A/N: I just have to say, as always, it is a pleasure to have such sweet support. The reviews, favorites, and follows are such a wonderful treat to experience.

We're going to take a quick break from singing in this chapter. Instead, we get to experience some fluff, some character/relationship development, a hint of a future plot point ;) :) There's also a tribute to one of my favorite FFN Chelsie pieces in this chapter, as well as one of my favorite scenes from the show.

Additional A/N: If you look back at previous chapters, you'll see that there's a new one - "Conversations and Interrogations" somehow wasn't published earlier. It interacts with the full ensemble, we learn a bit more about Elsie, there's an "upstairs" dinner conversation, and we even have a little Barrow/O'Brien mischief. Check it out if you've got the time.

Now, without further ado, here's the next installment!

_._

After she had Mr. Carson's approval, Elsie had proceeded to pour over all aspects of the music library she could. She had her own ideas on what was appropriate and what the school would love, of course. But, in order to obtain further approval and make sure that this choir remained long after she left in the spring, the music needed to be absolutely perfect.

So much so was Elsie's need for perfection that Beryl banned her from coming into the band room if she held even one sheet of music. Not only that, the Band Director had also forbade her from running suggestions by her until the winter concerts were over - and that hadn't really been a request made in jest.

But, fortunately, after a fairly short amount of time, the choir teacher had found two more lovely selections for the a cappella group. And only one of which would require buying new sheet music out of pocket.

Luckier still, during the search for appropriate music, Elsie had also found a spot within the school that afforded her some much needed peace and quiet.

_._

It had been just another ordinary lunch break for him - most of his colleagues in the music department converged to gossip in the band room whilst he focused on going over some of the more "tedious" aspects of teaching. There was a lovely hint of October rain pit-pattering down the window. Accompanying that, the cozy temperature within 402 kept him comfortable. Moreover, the sound of pen on paperwork made for a very soothing afternoon respite.

And, yet, something seemed to be missing.

There was some aspect currently not present, something important enough to be noted even if that specific "something" couldn't be explained.

But, that's enough of that. These forms weren't going to fill themselves out after all. And these correspondences would never be complete if he was caught in his reverie.

And, so Mr. Carson returned to his work station. And continued to work.

And was also bothered by the fact that something was missing and he couldn't figure out just what.

_._

It turns out that even Charles Carson had his limits when it came to bureaucracy.

And, so, when the thrall of paperwork left him alone for the day, he unintentionally entered a crossroads of decisions. Did he,

1. Finally drop by Mrs. Patmore's and endure inevitable ridicule in order to obtain some cheap form of entertainment?

2. Go back to the endless forms and emails, and just submit himself to the tedious bureaucracy that seemed to chain every member of the staff?

3. Tidy up his desk for the fifth time that week?

4. Take a quick walk around the room to "inspect" the space he knew so well?

It only took Mr. Carson a moment of fidgeting with his hands to realize that he actually wanted to go with Option 4. And, so, it was with an air of curiosity that he drew himself up to his fullest height and attempted to meander purposefully around the beautiful room.

For 402 was really quite a beauty. Able to sit 200 students easily, the floor plan was simple: in lieu of portable risers, 50 black chairs were placed on their own equivalent of permanent risers. Each row had its own platform that allowed the performers to have stage practice without requiring those pesky portable risers. And, to not only complement the beautiful set-up but also remind students of Downton's potential, the sides of the room were adorned with trophies from previous years of choir competitions. Moreover, proudly standing guard over the two entrances to the room were the original choir uniforms that had been worn almost a century ago.

Charles knew every centimeter of this space by heart. Could tell if the students had been rowdy or anxious just by glancing at the chairs. Knew where the singers dared to lounge about during breaks simply by looking at where the dust now laid. He could even see if anyone had been staring out the windows during class - doing so always left an unintentional tilt of the chair.

Which reminded Charles - though he would never officially condone looking out the windows, he could certainly understand the appeal.

The decades old windows stretched across the length of the room, almost matching the height of the back wall. Hardly any space was left for the demure white wallpaper that complemented the powerful glass panes. It made for an entrancing sight, one that hinted of the possibilities waiting just outside.

