I sincerely apologise for this chapter. Inappropriate touching and tension, Chelsie style. I'm a b*tch. I'll be following up very quickly. I've been stuck on an Air Force base for two weeks. I just made up Elsie's birthday, I couldn't find a date anywhere. Typos are mine, ChelsieSouloftheAbbey has suggested some betas for me. Next chapters.

~ 9 ~

A cold change passed suddenly through St Giles in the afternoon, though Elsie decided not to change into warmer clothing and opted for her usual jeans and hoodie. It wasn't supposed to be quite that cold, but the breeze had a bite to it. No matter; she could wait a little longer. The street was terribly dark and the insect encrusted light outside the lecture hall offered very little illumination. She'd tried the handle, hoping Charles would be early, but found it locked.

She was nervous, she couldn't lie. There was no way to know what would be happening tonight and the inability to prepare tied her stomach in knots. Honestly, she didn't really think anything would happen- rather, Charles would never allow anything to happen and she'd never want to put him in that position that could cost him a job that he loved.

It was nice to indulge a little however. Personally, she would like to think they could be a good match and she had the patience to wait until she'd finished her study, but that wouldn't be fair to ask of him. And if she did ask, she'd be exposing her little crush.

"Ugh..." she shook her head forcefully and looked down at her feet as they scuffed the ground.

Footsteps in the distance quickly caught her attention and she was pleased- though she tried not to be too obvious - that it was Charles walking quickly towards her as he fiddled with his keys. Her eyes instantly were drawn to the motorcycle helmet hooked over his elbow. Having found the specific one, he finally looked up and gave her a half-smile.

A coy smile curled her lips. "I knew it was you on the bike that night I went walking!"

To his credit, Charles didn't give the game away. "Surely you're mistaken."

She almost believed his grave expression until he ducked his head and she saw him smile. It had softened by the time he looked up again.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come." He allowed his smile to grow again as he unlocked the door.

"Curiosity got the better of me."

He opened the door and awkwardly held it open without stepping through, waiting for her to precede him.

"You know curiosity killed the cat, Elsie," he was teasing her and it upset the butterflies in her stomach that she'd worked so hard to settle. Should she say? It would sound so flirty if she did...

"You know there's more to that expression?" She waited inside the door, still unsure as to what he had planned. He frowned and tilted his head, letting the door close.

"Actually I didn't. What's the rest?" he gestured for her to continue down the stairs the front of the theatre.

"As me later. But originally it was 'care will kill the cat'," She began down the stairs, careful not to leave him behind. When they reached the bottom, he quickly moved to his desk where his laptop was still set up from his class this afternoon. Elsie shifted from one foot to the other, beginning to feel awkward. Charles noticed and beckoned her to him with a waggle of his fingers.

She rounded his desk as he politely stepped back, frowning curiously at his laptop. A long list of video files filled his screen.

"If it's alright with you, I thought we could enjoy a movie?" He asked, his hands easily tucked behind his back.

"And you're sure this is allowed?"

"Strictly speaking, No. It's a little risky, but security does their rounds every three hours. Bill won't be back til nearly ten."

"Sounds rather risqué..." Elsie teased, to which Charles scoffed loudly.

"I would never use such a word." Elsie laughed quietly at him; he needed to loosen up a little.

"So watching this on your laptop?" She asked looking over her shoulder.

He chuckled softly, "No. It's not a night out on the town but I can do better than a small screen." He withdrew a hand which clasped a remote. Charles raised it and clicked a button; the projector screen rolled down slowly from the roof. "Your own private movie theatre, as a token of apology for my behaviour."

Before Elsie could stop herself, she was grinning madly.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked a little too eagerly.

"I will."

Elsie returned her attention to the library of films. There were plenty of old movies- Casablanca and Gone with the wind catching her eye. She blushed when she saw The Graduate in his collection. That would never do. It was an impressive collection to say the least. Almost four hundred titles. She quirked her eyebrow at The Sound of Music. No no. She had to choose the right one.

~ EC ~

Charles made his way up the stairs and sidled a row half way up until he was sitting squarely in front of the screen. She took her time but he wouldn't press her. Every now and then she'd look up at him and he'd catch a smile before she looked back at the screen. It took nearly ten minutes for her to choose but no matter. He'd wait all night.

"Ooh! I haven't seen this version!"

He wasn't sure which one she'd chosen but he'd sit through even the worst teen drama or, heaven forbid, tawdry soap opera for her. He owed her an apology certainly, but the opportunity to simply spend time with her like this was not to be missed.

Elsie started the movie and bounded up the stairs, walked sideways down the aisle and sat a seat away from him. Very appropriate. That chair in the middle kept things proper between them. But she was close enough. She was looking at him intently and without breaking eye contact, raised a foot and placed it on the backrest of the seat in front of her. He quirked an eyebrow at her, taking great pains not to smile.

His expression must have again proved convincing because her face quickly fell and she started to lift her foot. Oh no, best not to be the grouchy teacher. He laughed and threw both feet on the seat in front.

