Author's notes: Me again! I wanted to make it clear that the reason I haven't described Miles' family physically is because I still don't know what they look like. Well, I do to a certain extent. I've just not made up my mind. Cassie is Aryan though. Thanks for reading!
Not too long later, his sister appeared outside, having escaped the horrors of post-dinner tête-à-tête. Miles wiped his eyes. She saw him and stormed over, ripping off her gloves and throwing them to the ground in frustration that she had to keep concealed for the past couple of hours.
"Andrew Dowrey is the vilest man I've had to sit next to a dinner table. His hands were clammy and his breath smelt rotten" she grumbled in a fiery tone.
"You say that about every man you sit next to at the dinner table, Cassie" he responded with a smile. "Every man but me". Her fierce expression calmed and she laughed a little.
"Your breath can be rotten sometimes". Miles did a fake gasp.
"How dare you!" The two laughed for a moment, then fell silent as she viewed his reddened eyes.
"Are you ok?" she asked, reaching out to hold his arm. He held her hand there, finding the affection comforting.
"I'm fine. What about you?" Miles looked into her eyes and groaned. "You didn't apologise did you?" She laughed nervously and he was agitated for a split second before becoming more subdued. "He didn't need an apology Cass".
"I know he didn't. Just father…he gave me the 'look', you know?"
"I know". He knew all too well. The problem was that Cassie often looked straight back at him. His father didn't enjoy battling for dominance in a stare. He had told Miles that a woman who holds a look for too long is bound to be 'trouble' – he was right. Cassie was trouble. Better for her to be trouble then obedient like his mother.
"He hadn't given me a look like that since I skipped luncheon with a suitor to go riding with Lord Grantham's daughters. Well, with Lady Mary and Lady Sybil". Miles smiled; the Crawleys were friends of the family, though he hadn't seen them in a while. Times with them reminded him of being a young man.
"How are the Crawleys?" he questioned.
"They are well. There's still trouble with the whole 'heir of Downton' situation" she replied with a sigh.
"Ah…". He caught Cassie's eye – it didn't seem she wanted to linger on the topic for long.
"Anyway, father seemed to take you seriously. He didn't say anything to me after dinner" she added in a more hopeful tone. Miles didn't look convinced.
"No one takes me seriously Cass, not even you". She shrugged. "Walk with me?" he asked, standing straight and sliding her arm through his. She nodded and the two began moving away from the manor. They instinctively knew where to walk. They were going to 'their place', arms linked. She lent her head on his shoulder.
"When do you think the war will end?" she asked naively.
"It's like asking how long it'll take for father's head to explode".
"And you'll never know when that'll be" she laughed.
"Exactly". They turned a corner and before them was a large oak tree with a sturdy treehouse nestled in the leaves. They dawdled over to the trunk of the tree. Miles sat at the foot of it, the soft grass being a comfort. Cassie followed suite, not concerned about dirtying her dress in the slightest.
They both stared up at what seemed like an endless amount of leaves. "I suppose you don't get much use out of the treehouse" Miles said gently. She smiled a little. "I mean, it's ten years old now".
"I go up in it sometimes" she admitted. "Reminds me of when I was little". He beamed at that. The war was going to split them apart, but of course, they'd still have their memories and this treehouse would remain where it was. "Lord Cartwright came to stay while you were away. His children came with him. They were put in my care, and were young enough to appreciate pretend games so I let them in the treehouse".
Miles propped his head up with his arm against the trunk and the two faced each other. She had a childlike glow around her, "I think they enjoyed it", she beamed.
"Were they worthy of our magical world?" He raised one eyebrow after he asked his question.
"Don't be silly. I didn't use our world. I made up a different one for them. I don't want to share our world". He pulled his sister close to him and wrapped his arms around her, almost in a protective manner. She accepted his embrace gratefully.
"I don't want to share our world either" he kissed her forehead. She let her head rest against his uniformed chest.
"Are you going to get any medals?" she enquired curiously.
"Is me getting medals important to you?"
"No, of course not – but if I rest my head and there are medals there it will be very uncomfortable" she exclaimed.
"Well, we can't have that".
In the silence that followed they both felt emotions looming. They may not get the right moment to let it all out in the near future. Miles was due to leave in three days, and the thought had become unbearable for his sister.
"Miles" Cassie started; feeling the emotion welling up inside of her she grasped his hand. "I don't want you to go".
"I have to. I've signed up. It's what is expected of me" he said, voice straining in a different way than it had at the dinner table. The realisation that he had to go sunk in, and a few seconds later Miles' younger sister let out a whimper.
"I'm going to miss you so much" Cassie revealed, choking back the sobs but letting her eyes leak before turning to face her brother. Miles' face fell at the sight of her expression. He wiped her tears from her cheeks with his thumb and it felt as though they burnt him. The tears of his sister were toxic to him and he detested seeing them. He felt his own eyes become hazy.
"Cassie, sweetheart…" he pulled her close again.
"I'm going to miss you more" he whispered in her ear. She held onto him tightly, and he responded by doing the same. "You have to promise to send me letters every week" he demanded softly.
"Only if you promise to never ignore them". She laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. He pulled away, one of his hands holding hers,
"I promise" he said, holding the other hand to his heart absent-mindedly.
"Well then, I promise too". They smiled and her tears melted away. Seeing she was going to cry no more, he chuckled.
"You must tell all your friends of your dashing brother who's saving men's lives at the front". He sat up straight and grinned at her.
"Dashing?" she giggled. "You must be joking". He pretended to be hurt for a moment before grinning again; he was going to miss that giggle. The sound of alien voices became known to the two. Their father and the rest of the dinner party were walking the grounds and had spotted them. Miles stood up, heaving his sister up with him. "We best go re-join the party".
"Parties are meant to be fun" her expression turning to the grumpy face Miles would usually snigger at. She fixed her hair and he fixed the back of her dress for her and they both put on a serious face. "Come on then". They walked back towards agonising small talk, only letting go of each other's hand at the very last moment.