A/N: Thank you to everyone who has submitted a review thus far! And to my lovely beta ! We are going down an exciting, dangerous road with these two, unlike most of the AU Chelsie fics I have read, but I hope everyone is enjoying it so far! I had a few questions about their ages in this fic: to answer that, I imagine them in their late forties/early fifties. Probably their S1 ages on Downton, maybe a tad bit younger.

Alos, as this story progress it will become more M in some chapters, but I will always provide a heads up about those chapters!

So, here's chapter 3. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 3

The next morning, Elsie awoke with an incredibly deep, throbbing headache. Her clothes were off, and she was in nothing but her bra and panties. Stumbling out of bed, she grabbed her robe and wrapped herself with it. She made her way into the kitchen. A pot of coffee was brewed, and there was a bottle of Excedrin on the counter with a note underneath. She grabbed it hastily and began reading.

Elsie, thanks for the good time ;) There is a Gatorade in the refrigerator and the coffee should be ready by now. I hope you feel better. See you Monday! –Charles

Elsie had to sit down on one of the kitchen barstools. Her head throbbed, and if she had read the note correctly, she had done more than just drink last night. She moaned aloud.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She cursed herself. Moaning again she poured a cup of coffee, grabbed the Gatorade and the Excedrin, and walked out onto her sun porch. The warm light of the afternoon spilled around the white wicker furniture and pooled in bright, welcoming spots. Elsie pulled her favorite chair out of the sun and sat down in the shadows. She felt wretched, and not just because she had a headache. She was ashamed with her behavior, and it mortified her to think of Charles Carson in her bed, seeing her recklessly drunk and wanton. She remembered nothing, not after the moment he came to their table. Suddenly, she wondered if he had drugged her drink, but then she remembered John delivering the drinks, and she shook the thought from her mind.

Her intensified literature studies course had just completed its first paper of the semester. The fifteen 20-page research documents were waiting for her at the university, so as awful as she felt, she knew she would have to be at the office in time. She stood and resigned herself to a very long, tough day.

Charles whipped open the front door of his small house and dropped his soaked shirt on the floor by his shoes. The phone was ringing, so he rushed to the kitchen just as whoever was calling gave up. He shrugged to himself and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. Fifteen minutes later, he was showered, dressed, and on his way to the university. He had left so much undone the day before. After Thomas had made his appearance, Charles had had no energy to finish unpacking or prepping for his classes. He knew that some of the advanced courses had begun already, and that his courses were set to commence on Monday. He was not about to enter a class unprepared; it was not in his nature.

He arrived at the university shortly after eight. The lot was practically empty, save a few student tags near the library. He was sitting in his truck, reading an email from the dean, when a silver Cadillac pulled in next to him. Glancing over briefly, he almost didn't recognize Elsie through the tinted windows. But the moment she recognized him, her horrified face shocked him into awareness.

Elsie could not believe her terrible luck. Of all the days and all the parking spaces and all the people that could have been next to her, it had to be Charles Carson. She gasped in utter awe at her hopeless misfortune, and stared stupidly at his truck as he did a double take in her direction.

Charles was astounded to see Elsie Hughes sitting in the vehicle next to him. Judging by the mortified look on her face, he gathered she was none too happy to see him. He knew he shouldn't have left her that note, but he couldn't help but tease her, knowing how uptight she was. Apparently, she had not taken it as a joke and had believed his ruse. Charles shook his head and resigned himself to a lifetime of making up for his idiocy to this woman. He got out of his truck and walked around to the door of her car. She was staring at her lap, refusing to make eye contact with him. So he just opened her door.

When Charles Carson opened the door of her car, the last thing Elsie expected to feel was excitement. Dread, embarrassment, fear, yes. But not the rush of adrenaline and heat that assailed her as his delicious scent whooshed into her car. Her breath caught, and before she could do anything, he reached in and pulled her out of the car.

