Thank you everyone who has read, favorited, and reviewed this story. Here's the second chapter. It's unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Formby
Friday, 21 August 1936

Mary and Robert rushed to the shoreline, anxious to find out if George was all right. On seeing her only child was standing and seemingly okay, Mary hurried over to him, needing to ensure he was fine. She rushed past the young woman standing with her son, only taking in her dark hair and blue bathing suit.

Robert, being seventy years old, lagged behind his oldest daughter. He sighed with relief when he saw that George was okay, though the teenager seemed annoyed by his mother's attentions.

Taking a breath, he asked, "Who do I thank for saving my grandson's life?"

A blonde haired boy, roughly the same age as George, who looked familiar to Robert, answered, pointing to the girl next to him. "My sister Sybbie."

"Thank you, Syb-" he stopped speaking, seeing the young lady in full. It can't be. She looks just like Sybil.

At that moment, an older gentleman, in his fifties and bearing a resemblance to his former chauffeur, came up behind the young girl and wrapped a protective arm around her. On hearing the last name Crawley, Kieran suspected that the boy was related to his sister-in-law. His suspicions were confirmed when the elder man stopped speaking and stared at his niece as if he'd just seen a ghost. It was known amongst the Branson family that Sybbie was the spitting image of her mother. Kieran knew from the age of the man before him that this was Sybil's father. The bastard, he thought.

Sybbie looked at her uncle, confused about his behavior. While he was an affectionate uncle to her and her four younger siblings, Sybbie had never seen him act so protective before. She eyed the elderly man before her, wondering what it was about him that made her uncle so concerned.

She opened her mouth to ask a question when the George's mother gasped. "Oh!"

Sybbie turned towards her and saw the same expression on the woman's face as the older man. "Is everything all right, ma'am?"

The woman just nodded her head and gave the other man an odd look.

Kieran decided to take control of the situation. "I'm glad your son and grandson is no worse for the wear. However, it's time for us to leave and return home. Have a good day."

With that, he ushered his niece and nephew back to where the rest of the Branson clan was sitting. Tommy and Sybbie looked at each other, questioning Uncle Kieran's behavior. When they got back to their aunt, cousins, and siblings, their uncle gently ordered them to pack up. Then he pulled his wife aside.

"We need to leave right now. They boy Sybbie saved was a Crawley."

Sharon rolled her eyes at her husband. "Not every Crawley in England is related to Sybil."

"True," he responded, "but judging by the looks the boy's mother and grandfather gave Sybbie, I'd say that they're Sybil's older sister and father."

"Oh dear. She's arriving on the evening train. She won't like this."

Kieran nodded. "I know, but I'll not keep it from her."

Three hours later

Liverpool Central Railway Station

Sybil Branson emerged from her train feeling tired, but excited to see her children after a week away from them. She turned when she heard an excited chorus of cries of "Mum!" and "Aunt Sybil!"

She squealed when she saw her children, running up to them, and pulling them into a fierce hug. As she let them go, she picked up the youngest, three year old Connie, and held her tight. Sybil then went up to her brother- and sister-in-law, kissing them on the cheek.

"Thank you for taking care of them this week. With Tom away and the night shifts I had to cover this week, I was glad that I didn't have to leave them on thier own."

Sharon smiled at her sister-in-law. "It wasn't a problem. Your brood may be rambunctious, but Sybbie was such a huge help. She reminds me of you."

Sybil smiled at the compliment. Sharon gave her husband a look. "Kieran needs to talk to you about something important. I'll take Connie while you two talk."

Sybil nodded, concerned about what Kieran was going to tell her. Thankfully, Connie made minimal fuss about leaving her mother's arms. Once Sharon had a hold of her, she gathered the children to have them walk back to the Branson home several streets away.

Kieran sighed. "Let me take your suitcase."

Before she could protest, he picked it up andheld out his arm for Sybil to take. She took it and the two began to walk, following behind the nine Branson cousins and Sharon.

In a low voice, she asked, "What did you want to tell me?"

Kieran took a deep breath. "We went to Formby this morning. While we were there, Sybbie rescued a young boy around her age."

Sybil gasped. "How is he?"

"He's fine. B-"

"That's great! I'm so proud of Sybbie." Sybil laughed. "The way you and Sharon were acting, I thought something bad happened."

Kieran stopped walking and looked Sybil straight in the eye. "The boy she saved is George Crawley and going by the looks his mother and grandfather gave your daughter, who is the spitting image of you, I would assume they were your father and sister."

Sybil sucked in her breath. The pain of that April night seventeen years ago was still with her.

Tom entered the Drawing Room, a bit nervous, though it was only apparent to her. "I'm here."

She rose from her seat and walked over to her fiancée. She started to let her nerves get the better of her. "I don't think this is such a good idea. We mustn't worry Granny."

"You've asked me to come, and I've come."

Her grandmother of course wanted to speed things along. "Would someone please tell me what is going on, or have we all stepped through the looking glass?"

Tom looked at her and said, "Your grandmother has as much right to know as anybody else."

"Why don't I find that reassuring?" her grandmother queried.

Sybil took a deep breath and took Tom's hand in hers. Her father's eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw the gesture.

