Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none since the story takes place in 1906

Summary: It is Christmas at Downton! Surely Lady Mary cannot sleep in on Christmas? With a little "help" from her sister and Matthew Mary makes it down to open presents and attend church. Patrick invites Matthew for a ride on the estate. And in the middle of it all Mary and Matthew's friendship solidifies even more, all very innocent, but very important for their future.

Special thank you to the lovely Tambear for catching missing commas, odd grammar and offering excellent suggestions & advice!

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Thank you for reviews and comments. The posting/revising happens faster with feedback (it's a fact!). Love it, love it! Please feel free to drop me a line.

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Chapter 6/9 – Christmas Morning

"Merry Christmas!" Sybil cheered and leaped onto Mary's bed. "Mary! Wake up, it's Christmas!"

Mary pulled the coves over her head. "Merry Christmas. I love you. Now go away," she muttered.

Sybil bounced on the bed, pulling at the covers. "I'll show Matthew your under things," she giggled and let go of the covers.

Mary instantly tossed the covers back and gaped at her sister and a very amused Matthew who stood in the middle of the room with his arms folded.

"Don't you dare!" Mary yelled at Sybil. "I'll smack you so hard you won't be able to sit until summer!"

Sybil stuck out her tongue at Mary and hid behind Matthew.

"It's Christmas ladies," he said amused. "Let's not fight."

"I'm sorry," Sybil said and swung her arms around her, looking at Mary.

"I'm sorry too, darling. You know I would never hurt you," she said and smiled at Sybil.

Sybil ran over and threw her arms around Mary's neck, hugging her hard. "I know," she whispered.

As her head rested on Mary's shoulder Sybil spotted something on Mary's nightstand.

"Oh! Mary, you got a sugar mouse!"

"I did?" Mary said and smiled at Matthew over Sybil's shoulder. "Is it pink? Pink is my favorite."

"It is! It is!" Sybil said excitedly. "I got one too. Edith got a yellow one. She likes them the best. Father Christmas must be very clever to know that."

Mary nodded. For the sake of Christmas she had told Matthew the truth about Edith's favorite.

"Come on you two, we need to go downstairs. Grab your stocking," he said to Mary and pointed at her full stocking hanging on her bed.

Mary grinned and grabbed it and her robe. Together the three ran downstairs perhaps a bit faster and less well-behaved than they should, but it was after all Christmas and everyone should be allowed to behave a little bit like a child on this day.

.

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Even if you knew the fact that you would not have much time to play with your gifts until after church it was still hard to set them aside and get dressed for church. Eventually the small caravan of carriages brought the Crawleys and their visiting guests to the Downton church. It was very festive and Sybil grabbed Mary's hand a bit tighter smiling at her. The Crawleys, led by Lord Grantham took their regular seats. Mary was sitting next to her mother as usual with Sybil next to her and Edith on the other side of Sybil. Patrick was the last to join them.

Mary glanced at Matthew over her shoulder. He was sitting with his mother in the row behind them on her left. He smiled at her and she returned it. When her mother told her to pay attention she rolled her eyes and faced forward again.

Matthew tried to make out Mary's voice amongst the ones around him. He smiled a little when he managed to hear her clear voice for a moment. He glanced at her, but her face was turned forward. Her hair was tied in a dark red ribbon and she wore a dark coat and matching hat. For a young lady she was very pretty he thought. Movement on Mary's right made him smile. Sybil was making faces at him. When Mary noticed she pulled her sister down and whispered something in her ear. Matthew wished that he knew what she was saying. Apparently it was not amusing to Sybil because she tilted her chin up and folded her arms. Matthew suppressed an urge to laugh at the two.

.

.

"What have you got there, Cousin Matthew?"

Matthew looked up from the book he was reading. Patrick Crawley was standing there grinning at him.

"Oh hello," he said and smiled. He held up the book. "It was a gift from Lord Grantham."

"Ah, Wells," Patrick said and nodded. "Some of his stories are amusing, but many are much too tedious. All that talk about how rotten our society is and how we would all be better off in his perfect little utopia."

"So you do not agree with him then?" Matthew asked.

"Heavens no!" Patrick said and laughed. He made a grand gesture. "We would hardly have all this in Wells' world."

"I gather not," Matthew said with a somber nod. "But perhaps it would be worth it?"

"You are a philosopher then?" Patrick teased. He patted Matthew's shoulder. "Don't let Robert hear you, he will surely blow a gasket."

Matthew smiled and shrugged. "I am too young to make any changes or impact our society anyway."

"You're off to university soon, aren't you?" Patrick said. "You will join others there for challenging intellectual conversations amongst gentlemen."

