A moment between husband and wife in the kitchen downstairs, and speculation about what happens after. He wonders if she is upset with him, but her response, a kiss, and an endearing nickname reassure him otherwise. UPDATE: Originally a one-shot, now an intermittent continuing story.

A modern Chelsie AU. Charles runs a high-class domestic service company; he is smart, successful and single. He reluctantly attends his friend Robert's New Year's Eve party, but things look up when he bumps into property developer Elsie Hughes on the doorstep...

Following the events of the S5 Christmas Special. Mrs. Hughes fears that Mr. Carson may have the wrong idea about what their new arrangement means. Will go to M in later chapters. Carson/Hughes

Seventeen years after her marriage, Charlotte Collins reflects on her daughter. One shot, complete.

Where Mr and Mrs Carson are just wed.

Taking on the Chelsie Christmas Challenge - short festive themed stories.

One-shot period fic for Chelsietothenorthern to celebrate her birthday! Fluffity fluff fluff as we contemplate a butler falling in love.

A closer look at the events of the Grigg storyline early in Series 4. What Elsie would have said to Charles, had she been free to do so.

The first summer after Charles & Elsie wed and Carson heads to London with the family. They exchange letters during their time apart.

Phyllis Baxter and Joseph Molesley take a walk one autumn afternoon, and he decides to tell her a story. Set post series 6 (fulfilling my Baxley dreams).

The Housekeeper has always helped others stitch up their wounds, now she needs help stitching up her deepest one. Fits somewhere between 6x01 and 6x02.

When growing insecurities threaten the engagement of Elsie Hughes to Charles Carson, what waste land awaits them? Canon-divergent AU beginning with S6ep1. Whether the story returns to canon, you'll have to keep reading to find out!

Some months into their marriage Elsie finds a second lump in her breast, how will she and Charles face this now they are husband and wife? Just a short piece looking at the new found intimacy of their relationship.

Musings on a marriage. Posted originally on Tumblr.

A selection of little moments between Charlie and Elsie (!) from the proposal at the end of the Season 5 Christmas Special and onwards. It does contain lots of season 6 spoilers. Hope you like it! :) UPDATED! Includes some post finale moments now too! The latest, a reunion with Miss O' Brien. *oooh*

Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes find out that getting married is a lot more complicated than a proposal and an acceptance. This story charts their progress through the obstacle course between engagement and wedding breakfast. Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes feature prominently, but the story is told from the perspectives of different characters. Canon in spirit, with much original material.

Modern AU: When Professor Hughes decides she's had enough of being alone and waiting hopelessly for her dear friend to fall in love with her, she sets into motion a chain of events Professor Carson might not be ready for. With Elsie embracing a new 'live a little' attitude, the Downton University faculty will never be the same again but could Charles really lose the woman he loves?

Mrs. Hughes is apprehensive about some "aspects" of marriage that she had not considered when she accepted Mr. Carson. This story explores her internal agonies as she tries to come to terms with the problems of a woman in "late middle age" approaching marriage for the first time. Meanwhile, Mr. Carson is dealing with his own demons in a related matter.

What happens after Charlie and Elsie's first time. Written for Akachankami's birthday.

He never meant for any of it to happen. He had been minding his own business reading the paper out in the garden when she had plonked herself down on his lap as if she belonged there. My take on "whiskers" from the tumblr chelsie-prompts.

They may love each other very much, but Charlie Carson and Elsie Hughes/Carson have always had their disagreements and this isn't going to change. This is a series of vignettes exploring how their changing circumstances affect what they disagree about and how they negotiate those disagreements: what to call each other, Mr. Green, Lady Mary, intimacy, cooking!, and Becky.

A look at the married lives of the Carsons, told through the wedding anniversaries they share together. Various cameos from Anna, Daisy, Beryl, Tom and Isobel, amongst others, helping to show that the life they lived was filled with the friends and family their life in service had given them.

My first stab at a modern Chelsie AU. Charles Carson meets his neighbor, Elsie Hughes, under less than optimal circumstances. Why put your best foot forward when you can plant it firmly in your mouth? Enjoy!

A honeymoon fic, in which Elsie and Charles realize what it means to finally come HOME. "They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

That first night together is met with no small amount of trepidation

What happened between the Carsons' wedding reception at the schoolhouse and their arrival back from honeymoon? This is what I imagined.

Spoilers for the entirety of season six. Written for Muddlethrough as a prize for winning a tumblr sweepstake, this is an affectionate look at how Mrs Patmore came to title the Carson cottage the Love Nest.

Elsie Carson encourages her husband to confront a more personal aspect of the new challenge in his life. SEASON 6 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL SPOILERS. The circumspect summary reflects a desire to give nothing away.

