Hi guys, here's a nice treat for you- a part twice as long as the others!

Thank you again for all your kind reviews, they really do keep this story alive. LOL jmu- I didn't even make the Dan/Michelle connection, they were just names I typed as I thought of them.

Obviously you were all very excited about their very public kiss, I don't think this next part will disappoint. And don't worry, Alex is on her best behaviour. She's far too busy chasing Greg around to care anyway.

-...-...-

With no distractions thus far and having both consumed considerable amounts of alcohol, Matthew and Mary's embrace continued for much longer than many might have deemed appropriate for a public place. At some point, their lips separated in order for the pair to catch their breath; Mary pushed Matthew's hair from his forehead with one hand, while Matthew's moved slowly from her neck, across her shoulder and down her arm, eventually clasping her hand in his. Mary smiled at the gesture, bending her legs, which were still draped across his, at the knees, causing then to become even more entwined; so much so that if Mary were to move even a fraction closer, she'd be fully sat in his lap. Their lips met again; this time with confidence, yet the pace was slow and tender, each tasting and committing the other to memory. Mary knew something about this, about him was different, she knew somehow that she'd want to remember this moment with every sense possible.

Eventually they reluctantly broke apart to the sound of whistles and cat-calls. Mary pulled away from his lips, feeling herself blush furiously with embarrassment. Not ready expose herself to those who'd caught them yet, her free hand came to rest on Matthew's shoulder while she lowered her forehead to the base of his neck to hide her embarrassment. Matthew chuckled slightly, squeezing her hand a little tighter, he lowered his lips to the top of her head, dropping a gentle kiss into her fragrant hair. He sighed and turned to face his friends fully, his new position forcing Mary to slide her legs from on top of his and face their audience.

Dan was the first to sit down on a chair opposite the couple, "I didn't know you had it in ya Matty-boy" he teased, slurping on his pint of beer.

"Auditioning for the sequel were we?" Greg joked, taking a seat next to Dan as the rest of the group approached, having brought drinks from the bar after their darts game. Matthew narrowed his eyes at his friend; surely he can't be hinting at that. But when Greg winked at Mary cheekily, Matthew's suspicions were confirmed. He reached for Mary's hand quickly and laced his fingers through hers. He almost sighed a sigh of relief when he heard her voice confidently change the subject.

"So who won?" She asked with a smile, tightening her fingers around Matthew's a little.

Dan shrugged "we lost track, couldn't remember whose turn it was and gave up."

"No," Alex argued playfully, "we were totally about to beat you guys."

"Yeah, if you say so."

Mary giggled at their exchange, looking beside her briefly at Matthew who too had a small smile on his face.

"So who's up for a walk over to Rags?" Tim asked, speaking of a small nightclub round the corner from where they were.

"What's Rags?" Mary asked.

"Just a small club down the road; more like a larger pub with a dance floor really." She was told. Mary turned to look at Matthew and he gave her a small nod to confirm. William declined the invite; he would be heading home soon anyway and didn't see the point of moving on, so the group decided to stay for a little while longer in the pub and then walk over to Rags, making sure William got a taxi on the way.

'A little while longer' turned into almost an hour, with loud chatter filling the corner of the pub they occupied. Matthew noticed how relaxed Mary had become in not only his company but also his friends'. He was happy to see Alex include Mary when collecting a round of what she called 'skittle bombs' for the girls and laughed loudly as they raced to see who could drink them the fastest. The group were interrupted on two occasions by punters offering their congratulations to William and shaking his hand. A woman offered to buy him a drink, but he politely declined; instead he bought one last round of drinks, which the group enjoyed over more chatter before standing to leave.

Greg, Alex and Tim went on ahead to Rags, while Craigy and Emma decided they were going to call it a night too. "I just had a thought." Mary told Matthew as he placed his leather jacket over her shoulders in preparation for the cool night air.

"Oh?"

Mary smirked teasingly "we'll be able to dance a little closer tonight."

Matthew laughed, remembering how awkward he must have looked just last weekend, holding Mary as far away as possible. "I imagine we'll be able to dance much closer" he grinned, placing his palm on the small of her back to guide her through the pub in order to catch up with Dan, William, Paul and Michelle who were nearing the exit.

