A/N: I typically hate showers, but some baby ones can be fun, and this was quite a joy to "plan" for my Elsie. As always, my thanks go out to brenna-louise for her beta work, and to her and Hogwarts Duo for some decoration inspiration. Also, the end of the chapter brings a special visitor to the Carson household. I'm not sure if such a visitor is familiar outside of the US, but please feel free to look it up online.

Minor note: I just wanted to remind you all that the Sybil in this fic is not a Crawley. Some were confused by that earlier; she's just a very sweet nurse that Tom Branson has fallen madly in love with.

I'm going to be away for the next week and a half. If I have a chance to update, I will; if not, I'll do so as soon as I get back. "I promise." :)

xx


December 5, 2015

"I can't believe this," Charles grumbled, peering out the window of the study-turned-library. Angry waves were crashing up onto the shore, the foam spreading like a harbinger of the snow that was on its way. "I thought it would hold off until next week."

"Don't fuss," Elsie said gently. She reached into the box he'd just placed on the table for her and placed a kiss of thanks to his shoulder. She peeled off the tape and reached inside, grabbed a handful of books, and proceeded to place them on a shelf.

"You're not going to arrange those sensibly, are you?" he groused.

"I'm arranging them sensibly according to my idea of sensible," she chuckled. "And don't you start. We agreed weeks ago that we could organize our own sections however we pleased."

"Hmph," came his reply, and he blew the curl off of his forehead as he hefted another box from the floor and placed it on his desk.

"Be careful, you," Elsie warned over her shoulder. "I don't need you on the floor beside those boxes."

"That's good, because I'm not sure my back would allow it," he mumbled teasingly, and she laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" Tommy asked as he rounded the corner. He was carrying his own box of books, which he bent to place on the floor.

Elsie turned back to her shelf so that he wouldn't see her blush. "Just Charles being daft, as usual," she managed.

"Uh-huh." Tommy rolled his eyes and quickly emptied his box, having organized the books alphabetically by author and, subsequently, by title.

"Perfect," Charles praised, clapping him on the shoulder. "Just as they should be organized."

Tommy peeked around Elsie and looked incredulously at her seemingly haphazard array of book spines. He looked at Charles, who was just shaking his head, a silent I know! on his face.

"You … You've arranged those by size?" Tommy asked.

"And if I did?" She turned and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"But- Ah, never mind. They look great," Tommy said quickly. "I'm going to bring Max for a walk before we head out."

"Thank you," Elsie smiled. "And remind Daisy that we have to leave soon, please."

"Will do!"

Elsie shelved her last book and moved up behind Charles, wrapping her arms around his middle as best she could.

"I can barely reach now," she laughed. "I'm not sure how much bigger this baby can get!"

He turned slowly and drew her up to his side, dropping a kiss to her head. "Plenty."

"Wait … Just how big were you when you were born?"

"Erm … almost five," he said guiltily.

"Kilos? But that's …" She gulped.

"Big. Yes, I know. Um, I'm sorry?"

"Right." Elsie placed her hands on her abdomen and spoke to the baby. "The moment those lungs are developed, you're getting the hell out of there. Deal?"

The baby shifted and placed a swift kick to Elsie's right palm.


Cheers and applause greeted Elsie as she and Daisy made their way into The Cheeky Devil. Elsie turned to shut the door, smiling as she spotted the hand-made sign that Daisy had prepared, which simply stated: Closed for private function.

"Oh, my!" she gasped. "This is incredible!"

The restaurant had been completely transformed for Elsie's baby shower. The theme, chosen by Beryl, Becky, and Daisy, was children's literature. As Elsie scanned the room, she spotted huge cut-outs of characters from everyone's favorite children's books: Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore by the kitchen, a Cat in the Hat by the entryway, Skippyjon Jones over by the window, Miss Rumphius kneeling in a field of lupine on the back wall.

And, on the other side of the kitchen from the Pooh crew, she spied an enormous Giving Tree. It was set up next to the gift table so that the leaves - all of which had been individually cut out from green paper - were hanging down over it.

