Hi All. I've been on vacation with my family for the last week which is why this chapter is a bit later than usual. Hopefully it will be a bit of a midweek delight anyway. I'm moving to Ireland in the next two weeks, so I'm not sure how consistent I'll be able to edit/update. I'm almost done writing Chapter 16... but moving to a different country, starting a new job, moving in with new housemates- it might waylay my progress a little. I'm grateful that I'll still have this fic and my loyal, wonderful readers as a constant in all this change :)
Chapter 12: Phase Twelve- Wimbledon
The weeks began to flick by. Matthew returned to Paris one weekend. Mary had taken him to her favorite museum, which turned out to be the Petit Palais, where they had tea together in a gorgeous garden. That night, Mary brought him to a rooftop club where they both got a little drunk and watched the sunset. Matthew couldn't think of anything more wonderful than dancing with Mary, her body against his, the music pumping through them, and a light breeze bringing the smell of her perfume to his nose.
The following weekend, they'd been unable to see each other, as Matthew had a work engagement in New York and Mary had an industry thing in Paris. The next one was in spent in New York, then back to Paris again the following weekend, until the weeks began to blur blissfully together.
There were French pastries, walks in parks, and plenty of time spent with Daisy and William.
There was question after question as they worked to get to know each other.
"Do you exercise?" Matthew had asked, drinking champagne with Mary in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont on a warm June evening. He had wondered for weeks how she stayed so slim.
"I take those kitchy barre workout classes on Mondays and Wednesdays at a basement studio in the 9th. I do a morning jog Tuesdays and Thursday. Then rest on the weekend," she explained.
And then:
"What sort of films do you like?" Mary asked, lying on the couch as the credits of Funny Face rolled. She had recently revealed that Audrey Hepburn films were her favorite, but perhaps this one was her all her time favorite.
"It's rather silly," Matthew admitted, "But I'm fond of superhero movies."
"Like Batman and Robin?" Mary asked, laughing.
"Not those particularly, but I'm rather fond Captain America," Matthew told her.
"Matthew, you aren't even American," Mary giggled.
He was silent for a beat before adding, "He helps people, saves them. Sometimes I just wish I could do that."
"You do," Mary said, earnestly.
"I know," Matthew said, "But it sure would be a lot easier with super powers."
There were plenty of nights spent snuggling together. There were good morning kisses, good night kisses, "I missed you" kisses, "I like you quite a bit" kisses, "thank you for soothing my nightmare" kisses, and even the elusive "we're passing the Luxembourg Gardens again, shall we go make out for old times sake?" kisses.
But then again, that was all there was. They're relationship had lingered in the kissing stage since the incident on the day Isobel visited. Matthew didn't mind. He would rather simply kiss Mary than sleep with any other woman in the world. He treasured her now, not just the beautiful side that was easy to adore, but each of her nuances he was coming to learn. He only hoped that Mary would learn to overcome her aversion to intimacy, not for his sake, but for her own. A woman like her deserved to be worshiped in every possible way. He hoped one day she would let herself be loved, to feel the joy of intimacy with someone who thoroughly adored her. But Matthew had all the time in the world to wait for her.
If there was anything Matthew couldn't wait for, it was Wimbledon. He had secretly had a countdown on his phone for weeks. He'd been texting Atticus encouragements daily, keeping in contact to hear about how his training was going. It was paying off, well maybe it was more about Atticus' regime and not Matthew's encouragement, but whatever it was- Atticus was on fire. He won his first round match with flying colors, which prompted Mary and Matthew to head to London. Matthew had originally been planning on heading to London closer to the final, but he was frankly too excited to wait longer.
A car had picked him up at the airport to take him to Mary's family's house in London. He hadn't been surprised that the Crawley's had a family home in London, but he was surprised when the car pulled up outside a house in Belgravia.
"Of course, the Crawley's would own a property in Eaton Square," Matthew said, after giving Mary a kiss for greeting as she met him at the street.
"Does that shock you?" Mary asked, rather disbelieving.
"It probably shouldn't be at this point," Matthew acknowledged.
"We're hardly ever here," Mary told him, "But it's nice to have a place in London to stay when we pop in. And this is where we grew up. Before we moved to New York."
"Quaint," Matthew said, looking around the block of white houses lining the square.
