Ch 3- Mr. Carson Builds His Dream House

"Hmmmm." Carson moaned, stirring as the sun crept through their curtains and danced across their tightly shut-eyes. "Mrs. Carson." He mumbled, the feeling of her silky skin brushing across his, tempting him.

It was mornings like these that reminded Charlie of how awestruck he was of her. She was always his first waking thought, and the last thing he dreamed of in the depth of the night.

"Charlie it's the nighttime." She yawned, burrowing her face into his chest. He leaned down and kissed her neck as she stretched, cuddling into him, using his broad chest as a pillow.

Without a word, Charlie took his wife's chin in hand, tilted it upward and began to kiss her. She kept her eyes shut tight and smiled into the lip lock, kissing him back in a way that was at once sweet and almost aggressive. That was the kind of couple they were, their passion often paired with a steamy aggression that kept them out of their element.

Charlie pulled away and placed his forehead against hers, sighing as she kissed him twice more. It was in moments like these that Elsie seemed to take leave her of her senses. Since the first time they'd made eye contact, there was something about Charlie that enthralled her in an otherworldly way, and when it came to making love, that feeling was overwhelming for both of them. It was a phenomenon that left the normally dignified couple spellbound and so attracted to each other, that the need to make love was no longer a desire but a literal physical need.

"Good morning my Mrs. Carson." He grumbled, his voice low, his eyes filled with an obvious lust that made her blush even after all these years.

"Good morning my Charlie." She whispered, sinking back into his lips.

Charlie seized her lips greedily, snaking his tongue into her mouth and beginning to run his fingers through her hair. She smiled fully into his lips, feeling his soft, large hands cup her head in his grasp.

"My angel, my angel." He whispered so softly he could barely hear himself.

Elsie wrapped her arms around him tightly as he moved over on top of her and she laughed out loud into his lips.

"Happy first day of the rest of our lives Mrs. Carson." He smiled down into her eyes, his own orbs sparkling. He was excited about their first day there and determined to make it a special one.

Elsie still didn't know how she felt about this new life. Moving with five little boys had been a hassle and it wasn't until late in the evening, after many hours of listening to them argue, roughhouse and play that things settled down and she was able to make supper and put them to bed. Elsie woke up exhausted and sore. It was one of those mornings when she felt her age and the sheer number of children she possessed both beginning to catch up with her and yet, she allowed the husband she couldn't resist to climb on top of her anyway and indulged in the gratifying feel of his touch. Touch that would never get old, or become monotonous: touch that could never be unwanted.

Carson found himself tilting his head and sinking back into her lips, his hand snaking up the hem of her nightgown and clasping her silky smooth thigh, squeezing, almost kneading it as she kissed him.

Elsie found she'd never been able to say no to him on this level and there were times when part of her felt taken advantage of. But then again in her time and place that was all part of being a good wife. And it wasn't as if this was at all one sided. Elsie knew she was equally to blame for the fact that they were about to be the parents of six. He could never say no to her either.

"Perhaps we should… refrain for a while." Charlie had said several months earlier, when they'd first discovered she was pregnant again.

The idea alarmed him in the same way it did her, for he had no intent to burden his wife, jeopardize her health or drive himself into the poor house. Three had been enough for him until their third child turned out to be a twin and after that he was certainly done.

"No." She said. "Charlie I love you and I love our babies so much. I wouldn't dream of doing that for anything."

But now, several months later and a world away, Elsie wondered if she was destined to end up an old woman living in a shoe… with ten little boys. She sighed, taking in a sharp breath when she felt her husband brush her still very tiny, but somewhat visible belly thinking about their almost totally unspoken wish: to have a baby girl. It was something that hurt them both, but which they rarely spoke of. Charlie held back tears, and Elsie a pensive sigh as his large palms covered her middle. Both had romanticized having a little girl. Elsie would have someone to put in little dresses and have tea parties with. Charlie imagined himself with a precious little girl who looked just like her mother, a princess who would steal his heart and keep it forever: he'd first thought of it when Elsie had been pregnant the first time and since then, had been waiting in expectation for the day it happened. He now knew it would not.

"You've been trying haven't you?" He whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"These last few times you've been trying for a lass."

"No I haven't."

He laughed. "If you were I couldn't blame you Mrs. Carson… five boys is a lot and while I love my sons more than anything, you know I too pine for a girl."

She sighed, wishing he wouldn't have brought it up today. "It isn't going to happen. I'm only good for boys and so are you."

Charlie wasn't sure. A lot of people longed only for sons and in that regard he knew he should feel blessed. But he wasn't that type of man. He would've preferred there be some variety in the gender of their children and had said that from the beginning.

"Will you love this boy?" She asked anxiously, looking down at her belly.

