"Mmm, that was wonderful," Thomas said as he licked his lips. "Your talents never cease to amaze me Richard."

"Well I can't take the credit here I'm afraid Thomas, that belongs to Chris. He was the one who baked this, not me." Richard stretched his arms above him and yawned as Thomas pushed a piece of cake into his mouth. He and Thomas had taken advantage of the fair weather they were continuing to have at the beginning of September and the fact that it was a Sunday. Whilst some of the morning was always taken up with the weekly church service that Thomas, as head staff at Downton, was obliged to be present at, the rest of the day was more easy going. Thomas would still be required at Downton though for a time. However, today things were different. The Crawleys had gone out for the rest of the day and apart from the preparation of a large hamper of food and refreshment, the staff were not required at all, not until they returned in the early evening. Thomas had told him when he returned home last night and so they had made a last minute plan of going out for the afternoon themselves.

"I'll have to compliment him the next time I see him." Thomas adjusted his position of slouching lazily against the trunk of an old oak tree that he and Richard had been sitting below for the past few hours, to push himself up a bit. His muscles were getting stiff and it was funny that sitting doing nothing much for a while can be so exhausting. "Doubt we'll see him today though, I guess he and David have plans."

Richard turned onto his side on the checkered picnic rug that had become their home for the late morning and lunchtime. "I reckon they will. If we see them around at all, can we invite them to join us when we go to meet the others later?" Since everyone was free this afternoon, he and Thomas will be meeting with some of the Downton staff later on as well as any others who had been invited along. Thomas had asked if he had wanted to only spend time with him today but Richard didn't mind meeting with the others as well. They were his friends as well as Thomas's and whilst it could never be that they would join them all officially as a couple, unofficially that was exactly what they were to their friends. Spending time in Thomas's company whilst being in the company of others was something Richard enjoyed.

Thomas looked up into the trees as a gust of wind blew through the oak leaves above them. It was a secluded spot away from the road and in a place where they were unlikely to come across anyone on foot. He was aware that the leaves on most of the trees would soon start to lose their green colour and begin to fade into the Autumn colours of yellow and brown, before dropping when Winter sets in. He would miss the colour and the opportunities of spending lazy afternoons outside with Richard. However, Autumn and Winter had their own charms and Spring and Summer would come around again in time. "We could, but maybe it is best we don't? They are still getting to know each other and they need that time alone. We did, didn't we?"

"Yes you're right." Richard smiled fondly at the memories that flashed across his mind. "But I didn't limit myself to only seeing you in private from what I recall?"

Thomas laughed softly as his fingers played with the hem of Richard's shirt that was untucked from his trousers. "No, you kept on turning up unexpectedly and then you sent me into a fluster which I couldn't hate you for because I liked it really."

"But you are right Mr Barrow, we did indeed need our time alone." He looked over his shoulder, and once he was satisfied that no one was around, he leaned over and kissed Thomas gently on the neck and then on his lips. He smiled into their kiss as he remembered one particular memory that still outshone the rest. "I recall a particular moonlit summer's night in a wheat field."

Thomas bit his lip in an attempt to hide his laughter, but his laugh burst out of him uncontrollably. "Oh I still can't believe we did that there! We may have been a bit foolish but I didn't care."

"We should relive the moment sometime?"

"Richard!" Thomas playfully shoved Richard backwards after Richard wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Surely since we have our own home we don't need to risk-"

"-Then there was the barn we found after Daisy and Andy's wedding. I wonder if that is still disused?" Richard teased as he enjoyed the effort Thomas was making to try to remain serious.

"It is," Thomas said quickly. If they carried on talking about all the palces where they have had sex then he figured they would never make it in time to meet up with the others.

"Interesting. You know, after that night the day before last when you treated me, I think I should come up with something to surprise you, don't you think Mr Barrow?" Richard suggested as he tapped his fingers rhythmically in turn on Thomas's hip as he spoke.

