A/N: This one is not beta checked, so I do hope it makes sense. I did feel as though I had to beat it into submission, and would be remiss in not thanking a slew of gals who listened to me bitch about it and offered kind words of advice via DM's, chats, texts, etc. You know who you are - Yay for fandom friends!

Transition chapter here, which is why I had trouble with it. No more Carlisles yet, we'll leave them be for a bit. I have taken into account the four death requests for R. Carlisle and the two for Mary. Just saying, I have a plan for them. :)

Lots of drama to come, but this chapter is all feels. Thanks to all who continue to read and review and blow me away with your kindness.

xx

CSotA

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Elsie and Daisy were scheduled to fly out of Heathrow at 17:30, bound for Boston and then connecting on to Portland. Anna had agreed to pick them up in Portland and bring them home, and Elsie was already dreading the long voyage.

Charles had finished packing up Daisy's things, and he and Elsie had agreed to pack most of the extra items they'd purchased while in England into his suitcase; that way, Elsie wouldn't be helping Daisy with her bag plus have an extra carry-on to manage. They brought everything downstairs and then enjoyed a quiet luncheon with Edith and Marigold before heading to the airport.

"I have no idea how you're going to function at work on Monday," Elsie told her friend. Cora had set up a buffet on the sideboard - simple sandwiches, salad, and some bite-sized desserts after a week full of rich food and drink - and Elsie was helping herself to a couple of the mini brownies.

Edith slumped down a bit in her chair. "I know," she grumbled, rubbing the heel of her hand on her forehead. "I have no idea what possessed me to schedule a Sunday return flight, really. But it is earlier on in the day, so that should help. I hope."

"You know that I'll do what I can at work to help you. When are you planning to tell the staff about the baby?"

"I think I'll wait another month or so. That is, of course, unless I continue to be ill, which case they'll all figure it out."

Elsie nodded as she sat down. "Yes, or at least the more observant ones would. Phyllis would figure it out for sure, but she'd never tell anyhow."

"I can't wait to get home to Bertie," Edith sighed.

"How is he?" Charles asked.

"He's doing wonderfully, thanks. Been busy with work, and ..." She glanced over to see what Marigold was doing, but the girls were thankfully wrapped up in a game in the corner of the room. Still, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "He's finished Marigold's room. She wanted it painted green, of all things, and he did it as a surprise while we were away."

"Aw, how lovely," Elsie said quietly. "He really is as wonderful as he sounds, isn't he?"

"He really is," Edith agreed. "Much like someone else I can think of," she added, smiling at her uncle.

Charles puffed out his chest and sighed dramatically. "Some of us just can't help being wonderful," he quipped.

Elsie just turned to him and raised an eyebrow, her lips pursed in a sideways smirk.

"Oh, come on, admit it," he teased. "You were drawn in from the moment you saw me in your office."

Elsie turned to Edith, who was just looking at her expectantly. Biting her bottom lip, she turned back to Charles and gave up the pretense, shaking her head and laughing softly.

"I was," she admitted as she got up from her seat. She leaned over and cupped his cheek in her palm, then kissed him chastely on the lips. "I truly was, and it costs me nothing to say it."

Charles blushed faintly and brushed her leg with his fingertips as she headed away from the table.

"Me, too," he admitted.

From across the table, Edith sighed faintly. "I've never seen you so happy, Uncle Charlie," she said quietly as Elsie was exiting the room.

"Neither have I," Daisy piped up from the corner.

Surprised, Charles looked over to where the girls were sitting, clearly having watched the adults' interaction with some interest. "Daisy?" he enquired, but she just smiled at him.

"It's nice, Papa," she said. "I like it."

Well, then, Edith thought, thank heaven for that.

Elsie found Charles half an hour later in the library, seated at Robert's desk. She moved to stand behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders, rubbing them gently as he put his signature to the bottom of the paper in front of him. He folded it when he was done and tucked into an envelope.

"Here you are," Charles said, handing the envelope to Elsie. In it was a letter which would give Elsie permission to travel out of the UK with Daisy in tow, and which outlined Charles's contact information, his own passport number, and the fact that Charles had given Elsie the responsibility to seek emergency medical treatment for Daisy should anything happen to her before he returned to the States.

"I have to say, Els, this makes me nervous."

She squeezed his shoulder once more and leaned down to kiss him. "School nurse, remember? Daisy and I will be in the same building for the entire week, either at school or at home. Nothing's going to happen to her, Charlie."

