DISCLAIMER: I don't have the priviledge of owning Downton Abbey or any of its characters.
My first Downton Abbey fanfiction. I thought this would be a lovely scene that could possibly happen in series 5 as I love the Mr Mosely and Miss Baxter pairing, although I'm not entirely sure what the correct shipping name is. Please review and let me know what you think. Enjoy :)
She stands quietly beside him, arms linked firmly together as she waits patiently for him to speak. A smile; a nod; a secret exchange between lovers. He takes her hand, so tiny in his own, and stares down at his feet hesitating nervously, a moment's lapse in his thoughts.
"I really enjoyed tonight" she says encouragingly, "I haven't had such fun since…" Her voice trails off, sad and distant. He looks up worriedly, wondering if he had somehow done damage where he had intended to do good; but then she laughs, "…well, I can't remember".
He grins as she laughs happily, her eyes sparkling with mirth like the stars above as she gazes hopefully into his deep brown eyes. He clears his throat nervously, "I am glad…" She furrows her eyebrows confusedly, and he shakes his head, "No, not - not that you haven't had fun in a long time. No. I didn't - I mean, I -"
He kicks himself mentally for his outburst, his sheer stupidity and lack of intellect making it difficult for him to speak the words buried deep in his heart. With an amused giggle she quickly rises up on her tiptoes and presses a slow gentle kiss to his cheek. She is soft and beautiful in the pale moonlight, and for a moment it is as if all time has stopped and they are the only ones left in the whole wide world. She lingers a little longer. He is still, captivated, entranced as she carefully pulls her hand away.
"Thank you" she says honestly, her heart on her sleeve as she smiles gaily. The she turns and walks away. A moment in time with her, no matter how small, was enough to warm his heart. There was little chance he would ever open his soul to anyone again and as he watches her walk away he realises that it is not too late. He breaks into a run, unwilling to loose such a precious opportunity, and calls her name.
"I… I just…"
But he is lost for words, stumbling and reaching out for them in the surrounding dark. In truth he did not need them; he had no want for words when all he needed was her, standing with his heart open and his eyes wide. She can't breathe, her mind as distant as the glistening sky as he gazes deep into her soul, catching her when she starts to fall. Caressing her face he leans down to kiss her, his heart lost in a passionate sea of emotions. His lips capture hers in an instant, tender and sweet as her hands take hold of his shoulders and wrap themselves around his neck. Holding. Protecting. He brings her into his embrace, an open invitation into a life where she would never feel like the last book on the shelf, never to be opened, read or loved. The pale moon shines brightly around them, their shadows mingled as one. She feels safe in his arms, his eyes loving as he kisses her with an adoring passion; a heart breaking and brimming with such a love he has never known before like the starlight in the midnight sky. And he knows now that he could never have loved anyone more.