Violet Crowley, the Dowager Countess of Downton, sat down on the creaky and worn wooden chair. The kitchen she was in had some plates that needed to be scrubbed and the table was scratched up from thousands of meals. The cup her tea was in had a small stain on it and the fluid within was rather weak and bland. Through the window she could see the backyard of the farm, with its tall gnarled oak tree with a rickety swing tied to one branch and just past that was the farm equipment and a barn, all of which had seen better days to be sure.

She didn't want to be there.

Not out of any snobbery or sense that she didn't belong in such a place. Oh, she certainly didn't have a place in the setting she found herself in, that much was for sure. But that wasn't what inspired her desire to be far away from the farm house and its sole occupant. No, it was the news that she'd brought with her that made her want to flee. For all that people might think of her as being a cold and quarrelsome woman she did have a heart and she didn't like delivering bad news. She much preferred to see smiles on the faces of those she visited rather than frowns and tears. And what she had told the man who had welcomed her into his home certainly wasn't pleasant news.

Yet it was also that news that saw her stay. It was her duty to deliver it.

'No, that isn't true,' she thought to herself as the old farmer, wearing a faded dress shirt and patched vest, hobbled about looking for some biscuits or something else for them to eat. Even though she'd asked him not to make a fuss the man wouldn't hear of being a bad host. No, he saw her visit as an honor, even with the horrid information she had given him, and despite his grief he would see that she was given all she deserved. 'It isn't my duty to deliver this news. It should be Robert. He is the Lord now, has been for some time now, and it should fall to him to speak these words… but that pudding-headed son of mine is too focused on himself to ever think of others. That's how we got into this mess and that is why it will never occur to him to come here and speak of what happened… and apologize. So it falls to me.'

"I had a feeling this would happen," the farmer said as he finally sat down. "The boy has had it in his head since news of the war broke that he needed to go rushing out there and defend king and country. I told him, "William, you do enough for England, let someone else have a turn" but he was still firm." He shook his head, his shoulders slumping. "I hated doing it but in the end I invoked his mother to get him to stay when invoking Downton didn't do it. I never wanted to do that, please understand… but Brig's memory was the only thing I could think of to get him to stay." He let out a sigh. "But even then I knew it was only a temporary thing. He just had it in his head that he had to go and all I could do was pull on his coat tails and slow him down."

"I would never judge you for using your wife's wishes to keep your son safe, Mr. Mason," Violet said kindly. "In fact I think rather highly of you for doing so."

"You do?" the old man asked.

"I do. Far too often men think only of themselves and how their families should behave purely to benefit them. It is quite telling that you thought of your wife, even after her passing, and what she would desire for her son."

"Aye, and I thank you for that, milady, I do. And she certainly wouldn't want William off on the continent."

Albert Mason was taking the news far better than Violet could have hoped for… but she felt that was more of his rock solid nature than his actual feelings. When she'd arrived at his home he'd been quite startled and she apologized for surprising him; she was sure that no one of her standing had ever entered the residence before. She then informed him of the sad news: William had put in his notice and left in the early morning to journey to London so that he might enlist in the army. The old farmer had done well to hide his true thoughts, asking her to come and sit down in the kitchen so he might make them a spot of tea, but there was no hiding his true thoughts from her; no, not from a fellow parent. A man or woman who had never experienced holding a babe in their arms and dreaming of all they might do in their lives would never have seen the way his eyes half shut or the tightening of the skin around his mouth. She had been able to read his thoughts, the fears about the man the farmer still saw as his newborn son. The pride he felt that he had raised such a noble boy but also the agony in that very fact. Thus she had accepted his invitation without a second thought.

He smiled and pushed the small tin of crackers over to her, Violet taking one despite finding the pathetically plain things rather unappetizing. "I thank you for that."

"Please, do not thank me," Violet said, holding up her hand. "The truth of the matter is… I fear that we failed you and young William."

"Failed? However so?" Mr. Mason asked. "You gave my son a noble position… aye, I wanted him to stay on the farm, I won't deny it, but my Bridget… she wanted him to have a better life. To be a butler running an estate. You gave him that chance… all of you. Why, William would write to us and tell us every compliment he ever got."

