sybil asks him to give her the time she will be away to think about it. Halfway through, she writes to him and says yes. He asks for a weekend off, she takes a weekend leave from the college and they do it—get married and, you know, sex ;) But they agree that she needs work experience as a nurse if they are going to make it without her family's help, so they decide that when she is done with her training, she will go back to Downton as if nothing has happened and they will keep their marriage a secret so Sybil can be a nurse at Downton Hospital. Their plan is to reveal all once the war is over. This starts her second week back, and at this point, their only night alone was their wedding night.

For Sybil, the first week working in the hospital was such a rush, that she barely had time to think about the fact that she was sleeping alone in her childhood bedroom and not next to her husband. Truth be told, there was little time to sleep at all.

By the second week, though, she'd learned the ropes. Some of the procedures had become routine and she'd even made some friends among the staff who, at first, had been too intimidated by her title to even approach her. But the easier the work got, the less she had to think about what she was doing, the easier it was for her mind to wander back to that night.

For their wedding, such as it was, she'd worn the dress that Edith and Mary had insisted she take to York with her.

You must have something decent, Edith had said. Suppose you're invited to dinner.

I know this is hard for you to grasp, Sybil had responded, but I'm not there to go out to dinner. I'm there to learn.

Take one, just in case, Mary had said, settling the matter.

Sybil had been glad for it, for the opportunity to dress up for him. He was in his best suit. And that night, they shed the clothes that both acknowledged were a sign of what separated them and joined as husband and wife, nothing between them, becoming in the act better versions of themselves.

Sybil's roommate in York had explained the "mechanics" of it, with special emphasis on what needed to be done to prevent a pregnancy—most helpful advice when they decided after their first time, that keeping things secret would be best for the time being. But for the emotions that came with it. Well, nothing could have prepared either Sybil or Tom for it. Sybil thought she'd feel vulnerable, but in truth she found it empowering. They both did. And now that they were back at Downton, all she wanted was to be with him again.

There was frustration, Sybil had come to learn. And there was FRUSTRATION.

Tom was as eager as she to make love again, but he couldn't help but find her apparently insatiable desire adorable. In the motor on the side of the road to and from the hospital and in stolen moments in the garage and empty hallways at the house, he teased her mercilessly with his kisses and touches that promised more. But she needed release or it was possible she might explode. Whenever she tried to explain as much to him, he would smile and say, "Now, you know what it's been like for me since I met you."

Her second Saturday evening on duty—her third overnight shift—was the first quiet night at the hospital. No new patients had come in that day. She had helped Dr. Clarkson make his rounds, folded the blankets brought in from the laundry, helped the head nurse restock the medicine cabinets in each wing. By 2 a.m. there was little left for Sybil to do, but sit and wait for either morning to arrive or a medical emergency to happen.

She was at the nurses' station reading a medical text when Dr. Clarkson saw her on his way out.

"Nurse Crawley, I didn't realize you were still here."

"I'm on until 6 a.m., but it's been quiet tonight."

Dr. Clarkson smiled. "You'll find in the medical profession these moments are to be treasured. Hospital work is either feast or famine … in a matter of speaking."

"Well, have a good night," she said, turning back to her book.

He turned to go but stopped when he saw the head nurse coming around the desk. "Nurse Roberts, I wonder if we can allow Nurse Crawley to head home early. I think we have things well in hand."

"Oh, please," Sybil interjected. "I don't want to be given special treatment. I can do the full shift."

Nurse Roberts smiled. "You've more than proven yourself Nurse Crawley. Get some sleep and come back refreshed for your next shift. We've had a telegram this evening about more patients on their way. We'll need you at full strength on Monday."

Sybil stood tentatively. "Only if you're sure."

"Go on!" Nurse Roberts insisted.

Sybil laughed and went to get her coat and hat. She stepped outside with a grin, thinking of what she—and her as yet unsuspecting husband—could do with this free gift of time from the universe. Her smile was tempered somewhat when she saw Dr. Clarkson standing outside, as if waiting for her.

"Given the hour, I should walk you back to the house," he said as she came down the steps.

"It's quite all right Dr. Clarkson. I know my way well."

"I've had a hard enough time from your father having you at the hospital. I can't imagine what he'll say if he knew I let you walk back unaccompanied at this time."

Sybil sighed. There was no getting out of it.

As it was, Sybil enjoyed the walk and the discussion. Dr. Clarkson, who had been thoroughly impressed by how well she'd done her first week and her eagerness to learn more, recommended books on medicine and healing, including the writings of Florence Nightingale, which he thought would be of special interest to Sybil, whom he knew to be a supporter of women's rights. His advice revealed him to be an observant and understanding man. She said as much to him. He smiled and said it came with the territory of being a doctor. He added that he hoped she would consider continuing in the profession after the war and that he would be on her side and of help with her parents when that time came. That Dr. Clarkson, a man who had known her since her birth, could be her mentor and ally was not something Sybil had ever considered, but she was grateful nonetheless.

As nice as he had been, though, when they arrived at the gates, she stopped, hoping against hope that he would not insist on seeing her to the door. Thankfully, he didn't. Sybil stood there watching him go, and once he was out of sight, she ran as fast as her feet would take her to the chauffeur's cottage.

She opened the door quietly, took off her coat, hat and shoes and tiptoed into Tom's bedroom. He was deep asleep, snoring slightly. As it had been a warm night, he'd pushed his blanket down to the foot of the bed. He was wearing only his long johns, so when Sybil sat down on the bed, she ran her hand over his exposed chest, no longer as anxious as she'd been this past week. Because it wasn't just the act that she had been missing but the intimacy.

She smiled as he sighed in his sleep, then stood again and made quick work of removing her clothing. A year ago, she would never have imagined being so cavalier about her own nakedness, but in one night together with him she had lost all her inhibitions.

She slipped into the bed and began running her hands over him again, smiling as he squirmed under her touch.

Is he dreaming about me? She wondered.

Suddenly and without warning, he turned toward her quickly so he was practically on top of her and started kissing her passionately. Sybil gave into the kiss eagerly. Tom's hand moved along her back down to her thigh, pulling her closer. She curled her leg around him and could feel him hardening against her. The sensation caused her to moan, which was what finally alerted Tom that this was not just a very pleasant dream. He pulled away, looking around, eyes blinking awake and a bit disoriented. When his eyes finally landed on hers again, they widened in shock.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in? What time is it?" He asked sitting up.

"I finished my shift early. I let myself in. It's almost three in the morning, which means we have a good hour before I have to get back to the house. Do you really want to spend it asking me questions?"

Tom smiled and laid back down, bringing her with him into a long, deep kiss. "God, I've missed you."

She sighed. "Me too."

She was about to kiss him again, when he stopped her.

"It won't always be like this, you know," he whispered.

"I know. But it's us, so it's kind of perfect, in its own way."

He looked down to her neck, and the thin gold chain that adorned it. He sat up again and asked her to turn over, which she did with a small smile. Tom unhooked the chain and slipped off the small ring it held. Sybil turned over again and held out her left hand so he could slip it on.

"When we are together," he said, "it should always be as husband and wife."

"Which we are."