A/N: Hello everyone! There is some smut in this chapter (yay for those of you who were hoping for it soon) but I have included a smut warning before and after the descriptive scene, because I wouldn't want to offend any of my lovely readers! P.s. I kept worrying if you would think it's too soon for smut to happen, but keep in mind if you do that they have had over a month of feelings for each other. Thank you all so much :)

It had been six weeks since James had lost all use of his leg.

It had been extremely difficult at first, for James of course, but for Sybil as well, who had to tell him that there was only a slim possibility that he would walk without assistance again.

"But…" he had gulped, "I, I, I'm obligated to return! I'm still in the army, I still have my duty, my honour to protect-"

"James," Sybil had hushed, "Duty is the last thing you need to be worrying about right now," she had continued on quietly, "And if you ask me, what you've endured already has made you a far more honourable man than what you could have done otherwise."

James had accepted this, or rather, as much as he could handle. He used the wooden crutch, even though it pained him and made him flush with embarrassment whenever he had to practice walking. He would curse the thing, alone at night, curse the war for bringing this upon him, and then the anger would wash away, and leave him with nothing but cold, hard sadness.

He yearned to feel like he belonged somewhere, not just a burden to a hospital. He wanted to feel like… he mattered to someone. But he knew he did, really. Sybil helped him all the way through this. She was the one that took long walks with him in the garden every day, practiced walking on the one leg with the crutch, and she was the only person James could feel vulnerable around. They had gotten to know every little thing about one another over the time spent together.

It was early in the morning, and the birds had just begun to chirp. This is when Sybil liked to take walks with James, when there was no one around to disturb the peaceful silence of the nice walk around the grounds.

James recalled all of this as he and Sybil walked, Sybil's arm through his, other steady on his shoulder. Sybil was wearing a pale purple daytime gown.

"What are you thinking about so intently, James?" she asked with a smile.

James looked over, awakened from his daydream. "Oh, nothing. Just… remembering everything that has happened in the past few weeks." Sybil squeezed his shoulder softly. "You mustn't still your head in the past. Think of all the wonderful things to come."

James chuckled, disheartened. "Like what? Isn't my life more or less over? Without the use of my leg, what am I to the world, really?" Sybil stopped him. "Now see here, Captain Nicholls. I'll have no more of your pity party, am I understood?" she asked playfully.

A smile graced his concerned features, and his laugh lines returned as he nodded. "Forgive me… I tend to be a miserable old bloke when I'm out of sorts." They continued walking as Sybil ran her hand down his arm. "You know I'm only fooling about with you, James… you have every right to feel the way you do. But you know you don't need to put on a great show of emotional strength around me anymore, I've known you far too long for that."

He smiled. "I know. I'm in impeccable company." The two burst into frivolous laughter.

Up in the bedroom window, Cora watched the two walking down the pathway, Sybil occasionally stopping to steady James and tend to his balance.

"Robert," Cora commented thoughtfully, "Haven't you seen that Nicholls man with Sybil a lot lately?" Lord Grantham looked up from the bed, fastening his dressing gown and walking over to join her. "Yes," he said, "Now that you mention it, I have." Cora stood watching them, and Robert turned to her.

"But it's nothing more than Sybil's nursing obligations, Cora," he continued passively. Cora raised an eyebrow, and gestured down to the spectacle of the two laughing and brushing hands. Robert sighed, but shook his head. "Once that captain gets better, he goes back to the front." Cora raised her eyebrows. "He's lost the use of one leg, I sincerely doubt that he'll be returning any time soon. How could you be so unfeeling?"

Robert's face softened a little, and he took his wife's hand in his, bringing it up to his lips. "I'm sorry, my dear. I think the boy is brave, I do. I know I tend to get a little… touchy when it comes to the social engagements of our youngest." Cora smiled back teasingly. "And you don't with Edith or Mary?" Robert scoffed a little, inspiring a laugh from Cora. "Mary? Good god, she could take care of herself any day."

Cora looked up. "So could Sybil." Robert stayed silent. "Robert, she's a grown woman now, you mustn't forget that." Robert nodded shortly, and Cora continued. "James seems like a pleasant fellow-" "Look, I refuse to discuss the possibility of anything going on between them at present. They're going for a morning walk, for goodness sake, and you can already hear the wedding bells?" "Robert, that's not what I-"

Without letting her finish, he turned to go downstairs. Cora sighed in frustration at her husband's inability to let go of their daughter's innocence. Yes, she had her worries, but she trusted Sybil to make the proper judgements, all the same. Something Robert needed to learn to do.

