A/N: The chapters contained herein were written in response to the following post on Tumblr - Send me a number and a paring, and I'll write a ficlet!
This chapter is dedicated to misszenobell on Tumblr who requested a Chelsie Ficlet based on Prompts 15 and 29 - I've used bold text below to indicate the prompts
They were passing the doors to the library when she felt the light pressure of his hand upon her forearm. Turning to look over her shoulder she found her husband crouching slightly; his beetled brows drawn into a deep frown as he appeared to be listening for something. And then she heard it, the high-pitched sound of a child's giggle followed quickly by the rustling of fabric and the soft shuffling sounds of small shoes across the carpet.
"Shhh! They'll hear us!"
Brows raising in tufted arcs above his twinkling eyes, he held a finger to his own lips and motioned for her to follow him into the room.
"I'm at my wit's end, Mrs. Hughes!" he exclaimed, pausing in front of the red sofa to glance surreptitiously around the room. "We've searched this house from top to bottom and the children are nowhere to be found!"
"Aye, it's as if they've disappeared with the faeries," she agreed solemnly, trying her best to keep the laughter out of her voice.
A small sudden sneeze drew their attention to the tall line of windows that occupied most of the outer wall of the library. Amusement crinkled the skin at the corner of her eyes as she inclined her head towards the carpet at the far end of the room where the toes of three small pairs of shiny patent leather shoes poked out from beneath the deep hem of the velvet curtains.
He smiled warmly at her before pulling himself up to his full height and allowing the inscrutable mask of Downton's butler to smooth his features. "You don't really think they've been taken by the faeries? Do you, Mrs. Hughes?"
His deep baritone rumble never failed to send a tingle down her spine. Shaking her head as if to ward off any untoward thoughts, she schooled her own features before responding.
"I don't know what else it could be, Mr. Carson. You and I both know this house like the back of our hands and we've searched every nook and cranny!"
"What will we do?" he exclaimed forlornly. "How can we rescue them?"
"Well, the faeries usually only take things in trade," she replied with a slight thickening of her brogue. "It's odd that they didn't leave any changelings in their place."
"It is?" he blurted in genuine surprise.
"Aye, 'tis true," she hummed to herself. "Perhaps they took the children hoping to barter for a bigger prize." She almost laughed aloud at the look of alarm that passed across his face. "I have it on good authority from Mrs. Wigan that the women of the village are partial to a certain tall, dark and handsome butler. Perhaps Mrs. Wigah…I mean the Faerie Queen would take him in trade for the children?"
"Oh, I couldn't! Anything but that!" he exclaimed in horror as the velvet curtains began to rustle.
"But you must, their parents will be heartbroken if we don't get them back in time for supper!"
"No! We're here, we're here!" came a cacophony of children's voices as a tangled ball of arms and legs tumbled from behind the velvet curtains to land at the butler's feet. Miss Sybbie was the first to rise, hands on her hips as she stared up at him.
"You can't go, Carson," she said very matter of factly.
"I can't?"
"Who would serve afternoon tea?"
Bowing his head deferentially, he glanced over to see his wife struggling to keep the grin from her face.
"I was rather hoping someone would miss me…" he paused when Elsie rolled her eyes at him. "The important thing is that everyone is safe and sound." He felt a tugging on his coattails and looked down to find a pair of warm brown doe eyes looking up at him. The little girl with the blonde curls tugged on his coat again and he leaned down to listen as she spoke softly in his ear.
"I miss you." She ducked her head shyly and returned her thumb to her mouth before bumping her shoulder against his leg affectionately.
"I would miss you too, Miss Marigold," he rumbled softly and ruffled the curls on the back of her head with his large fingers. Careful not to startle the little girl, he raised back up to his full height before moving towards the door. "Shall we go and see what Mrs. Patmore has for our afternoon tea?"
Sybbie and George shrieked in delight as they jostled each other going out the door. Marigold's exit was more subdued but she wasted no time catching up with the others before the heading down the servant's stairs to the kitchen.
Charles and Elsie followed calmly in the children's wake.
"So, Mrs. Wigan is the Faerie Queen?" he asked casually.
"She'd like to think she is," Elsie replied with a derisive snort.
"Perhaps I should stop by the post office and she what she has to offer?"
"You'll do nothing of the kind, Charles Carson!" she exclaimed and then slapped him on the arm when he began to laugh. "Oh, you!"
"There's only one fae beauty that I want to barter with," he rumbled softly in her ear, enjoying the shiver that moved through her beneath his touch. "Perhaps we could come to some agreement later this evening?"
Stretching up she kissed his cheek and then whispered in his ear, "Aye, that may depend on what you have to trade."