Description: A continuation of the 'I will hold your hand' scene set during the Series 4 Christmas Special.

Warnings: Set Series 4, Christmas Special with no real spoilers for the episode.

A/N: This was written as part of an Instagram competition but was never used so I thought I'd post it here instead. I don't normally write Chelsie so if they seem totally out of character then please do let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Mrs Hughes, Mr Carson and Downton Abbey all belong to Julian Fellows and are not my intellectual property. I'm only borrowing them for a bit and I fully intend to give them back!

Vanilla

The gentle pressure Mr Carson applied to her hand bought Elsie out of her thoughts as quick as a bump and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she realised how much she was enjoying the sensation. Looking into his eyes, it quickly became obvious he'd been trying to talk to her and she felt her embarrassment increase tenfold at the thought of dear Mr Carson seeing her as rude.

"I'm awfully sorry, Mr Carson" she stammered "but I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that…"

To be honest, she'd been so happy standing hand-in-hand in the shallows with Mr Carson that she was sure a small war could've broken out and she wouldn't have noticed so it was no surprise his quiet remarks had gone unheard.

"Mrs Hughes, I was only wondering if you'd like an ice cream, my treat of course."

Surprised but pleased, Elsie was quick to take him up on his offer "Oh that's very kind of you. If you're sure then why not? We are supposed to be relaxing after all!"

It wasn't often that the Scottish housekeeper let herself be taken care of and Charles felt his chest swell with pride at the thought: Mrs Hughes was let him buy her an ice cream. What an honour! Puffing himself up to his full height, Charles escorted Mrs Hughes out of the water and, after ensuring she was completely dry (it wouldn't do for her to catch a cold at his expense after all) led the pair up the beach to the nearby ice cream stand.

The red-face man behind the stall smiled at the approaching couple and called out in a friendly voice "what can I get you m'dears?"

Snorting at the informality of the vendors address, Charles quickly scanned the menu and then, in his usual abrupt manner, requested "vanilla, please".

Elsie looked over at Mr Carson in surprise and, when questioned for her own choice, answered "oh vanilla for me too please".

The butler and the housekeeper shared a chuckle at their similar tastes and, after paying the man and finding a suitable bench, sat down to enjoy their treat.

"Well Mr Carson" Elsie teased "I never thought you'd be one for vanilla".

Charles felt his heart leap at her teasing tone and, smiling back at her, replied "there, Mrs Hughes, you were wrong. Vanilla has always been my favourite and I daresay it always will be." He hoped his words spoke beyond his enjoyment of the ice cream as there was something (or someone) close to him that he was enjoying much more.

Unable to take her eyes of the sweet but painfully shy man next to her, Elsie spoke words that she knew she could never regret "Oh me too, Mr Carson. Me too."