Suddenly, Matthew felt blinded; a flash of light right in front of his eyes. "William, William, where's Kate?" He heard a deep voice ask forcefully. It took him only a second to realise what was happening, yet he didn't know how he was supposed to react. Another flash and Matthew's arm was now fully around Mary's waist. "Mary... Lady Mary" he heard the man call. Matthew blinked hard and saw that the man was now directly in front of them, walking backwards and William was at Mary's other side; he said something to her and she nodded before he picked up his pace and got into one if the five taxis waiting at the side of the road. Another flash. "Mary, who's the guy?" Matthew held his hand out in front of them as if to shield another flash. "What's your name?" Matthew realised he was now being questioned.

"Please, just leave her alone." He demanded, tightening his arm around Mary's waist as they walked and tried to dodge the camera flash.

"Just keep your head down" Mary muttered to him as Dan rushed back towards them, now walking the other side of Mary.

"Did you meet her tonight or is it a date?" The question infuriated Matthew and he shielded his eyes from another flash.

"What do we do?" Dan asked quickly, shielding his own eyes.

"Just walk quickly and keep your head down." Mary's voice was sharp and low. "Matthew, please, just stop- don't react. How far is this place?"

"It's just round the corner" Dan answered.

"Mary, Mary? Where are you headed?" The photographer was now right in front of Mary and Matthew instinctively stepped towards her, holding his palm in front of the camera. Dan frowned, he'd never seen a situation like it; stepping closer to Mary himself, the two men formed a barrier for her and quickly made their way to Rags.

On arrival, Dan stood back while Matthew escorted Mary inside. He turned to the photographer in disgust, who was immediately looking down at his display, checking his images. "You make me sick" Dan said with a shake of his head before following them in.

Once inside, Matthew asked Mary is she was ok. "I'm fine" she told him quickly. He touched her arm lightly and she smiled at him tightly.

"How did he know you were here?" Dan asked, breathless as he joined them inside.

Mary shrugged "tip off probably."

Dan nodded "I think he was here for William, it was almost like he was surprised to see you, like an afterthought."

Mary nodded, turning to Matthew "I'm sorry you got dragged into that, no doubt the morning papers will be questioning who you are."

Matthew shook his head; his way of dismissing her apology, it wasn't needed. "Will he be outside when we leave?"

Mary sighed "probably. Lets just enjoy the rest of the night. After all it is your birthday" she forced a smile and took hold of his hand, pulling him towards the small counter were an entrance fee was being charged.

...-...-

Matthew had wondered how the run in with the paparazzi would affect Mary's mood for the rest of the night, but he needn't had worried. Of course, as distressed as she'd seemed at the time, she was used to the invasion of privacy and within ten minutes and after collecting a double vodka and orange for her and a beer each for him and Dan, Mary really was fine and dragging them both onto the dance floor where they met with the others.

Matthew had always preferred to stay off the dance floor and Rags wasn't particularly his favourite place to socialise, but it was conveniently placed and after a few drinks always seemed like the best solution. Luckily, the beer he'd ordered from the bar was in a bottle as the dance floor was heaving; he'd had to catch one young girl who almost fell into him, tumbling in her heels. She'd thanked him, red with embarrassment and as she walked away he found Mary close to him; her palms on the sides of his waist, her breath warm against his ear "I should have tried that trick." She teased him gently, still unconsciously swaying her hips to the beat of the music, "would you catch me if I fell Matthew?"

Matthew laughed aloud, taking hold of one of her hands and twirling her around before his free hand came to rest in her hip as she proceeded to dance. Matthew moved a little, like many of the men on the floor, but simply enjoyed being close to her. Mary looked up at him in the middle of singing along to one of her favourite songs, he smiled down at her, his hand tightening on her hip as she reached for the bottle of beer in his hand, bringing it slowly to her lips. Matthew watched in amazement as her lips closed around the top of the bottle, her eyes connected with his the entire time. "Thank you" she handed it back to him, "it's so terribly hot in here."

"Would you like me to go and get you a drink?" He asked politely, holding her close to him so she was able to hear over the music.

Mary simply shook her head, placing a small kiss on his jaw to show her appreciation; her move bold and uncharacteristically forward even considering the alcohol she'd consumed.