"Every compliment?" Violet asked.

Mr. Mason smiled, setting his tea cup down. "Every one. If you thank him or if Lord Grantham complimented his work he'd send us a letter to let us know. Oh, and whenever Mr. Carson would entrust him with something new he would get so excited! Why, I remember…"

As Mr. Mason spoke Violet found her heart clenching in her chest. 'He is so grateful… I would almost think he were saying all of this to punish me, if I didn't know that he was simply too good of a man to do such a thing.' She was a grand judge of character; she'd known which men were of noble quality and which were scoundrels merely by seeing how they greeted her. And she knew that Mr. Mason was not the like to twist a knife to cause one undue pain. No, he told her such things because he truly wanted to… and that made it all the worse.

When he finally trailed off Violet began to speak again. "The thing of it is, Mr. Mason, I do feel that we failed your son and your family. He was sent to use not merely to learn but to be protected. That is how it works at estates such as ours. In return for service we give not just wages but aid to all that dwell under our roof. A maid knows that her virtue will be protected and a footman knows that he will have the full weight of Downton behind him should he face undeserved danger." She shook her head sadly and nibbled on a cracker, finding that while they were old and a touch stale she needed something to settle her stomach and the cracker was the correct medicine. "But with William we failed to keep him from enlisting, from keeping him safe from the dangers of the war." She didn't say it but Violet had been preparing to send word to a few people who owed her favors to get the likes of William and a few of the other hallboys and male servants in both Downton's employ and her own put on the list of being medically unable to serve. At worst she would have asked Matthew to assist; he had saved Thomas and Branson from such a fate along with himself and she knew from speaking with him that he worried greatly about William and what might happen to him. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to keep him from being drafted but he could have at least kept him someplace safe. "He has instead gone off and done what none of us wished and that blame must be blamed on us."

"No… no, your Ladyship it must not."

"I am afraid it is true, Mr. Mason. For you see my son… he said things that he shouldn't have in William's presence. Things that William took to mean that his Lordship saw your son as a coward. But he did not… he allowed issues within our own family, which should have been kept private, to bubble out in a public setting, without thinking how someone like William, who has always respected my son and felt him to be a smart and knowledgeable man, would take them to heart." She reached out and patted Mr. Mason's hand. "And for that I truly am sorry."

The farmer though placed his own worn and calloused hand over her own. "Your ladyship, you mustn't blame yourself for any of this. William made this decision on his own and in the end we must accept that." He smiled but Violet knew it was one tinted with sadness. "Parents… we always believe that we mold our children but I've come to wonder how true that is. If we do influence them or we merely see what they do and believe we played a part in it when it was really chance. It reminds me of a man I met 10 years back who believed if he ate a cooked onion during a dry period he could make it rain. Foolishness, of course, and when it didn't work he always had an excuse. Wasn't cooked enough, didn't season it properly, so on. I sometimes think parenting is like that… we do things and if they work we boast we have raised our children well but when they fail we find excuses to push aside the blame. It was their friends or a girl or the like that led them astray. When, in reality, we played no real part because children aren't dogs to be trained but people with their own thoughts."

Violet though shook her head. "You'll forgive me, Mr. Mason, but I must disagree. Experience has shown me we influence our children quite a great amount." She gently pulled her hand away and took another sip of tea. For the briefest of moments she debated with herself but staring at Mr. Mason, his old weather-beaten face forever the symbol of Robert's fall, she decided what she must do. "I have never told anyone this story, Mr. Mason. I have never dared. But I believe that of all the people I have ever known you will… well, it doesn't matter but I choose now to reveal it."

It was her greatest secret. One she thought she would take to the grave with her. But after everything that had happened with her family Violet felt the urge to share it, to have it be real if only in the mind of another.

