AN: So...this is it. The last chapter before the epilogue! But there will be some one shots to follow that take place in this fic universe! So, if you want to see 'em, follow me! Thank you to all my faithful readers! You've made this whole progress such a delight!

January twenty eighth, Sybil dropped the tea cup she had been sipping from, and winced in horrible pain. She looked wide eyed at her sisters, and clutched at her belly.

"Oh no! Oh no no no!" Sybil stammered. "It's too early, she shouldn't come until next month!"

"Hush Sybbie, darling, it's less than a week away. You and your babe will be fine! Come on, lets walk around a bit. They say that will help bring on the labor stronger." Mary said calmly. Edith nodded, and helped her rise from the sofa, while Mary did her best to rise herself.

"I'm having a baby- a baby! Right now! Oh, where's Tom?" Sybil gasped.

"He and Matthew have been out looking at the grounds today. But don't worry, they'll both be back within the hour." Mary reminded her.

"What? Why would they be surveying the grounds when I'm having a baby?!" Sybil hissed.

"Well, I'm afraid your baby forgot to schedule it's arrival, so the boys didn't know it wasn't safe to leave!" Edith said seriously, though she barely contained her laughter. "But don't worry at all. Your labor is only just starting, they'll be back in plenty of time." Sybil nodded, and leaned a bit heavily on her blonde sister, while gripping Mary's hand rather tightly.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Sybil barked after a few moments, and then stamped her foot stubbornly. "That's it, I'm not doing this, she'll just have to stay in there!"

"Sybbie, darling, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to do this." Mary said.

"And to think I was so desperate for this!" Sybil groaned. "The next time I see Thomas Branson, I'm going to cut off his-"

"What's going on down here? What's all the fuss?" Cora asked.

"Sybil's gone into labor, just, fifteen minutes ago or so? And she's already to the point where she wants to render Tom unable to father any more children." Edith explained, still stoic, but the laughter was breaking through.

"Oh my Sybil! Another grand baby! Oh, how wonderful! I'll ring for Anna, and make sure that everything is set up properly for the birth!" Cora chirped.

"Wonderful? Wonderful? It is absolutely not wonderful! Do you even know how much this hurts?" Sybil cried.

"No darling, the three of you were dropped off by a large bird wearing a pink bonnet." Cora sniffed, and three of the four Crawley women started to laugh.

"Well, I won't do this again!" Sybil huffed.

"No, I'm sure you wont." Edith cooed, and patted her sisters hand. "Come now, let's resume our walking...except perhaps not Mary."

"Why not?" Sybil groaned.

"Because If you hadn't noticed, Sybil, Mary is as pregnant as you are, even more so actually. You've gone into labor a bit early, the last thing we need is to trigger her labor- can you imagine, two Crawley sisters in labor at the same time, in the same house. No, I think it'd be best if we avoided that."

"She's right Sybil. I'll tell you what, you two continue walking, I'll go telephone Isobel, and Clarkson- let them know you've started. I'll rejoin you when you're ready to get settled in." Mary promised her.

"Alright. But honestly, I'm starving. What do you suppose are the chances of Mrs. Patmore making up some onion soup?" Sybil sighed.

"I'd say pretty good, if you're sure that's what you need just now?" Edith said as they started up walking again. Mary grinned at them, shook her head, and settled on the sofa beside the telephone. She had just finished her second call when she sensed him in the room.

"Hello darling." Matthew greeted her, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Where are your sisters? You said you were having tea this afternoon- if you had told me that you weren't, I would've stayed to keep you company."

"Don't be silly, you had to go out. And I was having tea with my sisters. But Sybil went into labor-"

"Sybil what?!" Tom gasped, suddenly making his presence known.

"Oh there you are Tom! Sybil went into labor, no more than half an hour ago. Her waters haven't broken, so you haven't missed anything really." Mary assured him.

"Where is she?" Tom asked, frantic.

"Last I checked she and Edith were walking the hall. I just telephoned Clarkson, and Isobel, Mama is seeing to the room, and we've got Mrs. Patmore starting up the soup Sybil requested. Everything is under control. Go to her now, I know you want to." Mary said. Tom nodded gratefully, and was out of the room in a flash. Matthew sighed, and took the seat beside his bride.

"How are you feeling darling? Are the twins giving you any trouble?" Matthew asked, caressing her belly gently.

"Which set are you talking about? Because William and Kit have actually been angels for most of the day- there was a brief incident earlier with some peas, but nothing that wasn't easily handled. These two though, have been kicking up a storm. There must be two of them in there, because there are distinct kicks simultaneously on both sides of my belly. I wan't them out now- well not literally just now. I'd like to let Sybil have this day all to herself. So I must avoid any stress or excitement."

