"... And now we shan't be parted no more, and that's finished." - E.M. Forster (Maurice, 1913)
September 1945
The world changed during the war, and Downton was no exception. As the years passed by, Downton's losses on the front of the war were accompanied by the loss of many people who had once been fixtures of the community.
Robert passed away at the end of 1940 and George Crawley heard the news that he had become the Eighth Earl of Grantham through a telegram that was delivered to his commanding officer on the front in Ethiopia. He didn't return to Downton for another year and when he did it was with his new wife Emeilienne Crawley née Devereaux at his side.
Charles Carson had passed only a week after Robert, the effects of his palsy eventually taking enough of a toll on his body that it had simply relented to the pressure. Anyone who spoke to his wife about his passing would know that she thought he'd held on for years longer than he should have out of loyalty to the late Lord Grantham and that she was simply relieved that her husband finally got the relief he'd needed for so long.
Richard Grey passed just over a year later, with Isobel following her husband shortly after during the next spring. A few years passed before the Crawley family's next loss at home, and Rosamund had been their last and most recent loss, having passed in January of the final year of the war.
Of course, the years of the war hadn't only brought change through loss, they'd also seen some welcome additions, the most recent of which in the Crawley family had been the birth of George and Emeilienne's first child and heir, Matthew Robert Crawely in April.
Mary had hoped that the delivery of her son's first child would be enough to convince him of the importance of their family's long-term home and dissuade him from selling it - something that he had frequently expressed interest in throughout the war - but much to her dismay, by the end of the war George was more convinced than ever that selling Downton Abbey was the right move for the estate and their family as a whole.
While Downton Abbey had served as a welcome refuge for the entire Crawley family and countless others throughout the war, George's assessment of it had grown increasingly grim as the economic and social tolls of over five years of conflict began to damage the stability of the Grantham Estate. Despite the significant sentimental meaning of the home he'd grown up in to his family, there simply wasn't enough of a practical reason to hold on to it.
The rest of the family's holdings throughout both Downton and London would allow for the entire family to live comfortably in spaces well-suited for them, and they would be keeping several properties that would be perfectly suitable for large parties and family gatherings as needed in the future.
Within months it was decided exactly how the Crawley family would be dividing themselves into smaller households for the first time in these generations.
The easiest decisions were for those who chose to stay in Downton on the estate. Cora would move to the Dower House as had been planned for months, while Henry, Mary, and Caroline would be taking over Crawley House which had been empty since Isobel's death several years before.
George, Emilienne, and baby Matthew would be moving to Grantham House in London full-time as the new Lord and Lady Grantham significantly preferred living in the city to the country and Edith, who had decided to sell Brancaster Castle three years prior after Bertie had been killed in action during the war - it hadn't seemed sensible to hold onto an estate that her late husband hadn't ever truly wanted for the sake of her son who showed even less interest in his title than his father - would be joining them in London as she was moving to Aunt Rosamund's now empty home in Belgrave Square along with Marigold and her family and Peter.
Finally, it had been agreed - after a rather lengthy argument between Mary and Tom about the propriety of it all - that Tom would be staying in Downton with Sybbie, but that they would be moving to a flat in the new developments just beginning to take place beyond the village.
Throughout the Fall all of the changes in the Crawley family and the impending sale of estate were the talk of the village, but Emma Molesley found herself entirely uninterested in the details of it all as she prepared for some major changes of her own.
Now that the last of the evacuees from the war who were staying at the Abbey had returned home, Emma was returning to her nursing job at the hospital full time with Doctor Garreth specifically requesting her to return as a designated pediatric nurse after all of her work with children over the last several years.
In addition to the shift in her work, she found herself suddenly presented with a new home to prepare to live in after her parents had gifted her her late Grandfather's house in the village after the family that had been staying in the cottage throughout the war had returned to Manchester at the end of August.
Emma had just returned from her late shift at the hospital and was hanging her coat by the front door when she heard her mother calling her name from the kitchen. "Emma, your father and I would talk to you about something if you have a moment."
"Of course." Emma agreed easily, making her way into the warm kitchen and gratefully accepting the cup of Horlicks her mother had ready for her arrival as she sat at the table. "What did you need to talk about?
