AN: Here it is, the epilogue! Thanks to all of my faithful readers who have been waiting years for the ending of this story! Well, it's here now, an epilogue for all of you wonderful human beings! There will be some one shots of this in the future, and I'll try to post in this story when there's a new one shot available. I'm also drafting a new Downton Fiction, if you're interested in reading it, I hope to have the first chapter posted soon!

Two Years Later

"Lord Grantham, she's ready." Anna said, cracking the door open for him.

"Thank you, Anna." Matthew smiled, and adjusted little Anna in his arms as Cora moved in closer with Esther. "Well my darlings, are you ready?"

"I dunno. Is a boy, or a girl?" Catherine asked, putting her hands on her hips. Now four years old, Catherine was already starting to grow out of her babyish proportions, and was looking more like Mary with each day that passed.

"You'll have to go in to find out." Matthew said with a devious grin. "Are you ready?" This time Catherine nodded, and reached for Williams hand.

"Come on Willie, let's see new baby!" She giggled.

"Now remember my darlings, Mama is going to be tired and need to stay in bed a bit. So we mustn't be too loud, or leap on the bed, yes?" Matthew said, looking specifically at Reggie, who'd become something of a trouble maker as he'd aged.

"Yes Papa." The three eldest said in unison, and even the youngest twins, who had celebrated their second birthday not a week ago nodded in apparent understanding. Satisfied, Matthew swung the door open, and William and Catherine ran in with Reggie close on their heels.

"After you, Cousin Cora." Matthew said respectfully.

"Thank you, my son." She said with a slight smile and passed into the room.

"Come in my darlings, come in!" Mary laughed, looking away from the little bundle in her arms for perhaps the first time in half an hour.

"Mama!" William exclaimed, and ran to the edge of the bed before remembering his promise to behave. He slowed himself and looked up at his mother shyly through the mop of brown curls that Mary knew needed to be cut soon, though the thought made her sad. His eyes, still as blue as the day he was born, asked a silent question and Mary nodded. With a perfect smile, William climbed up on to the bed.

"Kit too?" Catherine asked quietly, with Reggie peering from behind her.

"Yes, yes, all of you, come up here, come meet your new brother." Mary said, and quickly they climbed up the side of the bed to gaze on the face of their newest sibling.

"A brother?" Kit asked, a bit crestfallen.

"Yes, a boy." Mary said, holding him a bit lower as Cora and Matthew approached the bed with the younger two.

"Good. I's love him." William said, grinning as he laid his head against Mary's shoulder.

"What's called?" Kit asked, looking to her Papa.

"Matthew Robert Crawley." He said shyly.

"Oh!" Cora gasped, and set Esther down on the bed where the little brunette girl quickly crawled into her older sister's lap. "May I?" She asked, and Mary nodded. She placed her new son in her mothers arms. Cora fought back tears, and then suddenly, she was smiling, really smiling, for the first time since Robert's passing eight months prior. He had gone peacefully, surrounded by his children and his loved ones, and though they had been expecting it, it was still difficult to accept. "He is beautiful."

"Thank you, Mama." Mary said with a grin.

"They're all beautiful. You're children." Cora said, and ran her index finger along her newest grandson's nose.

"I know." Mary smiled coyly, and then pressed a kiss to William's hair.

...

"Our family gatherings could be considered a disturbance of the peace if we had any close neighbors!" Edith laughed as Robert and Reginald chased each other wildly with new wooden swords that Grandmama Violet had bought for them.

"A good thing we haven't then." Mary grinned. With one hand she was rocking baby Matthew's cradle, and with the other she was soothing a distressed Esther.

"Six children. I don't know how you do it Mary, I really don't." Sybil sighed, and ran a hand over her belly. Only one week ago, she and Tom had announced that they were expecting their second child.

"I'd have a harder time of it if I didn't have so many helping hands." Mary grinned. Even as she spoke, Anna was helping little Anna in the powder room, Matthew was patching up Kit's scraped knee, and Cora and Isobel were keeping a diligent eye on the three boys with their swords.

"Edith darling?" Gregory said as he approached.

"Yes?" She answered.

"I think Imogene needs fed." He explained, handing the ten month old baby to her mother. Edith grinned, and stood.

"Yes, of course. If you'll excuse me." She said, and walked towards the library.

"Ten great grandchildren. Who would have thought I'd live to see it?" Violet laughed from the chair she was perched on. She still sat tall, and elegant, even in her advanced years.

"Eleven, soon, Granny." Sybil reminded her.

"If I make it that long." Violet sighed peacefully. She was content with her life, having seen so much that was good, and so much that went wrong. Somehow, everything had balanced out. And now, she sat surrounded by grandchildren, and great grandchildren...and everything was perfect.

...

"All asleep?" Mary asked, looking up from her book.

"All asleep." Matthew nodded, and pulled his tie loose. Mary rose from the bed, and began undoing his buttons for him. "Where does Reggie get all of that energy? William was never like that."

"I'm afraid he's inherited my unruly streak, as Carson likes to call it." Mary grinned as Matthew shrugged off his shirt. "The girls went down fairly easily. Kit was exhausted, and Anna and Esther always do whatever Kit does."

"Six children in five years. Not bad." Matthew laughed. "Though, we probably could've done seven, if we hadn't held off for two years."

"Two years exactly. You know, when I said two years between children, I meant oh, two, maybe three years and then perhaps I'd conceive again and have the child nine months later." Mary laughed.

"Would you change it?" Matthew asked.

"And give up my precious little Matthew? Are you insane?" Mary gasped. As he went to put on his pajama shirt, she reached out a hand to stop him. "I don't think you'll be needing that just yet."

"Oh? Are you sure?" Matthew asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"It's been two and half months Matthew. I'm fine." Mary assured him, and as if she needed to convince him further, she tugged at the tie of her dressing gown to reveal a very lacy, pretty pink nightgown.

"Is this...the one from-"

"Our wedding night?" Mary asked, doing a little pirouette. "It is, actually. I thought it might be time to wear it again."

"It certainly is." Matthew stammered, and kissed her passionately.

Later, they lay with her head on his chest, listening to his steady, still accelerated heart beat. His fingers played absently with her long dark hair, and her fingers traced the pattern of his chest.

"I can't believe it's been five years. Almost six." Mary sighed, and tilted her face up to look at him. "Will you still love me when I'm old and gray?"

"Mary Crawley, I will love you, until the last breath leaves my body. And a good while after that." He promised her with a grin. "I told you once, in a letter, that if I could only be at your side, then nothing else would matter. And nothing does, except for you, and our family."

"Our family." Mary grinned. "God, I love you Matthew Crawley, my darling. Forever."

He kissed her again, and they reveled in their own quiet, passionate moment of forever.

AN: So there was the epilogue! Keep your eye out for those one shots and for my New story "The Heir", coming soon! Thanks so much! It's been an honor to write for you