Author's note: My dearest readers, hello again! I will do my best to not ramble on too badly and let you get to reading, but I will, however, thank you all for the most wonderful support and reviews I have received on the previous chapters. I cannot thank you enough!

In this (way too long — whatever came over me?) chapter, we have Charles being an absolutely perfect husband, a very heated flashback from last night and a visit to see the good doctor. The chapter sort of did not come about as I had planned and I had to make some adjustments because these old boobies have a mind of their own. But I'm sure none of you mind because we have a lot of sweet Chelsie today instead of tons of angst and tears…Well, we have a few of those as well to set the mood, I suppose!

As for the warnings in this chapter, there are two. First, the beginning of the chapter handles medical terms and thus, if you feel like it, I recommend you avert your eyes slightly. And as for the old boobies having some severely M-rated adult fun (you will find that is written in italics!) a smut warning is spot on today! Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter even half as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time, everyone!

Elsie made an appointment to see Dr Clarkson the following morning and the good doctor promised to see them that very afternoon if they only just could get away. Elsie had replied with an affirmative, much to the surprise of her husband — then she did remind him that both Lord and Lady Grantham knew she was sick and would more than likely allow them a moment away during the servants' teatime. And besides, she had decided it was high time she stopped wallowing in self-pity and did something useful. Charles had simply kissed her firmly on the lips and happily munched on his breakfast porridge. He was cheered on even more when she ended up finishing her portion of porridge and managed to keep it down with no signs of sickness.

When they made their way to work that morning, both had half-expected inquiries about the housekeeper's whereabouts the day before but it seemed that Mrs Patmore's lie about a flu had been successful, much to both Charles and Elsie's relief. The only person to ask about the housekeeper's absence was sweet Anna, who was worried whether Elsie should be working so soon after feeling under the weather only yesterday. Elsie had kindly told her that proper rest and some warm soup had worked wonders and that she only had a bit of a headache now — which was not a lie entirely because her head did hurt, even if it was because of her excessive crying last night and not because of the supposed flu she had had.

Right before the family would be sitting down for their luncheon, Elsie went upstairs to meet with Lady Grantham and go over some household matters as scheduled. The very moment she stepped into the room, she was met with one apology after another. Cora felt terrible for what happened and that she and Robert had played a significant part in the housekeeper and butler falling out. Elsie rushed to brush off the countess' worries, knowing they had been in an unfair situation. She and Mr Carson would be alright and Her Ladyship was to not give it another thought, she had said kindly. Cora had smiled at that and so the meeting went on as planned — the pair worked through the necessary lists and formalities efficiently and it wasn't before long that they were finished. As she was making her leave, Elsie proceeded to let the countess' know of her and Mr Carson's plan for the afternoon, and just like she had assumed, Lady Grantham was more than happy to get on board with the Carsons' plan and wished them good luck.

And now, as the couple slowly made their way towards the village hospital for, what felt like, the hundredth time in the past month, Elsie relayed Her Ladysip's words to her husband.

"It is very kind of her, of course. I know it's not practical," Elsie smiled slightly at the thought of the other woman's kindness.

"You're right of course. And for what it's worth, it is only what you deserve," the husband replied and Elsie turned her head to look at him as they walked, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Elsie shook her head with a quiet giggle," I only keep asking myself whatever I've done to deserve you."

Charles huffed amusedly, "Nonsense," and squeezed her hand, "You must stop talking like that, Elsie. I hate it when you make it sound as if you don't appreciate yourself. You are wonderful and end of discussion."

Elsie turned to look back at the path ahead of them, unsure as to what to say in reply. He could be so infuriatingly lovely at times and she felt overcome with emotions she didn't even know existed before they married. He always found a way to make things better just by being himself. Elsie met his gaze again, having felt his eyes on her as she thought, "You do know I love you, don't you, Charlie?"

He raised his formidable eyebrows, "Of course, Mrs Carson. And I you." Her blue eyes shone back at him and, he observed, that for the first time in ages, she looked truly happy. Perhaps the two of them would be alright in the end.

And so they continued their walk towards the village hospital, stealing glances at the other every once in a while in the hopes of catching the other's content smile. Upon their arrival, Dr Clarkson led the couple into his office himself, having finished with his rounds earlier than anticipated. He was glad to see them and said as much as all three took seats around his desk.

"I trust not much has changed with how you're feeling since we last met?" Dr Clarkson asked, opening the folder in front of him.

