For Cora, the Duchess of Grantham, it was clear that an 8th Wonder Of the World needed to be added to the grand list: Matthew Crawley.

Not because of anything he had done himself, of course, but rather how he had so taken her family and led each and every one of them in wild and strange directions that she could never have predicted. Cora had assumed, naively perhaps, that the family would have a few disagreements concerning the new heir but would all end up coming to an agreement on him; namely if they would accept him or if they would fight to get Mary what she deserved. Instead it seemed that the Crawleys had decided that rather than, to borrow a phrase from Robert, "close up ranks" they'd rather scatter about in a multitude of different directions.

Cora, from her chair in Mary's room, watched as Anna helped her two youngest get ready, considered their reactions. Edith's had been easy to predict as it fit her rather contradictory personality so well. The definition of 'middle child' (the one who was neither eldest or youngest, the leader or the baby, yet both at the same time), her personality had always been a mix of an old soul with a childish temperament. Edith tried to hold herself as more mature than she truly was and would, more often than not, ruin the effect by allowing her easily bruised ego dominate her reactions, like a child given a mild scolding who acted as if they had been whipped. Such was the case with Matthew. She tried to be noble, to hold herself as above what she saw as the pettiness of Mary when it came to the new heir, but it was clear this was as a way to needle Mary about Patrick than it was about Matthew himself. Cora knew of Edith's crush on Patrick but it seemed that in death he had become her shield and her lance at which to attack all. She had claimed both that they were far too quick to forget Patrick and that they weren't being far to Matthew by clinging to a dashed dream. It would have been amusing if the contradiction hadn't been so tiring.

'And then there is Sybil,' Cora thought. 'She is the surprise but I suppose her being the surprise is, well, no surprise at all.'

Her youngest had shocked them all by being Matthew's biggest supporter in those early days after the news of just who he was had been revealed. She had said, in her own blunt and passionate ways, that "life is simply too short to allow the ghosts of the past to haunt us. We could die a hundred years from now or tomorrow. We could suffer a grievous wound, be struck by a carriage, or die in our beds as our loved ones sobbed for us not to leave them." She'd then gotten a far off look in her eyes before stating, "is it not better to simply embrace what life throws at us, rather than wage a tiring fight to make it heed our commands?" She'd then smiled and stated she'd be out in the gardens reading, the strange mood she'd suddenly taken leaving her.

Cora could still hear Violet murmur, "From the mouths of babes, I suppose".

Of her mother-in-law Cora was of two minds (as was the case more often than not, it seemed). On one hand Cora was very happy that Violet was still fighting for Mary and was in her corner when it came to finding some option, any option really, to save most if not all of her fortune from being claimed by Matthew. On the other hand it irked her that such things had not bothered Violet until Patrick had died. Cora held a sneaking suspicion that, had Patrick chosen to marry another woman other than Mary, Violet wouldn't have fought as much as she was now against Matthew. While Cora would never accuse Violet of not loving Mary she also saw that this current fight had much to do with Matthew's upbringing as it did Mary's happiness. Had Matthew been a gentlemen of grand breeding Cora could easily see Robert's mother putting up a token fight before proclaiming that there was little good in battling against a strong river's current and it was better to focus their energies on getting Mary settled. But with Matthew being a middle class lawyer Violet was now Mary's champion.

'But only Mary,' Cora thought, looking at Sybil and Edith. 'She doesn't care about the two of them and how they will get nothing. Only Mary. And only now that a lawyer will be earl.'

Cora looked away from the two girls and glanced at Mary, who was waiting to be finished up while Anna got Edith's hair perfect. Sybil had made a comment about Mary wanting to look nice for Matthew, thus why she was spending so much time on her makeup, only for Mary to snap that she was doing nothing of the sort. Cora had been shocked, as it was usually Edith who got such treatment (and honestly, despite how she loved to play the victim, Edith gave as good as she got) and she'd never heard Mary truly get mad at her baby sister. Frustrated, annoyed yes, but not mad. Sybil had thankfully not taken offense and Edith had merely chuckled but Cora had looked at her eldest and thought of how her sour mood had only grown worse after returning from Crawley House… and meeting Matthew for the first time.

