A/N: Just a prompt that I'm filling for a sweet friend! Chapter two will be up Monday night at the latest! :] Story title is from Jealous Guy by John Lennon.

Disclaimer: Don't own them, you know that.

It was a strange feeling, she had to admit. If she was being completely honest with herself she was having a bit of a problem sorting out exactly what emotion she was feeling. Sitting in the dim light of her sitting room she took another sip of bitter tea, slightly cool, and closed her eyes.

She had never been friends with the woman, no. Of course not. Most days she would have seen her gone and forgotten and not felt the worse for it. But still. But still. Her eyes popped open and she let out a frustrated sigh. If she could only get to the bottom of those two words. But still.

Sarah O'Brien was a nasty woman. She was petty and catty and impertinent. Sour and sallow. She had never extended even the slightest offer of friendship and on more than one occasion was guilty of actively trying to sabotage the happiness of many that Elsie held very near. She was truly the most horrid one of them all. One of them all.

Elsie exhaled and the furrow in her brow softened. There it was. The root of her but still. Miss O'Brien was a right bitch of a woman, that couldn't be denied, but still...she was one of them.

The settee creaked as she stood, walking to the tea tray that she kept in the corner. She had lost many a coworker over the years, of course. Such was the nature of a big house. She had done a not insignificant amount of the firing herself. But she had not shared a lengthy history with any of the ones she had lost. Usually she could hold tight to a sense of pride and goodwill when she watched a young maid leave for a better job, or a young footman leave to seek a valet position, taking with them all that Downton had taught them. Even when circumstances called for a dismissal, as in the case of Edna, she felt vindicated that she was making the right decision in steering unsuitable girls away from a career that they would neither excel at nor enjoy. Ethel...well, Ethel was a different story.

She rolled her eyes and pushed the memory of the young mother to the back of her mind, drying her hands and turning down her lamp. Sarah O'Brien's decision to leave was one that simply left Elsie feeling confused. She had not specified a reason for her choice, though she made it clear that there would be no talking her out of it. Elsie doubted anyone would try.

Taking a deep breath she put a hand on her door with a sigh and one last turn toward the room. Before she could pull on the knob she was nearly knocked over by it's opening.

"Oh, I do apologize! I thought you would still be up. Please, excuse me." He was bumbling a bit as he took a step back toward the hallway, which Elsie knew better than anyone was a sign that he was feeling a bit insecure...which meant that he was hoping to talk.

"Don't be silly, Charles, come in."

She rolled her eyes when he hesitated and walked back into the room without waiting for him, busying herself relighting a lamp.

"I don't want to be a bother." His voice was distant and when she turned toward him she realized that it was because he was still standing in the hallway.

Her eyes softened and she gave him a tired smile. "You're never a bother. Come in, please. I was only going to bed out of boredom."

He stepped into the room and waited for her to sit before he did, on the settee beside her, always at a respectable distance. "Well, I don't believe you for a moment, but I'm grateful for the lie."

She smiled at him, genuinely, and waited for him to begin speaking. She had known Charles Carson for what seemed like a lifetime and had learned to read his every mood. It was best not to push him for conversation. He would come to you when he was ready. He always came to her when he was ready.

He waited only a moment to turn to her, "I was not expecting that."

She sighed and nodded, almost imperceptibly. "Nor was I, Mr. Carson. Nor was I."

"It will mean a shift in responsibility and a search for a suitable replacement. We'll have to make due until one is found."

She shrugged. "Between Anna and myself we can manage nicely until we've found the right woman." She paused and looked around the room before continuing, "It will certainly be a change."

"Though not a particularly negative one, if we're being quite honest."

She didn't miss the hint of a smile in his voice and let out a small laugh. "No. Not an altogether negative one."

He raised an eyebrow at her and relaxed a bit against the side of the settee. She could feel his eyes on her but didn't feel the need to make conversation. After a few moments of silence he spoke, "What are you thinking?"

She turned her head to meet his gaze, a bit caught off guard by his bluntness but warmed by his interest. "I was just thinking about this place. My time here. I've seen a lot of life here, that's the truth. But I've always had four constants. The work has always been plentiful and steady, for one." He lightly chuckled at her understatement, "The other three have been yourself, Beryl Patmore, and Sarah O'Brien. We're the Old Guard, Charles, and while I haven't always been pleased with her presence I've always been sure of it. And now that's she's announced her decision to leave, as silly as it seems, I don't know exactly how to feel."

He leaned toward her, almost imperceptibly, and sighed. "Yes. Things are changing. I try to convince myself that they're changing for the better but..." His voice trailed off and he studied the floor.

She waited for him to continue but spoke when he did not. "I can't help feeling that I'm reaching the stage in my life when I'll be saying goodbye to more endings than I am hello to new beginnings."

She felt rather than saw his nod and shifted under the heavy quiet of the room, finally shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"Listen to us, Charles Carson. Sulking like a couple of old fools! There's no need for such melancholic nonsense. And over a woman that neither of us even like!"

He smiled and then laughed, sparkle in his eye, "No, no I suppose there isn't. We'll have plenty of time for that when we reach old age."

"While I'm afraid that reaching old age is a mite closer than you'd believe, Charles, I will concede that we haven't quite gotten there yet."

He smiled and without warning found her hand on the settee and squeezed it. "This is simply another curve in the road. We'll adapt and excel like we always do, Elsie."

She squeezed his hand back, no longer amazed at the way he always understood what she was trying to say, always knew the right way to respond. He didn't always follow through on that knowledge, of course. No, there had been many a row that began with Charles Carson choosing to ignore his instincts about Elsie Hughes. But at the end of the day, he was the one person she could count on to understand her. There was something to be said for that.

"We should head up to bed, you know. Tomorrow is going to be busy dealing with this situation." She sighed and reluctantly let go of his hand as he stood and waited for her to gather her things.

Elsie spoke as they climbed the stairs side by side, "I suppose Miss O'Brien will be even less amenable than usual now that she has no need of manners or benevolence. Perhaps we should warn the staff..."

They both laughed as they turned the final corner. "I will choose to consider these next two weeks to be the last battle of a long war, Mrs. Hughes, at which point I will be repaid with a blessed season of peace."

She laid a strong hand gently on his forearm, "Oh, Charles. You must be joking."

His brow furrowed and she grinned, a spark in her eye, "If you think that peace will come with Miss O'Brien's absence I'm afraid you're in for a very rude awakening. We may be losing the ringleader but we've still an entire circus to run."

"Well, then. We should certainly get to bed. It takes quite a bit of strength to tame a lion, even when there are two of us trying." He smiled down at her as she nodded.

"Goodnight, Mr. Carson."

He nodded and bowed slightly, "Mrs. Hughes."

.

.

She realized as she changed into her nightclothes that she was still smiling. She bit her lip as an attempt to regain her composure and sank mercifully into bed. Times were changing, that was to be sure, but she knew that no matter what changes came their way she and Charles would handle them together, as they always did. The smile was still on her lips as she faded off to sleep.

I hope you enjoyed the intro chapter. More up as soon as possible.