Mary shrugged, as she took his hand to lead him in, "It's been in the family for years. I'm sure there were actual neighbors here at some point, but now it's located between an embassy and the property of a Saudi oil tycoon who is never around."
"I'm sure they are charming," Matthew teased, as he walked into the building. It was grand, decorated a bit ostentatiously with lots of glittering pieces of furniture and valuables. It was evident that it wasn't Mary's décor style. It was grand, oozing with the implication of the Crawley wealth.
"We've actually got to hurry a tiny bit if we want to make it in time," Mary explained, "I know it looks like we have loads of time, but the traffic is dreadful and Wimbledon is quite a bit outside of London proper. It's not like this is something we can miss."
"I would die to miss it," Matthew said, "Even if it is just the second round."
"Then lets put your stuff into our room," Mary encouraged, "Then you can grab a shower and change, before heading to the stadium?"
"Sounds perfect," Matthew said, as Mary began to lead him up the stairs. "Who else is here?"
"Right now?" Mary said, steering him toward a large bedroom, "Just us. If Atticus makes it to the next round, Sybil and Larry will join us. By the way, I thought it might be nice to invite Tom? We should thank him for helping Sybil in DC. They seem to get on well. Plus, he plays tennis with you, so I figured it might be rude not to have him."
"That's brilliant, Mary," Matthew said, giving her his widest smile. "Tom's mad about tennis. He'd be so shocked for that."
"Good. I'll trust you to invite him. There should be room for him. We've loads of bedrooms. If Atticus makes it to the semi-final, then mother is also likely to come stay. Same with Anna and Giovanni. Maybe Jack and Evelyn too. Papa may join us for the final, but honestly it's a long shot."
"Your father?" Matthew repeated, walking into the room (this one was much more minimalistic than the rest, with Mary's signature precision for details and colors- a room that was obviously hers).
Robert Crawley CEO was still a mystery to Matthew. While he'd met Cora and Sybil a few times, the CEO remained elusive. From what it sounded like, Robert was rarely around his family and limited the majority of communication to e-mail. In fact, this was one of very few times that Mary had mentioned him.
"He's all work," Mary explained, "One of these days I'm sure his health will punish him for his terrible combination of being a workaholic, caffeine addict, and having far too much money than is good for anyone. But until then, it's e-mails from Robert Crawley CEO."
Matthew laughed knowingly, as he dropped his suitcase on the floor beside the large bed with it's white duvet, adorned with blue and orange accent pillows. It seemed so comfortable- he couldn't help but flop onto it.
Mary let out a bubble of laughter, before flopping beside him.
"Matthew," she said, nudging him, "Go shower."
"Hmmm, tempting," He said, before placing a kiss on her lips, "But what if I'd rather do this?"
Mary indulged him for a moment, her tongue working his mouth open, her hips pressing into his. For a moment, he thought that she was going to continue, but then-
"Stop," Mary said, pulling away, a coy smile on her face, "You'll make me untidy."
"Good," replied Matthew, giving her a grin.
Then a shadow passed over her face. A crinkle set in between her two delicate eyebrows.
"You don't mind that, do you?" She asked, softly.
"Mind what, love?" He replied, doting a kiss to her nose.
She took a breath and then exhaled.
"Do you mind that everyone thinks we're sleeping together, but we aren't?" She said, her voice quiet.
"We have been sleeping in the same bed whenever we visit," Matthew said.
"You that's not what I meant," Mary said.
"Mary, please, we've been over this," Matthew said, his heart breaking at her fear.
"I know," Mary said, "But you know my reputation. You know what everyone must be thinking about us."
He put a kiss in her hair, letting his hands rise to take her face.
"Mary, I couldn't care less what people think of us," Matthew explained, "So what if they think we're having sex? I'm not upset that we aren't. I know you'll tell me when you feel less anxious about it."
She sat up, "Are you sure?"
"Of course, I'm sure," He said, sitting up beside her, running a hand through her hair, "I'm always sure about you, Mary."
She put a small chaste kiss on his lips, "Okay, no more sap, go shower. I'll make you a cappuccino for the drive over."
He gave her small salute and crooked smile, before heading into the en suite.
