A/N: This is a birthday fic for YellowBrickRoad (tumblr's theladychelsieofdownton), who has a thing for a younger AU Chelsie as parents. It's meant as a one-shot … for now, anyhow. Who knows? Maybe it'll become a bigger story somewhere down the line.

I hope you enjoy it, my dear! Have a Beautiful Birthday and a fabulous New Year! xx

CSotA

"Oh, you've got to be frigging kidding me," Elsie muttered. She ran up the stairs two at a time as she heard her four-year-old daughter's footsteps pounding down the hall toward the bathroom, arriving just in time to see little Aubree almost make it to the toilet … Sigh.

Are we ever going to be done with this goddamned stomach flu?! The party's in two days!

Aubree started bawling, poor lass, and stood in the middle of the bathroom, the front of her nightgown absolutely covered once again. Elsie moved out of what was now sheer habit: she grabbed a bath towel, wrapped it around her darling, picked her up, and deposited her into the tub.

"I'm sorry, Mummy," Aubree snuffled, trying to stop crying as she wiped at her face with the towel. "I tried to get there in time."

"Hush, darling, don't you worry," Elsie soothed. She stripped Aubree's clothes off, holding the nightgown away from her daughter's face as she slipped it over her head. She gathered everything up in the towel and ran the bath water, adding an extra pour of Aubree's favorite bubble bath.

"You play in the tub for a bit while I clean up, alright?"

Aubree nodded, already reaching for her basket of toys that was suctioned to the wall. Elsie smiled at her and then cleaned up the floor, dumping everything in the washing machine and turning it on. She thanked heaven once again that Charlie had insisted on piping in new plumbing to move the washer upstairs, directly next to the bathroom sink.

"Let's see," Elsie cooed, turning her attention back to her daughter as she turned off the faucet and felt the little girl's forehead. "No fever, which means you should be on the mend soon, my little one. How do you feel now?"

"Better," Aubree said, squirting water out of the mouth of a rubber duck and spraying Elsie in the process. "Oh! Sorry!"

"It's quite alright," Elsie laughed, wiping her arm. "Your tummy is okay now? No more rumblies?"

"Nope," Aubree said. "Mummy, what if I'm not better for Papa's party?"

"Don't you worry about a thing, you should be just fine by then," Elsie answered, keeping all trace of her own worry out of her voice.

Fifty people at that party, including all of our babysitters! I hope you're better by then!

"Now, tilt your head back and we'll do your hair, hm? It's got some yuck in it again."

Aubree leaned back, and Elsie started the process all over again … for the umpteenth time this week. She ran warm water through her daughter's long, red curls, and started mentally reviewing the list of things she had to get done today.

With any luck, she thought, Anna won't mind babysitting.

Elsie let Aubree play until the washer was done its cycle, then she threw the clothes into the dryer and got her girl out of the tub.

"New nightgown," she ordered. If you have any left, she added silently. "And then back to bed. I'll put in a movie for you, alright?"

"Okay. Can I watch my Little Bear one again?"

"Are you serious? You've watched that three times today!" Elsie teased, knowing full well that her daughter was dead serious.

"Yes, Mummy," Aubree answered. "Please?"

"That's fine, darling," Elsie said. "Just sit up off the pillow until your hair is dry, alright? And you have the bucket by your bed, remember – try to use it if you feel sick again, alright?" she winked.

Aubree giggled. "Alright."

"Oh, thank God you could come," Elsie sighed, letting Anna in the front door.

"It was no trouble, Elsie. We're on break and already have all of my grading done."

Anna taught at the local elementary school – second grade – and the students had gotten out on spring break two days before. She lived two doors down from the Carsons and was Aubree's favorite babysitter. Elsie had concerns about how long their good fortune would last, though, thinking that the every-other-Friday-night-date night which she and Charles had maintained throughout their marriage was in imminent danger; Anna had recently become interested in the fifth-grade social studies teacher, a man named John, and talked about him incessantly. Still, things were moving relatively slowly in that department, and Elsie was grateful to have caught Anna today.

"Alright. I have to meet with the DJ, order the cake, check in with the caterer … oh, yes, and buy my husband a gift," she rattled off.

"You don't have his gift yet?" Anna exclaimed, shocked. "But you're always so on top of everything!"

Elsie scowled at her. "Anna Smith, don't you start. You know he's impossible to shop for! Goodness, if it's not a book or a new fountain pen – both of which he has in ample amounts, thank you very much – it's like he finds it 'useless.' I do have an idea, though, but it's dependent on whether or not they can pull it off in time."