Both of her parents were silent for a moment until Phyllis gave Joseph's hand a squeeze of support and he produced a small box from his jacket pocket that he slid across the table. "We - your mother and I both - want to give you this."
Emma eyed the box curiously. It was months yet until her birthday or Christmas, and whatever this was was obviously significant based on her parents' nerves. She reached across the table for the box, carefully untying the purple ribbon around it before opening it to find two brass keys inside.
"It's the keys to the cottage I grew up in." Joseph explained hastily as he watched the confusion cross his daughter's face. "We want you to have it."
Emma stared back at him in shock before shaking her head and pushing the box back across the table. "I can't accept this." She insisted firmly. "What about when Dad retires? This cottage is only ours because of his job, where will you go?"
"The Granthams have offered us a cottage on the estate." Phyllis explained gently. "Part of the long term plans that they've been making involve ensuring that the senior members of staff are each given full ownership of a home and parcel of land before the final sale proposal is made to the National Trust."
Emma hadn't known what she'd expected her parent's plans to be, but it certainly hadn't involved them owning another home of their own. "That's incredibly generous."
"The Bateses and Mrs. Carson will own their cottages and the Parkers and Masons will share Yew Tree Farm." Her mother continued explaining what she knew about the plans for the estate. "Thomas and I have both been given several options around the property to select from."
"But wouldn't you prefer to live in the home you grew up in?" Emma protested adamantly as she turned to her father. "You love that house."
"I do love that house." Joseph affirmed with a small smile. "It's full of reminders of the things I loved the most about growing up here. But all those reminders are memories I'll have whether I live there or not and I think it's about time for it to see the start of a new story."
"We want you to have somewhere that you know is safe to live." Phyllis added softly, tears gathering in her eyes. "You and whoever else you choose to share your life with."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely." Joseph confirmed, his gaze filled with pride. "It's your home now. For you and whomever you choose."
She'd spent all of her spare time in the weeks since cleaning up the old cottage and preparing it for her impending move, thinking all the while about how exactly she was going to tell Sybbie about it.
In the end that decision was made for her when on her afternoon off she was surprised by a warm and familiar voice calling through the front door of the cottage."Hello?"
"I thought you were coming home next week!" Emma exclaimed as she scrambled down the small ladder, a wide smile on her face as she rounded the corner to the front door where Sybbie stood in the threshold. "How did you know where I was?"
"I stopped by your parents first and they told me I could find you here." Sybbie replied, closing the door firmly behind herself before rushing forward to wrap her arms around Emma and pulling her into a kiss. When they pulled away to catch their breath Sybbie just stared at Emma, looking her up and down for a moment before adding, "They did not, however, tell me how fetching a look you'd be sporting."
Emma looked down at the well-worn coveralls she was wearing as she'd been painting the walls of the house and laughed before suggestively asking, "You like it?"
Sybbie's eyes darkened at the shift in her tone and she firmly kissed her once again before replying, "I think you know how much."
In an instant the pair were crossing the room over to the sheet-covered sofa in the corner where Emma pulled Sybbie down onto it on top of her where the pair began exploring eacother in earnest. Emma's hand was up the front of Sybbie's shirt, deftly unfastening the buttons as she went until she reached the bottom of her brassiere and she had only just begun to reach around to unhook it when to her surprise Sybbie pulled away.
"Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying this very much." Sybbie spoke through heavy breaths. "But should we really be doing this in your grandfather's house?"
"He's not here to mind." Emma snorted softly, before pausing herself to catch her breath and quietly adding. "And… actually… the house is mine now."
"What?" Sybbie met her eyes as she sought for confirmation of the unexpected news. "Really?"
Emma nodded with a small smile. "Mum and Dad want me to have it. They've been quite insistent actually."
"That's amazing Em." Sybbie smiled brightly before leaning down to kiss her gently. "You deserve it truly."
"It was incredibly generous of them." Emma nodded in agreement, before frowning and looking away from Sybbie's gaze as her nerves filtered rapidly in her chest. "I actually… there is something I'm not sure about though."
"Yeah?" Sybbie sat up, straddling Emma's waist as she helped her into a seated position. "What's wrong?"
"I just…" Emma stuttered through several attempts at the question she wanted to ask, before finally mumbling, "I was hoping… that you might want to… live here too?"
