I do not own Downton Abbey. Modern AU, following the relationship between Sybil and Tom. Please, read and review. :)
Day 1
Sybil Crawley was making her way to the school. It was her first day as a teacher there and she really did want to make a good first impression, on the staff and children alike. Both of her elder sisters had assured her that she would be fine, as had her parents, but that did not meant that she believed them. As she entered the staff room, she was instantly struck by how few teachers were in there and she made her way to the kettle to make herself a cup of tea. Her father had been disappointed when she had decided to become a teacher, but it was her passion, so she had followed it and it made her happy, so she did not care what he had thought. Her files suddenly dropped out of the folder and scattered themselves all over the floor and Sybil blushed before rushing to the floor to collect them, grateful that there were no other teachers present.
"Do you want a hand with that?" inquired an Irish voice, which made her want to melt with joy. She looked up to the speaker and saw a young man standing there, in a suit and tie. He smiled kindly, as he kneeled down next to her and helped her to gather the papers. As he passed them to her, their hands touched and Sybil felt as if she were being electrocuted. Suddenly embarrested, she stood up and said, "Thank-you." The placed the file down on the chair and proceded to make a cup of tea, hoping that the young man would take the hint and leave her alone, but he did not and she internally sighed.
He sat down on the chair next to her file and asked, "It's your first day, right? I can tell. I'm sure you'll be fine, you don't have to be so nervous." Sybil turned to look at him and smiled weakly, before turning to him properly and saying, "I'm Sybil Crawly, I'm the new Politics and R.E teacher here. What about you, what do you teach?" As her eyes fell upon his, she began to notice how his hair was parted and how his lips were formed, so she forced herself to look back at cup of tea which she was preparing for herself.
"I'm Tom. I'm a History teacher. I moved here a couple of months ago." After a long silence, he stood up and offered to show her to her classroom. Trying to hide her blush, she accepted, picked up her file and followed him. They walked in silence, but the silence was a comfortable one and Sybil began to feel as if she had known him for years, rather than a couple of minutes. When they reached classroom where she was based, Tom cleared his throat and tried to fight against his nerves. "Sybil, I-I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me, tomorrow." He paused, then looked up at her and asked, "Would you like that?"
Sybil smiled and she nodded. "Yeah, ok. I'll see you tomorrow, then, Tom." With that, she walked into her classroom, leaving Tom smiling at her acceptance.