"No ladies," Matthew said with a mischievous grin.

"Are you mad? What would women have to add to an intellectual conversation?"

Matthew felt anger rise inside, but he pushed it away. Patrick was a fool if he could not see that women were not only intelligent, but that they also had very good ideas.

"You would be surprised," he said.

"Do you ride?" Patrick said, changing the topic to one he enjoyed more.

"I do."

"Then you should ride out with us tomorrow."

"Us?" Matthew said and raised an eyebrow.

"I am chaperoning Edith and Mary. You should come. It will be fun. I'm sure Lynch can find you a horse that suits your taste."

"Thank you, Cousin Patrick, but I fear that I will have to decline the offer since I did not bring my riding gear. I am not equipped to go riding."

Patrick waved the objection away. "Nonsense. I'm sure that I have something you can wear, or perhaps Robert does."

Matthew nodded. "If you don't mind." Patrick rolled his eyes and Matthew chuckled. "Then let's do it."

"Excellent, old chap," Patrick said and slapped his shoulder.

Matthew watched him leave and sighed. He was not entirely sure how he felt about Patrick. Clearly Patrick's life had been much different from his own. The thought of Mary and Patrick together bothered Matthew to no end. He tucked his book under his arm and went in search for a quiet spot to be alone and read.

.

.

Mary snuggled deeper under the covers. Her room seemed cooler than usual and she had pulled the bed curtains. She rubbed her feet against each other and then put them back on the hot water bottle. Rolling onto her back she thought about the day. It had been a very nice Christmas actually. She had received some lovely gifts, including the promise of a new frock. Sybil had given her five new ribbons. Mary chuckled to herself as she remembered Sybil's excited chatter about them being the same color as her new frocks. Sybil was a darling; Mary concluded and turned onto her side. She closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would go riding with Edith and Patrick. And Matthew. Her eyes opened and she sighed. The outing which had sounded dreadful at first, now sounded very lovely.

A soft click startled Mary and she sat up in bed. "Is someone there?" she asked a little scared.

"It's just me," Matthew whispered and pulled the curtains open.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "You know you should not be here."

"I've already been here several times, remember?" he teased and stretched out on the bed next to her, but staying on top of the covers.

"That was different," she hissed.

Matthew sighed and looked at her for a moment. "Do you really mind? I promise to behave like a gentleman."

Mary sighed and nodded. "I know."

"Please promise not to laugh," he said softly. She tilted her head and looked at him in the dim light. "I sometimes just feel so lonely."

"Oh Matthew," Mary said sadly.

"You know," he said and moved a little closer. "When you're a little boy you don't think of that there will someday come a time when it is no longer appropriate to run to your mother for a kiss and comforting embrace. You just take it for granted. When that day eventually comes, you realize that you did not even know that the last time, really was the last time."

He looked at Mary who nodded. "It is different for girls," she whispered.

"So I am stuck in this cold place where I will have to wait until I get married to feel a woman's touch again," he said a little embarrassed.

"Would you...?" Mary started, but faltered when he looked at her.

"What is it?" he encouraged.

"Would you want a hug?" she whispered.

"You would not mind?" he asked, worried that she would take the offer back.

She shook her head. Matthew moved closer to her and she opened her arms. He wrapped his arms around her and they just held each other for a long moment. Mary moved her hand over his back and he tightened his hold on her a little. When he pulled away they looked at each other and he smiled at her. He then stretched out again and to Mary's surprise he put his head in her lap.

"Is this all right?" he asked, almost shyly.

"Yes."

They spoke softly, trading secrets and worries. Mary did not exactly know when she had started to play with his hair, only that she liked it. He had nice hair, she concluded. When her eyes eventually closed her hand fell from his hair as she relaxed in sleep. Matthew turned and wrapped his arm around her as they slept.

A few hours later Matthew woke, shivering in the cool room. He was still on top of the covers in Mary's bed. He looked up at her. She was beautiful in sleep, her chest rising and falling slowly, her eyes closed, long dark eyelashes resting on her pale cheeks. Her braid was coming apart, dark locks spreading on the pillow. He touched her hair and twirled the end of the braid around his finger. She sighed in her sleep, but did not wake up. Letting go of her hair Matthew took her hand that rested on top of the covers. Her fingers were cool and he slowly rubbed them and then placed a kiss on her knuckles before sliding off the bed to return to his own room.

*** L MJC ***

Matthew is a little gentleman, don't you agree? Will Sybil ever overcome the temptation to wake her sister in the morning? What's the deal with Patrick?

In Chapter 7 the older Crawley children have an outing on horseback. Matthew gets to meet Mary's and Edith's ponies. Someone has an accident and Mary gets in trouble with her father.