"I know, I just …" He shrugged, sighing and knowing he sounded a bit foolish.

"She'll call you every day after school, all her homework will be done. You're flying in Friday night and we'll be there to greet you. It'll be five full days you won't see her, and you'll be so busy you'll barely even notice."

"Five days when I won't see either of you," he grumbled, and she laughed softly.

"Well, you never see me every day anyhow," she reminded him, and his eyebrows shot up as he started to interrupt her. "I know," she said quickly, patting his cheek. "We will discuss it, Charles. I promise."

He heard the tiny rolled "r" sounds come off her tongue, and just that small thing soothed him a bit.

"Alright," he smiled. "Oh," he added, "I almost forgot - Daisy's health insurance card is in my wallet, which is up on the bureau. Take the card and tuck it in with that, if you don't mind," he said, tilting his head toward the letter in her hand. "I'm going to stay here and choose a book to read tonight, and I'll be up shortly."

"And is Daisy's passport in her carry-on?" she asked. "I may as well take that, too."

"Yes, thanks."

"See you in a bit." She gave him half a wave on her way out the door.

Charles sat back and watched her leave, his heart growing heavier with every step she took.

In four more hours, you won't see either of them again for days.

He capped Robert's pen and put it away, sighing deeply.

We REALLY need to do something about this living situation, and SOON.

Heathrow Airport, two hours later

Charles hefted Elsie's suitcase onto the scale at the counter, then placed Daisy's beside it. The sight of the two bags standing together made him smile, and he felt a tug on his hand.

"Papa," she whispered, and his smile faltered a bit at the quietness of her voice - the voice that seemed to have reappeared in all its beautiful glory when they were in Yorkshire but that seemed to be disappearing again now that their week away had come to an end.

"What is it, petal?"

"I'm going to miss you," she said, her eyes filling. "I don't want to go back without you."

The woman at the monitor asked him for Daisy's passport; he had his hand halfway in the pouch of Daisy's carry-on before he remembered that Elsie had it.

"Here you are," came the Scottish brogue in his other ear, and he nodded his thanks.

"You're traveling with her?" the woman asked, and Elsie replied affirmatively.

"And you are the child's mother?"

"No, we're just traveling home together," Elsie supplied, drawing her lip underneath her teeth. Why must they continually presume?

"I'm Daisy father - I'll be joining them in a week," Charles added. "But I've written up a letter …" He looked at Elsie, who was already handing the paper over.

The woman glanced at it quickly and compared the name on it to Elsie's passport.

"Everything is in order - thank you for this," she said, handing the letter back. "Makes everything easier, particularly on the American end."

She looked at Elsie. "When you get back to the States, be sure you have that ready. But I'll put a note in the system for you so that they are aware."

"Thank you," Elsie said.

"You're welcome. Have a lovely flight, ladies," she said, smiling at an increasingly-upset Daisy.

The threesome headed off to use the restroom and get something to drink, hoping for a last few minutes to say goodbye before Charles had to leave Elsie and Daisy at the security gate. They found three seats together somewhat tucked away in a corner.

"Would you like some time alone?" Elsie asked Charles.

"If you don't mind?"

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Of course not, don't be ridiculous. Just text me, I'll be poking around the shops."

Daisy watched Elsie go and felt sad about it. "She didn't have to leave, Papa."

"No, it's alright. Now, come here," he said, patting the empty seat beside him. Daisy complied, and he wrapped his arm around her.

"It's not a full week, and it will go by quickly as you'll be in school. I'll be able to talk to you every night, and you and Elsie will be picking me up at the airport before you know it."

"I suppose," Daisy mumbled. "I feel like a stupid baby, but I'm just going to miss you so much," she whispered, wiping her eyes.

"I'll miss you, too, love. But, after this, we'll have more time to spend together than we ever had before. You're going to get sick of me by the time you're ten," he joked, and Daisy cracked a smile through her tears.

"Maybe," she allowed. "But still ..."

"I know," he said softly, and he pulled her in closer. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Daisy spoke again.

"I'm glad we went to visit Mummy," she said softly.

"I wouldn't have gone all the way to England and not gone to see her with you," Charles answered. "I'm sorry it was so cold outside and that we had to leave when we did. But it was important for us to do that before heading back, don't you think?"

"Yes." A pause, then, "What did Elsie say about it?"

Charles tilted his head under his daughter's curious gaze. "We didn't discuss it."

