A/N: I am so, so sorry that this update took so long! I'll try to be better. I've had a very busy semester at school and so most of my free time has been completely eaten up with extra work. And I'm still catching up on reviews...but I love you guys for writing such awesome comments and such!

He knew it was wrong and against what the entire trip stood for, but Robert found he could not help himself. It had been seven days in paradise, literally a trip more perfect than he could have imagined, and Cora had been absolutely wonderful—but he was a Crawley, raised with a cloud of responsibility and duty hanging over his head. And so he found himself slipping out of bed, begrudgingly out of Cora's soft arms and bare skin, to sneak off to the small office in their bungalow.

It had been another glorious day. A late breakfast in bed followed by a long walk on the beach and massages back at the hotel. Returning to their bungalow after it all, he had planned to spend the evening wrapped up in Cora, business and life back in London the farthest things from his mind. But when he dug to the bottom of his luggage to find fresh clothes after getting out of the shower, the slight glint of his iPhone caught his eye. It had been stowed away at the bottom of his luggage ever since they left London. Bringing it with the excuse that it could help in an emergency, Robert had thrown it in as an afterthought. He never intended to turn it on, and certainly never intended to do any work.

But there it was, looking up at him, reminding him of all they had left behind. Reminding him of his responsibilities and of the tasks he had been set. In leaving their worlds behind, he had put others at risk, and the realization weighed heavily on him. He tried not to let it bother him, tried to let the nagging voice in the back of his head (that sounded remarkably like his mother) simply fade into background noise. But as their evening wore on, it only got louder and more insistent.

He knew Cora noticed something was off.

She asked several times if he was feeling alright, and at one point even reached across the dinner table to press her palm against his forehead, feeling for his temperature. Eventually his assurances that all was well seemed to assuage her, but the look in her eye made it clear she was still watching him curiously. Their quiet dinner finished soon after, and they made it back to their bungalow where dessert and a hot tub awaited them.

But the nagging intensified.

Even as they sipped champagne and Cora's hands toyed with the drawstring on his bathing suit, it intensified. Her hands and nails scraping down his abdomen and her lips seeking out his helped as a momentary distraction, but as soon as they slipped beneath the cool sheets of their bed, pleasantly spent from their exertions, it nagged at him once more.

He tossed and turned for hours before making the decision.

Just a quick check of his emails and all would be well.

So he slipped out of bed, padding across the room and down the hall in the direction of the office.

Eight hundred and fifty three emails chased down by one hundred and three missed calls and forty one voicemails.

Eight hundred and fifty three messages staring back at him. And the hope that they were all spam was quickly squashed after scrolling through and reading some of the subject lines. He sat hunched in the corner of the small office realizing just what they had done. The messages shouted at him, all expressing their displeasure in his sudden and childish departure, and he felt his hopes of returning to bed—and to Cora—dashed away rather quickly.

Subject: Robert Crawley, is your intent to ruin the family?

That one was from Mama. Understated, of course, and not a bit overly dramatic.

Subject: Conference call about minimizing press. Urgent.

From Bates…what on earth? Apparently they were all conspiring to end his vacation.

Subject: Robert! Call me!

Rosamund. Always a fan of excessive punctuation, it looked as though he had several missed calls from her as well.

Subject: Request for comment or official statement.

This one from…Richard Carlisle's secretary.

Robert felt a pang in his stomach that immediately unsettled him. Clicking on that last message, he scrolled through and scanned the words lit up on his screen. "Request for comment….story regarding you and Cora Levinson….multi page spread…future of your business and personal relationship in question."

He clicked delete before even reaching the bottom. Let them all talk, he muttered angrily, standing up and pacing the small room. The very last thing he would ever do with his and Cora's relationship was comment publically on it. No, he had no desire to let anyone into their private world, the perfect bubble they'd worked so hard to create. To sully it with their prying eyes and unclean hands would ruin everything.

He clicked on Bates' message next.

"Robert, Cora's mother has spoken to the press. She is not happy. Details leaked all over the place, including some less than flattering insinuations about you. Please, please call me. We need to sort this out as soon as possible and think about releasing an official statement."

Robert looked out the window, at the starry sky reflecting light onto the pool, and had a fleeting thought to throw his phone right out the window. Their lives, he knew in that moment, were not only topics of conversation—they were not their own. If their relationship was going to work, it would mean a battle to push everyone out. But a battle had never scared him off before, and thinking of Cora fast asleep in the bedroom, he knew it was a battle he was willing to fight.

