I have nothing but immense apologies that this took so long to finish up. It's been in my mind forever, but I've just managed to get it to come out my fingertips and onto the keys. There's a tense change to reflect that it's the epilogue. Many, many thanks to all of you for your lovely support.

xxx, CSotA

Charles and Elsie held hands the entire train ride home. Scarborough had been a dream, but Elsie needed to return to work in a few days and Charles had a meeting for the library board next week and needed some time to prepare for it.

When they got back to the cottage, a huge pile of gifts lay waiting to be opened. They walked past them all, left their suitcases by the kitchen counter, and fell into bed, exhausted.

Later that afternoon, it was Charles who woke first. He managed to slip out of bed without waking Elsie and got into the shower, then succeeded in unpacking both their suitcases and starting on the first load of post-holiday laundry before he heard Elsie's footsteps coming down the hall. He gave her long nightshirt an approving look. "I see we both decided getting dressed again would be pointless."

"Well," she said, glancing at the clock. "We have no plans to be anywhere, do we?"

"We do not," he replied, and he handed her a steaming mug of cocoa. "If you're as groggy as I feel after that long nap, you'll need this."

Elsie accepted the mug gratefully and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Bless you. Have you unpacked it all?"

"Mostly." He waved a hand in the direction of the living room. "Some of your things are in there. I wasn't sure where you'd want to put them."

She padded into the living room and examined the small pile on the couch, rifling through the items. "The travel things I never really use, so perhaps in the attic? The rest of it will go in the bathroom."

"I've made some space there," he said through the doorway. "Half the cabinet is now empty and waiting for you, and there's plenty of room in the bedroom closet.

He walked into the living room and drew her into his arms gently, careful not to spill her cocoa, and gave her a squeeze. "It'll be lovely having your things next to mine."

"Are you sure, Charlie? The disadvantage to our not moving somewhere new is that I feel like I'm a bit of a stranger who's crashing into your space."

Charles took the mug from her hand and deposited it on a table, then turned back to her and gave her a searing, deep kiss as he held her impossibly closer. When they pulled apart, he twirled a loose bit of her hair around his finger before trailing that same fingertip down the side of her neck and, eventually, tucking it inside her neckline, tugging suggestively at her nightshirt.

"I'd say, Mrs. Carson, that you're very much not a stranger to me any longer. Not after the week we just spent away on honeymoon."

Elsie reached down, tugging at the waistband of his pajama pants. "Mr. Carson," she said, drawing out the r sounds in the name, "I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Perhaps a refresher is in order? You know - given that we're both clearly very well rested from our journey." While she was speaking, she managed to undo the drawstring tie on the pants, and before he could answer, she slipped her hand inside and began to caress him.

"Bedroom," he gasped, but Elsie shook her head.

"I think this will do just fine," she answered, unceremoniously dumping her travel items onto the floor. She pushed gently on his chest until he plopped onto the large sofa and then she sat astride him, putting her hand back right where it had just been moments before.

Charles reached for the buttons on her nightshirt, undoing them from the bottom up and eventually pulling the fabric open when he was through.

"I was going to suggest opening our gifts," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing the swell of her breast as she continued to caress him. "But I like your idea better."

The next morning, they finally got around to opening their wedding gifts, and it felt like Christmas. They didn't need to set up house because Charles already had any household items they'd require, and so their friends and family chose far more personal gifts. There was an antique gramophone from Robert and Cora, complete with a selection of vinyl representing both Charles and Elsie's musical favorites; there was a quilted wall hanging from Phyllis Baxter, which Charles noted would have to go in the bedroom because it would be a lovely match for the quilt Elsie had made for the bed. They received an elegant bar set from the Bateses, a pair of leather-bound first editions from Mary and Edith (between them, they knew just what each of the Carsons liked best), and personalized stationery from Joseph Molesley. And Beryl and Daisy had sent a subscription for one of those ready-to-cook meal services, which made Elsie laugh; she promptly handed the paperwork for it over to her husband, putting him in charge as she pleaded "no time to cook" and "not retired yet" ... to which he agreed, albeit reluctantly.

They saved Tom and Sybbie Branson's gift for last, having had a strong suspicion all along as to what the box contained. Elsie's squeal of glee upon pulling out the Wii was matched by Charles's fear as he removed six game boxes from the attached bag. He noted the sport game was one of them, along with four things he'd never heard of in his life. But the sixth, while also something completely foreign to him, he found intriguing.

"My Sims Kingdom," he said, and he read a bit of the back. "This might be fun." He glanced up at Elsie, who was smiling at him fondly. "You create this kingdom and it has little people in it. They live there, and you've got to keep it all going."

"Yes," she said patiently, biting her lip and trying not to laugh. "Welcome to the twenty-first century, love."

He looked at the box again. "I need to be something called a Wandolier." He looked up again, concerned. "Do you think I can manage it?"

Elsie nodded, bemused, and said nothing. Instead, she cut open the box and pulled out the Wii, set it up on the coffee table, and connected the cables. She pulled out the controller, added the batteries, and handed it to her husband.

"Put the disc in and see what you think," she told him, and he sat on the couch and peeled the wrapping off the game. "I'm going to take a shower before popping the last load of laundry in. When I come back, I expect you to have it all set up." She kissed his forehead and left him to it.

Charles inserted the disc and followed the prompts on the screen. He took care to build her Mii, smiling as he typed in the E-L-S-I-E for her name. He'd known it wouldn't work as M-R-S-.-C-A-R-S-O-N, but he'd tried that first anyhow, just in case.

"No room for the space," he grumbled.

Elsie watched him silently from the end of the hallway, thinking that if being married to Charlie was going to be as fun as the first two days at home had been, they were going to be very, very happy, indeed.

The End