"Cheeky bugger," he heard her mutter.

"Ah..." he sighed happily as he leaned back and folded his laced his fingers over his middle. "So what have you picked? Something old by the looks." A few more opening credits and he knew exactly what she'd chosen.

"Pride and prejudice!" Why was he not surprised?

"But I haven't seen the Laurence Olivier version." She rebuked, holding up a pointed finger, "I love all the classics, but I do have a soft spot for Austen. I've seen the ninety-five BBC version with Colin Firth and the oh-five adaptation with Keira Knightley, but I haven't seen this one. "

Well, she certainly knows her Austen. His head tilted in acquiescence, the desire to question her choice gone.

"Well, you can add the nineteen forty version to your repertoire."

He enjoyed watching her smile smugly and wiggle deeply into her seat. Although he did follow the film, he was constantly distracted by every noise or movement Elsie made, though not in an unpleasant way. Of course she had a few things to say about the deviation of the plot from the novel, which opened up hushed conversation between them. Telling her that Greer Garson was actually a redhead left her silent for a few moments, frowning at the screen until she whispered a long and disbelieving 'No... Surely not.' It felt a bit naughty; hiding alone in a darkened theatre, whispering as if the very actors in the film would hear them. He would never admit to it, but once he pretended to not hear her so he could lean across the empty space between them, meeting her in the middle.

When the movie did finally finish two hours later, Charles deliberately stayed in his seat, unmoving as he watched Elsie prance contently down the stairs. Her hair bounced in the near darkness with each step and he'd be lying if he said he didn't find the very way she walked attractive. But it would cost him everything to say so. He sighed deeply; he didn't know what he wanted from her. Not really. What he did know was he was attracted to her, sometimes painfully so. He also knew that as her teacher, he had a responsibility for her. It was frustrating. In ways he was her superior; in others, she was his equal.

And he could hear Robert Crawley's voice in his head: 'It's just not done'.

Flicking his wrist, he found it was nearly ten o'clock. Below, Elsie gently closed his laptop with her fingertips at the top of the screen. She started back up the stairs when he rose from his seat.

"I think I like that one. If it's no trouble, you have a few movies that I'd like a copy of." She waited for him in the aisle, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "And I think this makes up for our misunderstanding, don't you?"

"Well, I hope so. Of course you can have whichever movies you would like. It'll give us more to talk about," the last part he almost whispered, suddenly unsure if he should have offered. Her taste in film was similar to his by the sounds of it and he relished the very idea of sitting and discussing movies and books with her.

"Perhaps I should arrive a few minutes early to class then." She smiled shyly, which almost did Charles in.

She gave him very little room to move and Charles wasn't sure if this thrilled him or made him uncomfortable. His shoulder brushed a part of her- he didn't look back to find out- as he slid past her. She followed him down, staying up a few steps from the bottom while he coiled up the power supply to his computer, slipping the ensemble under one arm.

"Or we could make time outside of classes..." he offered, waiting at the bottom of the stairs, simply looking up at her. Slowly, she began descending towards him with a worryingly determined look in her eyes. "...Watch your step."

No sooner the words left his mouth than Elsie's foot missed the last step. She'd have fallen forwards if not for Charles bracing himself and wrapping an arm around her waist. If he had both hands free, he may have stopped her colliding with his chest; as it was, Elsie's hands had little purchase on the outer part of his chest and settled firmly around his biceps. Her startled cry was lost in his neck and Charles froze immediately.

Neither moved for what felt like eons. Charles felt the warmth of her body and her breath on his bare skin. The smell of whatever floral shampoo she used wafted up to his nose, tormenting him. To have her in his arms set his heart racing and his mind could barely form a coherent thought. Finally she moved, slowly, shakily, lifting her head beneath his chin to-oh good god- look up at him.

~ EC ~

Oh God. Oh god. OH GOD.

This was not supposed to happen. One moment she'd put on her best brave face, determined to ask exactly how much he wanted to spend time with her and before she knew it, she'd fallen into his arms.

He was so firm, so tall, so polite and handsome, so... Every good damn thing in the world.

It was terrifying but Elsie managed to lift her head and look up into his dark, so very dark eyes. She couldn't read his expression but she did see his eyes flick down to her lips which sent her insides into a spin. She couldn't think of anything beyond the desperate and urgent desire for him to kiss her.

Oh, yes. She wanted him and she'd never deny it again.

Then she felt it. That one hand sitting low on her back. It didn't pull away; it clenched her shirt tightly, pulling her into his chest. She felt his breath on her face quicken and time slowed down. When his eyes fell on her lips again and didn't leave, Elsie couldn't resist the pull. Her head moved only an inch, but she lost the ability to breathe when his face moved closer. His nose touched hers, so close, this was it-

"Hello?"

The young male voice at the top of the stairs startled them both. The bounced apart and both glared menacingly at the kind man in the security uniform at the door. Although Charles continued to stare at the poor fellow, he calmed himself enough to greet him.