He clicked off his phone and hid it in the desk drawer. It could all wait for one more night. Resolving to deal with it the next day, Robert ran a hand through his mussed hair and trudged back off to bed.

The following day brought more sunshine and tropical air, but Cora woke knowing something was not quite right. She had grown used to waking up in Robert's arms, as he had a rather adorable habit of wrapping his arms around her and wiggling up as close to her as he possibly could before falling asleep. Even in his sleep he remained close, and it made her feel so very safe. But she woke to Robert asleep at the very edge of the bed, clutching a pillow instead of her waist. She studied what looked like lines of worry etched into his forehead for several moments, wondering what could possibly be grieving him in the midst of their paradise. He had seemed so blissfully happy and content until yesterday. He was still sweet and gentle with her, but it was so blatantly obvious that something was bothering him, even if he was loath to admit it.

Their morning and afternoon the previous day had passed quickly, the bulk of the day spent on the beach, and by evening she was quite sure there was something important driving him to distraction. Perhaps it was too much time spent together, she mused. Spending every moment together had been wonderful, but she was not naïve in believing that Robert would not want a bit of time to himself as well. And if she were honest, the notion of some quiet time on her own did not seem all that horrible, anyway.

For there had been something pulling at her thoughts as well, and had been for several days. It started a few afternoons earlier when she rifled through her handbag in search of some sunscreen. Tucked in the very bottom, wrapped in a scarf, she could see the outline of her iPhone. She hadn't meant to bring it along, truly she hadn't, but—well, if there were some sort of emergency, she would need it! She had only been doing the responsible thing by taking it along, really.

She had simply tucked it back down into her bag, planning to not give it another thought. But, that had not exactly worked out. The knowledge of it being there made her feel rather guilty. They had decided to get away from everything, promised that it would be just the two of them. And she felt even worse knowing that her mother, and countless assistants from the family offices, had likely been trying to reach her.

And when Robert still seemed in an oddly contemplative state, even a day later, Cora resolved to unburden her own mind and simply check her messages—just once of course. Perhaps once Robert went to sleep.

Sleep, though, was not easy coming for either of them. It was strange, almost as if he was waiting for her to fall asleep, and even with her eyes closed, she knew he was peeking at her every so often. They tossed and turned for a while, neither interested in activities of a more romantic sort, until Robert sat up with a sigh.

"I am going to walk down to the hotel and get some aspirin, I've got a headache." He explained, reaching to turn on his bedside lamp but avoiding her face.

"I might have some Advil somewhere in my bags—" she offered, but when he shook his head no, she remained quiet. Perhaps it would give her just enough time to check her messages and put her silly worries to rest.

"No, I'll be glad of the walk," he replied quietly, finally turning to face her. He smiled and leaned over, kissing her lips quickly before hopping up and grabbing his shorts from the chair in the corner of the room.

Cora smiled, waving slightly at him and leaning back against the pillows. She closed her eyes and listened to his footsteps down the hall, and the click of the front door opening and closing. It still surprised her how familiar his movements sounded. And with her eyes closed, it was easy to picture them back in London—or New York, even—padding around their house and settled into a life.

She waited several minutes before sitting back up, confident that he was likely half way to the main building of the hotel already. Cora crept out of bed, fished her phone out of her purse and turned it on, feeling a flicker of concern as the screen lit up in welcome. It took several tries before realizing that her phone was unwilling to connect to any sort of Internet connection. And once it froze up completely, she threw the useless thing back into her bag, contemplating her options. She could go back to bed and wait for Robert to return, or simply go to sleep, but eyeing the phone at the bottom of her bag; she knew those weren't really options, not anymore at least. She needed to check her messages, to assure herself that she had left nothing of importance behind, or it would bother her for days to come.

There was an office in the bungalow. A small one but, if she remembered correctly, it did have a computer. Pursing her lips decisively, she grabbed the phone and set off to settle her mind once and for all.

"Bates, what is this about stories being leaked? I cannot comment—"

"Robert? Where the bloody hell are you? Do you know how insane you've been acting? Traipsing off to god knows where, with some girl you barely know—"

Calling John had been strictly out of necessity. He had mulled it over all day and decided that it was the most direct way to get more information about what precisely was going on in their absence. But judging by his tone right off the bat, the adage "no news is good news," was perhaps more correct than he once might have thought. He felt guilty lying to Cora, but knew she would ask fewer questions if he simply said he was going to the hotel building. And so he left, only to sneak around the side of the bungalow and enter the office through the sliding glass door.

"I simply want to know what your email was talking about."

