A/N: Four months after it all began, here it is - the Forgotten Body's last chapter! Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed this story, stuck with me since May. Can you believe that? I hope you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. As usual, I have a lot to say and a lot of people to thank, but I will post a separate Author's Note so as not to take up pages and pages of this chapter with stuff that's not directly related to the end of the story. I would encourage you to read the AN, though, as it will include some answers and other potentially interesting info!

CHAPTER XXVI

Here In Your Arms

December; New Year's Eve

The midnight was slowly approaching and the Crawley home was filled with peaceful silence, but also with a lot of underlying suspense and excitement flowing through the air.

To Cora's pleasant surprise, she didn't even need a nanny to take care of her son when she couldn't. Everyone gladly offered to pitch in and take care of the little one when Cora needed a break, but another surprise was that William was a very calm baby. He didn't cry until it was really necessary.

Cora spent the bulk of her first days with her son just admiring him. As the years had passed by Cora had forgetten how it felt to be a mother again. Each of the girls had grown up and had their own life. Cora didn't need to monitor them twenty four hours a day, so being a mother to a newborn baby again turned her life upside down. She was still struggling to accept the fact that he was hers. Will was a puzzle and a miracle to all of them. He had come out of nowhere and changed their lives just like that.

All the time spent with Will brought a series of haunting questions to her mind. What would've happened if she had lost him? What would've happened with Jane and Robert? In which direction would their story have gone? What would've happened with their marriage? Would Robert ever have realised that what he had done was wrong?

So many questions and answers, but almost all of them disappeared into thin air when this tiny human being was born.

Cora was sitting in the drawing room with the rest of her family. They still had left about six hours left until midnight.

She turned her head and gazed at the sofa. The picture she saw there was so heartwarming and precious, it brought a huge smile to her face. Sybil was carefully holding her little brother, accompanied by Martha and Violet on either side.

Cora was feeling proud, confident, brave and truly happy after all these years. After struggling to keep him all these months she had finally achieved her desire and gave Robert a son and an heir to Downton. The little boy also brought the softer and nicer side out of Violet. She had shown a new personality ever since he was born, and when she thought no one was looking she was the sweetest and most patient with her grandchild.

Cora also remembered Sybil meeting her brother for the first time. When she found out that she was finally an older sister, she practically burst of happiness. "You all should listen me more often." Cora recalled Sybil proudly commenting while looking lovingly at her baby brother. Of course that would be the first thing Sybil said.

"Careful, Sybil darling." Martha worriedly said, protectively watching over her new grandchild. "You can't hold him like this." She fixed Sybil's arm a little bit to make the baby more comfortable in her hands.

William's bright blue eyes were fixed on Sybil as he closely looked at her. He was amused by all the new faces and different voices around him. He carefully looked at her lips while they were moving as she talked. That truly fascinated him. Her voice was like velvet and a perfect melody to fall asleep to. He was trying to stay awake, he really was, but it was impossible because of her soft voice. Will loved when she sang to him, her voice was so soothing, just like his mother's.

"I know how to hold him." Sybil confidently said, gently tickling his nose with her fingers. He instantly wrinkled it and sneezed sweetly. Sybil loved doing that to him, teasing him softly. This was the first time Sybil could spend so much of her free time with a baby, and she loved it because he was so entertaining and adorable.

"Little Levinson. He looks just like Cora..." Martha commented aloud and her eyes softened with overwhelming emotions. Martha's heart ached again at the thought of leaving him in England, but she managed to smile optimistically. It was far nicer to focus on the beautiful present than the unavoidable, distressing future.

Violet froze at her last sentence and her eyes widened in disbelief at Martha's words. Levinson? Dear Lord, what's next...

Mary, Rosamund and Cora exchanged amused looks, knowing what was happening and what Violet was thinking. All three of them were fighting hard to avoid bursting into laughter. Violet's facial expressions were just priceless. She was always so conservative. It was a show to have Violet and Martha in the same room together. Those two always promised good entertainment.

"Little American." Martha spoke up again and her lovely voice echoed through the room and reached Violet's ears.

