A/N: Hey guys! Special thanks to adama-roslinlove for reviewing, I can't tell you how much it makes my day. Hope you all like this chapter and I hope to hear from more of you! Enjoy!

When she is haunted by nightmares of the night Kemal Pamuk died, what is Cora to do? She can't very well turn to Robert, can she? He mustn't know about his daughter's impurity, it would kill him. So where does she go and who finds her anyway?

Chapter 4: Intruder

She was sweating, but she was chilled to the bone. The dark house was awfully quiet, and she could hear the floor creaking beneath her soft, careful steps. She could hardly see, the halls and rooms that she passed were pitch black. Where was everyone?

"Robert?" she whispered, cocking her head to listen carefully for any reply. He wouldn't have fallen asleep if she wasn't there with him yet. "Robert?"

No answer.

"Mary? Sybil? Edith?" she continued calling softly out as she continued down the hall. "Darlings?"

She had the awful feeling that she was alone. That she was the only one in the the great house Downton Abbey. Where had her family gone?

Suddenly, she heard a raspy breath from the hallway behind her. She froze, turning in alarm. She couldn't see anyone. Then she heard the sound of something lightly sweeping, like the sound a lady's skirt makes, across the floor coming from behind her again. She quickly turned to face the direction she had initially been going. As she turned she swore she saw a billowing white sheet disappear into one of the rooms. Without ordering herself to do so, she began moving towards the room. The door was only halfway open, and she paused before pushing it wide open. She recognized this room. She knew the wallpaper she was looking at was cream colored with red design. The bed was also red, but upon it lay a wrinkled white sheet. She furrowed her brows. Had the maids not cleaned the guest room?

She took a step into the room, going to investigate, momentarily forgetting the initial reason she had entered the room. As she approached the end of the bed, she froze. Her body went both rigid and cold. She felt cold breath on her neck, and she spun around. The white face of Kemal Pamuk was inches from her, his lifeless eyes staring into her scared blue ones. Cora wanted to scream, but nothing came out. Pamuk slowly swayed forward before coming to collapse on her, his cold limp body entangling hers.

With a heavy gasp, Cora bolted upright in her bed, her breathing rapid and her heartbeat even more so. Her skin was damp and she felt chills as the cold air hit her exposed skin. She looked around the room with wide eyes, taking in her surroundings. Even in the dark, she could see that she was no longer in the guest room, but in her own room. But a sudden panic overtook her again and she quickly turned to her left. There beside her she saw the figure beneath the covers, the lump moving up and down. She could hear the soft snores, and her heart calmed again. Robert was there. Bringing her hand to her damp forehead, Cora sighed in relief, her eyes closing. Suddenly, images of Mr. Pamuk's pale face and lifeless eyes filled her mind, and her eyes flashed open. She once again found her gaze moving to the lump beside her, hearing the soft snores of her husband.

For a fleeting moment, Cora selfishly wished he had woken when she had, if only to comfort her and help her forget. But the feeling passed very quickly. She would have to find another distraction because there was no way she would be falling asleep again.

Not wanting to wake Robert, Cora slowly and carefully pulled down the covers on her side, quietly swinging her legs over the edge of their bed. With one last look at her Robert, Cora let out a sigh and slowly slipped out of bed. On her way towards the bedroom door, she slipped on her slippers and picked up her dressing gown, settling it around her body and shivering slightly at the chill of the room.

Cora's feet took her down the large staircase, and towards the library. Perhaps a book would help ease her mind. She could stay in the library until just before the servants would get up, she decided as she entered the large room. Walking to a particular shelf, one she knew was filled with poetry, Cora stopped. Her arms wrapped around herself, fending off the cool air that seemed to fill the house, she searched the titles displayed on the books' spines, visible in the moonlight streaming in from a nearby window. Occasionally, she would draw her finger across a book, almost removing it from the shelf but deciding against it. With a slight pout, Cora decided that none of the books on the shelf really held her interest. Walking to the right, maneuvering behind a table with a lamp, she stopped in front of another shelf displaying more poetry. Turning around, facing the table parallel to the shelf, Cora turned the lamp on, better illuminating the room.

As Cora scanned the titles on the shelf eye level to her, she saw a particularly thick book with a collection of poetry. She hadn't remembered reading from that particular one, so she removed the large book from the shelf and flipped its pages open. She scanned its contents with interest, observing the several titles and authors in its collection.

Suddenly, a creaking sound echoed in the room. Cora jumped and whirled around, the book falling from her hands and hitting the floor with a solid and loud thud. The loud sound caused her to wince, especially as she saw what had startled her in the first place.

Robert stood in the doorway of the library, his hand on the doorknob, and a very concerned look on his tired face.

