Starting Forever

A/N- This is an AU Sybil/Branson story, it'll start sometime during the first season, but it will not follow the storyline of the show. I hope you like it.

- - - - - - - - - 3

'Sybil?' Mary raises her voice slightly trying to get her younger sisters attention, 'Sybil?'

'Sybil, are you quite alright?' Robert looks at his daughter who is staring out of the window, seemingly not hearing a word anyone is saying.

'What can have gotten into her?' Cora looks half amused and half concerned.

'It's very odd,' Violet shakes her head, 'she hardly touched her dinner, if she'd had her first season already I'd guess she was thinking of a young man.'

'Perhaps she is,' Edith's eyes drift to Matthew, more to annoy Mary than because she actually believes Sybil has taken a liking to him.

'Who could she have met? We've not had much company here.' Cora shakes her head.

'No I agree, perhaps she's unwell.' Robert looks back to his youngest daughter, still unmoved even though they're all talking about her.

'Oh leave her alone, perhaps she's just excited about leaving for London in a couple of weeks.' Mary shakes her head in exasperation.

'I don't know, if she is ill,' Cora's motherly concern takes over.

'Oh for goodness sake,' Mary stands and walks across the room, shaking her sisters shoulders, 'Sybil?'

'What?' Sybil snaps her head round to focus on Mary, realizing that she must have missed something. Her mind had been drifting off towards the garage, because when Gwen had been helping her dress for dinner, she'd said that Branson had received a letter from home, and as he'd read it he'd gone pale and then left the room. Ever since then she'd wanted to go to him, find out what had been in the letter, and if she could help him in any way. Yet she'd been forced to sit through dinner and now the obligatory after dinner chitchat.

'Matthew asked if you were looking forward to your first season, and I think if you don't answer soon mama is going to send for Dr Clarkson.' Mary replies sounding annoyed.

'Oh sorry I was miles away.' Sybil smiles sweetly, while thinking that she wasn't miles away, in fact she was still very close by.

'That's alright; I suppose it's all the excitement.' Matthew smiles kindly.

'I suppose so,' Sybil nods knowing she'll have to work harder at keeping focussed on the conversation, 'I'm not really sure if I'm looking forward to it. I love London but I think I'll miss Downton terribly.' She looks out the window again, wondering if it really is Downton she'll miss, or if it's the chauffer who won't be coming with them that she'll miss.

'Try not to miss it too much darling; don't let it spoil your enjoyment.' Cora smiles fondly.

'Are we to assume then that there isn't some secret beau you're hiding from us?' Violet looks rather disappointed at the lack of drama.

'What?' Sybil's eyes widen and she shakes her head, 'Of course not, what made you say that?'

'Granny thinks the reason you're distracted is because of some man or other.' Mary replies watching as Sybil's colour rises.

'Honestly it's not; the only young man I've spent any amount of time with recently is Matthew.' And Branson she adds quietly, smiling to herself, a smile which she doesn't understand because he's simply a good friend, that's all.

'Well that's settled then.' Mary walks back to her seat, though for the rest of the evening she carefully watches both Sybil and Matthew, having misread the smile that Sybil gave when mentioning he was the only man she'd spent time with.

3

Finally everyone had drifted off to bed, Violet, Isobel and Matthew had all left, and Sybil finally found her chance to get out. Before she rang for Gwen to come up, she slips out of her room and heads down the main staircase, creeping slowly in the hopes that she won't wake anyone. Once she makes it outside she starts to head for the garage but stops herself, it's already late and so Branson wouldn't be working still. She hesitates for a minute, not knowing if she should continue in her quest, but finally her curiosity and concern take over, and she readjusts her course, heading instead to the cottage which Branson lives in.

When she arrives she's glad to see that there is a light shining through the window, she'd been worried that he might have gone to sleep already. Quietly she knocks on the door, now feeling a little unsure of herself. She hears a crash from inside, and then a few muttered words, before the door swings open and a dishevelled looking Branson stands there, looking angry at the disruption. His features change though once he sees who it is, and suddenly all anger is gone.

'Syb-uh Milady, can I help you?' Branson trips over her name, he knows he needs to try and keep to the boundaries that his position demand, and yet often he finds himself addressing her as Sybil, and she never corrects him. She's taken to calling him Tom whenever they are alone, but if he's to stand any chance of keeping his feelings from going too far, he knows he needs to keep up some boundaries. Then again, it's almost eleven at night and she's at his cottage, so clearly the boundaries don't matter to her.

