Tom had made his exit in one fluid motion, closing the door gently as he left a small smile on his face. "It's about time." he mumbled to himself as he walked the hall back to his room. His room. In his home. How strange it was that Downton Abbey had become his home, the Crawley's had become his family. The irony was clear of course. Had Sybil lived he would never have grown so close to her family, never considered them to be his and he theirs – but he did … and that was all she had every wanted after all. To believe that the lines of society could be crossed, that her family would accept him as she had, that the world was a better place. Despite himself, despite the strangeness of the evening and the circumstances of his being there to begin with he found himself smiling in earnest.

"Tom is even more intelligent than we thought." Robert let out a laugh as he looked at the door then back to the bed where his wife sat, propped against pillow, resting.

"Not me." She replied quietly, "I have always known how smart he is."

Robert walked around the bed and sat on the edge on Cora's side, his bandaged hand resting in his lap. He felt as though he had an extra heartbeat drumming its painful tune through the veins of his hand, his knuckles obscurely numb and painful at the same time. He smiled morosely at his wife's comment.

"Of course you did. You always see the best in people." He looked up to see Cora's face and her eyes still glassy from her tears. Tonight had taught him how lucky he truly was in her. How much he had come so close to losing. How bad things had almost gotten. How much harder he had to try. He had walked down the stairs after they had all gone up because he had needed one last look at the builders for Pip's corner. He had seen Tom in there as well, the 2 of them having the same idea and had taken a few minutes to look through the papers one last time, neither of them able to settle on the builder they had chosen. As they had made their way back to their rooms and walked through the foyer they had heard it. Cora's voice. The fear. The desperation. He had heard the expression before, 'your blood ran cold' but had not understood it until that moment. His blood had turned to ice in his veins as he put together what was happening. He had moved towards the door in time to hear her voice begging to be released. To see her struggle beneath his grasp, to see him take her lips with his. He had crossed the room in a frenzied haze. Grabbed him by the back of the neck and thrown him across the room with a violence he had not known he possessed.

Even in the war. Even in those moments of fighting other men in battle he had not felt like that. In those times he always knew his wife was safe and out of danger. But tonight, tonight he had lost control completely and attacked Bricker with the entirety of his force. He had not even seen Cora fall backward. Had not seen her black out. For that he was ashamed. He had followed Bricker where he lay on the ground and pulled him up by his lapels, shaking him and yelling at him. He had drawn his fist back, heard Cora scream his name, and then landed his first punch. It was a blur after that. Bricker had got one or 2 good ones in, but Robert was stronger, more athletic, filled with more rage and had overtaken him, pounding him again and again with his fists until the man stumbled backwards over a chair and fell to the floor. Robert had followed him, throwing 3, 4 more hard fists to his face before feeling himself restrained and pulled away. At first he had been angry that Charles Blake would stop him, clad in his pajamas and pulling Robert away from his target. But he had quickly realized that it was for the best. He could have killed him. He wouldn't have stopped, and it scared him. It was a long time before he even realized Cora wasn't in the room anymore, and then Tom had appeared and explained her injury and collapse – by the time he looked down at his hand he knew he had gone too far. He couldn't see her the way he was. He couldn't see anyone.

Clearing his throat he turned so that he could reach her with his good hand, "Cora … I…" he began reaching for her hand and praying to god she let him take it.

"No, Robert … I have to say something." She looked down where he had taken her hand and felt the tears building once more. Looking up quickly before she lost her nerve she spoke, "It is all my fault and I am so sorry, I am so sorry to do this to you. To us … and I need you to know that I never … I would never … I didn't want …" she felt the first tears fall and hit their hand where it was clasped together. She looked down, placing her free hand on top of their joined ones before adding, "I love you so much and I am sorry, Robert. So sorry."

Robert felt the tears behind his own eyes and he drew a quick breath to keep them back. She didn't need his tears, she didn't need his weakness. It was his job to be strong; it was his job to make this all right, because no matter what she said it had all begun with him. His foolishness, his taking her for granted that had caused this to happen. He couldn't bare this. He couldn't bare that she blamed herself, that she had been forced to turn to someone else to feel as though she mattered, that she had been forced to endure Bricker's kiss … he wanted to go find him and pummel him again, he wanted to break something, he wanted to have things under his control … the way they used to be. But more than that, more than anything he wanted Cora to look at him with those piercing blue eyes and see that she mattered to him. That she was important.

