A/N: Here we go with the birth. This chapter also sets things up for the next part of the story. Thank you for the reviews :).

"Mum!" Edith cried out as she grasped the bedpost. "Mum!"

Elsie came rushing into the room, Isobel following close behind. "Lass, I'm here. What is it?"

Isobel, noticing the damp spot at the younger woman's feet, spoke up, "I believe she's in labor, Elsie."

Edith nodded. "I,"

"Shh, I know, Lass." Elsie soothed, having noticed the spot on the floor herself. "Let's get you a fresh nightdress, hmm?"

"While you're doing that, I'll prepare the bed." Isobel smiled at Edith. "It's a good thing your young man isn't here. He'll be enough to deal with later," she winked at Edith.

"It's a good thing we were married when we were. Ooh." Edith moaned as she bent forward, grasping the bed linens as another contraction rippled through her.

"Yes, it is. It's also a good thing you returned when you did or we wouldn't have been there to help." Isobel chimed in.

"I don't know if I can do this, Mum." Edith grasped Elsie's hand.

Gently guiding her to the chair by the wardrobe, Elsie caressed Edith's damp hair from her face. "You can, Lass."

Edith bit her lip as she dug her fingers into the back of the chair, another contraction making her too uncomfortable to sit. Watching Elsie pull a night dress out, she tried to unbutton the one she had on but gave up when her fingers wouldn't function as they should.

"Don't fuss so, Lass. I'll do it." Elsie whispered as she unbuttoned the buttons far enough to lift the garment over Edith's head. Laughing when Edith shrugged at her lack of undergarments, Elsie let the fresh nightdress fall over her head.

"I can't pull them up." Edith mumbled causing Elsie to laugh again.

"No need to explain, Lass. I've told you to do whatever you needed to be comfortable."

Edith nodded, leaning against Elsie as she gently guided her back to the bed. "Newspapers?" she asked, looking at Isobel with a slight frown.

"Newspapers protect the mattress, Dear. Giving birth is messy," Isobel started then paused as her thoughts turned to Matthew. A faraway smile crossed her lips as she continued, "But it's so very worth it when you hold your baby the first time."

Elsie saw the sheen of tears in Isobel's eyes and her heart ached for the woman. Feeling Edith squeezing her hand brought her thoughts back to the young woman at her side. "Easy, Lass," she soothed as she rubbed small circles over Edith's lower back.

"There now, all ready for you." Isobel smiled as she turned to help Elsie settle Edith in the bed. "Now, I'm going to examine you to see how far things are progressing while Elsie goes to start some water to boiling. Alright? Or would you rather she stay?"

Edith clung to Elsie's hand. "Don't leave me," she pleaded.

Elsie could see the fear in her surrogate daughter's eyes and sat down beside her, her free hand gently caressing a damp wisp of hair from Edith's face. "I won't, Lass. Mum is right here."

Isobel sighed even as she silently scolded herself. What had she been thinking? Of course Edith would remember the death of her beloved younger sister and be frightened. As she carried out her exam, she thought of what a good thing it was that Elsie was here. Not for the first time did she think of how brilliant Edith had been turning to the former housekeeper. There were depths to the woman no one knew about.

Well, her mind corrected the thought, there is at least two that know.

"Everything is progressing nicely, Edith. I'll go put the water on to boil. You rest, hmm?"

Edith nodded as she squirmed to get more comfortable, her hand never letting go of Elsie's. "Hughesy?"

"Yes, Miss Edith?"

"When we go back home, I,"

"What is it, Lass?"

"Can I still call you Mum? Mama will be," tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled with what she knew would happen when she returned to Downton. "I promise I won't call you Mum unless it's just us and Michael, but please? I've grown used to it these last months and," her words were cut off by a contraction that brought tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Shh, Lass." Elsie wiped away the tears, her own eyes nearly overflowing at the anguish that filled Edith's words. She wanted to assure the young woman that things would be alright, that her parents wouldn't be disappointed and more than likely disown her, but she couldn't.