"Not really, no. I've slept a bit better on most nights," Elsie explained as she removed her gloves and placed them neatly on her lap. She glanced at her husband who offered her an encouraging smile.

"Good. And is the area of your breast still feeling tender?"

Elsie nodded her answer and the doctor wrote the information down in the folder, "Well, since there has not been any significant change in your symptoms I believe we may proceed to talk about your decision on the course of treatment. I gather you have made one?"

"Indeed, we have made a decision," Elsie spoke decidedly but then fell quiet. Both men gave her the time she needed to gather her thoughts and waited for her to continue. Elsie gulped, feeling a lump form in her throat, and eventually continued, "I…well, we — we would like to give the surgery a go."

The doctor smiled, "I'm pleased to hear that, Mrs Hughes. I had hoped to hear you say that."

Dr Clarkson then proceeded to explain the basics of the operation — what exactly was to happen and how. Charles and Elsie both listened closely, both taking mental notes of what the doctor was saying. "As I've said before, it is not an unusual procedure. Of course, there is always a chance for complications both during and after the operation, but I would expect them to be quite unlikely. After all, you are healthy and overall in good shape," the doctor explained in detail but tried his best not to alarm either his patient or the patient's husband too much.

"And you'll be able to remove the cancer entirely?" Elsie found herself asking, her voice somewhat shaky.

Dr Clarkson thought for a moment what to say before answering, "That is our goal, yes, but I cannot guarantee success. Usually, breast cancer is treated by complete removal of the breast tissue so we can avoid recurrence. In this case, however, the cancer cells seem to not have spread from the tumour and thus it is possible for us to at least try a less invasive procedure. Of course, I will assess the situation during the operation and if needed, remove more tissue to ensure I can remove all of the cancer cells. In any case, there is always a chance for it to recur and I won't make the mistake of promising you this operation will heal you. One can never say anything for certain in cases like these but do try to think positively, Mrs Hughes. Even if I'm not able to remove all of the cancer mass, it will at least slow its growth significantly, which will then give us enough time to think of our next step. Do you understand?"

Elsie nodded slowly and Dr Clarkson continued, "Considering your age, your body will need a lot more rest and care to return to how it was before after the operation. We'll ensure proper postoperative care, including monitoring for signs of recurrence and managing any complications, at the hospital, but you'll need to take it easy at home too. You are not to go back to work until I have given you the all-clear, whether it be two weeks, a month or three months. Of course, if there are any complications, we'll have to make new plans. But we shan't discuss that right now when there's no need. I'll have you come in for checkups after the operation so that we can make sure you're healing as you're supposed to." The doctor fell silent, giving the couple a chance to ask any questions they might have. When neither Charles nor Elsie spoke, he went on, "I know you are well cared for, Mrs Hughes. I trust Mr Carson will make sure you abide by my instructions and ensure your safe recovery."

Charles straightened his back slightly as he nodded, "Of course, doctor, I will do that."

"I do not doubt that, Mr Carson," the doctor said matter-of-factly, a grin creeping up to play at his lips. He glanced back at Mrs Hughes who he noticed was staring ever so lovingly at her husband with a rather sad and yet adoring smile on her face.

Yes, it was not unusual for married couples to come see the doctor together but there was just something about Mr and Mrs Carson that was different from the others. While he had no experience of true love, he had never been married himself after all, Richard knew the butler and housekeeper were perfect for each other and their marriage was quite obviously built on a steady romantic relationship as well as friendship. In a way he felt jealous, knowing he would likely never experience such a thing in his life. Mrs Carson would not be left alone for a moment if she didn't want to, Richard was sure of that. And he was glad, both as a doctor and as someone who cared about her as a friend. She was kind and never turned her back on someone in need of help. Now, Richard was glad to be able to try his best to help her.

Dr Clarkson cleared his throat, "Right then. Shall we see about a date?"

—

It was late and the fire in the fireplace had already been replaced by slowly dying yet still warmly glowing embers. It was an especially chilly night and Elsie had thought a warm cup of tea and her shawl would do just the trick to keep her comfortable as she waited for her husband to finish preparing himself for bed. She had finished her tea and could hear him brush his teeth in the other room and smiled at herself before turning her attention back to what she had planned on doing with a sigh. She flipped the piece of paper around in her hands and scanned it with her eyes. She had to narrow her eyes in the dimly lit room to make sense of the letters and frowned as Charles abruptly came in and turned on her bedside lamp.

"You'll ruin your eyes, love," he chided her and moved about the room towards his side of the bed, carrying his livery with him and carefully placing it in its rightful place in the closet.