As the night continued, Matthew pretended not to notice when Alex dragged a willing Greg into a corner on the dance floor, her mouth firmly attached to his. Ten minutes later neither were to be seen and it wasn't until Matthew noticed a message on his phone from Greg, saying he'd 'taken Alex home' that his suspicions had been confirmed. Paul and Michelle had left a while ago which only left Matthew, Mary and Dan; the latter now charming a group of university students in the smoking area outside. It turned out that Matthew had indeed needed to buy another drink since Mary had drained the rest of his beer; he asked what she'd like and she suggested he just get another bottle that they could share, her excuse being that she hated holding drinks when dancing.

Moving around the crowds of people as they descended the bar area, Mary was suddenly faced with an excitable young girl which caused both she and Matthew (who guided her with his palm on the small of her back) to stop in their tracks. "Ohmigod" the young girl with jet black hair squealed, grasping Mary's arm to get her attention. Mary widened her eyes slightly. "I love your new line!" Mary smiled at her enthusiasm; it was nice being recognised for the things she was proud of and not just because of her 'celebrity' or family name.

"Thank you" Mary replied, quickly looking over her shoulder at Matthew.

"I love fashion" the girl chatted. "SO much. I'm in college studying fashion design and I basically just want to be you. Well you or Versace but she's orange and wrinkled and..." Mary laughed loudly and the girl began to laugh too.

"Sarah!" Another girl shouted over the music, now beside the other girl. "Come on!"

Sarah turned to her friend, "it's Lady Mary Crawley!" The other girl glanced at Mary quickly and realised Sarah wasn't delusional.

"She loves you" her friend told Mary. "Omigod, you guys should have a picture" she waved her camera in her hand, pushing Sarah towards Mary.

"Do you mind?" Sarah asked.

Mary shook her head "I'd be delighted." Matthew took a step back and to the side, watching as the star-struck teenager smiled from ear to ear, almost bouncing with excitement. Mary put her arm around the girl's shoulder, her face pressed to the side of Sarah's and each of them smiled widely. To anyone looking at the photo, they would probably assume they were the best of friends. Matthew found himself smiling proudly at Mary and the fact that she was able to give someone so much joy from just being friendly and having a photo taken; if only the rest of the world could see Mary the way he was already seeing her even after only knowing her for an extremely short period of time.

A little after 2am Dan found Matthew and Mary huddled together at a small table; Matthew perched on a stool, with Mary stood between his legs. As he approached them, Matthew noticed him and waved him over. Mary looked over her shoulder and smiled, she turned slightly and surprised both men when she perched lightly on one of Matthew's legs. "I see you two are enjoying yourselves" Dan remarked.

Matthew placed one hand on Mary's waist to steady her, "it's been a great night" he confirmed.

"Ready to get a cab? I could murder a kebab."

Matthew grimaced; the thought of greasy food and alcohol made him queasy. He looked to Mary who simply nodded, confirming that she was ready to leave.

Mary stood, pulling at the hem of her dress slightly where it had moved, "I could eat, you know." She smiled at Dan and then at Matthew and Dan promptly put his arm across her shoulders, pulling her towards him "a woman after my own heart" he joked.

The three of them collected Matthew and Greg's jackets from the cloakroom attendant and again, Matthew placed his over Mary. I wasn't until they neared the exit that Matthew suddenly remembered the paparazzi on their way in, he quickly grasped Mary's hand and came to a stop. She looked up at him and smiled, reminding him just to keep his head down and lead her to wherever they needed to go. Dan, like when they entered, walked the other side of Mary. Mary pulled her hand away from Matthew's pulled his jacket further around herself and the three of them exited Rags. Camera flashes were almost immediate; the original photographer now joined by two others. "Mary, Mary, Lady Mary" could be heard over and over but Matthew did as he was told, keeping his head down, gently guiding Mary to a place across the street for something to eat.

"Are you sure you want to stop for food?" He asked her quickly, knowing that the men would continue to take photos through the glass.

"I can't remember the last time I ate chips with cheese." Matthew laughed at her answer, not expecting Mary to be craving the greasy pairing.