"Alright. Well, I'm free all day, so just text when you're on your way back." She looked up the stairs at Aubree's open door. "No food, I take it?"

"Not for at least a couple of hours. If she seems better and has a little color back in her face, start her on a few dry Cheerios and see how those go down. She won't complain, she'd eat those in her sleep if she could," Elsie said with a trace of a smile. She was worried about her girl, and crossed her fingers that they were through the worst of it now.

"Sounds good. Okay, off you go!" Anna said, grabbing Elsie's shoulders and pushing her toward the door. "If you don't stop worrying, you'll never leave this house!"

Elsie smiled at her. "Thank you, Anna. Honestly, I don't know what I'd ever do without you some days."

Anna just shook her head and blushed faintly. "Well," she answered quietly, "it's a good thing I adore your little girl, then, isn't it? Now go!"

Elsie took her time, making sure every last detail was accounted for. The DJ was all set, the caterer squared away after a couple of last-minute RSVPs that had changed the head count, and the cake was ordered – a five-layer chocolate with fresh berry filling and a lovely ganache on top – and set for delivery to Robert and Cora's on the morning of the party. Elsie was so grateful to their friends for volunteering to host the event at their enormous home; Charlie thought they were just going over for a fancy birthday dinner, and Elsie knew he wouldn't suspect a thing.

Well, she thought, he might have … if I hadn't told him his party was next weekend.

The thought made her smile as she practically skipped into the door of her next stop, where she hoped to have his birthday gift ordered in the next half hour.

Two days later …

Elsie heard the creak of the bedroom door and nudged her husband.

"Charlie, we have an intruder," she said, placing a kiss to his shoulder.

"Hmph, I don't hear anything," he grumbled, opening his eyes and winking at her.

"Oh," Elsie said a bit more loudly, "perhaps I was mistaken. I thought I heard the footsteps of a little monster running about, and I was quite fearful for our lives, but it seems I was wrong." She faked a yawn and rolled away from Charlie, making a space between them for what she knew was coming momentarily.

"Happy Birthday, Papa!" Aubree squealed, taking a running start and a flying leap into the center of the bed. "You're thirty today!" she yelled.

"What's this? An intruder?" he growled playfully, rolling over to face his beautiful wife. "You know what we do with intruders, don't you, Els?"

"No," she played along. "I have no idea … what should we do?"

Aubree squealed and tucked herself into a little ball, chucking her stuffed tiger aside as she knew what was coming.

"We attack them!" Charles almost roared, sitting up quickly and reaching out to tickle Aubree's sides. Aubree screamed and laughed with glee, until Elsie reached out a hand to stop him after a moment.

"If you make her throw up again, Charles Carson, so help me God, you'll wish you never saw the light of this day." Aubree had been feeling fine the past 36 hours, and Elsie was hell-bent on keeping it that way.

"I know, I know," he said, stopping the tickle attack and scooping Aubree up into his arms and onto his lap. He laid a kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you, my darling girl, for the big birthday wishes."

Aubree wrapped her arms around her Papa's neck and hugged him tightly. "I made you a card," she said. "It's in my room. Shall I go and get it?"

"Perhaps you can bring it down to breakfast in a little bit," he answered, extending his left arm out so that Elsie could snuggle in. "For now, I want to enjoy this wonderful birthday snuggle with my girls," he murmured.

Elsie reached her hand up and ran her fingers through his mussed hair, giving him a knowing smile and a raised eyebrow as they remembered why, exactly, it was that his hair was particularly messy this morning.

"Happy Birthday, love," she whispered, planting a loving kiss to his stubbly chin.

"Elsie, where's my red tie?" Charlie called down the hall.

Elsie made her way into the walk-in closet, already spotting the tie in question as she finished putting in her earring.

"This one?" she asked with a smirk, reaching around him to grab it off of the hanger. "You know you don't need to wear a tie tonight. If I didn't know better, I'd think you planned to trap me in this closet and have your way with me, Charlie," she purred in his ear.

He reached for the door and pushed it halfway shut, then grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her behind it, giving her a searing kiss that took her breath away.

"And if I did?" he asked when they came up for air. "Would you complain?"

"Not on your life," she answered, her voice thick with desire, "but this is so not the time, Charlie. Aubree's waiting downstairs, and we're to be at Robert and Cora's in half an hour."

"I know. Thank you, darling, for today. An afternoon cuddled up with you and Aubree watching old movies was the best gift I could have received," he said, opening the door again and following her out of the closet.

"I'm glad," she answered.

