I DO NOT OWN DOWNTON ABBEY. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO JULIAN FELLOWES. ALSO, A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO MR. CHAOS FOR COMING UP WITH THIS PLOT BUNNY AND FOR ALLOWING ME TO LAY CLAIM TO IT. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HIS STORY: AUTHORS OF OUR OWN FATE, I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO DO SO. THIS STORY CENTERS AROUND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ROBERT CRAWLEY HAD GONE FROM ARISTOCRAT TO RANCHER WITH OIL MONEY

Downton Abbey. Yorkshire, United Kingdom. December 22, 1894.

The entirety of Downton Abbey was alive with feverish activity as all within its walls were eagerly preparing the estate for Christmas. There was no grander event at the Abbey and all of the staff was on hand from sun up to sun down to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The entire estate, or at least the upstairs, was throughly trimmed with tinsel and holly and ivy and all the other yueltide trappings.

In the downstairs section, the Downton staff were working themselves to the bone; making traditional festive dishes: roasted chicken, Ploughman's lunch, bread sauce, and of course a delicious Christmas pudding with plenty of wassail to wash it all down. Mr. Carson oversaw the male staff as they were aiding in the decorating and making sure the decor was up to code while being on hand for his lordship if needed. Meanwhile, Mrs. Patmore ran the kitchen like clockwork; making sure every single dish that came out looked and tasted utterly delicious.

Everyone was in the Christmas spirit, except for Lady Cora Crawley, the viscountess of Grantham. She sat in the parlor room, turning over the letter in her hand. She did so over and over and over again until it felt as though the ink might just rub off of the page and onto her hands. It had arrived by post only a few short hours ago and ever since, Cora had been utterly confused as to how she should tell her husband or even if she should.

Robert was the heir to Downton and his father was developing cancer of the lung. Even though she hoped it would not be so, she knew that Patrick Crawley, the 6th Earl of Grantham, might not be able to recover and Robert might have to step up as the heir to the estate and to the title. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to put even more onto his plate; not when his father's treatment seemed to have very little effect, if any.

As Cora was thinking all these things through, a knock was heard in the doorway. She looked up to see her husband: Robert Crawley, the Viscount Downton, with a smile on his face as he walked over to his wife and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Mary was looking for you, she's grown rather bored of watching Nanny Dockery tend to Edith and wants to know if we can start decorating the tree in her bedroom." Robert said as Cora returned his smile and held his hand in hers.

"Robert...i've debated telling you this, but I don't want to keep secrets from you. I received a letter from my mother: my Uncle Reuben has passed away from consumption." Cora said as both their smiles fell.

"Cora...i'm sorry. Were you very close to him?" Robert inquired as he held her hand in his.

"Not terribly...but that isn't all. My mother spoke with our family lawyer and according to the will, my Uncle Reuben did very well for himself in the state of Texas." Cora remarked as she handed the letter to Robert, so he could read it for himself. "At the time of his passing, he owned a 28% stake in the Waters-Pierce Oil company and a cattle ranch near the village of Bonneville, Texas."

"Truly? Well, Harold must be pleased as punch to be inheriting all his uncle's assets." Robert replied as he took a sip of sherry as Cora looked at him with a despondent look on her face as she ripped the band aid off.

"My uncle Reuben did not leave the oil stocks or ranch to my brother, darling...he left it to me." Cora explained, causing Robert to spew out his sherry in surprise.

"To you...forgive me, my dear...but why would he leave it to you? You just said you weren't close to him." he asked in amazement as Cora shrugged.

"All I can come up with was that he must have taken pity on me for having my share of the Levinson fortune funneled into the Abbey." She replied as she tried not to sound too judgmental on the demands of her marriage contract; since she had agreed to the entailment clause willingly. "Unfortunately, in his will, Uncle Reuben said that I am to claim what he has left me...I must go to Bonneville to meet with his lawyer and sign the paperwork; officially transferring his assets to me."

"You cannot travel all the way to Texas by yourself, it's pure folly!" Robert declared incredulously, finding the idea of Cora making such an arduous journey on her own inconceivable.

"True...I cannot. I was hoping that you and the girls might accompany me; Consider it to be a family vacation." Cora offered hopefully as she didn't like the idea of a solo trip anymore than her husband.

"We can't possibly be expected to travel all the way to Texas now; for God's sake, it's Christmas time." Robert insisted, pointing out the fact that it was the worst time to travel abroad.

"My uncle's lawyer says that we have until the end of January to make the trip. If the papers are not signed by the first of Feburary, I will be disinherited and the ranch, as well as the shares, will be sold off." Cora replied wistfully as Robert ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Can this lawyer not simply bring the paperwork here for you to sign?" He asked with hope.

"No...my Uncle Reuben apparently left very specific instructions that the papers must be signed by me in Bonneville. It makes no more sense to me than it does you, but I think we should do it." she answered with excitement as she took her husband's hand in his. "This lawyer states that the ranch, combined with my uncle's shares in the Waters-Pierce Oil company are worth almost 12 million pounds when adjusted to British currency."

"My God...that's worth more than the entire Downton estate!" Robert exclaimed as he eyes went as wide as dinner plates. This changed the entire situation as Robert took a seat next to his wife.

"Darling...this money could be used to further improve Downton, and to show your father that if the worst comes to pass, heaven forbid, that his legacy will be in good hands." Cora said with encouragement as Robert thought the matter over. It was indeed a chance to secure a nearly limitless future for Downton Abbey with a new stream of money; plus, if the shares and the ranch were truly worth that much, Cora would be a bloody fool to turn it down.

"Very well, write back to your uncle's solicitor and inform him that we shall make the journey after the new year." Robert declared as he planted a kiss on his wife's lips, eager to join in this next thrilling chapter of their lives.

THE CRAWLEYS ARE HEADING OUT WEST. REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.