Author's Note: Because, especially in trying times, there should be a chance for hope. And thus, this chapter!

I will say one other thing (as a heads up for an uncomfortable conversation coming up). Cognitive dissonance –– feeling incredibly conflicted about a situation because your perception and principles are being asked to make a tough call –– is something everyone experiences at some point or another. It shows up in various forms, hence why a certain someone might be acting a little atypical during a certain conversation.

In any case, enjoy!

_._

Monday, the 2nd of March, 2020

1:14 p.m.

It really was atrocious.

Not the dress itself, unfortunately. If Alice's dress really had been atrocious, Linda might not have cared all that much about the situation. However, as it was, the dress that woman chose was stupidly stunning and disgustingly attractive. It fitted her well and made the teaching assistant want to scream every time she saw it.

The worst part had to have been watching Alice make all those barbed remarks about the wedding decorations that were sat right beside it. Hearing all of those backhanded compliments about the wedding favours and the decorations had made it a very difficult moment.

And now they were stuck with the stupid thing, the dress standing dead-center in the closet as though the space were a stage.

If only she could knock it over. By accident, of course. With Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes nowhere nearby, so they couldn't be blamed. Maybe she could accidentally step on some of the fabric, snag a bit by mistake.

Oh, who was Linda kidding?

She was as likely to do any of that as she was to go a whole day without tripping over herself.

_._

3:45 p.m.

The key to "As We Stumble Along", as Evelyn Napier had learnt over the weeks, was making sure there was intention in every aspect. This was the reprise of the theme of the show, the final song for the musical The Drowsy Chaperone. It was at this point that every main character came together for one last piece –– each briefly singing their respective song to tie the entire show together.

Seeing as how the audience hadn't seen the full show beforehand, considering the fact that this would be their only taste of the musical, it meant that everyone had to be well-versed with their part. That the timing had to be perfect, the energy just right.

For instance, Tony Gillingham –– playing the cheerfully debonair Robert –– had to be thoroughly committed to his line, "I'm an accident waiting to happen." It had to feel as though everyone in the crowd had already seen him skate around the stage, singing "Accident Waiting to Happen" blindfolded, just like in the show.

Septimus Spratt, however, had a much different part to play. Taking on the role of the shady producer Feldzieg, accompanied by his two gangster goons, Septimus, Megan Abbot, and Gwen got to enjoy their fifteen seconds of fame by shouting "Toledo Surprise!" at the appropriate time –– subtly referencing one of the funnier songs in the show.

Everyone was getting a chance to sing references to the entire show in this, each lyric chiming in so as to wrap the respective sentiments into a very sweet bow. From flappers to gangsters disguised as chefs, it had to all blend seamlessly into one final act.

As for Evelyn? His character, Man in Chair, had been the narrator of the entire show. The whole musical took place in his character's apartment, the stage typically set to look as though it were a little flat. If the show were being performed in its entirety, he would've spent most of it sat in an armchair off to the side, playing a "live" record that would bring the whole musical to life, eagerly talking about every aspect he could.

It was one of those "play within a play" concepts, and he loved every second of it.

"All right, everyone," Mrs. Hughes garnered their attention quickly, the woman having given them a five-minute break before trying everything against. "Are we ready to try a second run-through of the song? Monologue included?"

"Erm," Having the only monologue in the entire musical theatre showcase, Evelyn felt compelled to have it perfected. "Maybe not the whole monologue?"

He knew he really needed to do the whole thing, but he just needed more time to practice the monologue before he would feel okay about performing it. Not to mention the fact that this was the tenor's first solo performance in all his time at Downton and that was intimidating, to say the least.

"How about we start from 'I know it's not a perfect show'?" It would be enough to help the shy singer become comfortable with his monologue, but short enough he wouldn't be drowning in the abnormal attention.

He could agree to it.

_._

Tuesday, the 3rd of March, 2020

7:23 a.m.

"Have you given any thought to Mrs. Crawley's idea?" Because he had. He'd been thinking of how perfect it would be to have Downton for the reception ever since the American suggested it.