"God yes." Sybbie replied instantly. "Yes. Yes. God yes."
"Really?" Emma asked in shock.
"Of course!" Sybbie exclaimed in disbelief herself. "There is nothing I've wanted more for the last six years than to come home to you at the end of every day and you're the only person I want that with."
Emma's smile was wide as she bent forward, her lips crashing against Sybbie's for a moment before she happily whispered, "I want that with you too."
December 1945
"Happy Christmas!" Phyllis greeted her daughter and Sybbie warmly as they entered their cottage, both still in uniform as they'd only just gotten off the late afternoon shift at the hospital on Christmas Eve.
"Happy Christmas, Mum." Emma hugged her mother quickly before setting her knapsack down next to the door. "We've not brought the gifts with us tonight, so we'll need to pop by in the morning to drop them off."
"Darling, don't worry about that." Phyllis dismissed her daughter quickly. "We're just happy to have you both here."
"Even so, Elizabeth probably has different opinions about the delivery of her gift." Emma stage whispered as she watched her sister stick her tongue out at her in response to the jape from across the room.
Phyllis snorted slightly in agreement. "Fair enough."
Sybbie joined the conversation then, her own coat now hanging neatly next to Emma's on the rack near the door. "Thank you so much for having us this evening, Mrs. Molesley."
"Sybbie, you know you are always welcome." Phyllis reminded her firmly. "In fact, why don't you come and help Joseph and I with the refreshments?"
Sybbie followed Phyllis into the kitchen, leaving Emma alone with her sister in the sitting room who was sitting on the floor next to the coffee table with a newspaper and a plate of goodies laid out across it. Emma crossed the room to take a seat on the settee behind her and asking, "Anything good?" as Elizabeth reached for the plate.
Elizabeth shrugged as she mumbled through a bite. "Just Mum's biscuits."
"So yes." Emma corrected as she reached down for a piece of shortbread as she sat down behind her sister. "Need any help?"
Elizabeth sighed in defeat as she pointed to one of the still empty lines of the crossword puzzle. "I need a six letter word for a festive spirit that has a 'v' in it."
Emma thought about it for a moment before smiling and taking the pencil from her sister's hand and writing in J-O-V-I-A-L in the empty boxes. "Good effort though."
"How do you do that?" Elizabeth groaned in defeat, dramatically pushing the newspaper across the coffee table away from herself.
"Practice." Emma replied patiently. "And about a hundred more hours of listening to Dad read novels in the afternoon."
Elizabeth sighed in annoyance but pulled the newspaper back across the table and began working on it once again. After a few minutes it became apparent that despite her actions that were meant to indicate her focus on the puzzle in front of her, something else must be on her mind as she'd made no progress and hadn't complained about her standstill once.
Emma furrowed her brow slightly in concern as she leaned forward in an attempt to see her sister's face as she asked, "Lizzie is everything—"
Before she could get the question out Elizabeth had turned around and asked one of her own. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Emma replied instantly, sitting forward a bit on the couch so she could see her sister better.
Elizabeth just stared at her for what seemed like forever before she finally asked, "Are you and Sybbie together…romantically?"
Emma immediately froze. While the question was one she'd been waiting for from her sister for years, and she'd long ago resolved not to lie if she ever asked, she found herself entirely unprepared to find out how Elizabeth would respond to the truth. "Yeah." Emma eventually admitted, her breath starting to come in shortened spurts as she tried to manage the overwhelming anxiety the question had brought. "Is that okay with you?"
"Of course it is!" Elizabeth exclaimed in disbelief. "I've thought you were for years, but I didn't know how to ask, or if I even could ask."
"You can ask me anything." Emma assured her quickly, immediately remembering the months early in her relationship with Sybbie when she hadn't thought she had anyone to ask the hundreds of seemingly impertinent questions she suddenly had. "Sometimes I might not want to answer your questions if they're too personal, but I'll never lie to you. You're too important to me for that."
"So have you kissed her?" Elizabeth asked, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
Emma smirked at her sister's antics as she replied. "Yes."
"Did you like it?" Elizabeth followed up immediately.
"Yes." Emma confirmed once more, he cheeks reddening slightly at the direction the conversation was going.