"So you won't sit in the birthing room with Sybil? Because that is stressful, and exciting, I'm sure." Matthew asked.

"Oh- I hadn't that about that. I...Well, I must be in with her. I'll just have to be careful not to be...overly excited by anything." Mary said, and Matthew smirked. "Now now, someone seems full of himself."

"What, I don't excite you?" He asked.

"Now, I didn't say that." Mary laughed. He leaned into kiss her, but Mary put her hands over his lips. "Actually, darling, Quite the opposite. You're very exciting. So you mustn't kiss or touch me. At least, not until much later." He looked slightly crestfallen, so she took his hand in her own, and pressed a gentle kiss to it. "Now now darling, you know that I love you. Now, I'm going to check in on Sybil. Will you check on the children?"

"Of course darling."

...

"Oh!" Sybil gasped as she slumped back against the pillows.

"You're very nearly there Lady Sybil, I think another push should do it." Dr. Clarkson assured her.

"It's been eight bloody hours, I'd better be nearly there!" She hissed, and turned her face to look at Tom. "You are never touching me again Thomas Branson, never again!"

"Alright, Sybil, it's time for you to bear down." Isobel told her. Sybil nodded, and Mary traced a cool cloth across her forehead as she gripped Edith and Toms hands.

"Son of a bitch- Oh, darn it, are the baby's ears out, I don't want the first thing it hears to be me cursing!" Sybil screamed.

"It's alright Sybil, babies hear much worse coming into the world." Isobel chuckled.

"Lady Sybil, I need you to bear down harder now." Clarkson instructed. Sybil nodded and bit down on her lip as she gave another mighty push. Suddenly a loud wailing sound filled the room and Sybil collapsed into Tom's arms with an absolutely exhausted sob.

"Oh darlin', you did it, thank you, thank you so much!" Tom laughed quietly into his wife's hair.

"Prepare for the after birth, it's just going to take some minor pushing." Clarkson assured her.

"It's a girl, Sybil, a beautiful beautiful girl." Mary assured her from the place where her mother in law was bathing the wailing infant.

"I knew it! I told you Tom, I told you!" Sybil laughed.

"Here you are dear, Your daughter." Isobel cooed, and placed the baby in her mother's arms.

"Oh!" Sybil gasped, and looked to Tom who gave her a reverent kiss. "She's so beautiful."

"Just like her mother." Tom nodded. "Thank you Sybil, I love you."

"I love you!" She replied, and went on staring at her little girl.

"What will you call her then?" Edith asked.

"You choose darling, either one is fine with me." Tom told her, not taking his eyes off of the perfect baby girl with a thick mop of curly chocolate hair. Sybil grinned at him happily, and then looked up at her sisters.

"She's Saoirse Marie." Sybil said.

"Are you sure darlin? You seemed to favor-"

"No, Tom, I'm sure. just look at her. She's obviously a Saoirse." Sybil assured him, and accepted his kiss.

"I'm going to go tell Matthew the happy news." Mary said with a grin.

"And I'll go tell Mama, Papa, and Grandmama. I'm sure they're chomping at the bit for word." Edith smiled. Mary left the room and went quickly to the nursery, poked her head in, and saw that all three of her children were slumbering safely in bed, and then headed to the bedroom she shared with Matthew.

"There you are darling." He said, looking up from his book.

"We've got another niece. She's so beautiful, just like Sybil." Mary sighed dreamily and began peeling off her dress. "They've decided to call her Saoirse Marie. You know, when Sybil first told the names she was thinking of, I thought, Oh, How very Irish. But now, I can't think of a more perfect name for her daughter."

"Well, there goes my name suggestion for our next baby." Matthew teased, and Mary snickered.

"Well, I'm exhausted darling." She yawned, and slipped into bed in only her underclothes. "Eight hours. Hm. Not too long for a first baby. Edith was much worse off. I wonder how long these two will take? I hope not too long. I can't wait to hold them." She yawned again, tracing circles on her belly.

"I can't wait either. I hope one is a girl. A beautiful girl. Just like you." He sighed, setting his book aside, and placing one of his large hands over hers. She smiled at him, kissed him sleepily, and laid her head against the pillows.

...

The early morning of 3rd February, Mary woke to a pain in her back. And then another...and another. She groaned, and reached across the mattress to smack her husband across the chest. He started, and stared wide eyed at her.

"What?" He asked.

"Matthew, I think I've gone into labor." She groaned, and propped herself up on her elbows.