"Everyone's been asked to bring a book for the baby," Becky was explaining as Elsie reached out and fingered a leaf. Becky demonstrated the purpose of the tree by reaching up and removing a leaf; she taped it onto the wrapped package she had under her arm, wrote a short message on it, and placed the bundle in the large basket on the floor by the table. "Hopefully everyone brings something different," she added, a serious look about her face. "Otherwise, Baby will have two of some things!"

"Becky, this is remarkable," Elsie managed. "Truly. Does Charles know about this?"

"He does," came her husband's voice from somewhere behind her. Elsie whipped around and faced him.

"You were going home, you said!" she accused lightly. "You lied to me!"

His booming laugh made everyone around them smile. "Look around, love," he coaxed, and she did - and finally noticed that almost half of the room's occupants were male.

"Jack and Jill," Beryl said with a smile. "The general consensus was that no one was missing a chance to celebrate this baby." She moved over to her friend and wrapped her in a hug, placing a kiss to her cheek. "And don't you go getting all emotional now, Missy," she whispered. "Because there's lots more to come."

"But where's Tommy?" Elsie asked suddenly. "He was in the car with us."

"Ah. He's running a little errand with Bill; they'll be back in a jiffy, though."

"Alright." Elsie peered over at the food table, a look of sheer happiness coming over her face. "Oh, Beryl, you didn't."

"Well, you've been craving it like nobody's business," she smirked. "Have at 'em. No one's been allowed near the table - pregnant ladies first, don't you know?"

Elise didn't have to be told twice; she grabbed a plate and filled it with ham salad rolls - four, to be exact. She added a spoonful of salad for good measure and then turned to face the crowd.

"Alright, the rest of you may now approach the ham rolls. It's safe! Just … you know … don't eat them all."

With light laughter and loving smiles, everyone lined up at the buffet, filling their own plates with the delectable selections that Beryl had provided.

"There's enough there to feed an army," Charles muttered as he joined his wife at the head table.

"Yes, or your wife," Edith murmured around a bite of sandwich. "And don't knock it, either. It's thanks to Beryl that you'll be eating like a king once this baby is born."

"Oh, don't I know it," he replied gratefully, already eyeing the cake at the opposite end of the table. "The woman just keeps filling our freezer, and I'm not complaining one bit."

As everyone else sat to eat, Elsie saw Tommy and Bill slip in the door with what looked like a box of … copy paper? Tommy set it on the gift table and joined Bill at the buffet. He filled a plate with assorted goodies, but then he saw Elsie looking at him just so. He headed back to add a few vegetables and a piece of fruit to his plate. She nodded her thanks and watched as Tommy moved to sit with Mary, engaging her in some kind of conversation.

Elsie knew that Mary had gone to dinner with Evelyn Napier the other night, the two of them having hit it off at some point during the piano moving day. Evelyn had stopped by the new house with a copy of some paperwork for Charles, and Mary happened to have come along with the piano movers in order to bring some boxes that Charles had left in her attic. Tommy had been rather intrigued by the exchange that had taken place between his aunt and the realtor, and Elsie smiled now as she imagined the third degree that Tommy was likely giving Mary about the first date.

"What are you smiling about?" Charles said quietly. "Oh, wait … I see." He shook his head. "Poor Mary."

"Ha!" Elsie laughed, wiping the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "Indeed. I'd say that our son is following in his father's footsteps, keeping an eye on the 'blessed lady Mary.'"

Charles turned and saw the mischief in her eyes, noting there was not a trace of malice in her words, and he was momentarily distracted by the absolute brilliance of her blue irises, so much brighter than the color often was.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked suddenly.

"I'm feeling marvelous, actually," she reassured him, tucking into her third roll.

He chuckled, then turned his attention back to his own plate.

"Hey!" he yelled as Elsie snuck her hand over and stole something off his plate.

"Hm?" she asked playfully, already crunching down on the crisp she'd popped into her mouth. "May I help you?"

He laughed, drawing her into an awkward embrace at the table.

