Previously:
Apartment of Matthew Crawley, Downtown Toronto, Canada, July 2016
"That was entirely unprofessional, you know," she teased, kissing his chest. "It was hardly a successful exercise in balancing pretend passion with proper detachment. In fact, it was an utter failure. We're not supposed to get so carried away."
"Apologies," he said thickly, massaging her back. "I suppose all that's left to do is try it all over again, until I learn the proper technique."
After their first go, he'd carried her to the bathroom, the two of them hugging and kissing softly as the shower rained down on them. Sufficiently cleaned and dried, they fell into bed, snuggling close, their hands roaming over each other, relearning familiar territory, laughing as they shared and remembered all of their sensitive spots.
"We should do it again," she agreed, smiling at him. "Take it from the top."
"Whenever you're ready, Christina," he said.
"In a minute, Matthew," she teased, giving him a wicked glance before kissing a path down his front. "There's a technique of my own I want to try first."
He sighed in bliss, his hand moving along her back and over her bottom as she raised up on her hands and knees, leaned over and took him into her mouth.
Chapter 9:
Apartment of Matthew Crawley, Downtown Toronto, July 2016
Mary looked up from her phone, smiling as she watched Matthew eat. He hadn't bothered to throw on a shirt this morning, or put any real effort into combing his hair. After waking up and lying in bed together for a while, he got up, put on some underwear and wandered out into the kitchen to see about breakfast. She joined him after scrubbing her face, taming her hair into a ponytail and throwing on one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers. Her legs were a bit sore, which only made her smile, a not unpleasant reminder of last night.
She made the scrambled eggs while he took care of the ham, tomatoes, and toast, and somehow managed to come up with freshly squeezed orange juice, though she had to spoon out the odd seed from her glass before drinking it. Once breakfast was ready, they brought their plates to his dining table and sat down to a lovely meal. He fetched his tablet so he could read over his copy of the script, while she rested her legs across his lap and browsed her text messages and emails.
He fed himself another forkful of scrambled eggs with one hand while he massaged her legs with the other, his eyes moving over the scene they would be shooting tomorrow. It was a rare day off for them, and a Sunday no less, which meant they could be as lazy as they wanted to this morning. Truly neither of them were in any hurry to get moving anytime soon.
They'd made love three times last night, including the first frantic session on the couch that arose out of supposedly rehearsing their characters' first kiss. After a sensual shower, they moved to the bed for their second go, then cuddled and fell asleep, naked and sated. She woke sometime after midnight, his arm holding her just below her breasts, his firm body spooned behind her.
There had been no discussion of her staying over. She hadn't once in the weeks since they'd started dating again. Of course, this was the first time they'd had sex since getting back together as well, but it had been years since they'd actually woken up together. Rather than extricate herself from his grasp, though, or invent some excuse to go back to hers, she turned in his hold and looked at his sleeping form for a moment. She admired his tousled hair, his fit chest and arms, the ridges of his abs. As a teen, he'd been a bit on the doughy side, not particularly fat, or even out of shape, but hardly the specimen he was now. She ran her fingers along his cheek, across his shoulder and down the smooth length of his arm, for no other reason than because she could, smiling at the simplicity of it.
No, she'd had no intentions of leaving at all.
He grimaced for a second from her touch interrupting his sleep, licking and smacking his lips in protest as she eased him onto his back. She covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud as he settled back to sleep, his one arm still reaching out to her, expecting her to snuggle against him. She smiled to herself as she pulled the duvet off of him, ran her hand across his stomach and reached down to grasp his length. He groaned at her touch, his eyes still closed. She stroked him lightly, waking him up with her hand, then her mouth, and when he was sufficiently ready, she straddled him, brought his hands to her hips and woke him up fully.
A flash of arousal tingled inside of her as she watched him now casually eating his breakfast. She remembered how he let her be on top at first, massaging her hips as she rode him, then with a primal growl he turned them over, pinning her to the mattress and taking control. She didn't know where both of them got their energy from. Some nights when she got back from set she was almost asleep before her head hit the pillow, but last night neither of them seemed to tire.
"These eggs are good," he mumbled, his eyes still on the tablet screen as he ate. "Did you change your recipe?
"I used milk, and took it off the heat sooner," she confirmed, smiling at how easy and carefree this all seemed, just sitting at the table in their underwear, having breakfast.
Her pleased hum drew his attention. He swallowed his mouthful of eggs and looked at her in amusement.
"Something funny?" he asked lightly.
"No, just enjoying breakfast," she stated.
"Ah," he said, smiling as he looked back at his script and rubbed her legs.
After several minutes of companionable silence, she drew his attention. "Matthew?"
"Hmm?" he replied, taking a sip of his orange juice.
"How many women did you sleep with after we broke up?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.
"What?" he sputtered, almost spitting out his drink.
"You heard me," she said, undeterred. "How many?"
"You think that's your business, do you?" he asked, looking at her pointedly.
"I'm making it my business. Whether you choose to answer or not, is yours," she retorted. "How many? How many other women have enjoyed your prowess, been left breathless and quivering when you're done with them?"
"What do you think?" he challenged, putting his fork down.
"Well, you're much better now, not that you were bad before, and it was a span of two years. Since I never heard of you dating anyone from Edith or Sybil, I'd say at least two or three," she guessed.
He laughed and shook his head. "Guess again."
"Five?" she asked, her voice rising in surprise.
He laughed again, then met her eyes defiantly. "None."
She blinked. "None?"
"I dated a bit," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "No one ever appealed to me enough to take it to that level. I was too busy trying to scrape together enough jobs to get by in the early going, did a lot of workshops and such, didn't really put much effort into meeting anyone or anything else, besides work. After I moved here, I tried to socialize a bit more, just because I only knew Alex and no one else. I met some people but no one particularly memorable, and we reconnected soon after, as you will recall."
"None," she repeated, shaking her head. "But then…how…erm…what about…how did you become so…different?"
He smiled, tickling her calf. "When we began seeing each other, I resolved to be…different…than I was before, in many ways…and it seems to have worked."
"I'll say," she mumbled, taking a quick drink of water.
He smiled and went back to eating his breakfast.
"Still…none…that seems difficult to believe," she muttered.
"You're going to ask about Lavinia again, aren't you?" he said, smiling as he read his script. "I told you. She's engaged. She was kind to me during the auditions, helped me out immensely, actually, but there was nothing more. I don't even think of her in that way."
"But I saw her," she blurted out, cringing at her admission.
"You saw her…" he questioned, turning and looking at her strangely.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I saw her…coming out of your trailer. It was weeks ago. She told me you were in the shower."
"In the shower…" he said, frowning as he tried to remember. Suddenly he blinked and laughed. "Ah. Yes, I see. She came to my trailer to drop off the call sheet and I was already in the shower. I told her to leave it on the table, and she did. She didn't open the door and steal a peek, if that's what you're asking, and we certainly didn't do anything that required me having to shower."
She felt her face become warm and expected her cheeks had turned crimson. "Ah," she mumbled.
"Any other women you wish to confirm that I haven't had sex with?" he enquired, his voice teasing and confident. "One of the catering staff, maybe, or an extra or two? Perhaps you suspect that's how I got the part, or maybe you think Natalie wanted to have a go?"
"Shut up. I'm not paranoid, if that's what you're implying. And it's not as if Lavinia wouldn't be up for it if you offered, engaged or not," she said petulantly. "I bet she sits on the bike right behind you in spin class so she can get a good look at that tight butt of yours."
"For your information, she sits on the bike next to mine. Anyway, we haven't been to a spin class together in weeks. I don't particularly care for them when the weather's warm enough for me to ride for real," he said easily. "Why were you coming to my trailer that day, anyway?"
She shook her head and scoffed. "I had just come back from a run with Natalie and I was just dropping by to say hello."
He smiled. "To say hello…in your sports bra and shorts, were you?"
"Yes," she said, nodding her head and pursing her lips.
"Wanting to put me in a right state before we were due back on set, is that it?" he asked lightly.
"Maybe," she admitted. "I suppose I liked knowing that I could still affect you, even if we weren't together."
"Believe me, you did. You do, profoundly," he assured her, rubbing her legs and going back to his breakfast. "I probably would have needed another shower straight away if I'd seen you dressed like that, all rosy-cheeked and sweaty."
She grinned and shook her head.
"Would you have joined me, if I asked you to? In the shower, I mean," he said cheekily.
Her eyes widened as she looked at him in bewilderment. She eventually looked away and reached for her orange juice.
"We weren't together, if you recall," she said carefully. "However, I most certainly would have been tempted, if I caught you naked and wet when you asked."
The both of them fell silent once more. He returned to his script and she took a sip of orange juice.
"Aren't you going to ask me how many men I've had over the same time?" she asked after he didn't say anything more.
"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Not interested."