She continued to study the attraction between her daughter and James, and smiled as she remembered her young love with Robert the same way.

Down in the gardens, when they had made it around the side of the estate and they were shaded by a protective birch tree where no one could see them, James sat down on the bench with her.

"Lady Sybil," he said, taking her hand. Sybil laughed. "Oh, this sounds quite serious indeed, if you're starting it with a 'Lady.'" James smiled along with her, blue eyes shining in the morning sun. "Sybil," he said again, looking down, "I've been meaning to talk to you about something. I feel it needs to be addressed, and accounted for." Sybil listened in, guessing at the back of her mind what this was about.

"That day…" James started, "I believe it was a month ago. I… I did something that was…my…" he cleared his throat, cheeks beginning to turn pink. He was beginning to fiddle with his buttons. "My actions with you were extremely inappropriate, and I apologize unreservedly for it and everything I may have caused you since then." He finished, exhaling.

Sybil looked down, and thought about what he was referring to.

The kiss.

She hadn't mentioned it since; but there wasn't a day she hadn't thought about it. Tried to relive it, over and over again in her head.

She brought her hand upon James', and he looked at her, sucking his bottom lip. "I really am sorry," he whispered.

"I'm not," she whispered back, and brought her lips to his in spontaneity.

James' eyes widened, but closed once more as he felt her sweet lips against his, his eyebrows furrowing in aspiration. Her lips explored his cautiously, still unsure of what they were doing, but knowing for certain that this is what she wanted.

Passion burned between them as James' hand went to the back of Sybil's head, and they continued the loving kiss, Sybil's arm wrapped about his neck gingerly. After a few seconds, they parted, heaving for air. James opened his eyes, and Sybil gazed into them.

James swallowed. "Are you sure about this? Are you sure you, f-feel this way about me? That you want me," he cleared his throat, "In this way?"

Sybil felt every moral fibre in her head screaming at her, screaming to forget all of this ever happened, and never look back. But she knew that if she did that, she would never forgive herself, that in her heart that she wanted more of James. She wanted to be with him, as long as she was living. The feeling scared her, but in addition, she felt nothing less than excitement course through her veins as she relished the taste of James' lips on hers.

"Yes," she said simply, smiling. James smiled back, overjoyed that she felt the way he did. They sat back in the chair as they enjoyed each other's company in the summer heat.

Later that evening, when James was back in bed, everyone had retired to their rooms for the night, and Sybil was the last nurse out, James the last soldier awake.

They were talking about different things, about what they had done before their lives had conjoined. It was very late indeed when the fire in the spacious room began to burn out.

"James," Sybil whispered, taking his hand as he turned his head to her. He had to take a moment to simply marvel at how beautiful she looked in the glow of the dying fire; Her hair pulled to the side with her lips slightly parted in anticipation for James to answer.

He smiled. "Mm?" She looked at him, but did not smile back. This was not because of detestation- she looked at him differently that night. She stared long and hard at him, summing everything that had happened between them in the past month and a while. She finally leaned in to his ear. "Let us finish what we started earlier." James' lower lip quivered slightly. "Are you-" "I'm sure. Follow me, my love."

She helped James out of bed, supporting him with a grip on his shoulder, and the two gradually made it to the staircase. James looked around to make sure nobody was awake, and followed with Sybil up the staircase. "Slowly now," she whispered, "Don't hurt yourself prematurely." He looked at her, an un-poisoned mixture of lust and love evident in his eyes.

"Take me upstairs, James… I wish to be with you desperately," she whispered, and the tone of her hushed voice sent James reeling. They reached the top, and crept to Sybil's room, the air of danger and risk setting an exciting mood.

Sybil closed the door quietly to her room, where a single candle had been left burning from the earlier evening. She rejoined James, and he began to gently patter his fingers against her collarbone, sending chills through Sybil. "Your leg," she started, but he broke off her concerns with a caress against the sweetest spot behind her ear.