"Why not? Would she be angry?"

"Oh, no, not at all," he assured her. "No, Elsie would never want you to forget about Mummy, you know. She understands. Elsie was only a few years older than you when she lost her Mummy."

Daisy's eyes widened. "I didn't know that," she said.

"Well," he said, dropping a kiss to her forehead, "now you do. It's not a secret, but she doesn't talk about it much."

Daisy shook her head slowly. "No," she whispered. "It's sad to talk about."

"Well, it was a long time ago," Charles allowed. "It doesn't hurt as much as you get older. Your grandparents died a while before you were born, and it's not as sad for me now as it was then."

"Mmm," Daisy hummed, pondering all that he'd just told her.

"I'm glad we went," Charles said after a few minutes. And he was. He felt freer, somehow, as though it were the final step - except for the selling of the firm - to leaving it all behind and starting a new life when he finally got home.

"Yeah, me, too," Daisy said, pulling him from his thoughts.

"So, chin up? Riding, school, chores around the farm, and I'll be coming home before you know it."

Daisy took a deep breath. "Alright. But I get to call you every night?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh! Can we Skype? Marigold says Bertie does that with his Mum."

Charles made a face. "I don't know how," he admitted, and Daisy laughed.

"It's easy. Let me have your phone," she said, hand held out, palm up.

Charles deposited his phone in her hand and she tapped a few things on the screen. "Okay," she said, "see this here?" She pointed to the icon.

"Yes," he said hesitantly.

"Alright. If you want to call me, you go in here …" And she set him up while he watched in awe.

"Are you sure I can do this?" he asked, and she nodded.

"If you don't know how, ask Auntie Cora," Daisy said. "She knows how to do everything on her phone."

Charles nodded, a bit uneasy that he wouldn't be able to manage it.

"It'll be easier if I Skype you, maybe," she said after seeing the look on his face. "Then you just have to answer it."

"Yes! Much better," he nodded. "I'll tell you what - you can call me at seven every night. I'll make sure it's free, and that I will have time to talk."

"Good," Daisy nodded approvingly.

Charles looked at his watch. "I need to get Elsie back here, petal. You ladies need to get to your gate soon."

"Alright. Can I Skype you tonight?"

"Absolutely," he said, taking back his phone, "but you'll have to wait until you get back to the farm. And you can call me when you get to Boston, alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, Papa."

He typed in a quick message to Elsie:

All is clear. Hope you return purchase-free - no more room! x

A moment later, the phone buzzed in his hand.

Ha! Not on your life. Kidding! Be right there. x

"She's on her way," Charles said softly, and Daisy took his hand.

"Okay. You'll stay until we take off?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll make sure I stay put until I can't see the plane anymore. And you'll call me as soon as you land, let me know how it was?"

"I promise, Papa."

Elsie approached them and laid her hand on their joined ones. "Well … I suppose we should head over?"

"Yeah," Daisy said sadly. "Papa said I should call as soon as we land."

"Good idea," Elsie answered. Then she leaned over and whispered in Daisy's ear, "We should have some time in Boston before our connection. We'll text him a bunch of selfies."

"Deal!" Daisy laughed.

Charles took Elsie's hand in one of his, and Daisy's in the other. The threesome made their way to the security gate, then huddled together for a moment. Elsie gave Charles a rather chaste, but lingering, kiss; she didn't want to embarrass either of them, but certainly wasn't leaving without one. As he broke away he placed his hands at the small of her back; he bent down so that their foreheads were touching, and Elsie rested her hands on his chest.

"I love you," he whispered, and she nodded.

"Five days, Charles. Five days."

"I know, but it feels like more," he admitted, and she felt a lump start to form in her throat.

"It'll fly by," she said. "You'll be sure to call me, too, right?" she teased, and she felt his gentle nod against her forehead.

"I will. Ten o'clock for you, Daisy at seven."

"That's the plan. And I love you, too." She touched her lips to his one more time, then bent to pick up her carry-on and move away a bit, giving him a moment with Daisy.

Charles squatted down and opened his arms. and Daisy flew into them and hugged him tightly.

"I'll miss you, Papa. But I'll talk to you in a few hours," Daisy said, trying to keep from crying.

"I'll miss you just as much, petal. But just remember: the next time I see you, I'll be mostly retired, and we'll be able to spend so much more time together. No work during the summer, I promise."

"Really?" she asked, hopeful.

"Really," he affirmed.

