A/N: I desperately needed to write some HEA fluff to relieve the angst of both my current WIPs. This was the result. :) Should be three or four parts of good fluffy, lovey, mushey fun! I've been doing a lot of research on life in the "roaring 20s" lately. In preparation for season 3, of course. ;) I threw a few fun things like a detailed look at the fashion of the time and M&M learning the Charleston in. Hope you enjoy!

Blurb: Five years and counting! Let's take a peek into Mr. and Lady Crawley's lives as they embark on a second honeymoon trip in celebration of their first milestone anniversary! We will meet their children, follow them shopping, to a jazz club, to the sea side, and even into their private chambers. ;) Don't worry, we shan't intrude on their privacy *too* much, hence the teen rating.

A Second Honeymoon

Part 1

On the twenty-fifth day of April, 1920, Lady Mary Crawley was married to the man of her dreams, Mr. Matthew Crawley, on the front lawn of her beloved home, Downton Abbey. On the twenty-third day of April, 1925, Lady Mary and her darling husband were awakened by the joyful squeals of their two young children as they were herded down the stairs for breakfast by a smiling Anna, who carried a little one of her own in her expanding belly.

Mary groaned and snuggled closer to her husband's warm body, smiling contentedly as his arms came around her.

"Good morning, darling," Matthew murmured sleepily into his wife's hair.

"Morning," Mary answered groggily, fighting to keep herself awake. As much as she would have loved to sleep in Matthew's embrace for another hour or so, they had to catch the nine o'clock train.

"In two days, we'll have been married for five years," Matthew observed wistfully, planting several tender kisses along Mary's forehead and temples.

"Mmm," was Mary's only reply. She had become distracted by the feel of her husband's bare torso under her hands. Matthew tended to become hot in the night, waking up to shuck his pajama shirt. Mary certainly wasn't one to complain. His skin was soft and warm, and she loved the way it smelled in the morning. She loved everything about him.

Taking full advantage, she began a trail of kisses that started just under his jaw and ended at his naval, at which she paused to tease him with her tongue.

Now fully awake, Matthew moaned appreciatively at his wife's attentions, and reached down to tangle his fingers in her silken hair. Mary smiled and surprised him by blowing a noisy raspberry on his soft belly, causing him to jump and giggle (yes, Matthew giggled!) at the sudden ticklish sensation. Mary smiled amusedly up at him. She had discovered that she got the exact same reaction from her husband as she did from their two-year-old son when it came to their ticklish middles, and she never tired of the comparison.

"Alright, enough of your games, woman," Matthew laughed as he grasped Mary by the shoulders, rolling her under him.

Mary laughed happily as he tugged the hem of her nightgown upwards, placing himself between her open thighs. It had been nearly a week since they'd made love (not for lack of desire, rest assured), and she was as eager to rectify the oversight as he.

Matthew kissed his wife deeply as he tugged down is pajama pants, kicking them off under the covers. Mary pulled him enthusiastically towards her, smiling up at him as he placed himself fully over her.

Both husband and wife jumped, and Matthew cursed, when a knock at the door interrupted their much-needed communion.

"Excuse me, Lady Crawley," Anna's voice came from the other side of the door. "Master William is in need of his Mama. He bumped his head on the sideboard again."

Matthew groaned above her, but refused to relinquish his hold.

"We'll be right down, Anna," he answered tensely before turning back to Mary.

"Now, where were we?"

"But, Matthew," Mary protested, placing both hands on his chest to push him away, "you heard Anna. Wills needs his Mama."

"But... I need you!" he whined, poking out his lower lip in a perfect imitation of their son's adorable pout.

Mary merely rolled her eyes at him and scooted to the edge of the bed, evading his grasping hands.

"Wait, Mary!" Matthew groaned as she rose. "Darling, please! I'm begging you!"

Mary sighed. She hated when he used that pleading tone with her. In five years, she hadn't learned to say no to him when he begged - or any time, really.

Seeing the weakening of her resolve, Matthew tried one final tactic.

"I'll be quick, I promise."

"Oh, alright," she gave in, pulling her nightgown up over her head and letting fall to the floor.