"Oh, not with the competitions and the 'Best of Downton' only a few weeks away." Well, that wasn't normal for Elsie. His fiancée normally gave everything full consideration, regardless of the concerts and competitions. Moreover, she usually had an answer, if not an opinion, about anything he asked.

Charles paused, glancing at her from his desk. He hadn't been able to focus on a single task, not when he'd been wanting to ask her of this for days now. But, somehow, he got the sense that this wasn't something that Elsie wanted to talk about.

Well, hopefully, she would be ready to talk about it soon.

_._

3:31 p.m.

It was an unofficial rehearsal, one brought on by a sense of camaraderie. Everyone who would be competing as a soloist, whether they'd done it before or not, had come together to talk about what the competition would entail and what to keep in mind.

To keep it casual and more relaxed, one of the students had managed to convince Madalynn Thorn to hand over her classroom until 4:30 –– the agreement being that they only needed the room to practice the non-singing aspects of competing.

"First and foremost, you need to know how you're going to introduce yourself." Mary wasted no time in explaining herself, knowing the process rather well, "We'll all have to wait outside in the corridors until it's time to be called in to sing your solo. Which means your judge's first impression of you is the way you present yourself when you walk in, how you speak to them as you introduce your song, so on and so forth."

Anna chimed in, wanting to be of help, "Many people don't realize how important it is to perfect your introduction. Whether your judge is fair or not –– and we'll get into that later –– it's important to do your best to start off on the right foot. Just like how we get first impressions of others, so do they for us."

Thomas took over from here, needing no further prompting."An introduction can be the difference between receiving a Superior and a Fair. For example," Thomas began to slouch as he piped up, detachedly looking at everyone, "Hi. Name's Thomas Barrow. I'll be doing 'Out There' from Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was written and composed by two blokes, Schwartz and Menken. Couldn't tell you who did what, but there you have it."

Everyone giggled and snickered, no doubt imagining Mr. Carson's reaction to such an introduction.

"Pretty sure I wouldn't do so well if I started out like that. However," He dropped the slouch, held everyone's gaze with an intentional energy and began to calmly intone, "Hello. My name is Thomas Barrow and I will be singing 'Out There' from the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The lyrics to 'Out There' were written by Stephen Schwartz whilst the music was composed by Alan Menken."

All of the new competitors stared in disbelief at the change whilst the veterans of the crowd looked on fondly –– remembering when introducing themselves seemed to be the hardest part of the performance.

"So, anyone want to give it a go?"

_._

Wednesday, the 4th of March, 2020

11:41 a.m

"Mr. Carson," Violet Crawley watched as the man kept from jumping at the sound of her voice, his demeanour almost entertaining. "A word."

It was less of a request and more of a command. Seeing as how the administrator had heard of the choir's indecision when it came to accepting the Abbey for their reception venue, she had taken it upon her to sort the matter out personally.

"Of course, Mrs. Crawley." Without another word, he was following her back toward her office. The older woman kept a sharp pace as they walked, dismissing the idea they needed to indulge in "small-talk" or any such trivialities. This would serve to inform him how serious the matter was in addition to dissuading him from believing he could easily avoid the subject.

Once they made it into her office, the door firmly shut, Violet took to her seat and pointedly stared him down –– refusing to be the first to speak. Speaking, in this instance, meant a lack of control. And Violet Crawley was the personification of control.

It would take her only one minute of curt silence to obtain an answer.

"Mrs. Crawley, when it comes to wedding venues, we merely wish to consider all of our options."

Oh, I'm sure. At least he was smart enough to know this didn't involve the choirs. That she didn't have to state any extraneous questions, that he didn't beat around the bush, significantly helped to reduce her dissatisfaction.

"I didn't realize you had other 'options'." She knew as well as her daughter-in-law that the engaged couple didn't, not in the eyes of the Crawley family. There were supposedly two other venues the teachers could consider, however, both were indubitably unsuitable for the occasion.

The choir director nodded at this, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation. She had no such qualms, content to take full advantage of his discomfort if it meant he revealed the issue at hand. Fortunately, fortunately for Mr. Carson at any rate, it only took Violet ten seconds to ascertain the situation.