"When Robert was 8 years old my husband, Lord Grantham, and I took a voyage to Russia. It was far different from how it is now, far grander and noble than the rabbling socialists that control it and are leading it to ruin and obscurity. My late husband loved to travel, to see the world. I think it came from being kept so close to Downton in his youth; his father had lost a brother in a horse riding accident and that made him want to keep everyone close. So when my husband was Lord he decided he would not stay at Downton forever but would show himself, and myself, the world. Of course we were treated only with the greatest of hospitality wherever we went and Moscow was no different. We were greeted quite kindly by the royal family, staying in all sorts of estates and palaces, and it was in one of these places that I met Prince Igor Kuragin." Violet looked down at her hands and felt a smile that would have been far more suited on a maid a fourth of her age blossom on her lips. "He was charming and attentive and I admit now with age that his exotic nature got the better of me. Back then my husband and I had not come to a proper understanding of how to handle our disagreements so when Prince Igor showered me with attention I saw in him a chance to flee.

"And I did."

Mr. Mason's brow furrowed at that but Violet continued on.

"I abandoned my husband and Prince Igor his wife. Oh, she put up a bit of a fuss but Prince Igor was far more influential than her and soon the royal family settled down a touch. They never accepted me… the two of us never married so I was little more than his paramour… but it didn't matter to us. We were happy." The smile fell at that. "For a time. Igor tried hard but I do think that it is in the nature of some men, and yes some women as well I am willing to admit that, to be unfaithful. For them marriage isn't something they need but something expected of them. I remember once hearing my granddaughter Mary being instructed on horses by a groomsmen and he said there are some horses that, no matter what a trainer might do, simply will never accept a saddle. They just aren't created for it. The same is true with people, I have come to find, and was certainly true of Prince Igor.

"He was kind to me, of course, just as he was to his wife. I was given a nice estate to live in and servants to see to my needs and he would, of course, visit from time to time, but those trips became fewer and fewer and eventually I found myself a woman of noble birth beholden to a foreign prince without even a true title to fall back on. My reputation was destroyed… no other man would ever have me after what I had done to Lord Grantham. Even the lowest of ditch diggers would wonder when I might flee for some new adventure and leave him behind. So I stayed in Russia and lived a life where all my materialistic needs were met… but not the ones of my soul."

"Your ladyship… I don't understand," Mr. Mason said, utterly confused.

She held up a hand. "Your patience for a bit more, please." He nodded and she continued. "Eventually, after nearly 15 years, I decided that I wished to return home, if only for a visit. I had left Lord Grantham yes but I had also left my children and as the years had gone by the pain of that had never left me. I wanted to see them, to explain what I had done, so that perhaps a relationship might be forged between us. I was not hopeful, of course, but as you know when it comes to your children sometimes it doesn't matter what your mind tells you… your heart desires the impossible.

"Prince Igor was kind enough to let me go… I now believe that he saw it as a chance to be rid of me. He was noble enough to care for me when I had nowhere else to turn to but should I return to my homeland and find support there then he would be free to do what he wished with the wealth he provided me."

She nibbled on a cracker before continuing, needing the small moment to gather herself. The next part of her tale was the worst and she needed to steel her heart and soul so she might be able to get through it.

"I admit that I was selfish when I ran off. I thought only of myself and my needs. Of what I could gain by leaving, not what I would be losing. And even when I returned to England it was for my own selfish wants. I never considered how my… abandonment…" the words hurt to say but they were true, "…affected my children.

"My abrupt departure bred bitterness in my husband. He sought for a reason why our marriage had failed and in the end he determined that it was our children that had led to my flight. Thus all the anger and hatred he felt towards me but could not be tossed in my direction were instead piled upon Robert and Rosamund. You raised your William with love, Mr. Mason, and thus I dear say you can not comprehend how a child is affected by the absence of it. A child raised in such an environment… it is like a dog that only knows beatings and harsh commands." She shuddered as the memories played out in her mind.

"Your Ladyship, you don't need to go on," Mr. Mason said, still befuddled by what she was saying but also struck by the clear pain on her features and in her voice.

While she very much wanted to stop she found herself even more so wanting to continue. To unburden herself, to speak of that which she had never said a word, of the knowledge that she was the only holder of, it hurt so very much but at the same time was like the lancing of an infection, removing the vileness so the healing could truly begin.