"Tom has asked me to marry him and I've accepted his proposal."

Papa couldn't hold back his shock. "What do you mean you've accepted his proposal?"

She didn't hesitate in her response. "We've fallen in love and we're getting married.

"You can't be serious!"

Mary stood up at that moment, hoping to calm down their father. "I knew you wouldn't like this, papa. I tried-"

Papa interrupted, anger and shock in his voice. "What do you mean, "you knew"?"

"I hoped it would blow over. I didn't want to split the family when Sybil might still wake up."

Papa turned back to Tom and her, focusing all of his anger at fiancée. "And all this time, you've been driving me about, bowing and scraping and seducing my daughter behind my back?"

Sybil and Tom both stiffened at his words. For Sybil, it felt as though her father had smacked her across the face. As always, Tom would not let that insult towards them both pass. "I don't bow and scrape! And I've not seduced anyone! Give your daughter some credit for knowing her own mind!"

As usual, her father couldn't stand anyone standing up to him. "How dare you speak to me in that tone. You will leave at once."

She exclaimed, "Oh, Papa!"

But he wasn't listening. "This is a folly! A ridiculous, juvenile madness!"

Surprisingly, her grandmother intervened, holding up her hand to get everyone's attention. "Sybil, what do you have in mind?"

"Mama, this is hardly-"

She again held up her hand, not caring for her son's hysterics. "No. She must have something in mind. Otherwise, she wouldn't have summoned him here tonight."

Sybil exhaled, grateful for her grandmother in that moment. "Thank you, Granny. Yes, we do have a plan. Tom's got a job on a paper. I'll stay until after the wedding; I don't want to steal their thunder." She gestured toward Matthew and Lavinia. "But after that, I'll go to Dublin."

Her mother finally spoke. "To live with him? Unmarried?"

"I'll live with his mother while the bans are read. And then we'll be married," she and Tom gazed into each other's eyes, "and I'll get a job as a nurse."

Granny asked, "What does your mother make of this?"

Tom was honest, though his voice betrayed his annoyance. "If you must know, she thinks we're very foolish."

Granny chuckled. "So at least we have something in common."

Papa turned around and marched towards Sybil and Tom, stopping in the center of the room, commanding attention from everyone. "I won't allow it! I will not allow my daughter to throw away her life! It's either him or us, Sybil!"

You could hear a pin drop in the room.

Tom turned his head toward Sybil, taking her in, seeing her pain. She took a breath and tightened her grip on Tom's hand, readying herself to say the words that needed to be said. "Then I choose Tom."

She looked around the room at her mother, sisters, and grandmother. "I love you all very much, but not at the expense of my own happiness."

Mary looked at Sybil and pleaded, "Sybil, please think this through. If you leave, you will be breaking up the family."

Sybil stood straighter at her sister's words. She looked her straight in the eye. "I'm not the one breaking the family up. I didn't give the ultimatum."

Mary stiffened. "How will he take care of you?"

The younger sister rolled her eyes. "There's more to being take cared of than possessing a ridiculous amount of money. We'll take care of each other."

She went around the room, kissing her mother, grandmother, and Edith on the cheeks. Sybil approached the door of the drawing room. "Goodbye."

Sybil looked at Tom and together they left the room. Once in the hallway, she turned to him and pulled him close. After a few minutes, she told him to give her twenty minutes to pack.

"We'll meet at the gate."

Tom nodded and left the house. She hurried up the stairs and finished packing up. Acting on the cautious side, Sybil had started to pack her bags before dinner. She was bringing the necessities as she knew carrying a trunk was out of the question. Her only luxuries were her five favorite books and her jupes-culottes, and the last one was more for Tom. She added in her toiletries and a few other odds and ends before closing her cases.

Once she was done, Sybil gave her room a once over. She thought she would be sad, but the room and this house hadn't felt like home in a long time. She put on her hat and coat, grabbed her purse and suitcases and left the room. When she reached the gates, there was Tom, patiently waiting for her as always.

He gave her a soft look. "Are you sure about this, love?"

She blinked back the tears she had been holding back. "Yes. I'm heartbroken to lose my family, but a future without you hurts even more. Let's go."

He picked up one of her suitcases and held out his hand to her. They began the walk to the village in silence. Finally, Sybil broke it.

"When do you want to leave for Ireland?"

"We can wait a few days to let things calm down. Your parents might come around."

She sighed. "Perhaps, but I doubt it." She halted her steps, forcing Tom to stop as well. "I think we should leave tomorrow for Liverpool and take the overnight ferry to Dublin."

He looked at her, torn between agreeing and wanting to make sure she was sure.

Sybil smiled tenderly at him. "I'm sure, Tom. As I said to you when I accepted your proposal, it's time to move forward."

He leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. With that, they began their walk again, talking the entire time. They reached the village fifteen minutes later and got a room for Sybil at The Grantham Arms.

The next morning, the couple checked out to take a train to Liverpool, briefly stopping at Crawley House. Sybil bade farewell to Isobel and at the older woman's insistence, left the address for Tom's mother's home.

Isobel escorted them to the train station, where they caught the noon train to Liverpool. By eight that night, they were on the ferry for Dublin.

Sybil looked at Kieran. "Oh God!"