A/N: Thank you to those who are still reading this fic! Fortunately, it's Thanksgiving Break so I can work on this fic a bit in my time off from school. This is a Christmas chapter, which seems fitting given the time of year it is. My goal is to post through Chapter 13 by the end of the year. Fingers crossed! Thanks for bearing with me in the time between updates and hopefully you will find they are worth the wait. If you have time to leave a review, I always appreciate that. Regardless, Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! x.

Chapter Eleven

December 25, 1892

Hearing the door to their bedroom creep open, Elsie looked up with a smile. Her wonderful husband had brought her some tea to sip on while she fed their baby. Julia typically woke them up around 5:30 in the morning needing to nurse, and Charles usually brought Elsie some water or tea to drink while she fed their little one. He was still so grateful to her for bringing their baby into the world, and he showed it in all sorts of little ways. Like bringing her tea in bed before he left for work each morning.

While Elsie had been a bit sad her husband had only been able to stay home with her and Julie for the first week or so, she also understood he had to go to work. They had an obligation to their employers, and it was an important one. Downton had to maintain its reputation as a center of excellence for the community and peerage so that the future for Mary, Edith, and any future little ones in the Crawley household would be prosperous. Just as Elsie wanted her own girls to have wonderful futures, she also wanted that for the Crawley girls.

Fortunately, however, today was Christmas, which meant Elsie and Charles could spend the day at home with their girls as the Crawleys would be serving themselves in order to give the servants some down time for their own holiday celebrations. While the Carsons would be joining in the festivities in the servant's hall later that afternoon, they were glad to have Christmas morning in their own home. Julie's first Christmas no less.

"Is she really almost two months old," Elsie asked fondly, looking down at her feeding daughter.

"I can't believe it either," Charles said, gently wrapping his arm around his wife and helping her set her cup down with his free hand.

"She's already grown so much," Elsie marveled, "And it's her first Christmas."

"That she has, and that it is," Charles agreed, "Next year, she'll be old enough to open her own presents from Saint Nicholas, but for this year, we'll have Lily open them for her," he joked.

"Seeing as she can't even keep her eyes open while she feeds, I'd suspect she'll sleep through most of the present opening anyways," Elsie said with a soft chuckle.

"You never know. The Christmas spirit might keep her awake," Charles teased, pressing a soft kiss to his wife's temple as she cuddled into his side. She couldn't wait to see what this day had in store for them as a family.

Charles had been right. Julia had been awake and wide-eyed for most of the present-opening, listening intently as Lily explained each present she opened, whether it was for herself or her baby sister and thanked her parents profusely for each item. Elsie and Charles teased her that she would have to play along with the Saint Nicholas story for the next several years to come, but they were both also very in love with their daughter and her gratitude. She was the most lovely young girl, and they couldn't be prouder or feel more blessed to have her and Julie in their lives.

After all the presents had been opened and Julia had been fed once more, Elsie had left the baby sleeping on her father's chest while she made breakfast. Lily was playing with one of her new games while Gilbert, the cat, played with the discarded wrapping paper and twine on the floor.

Once they had eaten, Elsie took the baby and changed her and she was now singing softly to her on the settee while Lily helped Charles clean up all the mess of the morning festivities and then to watch him set up his new watch, that Elsie had given him as a Christmas present, and have him help her set up her own, her first real accessory other than some costume jewelry and a locket of her late mother's she sometimes wore.

Gilbert had decided to take this opportunity to snuggle with Elsie and the baby now that there was no more paper for him to play with. It had taken the cat some time to warm up to Julie, having been jealous of all the attention she got at first. Now that he was used to it, however, he couldn't get enough of the baby girl. As he began to settle himself in Elsie's lap, he took the opportunity to give a small lick to the baby's feet, which made her squirm in her mother's arms and let out a small grunt of contentment. Elsie adjusted her blankets to cover her feet and got her settled as the baby grunted again. It was obvious the excitement of this morning was catching up to Julie a little, and Elsie was hopeful she would sleep for a long while now. She pressed a small kiss to her baby's head before beginning to scratch behind the cat's ears with her free hand and continuing to hum until both Julia and Gilbert were lured into slumber.

Christmas had started off similarly for the Crawleys. Although Robert and Cora were not awoken by the cry of a baby in need of feeding, they were awoken by the voices of their daughters. Mary and Edith had taken it upon themselves to sneak into their parents bedroom at the crack of dawn and wake them up to ask if Saint Nicholas had come. The second they had said yes, their girls rushed out the room and ran down into the library in a hurry to see what they had been given while their parents quickly tied the sashes on their dressing gowns and followed after them.

Mary's squeal when she saw her new bike under the Christmas tree could be heard from throughout the house. Her parents had heard it from the stairs and quickly rushed into the library to see their girls sheepishly looking up at them from where they were sitting directly in front of their gifts.