"Yes!" Matthew crowed victoriously as he pulled her underneath him again, causing Mary to giggle at his boyish enthusiasm. Parenthood, with all its accompanying responsibilities and stresses, had made it impossible for them to make love as often as they would have liked, but that did have its advantages. Matthew was always so eager for her, a fact which Mary enjoyed tremendously.

When Mary finally made it down to the dining room, dressed in her favorite plum-colored traveling suit, Matthew was already seated at the table with little William on his lap. The boy showed no sign of his earlier distress, and was smiling and giggling cheerfully as Matthew rained numerous kisses over each of the boy's tiny features. Mary smiled happily to herself at the tender sight. She was happy that Matthew wasn't the typical cool, reserved English father, but an affectionate, loving father who wasn't afraid to express it. She tried to do the same, but, somehow, it never came quite so naturally to her as it did to Matthew. He certainly did give her something to aspire to. Their children adored him.

Matthew, being the atypical father that he was, had insisted that little William and Violet take their breakfast in the dining room with their parents each morning. He liked to spend a few moments with his whole family together before leaving for work in the mornings. His children were the light of his life, a light that had been very nearly snuffed out for good when he had been injured during the war, and he wasn't going to let propriety get in the way of his enjoyment of their precious company.

As usual, the moment little William, aged two years, caught sight of his Mama, poor Papa was immediately relegated to second choice. Matthew reluctantly released his son into his wife's care, relishing, as he always did, the besotted look on Mary's face whenever she beheld their son. Mary absolutely adored her little boy. Matthew liked to think that the fact that little Wills was a perfect miniature of himself had something to do with that.

"I'll sit with you, Papa."

Matthew lit up at the sound of his four-year-old daughter's soft voice. No angel's song could have sounded sweeter.

"Thank you, precious," he smiled down at her, reaching down to scoop her up in his lap.

Mary sat down next to Matthew, still beaming with the joy that even such a common occurrence as breakfast with their family brought her. They had a lovely family. Their children were the prettiest children in the world, and she didn't mind saying so to anybody who would listen. Of course, she couldn't take any credit for the fact herself. Both little Violet and little William took after their father in both coloring and features, as well as in temperament. Mary was glad of it. She thought their silky golden hair and bright blue eyes made them quite the loveliest children one could hope to have. And they were such sweet, good children. Kind, gentle, and clever like their father; no hint of their mother's rebellious streak in sight.

"I suppose the grandmothers will be here to collect them shortly," Matthew spoke between sips of coffee.

"Yes, they should be here any minute now," Mary responded. "I know they're both terribly excited about having the children with them for a whole ten days. They've made all sorts of grand plans for the week."

Matthew smiled knowingly and nodded his agreement.

The grandmothers in question were his mother and Mary's grandmother, the Dowager Countess. Shortly before his marriage to Mary, his mother had shocked him by announcing her intention to move into the dower house with Cousin Violet, hoping to give the newlyweds some privacy (which they had, of course, taken full advantage of). Later, the two older ladies had astonished the family by announcing their decision to make the living arrangements permanent. It seemed that they had become rather accustomed to one another's company, and had no wish to change anything. They had certainly found common ground in their love for their grandchildren, or great-grandchildren in Violet's case. To little William and Violet, they were the much-adored Granny and Nana.

Mary had managed to take two or three bites of her toast when a knock on the door signaled the grandmothers' arrival. Mosely announced them as "Granny and Nana," much to Mary's astonishment, and Matthew's amusement. The children instantly clambered to be let down from their parents' laps in order to properly greet their grandmothers. Properly, to the children, being with numerous kisses, hugs, and requests for the treats that always seemed to be hiding in Granny's handbag.

Before Mary knew it, her children were being whisked away into their grandmothers' car. Matthew leaned over the car door to claim goodbye hugs and kisses from both, along with affectionate pats on the cheek from the Dowager Countess and his mother, and promised that they would call each night before bed time. Mary, feeling unequal to displaying such open affection in front of others, merely waved goodbye from the sidewalk. Matthew draped an arm around her shoulders, waving with the other hand, as the car began to move rather slowly down the road. The Dowager Countess had instructed her chauffeur to drive extra carefully with the precious cargo aboard.

Mary turned and entered the house, immediately dropping her face into her hands as she began to sob regretfully.

"Mary!" Matthew cried in shock as he ran to her side, drawing her into his embrace. "It's alright, my darling. We'll see them again before we know it."