To her credit Elizabeth did pause for a moment before she continued her questioning more quietly. "Have you… done more than that?"
Emma rolled her eyes in a fairly ineffective attempt to brush off her own discomfort as she shook her head. "And now you've found the question I'm not going to answer."
"I hate to be the one to tell you that you've more or less answered it." Elizabeth replied with a smirk.
"I hate to be the one to tell you that you're only sixteen so this line of questioning is far from appropriate for your age." Emma retorted easily, reaching down to steal the last gingerbread biscuit from the plate in front of her sister with a grin before suddenly sobering significantly. "But if you need to talk about anything like this, you can always come to me, Lizzie. I'm not ready to talk to you about the details of my relationship yet, but I never want you to feel like you can't tell me about yours if you want to."
"Thanks." Elizabeth smiled, her own cheeks turning red at the sudden shift in the conversation. "But there's not really anything to report."
"Yet." Emma reminded her patiently. "You've plenty of life yet, little sister."
Before Elizabeth had to respond Joseph, Phyllis, and Sybbie all returned to the room with the promised tray of tea and treats and everyone settled in for a night of Charles Dickens readings with Joseph and Phyllis taking their customary seats in the large armchairs while Sybbie sat on the settee next to Emma.
As Joseph cracked open his well-worn copy of A Christmas Carol and began to read the story aloud Emma scooted slightly closer to Sybbie, leaning down so her mouth was just next to her ear as she whispered, "Elizabeth is very happy for us."
Sybbie turned to her, eyes wide with surprise as she softly asked, "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Emma nodded to confirm before resting her head on Sybbie's shoulder and pressing a quick kiss against it, enormously relieved at no longer needing to hide her relationship with her family.
"I love you Emma." Sybbie whispered back as she leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, feeling the relief flood through her herself when Phyllis gave her a warm smile of approval at the small action of affection she'd given her daughter.
They would never have to hide who they were from the Molesleys anymore, and neither one of them could have asked for a better Christmas gift.
May 1948
On Sybbie's twenty-eighth birthday Emma and Sybbie invited their friends and family over for a garden party dinner to celebrate and if the empty plates and platters were anything to go by, it had been a rousing success.
Thomas was the last one eating and he just was finishing off one of several desserts he had put on his plate earlier in the night. "Emma this lemon tart puts Daisy's to shame."
"I honestly don't think I could eat another bite." Richard groaned in agreement. "You've both outdone yourselves tonight. Truly."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Emma smiled before turning to Sybbie and whispering, "Is it time?"
Sybbie nodded with a smile before standing up and pulling Emma alongside her. "I want to thank you all again for coming tonight to celebrate my birthday. However, we didn't tell most of you that we've actually asked you here tonight for a bit more than dinner." She announced conspiratorially as she pointed towards the front door of their cottage. "If you head inside you'll find out more about what else we have planned for you this evening."
Without further explanation, Emma and Sybbie quickly disappeared through the side garden towards the back door to the house, leaving the rest of the party to follow their instructions and as they all entered the front room of the cottage it became readily apparent why they were here.
The normal furniture had been removed from the room and it had been replaced by a mismatched collection of chairs from throughout their house - as well as a few from Tom Branson's cottage - that were lined up on either side of a long rug that had been moved from their hallway, and the entire room was decorated brightly with yellow and white flowers hanging throughout.
Joseph stared at his wife in bewilderment as she took in the room without the overwhelming shock that he felt. "Did you know about this?"
Phyllis nodded with a small smile. "They asked for some help. I expect Tom knew as well."
Tom nodded in affirmation as he took a seat next to the two of them. "I did."
"I knew as well." Beatrice admitted with a small laugh as she sat down behind them. "They asked me for help with how I planned Richard and Thomas's."
It was true that the day's event had been largely inspired by the small ceremony that Thomas and Richard had held at Richard's parent's house the year before. Until then it had never occurred to either of them that a wedding didn't have to be legally binding or widely recognized to be a meaningful commitment between the two of them in front of their trusted family and friends and they'd been planning this ever since.
Before long Emma and Sybbie emerged from the hallway arm in arm and they stepped out together into the makeshift aisle, Emma in a white dress that Joseph immediately identified as his wife's wedding dress and Sybbie in a white dress of her own that Tom obviously recognized.
