Disclaimer: I own and claim nothing from the BBC and it's miniseries "North and South". I just really enjoyed it want wanted to write based off the miniseries. Though not claimed

**** I really do appreciate reviews so if you enjoy it or even detest it please take a moment to let me know :) ***

York. Present Day.

The sound of trainers hitting pavement gave her adrenaline as she continued running down the path. Sweat was hanging on the tips of her brow tempting to find their way into her green eyes that stayed focused on the path in front of her. Her headphones blazed music into her ears encouraging her to run further and faster. Her legs like machines took her further and further away from York even though she had every intention of turning around and only a couple of moments later she did stop.

Lost a job, far away from home and a relationship in the dust her best friend Emy had decided that the best thing for them to do was to pack their bags and buy train tickets to York leaving London behind. They both loved York and the slower pace from the bustling streets of Oxford Circus and Trafalgar Square. Taking a deep breath Ellie took in the sight she was not too far outside of York and was able to take in the town's age from where she stood. Ellie took a deep breath of air trying to push out the thoughts she had been trying to fight back. She had managed to build a nice life for herself before it was swept from under her and now she felt lost if not a little out of place in the world now. But the sight of York and the countryside eased her mind.

"I guess she was right" she muttered quietly to herself "I did need to get away".

Quickly stretching her legs she burst forward back towards to the town and was only a few meters from it before saw something that caught her eye. A path she had not seen when she left the town and now she was curious. Most likely her worst trait but still she took a sharp left onto the dirt path and continued to run. Her breathing was even. Her pace kept steady till she nearly tripped.

"What was that?!" She exclaimed out loud looking to her right but all she saw were trees.

She could have sworn she saw...

"Come on Ellie it's just trees" she told herself and continue forward, she could hear a creek in the distance and continued to run but again something caught her eye but she kept running, it was like seeing a film between the trees. A film of grave stones and a town below but before Ellie could stop the path suddenly dipped down and her feet were no longer under her.

"Oh God!" she yelled as she toppled forward, her arm cracked against a rock as she continued to roll down the hill. It felt like her body was hitting every rock and branch as for what felt like ages. She knew her knees were bloodied and she could taste blood in her mouth like rust.

Her head was spinning, her body ached and it felt like heaven when she did finally stop.

She began to have tunnel vision, she could feel the world could black. She starts to panic and tried to cry for help.

"Help" she says but it barely comes out as a whisper as a shadow looked over her and the world went black.

Milton.

"Just look at the state of her undress!" Fanny exclaims at the sight of the woman lying on the couch in their common room. She held a hand to her eyes "Her legs mother!"

"Oh hush Fanny" Mrs Thornton chides her daughter as she watches the doctor as he busies himself with the patient "So how is the girl?"

The doctor slowly rises, tucking his glasses back into his jacket pocket "She has a badly hurt arm and overall many cuts and bruises but she should be fine, she needs rest" he pauses "Any wonder whom she belongs to?"

Mrs Thornton quickly shakes her head "Not at all, I was just in the graveyard and saw this poor creature lying off to the side, near that small slope got some men to bring her here" she looked in distain over the woman lying there in the strangest of short britches and a shirt that left little to the imagination. Arms exposed, color bone exposed and she did not even want to start understanding the strange blue shoes this woman was wearing.

"Well as I said she needs rest" The doctor began explaining but paused at the sound of the door to the front of the house opening and slamming shut. Quick and scowling Mr Thornton appeared into the room about to undo his cravat when he spots the doctor and his family crowding around the couch. It was clear he had not had a good day, now with the mill being owned by an Ms Hale whom he had embarrassingly misunderstood at the train station the less he saw the woman the better he felt. Yet it was not every day that he came into the house to such a sight.

"What is going on?" he asks curtly, striding over to see what his family were gawking at only to quickly overt his eyes at the sight of the woman's legs exposed "Mother, what is the meaning of this?"

"She had a fall" the doctor quickly begins explaining "Your mother found her by the graveyard, perhaps you can solve our little mystery as to whom she belongs to?"

"Belongs to?" Mr Thornton repeats pausing for a moment "Ah you mean to say you believe she is someone's servant?"

"Yes" His mother gives her affirmative as one of the legs of the woman shifts slightly. Mr Thornton attempts to keep his gaze at the woman's face but it is hard to tell any of her features. Her clearly blonde hair is covered in dirt as is her face. A cut is clearly seen above her right eye and her lip as well is cut. His scowl deepens at the sight.

"What was a woman in such dress doing there?" he asks out loud only to be interrupted by the woman's soft groan with one green eye slightly opening as she attempts to roll onto her other side but is quickly stopped by the doctor kneeling down and placing an hand on her arm.

"Now , now not so fast my dear" he chides her as she tries again now with both eyes open. She tries focusing her eyes but all she could see was a spinning room, frowning she tries to will her eyes to do what she wants and stop spinning the damn room.

"Where am I?" She manages to choke out in an accent Mr Thornton nor were his family familiar with.

"Milton" Mrs Thornton answers "In the Thornton home" her tone is stern Ellie catches very quickly and even with all the pain she is in she can feel she is not exactly welcomed.

"How did I get here?"

"You fell dear girl" the man in front of her tells her, he has light wispy white hair and is peering at her through speckles. To Ellie's surprise she spots a cravat around the man's neck and never in her twenty-five years of living or even three years of living in England had she seen a man wearing a cravat.

Must be some kind of festival

She could see the doctor raise one finger in front of her face "Follow my finger my dear, carefully now"

The man Ellie now guessed to be a doctor was moving his finger slowly right to left which she managed to follow "well no concussion so it seems, at least not a major one"

"Wonderful, now girl" Mrs Thornton said sharply looking at Ellie who was struggling to sit up as the doctor insisted for her to stay lying down "What is your name?"

What a battleaxe

"Ellie" she tells the woman "Well Eloise but no one but my mom calls me that"

"Very well Eloise" Mrs Thornton continues as Ellie winces in pain as she moves her right arm a bit to quickly "Whom do you belong to?"

Belong to?

My mother I suppose though unemployment seems to be my main parent at the moment

"I am sorry...belong to?" Ellie asks as she notices a woman with fair hair frown at her.

"Yes belong! Clearly you are some kind of servant" Fanny exclaims and at that Ellie pushes herself up. She is so confused and a little frightened. She only now was able to drink in the sights around her, the furniture, the way of speaking and the clothing as well as the tall scowling man who's eyes never left her face.

"Excuse me!" Ellie began as she pushed herself onto her feet startling the doctor only to stop suddenly as she grew dizzy again and felt her knees fall from under her. She felt arms catch her and a voice saying how she needs to be put into a bed. Before everything went black all she could see were blue eyes above her, arm carrying her and being lifted off the ground.