She mumbled a reply and continued inspecting the contents of the paper.

When they were leaving the doctor's office, Dr Clarkson had kindly handed them a pamphlet on cancer treatments and post-operation treatment — he had told them it was, understandingly, quite overwhelming to take everything in at the same time and should they require it, the pamphlet would answer their arising questions. He had insisted they come to him with any of their questions as well if they felt more comfortable that way.

"Anything particularly interesting?" Charles asked as he shut the closet door and sat down on the bed. He momentarily glanced in his wife's direction before fixing to set his alarm for tomorrow.

"Much of what Dr Clarkson already said, I suppose," she answered and placed the pamphlet down on her nightstand. She rested against the headboard again and turned to look at her husband as she continued, "There was a mention of the cost," she trailed off and waited for his reaction but received none, "It won't be cheap, Charlie."

Charles moved to place his alarm clock back on the table and shook off his slippers, setting them beside the bed. "No, I didn't think so," he said after a moment of thinking.

His vague reply caused his wife to scowl and he looked at her pointedly, "Elsie, I don't know what you're trying to get at. It doesn't matter if I have to sell everything I own to pay for the operation."

"Don't be daft, of course it does! You cannot spend all of your money on me…Besides, the operation might not even make a difference," she argued and watched him settle next to her, placing his pillow behind his back so he was sitting more comfortably.

"Our money," he corrected simply with a finger pointed towards her chest and pulled the covers over his legs too, "And if we cannot pay for it ourselves we'll ask for help. Both Lord and Lady Grantham have already expressed their wish to help in any way they can-"

Elsie shook her head, forcing him to stop, "We cannot ask for money from the Crawleys, Charlie, you know that."

"I know no such thing, Elsie. You've already agreed to do the surgery so don't fight me on this," he was adamant and would not let her convince him otherwise, "I need you to get well again, Elsie. If asking for some money from His Lordship is needed, then hell, let me do so. Then if — and only if — the operation is not a success, we'll do as Dr Clarkson said and find a new solution."

She was silent for a moment, biting her lower lip as she thought, "Hm- You're lucky I love you so much."

Charles reached out to take her hand as he fought back a smile, "Oh, I am, Mrs Carson. And did I manage to sound convincing enough?"

Elsie tilted her head and simply stated, "I don't have the heart to forbid you from trying to help me and you know that."

He smiled then, "Just as it should be, Mrs Carson," and brought her hand to his lips to place a tender kiss on each of her fingertips. She enjoyed his caress, slowly relaxing as his lips travelled across her skin. Each of her fingers now thoroughly kissed, Charles turned his attention to place a lingering kiss on the palm of her hand. He could feel her eyes on him, attentively following his every move. He slowly moved toward the pulse point on the inner side of her wrist, his breath feeling hot against her rather chilled skin, and he heard her take a shuddering breath and felt against his lips the way her pulse quickened as he tasted her. She always tasted so heavenly and Charles felt his own breathing grow more shallow by the minute. All rational thoughts either of them might have had before were replaced by the vivid memories of their previous night's activities that flooded their minds.

They had barely stumbled up the stairs when the need for the other's touch grew unbearable to resist and they were all over each other again — hands touching, mouths tasting…Charles let his hands fall downwards to grope at his wife's bottom and in return, she let out a breathy moan into his mouth. She drove him absolutely mad and there was nothing he could do to resist. His beautiful, wonderful wife. His Elsie. Emboldened by his urging touch, she pushed herself tightly against him, feeling the strain of his trousers against her stomach. The effect she had on him made her smile against his lips. She withdrew her hands from his neck to reach for the fastenings of his trousers and worked to undo them with shaking fingers. When she finally managed to unfasten his trousers and they fell to his ankles, he was kissing her neck and she felt almost overcome with pleasure. He kicked the excess garments around his ankles aside and rid his feet of his shoes quite unceremoniously, making him grunt and his wife let out a hearty laugh. He bit her earlobe as punishment and her laughter was replaced by a breath of pleasure.

"Charlie-" a shiver ran down her spine when he nuzzled his nose against the sensitive spot just below her ear to mend the damage he caused.