"Is that Sybil's wedding dress?" Joseph asked quietly as the girls slowly walked down the center of their sitting room together.
Tom nodded as he bit down on his lip at the sight of his daughter in the simple white dress her mother had worn to their ceremony in Ireland nearly thirty years prior. "She's the spitting image of her mother."
"They both are." Joseph agreed easily, his tears beginning to fall as he watched them both arrive at the end of the makeshift aisle and turn back to their family and friends with smiles on their faces.
"As all of you who didn't already know have probably guessed by now, we've asked you here today to be witnesses at our wedding." Emma giggled as she took in the shock on her father and sister's faces. "Surprise!"
"While today is my birthday, and I find that reason enough to celebrate each year, it is also the day of the Gaelic festival of Bealtaine." Sybbie began to explain their decision to hold the ceremony that day. "While not as common of a practice anymore, this day has always been a celebration of life, optimism, and community."
"One tradition that continues this time of year throughout Ireland is the practice of handfasting." Emma continued, her words clearly practiced as she reached to Sybbie's hand for support. "While Sybbie and I are unable to wed in a traditional or legal manner, we wanted to gather our community to celebrate our life together as we promise ourselves to one another through the symbolism of this ancient practice."
"We've asked my Dad to perform the handfasting ceremony for us since he is by far the most qualified Irishman we know." Sybbie explained as she motioned for her father to join them at the front of the room.
"And we've asked Mum to prepare the handfasting cloth." Emma added with a warm smile towards her mother. "We wanted it to truly represent both of us and our family, and we could think of no one better for the job."
It was then that Phyllis produced a small white box from beneath her chair that Emma stepped forward to carefully remove an intricately embroidered, long, white cloth from. It was easy to see from a distance that its pattern was similar to the floral designs that were on Phyllis's - and now Emma's - wedding dress. However, unlike the dress, the long white cloth had words carefully embroidered in white thread that interlaced through the floral designs that would be barely visible to anyone not looking for them which read:
In honor of those who Emma Jane Molesley and Sybil Cora Branson II have found and chosen to be their family - Thomas Branson, Sybil Cora Branson I, Joseph William Molesley, Phyllis Molesley, Elizabeth Phyllis Molesley, Thomas Barrow, Richard Ellis, Beatrice Ellis. May their unwavering love be a testament to the goodness of the world and our hopes for the future.
When Emma returned to her place next to Sybbie the pair began to unfold the cloth as she further explained its significance. "Each of your names, as well as Sybbie's mother's, can be found embroidered into this cloth because we wanted a permanent reminder of everyone who has supported us up to this point - not despite who we are, but regardless."
"The Anam Cara knot - which translates from Gaelic to the soul friend knot - have long served as a symbol of connection and love in Ireland." Tom began to explain. "Emma and Sybbie have chosen this knot, made of two interlacing knots that form the shape of a heart, as a representation of their love for one another as though the knot appears to be made from two distinct parts, it is actually formed by the interlacing of one continuous line."
He reached to take the cloth from where it was draped across Emma and Sybbie's arms as he made eye contact with Emma's father. "Joseph, if you'd be willing to help us?"
"These necklaces, which also feature the Anam Cara, will serve as a physical representation of their bond and vow to one another that they can keep with them always." Tom explained as he pulled two silver pieces from a velvet box that had been sitting on the table behind him. "Emma and Sybbie if you'll each hold your right hand up with the palm facing upwards, Emma you will hold Sybbie's Anam Cara during the handfasting while Sybbie will hold yours."
He then began the prolonged affair of awkwardly walking Emma, Sybbie, and Joseph through the process of preparing the cloth around their hands. Once they were most of the way through the endeavor he began to speak once more. "As we wrap this cloth around Emma and Sybbie's joined hands, we prepare for not only the literal joining of them together as a wedded couple, but for the promises that this day holds for them." He paused once more as they finalized the placement of the cloth and Joseph retook his seat next to his wife before letting out a deep breath of relief and adding, "Sybbie and Emma have prepared their own vows that they will deliver while their hands are bound together as a symbol of the bond that they represent. Sybbie?"
