I feel I should let you all know that from now on I suspect this story won't be in line with what goes on in the third series, with the proper trailer release being tomorrow I'm not sure how much crossover there will be! Especially in subsequent chapters which, believe it or not, I do already have planned out. I'm not going to make any more promises about them being up soon, when I do that it seems to delay me! If I don't I'm hoping there will be a flurry of new chapters for this!

Chapter 21

Tom was asleep in the chair next to the bed when she woke up, his head slightly to one side and chin on his chest. Even in sleep, she thought, he looked exhausted. She was bleary eyed and felt weak, her limbs were stiff and her back ached. Her breasts felt full, to the point of discomfort, the skin stretched and tender. But she felt suddenly able to breathe, like a weight had been lifted from her chest.

The recent past was a disorientated blur in her memory and Sybil had no idea how long she had been confined to bed. It could have been any number of hours or days. She studied her husband's face; beneath his eyes were dark smudges and his skin had taken on the slightly sallow appearance of someone who had not eaten or drunk properly in the last few days. His waistcoat and tie were discarded on the back of the chair and the top three buttons of his shirt, missing its collar, were undone. One of his hands was resting on the bed next to her pillow, stretched out to stroke her forehead while she slept before he succumbed to sleep himself. A bundle of blankets was clasped against his chest, only a tiny fist, balled around a piece of Tom's shirt, was visible.

The quality of the light made Sybil believe it was early evening, the room felt fresher than she remembered, there was a breeze blowing in through the open windows. She slipped her hand into Tom's extended palm, carefully lacing her fingers between his. He stirred, taking in a deep breath as he turned his head toward her and allowed his eyes to flicker open. He looked at her for a while, the cloudiness of sleep still lingering and preventing him focusing properly on her face. She squeezed his hand and he blinked at her before he fully understood what was happening. She was conscious, she was free from the delirium that had been afflicting her in the last few days and she was smiling. A weak smile that gave away her ordeal of the last week, but a smile all the same. He mirrored it instantly, unable to keep the relief that flooded over him from his face.

She reached out and pulled his body against hers, the baby pressed between them in her cocoon of blankets. Their smells mingled, Lillie's of rosewater and milk, Tom's of the wax he used in his hair and the starch of his shirt. Sybil took a deep breath, comforted by their scent. She winced slightly as the baby was pressed against her chest; Tom sensed her discomfort and pulled away, kneeling on the floor next to the bed. He placed a kiss on the end of her nose and pushed a tendril of escaped hair from Sybil's forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut, blinking away tears.

"You're – are you okay? How do you feel?" Tom's voice cracked, emotion and fatigue overtaking him.

Sybil nodded her response, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Tired." She pushed back his hair and felt his eyes carefully study every inch of her face. "It looks like I've put you through it." Her voice was hoarse, her throat dry. Tom reached over to the nightstand and pushed the rim of a glass of water to her lips – she gulped down the cool liquid, not realizing quite how great her thirst had been until it began to be satiated. "I feel like I have slept forever but could keep sleeping for an age longer."

"I wished for you to wake, over and over, so that I would at least know you were recovering." He smirked a little, "I even prayed, I cannot remember the last time…" He paused, shaking his head slight and moving himself closer to his wife. "It hardly seems real to see you awake again, to hear your voice –"

The baby in Tom's arms began to fuss, disturbed by his movement and Sybil's eyes fell from her husband's face to that of her daughter. She stroked the top of Lillie's head with the back of her finger; the downy hair was soft and warm. "Shhh, now," she cooed at the baby, "shhh, it's alright – everything will be alright now." Only in part to comfort the infant.

Tom lay Lillie beside Sybil and smiled weakly as the baby settled, pressed against her mother. A comfortable silence fell between them – both so grateful of the other's company.

"How has she been?" Sybil broke the quiet, her voice still cracking – a relic of her days of unconsciousness, her eyes moving up to search Tom's face again.

"You mother and grandmother got their way, in the end. A woman, one of the farmer's wives, came in to feed her." He averted his eyes from Sybil's, knowing how hurt she would be. "There wasn't really a choice, you were so ill…" He put his hand over the bundle of blankets that enveloped Lillie, pulling them down slightly to fully reveal her face.

Sybil placed her hand on top of Tom's, gently rubbing it with her thumb. "I know. I know. She needed it, it couldn't be helped." Her voice was quiet, giving away her sadness despite her brave words. It felt to her like her family were winning, that in Sybil's illness they had taken control and were beginning to steer her back to the Lady's life she had escaped – the only one they knew. The sudden removal of Lillie's dependence on her was symbolic of their need to correct the things they felt didn't fit their version of Sybil. A silent tear began a trail down her face and she tried to wipe it away quickly but Tom reached it first.

"They haven't got the better of you though." He leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on Sybil's forehead, his hands in her hair, breathing in her scent, "This is still your life, you're still the one in control – of you, of her. Don't let them beat you. Don't feel they already have." She squeezed her eyes shut to stem anymore tears, a tentative smile coming to her lips – Tom was on her side, he had protected what she wanted, what they wanted for their child. He hadn't allowed her to be coddled, as Sybil had been, by strangers. Cora, she knew had tried to do the same, but her ways had been deemed too 'American' for the daughters of an Earl and by the time Sybil was born the fight had been worn out of her, allowing her youngest to be subjected to nannies and governesses and etiquette tutors.

"Thank you." She pushed her hands over his shoulders and pulled him toward her again, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"I've missed you, I missed you so much. I was so worried, I –" He began to cry then, his words interrupted by his sobs. "I couldn't stop thinking about what I would do if…" She silenced him with a gentle kiss on the lips, tears streaming down her own face.

"Shh, shh now." She pulled her face away from his to look him in the eye, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." They smiled at one another, eyelids heavy with fatigue. She gently wiped away his tears with her thumb, letting her hand linger on the side of his face, cupping his cheek. "How could I when everything I could possibly want is right here?" She laced her fingers through his, his hand still resting on the warm bundle of their daughter. Both were reassured by the solid presence of the other's hand in their own, Tom began to play with Sybil's wedding band, twisting it round her finger and wondering how it had ever seemed right, to look at her hand and not see it there.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door; Tom coughed, clearing his throat before calling for them to come in. Anna entered the room quietly, a dinner tray in her hand. Tom looked up at her and then down to Sybil, Anna's eyes followed his.

"Lady Sybil," She smiled at them both, placing the tray on the dressing table. "You're awake, I'm so glad."

Sybil smiled at her, "Oh Anna – you've no idea. I feel so much better than these last few days, so much better." She reached out her hand to take Anna's and squeezed it. "Thank you, Anna, for taking care of me –" She glanced at Tom and then Lillie, " – care of all of us."

"It's my pleasure, my Lady. I'm so happy to see you looking well. Do you need anything? Anything at all?"

Sybil shook her head, "Not for now, thank you though."

Tom stroked a piece hair away from Sybil's face, barely taking his eyes off her, as if he was concerned that if he did she would fall again into her fitful slumber. Anna looked away – feeling again as if she were intruding upon an intimacy between the two of them she should not see. "I'll wait a little while before telling anyone that you've woken, to give you some time alone – the three of you."

And then she left them, in the aura of their own happiness – not to be spoilt for a while by the presence of others.

A chapter of mega fluff, perhaps not my best – but at least Sybil is alright! Thank you for all of those sticking with this story – all the alerts and reviews keep me writing! I've no doubt I'll be back to doing this more fervently as soon as series 3 starts and Downton fever hits again! Thank you everyone. LP. x