"For Rosamund the affects of such a life left her a skittish, frightened thing. She refused to see me of course but I was able to garner meetings with a few that knew her… she had been placed under the protection of Lady Merton who took her on as a sort of Lady-In-Waiting and Lady Merton was willing to speak to me, if only to lambast me for all I had done. It was not a… pleasant meal… but I learned that Rosamund could not stand to be around men, fearing that she had inherited my own 'sinful nature'. She preferred to keep to herself, with only a small puppy able to bring her out of her shell. There had been talk of even seeing if the Church would take her but from what they had learned she was far too skittish and frightened even for their order. Thus she stayed with Lady Merton, a child forced into the form of a woman. If that had been all of it I might have managed but it was what I would next learn of my son, of Robert, that truly broke me.

"If Rosamund learned fear from my husband's harsh and bitter nature then Robert learned cruelty. They say that no one is above the law but that simply isn't true, not with the power of Downton behind him. He terrorized the servants, a harsh taskmaster who demanded perfection in the smallest thing. He had no true friends for he hated the world and they were a part of it. I heard rumors of maids who looked at him the wrong way, or at least he thought they did, who would shortly leave a notice… yet their family would claim that they had not heard from them in ages. My husband, Lord Grantham, had recently died but the causes were unknown… all people could say was that a notice had been posted that Patrick was dead and Robert was the Lord of Grantham and of Downton. He refused even to have a proper funeral, to let the tenants mourn their lord. Only he attended the burial and the priest refused to speak of what occurred. Is it any wonder then that when I arrived in the Village the people there always cast a fearful eye towards the Abbey, as if sensing Robert prowling past the windows, looking down at them and wondering how he might destroy them for his own amusement? No, not amusement… he did not have any joy in his life. For his own desire to make the world despair, for happiness was a poison to him.

"I arrived at Downton Abbey itself fearful of what I might fine but determined not be to a coward and avoid the dark truth. I imagined many things but what I found was far worse. Robert had married an heiress from American, one who brought wealth to Downton for it seemed that my husband, before his death, had nearly brought the estate to ruin. I cannot say what their marriage was like but I can say that I knew the poor dear either needed my pity for what she had endured or my scorn for being an accomplice in Robert's malice. Perhaps both."

Violet drained her tea cup, motioning for Mr. Mason to refill it as she steeled herself for the darkest part of her tale. The one that still haunted her nightmares.

"I was told to wait at the door by the butler as he went to find Robert but a scream the likes of which I would wish upon no one to hear, let alone release from their own lips, pierced the air and I ran up the stairs to find the source. And I found it… Robert's bride on a bed stained with blood and deep bruising upon her pale throat, her dark eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling. She had given birth and it had been a hard one but it wasn't the child that had ended her life but her husband. For she had given birth to a girl, a small whimpering thing with deep black hair, and when Robert had seen his child and that she was of the gender that he blamed all his angst upon he had attacked his wife in a rage. His back was too me when I entered, still ranting at her corpse about how she had betrayed him, and in that moment I knew I had to flee. I grabbed my granddaughter where she lay at the foot of the bed and made to go but Robert spotted me and despite how many years had passed since he'd last seen me… he knew. 'Mother' he hissed, as if I were the bane of all mankind from that point to Adam to that moment. In his eyes I was Eve offering the forbidden fruit, Delilah stealing Samson's strength, Jezebel combing her hair. He came at me, spewing bile and rage. I tried to escape but he was too fast and I felt his hands against my shoulders and suddenly I was over the banister and toppling to the ground and I tried to roll so that I might at least shield my grandchild-

"-and then I awoke in my bed."

Mr. Mason relaxed a bit at that and nodded slightly and Violet knew that he was drawing the conclusion that the entire tale she'd just told was merely a fantasy created in the recesses of her mind that had influenced her future actions. It was a common tale, told many times in many different parts of the world. Someone would experience a "vision" or a glimpse of another life and it would lead them to an "awakening" to change themselves and their lives. It made complete and utter sense.

If only it had been true.