Robert's meeting with Matthew had rendered such a change in him Cora had wondered if the man she'd said goodbye to days before was the same one who had returned. Before he'd left Robert had accepted that Matthew must be the heir, much to Cora's annoyance, but at the very least he did so with the utter most reluctance. It was clear that he was accepting this fate not because he wanted to but because he had to. It had been drilled into his head that things were handled a certain way and nothing, not even his own family, would see him break family honor. While Cora had wished he'd do more to try and get Mary what she deserved she understood that the weight of Earl and all it meant to Robert forced him down, the burden chaining him to a decision he truly didn't want to make.

That… had been before he met Matthew.

The man that had returned to Downton looked as if the entire weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't even waited to get to the drawing room before he told Cora all about his time at the club and how wonderful he found Matthew. He spoke of the man's intelligence, of his bearing, of how he appeared already a lord yet also held a humble nature that sadly so many heirs lack in youth ('Including myself' he'd told Cora, to which she'd agreed with a smile). Robert told of how Matthew had surprised him with his thoughtfulness and how he had suggested things he'd never considered before when it came to the transition into this new life. Cora wasn't quite sure about this whole 'part time job' idea and when Robert had tried to explain it he'd ended up finally waving her off, saying it would be better if she just asked Matthew herself as he would bungle it all up. Never had she seen him so taken with someone so soon; not even James, who was his own cousin and whom he'd known since childhood, had received such early praise as Matthew did after one meeting. And certainly not Patrick. It startled Cora and left her wondering what sort of magician Matthew Crawley was.

Then Mary had swept in a few hours ago and made it clear that Matthew Crawley was more devil than mage.

"You still haven't told us what Mr. Crawley did to upset you," Edith said.

"He did enough," Mary complained as Anna finally waved her over so she might finish getting ready, Sybil giving up her chair to her sister. "It doesn't matter, anyway. No one cares what was said."

"I care," Edith complained.

"No one important," Mary shot back.

"What about me?" Cora asked, speaking up at last. "I care to know… does that me not important?"

Mary's eyes widened at this before her face settled into a glower. But Cora had faced off with Violet when the woman was the Lady Grantham herself and in the face of that anger and determination Mary had no hope of competing. She was a novice trying to play at a game dominated by a master. Finally seeing that she'd been forced into the proverbial corner Mary relented. "I wished to save you all from this but… he was very mocking of us all and our way of life."

"…how?" Sybil asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What exactly did he say?" She held up her hand. "Wait… no… tell us how it started, from the very beginning. And don't think of lying because we can simply ask him and Mrs. Crawley when they arrive."

"I would never lie to you," Mary complained, whipping around to glare at Edith when she snorted.

"Mary, please," Cora said. As Mary huffed in annoyance, Cora looked over Mary's shoulder and locked eyes with Sybil, who merely smirked before winking. 'Ever since the Titanic sank and James and Patrick were taken she has acted like a different person,' Cora thought. Death, of course, affected everyone different but she hadn't expected this from her youngest. She was so used to Sybil being passionate and speaking her mind… and while that was still there this new sneaky side of her youngest was startling. Where before Sybil would try to play peacemaker now she seemed an old hand at it, able to get Mary or Edith to do what she wanted with just a few choice words. Cora smiled at that; perhaps her baby was finally growing up into the woman she'd always known she could be.

Mary let out a long suffering sigh. "I went down to ask them to dinner, which shouldn't have been needed since a note would have been fine for him and his ilk, and as I was waiting to be introduced by their butler I heard them talking about Sybil, Edith, and myself. I was-"

"What were they saying of us?" Edith asked, interrupting Mary and causing her to scowl. "Not much, I would guess, since they haven't even met us. I'm not even sure if Papa mentioned anything about us."

"He would have mentioned your names," Cora stated, "and your ages, but nothing more than that."

"It doesn't matter," Mary said, waving her hand.

"I would like to be the judge of that," Sybil said with a smile.

"As would I," Cora added, watching as Mary struggled, and failed, to stop herself from clenching her jaw.

"He said… at least he might have said, for I could have misheard him... he felt terrible that the three of us felt so adrift with all that happened and he wanted to find a way to let us know that he would support us and fight for us to do whatever we wanted with our lives. They we shouldn't worry that he'd force Papa to marry us off in poorly chosen marriages just to save his inheritance."

Sybil smiled at that and said nothing while Edith blinked. "That is what he said that was so terrible? I… I would call that a rather kind gesture."

"He probably was just saying it because he knew I was there and thought I would fawn over him as you are now if he spoke pretty words," Mary said hurriedly.

"Oh Mary, please," Cora said. "Do not let your anger cloud what you remember. What Cousin Matthew said sounds very kind and understanding. It speaks well of him that he is concerned about you three."