Daisy grabbed his cheeks in her small hands and placed a kiss to his lips, then one to his forehead. "I'm not going to forget you said that, Papa."

He laughed. "I'm counting on it," he answered, tapping her nose with his knuckle. "Now you and Elsie had best queue up, and I'll talk to you later tonight, alright?"

"Alright," she said in a whisper, her eyes filling and the tip of her tongue sticking out past her lips as she concentrated on not bursting into tears. She backed away and Charles stood, then Daisy took her bag and walked over to where Elsie was standing, taking Elsie's proffered hand as soon as she was close enough.

"Ready, dear?" Elsie asked, and Daisy nodded. Together, they headed through security and gathered their things on the other side of the scanners, turning to wave at Charles one last time before heading on up to their gate.

Charles stood and watched them go, then found a seat by the window and pulled the paperback he'd brought with him out of his jacket pocket. He cracked open the cover, then stared blankly at the title page. He couldn't possibly focus on the written words in front of him, with so many others floating around his head. Thank goodness he had the sale of the firm tying him up in meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Robert was planning something for tomorrow, to keep Charles busy, he knew, but he appreciated it all the same. He had a luncheon scheduled with Violet before he was to leave, and he had volunteered to return to Heathrow tomorrow to bring Edith and Marigold for their flight home. All in all, he was going to be insanely busy for most of the hours he was staying behind in England. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Elsie, who got to return home with Daisy while he was staying behind; he knew he'd be surrounded by people, and yet he still felt so alone.

Lonely, he thought, that one word that rang out more loudly in his mind - and heart - than all the others. Lonely … during all the minutes in between.

Elsie and Daisy had a rather uneventful flight, for which they were both grateful. Daisy managed to watch two movies and had dozed off at the end of the second, and Elsie just let her sleep. The girl was emotionally as well as physically exhausted after a week spent in the presence of all the Crawleys. Elsie knew it had been a lot on Daisy to be more communicative, to be watching out over Marigold as she seemed to do, although Elsie was certain that Marigold thought it was her job to watch out over Daisy.

Just like sisters, she thought again. But all of that on Daisy's mind, added to the uncomfortable and embarrassing burden of sifting through her new knowledge about Elsie and Charles and their … well, activities, plus the sheer busy nature of the rest of the week ... well, it was no wonder that Daisy had fallen asleep now that all was quieter. Elsie was wiped out herself, and she had an adult's capacity to deal with it all.

She unbuckled her seat belt and walked over to Daisy's seat, taking her headphones off gently and placing them next to her on the seat. She adjusted Daisy's blanket and repositioned Fred so that he was no longer dangling by one stuffed leg from the edge of the seat.

"Luff you" Daisy murmured, her voice thick with fatigue.

Elsie nearly froze. She looked at Daisy, expecting to see the lovely girl's eyes closed because she certainly sounded as though she were talking in her sleep. But Daisy's beautiful eyes were, in fact, half-open. She reached out her hand, and Elsie grasped it quickly, squeezed it, and then tucked it back into the blanket.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Elsie whispered, and she placed a kiss to Daisy's hair. Daisy murmured something unintelligible as sleep began to claim her once again, and she snuggled further under the blanket.

Elsie watched her a moment longer, until Daisy's breathing slowed a bit and Elsie was fairly sure she was sleeping. The seat belt signal chimed, and Elsie returned to her seat and buckled herself in once more. She reclined her chair a bit and rested her head against the side of her pillow, a brilliant smile appearing on her face as she shook her head in wonder. She lifted her hand to wipe a few tears from her lashes, then reached over to grab her book, opening the cover and staring blankly at the page on which she'd left off.

Elsie found that she couldn't possibly focus on the written words in front of her with so many other words floating around in her mind, many of them whispering to her how difficult and sad she was going to be for the next several days without Charles by her side every night. But she knew she was the lucky one, to not be returning home completely alone, to have one sweet little girl who would be occupying a good deal of her time. And despite how busy she and Daisy would be with school and life on the farm, Elsie had to acknowledge that lonely was certainly one of the words that was niggling her brain.

Yet when she turned her head and looked over at the little girl sleeping soundly in the next spot over, she was happy to realize that one other word sounded out like the clearest, loudest bell, drowning out all the others: family.

What a difference a day makes, she thought, a smile coming to her lips. She settled more comfortably into her seat, clicked her light on, and turned the page of the next chapter in the story.

Please leave a little review if you are so inclined! They make my day! x