"Mr. Carson," Seeing as how the man was refusing to say anything else on the matter, there was nothing gained from intimidating him. Even if it was amusing.

"Yes, Mrs. Crawley?"

"I find it best to, as Mrs. Levinson might suggest," It was a necessary burden to bring that American into the conversation, seeing as how it guaranteed his shock and full attention, "Put all of one's cards on the tables when discussing all of the options."

He nodded, not exactly sure what she was implying.

"In other words, Mr. Carson," For she had a fair assumption in regards to why Downton had not been accepted, "If you have a reasoning behind your opinion, I suggest you state it."

Because she was well aware that he wanted to have it at the Abbey. She knew that long before she saw the glimmer of excitement he so desperately tried to hide from her.

Which meant that there was someone else who was hesitant, someone who was holding them back from making a decision. And whilst she could understand listening to and respecting Mrs. Hughes' opinion, whatever it may be, it was becoming apparent that Mr. Carson's own opinion wasn't being heard in the process.

And that she wouldn't stand for.

_._

4:32 p.m

"I know I shouldn't be mentioning it, but I'm still bothered by it."

"This 'it' wouldn't happen to be Alice Neal, would it?" Matthew quickly looked up at the phone, bewildered at Danny Boretsky's response. "Thomas told me all about her."

"It's about her." He confessed, feeling more and more sheepish by the second.

"Yeah, I'm thankful I've never had to deal with Alice." Andy bluntly admitted, all too eager to discuss the situation. Thomas and Matthew had asked him and Danny to critique their combined solo, wanting to make sure that it was perfect for the show. But seeing as how Alice Neal reminded the tenor of Emma Butte, he was more than willing to switch subjects and talk about the woman –– if only because then they might be able to do something about her before this got out of control.

"She certainly is something else." Matthew admitted, recalling his last experience with the woman. "Frankly, I was uncomfortable watching her act like that toward Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes."

"Makes sense. But wasn't it only snide comments and a little flirting?" Which was enough to irritate even Thomas, but not enough to take any serious action against the woman.

"Yeah." Matthew still didn't like it, none of them did.

"Well," Danny eventually chimed in, "When she messes up, I know of at least one baritone who's gonna take full advantage."

They all chuckled at this, Thomas faintly blushing at the comment.

"I'm not that bad!" He tried to protest, but in vain –– it only coaxed more laughter, everyone knowing the baritone could be rather impish when he wanted.

"Maybe we could fake an opportunity, something to get her far away from Downton right before the concert." Andy threw out on a whim, willing to try anything.

"You could always send her to Texas! We'd be more than happy to take her on!" That prompted guffaws and snorts, the four teens tickled by the very thought of it.

"In May? Isn't it always hot over there?"

"Only 80 degrees! If you want hot, you should come out here in August!"

"'80 degrees'?" Fully aware that the Texan was talking Fahrenheit and not Centigrade, "I don't know how she'd survive that!"

"Very funny."

"Have they even heard of her over there? Does anyone know of 'the Lark of Song'?"

"Nah, not really."

"Even better." Although it was absolutely a joke in all of their minds, Thomas still persisted in taking it a step further, "So, how would we convince her to come to lovely Beaumont, Texas?"

"Weelllll, if we're taking this seriously…"

_._

Thursday, the 5th of March, 2020

3:34 p.m

"Well, we can't destroy the thing." Elsie stumbled at the sound of Beryl talking of destruction. She'd crack open the door to 403, not realizing anyone was in the room, and could now overhear the conversation inside. "But it really is irritating."

"I just don't understand why she can't leave her dress with the other faculty costumes?" With this little clue, Linda's voice harmlessly brushing up against the door, the choir teacher knew exactly what was going on. "It's really unfair."

"You're telling me." The redhead paused, a plan running through her mind. "I still think we could get away with burning it, just a bit. A singe or two."

"And I," Both women froze at the Scot's voice, "Am telling you both you will do no such thing."

"Elsie!" "Mrs. Hughes!"

"Mrs. Patmore, Miss Vance," Much as she personally approved of their ideas, the choir teacher knew better than to publicly condone anything. "Will one of you kindly shut the closet door?"

