A/Note: You people pushed Mr Bates out of this chapter. We are definitely meeting him next chapter. No road trip yet. Demands for lip action had to be met. A long chapter for my 'quick update' while I try and move house. I admit that it's 2am and the second half is unbetaed so I apologise if any mistakes were missed. I did look however. Enjoy. Please.

~ EC ~

"Why don't you go upstairs and play with George, little lady?" Charles nudged Mary towards the staircase that led up to her room when he returned her to her parents on Saturday afternoon. Although the little girl threw a petulant glare over her shoulder at her dismissal, she nonetheless disappeared up the stairs, but it was unlikely she'd be looking for the baby doll. She was such a headstrong child who often did as she pleased, but she would still listen to him. For that, Charles was thankful.

Once she was gone, Charles began down the long hallway to the back of the house, where he was sure he'd find Cora in the living room. Alas, it was Robert and his stately mother he found sitting in their usual armchairs. Robert sat slumped against the backrest with a small glass of what Charles guessed would be brandy or whisky in one hand and his forehead in the other. Violet Crawley, on the other hand, sat primly on the edge of the seat, looking at Robert with a scowl.

"I hope I've not interrupted?" Charles apologised, holding back a smile. Without missing a beat, he stepped over to gently grasp Violet's outstretched hand in a polite handshake. "Good to see you, Mrs. Crawley."

"Oh, please do," Robert muttered before sipping more of his drink. Violet ignored her son's remark, but did purse her lips.

"How are you settling in at the school, Carson? It must be so much better to be among the familiar again."

Charles chuckled and nodded. Like her son, Mrs. Crawley always called him by his surname. It was a habit from their time together at Eton.

Charles had only come into the prestigious college on a King's Scholarship for the last three years of secondary school, thanks to his excellent grades and a lot of hard work on his grandparents' behalf. He never dared to ask, but knowing that his own father had worked for the late Mr. Crawley, Charles suspected that Violet or her husband had contributed financially. Regardless, his own friendship with Robert meant he'd been welcomed into the Crawley family with open, but appropriately reserved, arms.

He wasn't of the upper class like the Crawleys; Charles knew that. Oh, he may be highly educated and perfectly mannered, welcome as a brother would be in their home; he worked for them now. Violet no longer chaired the board at Westburn, but still had valued opinion in the running of the university. Robert would ask Charles for advice once in awhile, and Charles tried to be model of professionalism. An institute's reputation was defined by those who ran it, after all.

Which was why he had to be so terribly careful in regards to Elsie.

"It's wonderful to be back. The staff made it a very easy transition from student to teacher."

"I would expect no less," Violet nodded in her slightly patronising way and patted his hand. They were interrupted by the unique cries of Robert's second daughter as she was carried into the living room by her mother. Her normally sweet face was red from crying and she angrily fisted her mother's shirt at the shoulder. Something must have upset the two-year-old girl terribly.

Cora's face lit up at the very sight of Charles, who rose and approached them.

"Hello Cora, you look well as always. How are you?" He kissed her cheek cordially, as he would a sister, then very carefully patted Edith's hair. "Now, now little one. That's enough from you." As if on cue, Edith's wails died down as the sound of his deep but soothing words. "That's better, isn't it?"

Edith sniffled and hiccupped, turning her face toward her mother's neck, leaving one eye to look at Charles.

"I'm very well Charles, I'm actually about nine weeks along!"

Although Charles was instantly elated, there was a private pang of sadness to accompany it.

"Another one? That is wonderful news," Charles grinned, looking around the room. Violet smiled and nodded, her pleasure carefully measured. Robert simply nodded, but his smile was a bit weary.

"Third time's a charm, hey Carson?" Robert closed his eyes, pressing the glass of only ice to his temple.

Charles turned back to Cora and opened his hands in a silent request to take the girl. Cora was quite happy to hand her over and wasn't in the least offended at the way Edith squeezed Charles' neck tightly with her tiny arms.

"Robert still wants a boy," she whispered, rubbing her daughter's back.

"Oh, what does it matter?" Charles whispered conspiratorially, shaking his head slightly.

The Crawley girls were a delight, although Charles was well aware that Mary could be trying. But still, he gladly spent time with them; he had to be careful, however, for there were occasions when Mary blatantly refused to cooperate with her parents but acquiesced to him. It didn't seem to bother Robert, but it unsettled Charles.