"I won't stop you or your imagination." Thomas pulled Richard into him once more. "And I know that you have quite a vivid one at that."

...

"Oh hello Mr Barrow, Mr Ellis," Daisy called out as she waved them over a bit later on in the afternoon. Thomas and Richard had eventually left their spot under the oak tree and had made their way to the top of a sloping field where they were to meet everyone. They made a little detour back home to drop off the picnic basket and rug first though.

"Good afternoon everyone," Richard greeted as he and Thomas sat down on the grass. Since they all had a refreshing amount of time on their hands, it was not such a small gathering. Richard noticed that Mr and Mrs Bates were not present but he didn't expect them to be, they have a family so their Sunday afternoon would most likely be spent together. Daisy was sitting with Andy, Mr Moseley was next to Miss Baxter, Charlotte was to her left. Stephen was next to Charlotte and Daniel opposite him and Mrs Patmore opposite Daisy and Andy. "Quite a gathering we have here isn't it?"

"Well, it is as they say Mr Ellis, when the cat's away..." Mrs Patmore offered him a mug of tea. "Do you want one as well Mr Barrow? We've got plenty to go around."

"That would be nice, thank you," Thomas answered.

"How's your day been so far Mr Barrow?" Miss Baxter asked.

"Surprisingly relaxing. Perhaps we should suggest that they all go away for a picnic without any servants more often?" Thomas suggested only half joking.

"We had ourselves a little picnic lunch Miss Baxter, so excuse us if we are not too hungry," Richard explained further.

"Oh we don't mind Mr Ellis, all the more for us," Daniel pitched in, taking a slice of fruit cake.

"Mr Webster not joining us then?" Mr Moseley enquired. "I was rather hoping to talk to him about some books I'd like to order for the school."

"I think Mr Webster has plans for today Mr Moseley, but we could discuss that tomorrow if you are free to pop into the shop then?" Richard suggested.

"Yes, I should find a moment Mr Ellis."

"How did running the shop go Mr Jones?" Thomas asked Daniel. It felt a bit strange addressing Daniel by his surname and Stephen by his first name, but he was used to addressing Stephen in such a way at Downton so it stuck.

"I rather enjoyed it Mr Barrow. Nice to have a bit of independence and time to myself for a few days." Thomas noticed the glance Daniel sent Stephen. Aside from Stephen and Daniel themselves, only he and Richard knew what that meant. "I could even get used to it."

"Your father isn't thinking of retiring any time soon though is he?" Stephen asked.

"No, but when he does, the shop will be mine if I want it, which I think I will."

"You never thought about moving away?" Charlotte asked.

"I have thought about it of course, lots more opportunities out there right? But I am happy here." Richard saw Daniel look poinginently at Stephen who looked away hiding his smile. "Everything I want is here. No need to push my luck right?"

"Fair enough," Andy agreed.

Daisy shielded her eyes against the afternoon sun as she looked down the sloping field. She spotted two figures walking side by side at the bottom of the field where the gradient levelled out. "Is that Mr Webster?"

"Yeah looks like it," Charlotte and everyone else had looked in the same direction. The sun was high and bright against the pale green of the field and the glare made it hard to see clearly. "Who's that with him?"

"Mr Mortimer I think," Andy answered.

"Oh of course, he and Mr Webster have become friends since he came to Downton haven't they?" Charlotte asked. Thomas and Richard exchanged a glance.

"I think they have. It's nice that Mr Webster has a good friend in him," Phyllis said. She had her own thoughts about whether they were just friends or not but she kept those thoughts to herself.

"We should call them over, invite them to join us?" Charlotte eagerly suggested.

"We could but I think they seem happy enough in their own company. Besides I think they look like they are deep in conversation and we shouldn't interrupt," Richard calmly answered. He knew that the last thing Chris and David wanted right now was an interruption in the form of an invitation they couldn't rightly refuse.