Then life launched back into blurr mode. Mary and Matthew attended the match that evening. To everyone's delight and not much surprise, Atticus won his match. As much as Mary loved having the house to themselves, Sybil, Larry, and Tom arrived bringing new energy. They went to Wimbledon most days to watch the tennis, even if Atticus wasn't playing- they wanted to know who he would play against in the upcoming rounds. It was exhilarating to experience it all- the uproar then the promising Serbian player got out early in the tournament, the surprise when a Swiss player got out earlier than expected. They'd chat with Rose while there. She was devoutly focused to Atticus' success. They had their own apartment in London, separate from the Crawley's, as Atticus couldn't be distracted by anything. After his disaster at the French Open, his ranking had dropped immensely. He needed to do well on grass to make a come back.
After taking in the sport, the small group would take turns taking each other to their favorite spots in London- bars, parks, restaurants, museums with late hours. Mary hadn't lived in London since she was a girl, but she had picked up favorite places to visit on all of her trips back. Sybil found a way to drag them into painting a mural at a park in dodgier part of London one late afternoon. Matthew met up one afternoon with some old friends from Oxford, who were the sort of genuinely kind and thoughtful people she could imagine Matthew being friends with.
Even Larry seemed more tolerable than usual, surprising them all by hosting a party on the London Eye. It was both ostentatious and touristy, things that normally would make Mary cringe. But Mary was full of optimism and kindness, products of being surrounded by love and friendship- which allowed her to forgive Larry for his pretentiousness.
Tom and Matthew got on well. Mary liked seeing him with his best friend. They had inside jokes she didn't know and stories that they mentioned in hushed voices with laughter after- but she didn't mind it. She liked that comradarey, it reminded her of her friendship with Anna. On the other hand, there was something particularly awkward between Sybil and Tom. Sybil seemed to be going out of her way to avoid Tom. Mary wondered if she had maybe made the wrong call to invite the man who been her sister's knight in shining armor.
When Atticus made it to the quarter final, England went wild. The whole country seemed brimming with excitement. Atticus was theirs and to have him win on home tuff would mean everything. Anna and Giovanni flew in from Rome. They celebrated Atticus' victory in the quarterfinal by cooking a delicious Italian dinner for all those staying the house on Eaton Square.
However, the cooking ceased when Cora arrived for the semi-final, bringing along the family cook and a small staff to maintain the building. Jack Ross arrived, as did Evelyn. Realizing they had extra space, and as a gesture of good-will, Mary invited Duke Crowborough and Thom Barrow. She hoped that might help the public make peace with the fact that she was truly over their parting.
It was through these two weeks of thorough joy that Mary felt herself finally separating herself from the pain of the winter. She had been with Matthew for almost two months now. Things were good, really good. She was beginning to believe that Matthew might be able to touch with her without feeling Kamal's grimy hands. She was beginning to believe that she could let Matthew take the relationship further without her stomach clenching for a betrayal like Tony's. She was beginning to trust again. She was beginning to love again.
So when it was confirmed that Atticus would be playing the Wimbledon final, she began to wonder where this refreshingly positive outlook might take them next.
Mary dressed carefully for the final. She knew that they'd been there each day, but that the final was covered more extensively and it was more than likely that she and Matthew would grace televisions world wide during some strategic crowd shots. She had a dress made for this occasion weeks ago, just in case. It was navy, with scalloped cap sleeves and hemline. Matthew's navy suit would look nice alongside it. She used her nicest make up to craft her look. It was a warm day, so she wore her hair up in a classy bun. She found a handbag that matched, but could also store Daisy. She had called ahead weeks before the tournament to guarantee that her rabbit would be allowed entrance.
"Are you nearly ready?" Asked Matthew, exited the bathroom.
Mary gave him a smile, turning once in the mirror to take in her look.
"I think so," She said, "And you?"
She turned to him now. His navy suit brought out the blue in his eyes, which were always striking, but today particularly more than ever. His golden hair was combed into a neat looking professional look. A light blue tie hung around his neck, a tad crooked. Mary leaned over to straighten it.
He pressed a kiss to her lips, "I think I'll do."
"As do I," Mary said, taking his hand.
"Though I'm terribly nervous for Atticus," Matthew remarked, wringing his hands.
"Don't be," Mary said, taking one of his hands in hers, as they made their way down to the ground floor, "He's made it this far. We'll be proud of him regardless."
"Ah, there you are," Cora said, "I've fixed the cars. We'll ride four a piece. I'm going with Sybil, Larry, and Tom. Jack, Evelyn, Duke and his boyfriend will take another. What's his name again?"