As much as he loved the girls, it only highlighted the fact that he was nearly thirty and had no immediate prospects of a family of his own. Now, with the growing possibility of having a woman in his life and his growing confidence with children, it did make him want his own brood a little more. It was overly optimistic, even dangerous, to think about a family with Elsie. Secretly, deep down, he'd thought about it late at night. Felt a desire for it. Wanted it.

There were still so many hurdles to overcome before then, the first being the people in this very room.

~ EC ~

"So when's this Army fellow of Anna's going to make an appearance?" Thomas puckered his lips and turned his head to the side, inspecting his hair in the mirror on her dresser. They were supposed to be doing an Economics assignment, but their concentration didn't last long; Elsie found a nail file under her bed as she lay on the floor and was lazily filing her right ring finger while Thomas experimented with his hair.

"Tomorrow. Around five, I think. They'll be going out tonight, but Anna really wants me to meet him. She won't shut up about him. He sounds nice, but I'll have to see for myself."

Thomas twisted in his seat, throwing her a gleeful look.

"You know what this means? Open the doors and get the booze flowing!" He grinned, bouncing his eyebrows.

"No! If you want to throw a party, you do it at your place."

To this Thomas sighed dramatically, rose from the chair and walked over to her bed, falling flat upon it.

"My friend is an old woman."

"Excuse me but I'm not that old, thank you."

"Oh really, you're how old? Twenty-five. That's old, love."

"I'm not even twenty-four yet," Elsie held up a finger, correcting him. "And it keeps you out of trouble, too."

"Cause everyone thinks we're doing it." Of course he was alluding to the fact that since he'd started spending time with Elsie at school, he'd been harassed far less. It was a misconception that Elsie didn't feel the need to correct beyond her social circle; she still smiled when she thought of the fact that Charles had fallen for this.

Elsie took a deep breath. "Yes, well ..."

She was awfully thankful when her mobile phone started ringing from its place on the bed.

Unfortunately, Thomas beat her to it. He picked it up as it continued to ring.

"Who's Charles?" He smirked, lifting a curious eyebrow.

"OH MY GOD!" Elsie jumped instantly from the floor and threw herself at Thomas, who held it out of her reach. "Give it here!"

"Put him on speaker."

"No! God, no - give it here!"

"It's gonna ring out!" he waved the phone, which continued to ring. She'd never wanted to hit anyone before, but she would bitchslap Thomas if she had to.

"THOMAS!" She screamed and pinned him with a very serious glare. He rolled his eyes and handed her the phone.

She didn't have time to chastise him, sliding a finger across the screen to answer the call. Thomas, being the little prick he could be, leapt from the bed and planted himself against her bedroom door, effectively forcing her to take the call in front of him.

She and Charles had exchanged numbers after their movie night; a week later, and this was the first time he'd called her. On several nights she'd tried to write out a text message, but nothing sounded right and she always ended up tossing her phone aside in exasperation.

"Hello?" She tried to hide her panting breath and sound pleasant.

"Hi, it's Charles ... Um, how are you? I hope this isn't a bad time ..."

"No, it's not a bad time ..." Elsie ran a hand through her hair, then pulled a strand and twisted it nervously. In front of her, Thomas imitated the action. She flipped her middle finger at him, which only amused him more. "Uh, I'm good, thanks."

"That's good," he chuckled and she could hear his nervousness. "Now, about next Saturday? It's going to take an hour and a half to get there, and it's going to be cold so I think you should dress warmly."

"Are we going to be outside a lot?"

"A bit of both."

"Now I'm really curious." Elsie frowned and looked up at Thomas who was looking at her strangely, as if making a detailed observation. She turned her back on him. "But I'll wait till then. Um, am I coming to you or are you going to pick me up?"

"I would prefer to pick you up, but I don't know where you live."

Elsie closed her eyes, quickly debating whether to tell him; that answer came quickly. "Down Wolsey way, across the road from the bus stop."

The phone was silent for a moment and Elsie swore she heard him shuffling his feet before he finally said, "Elsie, I know it's not proper, but if you would like ..." She heard him take a breath and she waited. "If you'd like to come over before then -"

"Yes" she interrupted. She grimaced tightly, chastising herself for sounding so eager and for being rude. "I'm sorry. Yes, I wouldn't mind."

Charles cleared his throat. "Well ... whenever you have time."

Elsie looked over her shoulder to find Thomas relaxing against the door. She narrowed her eyes mischievously at him, "I'm free tonight actually."