"To the moon and back." He whispered kindly, leaning down to kiss her. He'd so wanted a girl, but he loved all his boys to the moon and back.

"I like the name."

"James Carson. Jamie Carson."

The couple gave a moment of pause as they caressed her belly, hoping instead the child inside was an Elspeth. They sighed and snuggled up to each other again, closing their eyes and hoping for a few more moment's reprieves before the day got away with them. They didn't notice at first when the twins crawled into the room on their hands and knees and climbed onto the bed.

"Mmmmm." Their father mumbled when he felt them stand on the bed.

After a moment's pause, the twins giggled and began to jump, the noise causing their baby brother to start crying.

"Oh good morning, m'lads." Elsie teased, leaning over and lifting her youngest from the crib at her side.

"Why you little…."

With one swift motion, Charlie collected the twins in is arms and held them tight even as they tried to escape. He stood, kissing their cheeks as they giggled. He placed one little boy on each of his shoulders so that they hung off his back, almost dangling toward the ground, which caused them both to giggle even harder.

"Charlie my love, he's starving. I have to nurse him." She said of William whose cries grew more urgent by the second.

"Very well, we will bid you adieu."

"We wanna stay with mummy, we miss mummy!" Liam pouted.

Truthfully, the twins had been clingy ever since they'd lost their place as the youngest children in the house and their parents worried about how they'd adjust to yet another new sibling.

"Yeah we wanna stay with you."

"No m'lads mummy really has to feed…"

"But we've seen your boobies before…." Logan protested.

"That's enough of that lads!" Charlie scolded sharply as the three went out of view. Elsie giggled and began to nurse her baby.

At five, the twins were just learning a little more about modesty… but they weren't very good at it. She sighed, looking down at William, and brushed his cheek with her finger.

"You know they say you can't get pregnant when you're nursing… and they're very wrong." She giggled, watching as the baby suckled eagerly. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

…..

"Daddy. Daddy I wanna go outside." Logan begged, staring out the window at the vast expanse of green grass.

"Yeah daddy, we expore!"

"Explore." Their brother Charlie clarified, his tone causing his father to smile at the idea that his namesake was so much like himself.

Mr. Carson watched his oldest son, beaming with pride that the eight-year-old boy was trying so hard to help his beloved mother with the housework. Just for that, he had a special surprise for his oldest son, something that would reward his kindness and remind him that he was still a little boy too.

"It's raining much too hard for that outside lads. Except for tending the animals, today will be an indoor day." He decided.

"AWWWWWWWEEEEE!" The twins and Samuel began to pout.

Often, Charlie did make or allow his boys to go out in the rain. But today's storm was a deluge, complete with howling wind and worse: pools of mud. The boys loved mud and the last thing he wanted was for Elsie to have to help clean up after them. The children were almost wound up in their eagerness to venture outside. All the boys, from oldest to youngest were captivated by the possibilities of this new life at Downton; the only difference between Charlie and his brothers was that he was capable of holding himself back. It was something not just evident in their little faces, but obvious in the sparkle of their little eyes.

"Daddy puddles." Liam looked up at him sadly, eyeing the water that was beginning to pool outside.

"We shall explore when the time is right, but for now lads, we shall feed our animals, get to know our new home and take our mommy her breakfast in bed."

….

William took a long time nursing and was now half asleep, his little eyes almost shut and his fingers curled around one of hers.

"Mummy!" Liam cried, announcing their arrival.

"Oh my lads." Elsie whispered, quickly stirring to cover herself. "Oooh!" She gasped, touched when she realized what her husband and little boys were doing.

"Good morning." Charlie said, brushing her cheek with a kiss as he placed a tray over her legs.

"Oh my boys what's this?!" She cried, cradling William still.

"It's breakfast mummy." Sam said. "Charlie made it." He said of his brother.

"Oh, thank you so much Charlie my wee baby!" Charlie blushed.

"Go on mummy, eat." Logan said, picking up a piece of the toast and trying to feed his mother. Humored, she took a bite and began to chew.

"Come along, you've no need to feed mummy, although its kind." Carson said sharply, picking Logan up.

"Daddy I'm not feeding mummy I'm feeding baby!"

Elsie giggled, covering her mouth as she swallowed the toast. "Because there's always a baby to feed." She laughed. "Thank you so much all my wonderful boys. I'm so blessed to be your mother." She smiled up at her oldest in particular; whom she knew was doing too much work.

"Come on lads, I have a task for you." Mr. Carson urged. "Lets leave our overburdened mummy to enjoy her breakfast in peace."

"Goodbye mummy, goodbye bye baby sister." Liam spoke sadly, waving as they all left the room.

"BOYS I told you NOT to say that to your mother." She heard her husband warn.

"But daddy we don't need more boys. We need girls!" Logan reminded innocently.