Mary sighed, "Thom."
"Right. Well, you two can go with Anna and Giovanni," Cora directed.
"Sounds lovely," Mary agreed, then paused before asking, "Papa, isn't coming is he?"
Cora gave a chagrinned frown, "Sorry, dear, he's in Hong Kong for a meeting. He couldn't make it."
Mary's heart sunk a hair. It had been a while since she saw her father. She was very much past the days of her life where her father's absence was a major disappointment to her, but she still felt disgruntled that he wasn't here. Was anything important enough for him?
"Too bad for him, missing such brilliant tennis," she shrugged, as she pulled Matthew towards the car where their friends were waiting.
Anna looked stunning as always, in a white lace dress, her blond hair curled loosely. Giovanni beside her was dressed in a crisp black suit.
"You both look brilliant," Mary said.
"Thanks," Anna said.
"So what do you think?" Giovanni asked, with his heavy Italian accent, "Do you think that Atticus Alridge will beat that Canadian player?"
"Well, with some many twists and turns this year, who can tell," Matthew commented on the opponent, "But I think Atticus has a good chance. He'll have the crowd on his side."
"We'll have to celebrate him regardless," Mary said, "He's family. We'll be proud of him either way."
Mary watched as Matthew gapped at her in small awe. Family. She considered him part of her family now. It was the kind of statement that should have frightened her to say normally, but it didn't now. She knew that was exactly right- the words flying out her mouth without regret. He was part of make-shift family that was bigger than her blood. It was a group of friends, of people who genuinely cared for each other in profound ways. Of course, Matthew was part of that.
She watched him gracefully closed his mouth and she kissed his cheek. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. She nestled her head onto his shoulder as the drive began.
The caravan of hired cars arrived at the stadium through a special entrance for distinguished guests. Rose was standing their waiting for them.
"I'm so please you all arrived," she said, giving her aunt and cousins kisses on the cheek.
"Where is Atticus?" Cora asked, her face wrinkled as she searched about for him.
"Sorry Aunt Cora, Atticus can't come see you before the match. He is getting focused and warming up," Rose explained. "I'm actually about to go and check on him. I'll be sitting in the Royal Box for the match."
"That's outstanding, Rose," Sybil ooed, "You'll have to take loads of selfies with the princess."
Rose laughed, "We'll see. Regardless of what happens there is going to be a huge party in Atticus's honor tonight. Everyone who is everyone will be there, so you all are very welcome."
"We'll be there," Mary said, clasping her hand, "This whole motely crew."
Rose gave her a smile, "I hardly would regard you bunch of musicians, designers, and politicians as motely, Mary. But we'll be honored to see you then non-the-less."
"Tell Atticus we say good luck," Matthew said.
"I will," Rose said, "Enjoy the match! See you later!"
They made their way to their seats. They were good seats, situated right in the center. The Crawley's owned them, which is how they'd been able to attend all of Atticus's games.
Mary was seated between Matthew and Anna.
"Do you want me to grab you a drink?" Mary asked, "It is rather warm."
"No, I'm too nervous," Matthew whispered. Mary exchanged a smirk with Anna. There was something terribly endearing about seeing Matthew so nervous about tennis.
"Look, there he is!" Anna said, excitedly.
Atticus walked onto the court to huge applause. The crowd, full of England's most important people, clearly wanted him to win. Mary felt a well of pride for Atticus. Regardless of how he would play today, he had united people for a common hope.
The other player walked on to small applause. Mary imagined that if this was America there would be loud boos. She recalled that from university football matches. But here there were polite claps, despite the fact that the entire audience hoped he would lose.
There was a brief warm up before the match began. Matthew grabbed Mary's hand, holding on tightly, as she placed a reassuring kiss on his cheek.
Tennis was one of the few sports she could tolerate watching. She was very blessed that her cousin was with a tennis player, and not some golfer or gran prix racer. Tennis didn't drag on like golf, or terrify her like racing. Mary had grown up attending tennis tournaments. It was the sort of gentleman's sport that the Crawley's could be seen attending. There was a cleverness to it that Mary loved to engage in, guessing how the player would challenge the next. It wasn't a sport of brauniness, but agility, intelligence, and strength.