Although she'd said it to tease Thomas and make him feel like he was being ditched, it quickly dawned on her that she'd just locked herself in for an evening with Charles. Tonight ... Shit. Her eyes widened and even seeing Thomas putting his hands on his hips and looking thoroughly scandalised couldn't calm her nerves. She immediately drew her bottom lip between her teeth and turned away again to hide the blush that was surely tinting her cheeks.

"If you'd like."

"Um ..." Elsie closed her eyes tightly and scrunched her nose, trying to think. "Uh, where do you live?"

"Corner of Addison Drive and Lamb Gardens."

"I know where that is. I'll head over later. I'm meeting Anna's new man and Thomas and I are supposed to be finishing an assignment."

"Of course. Yes. Do that first. Just send me a text."

"Alright. Hopefully I'll see you later."

"I hope so."

She was pleased to hear him chuckle lightly and it allowed her to relax, too. She wished him a good afternoon and hung up. It was cowardly, but she stared at her phone for a moment just so she wouldn't have to look at Thomas.

"So ..." Thomas' silky voice penetrated the awkward silence. "Running off to see this lad, Charles. Everyone will think you're cheating on me."

"No, they won't."

"Is he your 'new man'?"

"No. He's not." She tried to glare at him, but Thomas pursed his lips and tilted his head, putting on what he himself called his 'gay face'.

"Elsie, you're blushing like a schoolgirl and I found all those sex vibes you were giving off damn suffocating. I felt myself straightening out over here."

Elsie's mouth dropped. Sex vibes!? "Thomas! I- He's not, not ... you don't even -"

Thomas held up a hand, "Spare me love, now tell me who he is and I'll help you get yourself sorted tonight and you might just get some. I'll even forgive you for leaving me tonight when you promised to study with me." He smirked and winked.

Now Elsie was positively horrified. She shook her head, suddenly feeling solemn.

"I can't tell you. It's complicated."

Thomas tutted and rolled his eyes, quite unsatisfied with her answer.

"Elsie, unless he's a spy or something it can't be that damn complicated." He suddenly grabbed her shoulders. "He's not underage is he?"

"No!"

"Oh, thank goodness. Well unless he's a teach -" He stared at her with wide eyes. "It's not old Carson is it?! His name is Charles!"

Elsie didn't reply quickly enough, quite shocked that he'd guessed so easily. Thomas released her and paced the room. "Elsie Hughes, hooking up with old Carson! I cannot believe it!" He laughed loudly clapping his hands and pressing his hands to his chest. Elsie wanted to tell him to at least keep his voice down; Anna was downstairs and the walls were thin.

"Thomas, please, I need you to keep this to yourself. And no, I'm not 'hooking up' with him. I'll explain but please, please, swear you won't say a word."

Again, Thomas rolled his eyes and, much to Elsie's surprise; he came over and briefly hugged her. He pulled back and held her shoulders.

"I may be right prick to most people, but you can count on me, honey. You've looked out for me and I'll return the favour." Elsie was instantly relieved but Thomas, of course, wasn't finished. "Now let's get you dressed and you can tell me all the filthy details."

For the next hour Thomas offered her a lot of questionable advice about her choice of wardrobe while she gave him a condensed version of events. She chose to leave out a few details, namely the almost kiss in the theatrette. In fairness, Thomas did help her find a comfortable outfit that she thought sent the right signals. Warm, mature and pretty, without being overly inviting.

Thomas adjusted her scarf on the doorstep, preparing to leave himself. He finally gave her one long, appraising look up and down. Her skinny jeans and brown boots were warm as they stood in the cool evening air. She sought the familiarity of her favourite tee beneath her black windbreaker which was more fashionable than practical, but in this instance, she didn't mind.

"Well, I suppose you'll do." Thomas remarked, popping one hand on his hip and combing his fingers through his shining black locks. "Well love, far be it for me to keep you and deny you any nookie-"

"Oh my God," Elsie muttered, lowering her eyes and shaking her head. "Thomas, it's really not like that."

"I know. And when you work out what you're doing, I hope you tell me. I'm probably going to be single forever, so I need to live vicariously through you." He smiled sadly and didn't make enough of an effort to hide it.

"You won't be," Elsie reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You just be a bit nicer and get a haircut. This long and slick look won't rake the boys in," she teased, flicking his hair. Thomas pulled his head back, a little annoyed but still smiling.

"Get along woman. Can't be too late for the old coot."