"Cora?" he asked, his brows furrowed and lips turned in a worried frown. Cora sighed in relief, her heartbeat and breathing beginning to return to normal. Glancing at the heavy book on the ground, she crouched down to retrieve it, taking it in her arms carefully. She hoped the sound hadn't woken anyone.

As she straightened back up, Robert crossed the library to stand beside her. The lamp on the table cast a yellow glow around her, and he could see the tired look on her face. Why wasn't she in bed?

"Cora, darling," he began again, his warm hand touching her chilled arm. "What are you doing down here at this hour? Why aren't you in bed?"

Cora looked up at him bashfully. How could she tell her husband she had had a nightmare? She would sound so terribly childish.

"I-I couldn't sleep," she answered, wincing slightly at the unconvincing sound of her voice. Robert raised a brow at her, taking a step closer to her. He could see the way her hair stuck to her forehead. Even if her skin wasn't damp now, it must have been. And she was so terribly jittery.

"Did you have nightmares?" he asked.

Cora's shoulders slumped slightly. He had seen through her, read her just as easily as any of the books in the library. But she nodded weakly, her weary blue eyes meeting his.

"I couldn't fall back to sleep...I needed a distraction," she explained, lifting the book up slightly as an explanation for her being in the library. Robert frowned, his hand on her arm beginning to move up and down comfortingly.

"You should have woken me, darling," he insisted. Cora offered a small smile at the love and concern in his blue eyes.

"I couldn't. You were sleeping so peacefully, my love," she answered, one of her hands reaching out to touch him finally. She stepped a little closer to his warm body. Robert shook his head, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Not nearly as peacefully when the bed got cold," he joked lightly. He watched as Cora smiled softly, looking at her feet in an apologetic manner. Suddenly remembering the book in her hands, Robert reached for the heavy piece of literature with his free hand and removed it from his wife's arms.

"If you needed distraction and comfort, darling, I wouldn't have minded being woken," he said softly, setting the book back in its place on the shelf. As soon as the task was done, his hand went to her hip, pulling her closer now that the book wasn't between them. Cora smiled at the sentiment, tilting her chin up to look into his beautiful eyes.

"Do you..." Robert began hesitantly, watching her eyes carefully, "Do you want to talk about the dream?"

Cora's smile faltered a bit, and she shook her head negatively.

"No..." she barely whispered, her eyes shifting over his face, observing all of his handsome features. "But I do want you to kiss me," she whispered just as softly. Robert smiled just the slightest, his mind still worrying about her nightmare, but he obliged his wife. How could he refuse her?

Leaning forward, Robert pressed his lips to hers gently. He kissed her once, twice...very slowly. Then he pulled back.

"Are you still in need of a distraction, darling?" he asked lowly, his voice slightly husky from both desire and sleep.

Cora could only nod in answer before she lifted her chin to press her lips to his again. As his lips moved passionately against hers, Robert took Cora fully into his arms, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and shoulders. He felt the soft satin of her dressing gown beneath his fingertips, and he desperately wished he could feel her skin.

Turning her, he backed her against the table near them. As her back hit the tabletop, she let out a moan. She knew what was to come. Robert's arms loosened and his hands slipped down her body. He gripped her hips firmly and picked her up, setting her on top of the table. The lamp wavered slightly, causing the light in the room to shift in an odd way. But neither of them noticed.

Robert continued to kiss his wife until he was forced to part for air. Cora gasped for air as Robert's lips released hers. She hadn't even noticed how breathless she had been, but now her chest rose and fell heavily.

As Cora caught her breath, Robert let his hands fall to the tie of her dressing gown, knotted at her navel. As his hands worked at the knot, Cora squirmed at the feeling of his fingers in that area of her body. But his hands didn't remain there long. As soon as the knot was undone, his hands rose to her shoulders, slipping beneath both her dressing gown and her nightgown. In one slow sensual motion, he slid the fabric off of her shoulders, revealing alluring skin. The fabric of her dressing gown fell completely from her shoulders and gathered at her elbows, but neither of them moved to remove the garment entirely. There were more pressing matter.

As soon as the silk and satin fabrics were out of the way, Robert quickly latched his lips to Cora's milky shoulder, sucking on the soft skin. He heard a purr rumble in his wife's throat, and his lips instead moved to her neck. Standing between her legs, Robert gripped her bottom and pulled her flush against him, eliciting a sharp gasp from her as he pressed into her. Her hands raked through his hair, and her lips parted as a pleasured sigh escaped her.

