Hey guys! I've been wanting to try a multi chapter Chelsie Fic but I'm a bit nervous. :-S Anyway, here is the first chapter.

I own nothing, it all belongs to Mr Fellows and CO. If they DID belong to me Charles and Elsie would be off into the sunset by now.

He was leaving her, leaving her for the blessed Lady Mary again. Why had she been so cross with him these last few weeks? Perhaps if she'd forgotten about the argument over Ethel he wouldn't be leaving. Perhaps he would have thought of her and decided to stay. 'Oh who are you kidding you foolish lass? You are the housekeeper in his mind and that's all you'll ever be!' She mentally chided herself. She had always considered them friends at very least. True she had wanted them to be more, so much more but she had always known it would not happen. His place in the house and the family, especially lady Mary would always come before her. But she could not get over the fact that he was leaving, she could not get over the fact that he was leaving without so much as telling her first. If she was honest with herself the truth was she could not get over him despite trying to do so for the last 15 years. She remembered when Joe Burns and turned up out of the blue after so many years asking again for her hand in marriage. She had seriously considered it, a chance to start a new life a chance to go back to Scotland to go back home, a chance to get away from him. Joe was a good man and would have treated her with upmost respect. She would have lived out her days in comfort on a pretty farm without having to be up before the sun ordering maids around who were more interested in the males of the house. But when it came down to it she couldn't imagine her life without him. Even though it was little things, like the way he would waggle his eyebrows at her when they shared a joke or how he would huff and puff when something wasn't exactly how it should be. Of course it wasn't just him she would miss. She would miss Anna and Beryl terribly. But he was the larger part of it. But now he was the one leaving...without giving her a second thought. She rolled over in bed and cried herself to sleep.

"You absolute dolt." and angry voice rang out in his pantry. Looking up he saw a red headed and red faced cook who was glaring daggers at him.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked severely.

"I said 'you absolute dolt'!" she repeated even angrier than before.

"I know what you said, I want to know why you said it?"

She advanced towards his desk "I said it because its true! I said it because you are a dolt! I said it because I cannot bear to watch you being a dolt any longer!"

He sighed heavily. He really hadn't a clue what she was going on about. It was usually Mrs Hughes who dealt with the cooks temper not him. She always looked so beautiful when she was having an argument with the cook. Her grey eyes had a spark of fire and she seemed to let off sparks the angrier she got, The colour rose in her cheeks and her accent got more and more pronounced, hence the reason Mrs Patmore referred to her as Mary Queen of Scots. They were best of friends all the rest of the time and he knew they relied on one another heavily in times of trouble.

"Mrs Patmore, would you please explain why I am a dolt and as to why you have chosen today to inform me of such a fact?" He asked looking up

"You are a dolt because you are leaving! You're leaving this house who you've put years of work into. You are leaving one of the best employers you will ever find for a man that you don't even like! You are leaving in the middle of a bloody war when it will be near impossible to hire another butler! You're leaving all your oldest friends and more importantly you're leaving HER!" she practically screamed at him

"Lower your voice at once! I am leaving this house because Lady Mary needs me. His Lordship knows and understands. I'm sure Mr Mosley will be more than capable of taking over my job, and if not Mrs Hughes can manage! I am not leaving my oldest friends, I'll be just down the road! And as for 'Her', I haven't the foggiest idea who 'her' might be!". He did know. Of course he knew, but he also knew she would never return his feelings. She could have any man, she was kind, funny, caring and stunningly beautiful. Why on earth would she want a cantankerous old man like him?

"Of course you know who 'her' is!" Mrs Patmore argued but did manage to lower her voice. "Elsie loves you! Even a blind man could see that!"
"Rubbish! Has she told you this Mrs Patmore? Because if she hasn't you have absolutely no right to say such things. Its unkind" He argued back, glaring at her.

"Of course she hasn't said anything, this is Elsie we're talking about" he opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off "She's been crying herself to sleep every blooming night ever since you announced you're leaving...even you must see she's not herself Mr Carson! When was the last time you've heard her giving anyone a tongue lashing...we both know the store cupboard argument happens at least once a week. She gave me the thing three weeks ago!"

"Perhaps she's had bad news from home, or she's still upset about William" He replied half heartedly. He had seen the tears in her eyes when he'd asked if she'd miss him

"Don't tell me you'll miss me"

"I will Mr Carson. Very much. It costs me nothing to say it"

He'd seen the tears in her eyes when she'd said it. But love? No, in her mind they were only friends always had been and always will

"Oh please Mr Carson even you can't make yourself believe that! We both know its because of you! Promise me you'll fix it or at least try to! I cannot stand to see her in such pain. When she's angry she fights and I know how to deal with it. But to see her giving up...to see her broken...it near kills me Mr Carson and I won't stand by and watch her sink into a shadow of herself because of you. I just wont!" she shouted at him, trying desperately not to cry and failing miserably. She then turned and ran out of his pantry straight into a very surprised house keepers arms, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Mr Carson hearing the commotion hurried after her and was very surprised to see both the cook and the housekeeper lying flat on the floor, limbs all tangled up, hair coming out of pins and in beryl's case tears streaming down her face.

"What on earth is the matter Mrs Patmore?" asked Mrs Hughes peering at her. "Why the tears?" One of the hall boys had since come round the corner and he and Mr Carson were pulling Beryl to her feet.

"Nothing Mrs Hughes, don't you worry" She stuttered and ran up the stairs towards her room still in tears. Mr Carson then grabbed Mrs Hughes' elbow and hauled her to her feet.

"What on earth is her problem?" asked Mrs Hughes as she regained her balance and dusted off her dress

"She's being ridiculous Mrs Hughes, I wouldn't let it bother you too much. She'll be up and fighting fit again soon enough" Mr Carson replied disappearing into his pantry and shutting the door firmly behind him.

Mrs Hughes glared at the closed door. What on earth had he done to upset Beryl? Other than herself he was her oldest friend. She had never seen them out of sorts with one another and certainly never reducing Beryl to tears.

"Anna?" she called grimly

"Yes Mrs Hughes?" Replied Anna, coming down the stairs with one of Lady Edith's dresses

"Make sure the maids do what they're supposed to be doing, keep them out of Mr Carson and his footmen's way please. I'm going for a walk with Mrs Patmore" Mrs Hughes requested while climbing up towards the attics. When she reached Beryl's room she knocked and entered without waiting for a reply. Beryl was now furiously drying her eyes on the bottom of her apron and facing the wall away from Elsie. Elsie picked up Beryl's hat and stuck in firmly on the cooks head.

"Come. We're going for a walk"

PLEASE let me know what you think! *Isis puppy eyes*