A/N: I do apologize for having such an OOC Branson but how else was I going to push Charles past the boundaries of his own reticence? I must admit that I have been enjoying the much more detailed reviews that I have been getting from those brave enough to tell me exactly what they're thinking!
I hope this next chapter moves us forward and helps to assuage all of the disturbing feelings that everyone seems to be having at the moment.
Disclaimer: Mr. Fellowes still owns them all and I am still borrowing them – participation dependent upon the shooting schedule for Series 3 of course! ;-) No copyright infringement intended.
Charles felt an odd tickling sensation against the side of his neck and felt her snuggle a bit more deeply against his side. "I love you," he murmured in his sleep as he shifted a bit so that he could smooth one hand down her back and squeeze her…small, flat bottom? He felt the odd tickle again and heard a decidedly masculine voice whisper, "I love you too." He opened one eye to find that he was ensconced on the downstairs sofa with Richard Clarkson in his arms whispering sweet nothings in his sleep.
"Dear God!" exclaimed Charles as he sat bolt upright and pushed Richard over to the other side of the sofa.
Richard sat up and scratched the back of his head before turning to look at Charles. "Oh god, that was you?" he murmured sleepily. Both men looked at each for a few moments and then they started to laugh.
"Not a word about this to the girls, agreed?" chuckled Charles. Richard nodded his head with a smile and ran his hand through his hair which was standing on end.
Charles ran one of his large hands over his face for a moment and then images of the previous evening started to drift through his mind and he sagged forward with his elbows on his knees and his face in both hands. Richard moved across the sofa to place a comforting hand on Charles' back.
"I don't know what to do," said Charles simply, his hands dropping between his knees and his head hanging disconsolately from his shoulders.
"None of us do," replied Richard quietly.
"I should have done more for her last night."
"She wouldn't let you do more, Charles." Richard watched his friend heave a shuddering sigh and throw himself back on the sofa. "You got there in time to save her."
"No! You got there in time to save her…why did I not know what was going on?" He covered his eyes with one hand trying to keep his tears from falling.
"Honestly?…I'm not sure exactly why she didn't tell you," began Richard, "but Elsie knows you Charles, you would have groused around and been overbearing and made the young man completely uncomfortable."
"My god, man! Look what happened, he would have deserved it!"
"I suspect that Elsie didn't think it would ever go this far and so she chose to try to handle it herself."
"So what do I do now?" Charles asked in desperation. "How do I fix it?"
"I'm not sure you can fix it…if you want my advice, I think you need to just be there for her."
"But what does that mean…be there for her? She made it pretty clear that she didn't want me anywhere near her last night."
"Charles, she was in shock last night. I don't think she would have wanted any man near her."
"I just want to hold her and comfort her…."
"You need to let her take the lead, provide her with what she needs whether that's a little space or a kiss and a cuddle. I just wouldn't let her push you too far away."
Charles let his breath out in a giant puff and rubbed the back of his neck in frustration.
"Elsie is a bright girl and better yet, she is a strong woman…and she has you. I'm sure the two of you will be able to work it out." Richard stood up and started searching his trouser pockets. "Where are my keys?"
Charles looked over towards the kitchen where he and Elsie usually deposited their keys and kept the cellphones on the charging pad. "I see Isobel's coat on the back of the chair and her purse up on the breakfast bar so you've not been abandoned, old boy. Come on, I'll show you to the spare room." Charles led the way up the stairs and pointed to the door on the right, "I think you'll find her in there. Sleep well."
"Good night, Charles," replied Richard who then mimed the act of locking his lips and throwing away the key. Charles gave him a small smile and watched as Richard let himself quietly into the spare room and closed the door behind him and then turned to face the door to his own bedroom. He paused to take a deep breath. He hoped that she would be deeply asleep so that he could just crawl into the bed beside her. He wasn't sure what he would do if she were to wake and be upset or break down in tears. Buck up, man, he thought to himself, you'll provide whatever it is she needs! He straightened his shoulders and quietly let himself into their room.
He undressed down to his undershorts in the dark and slipped quietly between the sheets. He felt her move immediately into his arms as she pressed the length of her body against his. He felt her press her forehead against the side of his neck and he heard her inhale very deeply with her nose pressed against the skin at the base of his neck.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, a bit unsure as to what was expected of him.
"I'll be alright as soon as you make love to me," she said reaching up to pull his head down so that she could kiss him. She was like a mad-woman nipping and biting at his lips and tongue.
"Elsie, love," he said softly, pulling away so that he could look down at her in the soft moonlight that spilled in through the window. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
"What I want, Charles Carson," she said curtly, "is for you to make me forget…forget the feel of his hands…forget the smell of his skin…" Sensing his reticence, she asked, "Do you not want me?"
"I want you, Elsie," he said with a slightly desperate note in his voice, "morning, noon and night, sometimes. I'm just not sure that I'm up to the task tonight." She pulled away from him with a disappointed look on her face. "Come back here," he said softly as he reached out and pulled her back into his embrace. "I may not be up to the task but if memory serves, I've been known to use other methods to make you forget your own name once or twice." He leaned down to place a tender kiss upon her lips and felt her relax against him.