"Damn you! Who the hell do you think you are? Get your hands off me!" Elsie's outrage rang in each word, but beneath that was a heat that made Charles's blood boil. He yanked her to a standing position and pressed his body tightly against hers on the car. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her fiercely and fully as she struggled. In moments, she had ceased her attempts to escape and relaxed in his hands. He slowly let her face go and stepped carefully away from her.

Elsie was lost in a haze of hormones. Good Lord this man could push her buttons! His lips were incredibly talented, and soon Elsie couldn't think save for his mouth on hers. The blood rushed fiercely to her ears and she was lost in a vortex of sensation. He slowly backed away, pulling his lips from hers as she gulped in air like a virginal teen. The shame hit her shortly after she caught her breath.

"What is wrong with you?" She spat at him. Charles didn't answer, but slowly ran his thumb over her full, wet bottom lip. He heard her breath catch and her eyes fluttered just enough to let him know he had gotten to her. "I think you are going to be a major distraction in my life." He whispered to her, right before he slid his lips over hers once again.

Elsie was not even angry any more. The gall of this man simply knocked her off her feet. She was not even sure what she was doing. Standing in the parking lot, her lips locked in a very hot, very involved kiss, Elsie could not seem to recall for the life of her why she should be fighting this. Her hands slid to his upper arms, and she could feel the force of his biceps straining against his cotton dress shirt. She dug her nails into his arms and he responded by burying his hands in her hair and pulling her closer.

Charles had never been so blindsided by his desire for a woman in his life. Her scent, her hips, her lips, her hair, her accent- God everything about her just drove him wild. He was rock hard and ready and about to lose control when he finally pulled away. His hands still buried in her soft auburn hair, he held her face and looked into her eyes. She searched his expression for an answer. He couldn't give her one because he certainly didn't know why he was so easily losing control. He slid his hands out of her hair and gently down her neck before he stepped away. She took in a shaky breath and carefully wiped her lips with her fingertips and then straightened her outfit. He smiled at her dainty little behaviors, and when she caught him watching her she froze, and suddenly that spark returned to her eyes and he knew he was in for it.

"Why, Dr. Carson, must you insist on doing this to me? If you want my approval, you have it. I will do whatever you want if you'll simply leave me alone and stop making a fool out of me for all the world to see."

"Anything?" Charles said facetiously. Elsie growled at him under her breath.

"I assume I already have, given the tone of that note I found this morning." Suddenly her demeanor changed, and something like shame crossed her features. "Please, I try not to ask for anything from people, but I beg you not to tell anyone about whatever happened last night." Grabbing her bag and her keys, she slammed her car door and marched briskly away without glancing behind her even once. Charles watched her walk away, and the ache he felt became even worse.

Elsie stopped just inside the doors and leaned against a wall to catch her breath. Her lips pulsed with the lingering pressure of his kiss. She was so confused as to why he would waste his time with her. She had very little pull in his department, and the only thing she could really help him with would be to put in a good word with Violet Crawley, whom Elsie happened to know already adored the man. She shook her head and made her way down the hall to her office.

Charles stood in the lot, staring at Elsie's back as she strode away. Shaking his head, he returned to his truck to grab his briefcase before following her into the building. He didn't see her when he entered the hallway, so he made his way to his own classroom, ruminating on their encounter all the way. He was officially perplexed by Ms. Elsie Hughes. It was true; it had been a long time for him. However, despite his rapid and intense reactions to her body, what troubled him were the more intimate reactions he was undergoing. When he thought of her (which had happened more often than he thought possible in 24 hours) it was with warmth and kindness that belied the fact he'd only just met her. But Charles knew that pursuing anything with her would only cause trouble, so he firmly chided himself and immediately set to work when he entered his classroom, knowing that somewhere, the man he was after was not wasting any time.