'Oh, how I wish it was,' Violet thought to herself as she sipped her refilled cup of tea. In the beginning, after she'd woken up and found that the life she had led had never been, she had been hopeful that it was merely a fantasy; her mind dealing with the guilt she had felt over her emotional affair with Prince Igor. She'd used it to kill any desire she had for the man and any childish dreams of a whirlwind romance with the exotic stranger. It had been she herself who had contacted Prince Igor's wife so that she might arrive at the right moment and send her on her way. She'd arranged it, framing it so that the Princess thought she was helping her reconcile with her husband when in reality all Violet wanted was to ensure Igor never came for her again. While she would never go with the Prince she wanted to ensure he wouldn't do anything foolish like chase after her and how better to do that than to have the man's own wife end the entire sordid affair. She had returned to Patrick and to England and that had been that.

But she hadn't been able to stop the memories of the dream and that other life from creeping into existence. When Patrick and her had suffered another fight and her husband had finally found the words to express to her how unhappy he too was with their situation she had, rather than ignored the baring of his soul, embraced his comment that they were good at fighting but didn't enjoy fighting each other. When she had seen Robert and Rosamund she had felt her heart ache with what she might have missed and dedicated herself to being there for them far more. An hour each day, not including meals. At least an hour to talk with them and ask them how they were doing and let them know that she would always be there to give them advice. And when Robert had grown into a kind man and Rosamund a determined and opinionate woman she had quietly celebrated her success. Even when she had to play the role of disapproving mother she had been proud of them. When Rosamund had chosen Marmaduke she had tutted in public… and privately celebrated that her daughter could love a man and find the strength to tell the world she loved him, no matter what. And when Robert helped those less fortunate she would make little jokes… but secretly work to provide aid herself.

Yet she couldn't write off what she had experienced as a dream.

When Patrick had hired Carson to be their second footman Violet had felt like she had seen a ghost, remembering the man clear as day from her "dream" as the one who had opened the door to Downton and asked her to wait while he went to find Robert. When Lord Merton had married his wife and she was the exact same woman from Violet's dream she had been rendered speechless, finally playing off her surprise as her thinking that the new Lady Merton resembled an aunt of hers. And when Robert had returned from America with Cora Levinson it had taken all of Violet's willpower not to check the woman's neck for bruises.

No, it hadn't been a dream. She didn't know what it was but the Lord above had given her a chance to see how life might have been had she placed her own selfish desires above her family and she was thankful for that. When Mary had been born Violet had quietly slipped into her nursery and picked the small squirming child up in her arms, remembering how she'd tried to save her in that horrid life that would not never be, and swore that she would honor the lessons she had learned from that vision of a wretched life and see to it that her granddaughter was happy. That was why she had supported Mary being with Matthew, damn the title, because he made her happy. Why now she visited her and was part of her and the girls' lives.

She set her glass down and sighed. "It affected me and I tried to ensure that I would not make those mistakes but now it seems that fate has different plans. My son has become nearly as boorish as the one I dreamt of only now it is your son who has been damaged. I tried to do right by him but be it providence or destiny he has begun to become the man I dreamed of... and dreaded."

Mr. Mason reached over and this time was the first to make contact, patting Violet's hand. "You'll forgive an old man for speaking frankly, your ladyship... but I disagree that it is hopeless. Oh, don't get me wrong... I will fear every day what my William will go through and tonight my prayers will be extra long so I might send him whatever protection the angels might give. But while it is true that William is his own man and will make his own choices, no different than your son will make his own, our time in their lives will lead them down a different path than if we had abandoned them. I did not mean that parents are worthless, that we do not affect them… only that we can't change them completely. It is… a balance, I suppose. I can't say how my actions will help him... not my place to and it isn't in my power to know such things as the future. But I know it here." With his free hand he tapped his chest. "My son might be a bit more cautious than he would have had he had a father more daring and adventurous and that may lead him to safety." He lowered his eyes a bit. "Or it may lead to his death. I do not know. What I do know is that I taught him well and I must trust in him to do the right thing." He gave her hand another pat. "And you must do the same with your son, that you taught him well and he can come back."

Violet's lips quirked and she said with a bit of vinegar, "I thought I was here to comfort you."