Mary had liked watching Atticus play before he had begun to date Rose, so she had been nothing but delighted at their relationship. Still now, after several years of Atticus being part of the family, she enjoyed watching him play immensely. His fast and powerful serves were thrilling. He was smart, good at confusing opponents. He was nimble, as well, traversing the court easily.
Despite all of this, Atticus managed to lose the first set.
"It's still anyone's game, Matthew," Mary soothed, as she watched Matthew's face crumple.
"If anyone can make a comeback, its Atticus," Tom reaffirmed from behind them.
Mary watched Rose from across the court. Her face carried no trace of worry. Her blonde hair was up in a sophisticated bun, with springs dancing around her face. She was dressed in a mint dress with a pattern of white flowers across it. Mary traced Rose's gaze to where she exchanged an encouraging smile with Atticus below. Then she was turning to whisper something to the Princess.
"Rose doesn't look worried," Mary commented.
Matthew nodded stiffly.
"Then lets not worry either," Anna encouraged, "Send him all our positive thoughts, shall we?"
The second set began with Mary clutching Matthew's hand tighter than ever as Atticus lost the first two games. Yet then, Atticus turned it around to win the rest of the set and propelled the game into a third set tiebreaker.
Atticus took an easy lead at the beginning of the tiebreaker. In the middle, it seemed as his Canadian opponent would win. Atticus managed the comeback and won.
"He won!" Exclaimed Matthew with pure glee, turning to Mary to kiss her full on. She tried to hold back her giggles at how madly delighted Matthew looked. After all, Mary herself was ecstatic.
Atticus was lying on the court, a giddy grin plastered on his face as he relished his victory. Rose's face was awash in excitement and glowing with pride. The stadium was rising to their feet to applaud. There was a ceremony with a trophy and flowers and clapping and…
Just like that the beautiful blurr whisked them somehow to the party. Rose, too caught up with Atticus, texted them the address. They were whisked away in their cars there. It was held in an estate, in nearby Richmond Park, done up with decorations. There were outdoor tents and sparkling lights and cupcakes that looked like tennis balls. Mary wasn't sure who was paying for it- it wasn't the Crawley's, surprisingly. She knew that Atticus himself came from quite a bit of money, so she supposed that maybe his own family had hosted it.
The party was star-studded, so she spent the first hour milling about with Matthew on his arm. She introduced him to acquaintances- film stars, musicians, models, athletes, and a few others like her who were famous for no other reason than being related to someone with an absorbent amount of money. Matthew took it like a champ, being endearingly charming to each person he greeted. She wondered if he was fazed to meet so many famous people at once. It was normal for her, but she suspected this was slightly out of the ordinary for him.
When there was a lag in socializing, Mary snagged a bottle of champagne, two flutes, and dragged Matthew off to an unoccupied balcony. She wasn't entirely sure if it was a part of the house they were allowed to be in, but she wanted some peace with Matthew.
"How are you holding up?" Mary asked.
"Me? I'm swell," Matthew said, "I do wish we'd get a chance to congratulate Atticus."
There had unfortunately been a swarm of people surrounding the Wimbledon champion since they arrived.
"I'm sure they'll be time later," Mary confirmed, "You aren't overwhelmed with celebrities, are you? We can go if it is too much."
"No, not at all! We just had a conversation with an actor from my favorite movie," Matthew enthused, "Besides, I did a bit of this with Lavinia. I'll survive."
Mary perched the two flutes on the ledge of the balcony, pouring champagne into them. She passed Matthew a glass, before turning to lean forward against the stone ledge, looking out over the grounds. The woods were dark in the night. She could hear music, provided by a hired big band playing jazz standards, wafting out over the lawn and trees.
"You know," Mary said, "My sister is having her wedding at an old estate like this."
"Is she?" Asked Matthew.
"It's a few hours west of London, in Berkshire," Mary explained, "It looks lovely in the pictures. It would be a rather splendid place to have a wedding. I'm not quite sure it is Sybil's taste, but it is very fairytale-like, so I think she'll like that."
"I can't wait to see it," Matthew said, putting his flute down to wrap an arm around Mary.
"Actually, Sybil, Larry, and Mother are off to visit it tomorrow," Mary told him, "So, I'm sure we'll find out more about it soon."
"Mmm," Matthew hummed, dipping his face into her hair to kiss it. "I've really enjoyed being here with you the last week or so."
"Me too," Mary whispered back, putting down her champagne to wrap her arms around him.