She stared at him in disbelief for several seconds, then huffed and rolled her eyes. "You're maddening, you know that?"
"Why?" he asked, looking over at her. "Were you hoping that I'd had numerous women?"
"I was hoping for more than zero, yes," she grumbled. "You were supposed to tell me your number, then I would tell you mine, and that would be the end of it. We wouldn't have to revisit the subject again."
"So what's the problem? I told you my number," he replied.
"Yes, but it's a rather saintly number," she complained, rolling her eyes again.
"Hey," he said firmly, drawing her attention. "Our past is our past. No judgments, no blame, no revisiting. Since then, you've lived your life, and I've lived mine, and now it's time we lived them together. How we got here isn't important, not anymore."
She crossed her arms in front of her and frowned at him.
"What? What is it?" he asked, smiling at her pique.
"You were supposed to have been out indulging in all manner of debauchery so I could finally claim the moral high ground. But instead, you remained stupidly loyal the entire time we were apart. You're maddening!" she whinged.
He laughed, leaned over and kissed her angry lips. "All right, I'll say my number is twelve, if it makes you feel better."
"Now you're just being annoying," she said, glaring at him.
"What makes you think I was loyal to you?" he asked. "I said I didn't have sex with anyone. I didn't say it was because of you."
She frowned and looked at him pointedly. "If you didn't have sex with anyone that entire time, did you not give yourself…relief…every so often?"
His eyes widened, then he smirked and nodded his head. "Yes."
"Of course you did, and who did you imagine when you were going about it?" she asked, arching her eyebrow knowingly.
He grinned and looked down at his plate.
She went back to eating her breakfast.
"What about you?" he asked quietly. "Who was on your mind when you were...indulging?"
"None of your business," she replied.
He smiled and looked back at his script.
La Société French Restaurant, Yorkville, Toronto, Canada, July 2016
Anna followed Alex through the restaurant and out to the patio, her hand in his. The perky hostess showed them to their table and waited for them to be seated before handing them their menus. They ordered water, tea and orange juice. As he read his menu, she glanced around at the fashion boutiques on the street below, the sun bright overhead.
"Getting your usual, love?" he asked idly.
"Mmm hmm," she replied, looking around casually, her eyes shielded by her dark sunglasses. "You?"
"I think I want steak and eggs," he said slowly, looking over the menu, then setting it down on the table.
She smiled as he reached across and took her hand again, massaging her fingers. He didn't pull away when their drinks were served, unafraid of showing his affection for her as the waitress took their order.
"I want you to come to San Diego with us in a couple weeks," she declared, stirring her tea. "It's just over the weekend – leaving Friday morning, and we're back Sunday."
"And what am I going to do there? Because I'm certainly not going to see you at all," he joked, smiling at her and sipping his orange juice.
"It's Comic-Con," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Surely there is something there that will interest you."
"Hmm, well I could try and find a Harley Quinn outfit for you," he suggested cheekily. "Or maybe Wonder Woman."
She rolled her eyes and smiled wryly.
"Anyway, I only need to be with Mary for the show panel on Saturday afternoon," she said.
"Which means you'll also be with her all Saturday morning to prepare," he added. "And there's sure to be an after-party."
"Yes, but Friday night I'll be free, and most of Saturday night once she's arrived. We can go to the party together," she countered.
He smiled, drawing out her light annoyance until finally nodding. "If you want me there, love, I'll be there."
"Good," she said, squeezing his hand. "Because I've already booked your ticket, and our room."
He laughed and leaned back, taking another drink of orange juice.
She glanced around the spacious patio, every table full with the lively brunch crowd. They had drawn a few stares and double-takes when they came in, which she was used to by now. It wasn't that they were recognized, not the way Mary was. It was more how exotic they looked, or at least, how exotic other people thought they looked. She short, he tall. She with her pale white skin and blonde hair, he with a shade darker complexion and black hair. Though Alex was only a quarter Chinese, they still resembled an interracial couple, and this made them stand out for some reason. In the early going, it was more of an issue, at least in those initial moments when she would introduce him to her friends and family and someone would awkwardly try and figure out what Alex's heritage was. He was never bothered by it, and so neither was she, but they still drew the interest of complete strangers whenever they went out.
She played with her wedding and engagement rings as they waited for the food to come. Part of her wondered what their children would look like. Surely they would have darker hair, slightly darker skin, maybe with her eyes. Now that would be a rather interesting mix. Random thoughts like that were popping in her head more often, as of late. She shuddered when she thought of Mum and Alex's parents coming to stay with them to see the baby, smiled imagining walking through her neighbourhood on a warm sunny day with her newborn sleeping peacefully in the stroller, and practically laughed with delight at the idea of shopping for baby clothes and decorating a nursery. Who knew when she would get pregnant, but the idea of becoming a mother seemed more real to her now, and seemed to fire her imagination.
She had heard plenty about all the nightmares too, from stories about difficult pregnancies, painful labour and deliveries and all the sleepless nights and desperate moments in those first months and beyond, but she chose not to dwell on all that. When she was younger, she thought of having children as more of a chore, a duty. Finish high school, maybe go to college or just go and get a job, marry, have children, and live a few blocks away from the house she grew up in. Life as she knew it would end once she had kids, and she would devote every second and every penny to raising her family.
Her life had turned out far differently, and that seemed to make her look forward to having children much more. She knew how lucky she was, how much love she had in her life, and she wanted to share that with a child, her and Alex's child.
"Love," he called, smiling at her across the table. "You okay?"
"Mmm," she replied, nodding as their food arrived. "I'm good."
He smiled as he picked up his knife and fork and sliced into his steak.
"Babes?" she called, leaning over and lowering her voice.
"Yeah?" he replied, taking a bite of his steak.
"About that costume, make sure you get spandex, not latex," she whispered, smiling at him wickedly. "Remember how rubber tends to leave marks on my skin."
He gulped loudly and nodded his head.
Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Canada, July 2016
Matthew blinked at the sound of his trailer door opening. He smiled as Mary came in and joined him on the small couch, giving him a quick kiss and reaching over to nick a few grapes from the bowl on his lap.
"Where were you?" he asked lightly. "I thought we were meeting at one?"
"Oh, I was just in with Thea and the scriptwriters talking about a new scene," she explained. "Sorry that I'm late. We were in a really good rhythm and lost track of time."
"A new scene?" he repeated.
"Yes, to be added sort of at the end of the first Act," she said. "We all thought that there should be something to show the power dynamics between the couple before the big blow up."
He nodded in understanding. "So you're getting a proper fight are you?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes," she said, smiling to herself as she grabbed another grape.
"What's that mean?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
"Well, even though David is very selfish, Christina isn't used to being second best in his eyes. The affair hurts her very deeply, but she doesn't show it right away. When you have someone who goes from being docile and quiet, to always arguing, full of tension, stress and insecurity, there's eventually going to come a breaking point."
"So you get to slap Rick across the face then?" he asked, smiling in amusement.
"A punch, actually," she said.
"Ah, that's great. Should make for some a very riveting scene. Good for you," he said proudly.
"Yes, thank you, I'm looking forward to it. But they thought it should escalate beyond that, and I agreed, so we put together a bout of angry passion just to drive the emotions home more clearly," she said lightly, stealing another grape.
He blinked in shock. "Erm…really? Passion?"
"I think it will be quite powerful," she continued enthusiastically. "The tearing of the clothes, the heated kisses, the rough sex. It'll be one of those scenes that makes one question who is the aggressor as it goes along. That's what I think makes it such an interesting dynamic. They aren't clearly good and bad, are they? There's things to like about each of them, and things to despise as well. It will change her from being the meek victim to being a more multidimensional character. And when she then goes on to meet Nico and have her own affair, it will follow more realistically."
"Right, yeah…" he managed. "Well, that should be some scene to watch."
"You'll have to wait until the film comes out to see it. It's going to be a closed set, with the nudity and all," she said lightly.
"What?" he choked out.
"Well you wouldn't want the entire crew to see me naked, would you?" she asked, smiling at him. "It's common to close the set for nude scenes."
"Of course, yeah," he said, frowning as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I just didn't know that there would be nudity in the movie."
"Originally there wasn't, no, but the film is pushing a strong PG-13 already anyway, so the studio wasn't bothered about it. They think an R-rating might grab more attention, even. Plus, the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense for her. The way we're going to shoot it is they fight and wrestle a bit, then I sort of throw him down and take my top and bra off before I pounce on him and we tear the rest of our clothes off. She's not ashamed of her body and it's a bit empowering as well, because she's as active as he is, sort of giving him one last romp to show him what he'll be missing."
"I see," he muttered.
"I think this could be a real breakthrough for me, you know? Everyone knows me from the show, of course, and we get quite racy with some of the scenes, but ultimately it's still television. This will be much more explicit, raw. It'll show producers and directors that I can convey that kind of passion, that I'm not afraid to really put myself out there, play a part that's so complex, from reserved and proper to visceral and nasty. It will stick in their heads. They'll see a different side of me."