American? Her face turned white and she inhaled deeply."Good God, have mercy." Violet murmured to herself as she took as sip of cold water, and for the first time in her life she wished that instead of water there was something stronger.

Mary, Rosamund and Cora couldn't help but laugh softly at Violet's performance. She was a grown woman acting in a childish way.

The minutes flew by when Will was entertaining all of them. In the past few days the laughter and happiness were the only things that weren't lack in the Crawley home. He was an unimaginable joy to everyone.

"Time for a nap." Martha tenderly cradled her grandchild and exited the room. She loved spending time with him. It brought her so much happiness, and she didn't look forward to going back to America. It would be very hard to say goodbye to such a lovely baby. She was going to miss him terribly.

"Finally, she stopped..." Violet muttered, looking at the closed doors. They sat in silence until Violet spoke once again. "So..." She raised her eyebrows. "Since the baby is born earlier, does that mean that Martha will also go back to America earlier?"

To Violet's surprise, her comment didn't receive any annoyed looks or unwanted retorts. On the contrary, everyone shared a laugh and Violet uncomfortably rolled her eyes.

In the calmness of William's nursery Cora silently stood beside his crib and gazed at her precious angel. She caressed his rosy chubby cheeks with the back of her hand and played with his little fingers while he soundly slept. It was one of her favourite habits. She had done that with the girls too, how could she possibly resist it?

Cora remembered the first few weeks of her last pregnancy. She was scared and she didn't want to get attached to the baby at the first place, being utterly frightened that something bad might happened. And Robert wasn't there, she was alone and on her own. Cora didn't know that she could love somebody that much again after miscarrying her son. She thought it would be impossible.

She recalled a memory from a few months ago. Cora was deathly afraid of baths after her horrible experience, and she was even more reluctant to bathe when she had been pregnant with Will. Cora remembered and instance when she had been lying in the cooled water, refusing to get out of the bathtub. O'Brien tried to convince her that everything would be fine, but she didn't listen. At the end Sarah had to call Robert to assure his wife that nothing bad would happen to her or the baby. Robert slowly gave her support and courage to carefully step out. He even put his suit jacket onto the floor so Cora could step on it without fear of slipping.

Cora carefully examined each of her baby's fragile fingers. They were so little, and his tiny nails were just so adorable. Indeed, he was her fighter. For somebody so little, he had already gone through a lot of things. Cora just wanted to snuggle with him and play with him, and do all the things she missed with her daughters grown.

Hearing the door slowly opening, Cora turned her head.

"Cora..." Robert's velvet voice whispered, not wanting to wake up the little one. "We have to start getting ready."

"I know." Cora replied, though she made no effort to move. Instead she focused her attention on her son and continued to lovingly gaze at him.

Robert warmly smiled at the sight. He knew exactly how she was feeling and what she was thinking. His wife was so fascinated by that little life, she just couldn't separate from him. He was sure that if she could, Cora would stay in Will's room the whole day, just to look at his pure face. Every free minute Cora had, she spent with her son. The little one brought so much joy and happiness into their lives.

Robert took a few steps towards her. He wrapped his arms around his wife, resting his chin gently on Cora's shoulder.

"He's so perfect, Robert. I can't stop looking at him, I physically can't. It's impossible." Cora lovingly whispered while Robert's arms embraced her even tighter.

Robert slowly tilted his head to kiss Cora lightly on the cheek. "Unfortunately, you're going to have to though, because our guests will be here soon, and then the rest of the family will come and we have to keep them entertained until midnight."

Cora disappointedly sighed at Robert's sentence. That was the worst punishment possible to her; being separated from her baby. If Robert didn't come, she would continue to stare at Will the whole night and probably forgot about the party they were hosting.

Cora gently leaned forward and pressed her soft lips against William's tiny forehead; her hand carefully caressing his dark hair and porcelain skin. She left there the sweetest kiss, promising him that she would come back as soon as possible.

She once again sadly sighed when she felt Robert's arms wandering on her back, giving her a signal to hurry up. Cora turned her head again to catch one last glimpse at the little one while Robert led her out of the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

Their home started to fill with more and more guests, friends and family. It seemed that everyone had a good time joking and gossiping. Once again, Cora didn't fail to make New Year memorable with her party.

