Here's chapter 21, I hope you all enjoy it!

Ruby slung her bag onto her shoulder. "Dad, Aunt Cora just pulled up. I'm leaving!"

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow after school." Dad called from the kitchen. "Be good."

"Dad…." Ruby drawled out the word, "You know I will."

"Bye Ruby,"

"Bye Dad."

Ruby went out and waved as she saw Sybbie in the back seat. "Hi Sybbie!"

"Ruby!" Sybbie cried happily.

"Is Sybbie joining us for girls night?" Ruby asked as she dropped her bag on the floor of the car.

"No, Sybil had to stay late at the hospital and Tom needed to grade papers, so we've got Sybbie for the day." Cora said. "Tom will come by in an hour or so."

The drive to Downton Place was short and Ruby hopped out as soon as they pulled up the driveway. She got Sybbie out and they held hands as they went up the walk. Sybbie chattered on about a nature walk she'd gone on at her Nursery school. Uncle Robert came outside and greeted both Ruby and Sybbie, Ruby smiled and greeted him, Sybbie ignored her grandfather completely and walked past him, making a beeline for the kitchen.

"Nice to know she loves her Grandpapa." Uncle Robert dead panned.

"Oh, you know she loves you." Cora said, "But she's excited to have her Ruby here."

"Ruby!" Sybbie called from the kitchen "Come here!"

Ruby dropped her bag in the front hall and went into the kitchen. "Yes Sybbie?"

"I forgot Ruby was coming." Robert said to Cora.

"She needs to spend time with girls, Bates is a good dad, but her best friend just moved and she hasn't made a new one, she needs girl time."

"I've half a mind to go over to Sybil's house for the night." Robert mumbled but Cora kissed him and laughed.

"You know you won't be able to sleep there, you never sleep unless I'm there."

Robert kissed Cora's forehead before going to the kitchen. He walked in to find Ruby and Sybbie making chocolate milk.

Sybbie watched her grandfather walk in and instantly proclaimed "we are having vanilla milk, not chocolate, we don't have the chocolate out!"

Ruby paused, suddenly worried, "I guess I should have asked first. Is it okay for Sybbie to have chocolate milk?"

Robert gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's fine." He said, turning to face his granddaughter. "Because I know that Sybbie would not lie to me and say she was having vanilla milk when when she's really having chocolate milk." Ruby could hear the sarcasm, but the 4 year old nodded seriously;

"Yes Grandpapa."

There was a pause. "I don't think she caught the sarcasm, Uncle Robert." Ruby said. Robert chuckled and got out a glass for himself.

"Pour me some."

Ruby poured Robert some and they all drank quietly for a few moments.

"Ruby?" Sybbie had taken a big gulp of the chocolate milk and now had a mustache.

"Yes, Sybbie?"

"When are you coming over to play again?"

"You'll have to ask your Mummy and Daddy that." Ruby said. "It's their house."

"You're like a little sister to Sybil, all you'll need to do is mention it to her." Uncle Robert spoke.

Ruby nodded, "I don't even care if I get paid, I love playing with Sybbie." She shrugged. "It just feels weird to go over and ask 'Can I play with your 4 year old?' Especially when I'm nearly 16."

Less then an hour later, Tom walked into the kitchen. "Daddy!" Sybbie jumped down from her chair and ran to Tom.

"Hello darling." Tom picked up his daughter. "Hi Ruby." He greeted the teen.

"Hey Mr. Branson." Ruby said.

"Don't tell anyone else tonight, but you got the second highest score of anyone in the class on the Government test from Wednesday."

"Woohoo! What percentage did I get?" Ruby had been putting her cup in the sink, so she started dancing, but stopped at Tom's next words:

"You got 46%."

"What!?" Ruby stopped mid-dance, her eyes wide in shock. "My marks are much higher then that!"

"This was a difficult test," Tom allowed, "I'm allowing extra credit or a re-take next week. You had trouble with the political cartoon and a couple of the essay questions. You'll see in greater detail tomorrow when I pass the tests back."

Ruby nodded, "Okay, can I do both the extra credit and the re-take?"

Tom laughed, "Ask in class, just because you're our favorite babysitter, that doesn't mean that you're going to get any more extra information."

Ruby laughed at that, "Like you haven't given me information about class before school anyway."

"Just don't tell any one I told you your grade in advance." Tom said, he turned to Sybbie. "Ready to go home, love?"

"Yeah." Sybbie nodded and wiggled down from Tom's arms. "I coloured a picture with Grandpapa, Daddy!"