"What?! Now?" He gasped and almost sprang out of bed.

"Sh, shh darling. Yes, now. I'm almost certain it's real this time. It's been going on for a little while, the pains that is. I think I've had one every ten minutes or so." She sighed.

"What? This has been going on for more than ten minutes and you're just waking me now?" Matthew cried, pulling on some clothes.

"I thought they were false, like the others, because they had been rather...infrequent. But now they're coming regularly. But there is no need to panic Matthew, they aren't too close together yet." Mary assured him.

"Yes, But, do you remember what happened last time Mary?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.

"So you almost had to catch our son, I was doing the hard part!" He smiled at her, and knelt down beside the bed and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"Of course you were darling. Well, what can I do, how can I help?" He asked earnestly.

"Actually, Id like to walk around a bit, if you'd fetch my dressing gown, and then help me up." Mary instructed, and he immediately picked up her soft blue dressing gown, and draped it over his arm. "Mmm. I wonder if we should telephone Crawley house, tell your mother. Though It's very early, I suppose it cant wait just a little while."

"Alright, but as soon as you give the word, We call the doctor." Matthew nodded and slipped Mary's dainty slippers onto her feet. Mary nodded, and took his hands to rise from the mattress.

"Oof, here's another one now." Mary huffed, and gripped her husbands shoulders tightly. He held her, and pressed soft kisses against her hair as he whispered reassurances into her ear. "Alright, let's walk the halls, shall we?" She asked.

"Are you sure you're up to it? We can call in the doctor now?" Matthew suggested.

"No, no, not yet. I really want to walk some." Mary insisted, and shuffled along on her own. "Are you coming?" She asked, and in a flash Matthew was at her side, holding her hand tightly, and leading the way down the hall.

"After these two, I don't want to do this for a long time...two years at least." Mary huffed. "Two years, Matthew, I mean it."

"Yes darling." He agreed.

"We're having our babies." She sighed dreamily afterwards, and stared at the paintings on the wall. "I wonder if we'll raise them here, or somewhere...smaller."

"I don't know Mary. I really don't."

"Well regardless, I wouldn't change a thing." Mary said, and then gasped. "Well, I would have a few words for whoever decided that bringing children into this world should be so painful." Matthew fought a smile, and nodded sympathetically. They continued down the hall, the soft carpet squishing beneath their feet. A while later, Mary leaned heavily against Matthew's shoulder, bit her lip, and hissed. "Alright, Alright, I think we should get back to our room. And then perhaps...you should ring for...Anna...and have someone fetch the Doctor." She panted. Matthew carefully lifted her off of her feet, surprising her, though not unpleasantly. "How can you lift me? I- ow! I weigh as much as a...whale!"

"No you don't. You're too thin for a pregnant woman, and you know it." Matthew insisted with a smile as he kicked their door open, remind Mary very much of another instance when they had been just like this-

"You know, this is much more pleasant when it's a prelude to love making instead of labor." Mary said, and they both laughed. He sat her on the bed, and pulled the cord beside the bed. "I feel bad for waking them now. But babies don't wait for anyone- oof! Oh, Matthew, call your mother! I need her here with me!"

"I'll wait for Anna to come up. I'm not leaving you alone, not after how quickly Reggie came." Matthew insisted.

"Good, fine." Mary nodded, and kicked off her slippers. ""Let's have another baby" He said, "A great idea" He said." She grumbled. In just a moment Anna entered the room with her eyes wide.

"Mary, are you in labor?" Anna asked, forgetting all semblance of formality. "Should I call Doctor Clarkson, or Doctor Lowe? And Isobel too?"

"Uh, Call Clarkson. I don't want to wake the children at Edith and Gregory's." Mary insisted. "We can call them in a while."

"I'll go do that now." Anna promised. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, no. I'm alright. Oh, except, if it's not too much trouble, some water, and some bread?" Mary asked.

"It's not trouble at all, Mi'lady. Shall I wake Lady Sybil as well?"

"Oh, I hate to wake her, she's been getting so little sleep with the new baby." Mary said, biting her lip.

"Well, I'm up with her now." Sybil said from the door frame, making everyone jump. "Honestly Mary, it's not a bother if you wake me up because you're in labor- as if I'd miss the chance to help you. Just let me get Saoirse back to sleep, and throw on a dress, and I'll be back. And Anna, you'd best call Edith, she'll be furious if you have the babies without calling her." And Sybil vanished again.

"I'll be back in two shakes." Anna promised and vanished.

"Ooh, my back is killing me." Mary groaned.