He continued his ministration of her neck and found himself once more enamoured by her smell. It was intoxicating — just like everything about her always seemed to be. And Charles wanted more, all of her. He wanted her hard and fast, to show her how much he needed her. To show her how much she still had to live for, just like she had begged him to do. His lustful reverie was broken by his wife unbuttoning his livery with such swiftness that alone made his want for her so much more painful. He captured her lips again and pushed them both towards the wall behind her. She let out a surprised yelp when her back came into contact with the cold surface despite still wearing several layers of clothing. Her skin was practically burning compared to the wood and she found herself feeling all the more enticed by it. The sensation of his tongue dancing with hers and his hands frantically lifting her nightgown for more access and the cold wood on her sensitive skin caused her stomach to turn upside down, making her feel almost sick because it was all too much and, yet, still she needed more. She wanted everything and all of him.

She resumed her work on unbuttoning his livery and then hastily pulled it off his shoulders when she finished and the carefully ironed attire fell to the floor among his trousers and shoes. The only layer between her hands and his quickly rising and then shrinking chest was his undershirt. She felt almost angry because she wanted to feel his skin and the inconsiderately small buttons of the shirt drove her mad — her shaky hands had no way of unbuttoning any of them. Her frustration was luckily relieved when his hands met hers and painfully slowly started to remove each button from their respectable hole and she kissed him in earnest in thanks. Her wonderful, lovely man. His chest now bare, unrestricted for her to touch, she ran her hands through the grey curls there, savouring the feel of them between her fingers.

"Better?" she heard him ask with that trembling, low baritone of his and she nodded vigorously, unable to form an answer that would make the smallest bit of sense. She could feel his voice as much as hear it, being that close to him, and it made her knees wobble under her.

She felt his hands travel up the length of her thighs and toward the fastenings of her knickers. She kissed him again, once, twice, as he pulled at the fabric gently and her knickers dropped to her feet. She knew they should move to their bed, to a more comfortable setting — they weren't young anymore and would ultimately regret their current positioning in the morning — but she couldn't bring herself to care. The thought of him reeling her against the wall and taking her right there, rough, wantonly, made her quite thrilled, and very much more aroused. So she didn't fight him when she felt his fingers against the wetness hidden under her gown and moaned out her pleasure.

"Please- Charlie…" she whimpered, shaking her head from side to side as he circled her most sensitive spot with his thumb.

"What, my love?" Charles asked in a whisper and planted a kiss under her ear. His own arousal was getting more painful, hearing her cries of pleasure and feeling how she clenched around his fingers in her need for more, and he couldn't hold back a long moan. But he would hold back his pleasure and show her a thousand times how he loved her, how much he desired her. "Do you know how much I want you, Elsie? Can you feel it, my love?" he muttered and pushed his hips forward so she ultimately would. Elsie barely managed a nod as she bit her lower lip, almost drawing blood. The things he was doing to her with only his hands…

As he kept on pleasuring her with his fingers, his lips brushed against hers in his attempt to free her bottom lip from under her teeth. He traced her lips with his tongue and she answered with much the same vigour, capturing his lips between her own. She felt herself slowly, steadily, tip over the edge and then wailed out her immense pleasure against his mouth as she finally reached her climax. As she trembled against him, he kissed her lips again and again and withdrew his hand to pull down his shorts. Then, as she was still trying to even her uneven breathing and calm the throbbing she felt between her shaking legs, he lifted her up against the wall and she instinctively put her legs around his middle once she had recovered from the surprise. He adjusted her in his arms with a slight grunt and then slowly entered her wet, welcoming warmth without another thought. She took a sharp intake of breath as she adjusted to having him inside her, stretching her out so delightfully, her left hand squeezing his shoulder so hard her knuckles were white.

"You're so good, Elsie. So perfect," he managed, looking straight into her eyes as she finally opened them when she heard him speak. She held his gaze and bit her lip as she waited for him to move. She needed him to and anything else would be agonizing torture. Her stare was so intense Charles felt himself slightly intimidated by her. But, by God, she felt so good and so he moved, pushed himself deeper and deeper until they both cried out.

"Oh, God, Charlie-," she moaned and he kissed her again, tasting her pleasure on her lips. And, oh, she tasted so delicious, so sweet and so of her.

He pulled back and then thrusted deep again, feeling overcome by the feel of her surrounding him in every sense possible - physically, mentally, in any way he could ever think of. He was practically breathing her, through her, and his lungs were as if paralyzed. She was everything and so much more. When he next pounded inside her, she was meeting him halfway and caused him to hit all the right places and she was crying out again, him joining her not long later. She was driving him on and he kept pounding her, now good and proper, and unable to hold back.

"Look at me, Els, look at me," he repeated, breathless, until she finally was able to meet his gaze, "My beautiful wife, don't you ever forget how much I love you, how much I need you-"

"Never-" she whispered, barely audible, through the sound of their skin slapping together and their heavy breathing.

