Disclaimer: Downton Abbey is Julian Fellowes' creation. The title of this fic is from the song by Florence + the Machine.

Characters/Pairings: Mary, Matthew, Edith; Mary/Matthew

Summary: An encounter between Mary and Edith, just after the Christmas special.

Spoilers: Set post-Christmas special, so spoilers for that.

Notes: This might seem a little out-of-character, but I feel that Mary and Edith have come a long way since their animosity of S1 that by the time of the Christmas special, particularly the end of it, this is a possible scenario. I hope you'll agree.

Huge huge thanks to ColoursNeverSeen for all her help on this =)

Never Let Me Go

She ascended the great staircase far more slowly than usual, anxious to keep Matthew in sight for as long as possible. At the top she took one last, lingering look back at him, unable to keep the ecstatic smile off her face, before she finally managed to tear her eyes away and continued down the corridor, the image of him still ingrained on her mind. She had a feeling she would always remember the sight of Matthew – her fiancé – staring up at her with such joy on his face, a joy that was probably mirrored in her own, and she was certain she never wanted to forget it.

Confident that she would need to stifle either a laugh or a sob in a moment, she pressed one hand against her mouth and ran the other along the wall to support herself as she continued to her room. She started down the corridor that held hers and Edith's (and what had been Sybil's) rooms and nearly knocked over her sister.

"Mary, are you alright?" Edith asked. She had noticed her elder sister's tears immediately, but was confused by her evident smile.

"Yes, I'm alright," Mary replied, steadying herself against the wall again. She bit her lip to mask the quavering in her voice, but it proved futile and she burst back into a grin, her hand hovering nervously by her mouth. "Actually," she whispered, "I'm more than alright. Much, much more than alright..." Her body started to shake with delirious laughter, and she could feel more tears spilling down her cheeks. "Matthew and I are engaged!"

"Ohh..." Edith instinctively took a step forwards to wrap her arms around her sister, holding her up because she wasn't sure if Mary cared that she was on the verge of collapsing with elation. "That's wonderful!" she cried. "I'm so pleased for you."

Mary pulled back slightly from her sister's embrace, scrutinising her face. "Are you? Are you truly?"

A flash of solemnity crossed Edith's face, but it was gone in a moment. "Oh, Mary," she breathed, and now it was she who had tears in her eyes.

It was all the answer Mary needed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done this, playing the big sister to Edith and not Sybil. Probably when they had both been very young indeed, well before any thoughts of rivalry or enmity could ever cross their minds. Mary bit her lip at the sobering thought, before she took a look at Edith's face, still tear-streaked even after her own expert ministrations had been applied. The sight, combined with another blissful thought of Matthew, was more than enough to bring back her beam.

"Lady Mary?"

They turned around, still clinging to one another, as the sound of a voice echoed across the hallway. Anna stood there, eyeing the pair of them with the faintest hint of curiosity behind her professional mask.

"I was told that you'd gone up, milady," Anna continued. "I wondered if you might need my assistance?"

Mary glanced at Edith, then back at her maid. "No, thank you, Anna. I think we'll be alright for tonight."

With a smile and a small curtsey Anna retreated back downstairs.

"Are you sure?" asked Edith. "Why, you're not even changed out of your gown, and you can't sleep with your hair pinned up like that!"

"I think I can manage to unpin my hair and let it loose for one night," Mary replied. "You're more important than that at the moment."

"But why?" Edith frowned, confused. "You're the one who's just gotten engaged; it ought to be your special night."

Mary smiled fondly at her little sister and swept a loose strand of hair off her face, tucking it back into her braid. "That's why," she murmured, and pulled her into another hug.

Any comments would be most welcome, especially as this is my first venture into Downton fanfic!