"Cora, don't. Don't say that. Please. It is me. I have failed you … and for that … for that I can never tell you how sorry I am." He looked at her, eyes cast down, tears falling softly against their hands and his heart broke. "You …" his voice caught and he took a deep steadying breath, "I have taken you for granted Cora, I have been so caught up feeling busy and important and trying to navigate the new managing of the estate that I stopped trying and I can never explain to you how deeply I regret that. How sorry I am. It's, you've, you are always there you see. You are like the sun. You are so constant and so beautiful and bright and like the sun, I just assumed you would always be there. It wasn't until my world started to get dark and cold that I realized … I was the idiot blocking out the sun."

Cora let out a surprised laugh at his words and looked up into his eyes. She hadn't looked at his eyes at such close proximity since it had all happened and this close she could see the results of his fight with Bricker. His left eye was covered in a mottled bruise, a slight red cut at the corner. He had a half inch graze on the lower lip, she reached up gingerly and brushed her fingers across it and watched as he closed his eyes in response. Her heart fluttered and she took a breath as she moved her hand gently across his cheek and up to his wounded eye, brushing her thumb across the bruising softly, wishing her touch could heal him.

"If I am the sun, then I want you to be the sky … because the only place the sun makes any sense is with the sky." Letting her hand trail back down his cheek along his throat she bought it to the back of his neck and pulled him close to her, pressing her forehead against his and taking in his nearness. "I am so sorry you got hurt. I wish I could take it away for you." She whispered, their closeness demanding a reverence, their apologies finding their purpose. She felt his body shift as he scooted further on the bed and she let go of his hand, bringing her hand up to touch his face.

"I … " she began, but was stopped as he leaned against her placing his lips softly on hers.

"No more." He said softly, pulling back slightly. "No more apologies. No more blocking out the sun." the hand on his cheek felt the warmth of his single tear as it slid down his face, then she felt nothing but the gentleness of his kiss, the tender touch of his hand brushing her hair from her face, the ginger movement as he slid in bed next her, and the flip in her stomach as her body responded quickly to his nearness, to his body, to him.

As their kisses became more heated and their breathing more labored Robert pulled away.

"We should go to sleep my darling. Dr. Clarkson told you to rest." Robert was torn. He wanted to make love to his wife, slow and all encompassing. To seal their apology with their bodies, to remind each other of their union and their bond. But at the same time, they were both nursing injuries, minor ones, but injuries none the less.

"And how do you know that?" Cora asked with a smirk as she continued the unbuttoning if his shirt and nuzzled her lips against the base of his throat. She needed to be close to him, to return to the rhythm of their marriage, to connect with him on the most carnal of levels and lose herself beneath him, with him.

"Do you think I would not ask Dr. Clarkson about your condition?" he let out a long slow sigh of satisfaction mingled with restraint as she freed his shirt and slid her hands across his chest. Skin to skin. "Cora … your concussion …" he protested weakly as she continued to place soft kisses against his throat.

"And you have broken knuckles." She replied between kisses. Her breath hot against his skin, her hands tracing patterns along his chest and sliding lower.

Groaning as her hands found his pants and begun to unfasten he spoke again, "Cora …" his voice was unsteady, "I really think this is against medical … advice. You can't get dizzy."

Carefully she moved her body, guiding his with her hands until he lay above her, her head cradled on the plush cushions. She slid his shirt off his body as his lips found her neck. She sighed happily.

"I wont get dizzy, as long as you are my anchor Robert." She breathed hotly against his ear as she whispered. Pulling away from her neck Robert placed his hand on the side of her face, tracing a gentle finger down the delicate features of her profile, down the cleft of her neck, the hollow of her throat, past the curve of her breast, and making a path to the heat between her thighs … upon which she gasped happily, biting her lower lip as he moved his fingers between her legs.

"Are you quite sure?" He asked, his voice raspy with the effort of control.

"Yes, Oh yes Robert … I am quite sure." She pulled her hands back to his neck and pressed her lips to his … "If I am the sun, then you are the sky …" she whispered against his lips. And together, they lit the night with fireworks.

** This was not my original ending. I kind of lost my way a little after the last episode aired and I saw how things really went down. I am so excited to see what happens next in the real DA. This is simply one idea, that we know is not what really happened – but maybe parts of it could happen. Like them making up! Thanks for your reviews.**