"Good evening Bill. It's just us."

The man had enough sense to realise he'd stumbled upon a private moment. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting. Just doing my rounds."

Elsie heard Charles mutter '...sadly', but replied more loudly, "It's fine. I'll lock up. Good night mister Mason."

The security guard wished them goodnight. The air quickly became awkward, which frustrated Elsie immensely. She was about to wish him a good night as well, but he spoke first.

"I think I remember you say your birthday was coming up soon?"

What in the world?

"Um... Yes. November ninth?" she answered curiously. Surely they couldn't ignore what had almost just happened? They nearly kissed!

"I'd like to take you somewhere. Or... More I want to show you something. I know it's not right for a teacher and-"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"I'll go with you."

"But I haven't said where we're going..."

"Make it a surprise. I trust you."

It cost her nothing to say the words but it clearly stunned him. Or pleased him. By his weak, nearly soppy smile, she guessed the latter. They may not acknowledge their moment with words, but they shared a look that said neither regretted it. Before they left, Charles frowned and turned to Elsie.

"Curiosity killed the cat...?" he asked slowly,

Elsie giggled. Actually giggled.

"...But satisfaction brought it back."

Charles gulped loudly and hoped he'd done enough to bring her back to him.

~ EC ~

The next morning Elsie sat in class, like normal. Thomas sat beside her, also as per usual. But now looking down at her teacher, Elsie couldn't deny that she wanted him. In that way. She no longer stopped herself from mentally undressing him as soon as he walked into the classroom. Oh, she was sensible enough to pay attention and take notes once Charles started talking.

Their latest assignments came around, these from several weeks ago on European socialism between 1881 and 1921. A few black scribbles corrected her work, asked for elaboration or questioned conjecture. She was pleased to receive a ninety-two percent passing grade. Making a show of looking at Thomas's opening page, she was quite disappointed to see a lot of red writing across his page-

Hang on.

Looking between hers and Thomas's, she realised that not only was the marking handwriting different, but there were no indents on the page from the pen; hers had been printed.

~ EC ~

Eight weeks prior
2021h

Charles grumbled as he threw his pen down and scrubbed his hands over his face. He was having trouble, once again, marking his latest collection of assignments. Well, the one in front of him in particular. Of course it was hers.

Elsie was as much on his mind now as when he'd first spoken to her. She didn't fill every conscious thought, but when she was near, he was very aware of her presence. He noticed her. Often he would get a glimpse of her in the courtyard or in Beryl's during the afternoon, her nose pressed into a book of some sort. It wasn't unusual to see her in class by the time he arrived or catch her in the library late at night. He could admit to admiring her dedication.

Sometimes at night, when he was home alone, his thoughts would drift and he'd imagine what it would be like to know her personally. He'd toy with the idea of allowing a friendship to form between them. Once or twice, his dreams during the night expressed a desire for more than simple friendship.

It was a problem. And in a way it wasn't. Strictly speaking a relationship with a student, at their ages, wasn't illegal, but it was frowned upon particularly by older educators. She was well over eighteen, in fact pleasantly close to his age. Charles wasn't deaf to the whispers. He knew that those kinds of relationships existed; he certainly even knew a small handful of professors who now enjoyed successful marriages with former students. Those professors had simply declared the relationship and deferred their marking responsibilities to deflect the perception of favouritism.

Could he? Perhaps he didn't have to pursue a relationship, but maybe they could allow their friendship to grow a little. He had to be certain about this; he would have to tread very carefully. She was a hard worker and she didn't need to be unfairly slapped with a reputation for sleeping her way through her degree. Worse still, she might be offended by his intentions.

He leaned back in his chair, lifting his pen and tapping it on the desk. Elsie Hughes.

Alright.

Leaning forwards, Charles pulled his iPhone from his back pocket and flicked through his contacts. Frowning at the wretched device, he swiped down until he found the number of an old colleague. He tapped the call button and let his head fall back heavily against the backrest of his chair.

"Good evening?" Joseph Molesley answered after many rings.

"Good evening, Mr. Molesley. Charles Carson; how are you old chap?"

"Charles? It's been a while, but doing well. How are you? How do you find being back at Westburn?"

"Mostly managing. I won't keep you long, but I have a favour to ask..."

An hour later and Charles hung up the phone with an amused chuckle. He didn't mean to talk so long but Mr. Molesley could waffle on very easily. His old friend now taught history in London, but they'd sporadically kept contact over the past few years. Thankfully, Joseph had agreed to mark any assignments young Miss Hughes submitted. All Charles had to do was email hers and a few randomly selected students work to Joseph for moderation. Even if things didn't turn out as he hoped, it wouldn't hurt to have his marking cross-checked.

Switching off the light in his study, he padded down the hall for a shower, slipping his shirt over his head.

~ EC ~

Road trip beetches :D Our love bunny cruise on over to- oh shite, is that the time? Sorry lovelies, I'll be back soon. Night night! Love you all! MWAH!