Thomas nudged her along the path and Elsie set off down the few blocks towards Charles' house; as she had promised, she sent him a text message to warn her that she was on her way. It didn't take her long at all to reach Addison Drive and she finally walked along the fence of his house. She wished she could have taken a moment to stop and get control of her nerves but her feet carried her straight to his front door.

~ EC ~

An hour later found Charles and Elsie sitting on the floor of his lounge room, old books and Vinyl records strewn around them and his typewriter in her lap. Nerves had nearly rendered her speechless when she'd first arrived and as she expected, Charles was quite flustered too. Fortunately, she was quickly drawn to the random antiques in his house and was very happy to let him educate her on the advantages of vinyl and the satisfaction of writing on a typewriter. They poured over the endless titles in his enormous collection of books that covered an entire wall in his dining room.

At present, Charles sat beside her and was happily regaling her with a story from his own time in university. Once, her phone had buzzed in her pocket and upon seeing another message from Joe, she dismissed it and shoved her phone in her pocket again. It vibrated again now and then but she absolutely refused to look at it.

"But honestly, I don't think I slept for nearly three days." He laughed heartily and it struck Elsie just how different Charles was when he was really relaxed.

She really did like simply listening to him talk. It gave her the time to sit and look at him as he leaned back against his sofa, clad in his preferred jeans and a pale blue dress shirt she remembered seeing him wear in class. Now, however, there was no jacket or tie and the little patch of chest hair she could see was becoming increasingly distracting.

"Charles?"

"Hmm?" His eyebrows popped up in question, though he was still smiling happily.

"Was this what you wanted to show me?" She asked, lifting the typewriter in her lap slightly.

"What? Oh, no. No." He rose from the floor and held out a hand. "Come on, I'll show you. I'm sorry, I almost forgot."

Elsie looked from his hand to his face. He gazed down at her and all she could hear in her head was his voice assuring her that she could trust him. Elsie bit her lip, placed the typewriter on the floor and took his hand, letting Charles help her up.

"It's okay, I was enjoying myself and it only occurred to me just then." She took a deep breath, steadying herself when he continued to hold her hand loosely. She could have let go, but decided to hold on for as long as possible.

He smiled down at her, a cheerful sparkle in his eye. "Me too."

He led her to a door down the hallway and she worried it was his bedroom. Alas, it was his garage. As soon as she stepped through the door and spied the canvass outlining the distinct shape of a motorcycle, she knew for certain it was him all those weeks ago. Charles released her hand and moved around his car; her phone buzzed again.

Elsie growled very quietly, whipping her damn phone out and looking at the notification on her lock screen:

Joe:
'I know it's been a while but I really think we should meet...'

She frowned deeply, shook her head and deliberately placed her phone on the small workbench beside the door they'd walked through. Determined to ignore her former boyfriend and give her attention to a man she hope would be her future boyfriend, Elsie smiled at Charles.

"You know, I never would have guessed a history teacher would own a bike."

Charles slid the heavy canvass from the pristine Triumph Bonneville T100. The polished chrome had been well cared for and the paintwork was still perfectly scratch free. It was a very nice vehicle, not that Elsie knew much about motorcycles. Then again, there was something a little attractive about a man on a bike.

"This is not just a machine to attract the attention of ladies down the streets," he smirked and they shared a knowing look. "This is history in itself. It's simple, economic and I'm very proud to own this particular model. Come around here," he beckoned her to his side and pointed to a brass plate at the base of the handles. "Look at the date?"

She leaned in closer, "two thousand and two?"

Charles folded up the canvass as he spoke.

"It's a centennial edition. But this model is actually quite rare. Only a few hundred were made before a fire completely destroyed the factory. By the time Triumph was able to continue making the rest of the centennial editions, they had to be plated as two thousand and three. I was very lucky to find this." Charles paused as he opened the back door of his car and pulled out a medium sized cardboard box, placing it on the bench beside her phone without offering any explanation. Yet.

"Would you like to come start it up?"

"Oh gosh," Elsie hesitated, suddenly terribly nervous. "I probably wouldn't reach the ground... and I haven't ridden in a long time. We had bikes on the farm, but I stopped riding a while ago."

Elsie stepped back when Charles unexpectedly swung a leg over and sat down on the bike. He placed one hand on the throttle and pressed his fist into his thigh.

"I'll help you." She must have still kept a face of hesitancy. Charles scooted back on the seat, giving her as much room as possible. "Best behaviour. I promise."

Still gnawing on her bottom lip, Elsie took a breath and came forwards. "I have no doubt about that, Charles."