'I've been trying to see you all evening.' She looks up at him, although his uneasy manner slipped away when he saw her, she can still tell there is something wrong, tightness across his eyes.

Branson's heart quickens ever so slightly as she says she'd been trying to see him, and he's touched by her concerned smile.

'Why's that milady?'

'Gwen mentioned that you'd possibly received some bad news.' Sybil searches his face, which darkens slightly.

'I did.' He nods his head quickly, turning away and it's only then that Sybil notices what he'd been doing before she arrived. Her hand flies out and lands on his forearm, bringing his eyes back to meet hers.

'Tom you're not leaving, are you?' She tries to hold back her emotion, but the sadness is evident in her voice as her eyes move from him, to the half packed bag on his bed.

'I have to,' he feels warmth radiating from her hand, burning through the fabric of his white uniform shirt, 'not for good but I must leave for a while, if Lord Grantham allows it.'

'Whatever has happened?' Sybil steps a little closer, almost stepping over into his cottage, but remaining outside in the warm night air.

'The letter I received today, the one Gwen saw me reading, it was from my brother Kieran. My sister Orla has been taken ill, they,' he stops talking and drops his head, Sybil steps closer and rests her other hand on his cheek, gently tilting his head so he's looking at her again, and what she sees breaks her heart, because there are tears glistening in his eyes, 'they don't think she's going to make it, my brother says that we all need to say our goodbyes.'

'Oh Tom I'm so very sorry, why on earth haven't you left already?'

'I- I just, as soon as I leave it'll become too real.' Branson shakes his head.

'If you don't go though, if you don't leave as soon as you can, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.'

'I know, you're right I know you are.' He nods his head, 'She's so young, only nineteen, married only a year ago and just had her first child last month. How can this happen?'

'Are the absolutely sure she won't pull through?' Sybil asks.

'My brother says it's fairly certain, Mrs O'Neil said there's nothing else she can do for her.'

'Mrs O'Neil? Who is that?'

'The midwife.' Branson looks down at the ground.

'I don't understand, is your sister with child?'

'No,' Branson shakes his head bitterly, 'my family can't afford to get the doctor out, but Mrs O'Neil often see's to the ill.'

'How can she know for sure though? Your sister needs to be seen by a doctor,'

'It's unjust for certain, but there isn't anything we can do, where my sister lives there is only one doctor, and he'll only see you if he is paid first, and the price is higher than we could dream of paying.' Branson looks at Sybil with intensity, 'the truth is that my sister may very well live, she's just not rich enough to have that chance.'

Sybil pulls her hands away from him, anger coursing through her veins.

'I won't allow this to happen. It's wrong!' Sybil's hair falls messily around her face, 'Tom I won't let her go without the help she needs, wait here.' Sybil runs off into the house, and not wanting to wake her parents she goes into her father's study, knowing he keeps money in a draw for emergencies, and this most definitely is an emergency. She knows, or rather hopes, that her father would agree to helping Branson's sister, and so with no hesitation she grabs some notes, and runs back to Branson's cottage. He's gone back to packing but had left the door open, and so she steps into his small home and presses the money into his hand.

'Sybil I can't take this,'

'Of course you can, if it'll give your sister a chance at living.' Sybil says firmly but kindly, and in that moment Branson knows that fighting his emotions is a lost cause, because he knows that he is very much in love with Lady Sybil Crawley.

'Thank you,' his eyes shine with gratitude, 'you're a wonderful person.'

'You should go right away, catch the night train.' Impulsively she moves forward and wraps her arms around him, 'Only you have to promise me you'll come back.'

'I will,' he smiles softly as he holds her, 'nothing could keep me away.'

'And will you write to me, and let me know how your sister is?'

'If you wish,' he agrees readily, 'only won't your family mind?'

'They won't know, I don't get much freedom but they don't read my letters.' She pulls away from his embrace, suddenly realizing that she shouldn't allow herself to get so close. 'You'd best get going.'

'Thank you again,' he holds her gaze and for one moment she thinks he's going to kiss her, but she looks away and breaks the moment, breathing deeply as he picks up his case and they leave the cottage together.