What a view it provided, too! Although the stormy skies outside were making it a bit difficult to appreciate the "secret" garden, the garden that accompanied the only courtyard within the school, it certainly made for quite a treat. Moreover, even though now was most certainly not the time to be outside-

"Hold on," Mr. Carson unintentionally gave a start, fixated on the silhouette staring up directly into the storm. Much to his surprise, he thought he recognized that silhouette.

And after a moment he realized he did indeed.

_._

She thought the timing was perfect - the skies properly opened themselves up to her just as she had taken her customary seat in the courtyard garden. And, after a few moments of being caressed by the watery whispers of the clouds, Elsie felt more alive than she had in weeks.

And with no music sheets to protect, she could stay outside for as long as she wished.

In short, it was heavenly.

The brisk air embraced her with great ease. The raindrops practically floated from the sky into her arms. And, above all, it was finally wonderfully quiet. No well-meaning students accidentally interrupting her only lunch break, no pithy remarks from Beryl, and no endearing blustering from Mr. Carson.

For, as much as Elsie's loved all of that, she's also wanted just a few moments of glorious silence. Just a few moments to collect herself in such wonderful weather-

"Mrs. Hughes," Blue eyes opened to reveal surprise at the indignant tone that never accompanied her here. "What are you doing?"

Surprise turned into some form of amusement and frustration.

"I'm letting myself live a little, Mr. Carson," She dryly responded to her colleague as he continued scurrying through the stone pathways - trying his best to quickly make his way over to the bench she currently occupied.

"Living a little?" Outright disbelief emanated from that one word, and she closed her eyes - summoning back her patience.

"Yes."

They stood in silence for an astonishing fifteen seconds before she could sense, just from hearing his hands fidget, that more disdainful words were coming from the confused man.

"But, suppose you catch a cold," He warned, scowling at the lack of care she was showing her body by being out in such hazardous conditions.

Elsie couldn't help but let out a laugh at this, opening her eyes to gaze up at the sky once more.

"Suppose some thunder goes off again, suppose lightning strikes us where we are," She turned her gaze from the clouds to him, eyes beaming with utter enjoyment as she offhandedly gestured to the empty space beside her. "You're free to join me. Then we'll both be drenched together."

Well, after a minute, it became clear that she was not going to budge from her spot. Not only that, another revelation made itself known:

Even Mr. Carson could recognize a lost cause.

Especially when it was staring at him with such captivating eyes.

"I think I will join you." For though his clothes were already sodden, he wasn't going to leave a fellow colleague out in this weather, after all. "It might make some of this feel not quite so heavy."

That was one of things he never cared for when it came to the rain - the sopping, distastefully burdensome weight that sank into your clothes if you were outside for too long. It certainly lessened the appeal of rain for him.

"You can always join me if it makes 'this' not so heavy."

He paused, unsure of exactly what she was speaking of. He had been merely talking about the persistent raindrops embedding themselves into his clothes.

What she appeared to be speaking of seemed to be more than just the rain.

"I don't know how, but," His glance took him back to the garden in an effort to avoid making this any more awkward - though, admittedly, he still observed her out of the corner of his eye. "You've managed to make that sound a little risque."

Another hint of laughter rang forth, happily bouncing along the stone walls surrounding this little secret garden of theirs.

"And if I did?"

Elsie looked as though she wanted to say more, but she remained silent. Charles himself had no proper response for her question, for he was still processing her remark from earlier. And, as the time within this little moment past, it almost seemed like the droplets themselves were coaxing the two to slowly close the space between them. They remained a professionally safe distance, mind, but for a moment it was almost as though-

Thunder boomed across the sky, harshly striking through the garden and startling the both of them.

"I do believe 'living a little' will have to wait, Mrs. Hughes." He was already back on his feet and offering her a hand as the rain began to mercilessly plummet on the pair. She almost protested, for now it was a proper thunderstorm. And encountering a proper thunderstorm tended to be the best part of these outdoor adventures.

