Day two: Baking- cookies, cakes, pies, or whatever your sweet tooth is hankering for!


The beautiful Christmassy smells of cinnamon and apples wafted through the kitchen out through to the rest of the downstairs. Mrs Patmore was doing her best to make everyone feel as hungry as possible. For Baxter, this was a welcome change from Christmases of past. She relished the thought of spending Christmas is a happy and welcoming environment. Her fist few months had been a very trying affair but through a little perseverance and a helping hand from Mr Molesley, she had steadied herself and even managed to make an unlikely friend out of Thomas. It had all been very surprising and entirely different to how she had imagined things playing out for her. Luck had never been a friend of hers but it seemed to be making up for it now.

Christmas as always about reflection and nostalgia but she didn't really have an awful lot to be nostalgic about except, perhaps, her lost innocence about the magic of this time of year. She was always a forward thinker, not wanting to dwell on the past or even the current moment. The future always held something more for her but now she was starting to question that outlook. She felt so silly that all it took was a man to make her change her way of life but he gave her hope which she had never felt before.

She sighed as she made her way to table to set about doing the sewing and mending that had been her real reason for coming down here. There was only so much time in the day for daydreaming about happier things, there was some real work to be done. As she was working away, she didn't notice the comings and goings around so she was surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Um, sorry to interrupt but I was calling your name but you seemed to be in a world of your own. I brought you a little something"

With that Mr Molesley brought out a pair of mince pies from behind his back.

"I hope Mrs Patmore knows about this or we'll both be in trouble"

She enjoyed the blush that spread to his cheeks and as he looked at his feet.

"These were less than perfect so Mrs Patmore said I could take them if it stopped me drooling over all of them"

He let out a cute little giggle at that proclamation.

"Well I guess I should be grateful for your drooling... oh that does sound silly"

They both laughed and then enjoyed their little Christmas treats. Maybe this new perspective wasn't such a bad thing.


A.N. My first attempt at a little Baxley so I hope it hit the spot. Let me know what you think because it's the best inspiration to keep me writing.