Mrs. Hughes drinks some troublesome tea. Pre-engagement and all that lovely stuff.

Mr. Carson only wants a kiss from the housekeeper, but she doesn't seem to notice.

A one shot as part of the 2015 Chelsie Countdown. CS spoiler-ish for season 6. In which Mrs. Hughes has some unexpected feelings and Mr. Carson has a role reversal. This will be transferred later into the multi-chapter story Going Into Retirement

In a world where meeting your soulmate makes you see in colour... based on a tumblr soulmate!AU prompt.

The first morning of the Carsons lives together. A story inspired by a random thought on the London Underground that Charles never actually knew where the cancer Elsie (didn't) have actually was. This is what my romance addled brain produced to answer that thought.

Season 6 Spoilers! A four-shot of drabbles examining and speculating Molesley's future, where things are not always as they seem. Baxley and angst heavy.

Exceedingly NSFW, but lovingly so. Please as a verb and please as a plea... Carson wedding night awkwardness turns amorous. Spoilerlerrrt? 6.3 because of their honeymoon location and her dress, I suppose.

Spoilers for season 6 ep 7: A certain sofa moment and what might have happened had Thomas not interrupted their peace.

A series of drabbles pertaining to the upcoming wedding/wedding night of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. A vain attempt to retrieve some small portion of my life back. M rating for...who am I kidding?

When the masters become the pupils.

A little insight into the first morning in their cottage for Mr and Mrs Carson. Mostly fluff.

Directly follows season 6, episode 5. Charles can't sleep following the events of the evening and Elsie has a few things to get off her chest too.

Now that they are married, they have the right to one and other's secrets. And to stories they've only half heard before. Utter fluff.

An assorted collection of Chelsie ficlets and drabbles. Some of these may morph into longer stories. But until I have the time to write those multichapter fics, I figured I would share what I have so far. Each post will include a timing note and a spoiler warning (if needed).

Elsie centric ensemble piece - She found him in her sitting room. There had been nothing amiss, no indication that anything was wrong as she'd come through the house checking on her maids and his footmen as she did first thing every morning. No one asked her if she'd seen him, no one seemed to be looking for him. There had been no warning.

The Carsons on their honymoon

Modern AU: Bookshop owner Charles and teacher Elsie are finally dating, sharing their first holiday together in Dubai after months building a relationship. Can they navigate their way through the demons of their past to find a way to stay together for the long haul?

SPOILERLERRRT for s6e1. A riff on that scene at the end of the episode. [Licit: conforming to the requirements of the law; not forbidden; permissible]

SPOILERLERRRT for s6e3. Oneiric: of, relating to, or suggestive of dreams. A one-shot from that moment when Elsie Hughes puts herself to bed on the eve of... well, you know.

After the honeymoon. Speculation on a relaxed Carson.

Mr. and Mrs. Carson spend their first night together while on their honeymoon. A gentle look at Mrs. Carson's thoughts on her husband. One-Shot

One moment of weakness, one fleeting moment of temporary insanity is all it takes for Carson and Hughes to give in. S5 AU. Carson/Hughes. Solid M.

*S06E01 spoilers* A little fill-in-the-gaps fic. Mrs Patmore relays her second, successful conversation with Mr Carson to an anxious Mrs Hughes. Thoughts, feelings, dialogue and a small bit of fluff at the end.

Will Charlie and Elsie ever get over their jitters to consummate their marriage?

s6 pre-episode 1 SPOILERLERRT! Follows "Dubious." More speculation on the s6 spoilers. The great facades are crumbling...

s6 pre-episode 1 SPOILERLERRT! Speculation on some spoilers from the beginning of s6.

Where Mr and Mrs Carson are retired. [Lyrics by Rascall Flatts' Bless the Broken Road.']

A little melancholy and tender one-shot of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes on the brink of great changes in their lives. This was inspired by the Season 6 trailer scenes of Mr. Carson looking bereft. I mourn for him.

s6 pre-episode 1 SPOILERLERRT! (Babel: a : a confusion of sounds or voices. b : a scene of noise or confusion) (It's a different take on the forehead kiss.)

s6 pre-episode 1 SPOILERLERRT! A oneshot inspired by that gorgeous forehead kiss. In which I speculate that her hands are tightly clutched together at her waist.

Two different ways their first night could go.

After their engagement, all Mrs. Hughes wants is a kiss from Mr. Carson. But even she could not guess how much he wanted to kiss her back. This is Season 6 dreamland. UPDATE: The last chapter is up.

Immediately post the season 5 Christmas special proposal. A little look at how Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes react to the fact they are engaged. Originally a drabble on tumblr. Pure fluff.

Where Carson and Mrs. Hughes are now husband and wife.