"You still haven't told us how he insulted us and our lifestyle," Edith reminded her.

"I was getting to that before you all began gushing about him," Mary snapped as Anna finished with her hair and stepped away. "Thank you, Anna. Now then, I introduced myself and invited him to dinner and then he proceeded to mock our way of life."

"What were his exact words?" Sybil asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, what were yours?" Edith asked. When Cora looked at her Edith shrugged. "I find it hard to believe that Cousin Matthew simply launched into a tirade. Something must have triggered it. I can only imagine who did."

Cora conceded that Edith was right and, looking at the way Mary was glowering, nostrils flared and eyes narrowed, it was clear that she had said something to bring about Matthew's comments, whatever they were. Cora wasn't blind to her daughter's faults and knew that Mary tended to use her acid tongue far too often, believing that she could rival her Granny and do as she did every day. But where Violet Crawley had the age and knowledge to know what to say, when to say it, and to whom, Mary lacked such information and thus tended to make snide remarks without thought… especially when angered.

And she'd been so angry for so long.

"It was entirely his fault," Mary said and Cora felt her shoulders droop. It was classic Mary to heap as much blame on others before admitting her own mistake in the vain hope that people might be so distracted by what others did they missed how she herself had caused the very problem. Cora could still remember a young Mary standing next to Edith when she'd just begun to learn how to roll about, Robert's precious books used to make a box around the crying infant, Mary telling her and Carson 'She made noises, Mama' as if that excused her of all sin. Cora pushed aside the memory and focused on what her daughter was saying now. "He took what I was saying the wrong way. I was trying to be helpful. He clearly didn't see it that way and felt the need to reveal his truth feelings. It's clear he has an inferiority complex and a bit of a temper too-"

"And what did you say that he took wrong?" Sybil asked, watching her oldest sister with a coy smile.

Mary waved her hand dismissively. "I merely stated that I hoped he didn't feel intimidated coming to dinner with us."

Edith shot her sister a look. "In other words you insinuated that because he is middle class he didn't belong here and then tried to scare him terribly, making us all sound like horrid monsters that would gobble him up."

The way Mary flinched, ever so slightly, proved that Edith had hit the mark.

"Oh Mary," Cora said, exasperated. Honestly, it was like her daughter couldn't help but start trouble.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? I didn't say the words… which are true, though."

"You merely insinuated them and they certainly aren't true," Cora said. "You insulted your father's heir to his face mere hours after his arrival. You will apologize tonight."

"For what? Saying what is true?" Mary argued. "Are we to live in a world where we can't say what we believe to be true?"

"There are times I wish Nanny had spanked you," Sybil said with a shrug. "Perhaps that would have kept you from being a spoiled brat."

"Sybil!" Cora gasped, startled more that it was Sybil who made the comment rather than Edith.

The youngest Crawley girl locked eyes with Mary and smiled sweetly. "What? Why should I apologize for saying what I feel is true?"

Edith snorted.

"Please, both of you, enough." Cora commanded.

Mary didn't even bother to respond to Sybil's barb. "What I say pales in comparison to how he slandered our family and our way of life. It will be a wonder if Papa allows him to finish his meal before he is tossed out."

"Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" Edith asked. "I mean… even for you?"

Mary opened her mouth to make some snide comment but Cora cut her off. "What exactly did he say, Mary?"

Her eldest huffed. "He first tried to play it off that to be intimidated was rather common for the middle class, which I agree with. But then he had the audacity to claim that he and his ilk are better than us because they are more freedom!" She waved her hand about in disgust. "He said that being part of the upper class meant we were enslaved to our customs. He mocked how we show decorum and manners while he may break all social norms and be forgiven because of who he is. He mocked how we actually prepare for things and don't go running about without a care. He even mocked having a dinner gong! Can you believe that? He has no sense of tradition and understanding! The gong-"

Cora tried her hardest to remain neutral but seeing Edith and Sybil's twitching faces she finally failed and allowed herself to smile. Her younger daughters did more than that, opening laughing at Mary as the dark haired woman looked about in confusion, trying to understand how she'd suddenly become the focus of their amusement.

"What... what is so funny?"

"You!" Edith laughed. "Or should I say the real reason you are upset with Cousin Matthew!"

"I am upset because he has insulted us all! He mocks Papa and Granny-"

Cora let out a sigh that, even to her own ears, sounded a bit like a chuckle. "Mary... he was jesting with you."

