A/N: This fic will be updated in quick succession since it is a birthday fic for PiperHolmes and it is eight chapters long.

Thanks to Tripp3235 for a quick beta. Same universe as The Journey to Happiness and Branson and Crawley.

Disclaimer: Not mine. All Downton Abbey characters belong to Julian Fellowes and ITV. I'm just playing with them.

Chapter 2 - Making a House a Home

The following week, Sybil spent her afternoons while Nora napped in her wrap, finding people who could make daily milk deliveries and take their laundry that included a baby's dirty nappies among other necessities of setting up a household. Lady Grantham had offered to Downton's services to her, but Sybil was adamant that they be treated like anyone else who was living at the cottage. When her mother had found her after she made yet another trip into the village with the baby, Lady Grantham asked, "Darling, what would you like for a housewarming gift?"

Unwrapping the baby from her body, Sybil had chuckled. "We could use a telephone."

"Why that's an excellent idea." Lady Grantham eyes lit up. "Then you could call us if you needed something."

"But it's too much," Sybil replied, while she checked Nora's nappies. She knew that telephone cable had to be laid for it and the money would have to come from the estate.

"Nonsense." The Countess had held onto the idea and was heading out the door. "Let me talk to your father and Matthew about it."

While the cottage had been outfitted with electricity, telephones were still only available at the big house, but now that the war was over, more and more businesses had a telephone even in the village. Since returning to Downton, she and Tom had found the telephone invaluable in keeping in touch with various people in Dublin such as Tom's boss, Mr. Connolly, at The Dublin Times, who took Tom's last article for the paper on his flight from Ireland and wished him the best, and Dr. Byrne, who had called Downton regularly after the birth to check on the condition of mother and child and to talk to Sybil. Since they had left Dublin so abruptly, they never had the chance to say good-bye to anyone. They even called Tom's mother on the telephone regularly on a Sunday, though they had to call the store downstairs and they had to fetch Mrs. Branson from her flat.

Their things had been scheduled to arrive on the Thursday before the cricket game, so the Monday morning after breakfast, Sybil took Nora, one of the new scullery maids, Beth, and a few supplies, and spent the day scrubbing and scouring the walls and floors of the entire main floor along with the full bath upstairs. The following day, she returned with Beth and Nora and proceeded to paint the rooms they would be using in the colours that she and Tom had selected in Ripon the previous week. That Wednesday was spent scrubbing all the permanent fixtures of the cottage including the electric stove, which still looked new, a few lamps and a thorough cleaning of both bathrooms. Nora had been exceptionally well-behaved, happy for the most part playing with the various toys in her reach on a blanket on the floor. When she did fuss when not hungry or dirty, Sybil merely wrapped her daughter to herself and proceeded to continue with her work.

Late on Thursday afternoon, after the crates from Dublin arrived, Tom stopped by at the cottage on his return to Downton as he had every day that week to see how things had progressed. Sybil had mentioned to him that she would be staying longer that day to put as many of the pieces in place in order to be ready for them to move in the following evening. What greeted him when he opened the interior door of the cottage was managed chaos. Most of the crates had been opened and contents strewn about, but the furniture were all in the places they had agreed upon previously. After he took off his hat and hung it on a hook in the alcove, he followed the noises to find Sybil and the scullery maid returning all the linens into the linen closet, now situated by the staircase and the baby playing on the floor nearby.

Looking up to see her husband, Sybil smiled. "Hello. We're almost done here."

Beth nodded. "Mr. Branson."

Tom returned Sybil's smile and nodded at Beth before picking up his daughter from the floor. "How are you my darling girl?"

Nora gurgled and laughed when she recognized her father and proceeded to drool all over his face when she was raised above his head.

"Sybil, help!" Tom yelped when the drool hit his cheek and immediately lowered his daughter to a more reasonable height.

Sybil looked over. "How many times do I have to tell you not to raise her above your head? Did Cathleen, Connor or any of your nieces and nephews not drool or spit up on you when you did similar things to them?" She then pulled a handkerchief from her dress pocket and walked over to Tom and the baby.

Taking the handkerchief from his wife with his free hand, Tom wiped at the baby drool. "But she likes it when I do it."

Sybil went back to putting linens into the linen closet. "I'm sure she does. Just don't expect my sympathy when she decides to spit up rather than drool."

Tom then made silly faces at his little girl and used the handkerchief in his hand to cover her face and then take it away. She had only started to smile and laugh in the last day or two and he had her in fits of laughter in no time.

When Sybil and Beth were done with filling the linen closet, Sybil looked at the scullery maid. "I think we're finished for today."

"Of course, Lady Sybil." Beth smiled.

"Thank you for your help, Beth," said Sybil, returning her smile. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes, my lady." Beth walked toward the other room to collect her things. "Mr. Branson. Miss Branson."

Tom nodded at Beth when she walked by and waved his daughter's hand for the scullery maid.

Sybil walked up to Tom and the baby. "Did you want to see what we accomplished today?"

"Yes, very much," said Tom, holding out his free hand. "Lead the way."

Sybil took his hand and led him through the main floor. The powder room was sparkling and all that used to be in their bathroom in Dublin was all here, saved their personal toiletries. The kitchen was reasonably tidy with only a couple of small crates still unpacked. Their bedroom was completely unpacked other than the clothes still at Downton and the bed only having a bare mattress.

They would need to bring the bassinet from Downton for the baby since they told his mother to keep the family cradle in Dublin. The room next door, designated for the baby, remained empty for now. Lady Grantham had purchased a cot for the baby in Ripon when it became apparent that Tom could not return to Ireland for the foreseeable future and it would be moved into this room when the rest of their things were moved from Downton the following day. Sybil had found an old chest of drawers for Nora's clothing in the attic. The mahogany desk and rickety chair were set up in the spare room along with the bed they had purchased for Edith's visit last summer. Only the front room that held the sofa, coffee table, rocking chair and the dining room set remained truly chaotic.

A/N2: Now that their home is almost ready. Please note that the rating will go up in the next chapter. ;) Thanks for reading! Happy Birthday, Piper!