George looked at his once close friend, anger building up inside him. This monster had hurt his cousin beyond all repair. To see him smiling like that as well... it was enough to make him see red! How dare he laugh after everything he had put her through... what he had put his family through.
"Hello Georgie!" William said, his tone laced with an arrogance that made George stiffen all the more. He couldn't believe how quickly things had changed, not even a week ago he would've done anything for this boy, he never in a million years would've thought him capable of everything he had done. It was something that was going to take a long time to sink in.
"You've got some nerve!" George hissed, taking a step closer his hands clenched into fists. He felt sick as he took in his once close friend, he didn't even recognise him. Yes, he looked the same but his demeanor and attitude was someone he didn't know. Angry tears filled his eyes, where had it all gone so wrong? Did he ever care about them?
"How dare you show your face here after everything you've done to her! She trusted you! I trusted you! We loved you like a brother and you did that to her... I can't even believe this, 15 years we've been friends and you do this to the closest person to me! I want to kill you," George grabbed William by the shirt and slammed him into the wall. William just laughed, a cruel laugh which infuriated George all the more.
"Come on Georgie, you're just jealous. Hey, maybe next time I take her I'll let you watch," He winked, an infuriating smug smile on his face. George swung his arm back and punched William hard, a sickening crunch sounded as his fist connected to William's nose. George wouldn't stop, kicking and punching him as hard as he could.
"Say that again you bastard! Go on, say it again!" He screamed falling to the floor as William got up, punching and kicking him in the face. The adrenaline coursing through George's body made it so that he couldn't feel a thing, he covered his head and ribs as much as he could while William punched and kicked him. Laughing as he did so, blood flying everywhere from both boys. George kicked out, connecting with William's leg and knocking him over.
George took the opportunity, getting up and kicking William wherever he could. He wanted to kill him for everything he had done to his cousin, his closest friend and confidant. After a while, he felt someone pulling him off of William. He turned and saw one of the men from the stalls at the Christmas Market. The man handed George a handkerchief which he gratefully used to stem his bleeding nose, he watched as he lifted William onto a bench.
"Master George you need to get out of here, I don't want you to get into trouble. You need to get home now, quick!" He said with urgency, looking panicked at the slow rise and fall of William's chest, the cuts and bruises covering his face. He knew Master George wouldn't have hit anyone without provocation, he always seemed very kind. Just like his father, that's why he was giving him a chance to escape. George looked on, nodding gratefully at the man he ran towards his home.
20 minutes later and George got home, limping into Downton and covered in cuts and bruises. He was filthy, his normally clean blonde hair caked in mud and his clothes all torn and covered in blood. It was Sybbie who saw him first, letting out an audible gasp before George weakly covered her mouth with his hand. He shook his head, beckoning her to follow him upstairs quickly before his parents saw.
"Shhh! I'll tell you everything in a minute! Please, just help me get cleaned up before mother and father see!" He whispered, opening the door to his bedroom and allowing Sybbie in. She looked horrified, helping him to sit on his bed and taking his bruised face in her hands, tears dripped down her cheeks.
"Georgie, please tell me what happened! Mummy and Daddy are in the library, so we have time to talk. Please tell me," She said softly whilst she filled a basin with warm water and got a cloth, gently dabbing his face to clean off all the mud and blood from his face. She visibly winced seeing the bruises on his face, they looked so painful. George took his hand and gently wiped her tears with his thumb.
"I was walking home from the markets... I wasn't far from home when I suddenly got a very bad feeling that I just couldn't shake, I looked up and William was in front of me," he looked up at his cousin, wincing as he saw fear etched on her face. He sat her down and held onto her hand, not only trying to comfort her but to also comfort himself.
"I've never been so angry, he was smirking at me and said some awful things about you and I just lost it. I punched him really hard and I couldn't stop, he beat me badly too and I managed in the end to get the upper hand when I was pulled off by a man working on the stalls," he took a deep breath and winced, his ribs really hurt. Sybbie frowned, gently pulling him into the bathroom and filling up the bathtub. She gently pulled his shirt over his head, gasping slightly as she saw the state he was in.
"George!" She audibly winced, helping to lower him into the bath. She grabbed another basin, filling it with warm water and dumping it onto his head. She got some liquid shampoo and squeezed it onto her hands, lathering it into his scalp and ignoring his protests. She rinsed it out, getting all the dirt and caked blood out of his hair, she couldn't believe he had gotten himself into this state to protect her. She was so unbelievably proud of her cousin.
