Author's Note: I've been a DTA fanfic reader for years and after recently giving the series another watch, I decided to give writing my own stories a go using the characters. This is my first attempt at FF so please be gentle with me :) If you have any pointers, please feel free to inbox me. I'm a huge M/M shipper so that's what I'll be writing about mainly. This story is their life together if Matthew hadn't died and didn't get into that car crash.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I didn't create these characters. I own no rights to Downtown Abbey or that universe. Just using the characters etc for my own creativity.
October 1921
Mary roused quickly from sleep as she heard her newborn baby crying a few rooms down the hall. She rolled on to her side, smiling sleepily at the presence of her sleeping husband next to her. Matthew's calm breathing, his blonde hair a mess, his warmth in their bed…she was grateful everyday for him. Climbing out of bed, she pulled on her robe and quietly crossed the room, pulling the door open as quietly as she could and walked down the hall to the nursery.
Her son, George Matthew Crawley, was a mere four-weeks old and already Mary felt her heart soar every time she set her eyes upon him. Having a child was something she and Matthew had dreamed about for so long and now they had one, it felt so blissful. It was too early to tell which of his parents that George would favour in looks but Mary secretly hoped that he would have his father's bright blue eyes and blond hair.
She came to the nursery door and frowned to find the door wide open. She stepped inside the room, not making a sound as she watched Nanny West rocked the baby in her arms whilst Sybbie stood in her crib crying harshly.
"There, there, Master George, that filthy half-breed shan't wake you up again…" the nanny soothed.
But George continued to cry. Sybbie continued to cry. Mary felt a surge of anger course through her veins. The audacity! To speak that way about a child she was supposed to care for?!
"Just what do you think you are doing?" Mary shouted, walking sharply from where she stood to the nanny.
Nanny West turned around; a look of shock visible on her face.
"M-mm-my lady…." The nanny stammered.
Mary took George out of West's arms and held him tightly to her chest. The baby cried but the moment that Mary whispered reassurances in her son's ear, he settled, his little eyes opening to look up at her. She smiled down at her son and then turned her attention to her niece, Sybbie's little blue eyes red and puffy from all that crying. Her brown eyes studied her niece carefully, taking note of the red pinch marks up and down Sybbie's little arms and her brown hair mussed up as if it had been pulled. Mary felt that knot of anger in her gut twist to disgust. The apparent abuse her niece had suffered at the hands of a nanny who had been highly recommended...all because the nanny favoured the future heir to the estate over the child of a former chauffeur.
"You…disgusting…. vile woman!" Mary yelled.
The nanny burst into tears as Mary held her son tightly against her and stood in front of Sybbie. Outside the nursery, she heard voices and footsteps hurrying. Moments later, her father appeared in his robe with a look of frustration on his face.
"Mary, will you please explain what all that racket is?" her father demanded.
Cora appeared in the doorway behind her father, along with Matthew, Tom, and Edith. All wore worried expressions on their faces. Matthew moved past her father and cupped her face in his hands.
"Darling, is something the matter?" he whispered.
Mary looked back at her father, continuing to hold George protectively in her arms. Her anger and disgust were fading away by her husband's soothing presence.
"I found Nanny abusing her position with the children. She has been harming Sybbie." She informed her father.
Robert's eyes widened and Tom rushed through the doorway. Mary stepped aside to allow Tom access to his daughter. Her niece instantly held her arms up to her father and stopped crying the moment Tom wrapped Sybbie in his arms and held her tightly. Tom looked at his daughter's arms, noting the same red pinch marks that Mary had noticed. Tom turned to the nanny; his face filled with rage until Robert stepped between the two.
"Cora, please ring for Joan, she can stay with the children tonight and inform Mrs Hughes that Nanny West is to be dismissed when the sun rises. She is not to be left alone with the children." Robert instructed.
Mary watched as her mother rang the bell for the servants as Tom left the nursery with his daughter. Within minutes Joan, the new housemaid, entered the room and took George from Mary's arms. She instructed Joan that the baby needed to be brought to her in an hour so she could nurse him and hurried back to her room with Matthew, leaving her father and mother to sort out the nanny.
"Poor little Sybbie. To be left in the care of such a monstrous woman." Matthew sighed, slipping off his robe.
Mary slipped her robe off and placed it on the back of a chair as she climbed into bed. Matthew copied her movements, sliding in on his side and held his arms out for her. Smiling, she shuffled over to the middle of the bed and wrapped an arm over his chest.
"I don't believe I've ever felt such anger before, seeing those marks on her arm. I held George so tightly…I was scared to leave the two of them alone with her any longer." Mary said quietly.
"At least her actions have been found out and she has been dismissed. George is alright and I'm sure that Sybbie will be too once a more suitable nanny is found." Matthew assured her.