"J-James," she breathed, feeling his breath hot against her neck. "Please call me Jim," he mumbled into her hair. Sybil head back a moan as she nodded against his chest. "Jim… take me away, Jim… somewhere I've never been before…"

James let out a low groan at her words, and connected their lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

*SMUT AHEAD*

His lips tentatively explored hers, tasting every inch of yearning desire within her embrace. He brought his hand lower, sliding it down the small of her back as he untied the laces of her dress. "Yes… rid me of this awful thing," she whispered, and James chuckled. "You're beautiful, you're kind, you're daring… what more could the perfect woman be?" She sighed into his neck as he began to undo the laces of her corset, slowly and teasingly.

"Please… take no ceremony in this, I need you," she whispered. He did as she requested, and removed the corset quickly but gingerly from her body. The sight of her was truly breathtaking, and his breath hitched as she led him closer to the canopy bed, all the while removing her undergarments. "Oh dear lord above, Sybil," he mumbled, eyelids drooping in lust as she sent him an undeniably seductive look.

He wrapped his arms around her as he joined her on the bed, James caressing her bare chest as she worked on the buttons of his sleeping shirt.

Once she had gotten it off, she ran her hands over his deliciously smooth, well-built chest, lean muscles of his arms defined and flexing as he gripped her waist gently. His hands ran lovingly over her shoulders, and he brought his talented lips down to her stomach, trailing up from there in between her breasts, to her neck, and back to her lips.

Once his trousers were off as well, she moaned at the sight of all of him, taking in his natural beauty. "My dear," James swallowed apologetically, "I'm afraid if I wait any longer, I may- " "Shh," she said against his lips as she tugged his body down overtop of hers, "Give me your love, James… tonight, forever…"

He did not need any more encouragement, and propping himself up on his arms on either side of Sybil, began to slowly enter her, inch by inch. She gasped out, and he quickly stopped moving. "What is it? Am I hurting you? My darling, what have I done?" She managed out a smile in the midst of the immense pleasure he was bringing her. "Y-you're doing nothing wrong, James… keep going, I beg of you."

He smiled, relieved, and continued to push in, until he was fully received. He waited for a moment, letting her adjust like a gentlemen, and when she moaned to signify she was ready for his movements, he began.

His thrusting was soft, slow, and tantalizingly pleasurable. He hit a spot deep within her that she didn't know existed, and she cried out. James saw the look of pleasure upon her face, so did not stop this time.

"My love, my beauty," he gasped as he felt her all around him, "Oh, just like that, S-Sybil, that feels amazing…" She dug her fingernails into his back as he continued his thrusts, their hips meeting in the middle every time.

"Forgive me, my love, but I fear I may not be able to-" His breath caught as she brought his lips to his neck, "Last, m-much longer, dearest…" "Wait…wait," she whispered, signifying James to stop. He withdrew fully, and she guided his hand to the source of her need. James gasped in pleasure, and stuttered slightly as he felt how moist she was for him.

"Use your fingers, my darling," she breathed. "Use your fingers to please me." He gulped, but tried with a single finger. He saw her eyelids flutter at the blissful contact, and encouraged by this, he continued. She gasped into his chest as he brought her close, and she took his wrist as she felt herself on the edge.

"Now, Jim…. Make me yours again," she whispered. He brought himself to her again, and she matched his movements as they both worked toward their quickly-approaching release. "James…." She whispered. "Sybil…" he reciprocated, kissing her one last time before they both came undone together. Time seemed to slow as the two felt pleasure burst between them, envelop them, bring them closer together. Sybil felt her love for him explode in the moment, and her name fell from James' lips like a breath.

*SMUT FINISHED*

When their heaving bodies had relaxed from the contact and heat burning between them, James kissed the side of her face lovingly.

"I…I believe I love you," he whispered, and Sybil nuzzled her head deep into the crook of his arm with a smile.

When the afterglow had finally faded, they both knew they had to get James back to his bed downstairs, so nobody would know of their late night exploit. They got dressed again, and James pulled her to him in another kiss. "Goodnight, my Sybil," he whispered against her lips, and she opened the door for him.

"Do you need my help getting down the stairs?" she whispered after him in apprehension, and he shook his head gratefully. "I can lean on the banister. Stay there, fall into a deep sleep and dream of us, my sweet." An uncontrollably wide smile graced her features. "Goodnight Jim."

James descended the steps carefully, using the banister as his other leg support, and blissfully unaware that the whole parting at Sybil's bedroom door had been observed.

For there, at the end of the hallway, standing silent and surprised and carrying a basket of linen, was Ms. O'brien.