"Emma Jane Moseley." Sybbie began with a wide grin, laughing awkwardly at the tears that were already freely falling down her face that she had no way to wipe. "When I first met you, you were simply the mysterious daughter of my grandmother's maid and while we were allowed to play together, we were never meant to be friends. However, I am nothing if not my mother's daughter, and I knew even then that I wasn't going to let propriety stand in the way of our friendship. That attitude served me quite well when over the years that friendship grew into a love that I cherish more than any other in my life. You are the kindest, smartest, and most empathetic person I've ever known and I consider myself incredibly blessed to promise myself to you today and forever more."
Tom carefully wiped at the tears on his daughter's cheeks with a handkerchief, causing them both to laugh quietly, before he turned to the woman across from his daughter expectantly. "Emma?"
Emma stared back at him in mortification for a moment before turning to Sybbie and softly admitting, "I…I… I don't remember them. I had to write them down." She looked down at the floor in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Elizabeth has them."
"Hey, that's okay." Sybbie stopped her gently, her hands squeezing gently around hers as Elizabeth quickly moved forward, pulling a folded piece of paper from her pocket as she rounded behind the two of them to where she could hold the page for Emma to read without obstructing anyone's view of her. Once they were situated Sybbie squeezed Emma's hand once more and added a quiet, "I love you." for encouragement.
"Sybil Cora Branson." Emma began with a deep breath, before looking down to the piece of paper her sister held in front of her and beginning to read. "If you had told me ten years ago when I first realized I was in love with you that we would be here today, I never would have believed you. In those ten years you have taught me more about loving and living life to the fullest than I thought I would ever be willing to learn. Thank you for loving me on the days when I struggle to love myself. Thank you for making sure that when I am with you I will never have to compromise who I am. Thank you for letting me be the person you trust with your love. I love you Sybbie and I will continue loving you for the rest of my life."
"Before we complete the ceremony, I want to add to your words for each other my hopes for you both." Tom spoke again once he was sure Emma had finished her vows and Elizabeth had rejoined the small audience. "May your hands always be held fast by one another. May they always have the strength to hold on during the trials of your lives. May they always provide the love, support, and encouragement you need from one another. May these four hands work together to love, strengthen, work, and heal in your community together for the rest of your lives."
Sybbie immediately leaned forward to press a kiss against her father's cheek and she laughed when he reached to wipe her tears once more as she thanked him for his words. "That was wonderful Dad."
Tom offered a small squeeze of support to both Sybbie and Emma's shoulders before returning to the task at hand. "Each of you hold an end of the cloth in your left hand." He explained to the pair in front of him. "In just a moment, I will present you to your friends and family at which time you are welcome to seal the handfasting with a kiss before you will both pull to form Anam Cara in the cloth to serve as a permanent symbol of the vows you have committed to in this ceremony today."
After receiving eager nods and grins from both of them he gave a wide smile of his own as he proudly announced, "I am very happy to present for the very first time, Mrs. Sybil Cora Branson and Mrs. Emma Jane Molesley."
Sybbie surged forward first, pressing her lips lovingly against Emma's for only a moment before they both pulled back as instructed, their combined movements forming an elaborate knot in the center of the cloth that would hang in a place of honor above their bed for years to come.
July 1952
"We have some news." Emma suddenly announced during a quiet Sunday afternoon at her parents' house.
"You're not pregnant are you?" Elizabeth quipped, not looking up from the puzzle on the floor in front of her.
"Lizzie!" Phyllis snapped sharply at her younger daughter. She had had countless difficult conversations with her daughter and her wife about the possibilities of children, much as she'd had with Thomas and Richard over the years, and it always struck her how fundamentally unjust it was that the people she knew who cared most for children would never be given a chance to have them.
Emma grabbed Sybbie's hand tightly in her own, taking a deep breath before admitting. "Actually, she's not too far off."
Joseph immediately choked on his tea and Elizabeth's eyes snapped up to meet her sister's as she asked, "Is Sybbie pregnant?"
"No, I'm not." Sybbie dismissed her quickly as she crossed the room to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water for her father-in-law who was still sputtering on his hot drink, carefully taking the teacup from his hands to replace it with the water. "Try drinking this slowly."
