A/N: I had an idea in my mind for a few days now and after I've watched the Christmas Special four or five times I decided to put these two together and write a story! It will continue after the last scene of the Christmas Special! I warn you that it will contain spoilers from series 4! Before we continue with the reading, I will tell some basic things about the characters that I had to decide and change in order to write this story. Elsie arrived at Downton in 1893. She has a two years older sister called Annie. Charles is seven years older than Elsie which makes him 68 years old. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Any situation or character that appears in the drama, isn't mine.

It had been a very lovely day at the sea side and everyone had returned at the house very happy and excited from their day. One by one had said good night and retired to their rooms leaving Elsie and Charles standing alone in the servant's hall. For a while they just stood there without looking each other or saying anything. They were both thinking about the events of the day they had just lived. He had been afraid of relaxing and enjoying the day but she had held out her hand to him and he had taken it gladly. He had nothing to be afraid of with her by his side now. They had held hands and walked in the waters while the waves were getting wet their clothes.

He was the first one to make a move. He turned to look at her and smiled upon seeing her lost in her thoughts with a wide smile on her face that made her look much younger. He noticed that her hair were loose from the usual bun and still wet. "You should go and change your clothes, Mrs. Hughes. We wouldn't want you to catch a summer cold and Downton to lose its housekeeper for a while.", he was concerned about her as he watched her standing in front of him with her wet hair and wet clothes.

She was brought back in reality upon hearing his voice. She smiled warmly after noticing his concern for her in his voice. "You should do the same thing, Mr. Carson. It wouldn't be very good for Downton to have both its butler and housekeeper with a summer cold.", she smiled widely at him and left him there to go to her room.

He just stood there watching her walking away and up the stairs for the servant's rooms. He remembered what had happened to make them return with wet clothes. They had been holding hands and walking in the sea when suddenly he slipped and fell in the water taking her with him. They were quiet for a few moments as they were looking each other before they started laughing. He could tell that they had enjoyed it very much as they had played in the water not caring that their clothes were wet and they didn't have something else to change into.

/-00-/

Only two weeks had passed since they all returned to Downton from London. It certainly had been a very excited experience for all of them, especially for the downstairs that had a day off to go to the sea side. They had been two very busy weeks but they were so glad that they were back to their routine. Charles had found the time and the chance only a few days after they had returned to confess his feeling for her and ask her permission to start courting her properly. She had been so overwhelmed by his confess in the beginning but at the end she had confessed her feelings for him and gave him her permission to start courting her properly.

That very first Sunday he had asked Lord Grantham a few hours off for the two of them after the church so they could go for a walk. They had talked about what they liked and a little about their lives with their families. He had noticed how sad and lost in her thoughts she was when she was speaking about her life back at Scotland. He somehow knew that she was hiding something that was very important to her and he only hoped that one day she would trust him enough to confess it to him.

The family had retired early that evening. Charles took the left over wine and went straight to her sitting room. It was something they enjoyed doing all the years they had been working together but now it was something even more special as they could sit together in the settee and she would lean in his embrace. He found her bent over her desk working on some papers and shook his head. She was really working hard since they returned from London and he had noticed that she wasn't looking very well the last few days. He closed the door and placed the wine and the two glasses on the table. "Enough work for tonight, my dear.", he said as he grasped her hand and pulled her up and away from those papers. "You can finish them tomorrow morning. Now we will have a very nice evening together and then go to bed.", he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

She had to admit that she was very grateful at him for making her stop working as she was sure that she would end up sleeping there on her desk, something she would regret very much in the morning. She wasn't feeling very well the last few days and was suspecting that she had caught a summer cold despite trying not to. He noticed that her eyes had a very different sparkle and that her face was flushed. A hand on her forehead confirmed his suspicions and he shook slightly his head. "You have a fever, my darling. I told you that you would catch a cold but you didn't listen to me.", he placed their glasses away and leaded her slowly to her room.

He returned a few minutes later with an aspirin, a bowl with cold water and some flannels. He placed his hand again on her forehead and was surprised to find that her fever had gone up. He made her lie down after taking the aspirin and started placing wet flannels on her forehead to help the fever to come down. He sighed in relief when he noticed that the fever had come down around four o'clock in the morning. He knew very well that she would be up and about in almost three hours and he couldn't stop her. So he decided to let her sleep an hour or two more before starting her day. It was going to be a difficult day for her as she had the interviews for a new kitchen maid as Ivy had left them to go to America. Maybe it was better there for the young girl.

/-00-/

Around nine o'clock in the morning her room was filled with a groan as she woke up with her head aching. She knew that she was ill with a summer cold but she had to get up as she had the interviews today and she couldn't be absent. She took a while longer to get ready for the day to start. The first thing she did when she went downstairs was to eat some breakfast and take a powder for the headache and an aspirin in any case to be sure. The first girl for the position of the kitchen maid would arrive around eleven o'clock. That would give her some time to do the paper work she had left last night.

It was nearing lunch time for the servants, already eight young women had been interviewed and she was feeling very very tired. The only thing she wanted was for the day to end so she could go to her room, lie down in her bed and sleep. It was four o'clock as she watched her clock on the wall. She had an interview with a young girl named Blunder, a name that was very familiar to her somehow but she was feeling too tired to think about it right now. A knock on her door made her groan as the sound made her headache worse. "Come in.", she called to the person and continued working on the paper in front of her so she could finish it before starting the interview.

The young girl entered the sitting room with a smile on her face and sat down in the chair across the housekeeper waiting for the woman to finish what she was doing. She couldn't stop smiling upon seeing the older woman so engrossed in her work and she remembered a person she loved very much.

Elsie finally finished what she was doing and put everything unnecessary away in order to start the interview. She kept her pen and her book so she could write whatever information she thought important about the girl. As she turned in her chair to look at the girl and greet her she was stunned at that spot. She was looking at the younger woman with wide eyes and her mouth opened. "Oh my God!", she finally managed to say after a few moments. "Elisabeth Blunder! What are you doing here?", she asked the young girl very confused.

"I came here for the interview,", she smiled widely. "Granny.", she stood up and hugged her grandmother. After a few moments she sat back down while Elsie was confused and didn't know what was happening or what was going to happen.

Please, please, please review! I would like to know what you think of this! Do you want me to continue this? Waiting your opinions, thoughts and ideas.