"We can comfort each other," Mr. Mason said. "That is what the good book asks us to do, is it not? To be there for each other?"

"Yes. You are right."

"Then just as I must hope that my lessons to William will see him through the war you too must hope that all you have done with your son will have him change his path. But know this, your ladyship... I do not blame a soul for this. Not your, not your son, and even William or myself. All we can do is hope and pray these days. Hope and pray."

She nodded at that. "Then, with your permission Mr. Mason, I will say a prayer for your son tonight. That he might be safe and well."

"I would greatly appreciate that."

Violet continued. "But as you said we must be there for each other and I will be there for you and your family. I will not admit defeat, not yet. I will do all I can to see William returned safely to you." Already in her mind she began to go over all she knew who might be able to help. There were plenty of people in positions of power she might be able to call upon to give her information on William or even place in a position of safety. Not away from the front, she feared that ship had raised anchor already, but he didn't need to be in the trenches. And if the men couldn't help there were the women; she had earned the gratitude of many young women for helping them settle into happy marriages and perhaps it was time to be more visible in London. After all, it seemed the Cora had fled there with Lillian so it wouldn't be unseemly for her to visit with her family and check in on them. And should she make an extra stop or two... "And I promise I will keep you informed, Mr. Mason. With letters and with visits."

"I would appreciate that... and I look forward to when we can sit here and celebrate both our sons being safe and happy."

Violet smiled at that and rose. "And as surprising as it is, Mr. Mason... I look forward to joining you for tea and discussing such successes in the future."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: So… this twist was not in my original notes.

But so many people kept bringing up that Violet must be in the know, that she traveled back to. That I was setting her up at the 4th member of the group. But I wasn't… I wrote her different much like how I wrote Robert differently or Carson or Thomas: they are dealing with different people thanks to time travel and that altered their attitudes.

But people kept bringing it up.

I knew she didn't go with them as it didn't fit the rules I had established for a Crawley to travel back: that a child of Crawley blood had to be born the day they died for them to travel back. And I didn't want to have this story become "Everyone is returning to be the Peggy Sue!". Matthew, Sybil, Michael, that is our trinity, each selected because of what they offer. Violet didn't fit.

But it was after someone on another website who also reads Robb Returns made a comment that suddenly it occurred to me… Violet returned but we never met the original one. We have ONLY see the time traveler. That would allow me to have Violet have been connected to the time travel… but she doesn't realize anyone else has done it. And no one else save for Mr. Mason knows she did it (and he doesn't understand). It was a fun twist to throw in and I hope you guys enjoyed it.

I also love the idea of Violet and Mr. Mason becoming friends. Two very different people but I think they will play well off each other. And the idea of the Dowager eventually inviting Mr. Mason to dine at the high table is just too funny.

Maybe Sybil did rub off on her when it came to making friends with the lower class…

Next chapter gives us our big Cora and Mary encounter and more of Lillian being her solemn little self.

As for our plot bunny we are doing something different.

You don't get a plot bunny.

You get an omake of the plot bunny: What if Downton Abbey was exactly the same… except they celebrated Christmas like we barbaric Americans do in 2019? Same house, same cultural set up… but there were TVs and cellphones and the radio played Christmas music all the time?

And thus…

~MC~MC~MC~

Mary let out a yawn as Tom pulled the auto into the Wal Mart parking lot. Even though it was pitch black out there were plenty of cars packing what should have been an empty lot and she could see by the doors already there was a crush of people waiting to get in.

"Papa, do we honestly need to be up at this hour?" Mary complained as she stepped out. She had been forced to abandon her dresses for something better fitting Black Friday Christmas shopping and thus was wearing a pair of jeans, some sensible shoes, a simple black sweater, and a winter jacket. Her mother had even told her not to wear pearls! She felt utterly naked. "Normally I am going to bed at this time, not traipsing through parking lots!"

Robert though merely chuckled as he got out of the car, watching as Pratt brought the second car around, followed by Edith with the 3rd. There were simply so many of them that they could never have fit into the same car together. He at least was wearing a suit, though it was far more common than his normal fair. "Come now, Mary, where is your Christmas spirit?" He tossed his hat onto the seat.

