Hello everybody! This is my first fanfiction so please forgive my terrible writing skills!

I do not own any of the characters.


Mary lay fast asleep in the large bed, her thick hair loose and wild. He had to resist the urge to kiss her there and then, her porcelain features poised in a perfect position. He only had to lean his head slightly and- no. She needed her rest, after all she must still be worn out by the previous day's activities... not forgetting the night's spectacle either... Her head lay on his shoulder, how right that felt to him, their bodies moulded perfectly together, her back against his side. He shifted to get a closer look at her face, he wanted to savour this moment, even though there would be many more. But this was somehow... different. The first time he's been allowed to do this freely, especially in the position they are lay together. He tests his legs to find they are intertwined with Mary's slender ones, he smiles to himself, as he shifts his legs to feel the slight friction between their bodies.

There he lay silently for a few more minutes until he heard a slight change in Mary's breathing and saw her eyes starting to flicker open. She was waking up. Finally. He had dreamt of this moment, and as much as he loved watching her sleep, he was still desperate to lock his eyes with hers, to hear her voice, to see her darling smile.

She opened her eyes slightly, smiling softly at the sight of her husband smiling down at her. How long had he been like that for? She manoeuvred herself a bit to sit up. The curtains had been opened, light glaring into their room. She squinted at the daylight and shied away, covering her face. She lay back to her previous position on Matthew's shoulder which felt a lot better.

"Good morning darling."

"Good morning Matthew" she grumbled, her head turning to burrow back into his shoulder.

"I see you're not the best morning person." He remarked cheekily, grinning at her.

Mary turned to look at him, "It's the light Matthew, I cannot deal with it when I first wake! And I can be a morning person when I want to be!" she slapped his bare chest playfully, "Don't forget how early I got up to meet you at the train station to see you off that one time! 'Up before the servants' if I remember correctly"

"Yes I do remember, of course I do.", Matthew smiled inwardly to himself, "and yes I suppose it is spring so the mornings are rather more... radiant than usual."

"Yes well Anna needs to open the curtains every morning before I wake, so when I do, I don't think it's still night time and fall back to sleep! At least I only have to wake up once then, rather than being tortured!" she chuckled lightly, her voice still tired.

"You mean... Anna's seen us... like this?" he gestured to themselves, embarrassment flooding onto his face.

"Oh come on Matthew, she's a married woman herself remember, she hasn't been locked in a cellar her whole life! She knows how these things work! And anyway, we're covered aren't we? Maybe not underneath the covers but she can't see anything! Thank your lucky stars it wasn't Mama or Edith or even worse Papa"

"Oh lord. I take your point." Matthew sighed in acceptance, a look of horror on his face at the thought, "I'm sorry it still seems odd to be found in your bed" he said jokingly.

Mary turned over, putting her arms on Matthew's bare chest. "Well get used to it Mr Crawley, you're stuck with me now" she replied, attempting to look serious, "and you'll get used to it darling, I'll make sure of that" she shuffled up and kissed him lightly on the lips, hands delving into his hair.

"I'm sure I will Mrs Crawley" he beamed, kissing her again, more firmly this time," especially because I couldn't bear to sleep in my dressing room alone"

"And why is that, Mr Crawley?" she grinned seductively, coming closer, awaiting his answer.

"Well... For many reasons darling.."

Before Mary could formulate a reply Matthew was turning her over, moulding his lips to hers, holding her gently, fingers diving into her hair. Mary's hands searched across his back, feeling the grooves of his spine, all the while pulling him closer, quietly humming with contentment.

"Matthew... Can we-"

"Yes"


Thank you for reading! Please review! :)