AN: I've been playing around with what went on between Cora and Robert, after Sybil's death, that wasn't captured in the show. I envision this collection covering episodes 3.5 and 3.6, and this chapter begins after Mary leaves Cora at Sybil's bedside.

I'm just taking these characters out to play, everything and everyone belongs to the keepers and creators of the show. Rating K+

He sat on the edge of the bed, head down, staring at his feet through a haze of tears. The soft knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts, and it opened before he had a chance to respond. It was Mary; he knew it would be her to search him out. She was loyal to both her parents, and fiercely protective of him.

Without lifting his head Robert asked, "how is she?"

"She's asked for more time" Mary replied, paraphrasing her mother.

Robert nodded.

Mary started, "she's asked that you…" but stopped when he looked up at her, tears tracked down his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, he quickly averted his eyes and looked over to the dressing room door, "I'll go."

Her eyes welled. "Oh Papa…."

He held up his hand to silence her, "I think it's best."

He knew that Mary was struggling to maintain her composure. He knew he was somehow failing her too. And still, Robert reluctantly walked over to the door that separated his private dressing room and his wife's bedroom, the room that Cora had insisted all along was 'theirs'.

"Try and get some sleep," he mumbled over his shoulder as he reached out for the handle.

Mary straightened, "you too" and as she watched her father push the door open, she backed out of the room. "Good night, Papa."

Edith, duty-bound, like Mary had come in to check on her; to encourage her to get some rest but Cora refused to budge, clinging to what little time she had left. Now silence filled the room, as there was nothing more to say. Sybil was gone.

Hugging herself, she mustered the strength to stand. Cora glanced over Sybil's lifeless body one last time, and just as she had done a few hours earlier, she kissed the tip of her finger and placed it on her daughters' lips.

"Goodbye puppet." She swallowed thickly as heavy tears threatened to fall. She knew she had to turn away now, or she would never be able to.

She made it to the hallway outside Sybil's room and instantly began regretting her decision. Conflict arose within her, as did a sense of dread and fear over the prospect of living this life without her daughter. And suddenly, like the flick of a switch, she was acutely aware of how rapidly and how painfully her heart was throbbing in her chest. How with each heartbeat her throat began to tighten.

Panicked she reached a hand out for the wall, the other she placed over the stone that began sinking in her stomach. Nausea came over her like a wave, and was gone just as quickly, leaving her numb with an entirely new sensation. Static began to fill her ears and her eyes, throwing off her senses.

Instinctively she stopped crying and began to focus on her breathing as pain gripped at her chest. She closed her eyes, as her breathing grew ragged. She felt her knees buckle and slowly she slid forward, all her remaining strength slipping away.

Tom, crouched on his hunches outside Sybil's bedroom door, watched his mother-in-law leave the room. He reacted instantly, lunging forward, as Cora succumbed to her grief. "Lady Grantham?" He called to her. Hearing that her breathing was becoming more uneven, he tried once again, "Lady Grantham!"

She heard her name called from somewhere. "Cora!"

And it was that which finally pulled her from herself. She felt a hand on her arm, and another come around her body.

She felt herself being pulled forward.

The warmth of his body beside her was comforting, comforting enough that she was able to regain some of her senses. When they reached her bedroom door she inhaled slowly and looked over at him. Their tear filled eyes mirrored each other's.

Tom looked away first, embarrassed to have addressed his mother-in-law so informally, and reached for the doorknob, "here we are," he said softly as he gently pushed the door open and led her in.

She eyed her son-in-law carefully, grateful that it wasn't Robert; yet disappointed that it was someone else. She stopped at the threshold, pulling her arm from his soft grasp. "I'm sorry, Tom," she said softly as she moved around him and made her way to her bed. Tom hesitated wondering if he should escort her the entire way, however reminded himself of where he was and decided to hold his position. He watched her carefully with anticipation. She sat down on the edge of the bed, struggling to catch her breath.

Tom shifted on his feet.

"Robert" she inhaled slowly, "should have listened…" she exhaled as fresh tears cascaded down her cheeks, unable to finish her thought she simply looked up at him. The silence that followed spoke volumes.

Grasping the meaning of Cora's words. "Thank you," Tom whispered. He cleared his throat, feeling uneasy. "May I check the fire?"

Cora nodded, and she broke eye contact with Tom, marking the last time she would find herself able to look anyone, other than Robert, in the eye for days. He moved to the fire and began tending to the embers that were still glowing from some earlier time in the night. Soon enough the fire was brought back to life.

He backed away from the hearth and stopped at the foot of the bed, feeling the warmth as it began to reach out into the room. He spoke to her again, but she was far away.

"Cora?" He repeated, once again speaking plainly and informally. She slowly turned her head in response. "Shall I ring for someone?"

She shook her head.

"Would you like me to fetch Lord Grantham?"

"No," she croaked. Clearing her throat. "Thank you, Tom."

Tom paused, "I'll say good night then." And he moved to the door. "I hope you're able to get some rest," he offered, looking over at her one last time.

Her eyes were now trained on her hand that was resting on Roberts pillow. Tom was unsure if she heard him, but decided it was time to return to Sybil. As the door clicked shut Cora pulled her feet up onto the bed and stretched herself out on the spot where Robert would usually lay. She pulled his pillow into her chest and hugged it. Desperately she tried to focus on her breathing, which was not entirely under her control. With each slow, deep breath Roberts scent filled her head.

As soon as Robert heard the commotion in Cora's room he was out of his bed and at the dressing room door in an instant, only to be stopped by the soothing and comforting tone of Tom's voice. He waited, his arm outstretched, hand on the doorknob for the entire exchange. He recoiled when he heard Cora say 'no', that even during her time of extreme anguish she did not want Tom to come find him. Tears filled his eyes. He realized then that this whole ordeal was going to be much more than the loss his daughter. He stood, with his back against door for what seemed like hours. He listened to Cora struggle with her suffering, then eventually there was silence and, he hoped for her sake, sleep.

Cora remained that way for hours. Unable to close her eyes for longer than a blink. She wavered with emotional lability until numbness overwhelmed her. The heat of the fire reaching her but not warming her, and she began to shiver.