Charles only smiled; pleased that she was trusting him as he helped her settle on the seat in front of him. The bike wobbled a little, but Charles kept both feet on the ground. She watched him reach around her, obviously taking care not to touch her and turn the ignition, the bike roaring to life between her legs.

"Ah!" She screamed in excited surprise. Elsie didn't even think when one hand reached behind her and briefly gripped his thigh. He made no comment about it, but Charles did laugh at her reaction. Emboldened by her action, he took her right hand and placed it around the handle.

It was all slowly coming back to her; she pulled throttle and the bike bellowed loudly beneath her. The dirt bikes from her life on the farm paled in comparison to the power she now straddled and when she shifted in delight, she accidentally slid back on the seat, settling snugly between Charles' legs. That sobered Elsie up very quickly. The feel of his thighs cradling hers made her suddenly dizzy.

Charles noticed her silence and immediately killed the engine.

"Are you alright?" He asked, leaning to the side to try and see her face. The hand he placed on her hip sent her senses in a flurry. She couldn't speak; she could barely think, her attention completely bound to the feel of this warm legs and the firm hand at her waist. She looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows arched in worry.

"Elsie?"

Her eyes fell to his lips at the sound of her name. He reciprocated the gesture and all the air in the room seemed to disappear. Thankfully- maybe- the moment was quickly interrupted by her phone buzzing repeatedly, made louder by the thick silence and the wooden surface on which it sat.

Charles was the first to look away. Elsie closed her eyes and growled, quite loudly this time and jumped out from the circle of his arms. She stalked over to the bench, took one look at the caller ID and was infuriated to see that it was Joe again.

"Go away!" She muttered, but it came out quite loudly. Charles noticed and kicked the stand on his bike. Now concerned, he approached as Elsie impatiently turned her phone off.

"Something wrong?"

"What?" she whipped around, surprised to find him standing so close. "No not really." She cupped her hand to her cheek. "It's my ex. He keeps wanting to talk to me. I don't think he's getting the hint."

She wasn't sure if she'd made Charles uncomfortable; he merely fidgeted his fingers at his side. Surely the moment was completely lost now. And she was so close to kissing him. Again! Fate had a cruel sense of humour. She wanted to kiss him and she was certain he very much wanted to kiss her back. Oh and why did she have to mention her ex? Well that cat was out of the bag. Charles shifted from one foot to another, clearly unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry, Charles. It was rude of me to leave it on. You should know that I was only with him for a short time and we broke up well over a year ago. Almost two actually. He just... He isn't doesn't seem to understand that I moved on a long time ago. He keeps thinking that he has an infinite number of chances."

"Boys don't mature as fast, Elsie."

"But do I have to spell everything out? Can't I have a guy that listens when I say I've moved on and respects my wishes?"

"You deserve no less."

Elsie tried to smile but it never reached her eyes. "I think I know what I want and deserve, Charles." At this, he hung his head.

"What?" Elsie asked, sensing the tension rising in the room.

Charles sighed forlornly and licked his bottom lip, looking for the right words. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"And that's the point, Elsie..."

This had been brewing for weeks and although she was glad that they might now voice their mutual admiration, Elsie feared she'd leave his house and be a student again come Monday.

"Just say it Charles."

He seemed to have great difficulty but bumbled through. "Elsie...I... I like you. In a way I really shouldn't. I think you know that. But you're my student and it's not proper."

Well if this is how it ends, before it even starts, she was going to go out with a bang. Almost angered by his words, Elsie took a determined step forwards, grasped his shoulder in one hand to pull him down, planted the other on his chest and pressed her lips to his. He didn't move.

Elsie drew back and locked eyes with his rather stunned gaze.

"There. You won't get into trouble. I will. I threw myself at you." She'd never been more serious in her life.

"I kissed you back..." Charles closed his eyes, whispering so quietly.

"No you didn't-" But Elsie's words were lost when his lips came crashing down on hers. His large hands flew to her cheeks, cupping them as he kissed her fiercely. She could only grip his shirt as he pushed her the few steps back towards his car, pressing her firmly against it and devouring her lips like a man possessed.

She wasn't afraid however. She matched his hunger, grasping the back of his neck. All she knew was that everything would change. Nothing would be the same. If the wrong person found out, it could mean his job. Clearly, he didn't care about that right now.

~ EC ~

Have a crack at guessing where we're going on the road trip. All locations mentioned are real so you can google them and have a guess.