Sybil tried to force her mind to concentrate on the bloody man before her, but it focussed too keenly on the sound of the clock ticking past four o'clock, the time she was expected to return to Downton. Her eyes kept darting up to the mantelpiece unintentionally until a shriek of pain from the man erupted through her head and brought out her level-headed competency and well-practised calm as she let her hands take over to see to his injuries. He had to be her priority for now.

She had been on a bus with several other women including Isobel as they returned from a fairly positive women's rights meeting when the sound of an explosion nearby shook them making the bus driver brake sharply. They could see a plume of fire and smoke over an escarpment and were close enough to hear the screams of fear from the men of the nearby mine. Several of the young ladies were screaming in shock and Isobel tried to calm them down as Sybil strode with purpose to the front of the bus.

"Open the doors," she managed in her well-practised imperious tone. The driver looked up gobsmacked thinking to argue, but her tone and glare brooked no argument, one she had been brought up well versed in. The doors opened and she hopped out without a look back and ran through a gap in the fence nearby and started to scramble over the escarpment. As she reached the top she paused to assess the scene below her in the mine itself.

"Sybil!" Isobel noticed the disappearance of her young friend and just caught the last glimpse of her vanishing over the top of the rocky outcrop. Suddenly filled with camaraderie and the determination that she and Sybil could indeed help any injured men out there she pushed her way past the girls she was with up the aisle of the bus, but before she reached the front another explosion shook them, feeling larger and closer than the first and dislodging some of the rocks from up the side of the valley into the road. Several hit the roof of the bus and had immediate effect on the previously frozen bus driver, who shut the doors and sped off.

"Wait, wait. Should we not wait to take those men with us? Some of them might be in need of immediate assistance."

"I ain't waiting another second near here. We could all be buried alive under the rubble. 'Sides, I don't reckon any of them would have survived that last 'un." Isobel looked to the side of the bus at the debris and billowing smoke and worried he could be right. Still, she never left anyone behind.

"At least stop and let me out."

"No way, lady. I let one of you bloody fools out to go and get herself blown up, I ain't doin' so again. Now sit down or risk me crashing!"

Isobel had no idea what to do. She could not jump the bus so she ran to the back to watch the scene of carnage from the rear window. Several more explosions could be felt and each one sickened her as she thought of the sweet young woman who had jumped into the middle of it all, and how she was ever going to tell her family, especially her devoted husband. Now it was the turn of the young women she had been escorting to try to calm her but tears came uncontrollably into her eyes. It had all happened so quickly, and she so hated feeling useless.

Tom was tapping his foot impatiently on the immobile train and fidgeting with his newspaper. Things had gone rather well in London, but he had desperately missed his wife and was keen to get back to Downton to see her so when they were nearing their destination he had understandably started getting excited just to be impeded by an announcement as they came to a slow stop.

"We apologise for the delay. We are having to reroute to Ripon and will be underway in a matter of minutes."

"Excuse me," Tom asked the harassed conductor as he walked by. "Will this train not be stopping at Downton anymore?"

"No sir. We will run a bus from Ripon to Downton but I am afraid you will be a little delayed."

'Great!' he thought, but managed to just say "Thank you." He wanted to ask more about what the problem was, but the man was already being asked other questions by the other people in the carriage and all he cared about was getting back to his wife now. He hoped there might be a telephone at the station in Ripon he might use so she would not worry.

He took out the pocket watch she had given him on their wedding day engraved with I love you every second and checked the time as the train moved on. 'Great, just gone four o'clock. I will be lucky if I make it back by five. I shall be hard pushed to get ready in time for pre-dinner cocktails,' he thought. He had hoped for enough time to dress properly. While in London he had visited Bates and in exchange for Tom's having done some good research into Bates' case which lead to some promising avenues he planned to follow up, Mr Bates had taught him how to tie a cravat, and a bow tie. Tonight he could impress them all by not needed his pre-tied bow tie and he was excited at the prospect.

"Where is Sybil? I thought she was meant to be back half an hour ago?" Edith enquired as she sipped tea with her other sister and her mother.

"I have no idea," Cora casually responded to a heightened eyebrow from Mary. "What? Sybil is her own woman now and she has always gotten herself carried away and forgotten the time. If she is with Isobel then you know she's even worse!" She rolled her eyes. "She might have stayed to take tea with her, I see no need to start worrying."