"Before you lecture me on what I can and cannot do," It seemed Beryl's tolerance for Miss Neal was rapidly thinning out. Something that was understandable, but not acceptable if they were to survive these upcoming rehearsals. "I'd like to say just one thing,"

"Mrs. Hughes?" Before any sort of row could break out, Charles had arrived –– oblivious to the tension in the room, if his tone was anything to go by.

She turned to her fiancé, curious as to what was on his mind. "Yes, Mr. Carson?"

"Might I have a word?"

"Of course." And, shooing the two younger women away whilst she shut the closet door, Elsie turned back to him. "Is everything all right?"

"It's just," Those words alone, that taciturn quality to his voice, told her what exactly it was he wanted to talk about. "I think we need to discuss where we'll be having the reception."

"I see." The woman really hadn't wanted to have this conversation now. She already knew he was enamoured with the Abbey, wanting to say yes the moment Cora offered it. But she'd been hesitant to take advantage of the offer, not sure if she deserved the right to ask that of the Crawleys. And though she felt cowardly for avoiding the conversation, that was precisely what she had been doing. "Do you think we should say yes?"

"I do." Elsie faintly smiled at this, having already known as such. "But I don't think you understand why."

Well, now! She'd have to hear him out now –– if only to see if he was indeed correct.

"And why do you think we should say yes?" Because of the grandness of it all? A grandness I can't even be sure is really us. She didn't know where the perfect venue was, slowly becoming convinced there was no such thing. When Downton had first been offered to them, she couldn't tell if it was as close to perfection as they were going to get or if it was truly too much to ask for.

It was ridiculously melodramatic, but it was true: she felt there had to be a balance struck, a humble trade-off that would ensure they weren't asking for too much.

It was one thing to request a school's courtyard for a few hours. Requesting what felt like a castle? For an entire day, no less? And for free! No, surely such extravagance would result in something going terribly wrong. Besides, was Downton really meant for them? Yes, it was stunning in its splendour, but wasn't it too extravagant for them? Too much of a performance, something they would've never been able to afford normally?

Of course, considering her first wedding felt like a performance from start to end, perhaps it was best to say yes to the idea and be done with it.

"It's not just about the grandeur for me, Elsie." She gave him a look, knowing the man better than that. Whether he had other reasons, Downton's elegance had long since won him over. "All right. Grandeur plays a part in this, but,"

"'But what, Charles?"

He was hesitating again, a sense of vulnerability sneaking back into the man –– stopping him from saying his piece and putting these unspoken thoughts to rest.

"Charles?"

"Well, for me," This was difficult for him to say. It was probably selfish, certainly taking advantage of the Crawley family's generosity, but he needed to say it. "When I see Downton Abbey now, I no longer only see a grand old house from an era now gone."

When her fiancé looked hesitant to delve any further, unconfidence returning to his manner, she was there to encourage him, "Go on."

Charles nodded, feeling ridiculous for being so tentative about the matter. This was Elsie, someone he knew he could trust himself with. And yet this was also a subject that was difficult to broach, a request that was terribly difficult to make, a secret deeply personal to him.

"Well," The man repeated the word, concluding it was best to get straight to the point: "When I look at the Abbey now, I–– I only see our first dance together. At the Winter Ball."

Oh.

"I see the moment I began to recognize my feelings for you –– conflicting feelings, of course, seeing as how I thought you were married." She couldn't help but softly laugh at this, remembering that whole ordeal. Him thinking her married to a fictional man, her thinking him married to the craft. That whole dance, both in the literal and metaphorical sense, one that lasted seven months. "And, of course, these feelings would take a while longer to understand, but that's when I began to see them. That is when I began to recognize what it was I felt."

It felt silly to repeat himself, to lack eloquence in this confession, but he didn't see any derision in her eyes.

Only love.

"I remember the evening well." And she did. Their first dance, their walk together through the downstairs area, all of it. His unintentionally risqué comment about her dress, one that sent her cheeks aflame for the entire hour afterwards, that awkward incident with Tufton, the "Blaue Donau" wafting around the room as they waltzed the rest of the night away.

