1. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Mary had been staring at the photograph throughout the entire speech. It was of her twin boys, barely two years old, arms around each other, laughing divinely at the camera. Her baby boys, Robert and Reginald, after their grandfathers. Now, 14 years later, they stood leaning against the piano in the drawing room. Mary's eyes turned to them right as the words she had been dreading since the boys' sixteenth birthday came through the wireless's speaker. "This country is at war with Germany."

The room stayed silent, long after Abigail switched the device off. All of them, even little Coraline, who was only nine and had hardly understood anything of what had been going on the past few months, were thinking the same thing. Reginald and Robert were going off to war. War.
Mary thought of the last war, and how it felt to have Matthew involved in it. That pain doubled, was unfathomable. She felt faint, but knew she had to appear strong so as not to distress Isobella and Coraline. She pulled her gaze off her sons long enough to glance at her eldest, Abigail, who was looking at Mary, her brow furrowed in worry. Just like Abi, Mary thought, worrying about me and not her brothers.

Robert could stand the silence no longer, but was unable to find his voice, because, at the moment, he was scared out of his mind. He knew that Reggie, who stood so cooly beside him, was eager to fulfill his duty to his country, despite being described as a bookworm for most of his life.

"Papa, how long until we're called up?" he finally blurted out.

"I don't know, Rob," Matthew said quietly, after a brief pause, "though, I wish I did."

"Isobella, why don't you take Coraline up to her bedroom," Mary said a few moments later, "and tell Hanks on your way out to send Jane up to get you two ready for bed."

"But, Mama-" her thirteen year old daughter began to protest.

"Izzie, now is not the time to argue with your mother," Matthew warned.

"Come on Cora," her voice giving away that she was on the verge of tears, "we're not welcome here."

Mary caught Izzie's hand as she passed her on the way to the door, after giving Cora a quick peck on the cheek.

"Darling, I promise to tell you everything that you miss," she said, placing her hand against the girl's cheek, "it'll just be easier for you to handle, after a full night's sleep.

"First thing tomorrow?"

"First thing." Mary deftly planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight," Matthew said at the same time Abigail said, "Sleep well."

"Well..." Matthew murmured absent mindedly.
"Papa, if we die out there-" Reggie began, only to be interrupted by his father.
"Don't say such things Reginald! Nothing is going to happen!"

"Now is not the time to deny, Papa, it is the time to give us answers that will help us

through this. And don't say there's a chance we won't be called up, you know it'll happen," Robert said, straightening up to stand at his full height.

"Very well, what were you going to say, Reg?"

"I was going to ask what would become of Downton if both of us were to die."

"Well," Matthew began reluctantly, "if one of you were to die, the title would go to the other, but if both of you didn't make it through, I haven't the slightest idea as to what would happen. We've planned on the two of you sharing the title since Clarkson admitted to your mother and I that he had lost track of which one of you came first."

"I should think that Johnny would get it," Abi said, "though he'll be off as well, won't he."

"Yes, though Aunt Sybil and Uncle Tom will probably think up some scheme to keep him from going," Robert said, looking to his older sister in earnest.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to cross all of the bridges that come with you leaving, when it is absolutely necessary to cross them," Mary said, her voice unnaturally high and breaking on the last few words as she struggled against her tears, "and not a moment before."

"Yes, let's try to continue on as normal as possible, until we know everything," Matthew agreed, "and let us all try to sleep, even though it will be difficult."

After biding her parents and brothers goodnight, Abigail lie awake in the darkness of her room, thinking of all the things heading her way. She knew that the war would slowly take over every aspect of her life. It's already starting, she thought, the war is already taking Rob and Reg. Soon, it'll have taken everything I hold close. Finally, the tears that had been threatening to spill over all night, fell. They fell in great sobs that shook her whole body, the kind of sobs that only come from a big sister who has made it her life's goal to protect her baby brothers and who fears that they are in a danger greater than she is capable of protecting them from. Abigail cries herself to sleep, her last thought before drifting off into oblivion, Something wicked this way comes.