"I thought Tom was due back by now too." Now it was the other two's turns to raise an eyebrow at Mary's informal use of his name. "Oh calm down! If it wasn't for him Matthew and I might not be marrying at all. And, more importantly, he taught Matthew how to kiss better!" Edith sniggered into her teacup as their mother looked shocked at this piece of news.

"How did he teach him, I wonder?" Edith chuckled with Mary.

"I don't care, I just get to reap all the benefits." She smiled contentedly as the memories flooded her inner sight and the other two ladies were pleased to see her tranquil and happy side come out.

Cora tried to smile along, but she actually was concerned about her youngest, far more than she let on, but having been in England such a long time she was a dab hand at covering up her emotions so even her daughters didn't notice. An hour later her façade was began to crack enough for her husband to notice.

"My dear, I am sure she is fine. Perhaps she is still with Isobel."

"I telephoned. Mr Molesley says that Isobel popped home very quickly, only long enough to fetch Matthew, and then departed again. He did not speak to her, but he said Sybil was not with her."

"You say Branson was due home earlier as well? I would imagine she went to meet his train and they are walking home together." How had she not thought of that? Of course that is what must have happened. She calmed and they turned to other subjects.

A few minutes later they heard the unmistakable sound of Matthew's new car and Robert enthusiastically jumped up to greet him while Cora joined him less joyously. They were not meant to be joining them for dinner tonight, the final night before the wedding.

The look on the younger man's face as he made his way into the hall immediately quashed the smile Robert had been wearing and as Cora's eyes fell upon Isobel she froze and fell pale.

Sybil was terrified as she descended into the exploding mine. She had narrowly missed one of the explosions which had torn behind her. Had she been a few seconds later she would surely have been killed. This was the closest she had ever come to such danger and admired the men who had fought in the war all the more. Channelling the memory of the many of such men she had known over the years, especially those who had died, she ploughed on to the main building trying to avoid the stampede of men coming the other way.

She did not care why this was happening but just wished it would stop. Why were the explosions continuing?

A commanding man, she supposed the foreman, stopped her with an arm.

"Hello missy. You shouldn't be here."

"I am a nurse, training to become a doctor. I wished to see if I could help."

"Ah, in that case this way then please, miss." He chattered as he walked her down the corridor. "Truth is, we managed to evacuate before the explosion so only a couple of men are hurt. Silly beggars running all over the place gonna get themselves in the way of another one. Better to stay here until it calms down." He opened the door to a grand office where there were a couple of men on the floor and a man in the worst condition lying on the table groaning, being seen to by another man with rolled up sleeves, evidently the mine's physician. "Got you an assistant here doc, says she's a nurse." The man looked up not caring about how she came to be there. He just nodded at her and one of the men on the floor.

She pulled off her hat, coat and gloves in an instant, laying the coat under the man's head. She barked at the foreman to get her water as she started tearing up her petticoat for bandages.

A few more injured men were brought in but there were no fatalities and by five thirty the ambulances had turned up relieving her. She looked a complete state with blood all over her and fretted how her family would feel receiving her like that. The doctor thanked her and she was gratefully told where should could wash her hands and face. She could do little about her dress or petticoats, but that could be covered by her coat. Now she was free of her tasks she felt only concern for the worry her family would be having over her disappearance. As she stood in the doorway looking upon the scene, all the explosions having died down, she was amazed not more people had been hurt. It seemed the foreman had been right that it looked worse than it really was though it had been frightening enough for her.

Being near the middle of winter, the night had already set in and a few snowflakes were falling. She watched as the ambulances pulled off from the grim scene and then her mind turned to how she was going to get home. Buses had stopped running for the day and too late did she think she could ask to get a ride with the ambulance.

"Do you have a telephone on site?" she asked Doctor Gladstone as he joined her looking at the remains of the day.

"I am afraid not, but I have one at my house."

"Where is that?"

"Malton. How are you getting home?"

"I am not sure."

"Well in that case please allow me to drive you. We can stop by mine first if you would like to make a phone call." She was a little concerned by the way he was looking at her and did not like the idea of stepping into his car, let alone his house, on her own. She felt she had little choice about the car part.