"That's for certain," he said ruefully.
"They suggested I use a body double, but I said no," she said dismissively. "I like the idea of people knowing that it's me on the screen, in the flesh. It shows just how far I'm willing to go for my craft, doesn't it?"
"Erm…yeah, I…I would say it will…erm…show a different side of you, as you said, and really add some…punch…to the character and so on…yeah," he said through gritted teeth.
She sat back up and turned to look at him, watching him for a few seconds before she burst out laughing and shook her head.
"What?" he asked, perplexed at her behaviour.
"Oh, my darling," she said, still laughing. She pushed the bowl of grapes away and straddled his lap, her arms coming across his shoulders. "You are ever so cute when you're trying to appear unaffected. Clearly you are a boiling mess inside."
His mouth fell open and he frowned at her teasing. "I don't see what you find so funny."
"There is no new scene," she revealed. "There's no angry sex, and there certainly will be no nudity, not by me, anyway."
"There isn't? You were just…God, don't play with me like that, Mary!" he whinged, his hands moving around to cup her bottom.
"Oh, my poor, sweet, conflicted Matthew," she laughed, kissing him lightly. "You have nothing to fear. The only man who gets to see all of me is you."
"I must admit I am relieved, but it's not fair of me to feel jealous, or possessive. It's your body and your career and I have no right to tell you what to do with either," he stated.
"That's very gallant and progressive of you," she agreed. "However, it's perfectly all right for you to have an opinion, and I want you to tell me so. I like that you don't want to share me with anyone else. If I'm honest, I'm rather furious about that shower scene that you'll be doing, actually."
"They're just showing my chest and stomach, Mary," he said. "You needn't be upset."
"I like your chest and your stomach, thank you," she retorted, arching her eyebrow at him. "And the thought that women everywhere will be drooling at the sight of them infuriates me to no end."
"They can look all they want. You're the only one who gets to touch," he said.
"My, you're rather confident, aren't you?" she said, arching her eyebrow at him.
"I am now," he said, nodding his head and looking at her intently.
"Well then, perhaps I should take full advantage of my touching privileges," she replied, kissing him more deeply this time.
"Please do," he said, smiling against her lips as his hand slid under her shirt and up her back.
"Just a moment," she said between kisses. "Before you have your way with me, there was an actual, legitimate reason why I was late to come meet you."
"You can tell me later. I've already forgiven you," he said quickly, his fingers reaching for the snap of her bra.
"Matthew, wait!" she said, laughing and yelping as he undid her bra and licked her neck. "You know I'm going to San Diego next week."
"Mmm hmm," he said, kissing the sensitive spot just below her ear. "And you should give me something to tide me over while you're gone. I'm going to miss you terribly."
"Insatiable," she hissed, enjoying his touch before she gently pushed him back. "Maybe you won't have to miss me at all."
He blinked as he realized he would need some of his other brain functions for the moment. "What? What are you talking about?"
"I confirmed that you aren't on the call sheet for next weekend, which means you're free to come along to California," she said, smiling at him.
"Go with you? To Comic-Con?" he said. "Oh, darling, that does sound like fun, but I don't want to get in your way."
"You are never in my way," she said firmly. "Anna is bringing Alex along, so I thought it only fitting that you come with me. I also had the network agree to pay for it, as part of my entourage, so your flight, meals, everything is covered."
He grinned in awe. "Wow."
She laughed and leaned forward, kissing his cheek, then licking his ear. "You'll have to share a hotel suite with me, though. The network wouldn't pay for you to have your own room. I hope you don't mind."
He swallowed, his hands sliding over her shorts and cupping her arse. "I think I can manage that."
"Good," she declared. "I was able to get you a pass so you can check out some of the Marvel panels. I hope you and Alex can control yourselves. I really don't want you to have to explain to customs why a grown man has a suitcase full of action figures and LEGO."
He laughed and kissed her. "I'll behave, I promise."
"Well, I never said that I wanted you to behave, at least not the entire trip," she teased, sliding her tongue into his mouth.
He groaned in pleasure and reached under her shirt to remove her bra.
"Seducing me in your trailer, Matthew? How scandalous," she whispered in his ear, grinding her hips against his.
"You locked the door, didn't you?" he asked kissing her heatedly.
"I did, but who cares?" she replied, reaching between them to fumble with his zipper. "If anyone comes in, they might learn a thing or two."
He laughed thickly, then sat back and sighed as she slipped down to kneel between his legs and pulled his jeans down.
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, Harbourfront, Downtown Toronto, Canada, July 2016
"Love, please? For me?" Alex begged, leaning over and kissing Anna's cheek.
"I knew I never should have agreed to do it the first time," she replied, shaking her head. "Now it's all you can think about. You're addicted."
"I'm not addicted!" he protested. "It's just that you're so good at it. I love watching you do it."
She rolled her eyes. "All right, fine. Just don't make a scene. We're in public."
She reached over and took his phone, holding it up in front of her and flicking her fingers over the screen. He watched closely, holding his breath, then grinning and hugging her.
"There. You are the proud owner of a new Gyarados. Now don't bother me for a little while, hmm?" she said, handing his phone back to him.
He sat back on the bench with a dumb grin on his face, moving his finger over the screen as he kept playing Pokémon Go. Anna resumed her previous position, sitting with her feet up on the bench, back propped against his side, her phone in front of her as she continued with her own game.
"Oh! A Poliwhirl! I don't have that one yet!" he exclaimed.
"Already caught it," she muttered. "Don't be so eager. You sound like a newbie."
"Oh good Lord, fancy running into the two of you here."
They both looked up and smiled as Mary and Matthew came over, walking hand-in-hand, both of them holding their own phones. Alex and Anna got up from the bench and greeted them, exchanging cheek kisses, while Alex and Matthew bumped fists.
"Why do I get the feeling that this wasn't as coincidental as it seems?" Mary asked, looking at Matthew suspiciously.
"Anna caught a Gyarados for me!" Alex exclaimed, waving his phone in front of him.
"Can I see?" Matthew asked eagerly, coming over to his friend's side.
Anna smiled at Mary. Mary just rolled her eyes.
"Darling, Anna and I are going to take a walk, see if we can't find a handsome sailor or two looking for some fun," Mary called.
"All right," Matthew replied, looking at Alex's phone. "Be discrete about it. The paps would love a shot of you making out with some stranger on the boardwalk."
"Be safe, love," Alex chimed in, turning to Matthew and beginning to explain something or other about the mobile video game.
Mary rolled her eyes and turned away, walking with Anna, the two of them weaving through a crowd of players to get to the boardwalk along the water. With everyone around them either engrossed with playing the game on their phones, or tourists wandering around the harbourfront, they were able to stroll unnoticed. Mary smiled and looked out at the blue water, the sun shimmering on the surface. There were sailboats and ferries on the lake, the patios of the various restaurants were full, and people were out walking their dogs or riding bicycles, enjoying the lovely weather.
"Have you heard from Henry?" Anna asked as they walked.
"He texted me last night," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "His usual nonsense. 'Hello, darling. Can't wait to see you this weekend'. Just rubbish."
"Have you told him about Matthew?" Anna asked.
"No, it's none of his business, not that it would stop him," Mary replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, I only need to put up with him for the panel, some photos, the arrival at the closing party and that's it. I told Matthew that we wouldn't be staying long, and we can slip out and go have a nice dinner somewhere. He's been looking into restaurants, preferably overlooking the water."
Anna smiled, pleased at Mary's calm and happy mood.
They both blinked at the sound of Mary's phone ringing.
"It's Aunt Rosamund," Mary said, glancing at the call display. "Her usual call to remind me of my duties and obligations, no doubt."
Anna laughed and nodded as Mary answered the call.
"Mary," Rosamund said warmly. "I saw the itinerary for San Diego. It's a very good idea to fly in the day before. That will make everything far less rushed."
"Yes, I thought so, too. It was Anna's idea, and quite a brilliant one," Mary replied, smiling at Anna.
"Now, I understand that Matthew is accompanying you?" Rosamund questioned.
"Yes, he is," Mary confirmed, surprised by the question. "He's not required on set so I thought why not?"
"That's very nice, and you've told him about how he needs to stay out of sight, I trust?" Rosamund asked.
Mary frowned, her eyes narrowing behind her Prada sunglasses. "What are you talking about? He's not going to be up on stage with us, obviously."
"Mary, we've built up this very useful image of you and Henry as a rumoured couple. This is a perfect opportunity to keep it fresh in everyone's minds, leading up to your promotional tour for the new season. The last thing we need is for anyone to find out you have a boyfriend, a decidedly normal and unremarkable one at that," Rosamund said drily.
"I'll thank you not to speak so disrespectfully about Matthew," Mary retorted.
Anna glanced over at her in concern.