"Here, let me." Matthew said, and happily rubbed his wife's shoulders. "Better?"

"Much, thank you darling." Mary nodded, and then bit her tongue before a scream could escape her lips. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"I wish there was a way I could do this for you." Matthew sighed.

"That's such a male thing to say." Mary laughed tensely. "But I wish you could do it too. Now, just hold me darling." Matthew happily complied, and wrapped his arms around her. She dug her fingers into his forearms and gritted her teeth. "Two years."

"Here we are, Mi'lady, water, bread, and some of Mrs. Patmore's chocolate cake, left from last night's supper." Anna said, and passed the tray to Matthew, who held it up for Mary. "I called Doctor Clarkson, he's on his way. Mrs. Crawley said she'd be over as quickly as she could, and Edith said she'd drive over as soon as she made sure that Gregory was alright with the children."

"Anna, you always take care of everything. I don't know what I'd do without you." Mary sobbed quietly, with her mouth full of bread. All of her manors and decorum were gone.

"Saoirse is down, I'm dressed, and here I am. How long have you been at this Mary?" Sybil asked as she burst through the doors.

"We've both been awake for three hours and thirty eight minutes, but Mary said she'd been having pains for a little while before then." Matthew explained.

"Do you mind if I check how you're coming along?" Sybil asked. Mary nodded, and leaned back against the pillows, eating her chocolate cake somewhat contentedly.

"Over half way dilated- Sweet baby Jesus, Mary, you know how quickly your labor goes, you should've woken us up as soon as you felt the contractions." Sybil exclaimed.

"It didn't seem to be going so quickly at first." Mary insisted.

"Well it appears to be going quickly now." Sybil laughed. Mary leaned against Matthew, and sighed.

"She says it's going quickly, but I don't believe her." Mary hissed. "If it were going quickly, it'd be over by now." Suddenly she felt another pain rip through her, worse than the others, and dug her nails into his arms. He winced, but didn't complain. Moments later, there was a knock on the door, and Carson opened the door for Dr. Clarkson.

"Hello Doctor, I've checked her progress only moments ago, she's at six, nearly seven." Sybil informed him.

"Already? On the telephone Anna said-"

"Yes, But Mary always seems to labor away rather quickly." Sybil said again.

"Not too quickly I hope, did we miss it?" Edith asked, rushing in with Isobel at her heels.

"No, no, no babies yet." Mary groaned, and buried her face in Matthew's neck.

"But it won't be long now." Sybil assured her. And it wouldn't be. Not half an hour later, Clarkson was instructing her to push. So she gritted her teeth, gripped her husbands arms, and pushed with everything she could muster.

"There you go, Lady Mary, push a bit harder, the shoulders are nearly-"

"Er! You push harder!" Mary cried. But she bore down, pulling strength from her husband, and in a matter of seconds, the room was filled with loud, healthy crying. Mary slumped against the pillows for a moment, but then felt another pain. "Dear God, there's another! But what's the first?"

"A princess." Isobel said with a grin. "She's absolutely beautiful. I'll get her cleaned up, and have her ready for you when you're finished." Mary smiled slightly.

"Thank God, Kit wouldn't have been happy if we'd have given her another bother." Mary laughed, and then gritted her teeth. "Ouch!" It felt like an eternity while she waited for the second child to come, while she waited to hold her new baby daughter. But soon enough, it was time again, and she bore down with all of her might. The second child slipped out much easier than the first, with only one great push. It's loud cry filled the room, and earned an answering cry from it's older sister. "Well?" Mary demanded.

"A girl. A second girl." Clarkson said, and passed the baby on to Sybil to prepare for the afterbirth.

"Two girls- two! Oh, Matthew, Kit will be so pleased!" Mary sobbed into his chest. Matthew grinned goofily, and pressed grateful kisses to her hair.

"Here's your princess." Isobel cooed, and pressed the wriggling bundle into her mother's arms. "She's just like you. What will you call her?" Matthew looked to Mary for permission, and she nodded.

"Esther Josephine." He said, and everyone sighed dreamily.

"How precious- oh, look at all of that hair! Just like Mary's!" Sybil cried as she beheld her niece. "Esther Josephine. I love it! And here is your other daughter." She said as she pressed the baby into Matthew's arms.

"Matthew, she has your hair, look at it, sticking up like that." Mary laughed as she reached one hand over to brush her youngest daughter's golden colored curls. "I'm glad they don't look exactly alike- I'd hate to mix them up."

"And what will you call her?" Edith asked tenderly.

"I believe we agreed on-" Mary cut Matthew off, and looked down at her perfect blonde baby, nestled in her Matthew's arms.