Luckily not many customers were waiting to be served and they were able to order quickly. Mary tired to convince Matthew to order something for himself, but he assured her he'd never been one to eat so late. Dan ordered everything possible on his large kebab and Mary requested mayonnaise on her chips and cheese. The trio were successful in ignoring the flashes from the other side of the window, but were not oblivious to the attention it drew to them. They sat down at a red metal table and Dan enthusiastically ate while Mary ate her chips with a plastic fork. With much encouragement from Mary, Matthew managed a few of her chips and admitted that they were "quite nice."

"These will sort my hangover tomorrow" she told him. "I doubt I'd make it into work otherwise." Matthew nodded, not looking forward to waking in a few hours to go into the office himself.

After waving down a taxi, the three clambered inside with Matthew instructing the driver on their destinations; Mary's first, then his and finally Dan's, who lived just a few minutes from him. Inside the taxi Dan encouraged them both to take the morning off seen as they were both their own bosses; both declined saying they had far too much to do, Mary adding that it doesn't set a very good example to her employees. Once they arrived outside Mary's townhouse, Matthew helped her out and asked the driver to wait while he made sure she made it inside safely while Dan sat in the back averting his eyes from the view outside, barely awake.

As they reached the front door, Mary turned to Matthew with a sweet flirtatious smile "thank you for tonight."

Matthew stepped closer "it was my pleasure. I feel completely stupid for not thinking to invite you in the first place."

"And I feel completely stupid for almost declining." Mary placed her palm on Matthew's chest as she stepped that one step closer that was needed for her lips to gently touch his. Matthew grasped hold of her hips eagerly and the kiss quickly became explorative. Mary bit down gently onto his bottom lip, her own lips curving into a cheeky grin as Matthew released a low groan.

Inside the taxi, the driver tapped impatiently on the wheel. "You think he's coming back?" He asked Dan. Dan peered out of the window before settling back into the seat, shrugging his shoulders. "I've got a home to get to as well ya know."

"The meters running isn't it?" Dan reminded him, "you're getting paid."

When Mary took a step back, Matthew quickly missed the softness of her lips and the feel of her nails lightly scraping his scalp. She took his jacket from her shoulders and passed it back to him with a smile. "Until next time, Lady Mary." Matthew grinned, his voice smooth, charming and flirtatious all at once.

"Happy Birthday Matthew" she kissed him once more, this time sweetly on the cheek and then watched as he rushed back towards he taxi. Offering a small wave in return to his before he got in.

Matthew rubbed his hands together as the taxi drove away, warming them up. "For a moment there I thought you might have gone in with her" Dan mumbled, his eyes half closed.

"Were you spying on us?"

"Hardly. Does it not bother you that half of the population has seen her naked when you haven't?"

"Dan." Matthew sighed.

"I'm not trying to be funny about it. Just wondering. She's nice, I can tell you like her; I'd hate it." Dan opened his eyes fully when Matthew didn't reply, watching him closely as he seemed deep in thought. "Just watch it mate, seriously. It might even get rid of some of the nerves when you get her into bed." Matthew continued his silence for the duration of the drive. He said goodnight to Dan, passing him some money towards the taxi and quickly entered his apartment. His phone immediately pinged and he took it from his pocket, rolling his eyes at the text that simply said 'watch it'.

Matthew sighed and slowly and curiously walked towards his laptop, lifting the lid and pressing the button to take it out of standby mode he was greeted with a still picture of a much younger looking Mary; her hair much lighter and clearly highlighted with bleach. She was laid out on a bed and although he could only see her shoulders, neck and head she appeared to be at least topless. His finger hovered over the mouse until finally he clicked for it to play. Mary, now fully clothed on the screen; the image blurry, she wasn't looking towards the camera, nor at the young man who had now entered the scene. He reached for her with both hands and Matthew quickly reached for the mouse, closing the screen entirely. He inhaled deeply, cursing himself for being even slightly curious for that short amount of time. He knew that if he'd watched even a second more he wouldn't be able to delete the images from his mind, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

After tonight, Matthew now knew more than he had before just how much he liked this woman. He wished to know her in every way possible and he looked forward to doing so in good time. Just one week ago he hadn't even met her but now laying in his bed with his eyes closed he couldn't stop thinking of her. He smiled, remembering how sweet she was to the young girl, Sarah, in the club and sighed remembering the way her lips felt against his. He was only able to look forward to a few hours of sleep before rising again for work, but Matthew couldn't curse his late night with regret and that was simply because of her; his Lady Mary.