Hello everyone! I'm back. I've finally accomplished my lifelong goal of moving from the US to London and feel so happy I wanted to start writing these stories again. Enjoy and please leave feedback it helps keep me going!

Mr. Carson looked forlornly at the settee in front of him. It had been several months since he'd last been banished from the bedroom and been forced to take up residency on the small settee, he hadn't enjoyed it then and he very much doubted he would enjoy it this time. Pillow in land he attempted to lay his large bulk down in some mildly comfortable manner, trying in vain to think back to what exactly it was he had said that had caused his current banishment.

Several hours earlier

Mrs. Carson couldn't exactly say that she was upset that her husband did not show up at Downton to walk her home that day but she was not best pleased. He knew how much she disliked walking home alone in the dark, and while it wasn't a spoken rule that on the days it turned dark so quickly that he would escort her home it was something she had grown to expect. As she fumbled her way down the path towards their cottage she tried to cool her temper, surely he had a good reason for not meeting her. But with every fumble and stumble she made down the path her expectations for his reasoning increased significantly. If she turned her ankle because she didn't have his strong arm to hold onto she would unleash the full force of her tongue upon him.

When she finally made it home with only bruised pride to show for it she was alarmed to see her husband so engrossed in the ledgers and bills he had spread out on their kitchen table that he didn't even notice she had entered.

"Hello." She said testily.

He startled then and looked up, confusing suffusing his face.

"What are you doing home?" He asked glancing down at his watch, though his tired eyes couldn't make out the hands clearly.

"I believe I live here." She said setting her purse on the table and sitting in the chair across from him, finally letting the frustrations of the day ease from her weary shoulders.

"Lord is that the time!?" He exclaimed his eyes finally coming into focus.

"It would seem so, I can assure you I would have mentioned if it was my half day."

"Oh Elsie, I'm so sorry." He turned his head slightly to look out the kitchen window. "Blast, and its dreadfully dark outside." He stated.

"Yes I'm aware of that fact. I stumbled the entire way home in the dark, I was rather expecting my husband to come pick me up as he has done every day for the past three weeks. Imagine my surprise when he was nowhere to be found." She said taking her gloves off and tossing them angrily on the table.

"Darling, I'm so sorry. I assure you I had every intention of escorting you home, truly I did. I just got distracted by these troublesome figures. I've been working on our finances all day and it seems the day just ran away."

"A likely story." She said with a huff.

"Elsie I can assure you that the most treasured time of day for me is the moment I can come meet you at the servants door of Downton, take your hand in mine and walk you back to our...how did Mrs. Patmore put it…our carefree love nest? Nothing makes my heart sing more then to see your lovely face after hours apart."

She couldn't help but smile at that. While Charles didn't always express himself, when he did he was always eloquent to a fault.

"Alright Charles you are forgiven. Now what have you made for supper? I'm absolutely famished."

Charles face turned red and he looked down sheepishly at the papers in front of him.

"Don't tell me you didn't even bother to make something for supper?" She said, suddenly getting angry with him again.

"I had every intention of making us a nice stew. I cut all the vegetables and had everything ready. I as going to put it all on the stove just before I left to come meet you."

"Charles Edward Carson! We made a deal when you retired. As long as I continued to work you would take care of the house, including preparing supper."

"I know Elsie and I'm sorry, its just I've been focusing on these bills and ledgers all day and I'm rather concerned."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I got the estimate from the builders today for the improvements on our house and its much more then we initially thought." He said, suddenly digging through his various piles of paper.

"How much more?" She asked, feeling her heart drop.

"Here." He said handing her a piece of paper.

"Oh my!" She exclaimed quickly putting the paper down. "What kind of highway robbery is this? Are we fixing up a small guest house or Buckingham Palace?"

"Well to be fair dear, the roof needs replacing which we hadn't initially considered and a number of the boards in bedrooms need to be redone and there are some concerns about the plumbing in the upstairs…facilities." He said, finding the actual words he needed seemed undignified to say in front of his wife.

"Lord Charles, it didn't seem to be this big a hassle for Mrs. Patmore." She said getting up and bustling about the kitchen to make their dinner.

"I've figured that we can afford it, it simply means that it will take much longer to see a profit from the guest house then we had wanted."

"How long?" She asked, knowing her retirement date depended on the answer.

"I know originally we had hoped to have it turning profit in two to three years but now I'd say we wont be out of debt from these costs for at least five years.'

"Oh Charles, I'd hoped to be retired by then. We can't afford my retirement and the costs of the house." She sat back down at the table and stared at her husband. It seemed all her hopes of retirement were fading away.

"I did have one thought though, while going through all of our finances."

"Yes." She said eagerly.

"I've noticed the bill we get every month for Becky's care. Its gone up significantly over the past year."

"As she gets older it gets more difficult to care for her, she needs to see the doctor more than she did before and they can no longer have her knitting small items to sell to help with her expenses."

"I completely understand but Elsie, we could save so much money if we moved her to a less expensive home or even moved her here with us."

"Are you saying you'd want to care for my sister?" She asked completely confused at the direction the conversation had taken.

"Well not me personally, but if we moved her here you could retire and care for her."

Elsie sat quietly trying to digest what was being said.

"I've sent a few letters and found several other suitable homes that cost significantly less, do you know that if you just moved her farther inland the costs would almost be cut in half."

"I can't believe you Charles." She said softly.

He paused for a moment, trying to gauge if he was about to be praised or reprimanded.

"She is my sister. My only living relative-"

"You have me." He insisted.

"Do I? Oh well that is a comfort. Since I've a husband now I can say bugger all to the little sister I have helped care for since the day she was born."

"That wasn't what I meant-" He sputtered but was interrupted.

"You may not have any family left but I will remind you that you don't abandon family. If I could properly care for Becky I would in a heart beat but it would only put me in my grave quicker, though it would save you a great deal of money so perhaps we ought to take that into account."

"Don't!" He shouted. "Don't you dare say anything like that! I may not be a great husband but I wouldn't wish harm on you for anything."

"Truly? Then why would you ask this of me? Why would you ask me to sacrifice the happiness of my sister? I could move her yes, and many years ago I tried and you know what. It broke her heart. She has friends, she has a routine, her entire life is at that place. When I took her back she wept with happiness and I promised her that she would spend the rest of her life there no matter the cost. I could never uproot her, I could never hurt her like that. The fact that you would even suggest something like that boils my blood Charles. I warned you, multiple times before we married that I was a pauper with an obligation first and foremost to my sister and you assured me it didn't matter. I would rather work at Downton until the day I die then uproot her entire life like that."

She got up from the table and stormed off towards their bedroom. Charles paused for a moment completely panicked. He hadn't meant to upset her. It was only a suggestion, a thought. Thinking back now though he could understand her hurt. Her sister meant so much to her, she had sacrificed her personal happiness again and again and now he asked her to put her sister to the side so that he could be happy. He felt ashamed. After a moment he jumped up and quickly followed her to their bedroom only to find the door locked.

"Elsie honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't think before I spoke. It was a stupid idea, I never meant to cause harm. Certainly I don't wish any harm on your sister. Please love I am sorry. We will find another way."

He waited, listening closely to the door to see if there were any sounds from inside. He heard a gentle rustling then the door opened and his wife appeared. She thrusts his pajamas and his pillow into his hands and slammed the door again.

"Elsie-"

"I don't even want to look at you Charles. Enjoy the settee."