Disclaimer: Don't own em, can't afford to lease em.

A/N: Yeah still not sure about this lol

Charles climbed the stairs, he'd not seen or heard from Elsie since she went up. It'd been a while now, certainly she should have been done? As he neared the door he was waved back by none other than the Dowager. Stepping back a few paces he simply stood with his eyebrows raised.

"Carson, I want you to make certain no one, and I mean no one, disturbs those two. Who knew it'd be Mrs. Hughes to break through to the girl? You just stay there and keep people away."

Was he mistaken or did it look as if the older woman had been crying? Stunned he moved to take up her place next to the open door with a nod and a 'Yes M'Lady'. Once the hall was clear again he slipped inside the room silently, the two women were in fact asleep, the picture before him pulled at feelings he'd tried to bury for a long time. Elsie, he never called her Mrs. Hughes in his mind, no she was his Elsie. Elsie looked uncomfortable, if only he could get her shoes off and ease her the rest of the way onto the bed. After a few moments hesitation he did just that, slipping her shoes off quickly and quietly and setting them onto the floor, then easing her feet onto the bed, pausing as she shifted slightly.

When she didn't wake he collected the tray and slipped back into the hall, waiting for someone to come by he could hand it off to.

Elsie woke with a start as Mary moved beside her in the bed, drawing her head up she glanced down at the girl with a smile. "Good morning M'Lady."

"Mrs. Hughes...thank you. I'm so sorry...so very sorry." She sat up quickly, pulling herself back together. Attempting to pull those walls back up.

"No. No apologies. Now. let's get some food into you shall we?" She left no room for argument, it wasn't until she set her feet on the floor that she realized her shoes were missing. For a moment she sat confused until she spotted them lined up precisely on the ground, only one person would do that and she knew exactly who. Slipping them on she looked to Mary with a grin, when she spoke her voice was barely above a whisper. "I do believe Mr. Carson is most likely pacing in the hallway... what would you like to eat? Let's give the man something to do."

"Nothing... I'm really not..."

"Soup then? Hm I believe Mrs. Patmore probably has some stew in the kitchen, or perhaps chicken? Maybe a sandwich as well?"

"No, I'll be alri..."

Elsie cut her off again, "I think chicken. I'll let him know." Crossing the room she smiled as she pulled the door open the rest of the way and found herself looking at the back of Charles' head. "Mr. Carson...would you please see if Mrs. Patmore can make up a tray for Lady Mary? Chicken soup, a sandwich, and a cup of tea if you will."

He smiled down at her, something in him had changed when he'd walked into that room. How or If he would act on it was something he'd have to think on. "Certainly Mrs. Hughes."

With a nod she turned and shut the door, "Would you allow me to draw you a bath M'Lady? Or I can have Anna come up if you'd prefer."

"I. Mrs. Hughes? Why are you doing this?" Mary sat on the edge of her bed, feet dangling over the side. She was a mess, her hair had been brushed and rebraided at some point but it had been a while.

"As I said before, I'm going to help you pick up the pieces and put them back together. I know you're hurting, and I know you don't want the help...but I'm not willing to sit by while there's still something that I can do."

"Thank you. You're the only one...that's let me cry. Really cry." Glancing down at her hands she just nodded, "Alright. A bath, if you don't mind staying I'd rather not bother Anna right now." In truth she wasn't ready to face Anna's nearly hidden disappointment.

"I don't mind." She set about preparing the bath, humming softly as she worked, she knew it'd take a while for lunch to be made up. With the bath drawn she moved to Marys side helping her to the dressing table, where she began to at least start untangling the mess of hair.

Mary just did as she was directed, she knew somewhere in the back of her mind that it needed to be done. She felt weak, weaker than she'd anticipated, and suddenly she hated it. She looked to the housekeeper in the mirror, "I take it, he was pacing out there as you predicted?"

"He was M'lady, he's been worried about you." With her hair brushed, Elsie helped Mary up and to the tub, and then into it.

"More like he was worried something had happened to you. Don't think I don't know that he paces if your two minutes late coming back from the village."

Blinking slowly she considered a reply as she worked at washing Lady Marys hair. "I...I don't know about that M'Lady."

"Oh come on now Mrs. Hughes...I'm not blind. The rest of this house may be but I've known Carson long enough to know how he feels about you. Even if he won't open his mouth and say something."

"Perhaps...I'll probably never know." Using the edge of the tub she eased herself back to her feet biting back a groan, it wasn't often she spent time kneeling on the floor anymore. "Just give me a holler when you're ready to get out, I'll go see to your room."

"Mrs. Hughes! Don't... don't change..." she felt the color rising to her cheeks as she stumbled over her words.

"I'll not change his pillow M'Lady. Don't worry, just take a bit to relax."

The relief washed over her face as she was spared from having to explain what she wanted. Closing her eyes she let the warm water wash over her. She knew she had to do something. Carson was a second father to her, she knew he'd never tell Mrs. Hughes a thing for fear of one or both of them loosing their jobs, of being cast out of the house. If she'd learned anything in the last few years, it was that life was too short to lock out the chance at love.