Faced with his very last day at Downton, Charles wonders if he's completely ready for his new life. In my mind, the perfect final Carson/Hughes scene. 'Co-written' by Bugs, enabler of the staircase kiss.

If you give a Carson your hand to hold, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. No, wait. If you give a Carson your hand to hold and he catches you with another man, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. No, ugh, *sigh*, just read it. [post-Series 4 - pre-Series 5] [ONE SHOT]

Mrs Hughes receives her first kiss from Mr Carson, which also happens to be her first kiss ever. A short fluffy look at a moment between our favourite Butler and Housekeeper

Post Season 5. A short, multi-chapter fic about Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes living a little on the night of the Servant's Ball.

A slightly steamy Chelsie in honor of our Mona for her birthday! When Mr. Carson makes a decision...he makes a decision. Probably OOC, but lots of fun regardless.

Before the wedding, Mr. Carson & Mrs. Hughes have a disagreement.

Season 5 Christmas Special Spoilers! After Christmas eve, Mr. Carson cannot sleep for thoughts of a certain Scottish woman. He hatches a plan perfect for Christmas, but, as the saying goes, the best laid plans often go awry. With guest appearances of all our favorite characters, poor Mrs. Hughes must follow through on tradition, even if it means kissing hall boys. (Long One Shot)

This is a series of vignettes based on how Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes observe the other's voice the first time they have the occasion to hear the other express anger, guilt, fear, passion, consternation, silence, etc. The rating begins as a K but will change to a M as the story progresses. The chapters will form a complete story as we move along.

A one-shot in which Charles Carson is sleepless. Based in the prompt: "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ― Dr. Seuss

A stream of consciousness/interior dialogue piece exploring Carson and Mrs. Hughes in the four months between her revelation about Becky and Christmas. AND BEYOND! Both POV's.

When the past catches up with the present, it isn't always easy to deal with its consequences. Alternate Universe fic, almost spoiler free, includes a very proper Butler and a very different role for the person we normally know as Housekeeper Elsie Hughes. Will often not be safe for work.

Post-S5 Christmas Special. There are many paths they've walked together. BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR KOUW, YO! SFW and then NSFW.

Charles and Elsie try to adapt to retirement and marriage

My first Chelsie ficlet, which seems to have grown into a multi chapter fic. Roped into something by Lady Mary, our intrepid butler is worried about repercussions.

After the engagement.

I got bored with trying to figure out ways to get them together and decided instead just to have some fun! So here they are, married, and skipping right to the good stuff... A sweetly romantic take on their first few days as husband and wife.

A lot of things had been said and written about Mr Carson, but the term 'hopeless romantic' was a first.

What fascinates Mrs. Carson on the day after her wedding? Companion piece to "Chestnut and Silver."

Sequel to Beyond The Sea. The early days of married life for our reunited sweethearts. Story told as a series of connected 'first time' drabbles.

What fascinates Mr. Carson on the night of his wedding?

How Charles Carson persuades himself to propose to Elsie Hughes.

Chelsie fluffy smutty thing: Married, pillow-talk about bairns, lives they didn't have, sex to heal old wounds. I don't know, blame the champagne buzz. Happy New Year!

Spoilers for season 5 including Christmas Special. Follows Carson and Hughes through their search for a cottage & explores the changes in their relationship.

Drabble. Carson has a sleepless night as he wakes thinking of Elsie and what might've been.

...never did stay secret for long. Set post Christmas special.

A one-shot of how I wish looking for a property would go.

Or: Mr Carson realises that he is no longer happy to simply be Mrs Hughes' friend and sets out to show her how he feels; life happens along the way. Set between The London Season and the start of Series 5.

*Spoilers for series 5*. Picks up after/during episode 7. Mrs Hughes wonders at the implications of Mr Carson's suggestion of a 'business venture' and together they take an afternoon in the village to look at potential investments.

Beryl Patmore plans a birthday surprise for the Housekeeper but surprisingly not everyone is eager to help. Misunderstandings ensue. No season 5 spoilers.

He is not an inarticulate man. Except when it comes to her.

A continuation of sorts of Series 5 Episode 2. I tried to think of something that could legitimately happen and so we have this short scene with a possible route for the next 'stage' of their relationship. Tracking series 5 as it goes on...

Charles Carson and Elsie Hughes work together for Downton Radio, where he has his own show and she is his producer/technician. They have worked together for a great number of years and their attraction is palpable - but will they get together? Modern AU - this story celebrates my fiftieth fic!

In a world where Elsie Hughes and Charles Carson are younger when war breaks out in 1914, two people far apart try to close the distance. Story told as a series of connecting drabbles.

Mrs. Bute returns to Grantham House shortly after the day at the beach and Mrs. Hughes has to return to Yorkshire. As always, she and Mr. Carson correspond, but their letters aren't quite like what they've written during past Seasons. No Season 5 Spoilers.