"He's a dear family friend, yes," Rosamund allowed. "But he's not Henry."
"Thank God for that," Mary said wryly.
"Yes, yes, even still, it's very important that you stay on message," Rosamund noted. "You and Henry can carry on as usual, just enough flirting and chemistry to set the blogs and gossip sites aflame. I don't mind Matthew being there with you, but keep him backstage, or in the audience, or somewhere out of the way. You needn't be seen together at the actual venue. In fact, it's probably best if you take your meals with a group if you're going to go out, but ideally you'd just order in from room service."
"Shall I book him on a separate flight as well so we aren't seen at the airport together?" Mary asked sarcastically.
"It wouldn't hurt," Rosamund said. "Mary, be sensible, please. It's early days of…whatever this is with Matthew. In Toronto you're relatively anonymous and we can always explain away anything that might come up by saying that you're old family friends and working on the same movie, so of course you're going to be around each other. Considering this is your career that we're talking about, I should think that not holding hands with him or showing any affection in public would hardly be great sacrifices for you."
Mary scoffed as she looked out across the lake to the airplane taking off from the island airport just a few kilometres offshore.
"Now have a good trip," Rosamund continued. "Anna will take care of posting the photos of your getting ready for the event, some snaps with fans, and what not. There will be plenty of coverage of you and Henry, but we'll add a casual shot from backstage before you go out. With any luck, this will keep the buzz going through to the Emmys in September. I'll talk to you when you get in to California."
"Bye," Mary said curtly, hanging up her phone and shaking her head.
"Trouble?" Anna asked warily.
"You could say that," Mary grumbled, pursing her lips as she stared off into the distance. "Aunt Rosamund was merely reminding me that I've made my bed, and apparently there's no room for Matthew in it."
Anna frowned as they continued walking in silence.
Comic-Con International, Hall H, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
"Now Hall H, I know you didn't come here to listen to me go on and on about how great the show is. You came to hear from the people that make the magic on this show happen, am I right?" the moderator shouted.
The entire hall exploded in cheers and applause. Matthew and Alex sat in the second row, off to the side, clapping along with everyone else, though perhaps not nearly as frantically. It had been quite an experience walking around the convention floor earlier. Matthew enjoyed browsing the booths, seeing all the collectibles and memorabilia, but he also noticed dozens of people dressed up as Mary's character, Jade, or Henry's character, Frederick, from Paladin. The show wasn't so popular that there were action figures for sale or anything like that, but it still had a strong following amongst the throngs of conference goers. Though Matthew knew the show was doing well, and had strong ratings in key demographics, it was still rather jarring to see up close just how rabid the show's fans could be, what lengths they went to show their devotion.
"If only these people knew who you were," Alex joked, glancing around at the overcapacity crowd in amusement.
"I'm nobody," Matthew answered, his eyes on the stage, where a long table with several microphones was set up. Name plates were arranged for each of the guests, including directors and producers of the show, and of course, Mary and Henry, who would naturally be sitting next to each other.
"I'll give you credit," Alex said quietly. "This is exactly the kind of bizarre scenario I envisioned when you told me you were back together, and you are handling it all remarkably well."
Matthew felt his stomach churn.
Mary had broken the news to him two nights ago. He already knew that she would be making an appearance with Henry, and that she would likely be so busy as to not have much time for him during the actual event itself. However, to be essentially told that he had to stay away from her, to preserve appearances, her 'showmance' with Henry, annoyed him more than he realized, or revealed. He had played it off, made some joke about not wanting to steal Henry's thunder, but now, having not seen his girlfriend all day, he felt his mood darkening at the prospect of her making her entrance at her co-star's side.
"We're going to bring out the Paladin group in a second, but first, does anyone want to, I don't know, see some exclusive footage?" the moderator asked, waving his hands around to incite the crowd. The roar from the audience made Matthew and Alex cover their ears.
"All right, just for you Hall H! Just for you! Here's a teaser trailer of Paladin, Season 4!" the moderator shouted as the lights in the hall went down and the crowd went wild.
Matthew leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees, steepling his hands and bringing the tips of his joined fingers to his lips. The fast guitar chords of Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around…Comes Around rang out before the huge projection screen that dominated the entire wall behind the stage lit up with a close up of Mary's eyes. The camera panned out as Henry's voice, in the sharp aristocratic accent of Emperor Frederick, boomed over the loudspeakers.
"Jade, you'll never be free of me. In truth, you don't ever want to be…"
On screen, Jade's eyes closed as Frederick kissed her cheek, then her neck. She leaned her head back, her lips parting in pleasure as he licked her skin. A series of scenes played out, the grunts and groans mixing with the dialogue and the guitar riffs of the song in a swift staccato.
"Anyone who is not entirely loyal to me and my cause shall die, painfully," Jade sneered, her counsellors sitting around the modern boardroom table cowering as she rose from her chair.
"I pledge my life to these men, just as they pledge theirs to me. We all leave together, or none shall go," Frederick said fiercely.
"Well, you always did know how to make an entrance," Jade said, smirking playfully.
Frederick grinned wickedly as he took Jade from behind, the cushion she was biting into hiding her bare breasts as she moaned in ecstasy.
"She is just the Empress. I am the Emperor, and my word is law," Frederick said firmly.
Jade smiled during what appeared to be a grand ball, kissing Frederick as they danced.
"You are incapable of love, of caring about anyone but yourself!" Frederick shouted, drawing his sword and pointing it at Jade's neck.
"To arms!" Jade yelled, raising her sword as hundreds of soldiers roared in reply.
"I am Jade to my friends. You shall call me Empress," Jade said pointedly, arching her eyebrow.
A topless Frederick lifted Jade up off her feet and slammed her against the wall, kissing her hard as she wrapped her legs around him.
"Do you ever regret that we came here?" Frederick asked her as they looked out to a bustling metropolis from what seemed to be the top floor of a skyscraper.
"Never," Jade answered, smirking at him as he took hold of her hand and kissed it.
Jade's hands glowed as she pressed them to the pale face of an unconscious woman.
Jade and Frederick, dressed in full armour, jumped at each other, swords drawn, as rain fell all around them.
"What goes around, goes around, goes around…comes all the way back around…"
The chorus of the song played several times as a fast reel of scenes flashed through to the trailer's end. Jade and Frederick kissing. Jade removing her helmet and glaring at the camera. Frederick adjusting his cufflinks as he walked beneath a gleaming sun in a three-piece suit, sunglasses on. Jade walking out of an elevator wearing a designer dress. Frederick pouring a bag full of sparkling diamonds into a laughing Jade's hands. Jade, her face dirty and bloodied, yelling as she swung her sword with both hands and cleaved a man's head from his body. Frederick reaching for her, his face contorted in fury as she walked away from him.
The screen went black, Jade's voice filling the auditorium.
"Are you mad? You look mad..."
The audience burst into enthusiastic applause as the Paladin – Season 4 – November 2016 title appeared. The hall lights soon came up and the moderator nodded his head, allowing the crowd to keep yelling and screaming, refusing to introduce Mary and the others until the frenzy grew even louder.
Matthew sat back in his seat, resting his elbows on the armrests, lips pursed in a thin line, willing them all to hurry up and get on with things.
Mary took a sip from her bottle of water, then handed it to Anna. A shiver of delight shot up her spine as she heard and felt the cacophony from the fans on the other side of the curtain. This was easily the loudest crowd she'd ever appeared before, and the reaction to the teaser trailer was fantastic. She had smiled during the viewing, recalling all the scenes as they played. The trailer had shown plenty of the new season, but held back more than enough to keep fans guessing. She could just imagine the conjecture and debate on the Internet, fans breaking down the trailer frame-by-frame on YouTube videos, and trading theories on what was to come. The clever editing had put out the exact message that they wanted – that Season 4 was going to be the hottest, and best season yet.
"Hear that, Mary?" Henry whispered, coming up behind her and taking hold of her arms. "They love it. They love seeing us together."
Though she was mildly annoyed of how he put his hands on her, she was used to it. Besides, he was right. She nodded her head in agreement, her pulse quickening as she watched the moderator introduce each member of the panel and the backstage staff sent them out to raucous applause.
There had been a rather delirious mob when she and Henry made their arrival to the convention centre. Walking hand-in-hand with him across the show floor, she had waved and smiled, stopped for a few selfies and signed some autographs, cameras all over the place constantly taking her photo. The snaps showing her getting ready in her hotel suite with Anna, her stylist, and hair and makeup people were already up to over 100,000 likes on social media. Seeing the trailer open with a shot of her eyes thrilled her. She felt like a true empress, queen of all, and she was about to go out to her adoring public.
"We need to a get a photo of the two of you before you go out," Anna called, looking at Mary apologetically.
"Sure! Right!" Mary nodded, smiling as she leaned back against Henry and his arms came around her waist and hugged her.