"I'd like to call her Anna." Mary said. Anna gasped, her hand flying to her chest- surely the future countess of Grantham didn't want to name her daughter after a maid!

"Anna Mary. Anna Mary Crawley. It's...perfect." Matthew grinned. "Does this mean-"

"No, don't even think about it, if we ever have another son, we are naming him Matthew." Mary insisted. "And you can't argue with me because I just gave you two new children." Mary giggled, and Matthew had to join in.

"I cannot wait until we get to introduce the children to these two. They're so perfect." Matthew sighed. "Thank you darling."

"No, thank you." Mary said softly, and he kissed her softly on the lips.

...

"This had better be important Murray, my wife has just given birth; and to twins. I should be helping her." Matthew grumbled. Earlier that morning, they had introduced Kit, William, and Reggie to Esther and Anna, and they had all been instantly enamored with each other. Kit had raved for nearly a full hour about her new "sissers!" and the older three had eventually worn themselves out and had fallen asleep all together on their parent's bed. The twins were napping in cradles beside the bed, and even Mary had fallen into a fitful sleep.

"Mr. Crawley, I dare say it's very important... In fact, it may be the answer to Downton's financial crisis." Murray said, and Matthew was instantly alert. "It has to do with the birth of your fifth child, a girl you named Anna Mary, I belive?"

"Yes, Esther Josephine and Anna Mary." Matthew nodded.

"Yes, yes. Now, going over the will of Isador Levinson, your wife's deceased grandfather-"

"Yes, I know who he is."

"Excellent, excellent. Now, I would've liked to discuss this with you and Mary at the same time, but with the urgent financial crisis, I thought it'd be better to speak to you immediately." Murray said. Matthew nodded, and motioned for him to continue. "Now, the late Mr. Levinson seemed to have a sort of obsession with the continuation of his bloodline. In fact, according to a letter attached to his will, his greatest disappointment was that he only had two children, and that his only son seemed to have no intention of settling down and producing an heir. As such, he created a clause in his will, which states that if any of his descendants through his son Harold, or his daughter Cora were to have a family with more than five children, an additional inheritance would be provided to said descendants in the amount of- well..." Murray took a sheet of paper from his folio, and passed it to Matthew, who stared at it slack jawed.

"You're serious? This much? For having five children?" Matthew asked.

"I'm very serious, Mr. Crawley. This amount will be given to you as soon as the paper work has been processed. The money has been sitting in a bank, locked up all this time." Murray explained, and Matthew shook his head.

"This seems...too good to be true."

"I've got all the paperwork here for you to review. And once you've signed it, all that's left is to secure Mary's signature, and then, well, it would appear all of Downton's financial troubles are ended."

...

"You're serious? This...is real?" Mary gasped. She was nursing Esther while Matthew read her the letter.

"I can't believe it either, Mary, But it's real. This money, it's ours." Matthew laughed.

"For having five children? I mean, Grandpapa Isador was always a bit eccentric, and I know he was always pressuring Mama to have more children, and pressing Uncle Harold to settle down. But I never imagined he would set aside money to reward his descendants for having children!" Mary laughed.

"Are you going to question it?" Matthew asked.

"No, absolutely not!" Mary laughed harder, and pulled Esther up on her shoulder to burp her. "So that's it...our troubles are ended? We get to keep Downton?"

"Yes, love. It's ours. Our Downton Abbey." Matthew grinned. "Our home."

"Oh darling, don't you know by now? Home is where ever you, and the children are. Sure, this house is beautiful, and it's an important part of my childhood. But our home is where ever we are. Hand me Anna would you?" Mary asked, and Matthew easily switched the baby in Mary's arms for the blonde baby in the bassinet.

"Who would have thought that the answer to our financial trouble rested in our over active fertility." Matthew laughed. Mary laughed, and settled her youngest daughter at her breast.

"I would never have guessed." Mary smiled, and accepted the kiss her offered her. "I love you so madly darling."

"I love you. And thank you." Matthew said.

"For what exactly?" Mary asked.

"Five children, three beautiful years, everything." Matthew said, and Mary kissed him again. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"You could say it more often." Mary laughed, and he pressed a kiss to her lips again. Somehow, someway, everything had worked out for them. Against all the odds, here they were, with five beautiful children, and there whole lives ahead of them.

AN: So there it is. The cheesy, beautiful, cliche family ending. All that's left now is the epilogue...and some one shots. And also, a new Downton Abbey story cooking! Thank you to all of my wonderful readers! You've all been so wonderful, even though it always took so long to update. Stay tuned for teh epilogue!

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