"It's not that, Matthew," she squeaked through her tears. "It's just...I didn't even kiss them goodbye. They'll think I don't love them as much as you do."

"Oh, darling," Matthew smiled affectionately down at her, then turned and ran back out the door.

Wondering at his sudden departure, Mary followed at a more sedate pace, and immediately burst into fits of laughter at the sight that awaited her. Matthew was running, full-speed, after the car, waving his hands and yelling for them to stop. She supposed she should have been embarrassed. Several neighbors had stopped to gawk at the silly spectacle the future earl presented, after all. But, then, Matthew reached the car, and leaned down to tuck one child under each arm. With his precious burden in tow, he jogged back towards the house, causing Violet and William to giggle delightedly.

"Fa-ser, Papa! Fa-ser!" little William commanded, and Matthew readily obliged, even adding a few spins, which caused both children to squeal with glee.

Mary smiled gratefully at Matthew as he set the children down before her.

"Children, your Mama would like goodbye kisses and hugs from you both. Would that be agreeable?" he asked them with mock seriousness.

Both nodded enthusiastically, and turned to run into Mary's waiting arms.

"Oh, my darlings! I shall miss you, so," she crooned between kisses pressed into that golden hair that she loved so much. "Be good for your grandmothers, alright?"

"Yes, Mama," Violet answered, giving her mother a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Now, run along, darlings. You mustn't keep Granny and Nana waiting."

By then, the car had pulled back around, and Matthew lifted the children back in. After waving goodbye for the second time, husband and wife returned to the house and climbed the stairs to their shared bedchamber to ensure that their things had been packed and all was in readiness for departure.

By nine o'clock, husband and wife were seated side by side in a first class car on a London-bound train. They would spend the first five days of their ten day holiday at Grantham House in London before taking a train to Brighton for a couple days of sea bathing and sun. The London season had yet to commence, which meant that they would be able to enjoy the city without the pressures and bustle that usually accompanied their visits to town. Additionally, Mary was looking very much forward to updating her husband's wardrobe with the new men's fashions. If her own wardrobe just happened to gain a few new additions in the process, well...

They arrived at their destination in time to grab lunch at a little open-air cafe before settling in at the house. The white stone Mayfair townhouse was situated only about a block away from Hyde Park, which they took advantage of with a leisurely stroll before returning home for dinner. Wishing for some alone time with his captivating wife, Matthew requested two trays be sent up to their bedroom (officially Mary's bedroom, but they had always shared), and the two lovers donned their pajamas early, giving Anna and Bates the evening to themselves.

It had been Matthew's idea to trade valets with Lord Grantham for the duration of their holiday, sending Mosley to help at the big house in Bates' stead, so that Anna and Bates could enjoy somewhat of a holiday together as well. The fight to free Bates from his unjust imprisonment had taken just over three years to win, but, at last, their efforts had been rewarded. Now, Anna and her husband were happily situated in a cottage of their own, midway between Crawley House and the Abbey, and were expecting their first child.

"I wonder what Anna and Bates decided to do with their evening off," Mary mused aloud as Matthew set the empty dinner trays aside.

"Well, I don't know about them, but I know what I would like to be doing with the rest of my evening," Matthew answered, pulling his wife close and trailing open-mouthed kisses along the creamy skin of her neck.

Mary sighed contentedly and surrendered to her husband's gentle seduction, glorying in the ability to simply be together without being exhausted by the incessant activity of daily life or interrupted by their children's needs.

Lying together skin to skin was also somewhat of a novelty after three years of needing to be sure they re-dressed themselves before falling asleep. The first time their tiny daughter had crawled into their bed when least expected had taught them that lesson. It brought back the excitement and spontaneity of their newlywed days, when they had slept as such every night. Matthew fell asleep with a contented smile on his face, his hands not stilling in their fond stroking of his wife's naked skin until sleep claimed him.

Next time: Mary drags Matthew shopping, but ensures that he is amply rewarded for his cooperation when they return home. Matthew takes Mary to an American-style jazz club on the night of their anniversary, where they sample cocktails and learn to dance in a new and exciting (if rather undignified) fashion.

Thanks for reading! I would love to know if you enjoyed it. :)