Anna aimed her phone at the couple, adjusting the zoom.
"Say 'Emmy'" Henry ordered, looking at the camera lens and pressing his lips to Mary's cheek.
"Emmy!" Mary said, grinning as Anna took the photo.
Mary stepped out of Henry's hold as she went over to see how the photo had turned out.
"That's cute!" she exclaimed, nodding for Anna to go ahead and post it online.
"When you get out there, Matthew will be sitting to your left with Alex, second row," Anna informed her.
"What?" Mary asked, unable to hear her over the rising din of the audience.
"And finally, the hottest couple on television! Hall H, give it up for the Emmy nominated Mary Crawley and Henry Talbot!" the moderator shouted.
"Go! Go!" an assistant shouted, waving her hand for them to step out.
Henry took Mary's hand and pulled her away from Anna. He led her out on stage, the two of them smiling and waving to the audience, who all rose to their feet to applaud them.
Matthew clapped, albeit slowly and politely, as Mary, Henry and the rest of the Paladin panel waved to the crowd for the last time and exited the stage. He sat back down as the rest of the audience began the long wait to leave the hall, in no hurry to get going. There was still a loud buzz in the room, fans eagerly discussing the teaser trailer, the answers given by the panel to the generic questions posed to them, even comments on how Mary was dressed. He knew she would be busy for a while with interviews for various media outlets, as well as special VIP fan events and such. He wasn't even sure he would see her at all before the official closing party later in the evening.
"Come on," Alex said, nudging him. "We can head out through backstage. Anna already arranged it."
Matthew sighed and got up from his seat, following Alex as they made their way towards the stage, passing giggling fans as they went.
"She is so gorgeous in person, oh my God!"
"Did you notice his tan? So hot!"
"Can you imagine being paid to make out with your boyfriend as your real job? So lucky!"
Matthew grit his teeth as they slipped past the remaining fans near the stage and made their way past security, flashing their show passes for good measure. Anna came over to meet them as they were brought behind the curtain.
"This way," she called, squeezing Alex's hand and smiling at Matthew as they came past. "Down the hall there and that door leads you to the outside."
Matthew nodded to her in thanks, then walked on with Alex towards the exit. He took one last glance back before they reached the door, seeing a brief glimpse of Mary and Henry seated together, chatting away with a reporter, all smiles and laughs. He wanted to wait a bit and see if she would look up and see him, but in a moment a security guard directed him to the door and he lost sight of her.
City View Suite, The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
Mary sat still as the makeup artist finished touching up her face and the hair stylist tested the pins in her hair to make sure her French Twist was holding. As this was Comic-Con, as opposed to an awards ceremony, she was going for a more casual look this evening, wearing a blue sleeveless blouse with a black leather skirt. With her hair and makeup finished, she thanked the staff and dismissed them, along with her stylist, after posing for a few photos and accepting their well wishes.
She wandered around the suite, sighing as she waited for Anna's text to tell her when the limo had arrived so she could head downstairs. The car was picking up Henry first at his hotel before coming over to collect her. One more red carpet and she would be rid of him until September, she reminded herself yet again.
Her eyes cast a forlorn glance at the empty bedroom. When she came back from finishing up at the convention, Matthew was already gone. He and Alex were grabbing a quick bite and walking down to check out the baseball stadium a few kilometres away. The plan was always that they would meet her and Anna at the party, but she wished he was here with her now. Earlier in the week, they had talked about having a late dinner together, just the two of them, after they left the party. On the flight over, she had cancelled those plans, telling him there were numerous executives who would be at the party that she needed to talk to and expected she'd have to stay past midnight to get to everyone. If he was disappointed, or angry, he didn't show it, the change of plan barely fazing him, or so it seemed.
They hadn't seen each since breakfast in their room this morning, and she was already surrounded by her staff by then. During the day, as she was busy with her stylist and team, he had texted her from the convention, eagerly telling her about some of the cool things he'd seen, sending her photos of some of his impulse purchases, and even a selfie he'd taken with a rather buxom woman dressed as Jade. She'd laughed at his antics and it had helped calm her down. Comic-Con was such a nervous time for her. The fans here were quite fickle, intensely loyal to the books and wary of even the slightest artistic license taken by the show. When she came here to promote the second season, she'd spent close to ten minutes having to defend the show's decision to omit a rather unnecessary scene from the books where Jade leaped off the roof of a building and into a helicopter, killed four men, then leapt back off just in time before the helicopter went sinking down to the ground below. With the show reaching the end of the source material from the books, she was cautious about what she might face during the panel. Surely everyone would want to know what direction they were going to go with all-new, original material, and she wasn't sure how to handle that type of scrutiny. Matthew had relaxed her, sent her messages of encouragement all day, and her confidence soared when the audience welcomed her and Henry with thunderous applause.
As she stood backstage with Henry watching the teaser trailer and gauging the audience reactions, she thought for a moment about what Matthew might think. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen her and Henry in sex scenes before from previous seasons, but that was different. They weren't together at the time.
Normally, she didn't care what the majority of people thought of her performances. While she never discussed any of her work with Dad, in particular, she wasn't ashamed that her sisters or anyone else had seen her cursing, drinking, smoking, crying or having sex on screen. Granny had advised her not to do nudity, and it was a rule she still stuck to today. Anything outside of that, though, was fair game, a part of her job, and she didn't feel the need to justify any of it to anyone.
Still, though, she wondered if Matthew was uncomfortable seeing her in such compromising positions, regardless of if it was just pretend. But then she and Henry were called to the stage and it was so loud, she could barely hear herself think. The questions came quickly and the lights were so bright that she couldn't find him in the audience, not that she made much of an effort to do so before she was whisked away at the end to do interviews backstage with Henry. Matthew had texted her saying how he loved the trailer, thought she was very good in it and said she absolutely killed on the panel. His unwavering support made her desperate to see him, to share her relief and satisfaction with him. But the moment she was back in their hotel suite, her stylist and team were back with her and it was on to getting ready for the party.
"Henry's downstairs."
She glanced at Anna's text and sighed. Stowing her phone in her clutch, she went over and stepped into her heels before heading out.
Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con Bash, FLOAT at Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
Matthew sipped his Jack and Coke and looked out across the San Diego skyline. The entire rooftop bar had been done up for the Comic-Con closing party, complete with fancy stone firepits, coloured lights everywhere, a DJ, and beautiful, scantily-clad servers circulating among the celebrity guests. Dodging past the red carpet line easily, he had gotten a drink and made his way out to a corner overlooking the convention center and the marina beyond, occasionally checking the time on his phone. It was the Paladin wrap party all over again, except this time he expected that Mary would be even busier mingling with network executives and other actors before finally getting to him.
He was happy for her and all the attention she had received today, proud even. Her face was lit up as she answered all the predictable questions during the panel, and she spoke with a real warmth and enthusiasm when talking about her character and the coming season. Considering there was a time when the both of them couldn't even get an audition for some projects, it was truly astounding, and wonderful that Mary was now so in demand, identified so readily with a popular fictional character. For these fans, she would be Empress Jade forever, and there was something impressive about that, about this small legacy she had carved out through her hard work and talent.
The closing party was more of the same showing off that Matthew had grown accustomed to in the business, except with far more gloss and A-list attendees than events he'd been to before. An exclusive, invitation-only event, it was a time for the actors to catch up and socialize, the executives to congratulate themselves on another successful convention, and for everyone to let loose and have at it. Mary would arrive with Henry, be photographed on the red carpet, and make her rounds, smiling, laughing and upping her profile amidst a flurry of cheek kisses and funny stories. He was glad for her, and knew she would manage it all brilliantly, but he would only get in her way if he tagged along, so he intended to give her a wide berth.
He shook his head in resignation. Oh well. At least they would have some time together at the end of the night, and they were flying out tomorrow, so things would go back to normal once they were in Toronto. He reminded himself that this weekend was just a necessary bother and that what was far more important to Mary, to his Mary, was the work and all the effort put in the rest of the time when there were no screaming fans, no enthralled media, no relentless paparazzi. He was lucky to be able to share these different parts of her career and life once again, and he tried to stifle any feelings of jealousy or annoyance. That was what got them into trouble last time, and he forbid it from ruining things now.
"Hey there, gorgeous! Now, what is a fine looking man like yourself doing all alone here in the corner? Come on up to my room and let me show you a good time."
Matthew's eyes bulged in shock. He turned his head and glanced up at a statuesque blonde in a pink sleeveless top with matching skirt, coloured patterns down the front. She was sipping a Martini and giving him a predatory smile.
He laughed and shook his head, standing up straight and turning around fully to face her.
"Yeah, right! Gwen! Hi!" he exclaimed, giving her a kiss and a warm hug. "I didn't even think to find out if you would be here."
"Apparently, you didn't, you arse," Gwen replied, laughing and hugging him back. "What the hell are you doing here? I didn't know you had anything going on at the convention."