"How would you know that they are talking from here though?" Charlotte looked again at the couple at the bottom of the long field. "Then again, they are standing quite close so I suppose you are right."

"How long do you think we have until we're needed back at Downton Mr Barrow?" Stephen asked. He saw Daniel glance over the top of his cup of tea at him as he asked, a proud gleam in his eye at his tactful change of subject. Mr Barrow gave him a grateful smile as well.

"Probably not until the early evening Stephen, perhaps six. We should be there when they arrive." Thomas saw Chris and David continue on their way. They had stopped in their tracks for a moment and Thomas reckoned they must have heard their voices, though it would be unlikely given the distance between them that they would have heard the exact words.

"Oh yes you lot should. Can't have them being locked out of their own house now could we?" Daniel joked, making the whole group laugh.

...

"Do you think Thomas liked the cake?" Chris asked David as they strolled at a casual pace through the field of pale green grass cut short by the sheep that were grazing in the field a few weeks before. He and David had taken advantage of the so-called 'day of rest'. Chris always had Sunday's free but never did much with them before David came along. David didn't have as much time as Chris though. He had pointed out to Chris that the work of a farmer never stops, and there is always something that needs to be done. That being said, while Mr Tomlinson had gone to church in the morning, Chris had paid David a visit at the farm and after a short conversation about how David was a self confessed novice in the kitchen, he had offered to teach David a few baking skills. The result was a couple of hours of cooking and a lot of clearing up afterwards. However, they had managed to bake something that David had said 'wasn't half bad'. They had baked two cakes, one that they left on Mr Tomlinson's kitchen table with a note to say that they would replace the sugar that they took from his cupboard, and the other they halved between themselves and Richard and Thomas. The remaining time before making a quick lunch was spent cuddling on David's newly acquired armchair. Chris had no complaints at all about the day so far. David had then driven down to the village to give Richard the other half of the cake. David had been having a few lessons with driving the tractor but he had the confidence to drive to the village and back, and since he had arrived back at the farm in one piece, Chris assumed all had gone well.

"I think if we covered it in enough jam then he wouldn't taste the slightly burnt aftertaste? If so then yeah he would have, but I did tell Richard that it was made partly by me so was not up to your usual standards." David spoke light heartily as he flexed his fingers in his pocket, as he was trying to decide whether it was safe to reach for Chris's hand or not. He wanted to.

"You finished the whole jar so yeah I think we used enough. Thomas won't complain about that, he has a sweet tooth. You did well though."

"Well I'll let you do the cooking in the future okay? You're better at that than me. Have you always been good at it?" David took his hand out of his pocket, but then put it back in again.

"I don't think so. I taught myself, since it was only myself I could rely on, then I had too I suppose. As a child I helped my mother bake pies or cakes. Apple pies were a favourite and I went with my sisters to the market to pick out the apples. She always baked something on Saturday for us to have on Sunday as a treat. When I got older though, my father put a stop to it as it was 'women's work'. I didn't forget how though. I made Thomas some apple and loganberry pies for his birthday a few months ago." As Chris spoke memories resurfaced of a time that seemed so far away and distant that it didn't seem real at all. Memories of his mother's laugh, their small kitchen that was always full of clutter as it tried to accomodate a family with five children. David didn't interrupt his thoughts. "I can still remember how they smelt after they came out of the oven." He let out a singular laugh. "It's funny, sometimes I am so focused on how it ended for me there, and how everything became tainted by...by how I was, that I forget that once I was actually happy with them. Just seems so long ago now, like it was another life entirely." Chris looked over at David and saw him nod. "I'm sorry, that probably sounded silly."