"Never forget."

As a few tears fell from her eyes and onto the mess of their tangled bodies between them, she brought her hands to his face, cradling it between her palms, "Never *kiss* ever *kiss*, my *kiss* man."

And then he kissed her, tasting the tears on her lips. He squeezed her thighs and lifted her again, hardly noticeably, imperceptibly, but just enough to have her in a better position. She moaned her approval, her hands grabbing him wherever she could and holding onto him to keep herself from toppling over, as he ploughed into her with so much desperation he was surprised he managed to hold onto his pleasure for as long as he did.

Another thrust. And another. And another. And another till she cried out and her muscles tightened around him and he reached his own climax. Another two good, deep, thrusts as he rode out their peak and eventually slowed down to rest his arms against the wall on either side of her glistening face, his forehead against hers. She had to hold on to him with her thighs so that she did not fall to the floor and found it especially challenging when she felt like her body was visibly shaking and every muscle on his throbbing length buried still deep within her. Ah, but it was wonderful, she admitted.

"Charlie," she breathed and kissed the tip of his nose to get his attention.

"Hm?"

"Take me to bed, love," she begged and he pulled his head back to look at her, "please."

Without another word, he put his arms back around her and somehow wobbled towards their bedroom with her in his arms, almost tripping on his scattered shoes and making her giggle as he grumbled angrily at himself for leaving them there.

"I cannot get enough of you, Mrs Carson," he said, his voice hoarse and a heady smile on his face, as his thoughts now returned to the present.

"Mhm, indeed," she purred and Charles could not hold back a smirk, "Though, how in God's name we managed to get to this bed without serious injury does still surprise me."

He laughed at her mockery. And to think she had been nervous about that side of their marriage, he thought and shook his head. They had spent that very morning gathering their scattered pieces of clothing from the hall and he had muttered at her for letting him ravish her in such an inconvenient spot. She had laughed despite the tension she felt in places she hardly knew existed.

"You make me completely mad, Elsie Carson," he repeated and kissed her on the lips, lingering there until his lungs begged for air.

When they broke apart, Elsie brought her hand to his chest and rested her forehead against his, not quite wanting to part with him yet, but signalling him that she needed him to stop — she knew they would not be able to stop once they started and they desperately needed to sleep, to rest before yet another long day. "Well, I'm glad…But we must sleep, love, however much I want to repeat our endeavours from last night. We barely slept five hours last night thanks to you keeping me awake," she said with a teasing smile.

Charles fought the urge to laugh, "I kept you awake? It takes two to tango, love."

Now Elsie did laugh and she shook her head at his silliness, "Wherever have you learned such language?"

He was proud he had caught her by surprise, "I get about, Mrs Carson, I get about."

"Oh, certainly," she kissed the tip of his nose and finally parted with him, leaving him missing her touch.

Elsie adjusted her pillow so she could lie down properly. She took off her shawl and tossed it to the foot end of the bed, knowing but deciding not to care that her husband hated it when things were not in their assigned places. She was not surprised when she earned a disapproving grunt from her husband in return as he too adjusted his pillow and laid down next to her.

"You should be happy I'm not wearing it to bed. If I was, I would not need to cuddle close to you to keep warm," Elsie said gently, trying to ease his annoyance, and twisted to turn off her bedside lamp.

"Ah, well that does ease my misery," Charles replied as he pulled his wife into his arms and let out a content sigh.

For a while they just laid there in silence, listening to the steady rhythm of the other's heartbeat. Finally gathering the strength to speak again, Elsie whispered, "Shall we talk to His Lordship and Her Ladyship tomorrow? We'll have to make plans for when I'll be away."

Charles adjusted her in his arms so he could see her face properly, "Are you sure?"

She smiled at his worry and nodded her answer because no words seemed quite right. After a moment she spoke again, "They should know of our plans — after all, I am their housekeeper."

"And a very good housekeeper at that, my love," Charles said, laying on his back once more and drawing soothing circles on her side with his hand.

"Mmm, well you would know, wouldn't you?" she was teasing him again and if he had not been so tired, he would have said something brilliant back. However, his need for rest won and he closed his eyes.

His wife stretched to place a kiss on his cheek, "Good night, Charlie." She settled back beside him and pulled the covers up to her neck, nuzzling her head in the crook of his neck.

A yawn escaped his mouth as he made it to reply, "Good night, Els."

And so they slept.