Charles smiled, touched she felt the same. He could hear it in her voice, a dulce quality that paralleled his own sentiment. Emboldened by this realization, he continued, "That evening was very special for me. The Abbey itself took on new meaning for me, enough so that I would be honoured to–– to have it be where we enjoy our first dance as husband and wife."

Because that was his perspective on the matter. That had been his motivation behind accepting Cora's request. Yes, there was a bonus of having the Abbey in all of its splendour as their reception area.

However, that was only a bonus.

"Well now," She looked so taken with the thought he could almost cry, the lightness of her tone a foil against the tears welling in her eyes. "When you put it like that, there is only one answer."

"And that is?" Charles didn't dare to presume, needing every assurance he could take.

"Yes." She beamed, the combined sentiment strong enough to dissipate so many of her own insecurities, her own concerns. "I'd love to have the reception at the Abbey."

"Do you mean that, Elsie? Really mean that?"

The woman was inches away from kissing him before she remembered to officially agree, "I do."

That statement, those two beautiful words slammed into him before he could think, the man speechless. He could only stare at her in desperate relief, seeing an honesty in her eyes that reassured him in a way words never could.

"We really have changed, haven't we?" Charles couldn't help the sentiment, floored by the last five minutes.

"We have." She echoed, fondness threading itself into her lilt. Though, there was a stitch of something else, too. Something else that had her turning away at the last second, stopping the kiss before it could happen: "Changed. Changed–– we've changed!"

"Didn't we just agree as such?"

"Charlie," There was exasperation in Elsie's voice, a quality that remained despite the fact that she was turning back to kiss him –– shocking the man once more. Dulce to vivace, the tones rapidly switched tempo, further stupefying the man. "That's exactly my point. We've changed."

He still didn't get what was going on.

"Elsie?"

"I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier!"

"Think of what earlier?" Technically, she was still in his arms. Her thoughts, however?

Those were miles away.

"The duet!" This kiss was more celebratory, swiftly interrupted by the necessity of finding the appropriate sheet music.

"Elsie?" But the woman was already heading back to 403, so very thrilled with herself for finally figuring it out. Not only had they come to an agreement on the venue, but she had come up with the answer for their duet at last. "Aren't you going to tell me what you've decided on?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to venture into the woods to find out for yourself, Charlie!" Venture into the woods? She really was in another world, making confusing references that only showed him how lost he was when it came to this conversation.

Charles followed the trail of his fiancée back into 402, the sounds of fingers flying over keys long since apparent. However, this did not come from the piano. It seemed the woman was letting her hands dance across his computer's keyboard –– methodically pulling up the sheet music from the Internet within seconds.

"It'll be a little high for your range, but I doubt that'll pose any real problems," The choir director approached her with a sense of bewildered admiration, not sure what was going on but intrigued. "And the words are simple enough we can pick it up with time to spare."

Charles brushed up against her shoulder, taking in her clear excitement before redirecting his gaze toward the screen. Whilst the sensation of her leaning into him would normally distract him to no end, the man couldn't help but let his curiosity keep him focused.

"'It Takes Two'?" He asked, a desire to look over the sheet music growing.

"It really does, Charlie. Surely you already knew that?" Oh, he would kiss that cheeky grin right off her face, he really would. But, first, a quick perusal of the sheet music at hand––

Actually, on second thought, perhaps the sheet music could wait….

_._

Author's Note: Isn't it grand when things really start to come together?

Moreover, kudos to anyone who recognizes the duet song they go with! I was originally going to keep it a secret until the performance itself, but it felt like the right thing to share it now :)

Oh, and if anyone's like "But why not that song from before? The one where they're in the auditorium just having fun?" the song from before ("Almost Like Being In Love") is meant for a tenor/soprano. With Charles' range as is, any song selected would preferably be bass/soprano (which are rare) or baritone/soprano (a little less rare). Hence, why it's even more of a challenge for them.

In any case, I really hope you enjoy the reasoning for the venue! It was a treat to figure out, and I hope I've done it justice. As always, good luck with everything and have a lovely day!