"I know, I know," he sighed dramatically. And then, making air quotes with his fingers, he added, "It's 'for the baby.'"

"You've got it," she agreed.


"Alright! Everybody, listen up!" Becky shouted, and the hum of conversation quieted down immediately. "Tommy's got an activity for you all, and he's going to explain it. Did everyone get a pen when they came in?"

Everyone nodded except Violet, who emitted a rather loud, "Wait - there were pens? What on earth do I need a pen for?"

Beryl bit her lip to keep from laughing and brought one over. She smiled at everyone at Violet's table, and noticed Robert's slight embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it," Beryl murmured as she passed him. Dear man, she thought. And a saint to put up with a mother like that. Still, the woman did insist that they all be here for the shower and the birth, so she can't be all that bad …

"Okay, then!" Tommy's voice interrupted Beryl's thoughts. "Here's what we're doing. We were all at home a few weeks ago and talking about our wishes for this baby. Daisy and I thought it would be fun if you all had a chance to do that, too. Mr. Mason's handing you all a paper. Your job is to complete the sentences on each page. As we go through the rest of the food, the gifts, and the other activities, just write stuff down as you think of it. Please," he added quickly after receiving a nudge from Daisy's elbow. "We'll collect them at the end of it all and give them to Charles and Elsie to save."

A murmur filled the room and Daisy and Thomas picked up on a few people's voices as they read aloud from the sheet …

"Aw, how sweet."

"I hope you love ... I swear I'm going to write 'cake' in there," Beryl teased, already filling in another space.

"I hope you aren't afraid of ..." John read. He glanced at Anna and smiled, and she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I hope you never forget ..."

Pens scratched as people filled in the first things that came to mind; Tommy looked at Daisy and smirked, and she nodded happily.

Perfect, she mouthed to him, and he nodded back.

Charles saw the exchange, but said nothing. He just sat and thought of how very, very lucky they were that both Tommy and Daisy were excited about this baby.


"Come on, Mummy," Becky said, holding her hand out to Elsie and helping her to stand up from the table. "Time to open gifts!"

A brief round of applause was heard as Elsie deposited herself into the comfortable chair set by the gift table.

"This is all too much," she said, her voice thick with emotion and gratitude. "Robert, Cora, Violet - I can't believe you're here! And the rest of you! I think half of Misty Cove is in this restaurant!"

"As usual for a Saturday!" Tom Branson called from the back of the room, and ripple of laughter made its way through the guests.

"True!" Elsie laughed.

"Okay, Sis," Becky said softly in her ear. "You're going to open the gifts, and we'll have Charlie boy do the books." She motioned for Charles to take the other chair opposite the table from Elsie, and he did as he was asked. "You can alternate, and then it'll go more quickly."

"One would think this is your party," Elsie smiled, patting Becky's cheek gently. "Thank you so much, my darling."

"You're welcome. We had loads of help," Becky said, handing her the first gift.

"It's from Fiona, Anna, and John," Elsie announced, setting the card aside and reaching into the gift bag. She felt something soft and pulled out an afghan, tightly knitted in the soft blues and tans of the seashore-themed nursery. "Oh, this is gorgeous."

"Fiona made it," Anna said. "She's so sorry she couldn't be here today. She's holding down the fort at the Tree Farm."

"That's quite alright," Elsie reassured. She spotted something else in the bag and pulled out a gift card.

"And that's from us," John said. "We figured you'll get well stocked up on stuff today, but come three months from now there'll be other things you'll need."

"Indeed. Thank you both so much." Elsie shared a loving glance with Anna, whom she was happy to see was all smiles. Elsie's pregnancy hadn't always been easy for Anna to face, but she'd done so admirably.

Charles pulled a book from the basket and peeled away the paper. "Ohhh," he murmured to Elsie, who was simply melting at the tenderness on her husband's face. "I know who this is from." He flipped over the green-leaf tag and read it aloud.

