Secret Vows

Pairing: Sybil and Branson

Plot: AU: Sybil and Branson marry secretly and decide to hide their union until the end of the war. How will they keep their secret?

Notes: I haven't seen all the season 2 episodes yet, so bear with some of the inconsistencies. I don't own any of the characters, but love them dearly. Please review. All comments are greatly appreciated.

She awoke with a start. Her surroundings were fuzzy and foreign to her sleep veiled consciousness. Nervousness, anxiety and anticipation were jumbled in her waking emotions, the remnants of a dream just slipping from her memory's grasp. As her breathing slowed, the world once again began to come into focus.

The bed shifted bedside her, sending her heart on another race. She cast a sideways glance and beholds the sleeping face of Tom Branson. Her husband, Tom Branson. How could she possibly have forgotten. She gave herself a little credit, as she had never been married before or woken to a man sleeping in her bed.

She smiled. His usually perfectly coiffed blond hair was mussed from sleep, while his eyelashes lay gently on his cheeks guarding those blue eyes that she so desperately loved. His mouth, which she had grown to appreciate, was relaxed and silent. He looked so peaceful, and she envied his seemingly blissful sleep.

She loved him, truly, deeply. More than she had ever thought possible. At first he had been a friendly employee. Then he had been a nice friend, one with whom she could openly discuss politics, and express her opinions without fear of reproach or mockery. He had encouraged her in her pursuits, when her family originally had not.

She had not immediately recognized the emotion slowly growing inside her. Or the reason that something a simple as a smile or a kind word from him had set her stomach to fluttering. She didn't analyze the multitude of reasons she had for taking rides for all manner of mundane tasks. Did she really need another comb for her hair?

But then the war had come, and everything changed. Her life, as she had been living it, sinfully frivolous while men were dying, seemed utterly lacking. She had felt restless in her skin, her hands itching to provide some kind of valuable service to the world. So when cousin Isobel had spoken of nursing, she had jumped in with both feet. In the split second after she had made up her mind to go for it, she had immediately thought of him. She had been almost pulled by an unknown force to rush off and tell him her amazing news. She instinctively knew that he would be happy for her.

When the time had come to leave for her training, she had felt nothing but excitement and anticipation, while the rest of the family had not entirely approved of her ambition. But Tom had. She had felt hopeful on her ride to the hospital that day. The yet untamed emotion surrounding her heart warmed her at the thought of an entire days ride with him.

Then before he left, standing in that cold stone archway, she had hurt him, deeply. He had shared his deepest feelings with her, and she had turned them away. However, that was the moment that that she truly began to realize what he meant to her. She had been so foolish. Yet, she couldn't stop the words from leaving her mouth. Watching as every syllable brought him visible pain. She had never been more ashamed of herself. She had lived up to her upbringing. Automatically she had thought how her involvement with the chauffer would be wrong, regardless of what feelings she may or may not have for him.

As she watched his retreating form, she was able to begin breaking down her feelings for this man. A strange heaviness had settled in the vicinity of her heart. Their relationship would no longer be the same. She now realized that she did care for him, but how much? She was a novice in affairs of the heart, and couldn't trust that these feelings were the sort to last a lifetime.

As the war raged on, she had thrown herself into her training and work. Eventually she had been assigned to the hospital in Downton, which was comforting for her. She was able to remain with her family while fulfilling her desire to give back to others. And Tom was still there. She had long ago stopped thinking about him a Branson the chauffer. He was now just Tom.

He had stayed close to her once she returned. He cared for her now more than ever, endlessly trying to convince her that she was in love with him, pledging to stay at Downton until she would run away with him. She tried everything she could to fight the attraction, knowing that if she chose this path, her life would not be easy.

But none of it mattered she realized one day. She didn't need money to make her happy. She only needed him and to be allowed to be her own person. She had been so apprehensive as she had walked to the garage that night. Her life was about to change drastically. But she knew in her heart this was what she wanted. She had fallen in love with the chauffer, and couldn't imagine her life any other way.

The joy she felt as she told him the words he longed to hear was indescribable. To finally feel his arms encircle her, bringing her closer to him, was pure heaven. And when their lips finally touched she knew that she had found her home. Whatever lay ahead they could face together, whether it was the disapproval of her family or being ostracized by his.

Now here they were, at Gretna Green, man and wife. They currently existed in a blissful little bubble, but on the outside the war was still raging. While that had been the farthest thing from her mind at the start of the day, she knew that tomorrow would eventually come, and with it a return to reality and to Downton Abbey.