Isobel approached the married couple and kissed Cora on the cheek, greeting her warmly. "Where is William?" She curiously asked. Even though she wasn't his grandmother, she had grown quite close with the little charmer. Isobel loved to spend time with him too. She slightly envied Violet and Martha for having such an adorable grandchild.

"He's upstairs... sleeping." Cora answered pointedly. "So we have to try not to be too loud."

Isobel slightly chuckled. "Good luck with that."

Three hours later, six bottles of wine had been emptied. It seemed that the guests had had a great time. Mary and Matthew were talking privately somewhere in the corner of the room. Violet and Isobel were teasing each other as usual. Edith and Martha performed and kept the guests entertained, and Sybil and Rosamund were gossiping and joking with God knows who.

It was five minutes to midnight when Cora decided that it was the optimal time for her to sneak away. She exited the room successfully unnoticed and headed upstairs.

When she opened the door to William's room, she saw a very interesting scene. It seemed that Cora wasn't the only one who had decided it was time to leave the party.

"What are you doing here?" Robert curiously asked, looking up at Cora from the armchair he and William were seated on.

"I could ask you the same question." Cora replied, raising her eyebrows.

"He was crying!" Robert said defensively while he cradled Will in his arms.

"No, he wasn't." Cora snorted and started walking towards them. They looked adorable together. Robert's strong arms were carefully cradling their son with tender care. It was magical. When she reached them Cora squeezed in next to Robert on the armchair.

"Alright, he wasn't..." Robert finally admitted. "But he was awake when I came in, and he looked like he needed a cuddle from papa."

Cora's eyes sparkled at the image of her husband and their son. She nestled her head onto Robert's shoulder, smiling brightly down at William, who curiously looked up at her in response.

"What's the damage down there?" Robert asked softly chuckling, while he rested his head on top of Cora's.

"I'll be surprised if they're all alive in the morning." Cora sarcastically said. "So really, nothing new."

Cora felt Robert smile. She closed her eyes, enjoying Robert's closeness. She was tired. It was hard to get used to this new life with the baby, and all the night shifts they had to balance with their everyday life and obligations. Cora relaxed and was about to fall asleep when Robert gently nudged her.

"Cora, it's midnight." Robert whispered in her ear.

She shook gently, looking up at the clock on William's wall and saw that both hands were on the 12.

"It really is." Cora tiredly smiled. "Happy New Year, Robert."

In response he gave her a warm smile. "Happy New Year, darling, and a happy new life to us."

They smiled softly at each other and their lips came together in an emotionally charged kiss. Cora leaned forward, capturing Robert's upper lip between her own, bringing up a hand to cup his cheek. Robert was warm and his lips tasted like wine. When Cora broke the kiss, Robert leaned his forehead against hers. He looked her straight into her blue eyes. They were bright, round and filled with nothing but true love, and Robert gazed at her with exactly the same look. Between them, Will stirred a little and let out a weak whimper, calling for their attention. Both of them couldn't help but softly giggle.

"I think it's time for bed." Cora carefully took the baby out of Robert's arms and William immediately stopped fussing when she cradled him close to her. He felt safe and secure in her tight embrace.

They stood up and walked towards Will's crib. Cora leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead. "Night, night." She softly whispered as he let out a tiny yawn. Cora placed him in the crib and Robert covered him with the warm blanket. Will was already asleep when they left the room.

"Do we have to go back downstairs?" Cora asked begrudgingly as she closed the door softly behind her.

"Absolutely not, my love." Robert warmly said, and he began planting kisses along Cora's jawline as he guided them down the hall into their bedroom. "I can think of a much better way to ring the New Year."

"I'll toast to that." She said and that was exactly what they did.

Das Ende.

So this is it, sadly. I hope you enjoyed and the ending lived up to your expectations. Leave a review and let me know. That goes double for those of you who normally read and don't review - here's your chance to give me your comments on the entire story all at once. And don't forget to read the Author's Note that will be posted soon as Chapter 27 - it will be including information that may be of interest!