"I don't think I will trust anyone so openly again with our son. I want the next nanny to prove herself." Mary yawned.
She could feel Matthew smile as he placed a kiss to the top of her head. She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised to silently ask him what he was happy about.
"I told you that you were going to be such a wonderful mother." Matthew smiled.
Mary returned his smile, her heart beating happily against her chest.
"I do so love him, Matthew. He's such a perfect little child." She sighed happily.
"Your motherly instincts are setting in. Not only did you feel protective of Georgie, but you also felt protective of Sybbie too." Matthew mused.
"If I could have picked her up and held her tightly too, I would have done so. Clinging to George…the only thing I felt I could do was stand in front of her so nanny couldn't get to her." Mary muttered.
Matthew squeezed her proudly, running his free hand up to her face to cup her cheek. His thumb grazed her face gently.
"You did what you could, darling. We'll check on her tomorrow and talk with Tom if that will soothe you? But Perseus came to the princess' rescue." He smiled.
"Oh? So, I'm Perseus now?" she teased.
Matthew grinned.
"If you like." He whispered.
Mary returned his smile, leaning up his body and placed a kiss to his lips. Matthew held her tightly, running his fingers through her raven locks that had fallen out of the braid. Her eyes closed, Mary placed her hands on Matthew's face, gasping when she felt her husband untie the ribbon that held her hair in place. Matthew unravelled her hair, pulling away from her mouth as he placed her hair delicately around her shoulders.
"You're making me untidy." Mary chuckled.
"Indulge me." Matthew said hotly in her ear.
Mary felt a shiver run down her spine as Matthew looked at her with desire filled eyes as he pressed his lips to her throat, his fingers continuing to run through her hair gently. Feeling her husband's lips kissing her so slowly, so…hotly…it made her grip his shoulders and pull him to her tightly. She missed his embrace, his touch. She felt an ache inside her and a yearning for more. Matthew returned his lips to hers, caressing them softly as he moaned into her mouth.
"I've missed you darling." Mary whispered into the kiss.
Matthew smiled as he released her, continuing to hold her in his arms as he looked into her desire filled dark eyes.
"I miss you desperately, my darling. But Dr. Clarkson has yet to give approval for us to resume our usual activities." He said softly.
Mary groaned which only made Matthew chuckle. Despite feeling tired from nursing, until they could find a wet nurse given George had arrived a month early and being a new mother, she felt surprisingly well in herself. Any postpartum bleeds she had were now finished and she was resting well where she could. But she missed her husband. Sleeping next to Matthew was a dream come true, but she missed being intimate with him in more ways than one.
"Well…if we can't make love…will you allow me to please you?" Mary said playfully.
Matthew chuckled, moving forwards to meet her lips with his own once more when there was a light knock at the door. The couple moved apart quickly as Matthew gave the order for Joan to enter. The maid entered, walking quickly to Mary and handed the baby to her before exiting the room. Mary cradled the baby delicately in her arms before handing him to Matthew so she could adjust her nightgown. Her eyes watched as George opened his tiny little eyes and made a squeak as Matthew began to talk to him softly and her heart beating against her chest with joy. The baby stretched his little arms out as his father passed him to his mother and Mary held him close as George latched on to her breast.
Mary turned her attention to Matthew as he let out a loud yawn.
"Darling, go and sleep in the dressing room. It won't do you any good with all these sleepless nights."
But Matthew shook his head, looking at her through sleepy eyes.
"There is nowhere else I would rather be, Mary."
Halfway through the feed, Mary gave the baby to Matthew to burp and adjusted her nightgown so she could feed the baby from her other breast. Once the baby was back in her arms once more, George latched on to her other breast and started to feed again. She couldn't help but gaze down at her precious boy, his hair so fluffy and his skin so soft like velvet.
When they had found out that she was expecting a baby, the family had been thrilled for them. Not just at their personal happiness but the hopes that they would be doing their duty to the Earl of Grantham title. Of course, Mary felt that it was important to provide an heir for the family so that the line could continue but after learning of her trouble conceiving a child and undergoing an operation so that she could, the baby she was carrying inside her meant so much more than just providing an heir. She loved George with all her heart. And Matthew. It had always been him for her, the one she would always love, and she found herself pondering just how many more children she could have with him in the future.
She felt George stop feeding from her breast and gently handed him back to Matthew so she could readjust her gown and covered her chest. She watched as Matthew rose from the bed and handed the baby back to Mary. Matthew pulled on his robe and walked round to her side of the bed and took the baby from her.
"I'll take him back to the nursery. Sleep my love." Matthew whispered, placing a kiss to her forehead.
Mary smiled sleepily as she watched Matthew leave their bedroom. She nestled down on her side, placing one arm under her pillow to support her head and closed her eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
For the next three hours anyway.