Minor spoiler warning. A fire breaks out in the Abbey and Charles Carson faces his worst nightmare.

A collection of Chelsie ficlets inspired by a list of prompts all phrased "[blank] me" posted by askboxmemes on tumblr.

The yearly cricket match is being played on a beautiful English summer's day and the status quo is suddenly completely overthrown. Rating subject to change.

Mrs. Hughes receives unwelcome news.

Mr. Carson thinks he is alone downstairs when he hears music coming from the servants' hall. He's surprised at what he finds when he investigates.

AU mistletoe fic silliness. Takes place at the end of Lady Rose's debut season. S4 SPOILERS.

AU. Walter survives Courcelette. In a way.

A story of Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes, and dancing. It begins when Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes are about to sit down for a chat during the wee hours of the morning of January 1, 1921, but are interrupted by unexpected visitors. Follow-up to "One Little Word." AU after S3. No S4 spoilers.

Where Mr. Tufton and Mr. Carson have a misunderstanding.

One-shot that follows Mrs. Hughes's activities and thoughts before and during the Servants' Ball (S2 Christmas Special). She ponders the troubles Downton Abbey has seen in the past few years, particularly the ones that have affected her the most deeply, and tries not to think about that one little word that she does not allow herself to say, even in her mind.

Mrs. Patmore challenges Mrs. Hughes one evening shortly before Valentine's Day. Will she accept the challenge and tell Mr. Carson how she feels about him? Born of a prompt from chelsie-anon on Tumblr. Perhaps a little silly, but since the prompt includes Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Hughes giggling over glasses of port, some silliness is presumably allowable.

'It seems there is always an occasion for black.' Post Christmas Special 2012. (1/1 for now. I may continue)

Crack!fic depicting the mission of a young woman on an Earth-like planet, meticulously documenting the goings on downstairs. Yes. Dis fic be crayzee.

There are things Carson counts. There are things he doesn't.

Elsie Hughes gets to see the bright side of her birthday, with a little help from Charles Carson.

Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes begin writing letters to one another about household matters, which leads to exchanges they might never be able to make face to face.

"You don't have to go you know." Mrs. Hughes decides to accept Joe's proposal, and leave Downton to Carson's dismay. But does she follow through? One-shot.

Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes discuss the rights of friends. Spoilers for Series 3, episode 1 & 2. Minor spoiler for speculation episode 3

Sometimes Beryl wondered if she was the only one with eyes in her head. Set during season 3, so spoiler alert.

Mr and Mrs Carson move into a cottage at Downton, but will their post-retirement marriage be bliss?

Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson's reaction to the end of the war brings them closer than either of them think is appropriate.

Collaboration fic written with the lovely Tartan Robes, based on her idea. After he'd decided he won't follow Lady Mary to Haxby, Mr. Carson sits in his pantry and tries to come to terms with certain feelings. Carson/Hughes.

She tried to enjoy these last weeks she had with him as much as she could, tried to imprint every moment they had together in her memory, knowing that once he had left, it would never come back. Mr Carson is forced to consider retirement.

Spring in all its guises comes to the land, whether it is deserved or not. AU

Charles Carson sees something that horrifies him.

The letter was never meant to be read by him. In a fit of loneliness she had written down her feelings for him, merely as a way of dealing with the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that his absence seemed to evoke in her. But now it was gone...

Drunken women and an uncooperative butler lead the Crawleys to wonder if their mistletoe is broken or if it's just them.

Carson/Hughes' wedding, from Mr Carson's eyes. What he would say to her if he could speak his mind easily. Oneshot.

Carson/Hughes, and restraint; but not from the usual one of the pair.

Carson reflects in The Grantham Arms on the night that war breaks out.

William comes back from the war, and Mrs Hughes feels strange. Nominated for a Highclere Award.

Fresh off his flight to Colorado, Michael gets nervous when Holly leaves him alone in her apartment for a little while. Fortunately, Jim and Pam are only a phone call away.

"He can disapprove all he likes, Mrs. Hughes has got a fancy man." Mr. Carson finds out about Mrs. Hughes's proposal, and thinks about what life at Downton would be like without her. He doesn't like the picture he comes up with.

Carson and Mrs Hughes after Series 1.

After Mr. Darcy takes the thoroughly unsuitable Miss Bennet to be his wife, a most seriously displeased Lady Catherine and her daughter repair to Bath in search of new prospects. What adventures await Anne in the exciting spa city? Now with something of a sequel: "The Miss Bennets Set Forth."

How does Barney really feel about Valancy's devotion to John Foster?

Years before there was a little house on the prairie, a young couple took the time to just watch the snow fall. :: Caroline/Charles