"Thank you, that is very kind, but I only just live in Downton. If you could drive me there then I would be most grateful." He looked a little disappointed, but drove her back to the Abbey nonetheless.

Tom suspected something was amiss when he was walking up the driveway of Downton Abbey and his wife did not come out to greet him. This was the longest separation they had had since they were married and he was sure she missed him as much as he missed her. Well, almost at least.

As he entered the hall his second sign of a problem came from Carson who was grave though polite to him, far politer than he had been the whole time he had been back at Downton. He took his bag, coat and hat for him and brooked no argument.

"His Lordship asked that you please join him in the library when you return." Tom's heart was in his throat as he scarpered into the library that had until now been his haven in this house. His stomach churned and his legs turned to jelly as he entered the library at seeing the faces of all the people in there.

"Branson, there you are!" At the sound of her husband mentioning the name, Cora's eyes shot up with a glimmer of hope in them before she collapsed on the chaise longue again. "Please sit." It did not escape Tom's notice that his father in law's voice was breaking.

"I would rather stand. Where is Sybil?" Lord Grantham tried to speak but could not and sat on a chair, head in hands as he cried. "Where is Sybil? What has happened?" Branson was angry now and did not care who knew it. Matthew knew he had to step in, though did not feel he had the stomach to break such news to the man before him.

"Tom, I am sorry, but it seems there was an explosion at a mine nearby earlier. Sybil went to try to help, to see if she could… There were several more explosions after that, big ones. That was the last anybody saw of her." Tom had a million thoughts and feelings crowd his head so he could not digest the information. So that was why the train was delayed, and that was the cloud of smoke he had seen earlier when walking up from Downton village. But Sybil, dead? No way, he would feel it. She was alive, he just knew she had to be. Stupid, wonderful Sybil running into danger to help others. His heart hammered quickly and hurt, but he ignored it.

"No, you can't be saying she's dead. No way, Matthew. Where is the mine, I will go and pick her up and you'll see, she will be fine." The others all looked between them and he knew they were slightly pitying his disbelief, but mostly they could not spare much pity as they were all deep in their own grief. He spied that Mary and Edith were even consoling each other. They might have thawed to each other a little in recent times, but the sight of such a thing more than any other forced Tom's mind to consider than in fact it was the case that his dear, darling wife had been killed this afternoon.

"Well, are you going to tell me where this mine is or am I going to have to follow the smoke to find it?" he asked feeling more panicky.

"I will show you," Isobel quietly ventured. She felt it was the least she could do, feeling immensely guilty that she had not stopped Sybil or at least stayed with her. She followed behind where Branson had dashed finding it impossible to catch up to him.

Tom walked into the hall, his eyes to the ground not having noticed the sound of the car engine. Movement in the corner of his eyes alerted his heightened senses and he looked up to see his beloved Sybil urgently walking through the front door looking unscathed, desperately looking at him. He froze briefly wondering if she was real, and in that moment all of his emotions cascaded in on him. He broke down as he dashed towards her needing to feel she was really there and she ran into his arms before he kissed her more desperately than he ever had before promising himself to never leave her side again. In that moment he did not think through the concept, just the deep desire to never have such crushing worry ever again. He could survive anything as long as Sybil was still with him.

For Sybil's part she felt so happy to see him, but concerned with how worried he clearly had been and felt guilty for it. She had missed him so much, and when she had seen sad things in a day nothing cheered her more than her husband. She would happily have stayed in that moment forever, if only her dear Tom were not so distraught.

Isobel witnessed the scene and called out to the family that Sybil was there, feeling both relief and some guilt for having made the whole family panic and believe her dead. They all rushed into the hall to check for themselves and were overjoyed despite the fact that she was attached to the former chauffeur by the face. Robert still felt a slight twinge of sadness that he had been cast to the side-lines for such a man, but knew he could bear anything now his family was safe and sound and in one piece again.

"Brandies all around, I think! Tom, I would say you need a large one," Robert yelled to the room at large. Tom quickly wiped his tears from his face and walked over to accept. Sybil ran over to her papa and wrapped him in a bear hug as she realised his acceptance at last of her husband. As Lord Grantham kissed her head and looked over it to the husband he expected would not stray more than a metre from his wife, Tom saw the tears he had shed on the other man's face and the pair felt as close as any two men could at that moment.