If she were her sister Mary, Elsie could say with certainty that things would be just fine. And that in and of itself angered Elsie. But what could she do?

"I'll be your mum for as long as you want me to, Lass," she told her, deciding easily what she could and would do for the young lady.

Isobel returned with the water and sat it down in the space she'd cleared on the dresser. Moving to the bed, she smiled as she reached out to squeeze Edith's hand. "There's someone that wants to see you."

"Michael's home?"

"Yes, he is. I've told him he can see you, but only for a few moments."

Elsie helped Edith sit up and pulled the light blanket up over her. "Now," she told her after she'd smoothed her hair. "you're perfect."

Edith shook her head. "Far from that, but thank you, Mum."

Elsie pressed a kiss to Edith's forehead then winked at her as she pulled back. "We'll give you some time alone."

Isobel followed Elsie out, both ladies smiling at Michael as he walked passed them. "Not long, Michael. She needs to rest as much as she can."

Michael nodded. "I promise."

EEE

"I can't do this, Mum! I can't!" Edith cried as she slumped back against the pillows Elsie had placed behind her.

"You can." Elsie encouraged as she wiped a damp cloth across Edith's brow. The poor dear was drenched from head to foot with sweat from her exertions, her nightdress clinging to her body. Elsie knew she was miserable and in terrible pain, but she couldn't let her give up.

Crying out again, Edith sat up and pushed as she was told to by Isobel. She felt as though her body was being ripped in two and set on fire all at once. Her eyes were blurry as she fell back against the pillows, her hand still clasping that of the woman who had been friend and mother to her for far longer than just these last few months. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she looked up at Elsie.

"Sorry for what, Lass?" Elsie asked as she once again wiped a cool cloth over the young woman's face.

"For forgetting. Oooh," she moaned.

"This is it, Edith. When I tell you, I want you to give everything you have left and give me one long push." Isobel smiled up at the young woman. "Your baby's almost here."

Edith nodded and took a deep breath, crying out as the contraction tore across her abdomen, pushing with all of her strength at Isobel's urging. "Oh god, Mum!" she nearly screamed then fell back against the bed, her body limp.

Elsie's eyes overflowed with tears as she heard the lusty cry of the baby Isobel had laid gently on the towels that she'd had lying behind her on the bed. Turning her gaze to Edith, she smiled down at the exhausted young woman. "You've a wee lassie," she murmured making Edith sigh at the sound of the thick brogue and soothing lilt.

"Wee Elsie." Edith murmured.

Elsie felt her throat clog from the lump that formed there as she looked up at Isobel. Surely the girl wasn't suggesting she name the baby after a lowly housekeeper, was she?

Isobel nodded her head in answer to Elsie's unasked question. Yes, she's naming the baby after you, was her silent reply. Turning her attention back to the baby, she wrapped the tiny body in a warm, dry towel then handed her to her mother. "Here you are, Love."

Edith, tears rolling down her cheeks, stared at the tiny baby girl in her arms. Moving the towel back, she checked the baby's feet and hands to make sure all ten toes and fingers were there.

"She's perfect, Lass." Elsie whispered as she kissed Edith's forehead. "You've still a bit of work to do so why don't I take the wee lassie to meet her da, hmm?"

Isobel shook her head as she listened to Elsie talk. She loved the sound of the woman speaking naturally without tempering herself. It reminded her of another Scot, and made her rethink her future. "I promise the next phase will be easy," she whispered as she gently rubbed Edith's stomach.

Edith nodded. "Thank you, Cousin Isobel. I was scared, but it would have been worse with the doctor here. He was horrible."

"Well, I'm no Dr. Clarkson, but I'm glad I could help."

Edith smiled then frowned when she felt a slight contraction. "Oh," she sighed.