"Jesus, Robert, you've no idea what has been going on? Your mother is beyond displeased. Aside from the exorbitant amounts of money removed from one of your bank accounts, she has had absolutely no word from you! And I've been trying to clean up the mess, but Carlisle has been on this story relentlessly. There are pictures of you and Cora splashed all over the papers, calling you a fortune hunter and her a dumb American who fell for your great scheme."

"I—it isn't like that and you know it."

"No? Have you spoken to her about that paper work she sent to you, weeks ago? Is she still planning to invest? Do you have any idea how this will look—"

"We haven't spoken about that. It has been put on hold, indefinitely. I will not speak to her about anything of that sort. Perhaps when we get back to London…"

"Robert! There isn't any time for that. Carlisle is still publishing and—"

A high-pitched scream jolted Robert from his thoughts and his phone call, startling him into a standing position that nearly caused him to drop his phone. He whipped around, half expecting to be attacked, only to find Cora clutching her chest.

"I've got to go." He muttered into the phone, not waiting for a reply.

Cora removed her hands and hung her head back, taking a very deep breath. "Oh, my God, Robert. I thought you were a burglar. What on earth are you doing in…" her voice trailed off as her eyes fixed on his phone, and she looked at him with a raised brow.

"Cora, I…" He paused, considering a lie but deciding against it. He couldn't protect her from reality forever, and the sooner she knew what was going on in their absence, the better. "I was checking my messages and speaking to Bates." He replied after a pause.

She nodded and entered the room, sitting in the desk chair and looing up at him. She paused as well, remaining silent for a moment, before sliding her own phone out from the pocket of her robe. "We're well suited, I suppose," she explained with a smile, laying it on the desk before them. "Perhaps it was silly to think we could run away from it all?"

"No," Robert knelt beside her and pressed a kiss to her bare knee. "Not silly, just optimistic." He took her hands and stood, pulling her up with him. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you."

With his hands pressed into hers, Cora relished in how strong his felt. She reached up, threading her hands around the back of his neck and leaning in to kiss him. "My poor Robert," she murmured, "the harsh realities of the world have certainly not been kind to us. But I understand better than anybody could and you don't need to protect me all the time."

He hummed his agreement into her hair, the soft lavender scent filling him with contentment. Pulling her close, their bodies completely pressed together, he held her for a long while, assuring her that everything would be all right. "I'll take care of it, I promise, Cora."

She was more than happy to remain in his embrace all night. But his words, though quiet and confident, were slightly confusing. "Take care of what exactly, Darling?"

He stiffened against her, feeling his muscles tense up as he remembered his phone call from only moments earlier. Yes, being honest would include telling Cora what he'd learned. They could face it together, then. Cora did understand him better than anyone, as she did not prompt him to say anything at all. Instead, she took his hand and led him back to the bedroom, grabbing a throw blanket from their bed before opening the doors to the exterior deck. Still holding tightly to him, she pulled him outside to the hammock on the corner of the deck. She nodded at it with a smile, holding the blanket up as he situated himself on it first. She followed, lying beside him and wrapping her arms around him as they put the blanket over them to guard against the cool night air.

"This is better, no?" Cora asked, the tips of her fingers drumming against his shoulder.

"Mhmm—perhaps too much so, you'll have me lulled to sleep in moments with this divine excess," Robert grinned. The air smelled of flowers and the stars sprinkling the sky made him feel so very small, but so very content.

"Well, I'm an American. I don't share your English hatred of comfort," she murmured. Giggling softly, Cora leaned up, hoping for a kiss. Robert most happily obliged. "I could stay like this forever," she added, tucking her head beneath his chin.

They talked for nearly an hour, limbs and words entangling as they lay in the hammock. It was easier, in a way, to formulate a plan and talk business when so close together. And once their talk faded to whispers, and then silence, it was a welcome position to be in, still.

They rocked in silence as the air floated around them, encapsulating them in their own little world once more. Cora hummed softly against his chest and every so often Robert leaned down to press his lips against her forehead and hair. Her arms around him made him feel needed, strong and capable. She gave him purpose than he'd never known before, and in her eyes he saw a future.

Their future.

"Cora," he sat up, careful not to jostle her as he did. It was clear, clearer perhaps than anything had ever been, and though his heart was beating fast against his chest he felt steady beside her.

She looked up at him in question, her bright eyes blinking open lazily and her lips curling into a soft smile.

"Cora," he repeated, the iterance of her name assuring what he already knew.

"Yes?"

"Marry me."