She turned to grab a towel, helping him out and wrapping it around him. She slowly got him out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, grabbing him a pair of pyjamas out. Sybbie turned around to give him some privacy while he dressed, she made quick work of drying George's hair with a towel, again ignoring his protests that he was fine and could do it himself. She fixed him a steely glare, one that could rival her aunt/surrogate mother. George immediately stopped fussing, allowing Sybbie to finish getting him ready.
"There! You look much more presentable," She said and it was true, he did look a little better. His eye was bruised, his nose cut and there were some other bruises around his face but there was no mud or blood covering his face. George smiled sheepishly, allowing Sybbie to sit on the bed with him. He nudged her with his elbow playfully.
"I'd do it all over again, let's just hope mother and father don't find out..." He said only stopping when he saw Sybbie visibly pale.
"Let's just hope mother and father don't find out what?" Mary said, glancing between the two children who had gone very visibly quiet.
Mary and Matthew had been sat in the library with Sybbie, playing a game of cards. After sometime of playing, Sybbie had gotten up saying that she needed the toilet, only she hadn't come down. Not for a very long time. Mary had been very worried, it was getting late and she'd not heard George return home yet. He should've been back ages ago, she had a bad feeling about all this.
"Matthew it's 11:00 at night! George should've been home hours ago, also Sybbie only needed the toilet! She's been gone for an hour," Mary said worriedly, standing up and pacing the small library. Only stopping when Matthew pressed a kiss to her lips, allowing her to sink into his warm arms and be comforted by him, she felt so safe.
"Don't worry so, maybe he crept in so as not to wake us, come on! We'll go check his room, also we can see if Sybbie is alright. She might just be feeling unwell or stressed, she has been through a lot" Matthew said, wrapping his arm around Mary who agreed and followed him out of the library and up the stairs, heading towards George's room.
Mary frowned slightly, hearing her surrogate daughter and her son. She could hear Sybbie telling George to sit still and stop wriggling and she could hear George telling her that he could do it all by himself and to stop fussing. Matthew raised an eyebrow and glanced at his wife, what were those two up to? It was only when they heard George tell Sybbie that he hoped his mother and father didn't find out about something that they walked in.
"Let's just hope mother and father don't find out about what?" Mary looked between the two.
Sybbie and George glanced at each other, wincing slightly as Mary's steely glare pierced right through them. She looked at her son and audibly gasped, as did Matthew. She ran to his side, grabbing his face as he winced, tearing away from her grip.
"George Matthew Crawley! What on earth happened?! Sybil Mary Cora Branson! What is going on? One of you tell me at once!" She said, gently cupping George's face and hugging him tight. Softening even more when she heard him cry on her shoulder, gripping on tight to her. Sybbie sniffled slightly and looked at her hands.
"George was walking home from the Markets when he saw William," her throat tightened and tears ran down her face. Matthew sat next to the young girl and pulled her on his lap, hugging her tight to his chest protectively. He stroked her back and hummed a soft tune, slowly calming her down.
"He said some things to me... he said that the next time he touches Sybbie that he will make me watch. I have never been so angry before, I just lost it mother... father I'm really sorry! I hit him first really hard and he beat me up too but I couldn't help it!" George finished the sentence, sobbing into his mother's arms and feeling comforted as she wrapped him in an embrace.
"I am so proud of you, my boy. For protecting your cousin, your sister I should say. He will never hurt Sybbie again ok? We won't let him. Not whilst we're here," Matthew said and reached up to brush a hand through his son's hair. He moved so that all 4 of them could be on the bed together, he glanced over at Mary who was visibly shaking in anger.
"Mama's here Georgie," She whispered letting him lay in her arms, all 6ft of him. George continued to cry, all the emotions he'd been holding back for far too long coming out before he could stop himself. He was so hurt and betrayed.
"He was my friend... how could he! I hate him, I fucking hate him!" He sobbed, hugging his mother tight. Sybbie rubbed his hair soothingly, she felt so sorry for him. He had lost his best friend and she felt responsible. Matthew stretched his arms out to wrap his son and wife up, he tried to calm them all down, whispering soothing words into their ears. He only stopped when he heard the two children quieten down, falling asleep safe in the arms of the two people who loved them the most. Little did they know of the nightmare that awaited them tomorrow.