Just wait until he sees what else is in store, she thought gleefully.

They made their way downstairs and donned their coats, then headed off to Charlie's 'birthday dinner.'

"Surprise!" everyone shouted as the Carsons made their way into the front door.

"What?" Charles whispered, his gaze flying to meet his wife's sparkling, blue eyes. "But how …?"

"Cora and Robert offered months ago, and we planned the specifics last week when you were away on that business trip," she admitted, kissing him gently.

"Everyone parked in the lot down the road and Robert shuttled them here," Cora added.

"Happy Birthday, love," Elsie said.

"You're quite the little plotter, aren't you?" he asked playfully, tapping her on the nose with his knuckle. "And you," he added to Aubree, who was positively bursting with excitement. "How did you keep this secret from me?"

"Mummy made me promise not to tell," she said. "Did I do a good job?"

"You did a marvelous job, little one," Cora said, kissing them all on the cheek. "Now come in and say hello to everyone!"

The next hour was spent mingling with their friends and family, all of whom had managed to make it to the party. Anna and John were tucked away in a corner on the loveseat. Aubree spotted them and clambered up onto Anna's lap, getting an introduction to John – who, Elsie was pleased to note, seemed to be thrilled with her little girl's exuberance.

Good thing, she thought, because Anna will want children for sure.

She knew Charlie would chide her for getting ahead of herself, but he'd never seen Anna when she was mid-discussion of John's positive characteristics. It was clear to Elsie that Anna was already thinking in the long-term.

Robert tapped gently on his glass, getting everyone's attention. "I believe a birthday toast is in order," he said, and everyone reached for a glass.

"To Charles Carson, the best friend I could ever hope to have," he said in a loud, clear voice. "We've known each other over twenty years, and he's been watching out for me the entire time – including that one semester that I almost ran away with the band. That's not a lie, folks," he quipped amidst the laughter of their guests. "I can honestly say that I've never known a kinder, more honest man. Cora and I are delighted to be a part of your special day, mate – here's to another thirty years of happiness for you and your lovely family. To Charles!"

"To Charles!" everyone echoed, and Charlie turned to look at his wife, noting for the first time that it was a water glass that she held in her hand.

"What's that?" he asked, his voice slightly wavering from both the emotions invoked by his friend's toast and by the amount of alcohol he'd consumed already. "You need a glass of champagne."

"I'd better not," Elsie said quietly.

"Oh, no … you've not caught what Aubree had, have you?" he enquired, suddenly worried.

"Well, I may be feeling ill soon enough … but it won't be from the flu," she admitted, a smile breaking out on her face as she saw the realization dawn in his eyes.

"Are you serious?" he whispered. "Oh, Elsie …"

He bent down to kiss her fully, ignoring the whistles and one catcall that he was sure had come from the Mason-Parker clan in the back of the room.

Elsie finished brushing her hair and padded down the hall in her nightshirt to check that Aubree was still comfortably tucked into bed and sleeping. Her daughter's soft snores warmed her heart, and she bent to place a soft kiss on Aubree's head before tiptoeing out of the room and back to her own.

"There you are," Charles said quietly, extending his arms as he rested against the headboard. "Come here, love."

"Are you fully recovered now?" she asked, reaching out to grab his gift off of the bureau before climbing into bed and sitting astride his lap. "Because if you're not, this can wait."

"Recovered from what? The alcohol – yes. The news that I'm going to be a father to not one but two marvelous children – no, never," he whispered, running his fingers through Elsie's hair as he pulled her in for a lingering kiss.

"Here," she said breathlessly, handing him the box. "For you. I didn't want to bring it to the party, for reasons which will become obvious when you open it."

Charles took the box from her hands and undid the bow, then carefully pried away the paper. He lifted the lid and gasped, reaching in slowly to remove a stunning gold pocket watch.

"Elsie, this is amazing," he marveled. "I've always wanted one of these - really."

"I'm glad," she said, kissing his forehead. "Open it."

He pressed the button and clicked it open, spying the inscription engraved inside.

With all that we have,

And all that we are.

Love, Elsie and Aubree … and Baby makes three

His eyes filled, and two tears spilled over onto his cheeks.

"You mean everything to me, love. You and Aubree and our new little one," he whispered, reaching his hand out and laying it over her abdomen.

"Happy Birthday, Charlie," Elsie whispered back. She reached out to wipe his tears, and then bent to kiss him softly. "I hope it was a good one."

"The best, my darling – the very best."

A little review would be much appreciated! I do hope you enjoyed it, my friend. x