Still, with a simple, "Your current a cappella efforts might be delayed if we stay out much longer." he was already guiding her back into the building.

_._

"But, Mr. Carson, rain is hardly going to cause any sort of 'damage'." William perked up as he heard Mrs. Hughes's voice carry itself up the stairwell - followed by the sounds of water dripping from sodden clothes and squeaky shoes.

"I just don't want you getting ill."

In all of his time at Downton Academy, William could not recall Mr. Carson sounding quite so… concerned. Or, at least, William hadn't heard his teacher sounding concerned quite like that. He's heard the director worry, he's caught the tone of irritation and vexation, but never this shade of concern.

The teen took a few steps back from the entrance of 402, knowing that he had about a minute before the two choir teachers made it up the stairs and into the hallway he currently stood in. Honestly, he was relieved their voices echoed up the stairs: it was a flustering moment to hear them interact in such a fashion - it almost felt like he'd be interrupting an intimate moment between his parents.

Now, William did still want to ask Mrs. Hughes's a question - though really it was more about having something to do during his lunch period rather than real curiosity. Still, it no longer felt right to interrupt her conversation with Mr. Carson. Rather, he felt it more prudent to go back into the other stairwell, the one that his teachers were not currently traversing, before waiting for an appropriate to step back into the hallway and "accidentally" cross paths with them.

All in all, his plan was undoubtedly more complicated than it needed to be.

But, judging from Mrs. Hughes's response to Mr. Carson's concern - a response that definitely sounded like something his own mum would've said around his dad, were she still around - his current plan was probably the best plan.

_._

They made it back to the office, still absolutely entrenched in the weather's watery gifts. But, rain or no, they were back just in time to receive a visitor.

"William?" Mr. Carson hadn't expected anyone to drop by during one of the lunch periods, let alone a student.

"Hi, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes." Let it never be said that William carried bad manners. Far from it, in fact.

"Is everything alright, William?" The teen smiled shyly at this.

"I just had a question for Mrs. Hughes." She tilted her head inquisitively, nodding to give permission. "Well, it's just that I was wondering if all the music for the a cappella choir has been selected?"

"Why? Did you have a suggestion?"

"Oh, no. Not for this semester, in any-" He trailed off, having forgotten that Mrs. Hughes was only supposed to be substituting for Mrs. Butte for this semester only. She weakly smiled at this.

"Well, I can tell you that most of the music for this semester has been selected. But, if you have any suggestions, I'll be glad to hear of them." He fixed his gaze on the floor, even more flustered than he had been upon entering. And, for once, Mrs. Hughes seemed unable to properly reassure him.

Well, that just won't do.

"I'm sure that if Mrs. Butte is agreeable to maintaining the a cappella choir, she will be more than happy to listen to any future suggestions you have, William." Both Elsie and William did a double take - she was shocked at his unexpected support and he was taken aback by the idea of Mrs. Butte being in charged of that choir.

"Thank you, Mr. Carson," William managed to say, "I appreciate that."

"You're quite welcome. Now, was there anything else we could do for you?"

"No, Mr. Carson. I'll just be on my way."

And with that, the teen quickly left the room.

Charles shared a look with Elsie, confused as to why William had been so shocked.

"Never you mind, Mr. Carson," She responded, having recognized the question in his face and certainly not needing him to ask it right now."Never you mind."

And, for a few seconds he tried his best to heed her advice. But, William's question reminded him of something he was forgetting. Something that wasn't willing to be recalled, but something of vital importance.

All he could currently remember, amidst the fogginess that the rain had brought forth, was that it involved the choirs and Mrs. Butte.

Or... did it involve the choirs and Mrs. Hughes?

_._

A/N: For those curious about the references, there were some moments from Series 3 and 4 embedded into this chapter. For example, the beach scene - one of my favorite moments - as well as a few moments during the cancer health scare.

And, in regards to the fanfiction, there are several rainy stories I love on this site. In this particular instance, the inspiration absolutely goes to "Wet" by Lavender and Hay.

Finally, I hope you enjoyed this and have a lovely day! Till next time :)