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A/N: Thank you to MH96, Guest, granthamfan and MelodyofSong526 for reviewing.

Cora had suffered restless nights ever since learning her daughter was being hunted as an arsonist's accomplice, and ever since Tom had appeared wet and bedraggled on the doorstep of Downton Abbey, she had not had a moment's sleep for worry about her child, alone and hidden in the midst of a strange country, carrying a child of her own that was due to be born in just a few weeks.

She had always prided herself on being able to hold her temper and voice her opinions with the grace of a lady, as she had been taught to do in childhood and had taught her daughters to do in turn, yet when Tom had told her of what he had done, she had snapped. By the time Robert had been able to calm her, her voice had been close to a shriek. It had been years since she had been so severely rattled, but it was the thought of her daughter in danger that had pushed her over the edge.

Later, when she had calmed a little, she regretted the way she had behaved toward her son-in-law, although she did not go as far as to apologise to the man. While she regretted the way she had voiced her grievances, she did not believe them any less valid now than they had been when she had spoken them. Tom should have known better, and Sybil, even now, was still in danger.

It had been early in the morning when Cora had awoken to the bustling of servants outside on the landing. It was a sound that she had become accustomed to sleeping through many years ago, but in recent times, while the struggles in Ireland were threatening the life of the house's youngest daughter, they had become almost silent. Now, they were busy once more, chattering and laughing; they were happy. Cora wished she could feel the same.

Having awoken, the countess decided she would make her way downstairs to breakfast with Robert and the girls, not wanting to be alone in waking hours, hoping her thoughts would once again be overwhelmed by the talk at the table. However, as she dressed and made her way downstairs, the volume of the chatter increased, buzzing more and more excitedly the closer she got to the entrance hall.

Then Cora saw why.

There was a small trunk placed on the floor beside the open door, faded and scratched, nothing as pristine as anything the family would have owned. And yet, it had originally been as pristine as theirs, for it belonged to one of them. But it was not the trunk that caused the weight to lift from her shoulders, so much as the young woman stood beside it.

Cora began to run down the staircase, barely taking note of where she was placing her feet as she moved down the steps. She could hardly see the servants bustling around, nor hear the insistent barking of Robert's dog, Isis, in the distance. All she cared about was her little girl, who had seen her now and was running towards her.

It was only a second before they were wrapped in each other's arms, holding on for dear life as if by separating themselves they would be hundreds of miles away all over again. Cora had not cradled her youngest daughter in this way since she was just a child, but Sybil offered no complaints, clinging just as tightly to her mother, if not more so. Tears were streaming down their faces, tears of shock, of relief and of utter joy.

"Oh, Mama." Sybil cried, her voice muffled by the fabric of the countess' dress. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Ssh." Cora soothed, holding her daughter even closer, though she had not thought that were possible. "It's alright, darling, it's alright. You're here. You're home. You're safe. You're safe."

It took a long while before they finally found the courage to break apart, but even once they did, they did not step even a pace backwards, unwilling to be even that far apart after being separated for so long by the Irish Sea. Both their faces were stained with tears and Sybil had one hand tightly clasped in her mother's, while the other had drifted to her bulging abdomen. In all the relief and confusion, Cora had almost forgotten about her unborn grandchild.

"What happened, Sybil?" the countess asked, resting her hand on her daughter's cheek. She could feel the tears wetting her palm.

"It wasn't his fault, Mama, I swear." the young woman began, her voice far stronger than her mother remembered. She had grown up a great deal in the time they had been apart; trapped in such a dangerous world, she had had to. "Tom was involved in the plans, but he never thought it would go so far. He feels incredibly guilty about the fire, Mama, and he wishes it never had happened."

"I'm sure we all feel that way." Cora replied, a little bitterly. She still had not forgiven her son-in-law for leaving his pregnant wife alone in a foreign country, but then again, she did not know if she ever truly would. Nonetheless, she tried to plaster a smile onto her face. "Still, you're both here now, safe. That's all that matters."

"I'm sorry." Sybil whispered, her eyes suddenly downcast. She was rubbing absent-minded circles on her stomach, something Cora had always done when she'd carried her girls.

"For what?" Cora asked.

"Well, I can see that you haven't been sleeping for a while, and that you've been upset." she elaborated, making a vague gesture in the direction of her mother's red-rimmed eyes and the shadows beneath them. "I'm sure that was because of me. And so, I'm sorry that you had to go through so much pain worrying for me."

"Sybil, I will worry for you, and for Mary and for Edith, every day until the day I die." Cora explained, wrapping her arms around her daughter once again. "That is what a mother does, something you'll know soon enough."

Locked in the warmth of their embrace, the two women did not notice the cold wind blowing through Downton. Things were changing and soon enough, they would never be the same again.

A/N: There's only a couple of chapters left now, for obvious reasons. Please review!