Tom waved good-bye and left the kitchen.

Ruby and Robert put the dishes in the sink and went out to the sitting room.

"Mary will be here in about an hour and Sybil just texted me that she's on her way." Cora spoke when Ruby curled up in a comfortable chair with a book.

"Awesome." Ruby said. She flipped to partway through the book and started to read. It seemed like only a few minutes later, that Sybil arrived. She bustled into the sitting room, greeting Ruby cheerfully as she dropped her bag.

"Hi Sybil!" Ruby put her book down. "I forgot to mention this to Tom when he was picking Sybbie up, but Sybbie was wondering when I'd be coming over to play again. Even if you don't need a baby sitter, I'll be happy to come over sometime. She's a fun kid."

"Tom and I actually have been discussing this," Sybil said. She came over to the couch Ruby was sitting on and sat down next to the teen. "My schedule at the hospital is changing and I'm working all Saturdays until after Christmas. Tom can't get all his grading done during the week, so how would you like to come over 1 or 2 Saturdays a month and baby sit Sybbie? We'd pay you of course."

"That would be great!" Ruby said, "I'd love to do that,"

"I'll talk to Tom and I'll call you to set up a schedule." Sybil said.

Ruby smiled, "sounds good."

Mary breezed in and the three of them started talking. Several hours past, although Ruby was enjoying herself, she couldn't help but feel sad. She didn't know why. Just before 8, Mary got a call from Matthew, apparently George didn't want to go to bed before wishing his Mummy sweet dreams.

Ruby's eyes filled with tears as she heard Mary speaking with George. She turned to Sybil but she had gotten her phone out and was speaking to Sybbie. She got up and went to the kitchen, she grabbed the glass she'd used earlier and made some more chocolate milk.

"You okay?" Cora came in and grabbed a glass.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby lied. She could tell that Aunt Cora didn't believe her but thankfully the older woman didn't press the issue. After pouring herself a glass of wine, Aunt Cora sat on a bar stool next to Ruby.

"I noticed you've been hanging around Sophie Turner lately…" Aunt Cora started.

"She seems nice." Ruby said. "It kinda sucks that we don't have any classes together, but her brother Trevor is nice." She tired not to blush.

Aunt Cora smiled, "They're both good kids."

Ruby drummed her fingers on the counter top as she thought. "Hey Aunt Cora?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd thank you for going so easy on me about my punishment for fighting with Charlie, but you went and made him join the Christmas Faire committee?"

Aunt Cora nodded, "he needs to be involved with something not fighting or teasing. Ms. Smith runs a tight ship on the committee, he won't have time to play games."

"But what about his grandpa?" Ruby asked. "He's in Hospice, hospice means you won't get better."

"That's why I told him to just be the go-for." Cora said. "That way he's not leaving a booth that really needs his help, but still part of the committee."

"Well, as long as he doesn't fight with me, I don't care." Ruby said. "He just seems to like picking a fight with me."

There was silence between the two of them again. Ruby sighed, "stupid." she muttered.

"What's stupid?" Cora asked.

Ruby glanced over at Cora before concentrating on her chocolate milk. "I've been thinking about my mom lately." Cora nodded quietly, listening as Ruby talked. "I know it was bad before she left but for some reason I miss her." She shook her head. "It's stupid."

Ruby's therapist would be so much more qualified for this conversation then I am. Cora thought, but she responded anyway. "I don't think it's stupid. You've had Abby's mom in your life since before Vera left. You've never been without a mother figure. Now that Abby's mum is gone, you miss having a mother."

"Aunt Cora?"

"Yes?" It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Aunt Cora about the letter Mum had sent her, but she said instead; "My Nana is moving in next week, can we have a dinner over here to welcome her here a couple of weeks later? Our flat isn't big enough to have everyone I want to invite. I'll do all the cooking and cleaning up afterwards."

"Who all did you want to invite?" Cora asked.

"You guys of course," Ruby said, her mind racing. Why had she just signed up for this? Didn't she have enough on her plate? "Miss Smith…." She trailed off. "I don't have a full guest list yet, but I'll run everyone by you beforehand."

"That's fine. That sounds like a nice idea," Cora said, she had a nagging suspicion that a dinner wasn't what Ruby had originally wanted to talk about, but didn't press. She knew that it wouldn't do to push Ruby into confiding with her. There was silence between the two of them until they heard Mary and Sybil coming towards the kitchen.

"Why don't we get some ice cream and watch Colin Firth movies?"

Ruby nodded, smiling. "That sounds like a good idea."

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