A/N: Hello! So, I've become absolutely Downton-OBSESSED over the past few months and have spent the last few weeks reading practically EVERY Mary/Matthew fic that I could find! (They're all really amazing.) So that's my excuse for this really - I've run out of fics to read, and I wanted to have a stab at writing one myself ( I hope it isn't too bad! Please tell me gently if it is).

This is set somewhere mid/early series one, not quite sure when (In all honesty, I can't actually fully remember the chronology of events/what happened in each episode, so apologies if I use any events out of order). But I think I'd place this somewhere after Pamuk, and somewhere before the whole Anthony Strallan/dinner debacle (if someone could tell me what episode that's in, I'd be very grateful; pretty sure Pamuk was in episode 3, right? I digress). Hopefully this isn't just regurgitating all the M/M fics I've already read, and hopefully I've kept them IC (apart from the first bit, which is obviously not in character, for obvious reasons, and sorry if it's a bit clichéd :3) Anyway, any reviews, constructive criticism etc would be greatly appreciated. I hope I've done them justice.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Downton, or any of its characters, more's the pity. Oh, the fun I could have with them... *evil laugh*

"Mary."

She closed her eyes at the sound of her name. Said in his gentle, yet convinced voice, it felt like a caress. Mind you, she thought dryly, anything said in his voice would sound like a caress.

"Mary!" There was his voice again…and with more urgency, she noted. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on him moving towards her, but he was blurry in front of her eyes: the only things she could make out clearly were his golden hair, shining in the sun, and his piercing blue eyes – oh-so-blue – glittering with some emotion. But what was it? Wit? Anger? She wasn't sure. She could see him speaking, see his blurry pink lips moving, but couldn't hear what he was saying. It was as if she were swimming underwater, the sound reaching her ears only as soundless bubbles, too swollen and muffled for any coherence. His lips formed three words.

And suddenly she could hear again, as if emerging from the depths of the lake in Downton's grounds, to breathe the pure, delicious country air.

"I love you," Matthew repeated, reaching his hand out towards her.

As Mary reached back towards him, she closed her eyes in dazed satisfaction. Finally he had said it. The words she had been longing to hear from him for so long, such a long time…not that she would ever admit it, especially to him, and least of all to herself.

"Matthew…" she smiled, eyes still closed. Never had she felt happiness like this. She felt whole.

But something was wrong.

She could hear it, in the change of his tone, from sure and certain in the depth of his emotions to uncertain, in fact, now she came to think of it, he sounded downright panicked.

"Matthew?" she asked, her voice suddenly small, frightened. Vulnerable. But she didn't hear his reply. Her hearing was slipping away, along with her other senses, and she was sliding, sliding away into blackness…

Mary gasped as she came to, and Anna looked over at her Lady, concern quirking her face into a frown.

"Are you all right, milady?"

"Yes, yes, of course, Anna," she replied distractedly, shaking her head to try and rid it of the (not altogether disagreeable) dream. No! She couldn'tthink like that, she thought wildly. He was her cousin, her fourth cousin at that, barely even part of this family, an infuriating, priggish, middle-class lawyer, come to steal what was rightfully hers, her inheritance!

But yet…

No! She could not think like this. She hated him, and that was that. With things straightened out in her head, she turned to Anna, fixing her face into a politely questioning stare.

Anna smiled slightly, not fooled for a minute by her mistress's deflection. "Lord and Lady Grantham are waiting for you to attend breakfast downstairs, if you will…" she trailed off, waiting for Ladt Mary's response.

"Yes, of course," said Mary vaguely, still trying to banish flashbacks from her dream. She stood up, allowing Anna to begin dressing her and arranging her hair for the day. "What time is it, Anna?" Mary asked absent-mindedly as the maid pulled a strand of hair back and deftly pinned it into place on top of her head.

"Half past nine, milady," replied Anna, after pausing to glance up at the clock.

"Goodness, it is late!" exclaimed Mary. "Why didn't you wake me up, Anna?" she asked reproachfully, but was betrayed by the affectionate smile for the maid who was also her best friend.

"It was not my place to do so, milady. And besides -" she continued, smiling, "you looked so at peace sleeping, I couldn't bear to wake you."

Mary grinned back tightly, but inside she was in turmoil. "Surely not!" she exclaimed, trying and failing to keep the strangled edge out of her voice. "You do not know of what I dreamt!"

"Perhaps not," countered Anna. "But if I may be so bold…" she met Mary's eyes in the mirror and sought permission. "You looked happier than you have done in months."

The fake smile that Mary had plastered onto her face slid off slowly, and Anna, sensing that she may have overstepped the mark, meekly said, "Sorry, milady," and stepped back as she pinned the last strand of her mistress's hair into place.

Mary shook her head, closing her eyes at her own foolishness. "It's not your fault," she said. "Please don't apologise, Anna, for voicing your opinion…and one that is probably true, at that!" Yes indeed, she thought. But if it was true…that she was happier when dreaming of Matthew (she forced herself to say his name inside her head) then…well, she didn't know what to think. Apart from that, well, it scared her a little. Or rather, a lot.

Anna cleared her throat slightly, bringing Mary back to the present. Blessing her maid for pulling her away from that dangerous train of thought, she glided gracefully out of the room and down the stairs to breakfast, where any stray thoughts of her rogue dream were swept up in her parents' displeasure at her lateness, and the general chaos that was any meal at Downton.

So, what did you think? Sorry about the dream sequence, I know it's a cliché, but I really wanted to write an M/M story, and that was the only thing I could come up with to begin. I will (hopefully) be continuing this, between my busy schedule of procrastinating over things that I should be doing, and reading fanfics, and I'm thinking the next chapter might be from Matthew's point of view? Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading

Naha :D