"But secretly, I'll be quite happy when we have time for just us," Matthew admitted, "I like spending time with just you."
Mary pressed his lips to his. His lips parted, as his free hand began to card through her hair. Mary sighed as the back of his hand brushed against her neck.
"Do you think," Mary said, lightly, "If we left now, we'd make it home before anyone got there?"
"Why would that matter?" Matthew asked.
Mary let her eyebrows raise in a way that she hoped looked coy, letting a sly grin creep across her mouth.
"Oh," Matthew said, "Oh. Are you sure, Mary? We have forever. We don't have to do this tonight."
Mary kissed him again, letting him press her lower back into the balcony. His mouth moved her neck, the light scratch of his scruff tickling her sensitive neck.
"I want tonight," she whispered into his ear.
He kissed her again, his teeth scrapping lighting.
"I want you," she whispered.
He moved to kiss her lips again, his hands wrapping around her back, holding her tight, holding her close to him.
"I want it all," she whispered to him.
"Then," He said, kissing above her ear, "Let's," He kissed the top of her forehead, "Go."
They left the half drunk bottle of champagne and the flutes on the balcony, and began to retrace their steps out of the party.
They passed through a large hall where people were dancing to a jazz band. Some people were rather good, swinging each other around and doing trick steps. There were others seated on luxurious couches, drinking champagne and chatting. It was a lively sight, which made Mary almost want to stay longer.
Rose and Atticus were standing in the center of a large hall. Matthew approached them.
"You were brilliant," He told Atticus sincerely, shaking his hand.
"Well, all your inspirational text messages definitely helped my mindset," Atticus replied, "Thank you for that, Matthew."
"You really were brilliant," Mary affirmed, "We are all really proud to have you as part of the family."
Atticus leaned forward to Mary's ear, "So you wouldn't mind if I, say, wanted to join you all permanently."
"You mean you are going to propose?" Mary whispered, feeling a rush of excitement for her cousin.
Atticus tossed her wink, "I don't want to steal Sybil's thunder. So it won't be for a bit, but it's in the works."
Mary grinned back.
Rose, who'd been talking to Jack Ross, an old friend of hers, turned back to them. She had evidently missed what Atticus had said. Mary had to fight the urge to begin celebrating already.
"Did you have a good time?" Rose asked.
"This was a lovely party," Mary told her.
"Good, I'm so glad," Rose ooed.
"We're going to head out now," Mary informed her cousin, kissing her cheek, "But I'll talk to you soon. Enjoy the rest of your party, Atticus."
"Thank you, Mary, Matthew," He said, nodding at each of them.
They sauntered through the hall. Mary felt a joy buzz throughout her. They were on their way home. They were finally going to come together. She was finally ready. It felt as if nothing could touch her anymore. There was no room for darkness or anger or hurt in anymore. Mary was about to keep going through the door, when Matthew tugged on her hand.
"Mary, would you indulge me in a dance before we leave?" Matthew asked, opening his arms.
She smiled and nodded. Everything seemed sparkly and starlit in this place, she would gladly share a dance with Matthew before their night began.
She stepped into his embrace and began to sway with him gently. Neither of them were swing dancers, but the music was slow enough to get away with dancing like this.
"I just," Matthew began, "I just wanted a moment more to show you off to the world."
Mary looked up at him, her heart swelling.
"Mary, I can't begin to tell you how precious the last few months have been to me. I can't begin to tell you how precious you are to me Mary."
"You're precious to me too," Mary told him, "I'm constantly surprised that someone as smart, as caring as you, has found me."
"I just wish I'd found you sooner," Matthew said, kissing her neck.
He nuzzled his head into her neck. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the moment. She was safe. She was treasured. It felt so good.
"Shit."
Mary blinked her eyes open.
"Don't look behind you, Mary," Matthew said, "Please don't. Just keep your eyes on me."
She felt her forehead crinkle. "What is it, Matthew? What's wrong?"
Mary couldn't help it. Curiosity tugged her head to turn, to glance behind herself. The sight she found there gave her a shiver down her whole body.
No, it couldn't be, not here. Not now. Not them.
"Shit," Mary echoed.
Thanks for reading! Next chapter a lot of things that you've been waiting for will happen- sooooo get pumped (and be mindful that the rating may change to M... but a rather discrete M).