Once she was sure Joseph was alright Sybbie began her explanation. "Neither of us are pregnant, but we've been asked by Doctor Garreth if we would be willing to take on two of our patients as wards and after discussing it together we've decided to do it." She announced before asking, "You all probably remember Mr. and Mrs. Mcshea?"
Everyone in the room nodded immediately. Though it had been nearly two years since the woman's death, it was something that no one in Downton was likely to forget anytime soon. She and her husband had moved into one of the new developments outside the village and had been running the new grocers until a delivery truck crashed through the front of their store - instantly killing Mr. Mcshea, and putting his pregnant wife in critical condition in the hospital where her twins were delivered prematurely by cesarean about a week before she ultimately passed as well. The whole village had been devastated by the loss of the friendly young couple and though they hadn't been a part of the community for long, they would be remembered for some time.
"Her twins are doing quite well these days, but we've recently determined that the cause of their ongoing medical problems hasn't been rooted in their premature births." Sybbie explained clinically, needing to get all of the facts on the table without letting her emotions cloud them. "We've just diagnosed them both with a condition called cystic fibrosis."
Joseph sat up straighter, instantly intrigued by the diagnosis. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"It's still a relatively new condition in terms of research and diagnostics so while we know it can extensively impact the entire body we don't know exactly how or why. More and more studies are being done that are making it easier to understand and try to treat, but it's something they're always going to be dealing with." Emma elaborated cautiously, nervous about how her parents might react to their true prognosis. "As Sybbie already said, they're both doing wonderfully now, but they're not likely at all to live to adulthood."
"Doctor Garreth has been looking into care options for them for months, but they're not eligible for many of them because of their unstable health." Sybbie explained the situation further. "Barnardo's has the lowest restrictions on the matter, and they might be willing to find a home for them but…"
Everyone in the room was immediately looking at Emma who was doing her best not to cry at the frank reminder of the trauma of her early childhood when she'd been separated from her mother by the very program in question. "I can't let them go there. Not when there are people here who want them. I can't let them–"
"It's okay." Sybbie stopped her gently, wrapping an arm around her lower back and rubbing it gently to provide comfort. "We know."
Phyllis crossed the room to offer her daughter a handkerchief and a hug before she spoke quietly. "Darling, I understand that you don't want to see children you care for go through the same things that you've been through - and I admire that about you so very much - but this is a big responsibility." She reminded her daughter patiently. "Are you sure this is what you both want?"
"We want to do this." Emma affirmed confidently, wiping the tears from her eyes as she turned to smile at her wife. "Sybbie and I will never be able to have children of our own but we've been with Michael and Eleanor since the day they were born. We want to give them a stable and loving home for as long as they've got. Besides, the only reason we're being considered is the specifics of the circumstances so this is probably going to be the only chance we have to be parents."
Joseph spoke then, the confidence in his voice easily extinguishing any remaining doubts in the room. "You are going to be wonderful mothers." He told them both with a grin. "Every child deserves people who love them unconditionally, and knowing you both I know they'll be getting just that."
"We'd really like all of you to help us give them that as well." Sybbie added brightly, once again grateful for the unwavering support her father-in-law had shown them over the years. "We understand that this is asking a lot of you given that they're not going to ever legally be our children, but we want Michael and Eleanor to be as real a part of the family as anyone else."
"You're not asking too much." Elizabeth stopped firmly. "There's not a single person in this room who doesn't know how important having a family is, and I for one am more than happy to be an aunt. Besides, it's not like it's not about time for you two to have kids.
Emma blushed at her sister's brash tone but gave her a small smile anyway. "We'd love that. We've also asked Richard and Thomas to be their uncles while we were in York earlier today and they are more than happy to oblige."
"We spoke with my Dad this morning and he has agreed to be a grandfather to them and..." Sybbie paused for a moment to squeeze Emma's shaking hand in reassurance. "We were hoping you both might also be willing to consider Michael and Eleanor your grandchildren."
"Of course we will." Phyllis replied immediately, getting up from her seat once more and moving to pull both women into her arms. "When can we meet them?"
While they didn't know it at the time, it would only be another month before they would be able to welcome the newest members of the family home and they'd invited everyone to their house to meet them after they'd had a few days to settle in.