"Back in my bedroom buried under warm blankets," she said with a scoff, rubbing her hands together. It was frightfully cold and it might have been fine had the sun been out and the world all light and beautiful but standing on dark asphalt in the middle of the night (fine, 4am but still close enough) made it feel all the worse.

Her father though wouldn't let his good mood fall. "Come now Mary, this will be fun! And you want to make George's first Christmas a good one, don't you?"

"You know I do, but-"

"It's an adventure!" Robert said, clapping his hands together. "Like going to war only with angry women named Karen rather than the Boers!" Mary merely pursed her lips together, not convinced.

Sybil, wearing a white faux fur coat (because suddenly she had decided fur was murder this year) and fuzzy earmuffs, smiled as she walked over, handing Mary a cup of coffee. "This will help."

Mary greedily took the familiar red cup. "Did you get it how I like it?"

"It's just like your soul."

"Dark and bitter?"

Sybil shook her head. "Only looks dark but is loaded with cream and sugar." Mary scowled at that but still sipped on the heavenly blend that brought warmth and alertness to her. She watched as the rest of the family got out of the cars and began to gather up. Matthew (his arm in a sling and a bandage over the stitches on his head from his car accident a few months ago; that was why Edith was driving, as Mary had 'grounded' him from driving for the next decade) helped his mother out, Isobel going through a head count to make sure they weren't missing anyone. Edith, along with her fiancée Michael Gregson, were huddled together by the hood of her car and Mary realized they'd made a donut stop at some point and she didn't know if she should be annoyed that they'd done so or simply march over and get a raspberry glaze. Her mother was chatting with Tom, who still seemed a bit overwhelmed at being considered part of the family, while Granny, the only one wearing a dress (though it was a thick one designed for winter weather) was looking over her cane, tapping it against her palm before looking at the other shoppers that were waiting.

"I don't see why we couldn't have just done Cyber Monday," Mary complained as everyone began to gather together. Matthew brought her over a donut from Edith's stash and she took it with her free hand, coffee in the other. "We could have even stayed up late, done it at midnight if you so desired, papa."

"First because we have Carson taking care of that," Robert stated firmly but pleasantly. He took out his cellphone and wiggled it. "If they run out of something he will check online. And Mrs. Hughes is ready to call other stores if we need to make a run someplace else."

"Crikey, I hope we find everything here then," Mary whispered, taking a bite of her donut as visions of visiting every store in England flashed through her mind.

"Second this is far more fun! Black Friday isn't merely about shopping it is… the experience of the entire thing!"

"Come now, I thought you'd enjoy this!" Edith said with a snicker. "Fighting against other people, using your wits, having an excuse to bludgeon someone-"

"It's why I am here," Violet stated with a smirk.

"We aren't going to have to attack anyone," Cora stated firmly. "I have made lists of what we need to get and where they are located in the store." She began to pass them out. "We'll work in teams of two to get everything while Pratt waits with the cars. Sybil, Edith, you will handle getting the Ipads. Remember that my mother only wants Space Gray, NOT gold. She finds it tacky. After that I have a list of stocking stuffers I need you to grab. Tom? Since Matthew has a bad arm I've switched things around. You and Robert will grab the flatscreen."

Tom Branson nodded at that and Mary turned to him, hoping to find an ally in stopping this madness. "Aren't socialists supposed to be against this nonsense? Capitalism is bad and such?"

"Well… the thing is…" Tom shifted uneasily.

"Imagine how great the football games will look on a 75" LED Smart TV, Tom," Robert said with a tempting tone.

Tom grinned and Mary knew that she'd lost. One could be an Irish Radical and the other an English Lord but give them a big shiny TV to watch sports on…

"Matthew, you and Michael can get the AirPods. Rose really wants a set this year and I wouldn't mind some myself. After that see about DVDs. Both ones for the children and the rest of us." Cora turned to the Violet and Isobel and handed them a list. "Here are some of the items that probably won't have lines in the Home section. Mostly gifts for the staff but a few things I'd like for the kitchen. Can you handle this?"