"Jest... Jesting? You call that jesting?"

"Very much so," Cora said with a small smile. She reached out and patted Mary's arm. "You are smarter than this, my darling girl. You must see that Matthew was having one on you in response to your own mockery." Mary stared at her, shaking her head slightly to deny what Cora had just said and the Lady Grantham sighed even as she smiled. "Mary, you tried to scare him and mock him. But you made the mistake of thinking him another suitor who could easily be dealt with by uttering a few curt words and then walking away, knowing that your lineage would protect you. But Matthew Crawley is not like the boys who would ask you to dance during the Season and rather than allow you to mock him openly he challenged you. And you lost."

Mary now was shaking her head much more violently. "No, Mama... you give him too much credit-"

"Oh, she does not," Edith said, finally getting control of herself. "I'd say that Lady Mary Crawley had finally met her match but it appears Matthew is not a match but your better!"

Mary made ready to snap back but the dinner gong rang and Cora stood up. "Enough. We are about to meet Cousin Matthew and Isobel and I want us to make a grand first impression. Mary has already made hers... I'd like the rest of us to do better." Cora's humor left her and she shot a warning look at first Sybil and Edith then at a fuming Mary who appeared about ready to stomp her foot like she was a toddler once more before she forced her cold mask of indifference back into place. As the girls got up to leave Cora whispered to Mary, "I'm not saying we must like him... but we must treat with him properly until he does something deserving of our scorn."

"He already has," Mary hissed. "He is heir."

Cora sighed. "Nothing is set in stone. Your grandmother and I are still fighting for you. We'll find a lawyer-"

"Does it matter?" Mary said, cutting her off. "Papa has already made his decision. What use is finding a lawyer when we have one here to stay and I once more am cast aside?" With that she turned on her heel and left the room, Cora only able to watch her daughter's retreating form.

"Oh Mary… why must you always make things more difficult for yourself?"

~A~O~O~O~F~

As far as Matthew was concerned his second first visit to Downton was so far a success.

He'd managed to avoid the pitfalls that had plagued him the last time, when he'd allowed his annoyance at the situation cause him to open his mouth when he should have kept it shut. As he looked back at his first entrance in his first lifetime, of how he'd rather foolishly called the gathering of the family and servants a 'reception committee', he was reminded of a quote he'd read that warned it was better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

No, instead when Cora had welcomed him and Isobel to Downton he (wearing a proper vest instead of that foolish cream colored one because he'd been too lazy and stuborn to find a proper one) had thanked her warmly and complimented them all on the beauty of Downton, stating that it was 'the most breath-taking building' he'd ever been in.

The only true faux pas he'd allowed to occur once more, as it had in the first timeline, was his mother marking right up to the Dowager Countess and asking what they should call one another. Well he knew it had been a touch embarrassing he also knew that his mother and Violet had developed a deep friendship that started that day with quick words and cutting intelligence. He didn't want to risk ruining that relationship and thus made no move to stop his mother or cover for her when she so brazenly talked to Robert's mother.

'In a way their friendship is… or was… curse time travel… easier to establish than Mary and my relationship. We needed confrontation and battles to allow the bonds of love to form.' Matthew took a sip of wine as he glanced over at Mary across the table, smiling slightly when all she did was narrow her eyes at him before looking away. 'Not that it makes the beginning any easier.'

They'd retreated to the dining room and begun to settle in as they waited for the food and Mathew knew that the next few moments would be the most interesting. Talks around the table always seemed to bring out the most unexpected topics of conversation and he both looked forward to engaging in them again and dreaded what new pitfall would appear. Of all the moments in his life he knew these dinners would offer the best chance for history to be altered and for him to find himself in a situation he could not plan for.

"Do you think you will enjoy village life? It will be very quiet after life in the city." Robert asked, pulling Matthew from his thoughts.

"Even Manchester," Violet added.

Matthew smiled, speaking to her before his mother could answer. "I think you of all people would know that it isn't the locale but those around you that determine how invigorating… or tiresome… a place can be." The Dowager looked at him and he merely shrugged. "I look forward to learning more about my new home and those who make it all that it is."

His mother nodded. "Quite right. I hear there is a hospital."

"Oh yes," Cora said with a polite smile. "Just a small cottage hospital, of course, nothing like what you are used to, but it is still well run."

"Thanks to Dr. Clarkson," Robert said. "He is determined to make it a rival to St. Thomas'."

"Who pays for it?" his mother asked.