Charles had always been a good teacher. Less than four hours later, he had already finished his lesson plans for the first quarter of the semester, and he had unpacked most of the items in his boxes. He was about to call it a day when he noticed a sign on his door inviting the professors to help themselves to coffee and doughnuts in the library in honor of the beginning of the semester. He shrugged and decided to grab a pastry on the way out. Maybe, he hoped, he might even run into Elsie- he had felt terribly guilty all day and he wanted to clear some things up with her. The thought pushed him out the door a little faster.

At noon, Elsie found herself staring out of her office window for the last time and decided to call it a day. She was distracted and focused on topics certainly not associated with her students' papers. She stood and began to pack up the papers when she noticed Dr. Carson breeze past her office window and through the courtyard, most likely headed for the free doughnuts in the library. Suddenly she felt a desperate need to discover the details of the previous evening. She hurriedly dropped the papers into her bag, grabbed her keys and made for the library.

Charles could smell the delicious doughnuts before he could see them. Sitting in the counter where students would typically check books out, Charles made a beeline for the big box of fresh pastries and smiled as he secured a chocolate frosted cake doughnut with what looked like salted caramel drizzle. He was indulging in a large bite of the tasty confection when he practically choked as Elsie waltzed into the library doors. He swallowed the massive bite whole, not even tasting the decadent frosting as he stared at Elsie walking straight to him.

"Dr. Carson. I see you've found the pastries." Charles grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. He set the doughnut down and cleared his throat. Watching the strong column of his throat as he swallowed, Elsie's formerly determined mindset abandoned her completely and she decided to depart as soon as possible. But Charles had other plans.

"Dr. Hughes. I- would you mind walking with me for a moment?" Elsie narrowed her eyes at him. She turned to the librarian, Mrs. O'Brien, and handed her a book with a smile, then turned the fiery gaze she seemed to reserve just for him back to his face. She said, "What now, are you planning to throw me down in the stacks?"

Charles couldn't help himself. He laughed aloud, and immediately Mrs. O'Brien shushed him and waved him away. Elsie smiled. Charles said, "Actually, I need to clear up some things. Do you have a minute?" Elsie gave him a wary look, and then led the way out of the library into the courtyard.

Charles followed her, more than happy with the view. She led him to the fountain at the center of the yard. The tricking water that flowed down the large fountain provided a nice camouflage to their conversation. She sat on the bench that ran the circumference of the round base. Crossing her arms and then her legs, she waited for Charles to take a seat. He sat down next to her and leaned forward, elbows on knees. Taking a second to formulate his apology, Charles then leaned back and turned to face her. Her facial expression took all of the wind from him; tears glistened in her eyes and the seemingly ever-present steel that was always in the set of her lips was replaced with a gently quivering frown. Taken aback, he reached up and gently brushed an errant tear from below her left eye. She grabbed his hand and pushed him away. "Please, can you just tell me what happened and stop prolonging the agony? What did my incredibly foolish, drunken self do this time?" She looked down at her feet.

"Absolutely nothing." Charles felt immeasurably awful at the realization that his joke had caused her so much worry. "Nothing happened. You never even tried to touch me. No kiss, nothing. You are truly a lady in every sense of the word. I am sorry that I made you feel as though you behaved otherwise." Elsie sucked in a deep breath. She whispered "Thank you" and stood to walk away. Charles grabbed her hand.

"Elsie- please wait. I know we don't know each other, but if you'd let me I would love to be your friend." She looked back at him, still holding her hand.

"I doubt that would be wise, Dr. Carson. I've known you for scarcely 24 hours and already you've seen me thoroughly intoxicated and shirtless. I see this going nowhere positive."

Fighting the urge to smile, Charles said, " Give me a chance. You won't regret it."

Elsie smiled sadly and nodded her head. Taking that as the best answer he was going to get, Charles stood without letting her hand go and pulled it up to his lips. Gently, he pressed a kiss into her palm. Elsie's eyes grew wide and afraid, and immediately she pulled away from him and dashed into the building.