"Robert..." she breathed, holding his head to her neck. Hearing his name on her lips, Robert suddenly desired her lips. He trailed several wet kisses up her neck, along her jawline, and then abruptly took her full lips with his. This drew a loud moan from Cora. She could feel his tongue gliding along her lower lip and she immediately parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Their tongues met in a tango, and Robert pressed more firmly against her body. As he did so, he both heard and felt her whimper.

He knew it was time to go further.

In the hallway just past the great hall, a door slowly creeped open. A blonde head poked out and looked up and down the dark hall nervously. A light filtered into the hallway, coming from the cracked open library door.

William gulped. A short while ago, while lying awake in bed, he had heard a heavy thud come from downstairs. After the horrible sound, he couldn't help but fear that a burglar had broken into the great house. Briefly, he wondered if he should wake Mr. Carson. But what if it was nothing? Then Mr. Carson would really be sore towards him. So, mustering all the courage he could, he had dutifully gone downstairs to check. Alone.

Figuring a burglar would break in from the groundfloor, he had started his search there.

Now, looking at the light emanating from the library, William knew his suspicions were true.

Swallowing his fear, William stepped into the great hall. He silently tip-toed towards the library. As he passed a table, he noticed a decorative candlestick in the center of the tabletop. It was as good of a weapon as he would find, so he grasped it firmly in his hand and raised it above his head. Nervously, he continued his sneaking approach towards the library. He felt sweat forming on his forehead and his heartbeat like thundering horses' hooves.

When he reached the library door, William stopped. He took several breaths to try and calm himself. Raising the candlestick further above his head, he took one last breath before counting in his head.

One...Two...Three!

William let out a yell as he barged into the room with his threatening candlestick.

Cora let out a shriek and Robert stopped his hand moving up her nightdress, instead quickly pulling his wife closer to his body as they both stared at the intruder.

"William!" Robert exclaimed in surprise, staring in shock at the young footman. The poor boy stood glued to his spot, his candlestick still frozen above his head, his mouth hanging open, and his skin as white as bedsheets.

William felt horrified as he stared at the scene before him, but he couldn't move. He couldn't even blink.

Lady Grantham was sat on one of the library tables, and Lord Grantham stood between her legs, her nightdress slightly hiked up her long legs. Her ribbon nightdress sleeves hung loosely off of her shoulders, and her dressing gown was pooled around her elbows. Lord Grantham had his arms around his wife while she had her hands in his hair. Both looked flushed and in nearly as much shock as him, or at least Lady Grantham did.

Lord Grantham recovered before anyone else. He took a small step backward and began making his shocked wife a little more decent.

Robert quickly pulled Cora's nightdress down over her legs, his eyes going to William as he next pulled Cora's dressing gown up over her shoulders and tightly around her breasts and torso.

"William, what on earth is going on?" Robert demanded in his normal authoritative tone. He finished tying the knot on Cora's dressing gown, cinching it around her waist so that none of her was indecently revealed to the footman. Not that he hadn't already seen a lot.

The poor boy looked as though he were frightened half to death as what he had seen fully registered in his mind. William was still unable to speak, but he slowly lowered his candlestick.

Seeing that the footman was still in no shape to communicate, Robert looked softly down at his wife. Her face was crimson and her mouth still hung open in shock. He felt sorry for her embarrassment, and he once again wrapped an arm comfortingly around her waist, his other hand coming to rest just above her knee.

Gently caressing her with his thumbs, Robert turned back to William.

He was at least blinking now and his mouth began to open and close as if wanting to form an explanation.

"William, can you tell me what in the world you think you are doing?" he asked, getting irritated.

William began sputtering, shaking his head, but no words came out.

And then suddenly they weren't the only three people in the room.

Carson came barreling into the room in his dark dressing gown and nightcap, a lit candle in his hand. His eyes went wide as he took in the scene. He looked the embarrassed, shocked William up and down. Then he glanced at His Lordship and Her Ladyship, his cheeks tinting slightly.

"I-I," William began stuttering, looking with fear at Mr. Carson. "I heard a-a th-thud and-and I th-thought someone b-broke in."

Robert felt his shoulders relax slightly, and he actually felt a spark of amusement in his chest. But he remained straight faced, even as Carson began blathering in a low, harsh voice.

"You blasted fool. What the hell were you thinking? You are dis—"

"Carson!" Robert interrupted, causing everyone to turn to him, even Cora. She seemed to be recovering now.

"William has not intentionally done anything wrong," Robert said, nodding towards the footman. "In fact, I'm quite proud that he was willing to risk himself to apprehend danger in this house. I do wish it wouldn't have led to this awkward situation, but I trust that both of you will be discrete?"

William shut his mouth like a trap, nodding vigorously. Carson nodded once, giving William an unpleasant look.