"To Baby Carson," he read. "An old favourite, which your Papa is sure to read to you countless times as you drift off to sleep to the sound of his soothing voice." His voice caught as he pried open the cover of Where the Wild Things Are and read the inscription in a lower voice, in words that only Elsie could make out, "I already love you so, little one."

He glanced up at Mary, who smiled fondly at him and gave the briefest nod, a gesture which he returned in kind, his heart filled with love.

The remainder of the shower was spent much the same, with Elsie and Charles doing their best to maintain a quick but respectful speed of opening gifts and thanking people. Ooohs and ahhhs abounded as they piled up an assortment of onesies, bottles, bedding, medical necessities, and more. When gift opening was over, Charles took Elsie's hand and led her through all the tables, memories of their wedding in their minds as they circulated around the large room, kissing and hugging and thanking everyone for their thoughtfulness. The cake was cut and served, and in another hour the last of the guests had gone; aside from the Carsons and Masons, only Tom had remained. He was helping Tommy to load the last of the gifts into the Volvo, and no one noticed his wink or Tommy's responding smirk.

"It's much too late to cook anything now," Beryl was saying. "Let's all just go out, shall we?"

"Elsie?" Charles looked to his wife, deferring to her wishes. He felt that it had been a long day, so he couldn't imagine how tired Elsie must be.

"I agree," she sighed. "But I believe that the hotel has a function tonight, so we can't go there."

"Well, are any of us really that hungry just now?" Beryl asked. She peered outside. "The snow should hold off until tomorrow. Why not take a ride into Portland?"

"Sure. Let me tell the kids." Elsie went off to do that, and Charles and Bill decided where to go. Beryl found Tom and Tommy over by the door and gave them a thumbs-up behind her back.

"All good," Tommy murmured, and Tom headed over to get his coat.

"I'll be going, then," he said, kissing Elsie on the cheek as she came over.

"Thank you so much for everything," Elsie said warmly. "I'll see you next week for dinner."

"Will do. Sybil will be thrilled; she really likes you. Thanks for the invite, and be sure to let us know what to bring."

"We will."

They watched him leave, and Charles squeezed Elsie's hand in his. "How are you really?" he asked.

"Tired and a bit hungry," she replied immediately. "So, the usual."

He chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders. They corralled the kids into the Volvo and the Masons' minivan, and off they headed for dinner in Portland.


"They're coming!"

Robert's frantic look earned a laugh from Cora, who was standing in the middle of the nursery and admiring her handiwork.

"Oh, Cora. It's absolutely lovely," he added in a softer voice, coming up behind his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist. "And they don't suspect a thing. Shall we hang the picture?"

Cora nodded, and they measured and hung a rather large frame on the wall opposite where the crib would go.

She turned to kiss him. "Perfect. And they've just left the restaurant?"

"They have, so we have to be going very soon."

"Don't fret, darling," she said, patting his chest. "According to Mary, we should still have at least fifteen minutes based upon where we are in relation to Portland."

"I know. Here, I'll help you clean up the last of it, and we can be out in ten. With any luck, we won't even pass them on the road."

"I just have one more thing," Cora said, placing a smaller frame atop the dresser. "There - perfect. They'll see it just as they come in, or soon after."

They loaded up the car and Cora took Robert's hand as they pulled out of the driveway; she lifted his fingers and kissed his knuckles.

"I'm so very happy for them," she whispered. "Who'd ever have thought Charles would be having another baby?"

"After seeing them at our place last February, I can't believe you're actually surprised!"

Cora laughed with him, but then Robert turned pensive rather quickly.

"I do know what you mean, though. Who ever would have thought we'd see Charles this happy? No doubt about it; he deserves every bit of it, and more."

"Agreed." Cora leaned over and wrapped her arms around Robert's, resting her head on his shoulder as he drove away down the lamp-lit street. "And from what I've been able to gather, he's the best thing that's ever happened to Elsie."


Charles pulled up to the front of their house, parking the car in the crescent driveway instead of in the garage.

"Easier to unload from here," he explained unnecessarily, and he moved over to Elsie's side of the car to help her get out before making his way to the back, where the children were already unloading gifts.