Violet scoffed. "My dear, I was cracking heads in Wal Mart while you were in diapers."

"She means it will be done," Isobel stated.

Cora nodded before turning to Mary. "And now-"

"I want nothing to do with this!" Mary complained, letting out a yawn and nearly splashing her coffee on Matthew. "I am tired from yesterday and I just want to go to sleep-"

"These are the toys Sybie asked for," Cora said with a smile, handing Mary a list. The eldest of the Crawley Daughters thought of her niece and how cute she would look on Christmas morning opening her presents and let out a groan of defeat. Her mother, for her part, merely beamed in victory. "And that settled that-"

"Wait!" Robert declared, suddenly rushing to the back of the car. "I nearly forgot!" He rummaged around in the boot for a few moments before pulling out a sack. "We can continue without our proper gear!" With the look of a child who'd been told he could finally remove his jacket and tie and play outside Robert moved about the group, pulling items out of the bag he'd retrieved. Edith got a Santa hat, Michael one that looked like Rudolf's head with ear flaps. Sybil got a hat that looked like a Christmas tree while Tom a snowman, the two of them shrugging before pulling them on. On and on it went until Robert got to Mary, thrusting the green and red elf hat into her hands while he himself donned a hat designed to look like a Gingerbread man.

"…no," Mary said, holding the elf hat like it was poisonous.

"Oh come now Mary-" Matthew said, giving her the smile he thought was charming but so wasn't.

"If you are going to lecture me you can't do so wearing that," Mary said, gesturing at the hat designed to look like Santa's legs were stuck in a chimney. But seeing Matthew just staring at her, along with everyone else, she finally let out a growl and tugged the damn elf hat onto her head, the fuzzy ball on the end bopping her nose. "Happy?"

"Very," Matthew said, giving her a kiss.

"Everyone have your phones ready in case we need to call you!" Robert said before he grabbed Tom and led him towards the door, the two of them debating if they should get a soundbar to go with the TV.

Cora linked arms with Mary. "It will be stressful, yes, but also fun. Just enjoy it."

"This isn't what I call enjoyable, mother. It is madness and no sane person would ever be caught dead-Bates?"

The valet, out of his uniform and wearing a light up Christmas sweater, turned and blinked before smiling. "Milady!" He turned, leaning on his cane which had been decorated to look like a candycane.

"So this is why you and Anna asked for the day off today," Cora said with a teasing smile.

John Bates ran his hand over the back of his head sheepishly. "Yes, well… Anna likes all this. And seeing as it is our first Christmas together without Vera hanging over us-"

"Anna?" Mary said. "Likes this?"

"Well…"

They heard a shout and turned to see Anna, her lip bloody and a broken bottle in her hand, glaring at a fat woman who was lying on the ground. "Oi, slag, I'm getting' that Switch system for me friend Gwen's babies and Anna Bates will CUT A BITCH if ya try and force your way in front of 'er!" Anna paused, noticing who was staring at her. In a sweeter voice she said, "Oh… hello milady. One moment." Anna turned back to the fat broad. "I'LL SLIT YOUR THROAT WITH A GODDAMN SMILE IF YOU KEEP ME FROM GETTIN' POKEMON SWORD!"

Mary looked at her coffee cup and wondered if it was too late to fill it with booze.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: And there you have it, a quick little omake. Now, if you guys would like to have more I do have an idea that I would like to throw out there: The next chapter of Authors is supposed to come out the week of Christmas. However, if another of you liked this little comedy piece I'd be willing to do something different: instead of posting the next chapter I would instead, starting on December 21st, post a chapter a day of "A Modern Downton Christmas". The story would start with this omake (but lengthened) and each chapter would deal with the cast dealing with modern Christmas things… Christmas lights, gift exchanges, the office Christmas party… I'm open to suggestions. And the final chapter would be posted on my birthday, Christmas Day!

It would mean delaying for a little bit the next chapter of Authors (maybe a week or two?) but it would be something fun to do just for Christmas.

I am also debating doing the same thing for Game of Thrones… I haven't decided fully on that.

So vote in the reviews: stick with Authors or try this insane project!