"Em? Sybbie?" Elizabeth called into the house. "Are you ready for us?"
Within a moment a stark naked toddler ran across the front room, past the visitors, and out the door that he had already developed a habit of rushing to as soon as he heard it open.
"That's Michael." Sybbie called out as she chased after him with a small pile of clothes in her arms to where Richard and Thomas had intercepted the runaway toddler.
"And this is Ellie." Emma told her parents and sister with a shy smile as she entered the room with the little girl resting on her hip. "She's a bit shy."
"Oh my darling girl." Phyllis whispered softly as she cautiously approached the pair, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead before reaching down to brush the red curls from the child's forehead. "Hello Ellie. I'm so very glad to meet you."
"Ellie, this is Grandmama." Emma pointed to her mother with a smile, prompting Ellie to look up at the woman next to them before she pointed across the room to Joseph and Elizabeth and adding, "And that is your Grandpapa and your Aunt Lizzie."
"Grandpapa?" Joseph questioned with a smirk as he and Elizabeth moved to join them, the title far more formal than his children had ever used for his father.
"Tom has already put all his weight behind Grandad." Emma shrugged with a grin of her own. "He was here this morning and he adores them both."
Joseph gave a feigned pout as he kissed his daughter on the cheek. "I don't know why he always gets to know things first."
"We don't think we should push his support any more than we already have." Emma replied honestly as she looked down at Ellie with a warm smile.
"No, I don't suppose you should." Joseph agreed easily, well aware that while Tom Branson had come around to support his daughter's relationship it wasn't with as much ease and mutuality as his own family.
Sybbie returned to the house with Michael in her arms - now fully dressed - and Thomas and Richard behind her. "Sorry about that. This little man is a runner."
"Hello Michael." Joseph greeted his grandson eagerly, reaching out to take him from Sybbie's arms as he started to reach out for him. "I'm your Grandpapa."
Michael stared at him for a moment before turning to the other people in the room with a questioning glance causing everyone else to laugh.
"I'm your Aunt Lizzie." Elizabeth added, reaching out to tickle his toes with a warm smile.
Phyllis was beaming when she added, "And I'm your grandmama." before moving next to her husband to rest her hand on Michael's back. "We are so very happy that you and Ellie are here."
After several hours of getting to know their new family, it had become apparent that the twins were in desperate need of food and rest and everyone left for the day to give their mothers time and space to get them settled for the evening. While Michael had gone down easily, much as he had for the last few nights, Ellie was still having trouble with the new crib and typically ended up laying down with her mothers for several hours until she eventually surrendered to sleep.
Once Michael was settled Emma returned to her bed with the intent of curling up next to her wife in their bed, smiling at the sight of Ellie resting on her chest with her blue eyes wide open as she watched her join them on the bed.
They sat quietly for a while, more than content to just relax in one another's company, but when she realized that Emma's cheeks were shining with tears Sybbie reached down to take her hand in hers "What are you thinking about?" She asked softly as she gently threaded her fingers between Emma's.
"That we're a family now." Emma admitted easily. "And how very glad I am to have this with you."
"I still can't believe it." Sybbie agreed with a warm smile. "You're a Mama, Mrs. Molesley."
"You're a Mum, Mrs. Branson." Emma replied, carefully kissing her wife so as not to disrupt the sleepy toddler between them. "And there's no one left in the world who can tell us we can't have everything we've always wanted."
NOTES:
Author's Note:
So there we have it. The end of this monster of a series. Thank you all so much for reading and for the many kind comments I've gotten as I've worked through this series. It's been a wonderful project to work on over the last several years.
Content Warnings:
Homophobia (Period-Typical); Death (Major and Minor Character Deaths - Non-Traumatic); Childbirth (Mentioned); War (Mentioned)
Chapter Recap (Contains Spoilers):
Emma and Sybbie reunite at the end of the war and move into William Molesley's cottage together. A few months later Elizabeth asks Emma about her relationship with Sybbie and offers her full support. A few years later, inspired by Thomas and Richard's own ceremony, Emma and Sybbie throw a surprise wedding ceremony after a birthday party for Sybbie. Four years later Emma and Sybbie take in two wards from the hospital, and everyone eagerly welcomes them to the family.