Elsie giggled, looking down at the grand breakfast before her. She knew this had nothing to do with her being pregnant: he wanted to do the sweet thing of welcoming her to their new home: and he wanted to make sure she liked it there.

…..

"Daddy I'm tired." Liam said, almost whining.

Hours had passed and the four little boys had spent their day following their father around and helping him to spruce up their new home, from big to small, all of them were exhausted.

"Don't whine!" Logan admonished. "We're men, that's what men do: work!"

Charlie Carson laughed heartily. "Yes my lads… I mean, my men. We work."

Sometimes the twins and their humor surprised him, but he found himself proud of it; knowing it came from a very young, now long forgotten part of himself.

"It's alright lads, it's time to turn in and get ready for bed."

"Awweee!" They cried.

"But daddy no mud!"

"Away with you." Carson laughed, using the phrase he nearly always used to dismiss his children. "Oh except you Charles." He said, gently grabbing his oldest son's hand as his brothers scurried up the stairs.

"Oh?"

"Yes." Carson laughed, putting his arm around his namesake's shoulder. "You've been doing so much to help mummy and me, daddy feels very guilty lad."

"Oh…no." Charlie shook his head. "You don't have to feel guilty at all, I'm just…helping when I can."

"Well no one asked you too. It's very honorable and I'm so proud."

Little Charlie found himself beaming with pride, but confused when his father took him back outside into the cold night.

"I've a surprise for my oldest lad."

"Oh?"

"Yes." He laughed. "I hope he likes it, now close your eyes."

Charlie did as he was told, wondering what could be waiting out in the darkness of the night for him. Although he was responsible and had taken initiative in helping to care for his mother and siblings he was still afraid of the dark.

"Keep your eyes closed." Carson warned. Suddenly Charlie could feel himself being lifted up high and placed seated on his father's shoulders. "Now, open."

Charlie gasped at the sight, wondering what he was really seeing.

"You've always asked me for it, and until now I hadn't been able to do it." Truthfully there wasn't much of a place at their old home for one. "You have to share it with your brothers, but Charlie I chose to show you first because you're the one who always wanted one, so you're the king of this castle, you've earned it."

Charlie said nothing, and just looked up at the surprise in all its magnificence. "Wow." He muttered.

There it was before him, the thing for which he'd always wished: a tree house.

….

"How did the day go daddy?" Elsie asked, looking up at her husband as he came into the room where she'd spent a good portion of the day making a stew for that night's dinner.

"Well enough. Our band of wild boys and myself got a lot done on the house and I think they had some fun. How does Mrs. Carson like her new kitchen?" He asked hopefully.

"It's good. It's bigger, and Wills likes it." She said.

The two of them looked over at William who stood in the playpen his father had built, sucking on his fingers and looking at them. It was nothing like what you would see today, it was simply a wooden lattice fence made to contain the smallest Carson's. Elsie could move it to wherever she needed. Carson had built it years before when Elsie was an exhausted new mother and Charlie and Sam were toddlers.

"Did you give our lad his surprise?" She asked.

"He was speechless." Charlie smiled; it was what he'd hoped for.

"I fear he's loosing his childhood because of us." She admitted, offering him a taste of the stew, which he accepted.

"Delicious." He said kindly. "And no Mrs. Carson, he's just kind, honest, responsible and willing to give of himself like his mother."

"Like his father." She insisted.

"He'll enter a new chapter of boyhood soon enough: we'll make sure of it."

Elsie giggled and stood on her tiptoes, kissing his lips softly.

"What was that for?"

"I love you Mr. Carson." She said. "I loved you when we ran away together but… I could've never known how sweet a daddy you would be."

Charlie blushed, her words tugging at his heart. "Well, it's a good thing I love being a daddy." He confided.

He leaned down to kiss her once again and Elsie found herself enthralled, wrapping her arms around him. Charlie Carson loved his life so much. He had a wife who was his whole heart and a band of little boys who brought him the utmost joy. He had a new start in his hometown. Except for the fleeting hope of having a daughter, he didn't know what else in the world he could possibly want: he certainly didn't want any more change. The Carson's jumped, breaking their lip lock when there was a hard knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" She asked.

"At this hour." He was a bit indignant now, not liking their kisses to be broken off for any reason.

"And with this weather!" Logan said. The little boy had come down the stairs just as it happened, and now went and wrapped himself around his mother's leg. She put her hand on his back and held him close and as her husband opened the door, started running her fingers through his auburn hair.

"M'lord?" Carson asked, wondering why Lord Grantham was at his doorstep, soaking wet this late in the evening. "W-won't you come in?"

Carson couldn't place it but knew Robert looked sad and troubled.

"Thank you Carson but you see I need your help: there's been a death."