A/N Looooooong (but necessary) A/N. Apologies in advance.

So I had a crazy idea: a modern Chelsie AU fic in an academic setting in the US. I pictured Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes running a typical, classic, traditional British-type school here in the states, but I was afraid it might be too far-fetched. I figured that type of place would never exist. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that such schools do indeed exist, and one of them is really close to home! So I ran with it.

This chapter is essentially an introduction to the main story, which will appear in December. The chapters after this will be flashbacks to various events in the past that tell the story of how our beloved couple came to be at Downton Academy. This prequel wasn't originally supposed to be a story in its own right, but as I tried to develop an airtight, ironclad backstory for the sake of my sanity, this part of the story became extremely detailed and took on a life of its own. I thought I might as well share it with you. Before we get to the backstory, however, I wanted first to let you know where we're headed, and so this chapter sets the stage. Nothing terribly exciting happens yet, but this should give you a little taste of what we're leading up to. And of course, the main, current-day part of the story, with its Christmas theme, will come in December.

Downton Academy, Chicago; September 2015

The hallways, offices, and classrooms teemed with activity. Receptionists greeted visitors and answered telephones. Teachers paged through notes and checked laptops. And students chatted excitedly at lockers while arranging belongings in backpacks.

A friendly woman's voice came through the speakers and rose over the din. "New students, please report to the assembly hall at this time. All others, please report to your homerooms."

A bell rang, and students scurried off in all directions.

The new students filed into the assembly hall and took their seats. A stylishly-dressed, attractive woman in her early fifties stood at the podium and waited until the crowd quieted down before beginning her welcome.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Downton Academy. My name is Ms. Hughes, and I'm the headmistress for girls here at Downton. To my right is Mr. Carson, who is the headmaster for boys. He'll speak to you in just a moment.

"Right now, I'll give you a brief overview of how things work here. As you've discovered by now, some events, such as this little welcome, will be coeducational, and others will be gender specific. Ladies, when an activity involves only girls, you'll find me overseeing it. Gentlemen, Mr. Carson will handle the occasions that pertain to boys only.

"While the majority of our students hail from the US, many of you come from abroad: Europe and even other places around the world. We have a thriving exchange student program, and you'll have the opportunity here to be exposed to many different cultures. We truly are an international school.

"Now, some of you will be boarders who will stay in our dormitories; and others will be day students, who will go home each evening. Our day students and boarders will have plenty of opportunity for interaction with each other, and previous students have enjoyed a warm camaraderie. We expect a friendly collegiality among you all.

"You'll have noticed that you are now in the 'secondary' wing of the building, for years seven through thirteen. The younger students are on the other side. We expect all of you to set good examples and to be perfect role models for our primary students.

"I'm going to introduce some of our staff members who are here this morning. Mr. Molesley, in the front row, there, is the housemaster for the boys, and Miss Baxter, next to Mr. Molesley, is housemistress for the girls. Mr. Molesley is also our Physical Education instructor and cricket coach, and Miss Baxter serves as our college, university, and career counselor, as well. Miss Smith, to my left, is in charge of our commuting students, and she's our school's personal counselor. Mr. Bates, next to Miss Smith, here, is our Dean of Students. And Mr. Barrow, on the end, whom most of you have met, is our recruiter and admissions officer.

"Now that I've filled you in on some practical aspects, I'll ask you to give your attention to Mr. Carson, who is going to tell you a little bit about the history of Downton."

Ms. Hughes stepped back, and a tall, broad, impeccably-dressed man in his late fifties assumed his position at the lectern.

"Downton Academy was founded twenty years ago by British business magnate Robert Crawley, of the esteemed Crawley family, and his American wife, the former Cora Levinson, of the well-known Levinson family. The couple moved from England here to Chicago in the early 1990's and could find no suitable school for their young daughters. The Crawleys saw it as their duty to establish a traditional, British-style school for their girls to attend, and the institution they founded is the school in which you now sit.

"Mr. and Mrs. Crawley bought this property, commissioned the buildings, and recruited the best staff from across the UK to fill the halls, classrooms, and offices. Then they recruited the best students from the US, the UK, and around the world. Our staff size has roughly doubled since we opened our doors in 1995, and our student body has nearly tripled in that time. We've had our alumni go on to the best colleges and universities around the world, and ultimately, they've enjoyed illustrious, prestigious careers. We're very proud of our reputation and legacy.

"The instructors here are a great staff, and Downton is a great school. We live by certain standards, and those standards can at first seem daunting. If you find yourself tongue-tied in the presence of your teachers, I can only assure you that their manners and grace will soon help you to complete your work to the best of your ability.

"Now, then. Our time is nearly up. I'll ask you to return to your homerooms to join your classmates. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Downton."

A/N And there you have it. That's the idea. As I mentioned earlier, we'll spend the next several (10-12) chapters in the past before we come back to this point. I do plan to post regularly to keep us all busy between now and the start of S6.

Please leave a review if you're so inclined. I'm curious to know if you're on board with this crazy idea. Also, check out my mini-trailer on tumblr. Thanks for reading!