Barrow's Boy - A Downton Abbey Fanfiction

What's In a Kiss?

     They got to stay. The Barrows got to stay at Downton. How wonderful that thought made Theodore feel. 

     Jimmy didn't seem too fond of the idea, but Teddy didn't care. Why should he care how James felt, after all he had put them through?

      Teddy had received the news after finishing his cricket game, which his team had won by just a few points. It had been a day full of victories, you could say. Thomas had found him celebrating with his team, pulled him aside, and told him the exact words that Lord Grantham had said to him. Teddy hadn't processed it all too well, but he knew one thing. They were staying at Downton. At least, they were for the time being. 

     Now in the position of under butler, Thomas had somehow gotten a promotion instead of the boot, but neither he nor Theodore was complaining. 

     School was back in full swing and Teddy was back to his usual class schedule. Of course, there were some changes, such as his new teacher and a couple of new children who'd recently moved to the village, one being in his class but, other than that, everything was just as it should be. 

     Their new teacher was Miss Gibson, a young woman with an eccentric personality. As Theodore walked in with Abigail, Everett, and Percy, she kindly greeted each of them. Teddy glanced around the room, mouth ajar.

     The desks had all been pushed to the side of the classroom, and the students who were already there were sitting on the floor. Miss Gibson, with a smile on her face, instructed the four of them to join their classmates, telling them to form a circle. So, they sat, looking at each other in surprise once they did.

     "I can't believe this. Sitting on the floor?"

     "My parents would be going insane if they knew."

     "I think my father would find it quite modern and exciting." 

     "Your father is a farmer."

     "What's that supposed to mean?"

     "It means I envy you."

      Teddy set his books in front of him, looking up at Miss Gibson. She caught his eye and smiled at him, causing Teddy to smile back. 

      As class started, Miss Gibson joined their circle on the ground. 

     "Alright, class, I'm going to start by taking attendance. I want to put these faces to names." And that she did, going down the list of names. Teddy listened as she went down the list, hearing Abigail's name, raising his hand for his own name, and waiting as she hit Everett's name and finally hit Percy. 

      "It's nice to know that everyone's here. Now, I thought we could start our day with a little experiment."

     Theodore had always liked school, but now, thanks to Miss Gibson, he loved it. He had only had a couple of days with her at this point, but he knew she was the best teacher he could ask for. He shared this information with Everett one day as the two of them sat together.

     "She is a good teacher, isn't she?" Everett said, straightening his jacket. "I wish I could have the chance of staying here and learning more from her."

     "What do you mean?" Theodore removed his hat, looking at his friend.

     "My parents want to send me off to a boarding school, Eton. Both of my brothers went there too." 

     "What? When?"

      "Next year. Thirteen. That's the age everyone starts at."

      "But-No. We're supposed to have two more years together.  A whole group. Then, even if some of us left school, we would still all be here. At Downton."

      "I'll still be here. In the summer. Just not for the school year." Everett looked at him, sighing. "Trust me, I want to stay too. There's so much I want to do while I'm here."

      "Such as?" Everett stared at Theodore for a moment, a look in his eyes that Teddy couldn't entirely recognize. He had seen it somewhere before, he was sure of it, but he couldn't place where. 

     "Please don't be mad at me." Teddy frowned. 

     "Why? What is it?" 

     Everett's answer didn't come in words. Instead, he leaned towards Teddy, and kissed him. 

     Teddy froze, unsure of what to do. He wasn't able to gather his thoughts, however, because Everett pulled away. 

     "I'm so sorry." He said, standing up and running off. Teddy stood quickly, calling after him, but Everett kept running. Out of concern, Teddy ran after him, but it didn't take long for him to lose the other boy, having no idea which direction he had gone in.

      There was only one person Teddy trusted to tell the truth to and help. He ran to the Abbey as fast as he could, bursting through the door and into the servants' hall. 

     "Dad! Dad, I need Dad." Thomas stood from his seat, looking at him.

     "What's wrong?"

     "Just come with me, please. I'll explain, just come." Thomas looked at Mr. Carson, who gave a wave of his hand. With this permission, he followed Teddy out of the building. 

      "Everett's missing. I don't know where he went."

      "What? Should we call a search party-"

     "No! He ran off because-" Teddy swallowed. "Because he kissed me." He looked up at his father, whose expression had softened. "I'm scared Dad. What if he does something terrible? What if he hurts himself?"

     "We'll find him. I promise." Thomas said, placing his hands on Teddy's shoulders. "We just have to look." 

     The Barrows had split up, deciding to cover more ground instead of sticking together. Thomas made his way through the trees, calling out Everett's name and looking around for any trace of the boy. 

     He knew how much Teddy's friends meant to him. Although Everett had been a pain at times in the past, he was still a good kid, and perhaps what had occurred today had something to do with his actions. He was confused, scared, and hopeless. Thomas knew exactly how that felt. 

     He stopped, looking at the old shed he was walking past. He'd once locked Isis in there, but now he couldn't see why anything would be there. Except, from within, he could hear a quiet sound of crying.

     He knocked and, upon receiving no response, opened the door. There, in the corner, sat Everett, curled up in a ball, crying into his arms. Thomas walked towards him, the floor creaking beneath his feet. 

     "You want to talk about it? Or do you want me to talk?" Everett looked up at him with red eyes. 

     "Teddy told you? I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Thomas shook his head. 

     "No, you're not in trouble. Teddy told me because he knew I would understand." 

     "What's that supposed to mean?"

     "It means that we're alike, you and I," Thomas said, crouching in front of Everett. 

     "Alike? You mean you're-" Thomas silenced him with a nod. Everett loosened up a bit, reaching up to wipe away his tears. 

     "I've made very similar mistakes to the one you made today, they almost cost me everything. You're very lucky it was Theodore and not someone else."

     "I know." Thomas moved so he was sitting next to Everett, leaning his back against the wall.

     "If you ever need anything, Everett, I want you to know that you can come to me about it. You don't need to feel alone." Everett looked up at him and nodded. "Think of me as your Uncle Thomas." That got a bit of a laugh out of the boy.

     "Thank you."