"There's a lot of stuff here," Daisy commented. She took three gift bags and a stuffed animal and headed in. Tommy and Charles carried the larger boxes, which contained the car seats, high chair, and the like. Elsie wasn't allowed to do anything except go in and relax, but she headed into the nursery and flipped the switch, thinking Charles might just let her dictate where things were to be placed if she sat in the nursing chair and put her feet up.

"Oh, my God," she whispered, her hands half-covering her face as she stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. She was vaguely aware of the sound of everyone bustling about in the hallway, but she stood glued to the spot.

"Elsie?" Charles called down the hall. "Where are you?"

She was having trouble speaking, but she knew he'd find her; after a moment, she heard his footsteps directly behind her in the nursery. She turned to meet his gaze, tears spilling from her eyes.

"It's perfect," she said. "Thank you so much. I don't know how you did it, Charlie, but- "

"Elsie, I have no idea how this got here." He was dumbfounded, and saw her brow furrow. "What on earth ...?"

"But if you didn't do this, then who …?"

"Do you like it?" Daisy asked from the doorway.

Elsie and Charles turned to see her and Tommy looking in; Charles held out his hand and Daisy took it.

"Did you two do all of this?" Charles asked incredulously.

"And now how could we have done this?" Tommy asked with a smirk. "We were with you the entire day!"

Elsie opened her mouth to say something, but then promptly shut it.

"But you knew," Charles managed. "So how did this get here?"

"Know any artists?" Tommy asked, his teenage attitude peeking through a bit.

Elsie gasped. "No way. Cora did this?"

Daisy beamed, nodding as she looked up at her father. "We called her from the Masons' place a couple of weeks ago. We knew Auntie Cora would be here for the shower and asked if she'd do it. And it is Auntie Cora, so of course she said yes."

"The whole thing was Aunt Becky's idea," Tommy added, and Elsie's face softened even more. "Take a closer look."

Elsie returned her gaze to the tops of the walls. There, written around the entire perimeter of the room, were a variety of quotes that guests had written down just that afternoon at the baby shower.

I hope that you always know love. I hope that you aren't afraid to spread your wings and fly. I hope you love horses! I hope you get big and strong. I hope you laugh every day. I hope you never forget how much we love you. I hope you become whatever you want to be …

The list went on, two rows intertwined, seemingly with no beginning or end.

"Elsie," Charles said, "look." He pointed to the bureau, and Elsie took the frame from it. Under the glass were a few of the cut-apart pieces from the activity sheets that Tommy had handed out, quotes that had been chosen for the nursery wall, ones that Elsie somehow knew were from members of the family.

"That one's Violet's," Charles said, pointing to one. "I'd know her writing anywhere."

"Tommy?" Elsie asked, looking up at him. "This one's yours, isn't it?"

Tommy peered over her shoulder and saw I hope you laugh every day. "Yeah, that's mine."

"Guess which is mine?" Daisy asked, and she was puzzled when everyone laughed.

"Charlie," Elsie whispered. "Turn around." She started to cry in earnest, and he turned around to see what had caught her attention.

On the wall behind them was an enormous photograph, framed, of a scene at the farm. It showed Daisy riding Scarlett, with Elsie standing a bit back from the fence and Tommy standing by her side, their backs to the camera, Elsie's arm draped around his shoulders. Charles was standing opposite them on the other side of the paddock, watching his girl as she rode around.

"Tom Branson, that devil," Elsie said, her voice muffled by a sob. "I can't believe this is all real, Charlie."

"When was that taken? Last month?"

Elsie nodded. "He took it just before leaving after lunch that day. Said something about wanting to show Sybil what the farm was like."

"He showed the photo to us that day as well, as he was leaving," Tommy said. "He asked if you'd want a copy of it, and we said yes."

"But how did it get here?" Charles said.

But Elsie was beginning to piece it all together. "You sneaky children," she laughed, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. "You and Beryl and Auntie Becky planned the entire shower, Daisy. You must have mentioned the photograph, and your aunt came up with the idea to put the wishes from the shower on the wall. Then you corralled Auntie Cora into helping."