He turned onto his side and wrapped his arms and legs around her the way he knew made her feel safe and secure during the night while she slept. He smoothed his hands up and down her back as he slowly kissed her with soft and tender caresses of his lips and tongue. Slowly but surely he felt her begin to respond.
She could almost see the tension as it dissipated and left her body at the touch of his hands. Try as she might, she could never figure out how he always knew exactly what to say, how to touch her, when to pull back and when to push her so that she felt safe and secure when they made love. At the moment, her senses were flooded with the softness of his lips as they moved gently against hers. His tongue slipped into her mouth but was not rough or insistent as her attacker's had been. She stiffened as those thoughts came unbidden to her mind and she felt Charles immediately ease back to let her take the lead when she was ready. She reached out tentatively with her own tongue to invite him back in and soon she was responding warmly and eagerly.
He reached between them to unfasten the buttons on her pyjama shirt and slid his hands underneath to gently massage her breasts. She curled away from his touch and he moved his hands around to her back to hold her gently. He looked down into her eyes and saw them smiling back at him.
"Your hands are cold," she giggled and stretched up to kiss the underside of his chin.
"Perhaps you could help me warm them up?" he queried as his hands slipped beneath the elastic waistband of her pyjama trousers to cup her bottom and pull her against him. "Ah, yes, it's much warmer down here." One hand continued to caress her bottom while the other moved around to tease at her center.
"Mmmm…" she murmured as small tingles of pleasure began to dart up and down her spine. She felt her hips begin to move of their own accord and she could feel the scratch of his chest hairs against her skin as she writhed against his body. She felt the need of his attention to her breasts so she shrugged out of her shirt and reached up to pull his head down to her chest. He accepted his cues willingly and sucked one nipple into his mouth and grazed it along his teeth followed by a soothing swirl of his tongue.
He could feel the tension building up in her thighs and back as she neared her release. He considered shifting her so that he could finish undressing her and push her over the edge with his tongue but she seemed so comfortable in this position and she was responding so readily to his touch that he decided not to upset the apple cart, so to speak. He returned his lips to her mouth as he slipped first one, then two fingers into her to rub against that special ridge. He heard the whimpers begin in the back of her throat.
She loved it when he kissed her just before she tumbled over the edge. He'd done it the first time to muffle the sounds of her cries when he'd made love to her in her office one day at lunch. This was back when they still had separate offices on the hall with the wood paneling. They'd both lamented the day that they were moved to the executive hall with the floor to ceiling plate glass walls.
His lips moved along her jaw to capture her earlobe and she whispered huskily in his ear, "More, Charles…please?" The sound of her voice in his ear sent a tingle down his spine and he was eager to please her.
He pressed against her nub with his thumb as he increased the speed and intensity of his strokes. He could feel her body respond by the tightening of her arms around his chest and the way that she moved against him. He could hear the hitch in her breath has she neared the edge and finally she called out his name as she tumbled over the edge. He captured her lips with his own and held her trembling body in his arms until the last waves of her pleasure washed over her.
She stretched up and nuzzled the side of his neck as she pressed her body against the side of his. With a small nudge, he crooked his knee and slipped her leg overtop of his so that she straddled his upper thigh. He heard her moan softly when his thigh pressed against her center, extending the small tingles that were still coursing through her body.
"Better?" he asked turning his head to plant a kiss on her forehead.
"Mmm…if I were a cat, I'd be purring," she murmured settling her head in the crook of his neck. "Thank you, Charles."
"You don't have to thank me, love," he chuckled and hugged her closer. "It is always my pleasure to see to your pleasure." She giggled and pulled back to look up into his face. She reached up with one hand to caress his cheek.
"I do love you, you know," she said softly.
"I know. I love you too." They lay together quietly for several long minutes until Charles finally broke the silence, "Penny for your thoughts?"
"I was thinking about the office," she whispered, her voice hoarse with unshed tears.
"Elsie, love, don't cry." He turned to face her in the bed and took her face in his hands so that he could look into her eyes. "You don't have to go back to the office until you're ready. And if that time is never…then we can start looking for new jobs in the morning."
"No," she said firmly with just a small quaver in her voice, "I'll not let him drive me away from a job that I love. He doesn't get to win."
"That's my girl," he smiled down at her. "We'll just take it one day at a time and you know I'll be right there by your side every step of the way." He reached around to draw her pyjama shirt up over her shoulders and tickled her left nipple with his index finger as he fastened the buttons.
She snuggled against his chest and breathed in the masculine scent that was simply Charles. He rubbed her back with small circles and he could feel her body begin to relax against him.
"I've had Anna clear our calendars until Monday so we can have a long weekend and enjoy ourselves before we have to make any decisions."
He felt the last pop of tension leave her body and he lay quietly listening to the deep even breathing of her slumber allowing it wash over him and lull him to sleep.