"Okay loves, wait for us," Cora said, taking her seat on the sofa with a soft sigh.

"Mary, since you're the eldest, which present would you like to open first?" Robert asked.

She quickly pointed to the bicycle. "Is that mine, Papa?"

"Yes, it is, darling," he confirmed, "I can help you ride it once the weather warms up a bit."

"I already know how to ride it, Papa!" Mary exclaimed excitedly, beginning to rush over to it as if she was going to ride around the room and show him.

There were too many obstacles in the room for that, Robert noted, quickly saying something to stop her. "Mary, darling, you can't ride it in here. Perhaps later, we can try it in the Great Hall where there's more space, but for now, it's Edith's turn to open something."

Mary pouted a moment but quickly perked up when Edith unwrapped a tea set for them to play with. The girls went along taking turns opening their presents until all had been opened. Mary notably received a doll, a wooden horse, and several new dresses as well as the small gifts and candies in her stocking. Edith got a dollhouse as her big gift along with similar dresses and small gifts as Mary. Then, it was time for them to give their parents the gifts they had chosen. Cora had helped the girls pick out a gift for their father. Robert smiled at his girls and thanked them for their marvelous taste when he opened up the box and saw a new fishing outfit he could wear the next time they were in Scotland. Cora did the same when she opened up the slippers Robert had helped the girls pick as a gift for their mother.

Soon, the girls were entranced in playing with their new toys, which gave Cora and Robert a chance to exchange gifts between the two of them. "For you, my love," Cora said, handing her husband a long rectangular package.

Robert smiled in appreciation when he lifted the lid and saw his new belt and then handed Cora a small wrapped box. "Here you are, darling."

"Oh Robert, it's beautiful," Cora said, tearing up slightly when she saw the golden heart-shaped locket and even more when she read the engraving on the back. So you will always have my heart next to yours.

"I love you so much," he said, reaching across to take her hand in his and rub circles into her palm softly. "It's not much, but it's a token of my love for you."

"Aww, Robert, that's so thoughtful," she said, getting up and going to sit in her husband's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and craned her neck so she could kiss him. It was a soft and tender kiss, but it said everything she needed to say about how much she loved him. "I did manage to find something else for you that was better than a belt, but there was a mishap."

"Oh love, the belt is perfect. I have been needing a new one anyways," he assured her, kissing her nose lightly.

"You would have liked the snuff box better. I found it in an antique shop in Ripon, and it was beautiful. The owner said it came from Poland, and I knew you didn't have anything like it. But, well when I got home and set it down with the other purchases, I heard a cracking sound and felt so stupid when I realized I had set Edith's storybook on top of it and broken it. I'm sorry, darling."

"Cora, don't be sorry. It's the thought that counts, and that was a most lovely sentiment indeed. I'm sad it was broken, but I also feel so grateful to have a wife who loves and cares about me and thought about me enough to make such a special purchase in the first place. And any Christmas is a special Christmas with you," he said sincerely, "Thank you, darling."

With that loving confession, Cora had to kiss him yet again. Once they had broken from the kiss and Cora parted from his lap, Robert took the opportunity to suggest the family hand out presents to the servants, as was customary on Christmas mornings at Downton. Mary and Edith set down their toys and raced to the door, excited to give the people most special in their lives their presents. Cora and Robert smiled at each other with pride at the generous spirit they were working to instill in their girls, and then followed them into the Great Hall.

It had been a long day full of lots of excitement for the girls, so Cora and Robert had taken the opportunity to slow things down a bit and read one of their new storybooks to them after dinner. The girls had seemed reluctant to go to bed, even though Cora knew the day had surely worn them out. From getting up early to open their presents, handing out the presents to the servants and running around in the Great Hall, Brunch, more playtime with their new presents, gathering with their extended family to play The Game before dinner, and then eating dinner in the big dining room for the first time, it had been quite the day for Mary and Edith. Despite their obvious exhaustion, there was still Christmas magic in the air which meant they weren't quite ready to go to sleep.

Cora suggested they drink some warm milk and read one of their new stories together, which was a prospect the young girls were quite happy about. Soon enough, they were snuggled together on the sofa in the library reading over the mythological tale. Mary got to share her knowledge with her parents by reading little bits out loud to them, and they were so proud of her and her eagerness to read. They took turns reading it between the two of them for the most part, however, so their girls could relax and calm down.

Even though Mary and Edith had been engrossed in the story initially, their parents could feel them getting more and more sleepy as time went on. Now, their eyes were shut and their bodies were heavy with sleep. Mary had leaned deeply into her father's side and Edith into her mother's chest, and there was no denying they were down for the count. Robert read the last page of the story before moving slowly to set the book on the coffee table so as to not to jostle Mary too much.