"Of course, My Lord," he spoke loyally. Robert nodded his approval, and felt Cora press softly against his chest. Glancing at her, he saw her moving to get off the table. Helping her down and steadying her, Robert looked back to Carson and William.

"Now, you may return to your rooms," Robert said, his arm wrapped tightly around Cora's waist. "And thank you again, both of you, for responding so quickly when there appeared to be something wrong."

With that, Robert nodded once and led Cora towards the library door. As they passed through the door and into the great hall, Robert heard Cora let out a shaky breath. Her hands went to her cheeks, feeling the warmth from her blush.

"Are you alright?" Robert asked softly, leaning down slightly to assess her expression. Cora looked up at him with a frown.

"If by alright you mean positively mortified...then yes," she said sarcastically and very unhappily. Robert sighed and let his thumb caress her hip while his arm was wrapped around her.

"How am I ever going to face either of them again?" she whispered, her stomach clenching in fear and embarrassment. "Especially William. Oh, Robert, a few more seconds and he would have seen so much more," Cora said softly, her beautiful face scrunched up at the thought of William witnessing their coupling. As Robert thought about the boy's startled and frightened reaction, he tried to stifle a chuckle. When it escaped he tried to pass it as a cough, but Cora knew better. Her head shot up, her blue eyes penetrating his.

"Robert!" she exclaimed irritably, unable to believe that he could laugh about the situation. Robert quickly calmed himself and dampened his smile.

"I'm sorry, Cora, but we've been caught before and you're still able face Mama. Poor William will never tell a soul, and he hardly saw anything, darling," he said in his comforting tone as they slowly ascended the stairs in the dark, the only light provided by the moon. "Just a man with the right to kiss and touch his wife."

Cora still huffed, her arms folded around herself even though she was pulled tightly to his side. Robert looked down at her uncomfortable expression, sighing inwardly. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"Darling?" Robert called, his hands on her body softly caressing her.

"What?" she answered in a flat whisper.

Cora felt Robert's hand on her right hip slowly begin to move downward. She felt her skin tingle in its wake and she jumped when his large palm groped her bottom. She halted on the stairs and her gaze snapped to his, a confused look in her eyes. She looked as if she didn't know whether to be cross or turned on.

"Are you in need of another distraction?" he asked lowly, turning her and taking a step back down so that he was nearly eye level with her. Cora felt her breathing become heavier and a warmth coursed through her, her body remembering Robert's last distraction.

With merely a nod, Cora affirmed that she did indeed need a distraction, something he was very very good at providing. A wonderful, pleasurable distraction. Of course, it was much more than just a distraction, but it was also a factor in their affections, just in a more meaningful manner rather than a manipulative tactic.

Distraction was exactly what Cora felt any time Robert looked at her, any time he flashed one of his beautiful smiles, any time he touched her or embraced her, and any time he spoke. Her love would course through her, muddling her brain, and she would be entirely distracted and enamored with him.

"Yes," she whispered, her hands slipping delicately around his neck and her fingers gently playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Robert closed his eyes momentarily at the sensation, but as soon as he opened them, Cora saw a fire had sparked in their blue depths.

Robert smirked and wrapped his arms more tightly around her behind, stepping forward and lifting her off the ground. Cora giggled as he scooped her into his arms and began bounding up the stairs. In moments they were in their bedroom, the door closed tightly behind them. Carefully, Robert set her down on her feet. He then turned to the door and found the lock with his fingers. Looking at Cora, he made a show of turning the lock, a click sounding in the still air. Cora smiled at the smirk on her husband's face.

"This time, my darling Cora," he spoke lowly, his hand retracting from the door and reaching out for her, taking both her hips in his hands, "there will be no other distraction but mine."

He bent forward and kissed her neck, just below her ear. Cora sighed contently, her hands holding his head to her as his lips and tongue created the most pleasurable sensations.

After a short moment of kisses, Robert raised his head again. Cora's blue eyes sparkled up at him, the most blatant look of love on her face. Robert smiled and, slowly, he backed Cora towards the bed.

"This time, I promise, our love will not be intruded upon."

At his words, Cora smiled up at him, and she suddenly felt the back of her legs hit the bed. Robert's loving smile descended upon hers and Cora allowed herself to fall backward, his lips molded to hers.

No, there would never be an intruder. Not in their love, their unbreakable love.

A/N: So I know you're probably thinking 'Um...what about that maid?' She definitely intrudes. But just know, that that will be handled and remember that they do move on from that. Anyway, let me know what you think. What's your favorite Cobert scene of the series? And are their any suggestions for scenes set in upcoming episodes? I'd love to hear from you all! Thank you!