"I don't," he explained, stepping back as they both turned and leaned on the railing. "I wasn't due on set all weekend, so I thought I'd fly down and take a look."
"Thanks for telling me. Shit, Matthew. Anyway, you should come over to our table. I'll introduce you to everyone," she said. "Who are you here with?"
"No one, really," he replied. "I'm supposed to catch up with Mary at some point, but I imagine she'll be busy for a while."
"Ah, right," she said, nodding her head. "Natalie mentioned something about her flying down here, yeah. So, you and Mary?"
"We're just taking it slowly, more or less," he said. "Getting used to each other again."
"Well, good," she stated. "I knew all that talk about her and Henry was just a bunch of utter rubbish, but it's a relief to know the truth."
"You know how it is. They have to give the appearance of being together to create buzz, or something," he muttered.
"Yeah, I know how it is, all right. Henry doesn't strike me as the type of man who could pretend to be dating Mary and keep things entirely professional, though," she said, laughing wryly.
"She can handle him," he said, frowning as he looked up at the dark sky overhead.
Gwen smiled and shook her head. "Well, come on, then. Until Lady Mary is available, I'll take good care of you."
"Oh, you don't have to have pity on me," he protested. "I'm all right, really. Go on and have some fun and let me know when you'll be in Toronto next so we can have a proper catch-up."
"Matthew Reginald Crawley, you know damn well that if word gets back to either of our mothers that I ran into you here and barely spent any time with you, I'll never hear the end of it," she warned. "Besides, I haven't seen you in ages. Now, come on. They're really a good lot, my cast. Beware of Sophie, though. She's young and she's got a thing for blonds."
He smiled and relented, taking her hand as she led him through the crowd towards a large table in the other corner where her Game of Thrones cast mates were holding court, laughing, chatting and drinking the night away.
Alex leaned down and kissed Anna lightly, holding her close as they swayed back and forth to the music.
"Want to go?" she asked, smiling up at him.
"Are you sure you're allowed?" he replied.
"Yes," she said, looking at him pointedly. "I'm free until we leave for the airport tomorrow. She's Matthew's responsibility now, and you're mine."
He laughed and kissed her again. "I'll go downstairs and get us a cab while you make your final rounds."
"Aren't we walking back to the hotel?" she asked.
"Not in those heels, you're not," he said, smirking at her. "I'll see you down in the lobby."
She laughed and nodded as he squeezed her hand and left, moving through the crowd and heading back inside.
She paused to take everything in – the pulse of the music, the warm summer air, the breeze coming in off the water, the dancing lights against the moonlit sky above. This trip had been a whirlwind and it had all come off brilliantly, every step smooth and organized, just as she planned. To see the crowd be so enraptured by the Paladin teaser trailer and so appreciative of Mary was incredible. She was so glad she had convinced Alex to come down with her. The entire outing had been a success and she couldn't wait to get him back to their hotel for a proper celebration.
Leaving the dance floor, she made her way around the rooftop venue, exchanging hugs, kisses and warm goodbyes with her friends and colleagues. Personal assistants shared a bit of a kinship with one another, especially those like her who had been around for years. Whether they worked exclusively with one artist or were part of an agency, they all empathized with each other, particularly at a big event like Comic-Con. They could all relate to being woken up at 2 a.m. and sent to the pharmacy for eye drops, toothpaste, condoms, and whatever else, told to get a last-minute table at a restaurant that was fully booked for weeks, or listen attentively as their employer explained in great detail just precisely why so-and-so was a 'conniving little bitch' seconds after taking a smiling selfie with the said person. Though Mary was Anna best friend, besides her husband, when they were working, she could still be maddening sometimes and very demanding all of the time. The shared experience of the job brought the assistants and staff all closer, and they enjoyed these parties, both as confirmation that they'd survived another big do intact, and because they were off the clock for a few hours.
"Oh, Anna! I wanted you to meet someone. C'mon," one of her connections at Warner Bros. said, taking her arm and pulling her towards the bar.
When they arrived, she found a group of younger twentysomethings gathered around, joking, laughing and having drinks. One of them, a tall man with short brown hair, green eyes and a hawkish nose, turned and smiled at her.
"Anna Smith, Alex Green. Alex, this is the Anna I was telling you about. Alex is the PA for Anthony Foyle," her friend said cheerfully, making the introductions.
"Ah," Anna said, recognizing the actor's name. "So you're joining our show for next season?" she asked.
"Yes, we are," he replied, reaching out and taking Anna's hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed the back of her palm before releasing it. Anna looked over at her friend and laughed.
"Tony just did his last panel for The Walking Dead this week. It's kind of sad to be leaving that show, but I know he's looking forward to being on Paladin and working with Mary again," he continued.
"Yeah, she mentioned they sort of came up together through school and all, that their families are still friends," she added.
"Alex will be going up to Toronto in the fall to get acclimated so I thought I'd connect the two of you in advance," her friend explained.
"I'm actually heading up in the next couple of weeks to look around for an apartment for Tony before he takes his visit in the fall," he said. "He hates staying in hotels, and since he's signed for a full season, he wants a real place to live in for the six months we'll be there."
"Toronto real estate can be pricey, though not quite as bad as London, so there's that," Anna stated.
"Well, maybe you'll do me the honour of showing me around a bit when I'm there?" he suggested. "I'd rather go around with another PA than a real estate agent."
"Sure, yeah. Let me know when you come up and I'll see if I can find the time," she said politely.
They took out their phones and traded contact information.
"What are you drinking, Anna?" he asked, nodding his head towards the bar. "On me."
"Oh, that's all right, thanks. I'm actually leaving," she said.
"So soon? It's barely past midnight," he said jovially. "Just stay for one drink."
"Sorry, I'm actually cutting back anyway, and my husband is waiting for me downstairs," she said.
"Oh, okay. Got it. And what is the lucky man's name?" he asked.
"It's Alex, actually," she said, laughing at the coincidence.
"Imagine that," he said, smiling at her. "Well, it was great meeting you, Anna. I'll see you in a few weeks."
"Okay, bye," she said, smiling and nodding before she turned away from him, hugged her friend again, and left the bar.
Green watched her go, sipping his drink, his eyes moving from her blonde hair that trailed down her back, across her toned arse framed by the tight skirt, and along her shapely legs. He grinned, then turned back to his friends and ordered another round.
"I need a one dance, got a Hennessy in my hand. One more time before I go, higher power's taking a hold on me…"
Mary raised her arms above her head and swayed to the beat of the music. This was the part of these parties that she loved – later in the evening, most of the executives and the older crowd already gone, and she could really unwind and relax. With their flight leaving at 11 tomorrow morning, and the time difference between the West Coast and Toronto, she knew she was going to spend most of Sunday on a plane, then in bed to try and ward off any mild jet lag. So, she was more than happy to dance until dawn. Even though she knew that wasn't realistic, she felt energized enough to try it.
"Want to head out?" Henry asked, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her hips.
"Not even a little bit, no," she replied, shifting out of his hold and turning around to face him. "I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you'd have found some pretty little thing for the night by now."
"Haven't even bothered to look at anyone else," he replied confidently, smiling as he watched her dance. "Wouldn't want to betray you and be caught out with another woman. I'm a faithful chap, don't you know?"
She laughed dismissively and shook her head. "No, can't say that I do."
"I saw Anna leave a while ago," he noted. "I expect you'll need someone to ensure your safe return to your hotel."
"I'm sure that I can manage, thanks," she replied. "I'll be fine, so you can be on your way."
"Now, now, darling," he said easily, stepping closer to her. "Why don't we just enjoy ourselves the way we did in New York?"
"See where the night takes us?" she said lightly, arching her eyebrow at him.
"Exactly," he said, leering at her.
"Not interested. You're not taking me back to my hotel, and you're not even leaving with me, either. We played our parts, as required, and that's it. Have a safe flight back to Australia, Henry," she said airily.
"Maybe I'll just stick around for a while longer, in case you change your mind," he said smugly.
"Do what you like, but I wouldn't count on it," she answered, turning away from him as she kept on dancing.
He shook his head and watched her for a moment, then turned away and headed over to the bar.
"Cranberry and vodka, here you go," the bartender said, handing the drink to Matthew. He accepted the glass and nodded. Stepping away from the bar, he turned to make his way back to the table. Gwen was right. Her lot was a happy bunch, and he'd had a lot of fun just sitting around with them, listening to their stories from the set, their plans for what they were doing over their hiatus and a few funny tales from Comic-Con. Gwen had also been right about Sophie, the talented young actress who had taken a liking to him from the moment he was introduced. She'd spent most of the evening hanging around him and flirting. He was enjoying the attention, but keeping her at bay was a bit of a challenge. Hence his getting up to get her this drink just to escape for a few moments.
"Hey, you. I know you," Henry said, coming up to him and looking him over. "You're…Matthew!"