Gently, he scooped up his first-born daughter whose head snuggled into her father's chest mindlessly in her sleep. Robert cradled Mary sweetly as he began to make his way towards the door. Cora rose with Edith in her arms and followed her husband.

Soon enough, they had made it to the nursery and placed their girls in their beds, tucked them in, and pressed soft kisses to their foreheads. As Cora turned down the lamp by the door, she whispered to her girls. "Sweet dreams, my darlings. I love you."

Mary squirmed a moment in her bed and seemed to mumble something back. "Goodnight, Mama."

"Goodnight baby," Cora said and quickly left in the hopes her girls would stay soundly asleep for the rest of the night.

As they entered the hallway after putting their girls to bed, Cora reached for her husband's hand. "Robert, come into our sitting room."

"I'm quite exhausted and ready for bed," he admitted.

"I know, and I am too, but it's cozy in there. I just want this day to end in a place where you can really feel the Christmas spirit," she pleaded.

Robert wasn't sure why she was being so insistent, but he could tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer. And he had to admit she was right about it being a magical place. Their upstairs sitting room had a beautiful fireplace and a small Christmas tree which really made for a nice winter ambiance. "Alright, my love, let's go," he acquiesced, letting her guide him to the room.

Once they were there and settled on the sofa with small glasses of sherry in hand, Cora admitted why she wanted Robert to come here. "I have one final present for you, Robert. It's underneath the tree."

"Ah, making me get up after I just sat down, are we?" he teased, rising and going to look under the Christmas tree. It was a red envelope which blended in slightly with the tree skirt.

"Love, if this is something to make up for what happened with the snuff box, please know you didn't have to," he said as he sat down beside her again, feeling slightly guilty that he had only given her one thing and now she was giving him a second gift.

"No, it's not about that. This is not a consolation gift," she said.

"What does that mean?" Robert wondered aloud, his curiosity clearly piqued.

"Open it and find out," she teased, a smile spreading across her face uncontrollably.

Seeing her smile like that told him it must be something very good, so he couldn't delay opening it any longer. When he opened it he saw a card portraying a Christmas tree with a family gathered all around it on the front and opened it to see a note from his wife with his daughters' scrawly handwriting beneath it. She must have written something and gotten them to sign it.

He read the message aloud, "Thank you for our family, Robert/Papa. Love, Cora, Mary, Edith-"

He stopped himself when his eyes saw the words "Baby Crawley" amongst the signatures. Was Cora trying to tell him something?

"Cora, darling, does this mean what I think it means?" he asked.

"It does if you think I'm telling you I'm pregnant," she answered with a smile, reaching to squeeze his hand lovingly.

"Oh Cora, another baby? We are so blessed," he said, still processing everything and finding it hard to believe though he was so very happy.

"We are," she agreed before his lips were on hers and their passion was making itself known. Robert was pouring his love for Cora and her news into his kiss, and Cora was receiving it and putting her gratitude for her husband back into it.

Once they had broken for air, Cora took the opportunity to cuddle up to her husband. As she leaned into his side, she asked, "So, I gather you're happy about all this?" The mind-numbing kiss had been answer enough, but she still had to tease him a little bit.

"Happy? Cora, I'm ecstatic," he confirmed, wrapping his arm around her and bringing her even closer to him. Soon enough, his hand had found its way to her stomach, already unable to resist touching their little one. There was nothing to feel yet, but he still couldn't keep his hands off of her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, concern for his wife's health evident in his voice.

"Just a bit of morning sickness. So far, it's not nearly as bad as when I was expecting Edith though it's still early days."

"I'm glad you're feeling alright. And today wasn't too much for you? You'd tell me if it was, right?"

"Robert, of course I would. But I am fine. I feel perfectly well, and Doctor Clarkson says we're both healthy," she assured.

"And when does Clarkson think the baby is due?"

"In July we think. Probably not too long after we get home from the Season."

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Robert asked.

"We haven't gone for an entire season since before the girls were born, so I'd like to go, yes. But I promise to listen to my body and not overdo it and to tell you if I want to come home early."

"Deal," Robert said, pressing a soft kiss to his wife's forehead. "I love you so much, Cora, and I'm so glad we're having another little one. Thank you for carrying our children."

She placed her hand over her husband's on her stomach and said, "Thank you for being their father. I couldn't ask for a better husband and father for our little ones, and I can't wait to meet this one."

"Me either. Why does July have to be so far away?" he whined.

Cora chuckled at her husband's eagerness. "I don't know, but we shall treasure the process immensely."

"Yes, we shall," he agreed, pressing a kiss to her hair and rubbing a gentle circle across her stomach. "We certainly shall."