"No, not at all. I get it, I have the same feelings sometimes. About how I was happy once, around my family and Thomas." David stopped and took his hand out of his pocket and took Chris's hand in his own. Chris, surprised by this sudden action out in the open, jumped but did not pull himself away. He just looked down at their hands, as though it was still a surprising thing for them both, before looking into his eyes. "And don't think for a second that you tainted anything back then Chris. They were the ones who couldn't accept you. Anyway you..." David felt the blush on his own face and his lips twitch with a smile. "...just make everything better around me."

Chris ducked his head down as he glowed within. "You know just the words to make me feel better." He savoured the feel of David's hand in his and was thinking about taking David's other hand when he heard the distant sound of talking. He snatched his hand away from David as he looked around behind him, up the steep slope of the field to where he thought the sound of voices was coming from.

David heard them too. "Sounds like a group of people. Don't think they're coming this way though. Do you think they saw us?"

"Don't think so, not from all the way up there." They both looked again in the direction of the voices when they heard a loud laugh. "I think they're from Downton. I think that was the housemaid Charlotte, she has a loud laugh. We're okay."

"Come on, I've got somewhere we can go, it's not far, just the other side of that hedge. There is a field that hasn't been cut. I went down there yesterday, the grass is long enough to sink into unseen." David saw Chris lean suddenly on his good leg as they started walking again. "We could stop here if you want?"

"No, I'm fine. Although, I might need you to carry me over the gate?" Chris joked.

"Don't tempt me," David smirked as they continued on their way.

...

"You know something? Whenever I am with you I find myself looking up at the sky," Chris remarked a little while later as he laid on the ground in the dappled shade of a tree growing out of the hedge behind him, David's head resting on his chest. David's hair was tickling his skin just below his collarbone where Chris had undone the top two buttons of his shirt so he could relax more. Above him was a pale blue sky, clear and crisp and only smudged by the streaks of high white clouds, too thin and insignificant to cast any shadows. If he tilted his head back a little he could see the hedgerow behind him and the brambles that were covered in blackberry flowers, their delicate pale pink petals fanned out to attract the bees and other passing insects. A small fluffy bumble bee was busy making its way between each and every flower it could find, landing on each in turn.

David chuckled as he tilted his head so he could see Chris's face as they lay together. "All part of the plan." He tapped his nose mischievously, feigning a mysterious air that made Chris smile. "I showed you the night sky and now you can see it all with the lights turned on so to speak!"

"Right of course. Not that I've seen the sky in the daytime before!" Chris teased with an eyeroll as he put his arm around David.

"But it's always a different type of blue. And anyway, Liverpool had too much dust or smoke to let me see it properly. I should have come here ages ago, I can breathe here."

"I know what you mean." Chris understood that David wasn't just talking about cleaner air. "It's underrated, just lying here doing nothing. I missed it. York was not the countryside either. But I missed it when all I saw were grey walls and even when I was let out for exercise, you never saw the sky properly, I never looked up much anyway, it would draw attention to myself that I didn't need."

David turned himself over so his stomach was resting on Chris's lower chest. They were safe and unseen thanks to the uncut grass so he kissed him, maybe to take away painful memories of his time in prison, or maybe to remind him that he is not there, that he is here with him. "You don't have to say more."

Chris shook his head a little as he focused on how David's eyelashes would flick up and down as he watched him. "No, I think I'm coming to accept it. I mean in a way that I can accept it as part of my past. But one that is over now. It, and everything that led to my three years there, led me here though. To you." They kissed again and Chris, although his thoughts were muddled by David's lips on his, thought about how he would have never imagined this would be possible for him as he lay alone, broken. Brokenhearted and bruised those years ago with little reason to carry on. He smiled into David's kiss.

"What?" David noticed Chris's smile. He felt it.

"Nothing, I'm just happy that's all." I deserve this. "Come to my place later?"

"Only if you cook. Save me from the embarrassing failure?"

Chris laughed softly, "Deal," he said before pulling David back down onto him.

Note: Hope you don't mind these slightly shorter chapters at the moment. I have a little less time on my hands presently and besides, I'm building this up to something in a few chapters time.