A/N: This fic is a birthday present for the kind-hearted, amazing and incredibly talented, PiperHolmes. It's a day early where she is but it's her birthday somewhere around the world. The genesis of the fic started many moons ago when we were both recovering from the devastation that was 3x05 and with her encouragement and support, I started to write AU based on a background she co-created in those early days. I decided to finish the fic for her birthday. I know that without her help and positive feedback, likely I wouldn't have continued my writing. I owe her so much for my recovery after 3x05. This is just a small token of my gratitude. Happy Birthday, my friend!

Thanks to Tripp3235 for a quick beta. Same universe as The Journey to Happiness and Branson and Crawley.

Disclaimer: Not mine. All Downton Abbey characters belong to Julian Fellowes and ITV. I'm just playing with them.

Chapter 1 - An Afternoon Stroll

The Jarvises moved out of the cottage toward the end of August as promised and soon there after Tom took Sybil and Nora to see it. Rather than have Pratt drive them, they decided to make an afternoon of the visit on the last Saturday in August.

At first, Sybil had planned to bring Nora in the pram, but she became too fussy, wanting to be close to her mother and so the new mother relented by carrying her daughter in a wrap.

"Thankfully, no one saw us leaving," said Sybil, once they walked past the shadow of the house. "Mama, Papa and Granny would say I'm spoiling her."

Tom reached over and touched Nora's cheek while she slept by Sybil's bosom. "I say spoil away. Nora's still too small to know anything but what she needs."

Sybil smiled at her husband, who had already developed a bond with their daughter that made her love him more than ever. "I'm just happy that she sorted out her days and her nights. Sleeping six hours in a row the previous two nights has just been heaven."

"I'm just happy we're sleeping in the same bed again." The weeks of separation at night due to Sybil's health had been more difficult for Tom than he was willing to admit. He then looked around to ensure no one else was in sight before leaning in and kissing his wife thoroughly.

While Nora prevented the kiss from becoming something more, it brought a smile to both their faces when they separated and they walked hand-in-hand to the cottage.


Before long, they arrived at the two-storey, yellow cottage with blue shutters and white trim facing east. There was a small porch around the front door and a small picket fence that lead to the garage. The property had several outbuildings including a carriage house that looked to have been converted into a large garage in recent years. Even having seen it many times from the road, Tom marvelled at the size of the building up close. The cottage alone was the size of Kieran's garage in Liverpool and would become the biggest place he had ever called home, since Downton could never be cosidered his home. After unlocking the front door with the key he obtained from Matthew, Tom ushered his little family into the large, empty house that was to be their first real home together.

"What do you think, love?" asked Tom, while they wandered through the empty rooms with the occasional crumpled paper or miscellaneous item.. "Do you think we can turn this place into a home?"

They had entered into a small alcove with an interior door to keep the winter drafts outside, which lead to the hallway that looked to encircle a large front room to the right. The front room alone was larger than the entire common room in their Dublin flat and at the centre was an enormous fireplace centered against the interior wall, which presumably heated the rest of the cottage. To the left was a large sunny south-facing kitchen with numerous windows. Walking to the end of the hallway, led to a powder room, a smaller room and a corner room before the hallway turned right again leading to yet another smaller room and the staircase that led upstairs.

While the size of the cottage itself was not daunting to Sybil, the thought of keeping it clean and dusted did overwhelm her a little. Looking at a smaller room next to the stairs facing north, Sybil said, "I think so, though I don't believe we'll be able to furnish more than just the main floor. Even then, what we have will look insufficient for the room." Examining the small room more closely, Sybil added, "What do you think of this room for Nora?"

"I suppose." Tom gave a cursory glance around the room. "Perhaps we ought to look at the other rooms before making a decision."

Walking to the next room down the narrow hallway, it was larger than their bedroom in Dublin. Being a corner room, meant it had windows on two walls. Though one was north-facing, the other two faced west which would light up their room for much longer in summer, thus saving them on electricity costs. The cottage had been outfitted with electricity along with some of the other buildings on the grounds last summer when some of the able-bodied men started returning from the war. It was one of the luxuries Lord Grantham decided to bestow on Jarvis for his years of hard work.

An inspection of the upstairs revealed four bedrooms and a full bathroom. Sybil had hoped that they could have just maintained the downstairs, but with the full bath upstairs, she realized that they had to rethink the plan.

When she brought this to Tom's attention, he said, "Well, we could just maintain the bathroom upstairs in the warmer weather and purchase a tin tub for bathing in front of the fireplace in our bedroom in the winter. Nora won't need a larger tub in the time we're planning to be here."

"I like the idea." Sybil smiled. "I didn't want us to spend time cleaning rooms for which we have no use. I'd much rather we spend that time with each other and Nora."

After deciding on the rooms for Nora and themselves, they leisurely strolled back to Downton, excited by the prospect of their new home.

When they started on the path through the fields, Tom asked, "When do you want to move in? Two or three weeks?"

"Can we?" asked Sybil, dubious of the possibility. "Our flat requires packing and the crates to be shipped."

"Our flat has already been packed," said Tom, slightly smug. "I called Ma a month ago, once we took Matthew's offer of the cottage, and she, Cathleen and Connor have been packing our flat a little at a time since then. When I spoke to her this week, it was mostly packed and almost ready to be shipped. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"That's wonderful!" said Sybil, thrilled at the prospect of having their own home again. She then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "So I have two or three weeks to organize everything then."

"Or less," said Tom, smiling at his wife. "I think it ought to take no more than a couple of weeks."

"I wonder if Mrs. Hughes could spare a scullery maid to help?" Sybil asked, thinking aloud.

"I'm certain that Mrs. Hughes would be happy to spare anyone for you." Tom looked to the horizon. "She's asked about Nora more often than anyone else downstairs."

"I think she would be happy to spare anyone for you," said Sybil, looking up at her husband. "She and I were never close in the manner that Mary and Carson are, but I will admit that I was very surprised she didn't tell my parents that we held hands at the garden party just before the war. I'm certain she saw. It shows a preference for you."

"You think so?" asked Tom, surprised by this revelation.

"Undoubtedly she was instrumental in keeping you at Downton after the incident with the general during the war," said Sybil in a matter-of-fact manner. Tom had eventually confessed to Sybil about his plot to pour a foul-smelling ink on Sir Herbert Strutt.

"She's always been kind to me, even after she heard about our announcement in the drawing room." Tom glanced at his wife. "In fact, she and Anna remained on friendly terms even when we returned for Mary's wedding."

"Hence, she will spare a scullery maid for you." Nora started to fuss a little at this juncture. Sybil had fed her before they left for the cottage. After checking a few parts of the baby in the wrap, she said, "Nora is wet and I didn't think to bring a spare nappy. We better hurry, if we don't want a full-scale wail by the time we reach the driveway."

A/N2: So this is what the house looks like. More chapters to be posted soon. Please note that the rating will go up in later chapters. ;) Thanks for reading! Happy Birthday, Piper! You are the best!