Matthew smiled politely and nodded. "Henry."
"God, I didn't even recognize you for a second there. You must be working out, or something," Henry said. "Down from Toronto, are you?"
"Yeah," he said cautiously. "Just came down to check out the convention."
"Nice, nice," Henry said, waving his hand to the bartender for another drink. "Listen, kudos on getting that part in Shattered. That's a nice little role for you, get your feet wet a bit on a decent sized movie. Good on you."
"Thanks," Matthew said tightly, barely able to keep his smile.
"I have to thank you for keeping the Missus busy too," Henry joked, grinning at Matthew. "Mary can be a load to deal with sometimes, so I'm sure you've spared me plenty. She doesn't need to whinge to me about whatever drama she's got going on since she has you around."
Matthew had to swallow to keep himself composed. He gave a non-committal grunt and considered sipping Sophie's drink to keep himself from saying anything more, or alternatively, throwing it in Henry's face.
"Real good decision you made there, too, deciding to take the role even though she dumped you before and all," Henry continued easily. "It can't be too much fun having to pretend to have feelings for the woman who rejected you years ago, but in this business, there's no room for sentiment. If something helps you get ahead, you do it. Good on you for seeing the big picture there, Matthew."
Matthew's free hand clenched into a fist at his side. "Well, we all have to do what we must," he replied.
"Anyway, good to see you," Henry said indifferently. "I'll be back in Toronto late next month for promotional interviews. I might surprise Mary on set, too, so I'll be seeing you around, I'm sure."
Matthew just nodded as Henry turned away from him without another word. Leaving the bar, he walked briskly back towards his table. Compared to keeping his emotions at bay around Henry, having to fight off Sophie's advances would be most welcome.
Mary made her way towards the washroom, hoping there wouldn't be much of a line so late in the evening. She idly thought about what her next drink might be, and as a result, cast her eyes towards the bar. What she saw made her stop short.
Henry was talking to Matthew.
She couldn't make out what they were saying, she was too far away. However, it appeared that Henry was being his usual charming self, given his smug smile and the way he was nodding his head, as though he thought the mere motion would somehow convince Matthew to agree with whatever it was he was saying. By contrast, Matthew's lips were pursed in a thin line, an expression that she knew meant he was holding back, keeping composed so he wouldn't do anything rash. Considering that Matthew hardly ever did anything rash unless goaded into it, whatever Henry was saying must have been getting on his nerves, or maybe it was his mere presence alone.
Before she could decide whether or not to head over and intervene between the two of them, she saw Matthew smile tightly and nod his head before Henry left him to collect his drinks. Matthew turned and walk away. The fact that Matthew hadn't come to blows with Henry was a minor miracle, given how insufferable Henry could be, particularly where she was concerned. She didn't know if Matthew had told Henry about the two of them being back together, or not. Henry had remembered she had dated Matthew back in England. He would know Matthew's face, even if he didn't recall his name.
It wasn't that Mary was afraid of telling Henry about her and Matthew. She reasoned that first, he didn't even have a right to know, and second, she never shared much of her personal life with him, let alone such a wonderful development as her new relationship. Get through this weekend and she wouldn't have to put up with him again until the Emmys. It was an easy charade that she was well drilled in, but seeing Henry and Matthew standing opposite each other for the first time gave her a strange sense of foreboding, as if she hadn't anticipated that they would run into each other, and what they might talk about. She blinked and took off for the washroom, determined to go and find Matthew as soon as she got back.
Junior Suite, The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
"Aren't you glad you came?" Anna said, smiling as she kissed Alex's chest, her hand reaching down between his legs, stroking him slowly.
He laughed, then groaned from her touch. "Nice choice of words."
"What?" she asked, leaning up and kissing him, sliding her tongue against his. "I know the trip has been rather hard, but I've made it worth it for you to come, no?"
"Anna," he growled, swallowing to restrain himself as her words and fingers stirred his arousal.
"I'm off the pill, officially," she purred, kissing his neck. "We can start trying tonight even, if you want."
He hummed in approval. "Is that why you weren't drinking tonight?"
"Mmm hmm," she confirmed. "Plus, I wanted to prove that I don't need to be drunk to be in the mood to make love to my husband."
He laughed and kissed her, his hand moving up and down her bare back. "Well, then I am at your service, Mrs. Lewis."
"Good," she said, kissing him lightly, then pressing her naked body against his, kissing his cheek before licking his ear. "Because I am very, very randy. I've been thinking all night of finally getting you back here and feeling you deep inside me."
"God," he snarled, reaching up and running his hand through her hair, drawing her into a fierce kiss.
"Mmm, fuck me, babes," she drawled.
"Love," he breathed, opening his eyes and finding hers. "Remember, no pressure. It might take us a while, even a long while, and that's all right, perfectly natural. I love you, and whatever happens, happens, okay?"
She grinned and kissed him. "I know," she said confidently. "And I love you too."
He gasped as she kissed her way down his body and took him into her mouth, her tongue and fingers pushing him close to his release, then drawing him back enough to do it all over again. He stretched his arms out to either side of him, grasping the bedsheets, the sound of her moaning around him making him delirious with lust.
She let go of him and lifted up onto her hands and knees, crawling up the bed until she was next to him, her eyes dark and clouded, a smirk on her swollen lips.
"You know, apparently one of the best positions for conceiving is if you take me from behind," she said lightly, arching her back and lifting her bottom enticingly.
"Is that so?" he asked, his voice heavy. He reached out and ran his fingers from her shoulder, along her back and over her arse.
"According to research, in fact," she teased, looking at him playfully. "You wouldn't want to disagree with science, would you?"
"Oh no, certainly not," he said firmly, rising to his knees and moving behind her. "Wouldn't want to do that."
She smiled and bit her bottom lip as she felt him take hold of her hips and pull her back towards him.
Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con Bash, FLOAT at Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
Mary couldn't find Matthew. He wasn't at the bar. He wasn't on the dance floor. He wasn't sitting on any of the couches set up all over the rooftop. She was about to text him to see where he'd gone off to when she finally spotted him. She frowned in surprise as she looked across at a table in the far corner. He was sitting with the cast of Game of Thrones and seemingly having a grand old time. She recognized numerous cast members from having run into them at past Comic-Cons and awards shows. Almost all British actors who had made the leap to North America knew each other from past projects, or at least by reputation. She saw Gwen sitting next to him, which explained why he was there in the first place. Gwen was a family friend of Matthew's, and had mentored him a bit when he was at Drama Centre London. She and Gwen got along, but hadn't spoken much since the break-up. Mary hadn't even thought to suggest that he get in touch with Gwen while he was here. She also noticed that Sophie seemed to be draped all over him, which was rather startling to see. While Sophie was several years younger than them, the age difference wasn't what seemed strange to Mary. Rather, she was just thrown off at the sight of another woman, and an attractive and famous one at that, staring at Matthew as though she wanted to devour him.
Her instinct was to head over and break up this little party, but she stopped herself and mulled the situation over. To be fair, she hadn't seen him all night, hadn't even sought him out, left him to manage on his own while she gave fake smiles to network executives and laughed at jokes that weren't funny just to stroke their egos. He had found an old friend amongst the guests and was now amusing himself with a group that Mary knew were a fun bunch. So what if he had a redhead draped over him? Was anything he was doing now any worse than all the things she did with Henry and others that he had to put up with?
Her expression softened as she watched him laugh and smile while he had an animated conversation with Gwen. He had come here at Mary's request, to support her, even if it meant pretending not to know her in public and waiting patiently for her to fit him into her busy schedule, with nary a complaint uttered about anything. Present situation aside, how much fun had he really had this trip? Even if he could honestly say he'd enjoyed some of it, his happy memories would be of time spent walking around with Alex, browsing the various booths at the convention, or partying with Gwen and the Game of Thrones cast. The happy moments that could be attributed to her was virtually none, she realized sadly. A nice meal and passionate sex when they got in on Friday, nothing more. Just like when he flew to Downton at Sybil's request and pretended to still be her boyfriend for Granny's sake, he was getting so little out of the bargain, and yet did it all the same.
She wondered when was she going to do something selfless and nice for him? As she watched him grinning at something Gwen said, she couldn't even think of any ideas.
"You'll never guess who I ran into just now."
She looked away from Matthew and glanced at Henry in confusion, wondering how he had just seemed to appear before her. Why hadn't he left by now?
"Who?" she asked.
"Matthew Crawley," he replied. "God, he hasn't changed a bit over the years. Still looks as milquetoast and boring as ever."
She frowned at his insult. He had a nerve.
"Anyway, last chance, darling," Henry said softly as he came closer and leaned in. "Just come back to my hotel. We can have a drink, chat a bit. No pressure, no expectations, I promise."
She blinked in shock, then composed herself and smiled mysteriously.
"Thank you for the offer, but no, I can't," she said. "I'm heading back soon, myself."