"It's alright. Just your body finishing its task, Love." Isobel assured her before moving from the bed.

Edith nodded and closed her eyes. Listening to Isobel moving about the room, she thought back to the day Sybie had been born and how different things had been for her sister. "She didn't deserve to die," she whispered.

Isobel didn't have to ask who Edith was talking about, she knew. The young woman had been thinking of her lost sister for the last few weeks, maybe even during the whole of her pregnancy. "No, she didn't."

"I miss her. She loved me."

Elsie came back into the room just in time to hear Isobel's reply, "Yes, she did, but she wasn't the only one. Elsie loves you. Michael loves you. I love you, and your grandmother loves you. Your parents love you in their own way."

"Yes, they do."

Edith sighed and shrugged. "No need in lying. I'm the middle child and have always been a disappointment, but it's alright. I'm a mother now."

"Yes, Lass, you are." Elsie smiled at her. "Now, why don't we get you cleaned up so your Mister can come in with the baby."

EEE

Elsie sat rocking her namesake in front of the fire in the sitting room hearth. She'd taken the baby so that Edith could get some rest without being disturbed after the baby had nursed a bit. When the wee lassie had fussed and fidgeted about an hour or so later, Elsie had gotten out of bed and lifted her from her cradle, laughing at the bit of a squeak she got for her efforts. After having changed her and swaddled her once more in a dry blanket, she had brought her out to sit by the fire.

Humming the lullaby she'd hummed to Edith and Sybil when they were wee lasses, she caressed the baby's tiny hand, tracing along the slender fingers, tears rolling down her cheeks.

She couldn't possibly allow Edith to name the babe after her. The young woman's position with her family would be precarious enough as it is, having them learn she'd named her baby after their former housekeeper wouldn't help matters. No, it was best to persuade Edith to name the wee lassie something more fitting to her station.

"Shh," she soothed when a small whimper brought her out of her thoughts. "No need to wake the house, Lassie."

"Elsie?" Isobel whispered as she came into the room, tying the sash of her dressing gown as she blinked against the light.

"She needed changing and decided to be fussy, so we came in here to try and keep from waking her parents."

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine, though I think she might be getting hungry." As she spoke, Elsie slipped her little finger into the baby's mouth, chuckling slightly as she looked up at Isobel. "If you see what I mean."

Isobel chuckled a bit herself, amused to see Elsie with the baby. "It's been a long time since I've seen a woman pacify a baby that way. I used to do it with Matthew, though I usually put a bit of something on my finger."

"My sister put a bit of honey on the tip of hers when the baby was old enough. Usually just the act of sucking on her finger was enough to soothe the baby."

"Until they got wise to the fact there was nothing filling their belly." Isobel smiled.

Elsie nodded. "She's falling for it for the moment. Hopefully it will last long enough to let Edith get a little more sleep."

Isobel sat down and continued to watch Elsie. "Elsie?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do when they return home? Are you going back to Downton?"

Elsie sighed and shook her head. "No, I'll not be going back. I," she swallowed to clear her throat. "I don't think I could after what happened. I don't think the family will welcome me when they learn what I've done."

"They know about Green, Elsie."

"I know they do. I also know that once they learn that it was my idea to take Edith away," she shook her head.

"Then you'll come to live with us." Michael's quiet voice startled the women. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he smiled down at his daughter. "She's already grown fond of you, and she's only hours old. You have to stay with us. We'll need you."

Elsie took her finger from the baby's mouth, laughing slightly when she received a near wail as a response. "We'll discuss this more tomorrow, this little miss needs her mother."

"I won't take no for an answer, Elsie. Edith loves you, our wee Elsie seems to have already started to love you, and watching you with Edith has made me grow very fond of you myself." Michael held Elsie's gaze as she stood up and placed the baby in his arms.

"Go before she brings the roof down."

Isobel watched the young man walk away then turned to Elsie. "Maybe this is your answer, Elsie."

"Maybe."