"Well, that bit was Mrs. Mason's idea," Tommy said. "She had us call Aunt Cora and we worked out the details. She said she'd need you out of the house for a couple of of hours."

"And so dinner plans were made," Charles nodded. "By Beryl Mason."

"But how did they get in?" Elsie asked.

Charles smiled, realization fully setting in. "Because we'd given Mary a spare key in case of emergency," he said simply, looking at his wife once more. "She must have passed it to them at some point."

"And Mr. Branson slid the picture into their car when you were opening your gifts," Daisy said, her voice full of glee.

"You do like it, don't you?" Tommy asked.

"Like it?" Elsie managed. "Oh, my darling boy. It's perfect."

"Good."

Elsie took another look around the nursery. She ran her hand over the sleigh crib, and then the dresser with the topper that had been sewn by Phyllis and given to Elsie last month, its fabric a pale blue to match the bedding. She pulled the blanket from the bag the Bateses had given them and folded it over the side of the crib, then brushed her fingers over the sea-themed mobile; the starfish, sea otter, seahorse, and octopus seemed to smile back at her.

She turned and took in the pale beige of the walls and the way Cora had done all of the text stenciling in a darker blue that matched the color of the Maine sea in winter. And she marveled at how, somehow, the photo from the farm fit right in with it all.

The kids headed down to their rooms and Elsie felt Charles wrap her up in his arms. He maneuvered them backward a bit, sitting in the armchair by the crib and pulling Elsie into his lap. It was a bit awkward with her belly, but he made it work by simply facing her away from him. He nuzzled her neck, and she tilted to the side to help him reach.

"We can't," she said, but she felt him shake his head.

"No, I know," he replied. "I just need to hold you for a minute. I'm a bit overwhelmed right now."

Elsie leaned back and felt him snuggle closer to her, resting his hands next to hers so that, together, they covered where their baby rested.

"Do you think he or she knows how much love is in this room right now?" he whispered.

"I hope so."

Just then, Daisy squealed. They heard her footsteps pounding up the staircase, and she skidded to a halt just after passing the nursery door, doubling back and barreling into the room.

"Look! Look what Santa sent to me!"

"Sorry?" Charles asked, looking around Elsie's shoulder.

But Elsie had started shaking, and Charles realized instantly that she was laughing about something.

"How wonderful, Daisy! You'll have to think of a name for him. Or her," she added quickly.

"For whom, exactly?" Charles asked.

Daisy rolled her eyes.

"Papa, didn't you see? Look!"

She thrust the box out for him to see, and he read the words aloud.

"The Elf on the Shelf? What on earth is that?"

"It's an elf, Papa," Daisy explained patiently. "And he lives in the house, and he's magic. And every night he goes to Santa to report how we're behaving, and returns before we wake up. But you know he's gone because he's never in the same spot more than once." She scrunched up her brow a bit. "Marigold's caused a bit of trouble last year, though, so I hope this one is good."

She examined her elf - contained within the box in a rather odd way, Charles thought - and Charles asked, "What do you mean, 'trouble'?"

"Oh, he was hanging from the ceiling fan one day, and he spread toilet paper all over her bathroom another day."

"Erm," Charles began, but Elsie laid her hand over his.

"Why don't you go give it a name," Elsie said. "And read the book. I bet it says how best to care for your new friend."

"Okay," Daisy said, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she examined the elf again. "I think it's a girl."

"Excellent. We'll be down in a minute."

Daisy did as she was told, clutching the box to her chest as she returned to her room.

"Elsie? What have you done?"

"Me? Oh, no, Charlie. This was not my doing."

"But … But you knew what it was!"

"That doesn't mean that I bought it!" she insisted in a frantic whisper. "Oh, no. That little gift is from someone else."

And then, with something akin to amusement in her eyes and fear in his, they both spoke simultaneously.

"Robert."


Please leave a little review if you are so inclined - they've kept me going so far and I love hearing what you all think! Much love to you all. xxx

CSotA