"Perfect! I'll wait for you," he said cheerfully. "I'll just see you back to your hotel, then. No need for you to come to mine, although I must say I think my hotel's breakfast is most likely better than yours."
She smirked, her eyes bright.
"No, I'm afraid you'll have to find someone else to take back to yours," she replied.
"Mary, you wound me," he said, clutching his chest in false pain. "Can you honestly say you'd rather go back to your cold, empty hotel room and just drift off to sleep? I'm offering you a much better option. You'll enjoy it immensely, I'm sure of it."
She arched her eyebrow, a jolt of excitement warming her chest.
"I wish I could tell you that you make a tempting offer, Henry, but I'm afraid that you just don't," she said, smiling at him.
"Pretend all you like, but sleeping alone isn't enough, not to a woman as fierce, and passionate as you. You need more," he said, his voice deep and smooth.
"I agree," she said, smirking as she saw his eyes light up with hope. "That's why I'm going back to my hotel to have hot, rough sex with Matthew."
His mouth fell open, a choked sound leaving his throat.
"He's quite insatiable. God, the things he can make me do. I just can't get enough. Thank God we've still got a few months of shooting left. He's still got loads to teach me," she whispered, turning her head and kissing his cheek. "Good night, Henry."
She turned and walked away, not looking back.
"I hope everything works out for you, I do," Gwen said, smiling and shaking her head. "But I can't say I'm optimistic about it. I have nothing against Mary, but she just doesn't seem to be your type. She's so…locked in…all the time. Everything is so calculated. Take tonight. Every time I've seen her, she's been schmoozing with some network executive, or producer or someone like that. She's just always so…on."
Matthew smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "She works hard to advance her career. Not all of us are so fortunate as to have J.J. Abrams begging us to be in Star Wars."
"Fuck off," she said, her beautiful accent making it almost sound like a compliment. "I'm just saying that you're a good guy, Matthew. You're not all caught up in the business. I don't know if you can keep up with her."
"I'm just getting started," he noted. "Maybe this time next year, I'll be working the crowd the way she does."
"If you do, I'll have to beat you about the head," she warned.
"I love you for your concern, you know that," he said warmly. "But all you see is Mary when she's at one of these things, or an awards show, or whatever. That's not who she is, not really. She acts this way because she feels that she needs to, to make a lasting impression. When we're on set, when we're working, or it's just the two of us, she's not like that. She's always going to have ambition. She had it when she was a teenager. That's not all she's about, though."
Gwen nodded kindly. "Does she make you happy?"
He grinned and nodded. "Yes. Very."
"Then that's good enough for me," she replied, clinking glasses with him.
"Are you sure we can't corrupt you even a little bit?" Sophie asked, leaning into him.
"Maybe another time," he replied, smiling at her.
"I do hope I'm not interrupting," Mary called.
They all looked up at her standing before them, smiling politely as she acknowledged everyone.
"Ah, Mary!" Gwen said cheerfully, getting up from her chair and exchanging kisses with her. "You've finally finished making your rounds?"
"I have," Mary confirmed, glancing over at Sophie before turning to Matthew. "And I'm afraid I'm rather worn out. Are you ready to go, darling?"
Matthew blinked in surprise. He thought she would text him when she was ready to leave, not seek him out and refer to him so endearingly in front of everyone. "Erm, yeah. Yeah, I am," he stuttered.
"Good, then take me back to our hotel, please. I've got to get out of these heels," Mary said easily smiling at him before she went around the table and exchanged pleasantries with all the cast members that she knew.
Matthew nodded to Sophie and the rest of the cast and hurried to get out of his chair. He hugged and kissed Gwen, thanking her for taking care of him.
"I'll call you next week. Promise," he said.
"You do that," she replied. "Good night."
He met Mary at the other end of the table once she was done saying her goodbyes. His eyes lit up as she took his hand, and he confidently led her out of the bar and towards the elevators, not really caring about people looking at them as they left.
City View Suite, The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, California, USA, July 2016
Their hotel was a 15-minute walk from the party, but they took a taxi back anyway. Mary was quiet during the short drive, snuggling against Matthew, her eyes half-closed. When they reached the hotel, he paid and she went in ahead of him. There weren't any obvious paparazzi lurking about, but her Aunt Rosamund's training was too engrained in her to walk in holding Matthew's hand. When he caught up to her at the elevators, she hugged him the moment the doors were closed and they were out of sight.
"Did you have a good night?" she asked, breathing in his scent.
"I did, rather," he replied pleasantly. "You?"
"It was fine. I'm glad to be done," she said.
They wandered down the hall to their suite, the buzz and noise of the party wearing off. She sighed in relief as she got out of her shoes and went into the living room, then gasped in surprise.
Spread out on the coffee table on fine china plates were burgers and fries from In-N-Out Burger.
"What is this?" she asked, grinning as Matthew came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I thought you might be a bit hungry at the end of the night," he explained.
"How did you know?" she asked, shaking her head at the horribly delicious looking fast food.
"Anna may have mentioned that you like to have this whenever you're in the States," he said, kissing her cheek.
He guided her over to the couch and they sat down. She laughed as she grabbed a fry covered in gooey cheese, dipped it in ketchup and popped it in her mouth.
"Mmm, so bad, and yet so good," she hummed, turning and kissing him. "Thank you. You're far too good to me."
He chuckled and took a sip of Coke.
"Matthew," she called softly, reaching up and caressing his face.
"Hmm?" he responded, looking at her pleasantly.
"I'm sorry about Henry, and the trailer, and for not paying any attention to you, for making you wait, for being a horrible girlfriend this weekend, all of it," she said earnestly, her eyes begging him to understand. "I thought we'd have more time, but obviously, that was rather wishful thinking. Tonight, I wanted to really spend time with you, enjoy the party together, then leave and go off on our own, just as we planned. But there were so many people to talk to, so many that I had to make a good impression on. I wish I knew how to not care about what these people think of me, I really do. I just can't seem to manage it."
He laughed and kissed her.
"You don't need to apologize for anything. This is a work weekend for you, and you were required elsewhere. It's not as if I didn't know that going in, so I wasn't surprised, or disappointed. And I liked the trailer, honestly. I thought you were great in it," he assured her.
"If I saw a trailer that included scenes of you going at it with some bitch, I'd see red," she admitted.
"Seems to me the only trailer in my future is one of me going at it with you, so no worries," he joked.
She laughed and kissed him firmly. "You are far too good to me, really," she said. "I honestly don't know why, but I'm so grateful for it."
"You must have some idea why," he teased, putting his arm around her as she reached for another fry.
"I like to think that I do, but I saw you talking to Henry tonight, and I suppose I wondered if it's worth it for you to put up with all of this just to be with me?" she mumbled.
"I can handle Henry," he said lightly, reaching over and taking her hand in his.
"I know you can, but that doesn't mean you should have to. Was he insufferable as always?" she asked.
"He called you his 'Missus'," he revealed, shaking his head at the memory.
"Of course he did," she grumbled. "I told him about us, well, I implied it anyway, later after he already talked to you."
"Ah," he blurted out, surprised.
"I wasn't going to. It's not as if I have to answer to him, or anything," she said. "But he was being so disrespectful towards you that I wanted to put him in his place a little bit."
"What did you say?" he asked.
She smiled, looking down at their joined hands. "I may have mentioned something about how you were going to take me back here and make me your dirty girl."
He almost choked at that. "What? And what did he say to that?"
"Nothing, though the look on his face was quite perfect," she laughed. "I'm not very optimistic that it'll make any difference, but hopefully he won't be so condescending to you next time you are unlucky enough to run into him."
"That is rather hilarious, but you don't need to defend me to people like Henry, darling," he said. "I really don't care what other people think, or if they even know about us."
"Yes, but I'm far more petty than you," she muttered.
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "In the end, I just feel sorry for him, more than anything."
"You do? Why is that, pray?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him in confusion.
"Because ultimately, he's the one who's worse off, on the whole," he explained. "For all his arrogance and boasting, he's still just your co-worker. At best, he's your fake boyfriend, nothing more."
"As opposed to my real boyfriend, you're saying?" she asked, smiling at him.
"It's a much better job to have, believe me," he said smoothly.
She kissed him deeply, playing with his tongue as his hand slid down her back and cupped her arse. "Mmm, well, why don't you show me just how much better the real thing is?"
She got up from the couch, taking his hand as she headed for the bedroom.
"What about the burgers? I thought you were hungry?" he asked, smiling as he got up and followed her.
"The burgers can wait, and yes, I'm starving," she said, arching her eyebrow at him as she led him to bed.
Song Credits (in order of appearance):
What Goes Around...Comes Around - Justin Timberlake, (2006), Jive, Zomba
One Dance - Drake feat. Wyzkid and Kyla, (2016), OVO Sound, Cash Money, Young Money