Matthew inwardly bit back a groan. He glanced at Violet and sheepishly smiled even as she said, "Oh good, let's talk about money."

Robert quickly stepped in. "My father gave the building and an endowment to run it."

"How wonderful of him," Matthew said before his mother could make another comment and stick her foot into it even more. 'Come now, mother, you were worried about me?' he thought. "So many people are so concerned with their legacies that they build monuments to their greatness. He decided to make his remembrance one that could benefit all." He smiled at Robert. "Your father was a caring man."

Violet let out a playful huff. "Be glad he isn't here to hear you say that." Though it was biting Matthew could tell the old woman was pleasantly chuffed at the compliment.

"But you are right," Edith said. "It reminds me of that Egyptian king, the one who built a statue of himself and wrote 'Stand here and look upon all my great works' but time had rendered them to dust. Buildings crumble but what we do for others always remains."

"The good and the bad," Mary said, staring at Matthew pointedly when she said that.

Matthew's focus, however, shifted from Mary and onto Thomas as the footman walked over to him with his tray. "I will hold it steady and you can help yourself, sir," he said, his tone almost clinical. Matthew inwardly rolled his eyes at both Thomas and himself. The first time around he'd been insulted, glowering at the footman and then snapping at Mary, and by extension the entire family, then confirming that yes he was different from them and had led a much different life. When he'd first done it he'd thought he'd scored a victory but now with age and wisdom he saw it just made him look like a bloody prat.

It was something Matthew found utterly fascinating, how even the servants looked down upon him. By all definitions they were lower than him in society's eyes. Before he'd become heir he'd had a well paying job, would have soon had enough money to buy his own house, and had freedom to make many choices concerning his life. The servants at Downton made far less than him, were in need for the Crawleys to provide them with everything, and nearly everything they did was controlled by the family and Carson. And yet they looked down at Matthew and his mother and thought them uneducated fools purely because the servants lived in the Abbey. Never mind Matthew had gone to some of the finest school in England… because he didn't live in Downton he was automatically considered lesser than them.

The absurdity of it all, summed up in Thomas' condensing 'aid', left Matthew chuckling as he selected his portion.

"And what, pray tell, is so humorous?" Violet asked, staring across the table from him.

Matthew blinked, quickly thinking on his feet. 'Telling them that I thought it hilarious that the footman thinks himself better than me would be worse than my priggish rant,' Matthew thought as he rapidly thought of a lie to spin to explain his amusement.

"Most likely Cousin Matthew is laughing at how we do things at Downton," Mary said before taking a sip of her own wine. "I'm sure to him this is all rather… laughable."

"Not at all," Matthew said, silently thanking Mary. Had anyone else commented he would have been lost for an answer but his beautiful wife (even if she weren't yet in this timeline) always managed to fire up his thoughts and get him thinking creatively. Even at her most biting she was still helping him; that made him smile. "No, I merely just now realized that, despite being family, we all know so little about each other and lacking such knowledge will lead to rather awkward and humorous situations."

"What do you mean?" Sybil asked, leaning around her mother to look at him with curious eyes.

Matthew made a show of considering his words. "Let's take you, Cousin Sybil… what do you know of me?"

"Well… that you are our cousin and from Manchester and that you were a lawyer…" she blushed a little. "But other than that not much."

"Exactly. You do not know so much about myself and my life and I am sure there are some… misconceptions… about how I live." He paused before turning to Robert. "Please be honest… how many people of the middle class do you truly know."

"Not many, I admit," Robert said, clearly curious where Matthew was going. "Jarvis and Murray might be the only two. No, three… Dr. Clarkson. But even then I do not know them well."

"So it is little wonder that you do not realize how much I know. Take Thomas here," he gestured at the footman. "He very kindly told me how to serve myself and were I a different man it would have been very welcoming. But he, along with the rest of you, don't know that this is hardly my first dinner party. There is no fear that I will sit here awkwardly waiting for someone to dish food out onto my plate like Downton was a restaurant."

Violet huffed again, her lips twitching. "Now that is a thought that will haunt my nightmares."

Matthew continued. "I could have gotten mad and been insulted but that would have been wrong because Thomas was merely being helpful. It isn't his fault he didn't know this… it is mine." He waved a hand in the direction of Edith. "And I also now realize that just as you all know little of me I know so little of all of you. Just names, honestly." He took a drink of wine. "Well, most of you. I have had the pleasure of learning a little about Robert and Cousin Mary."

"And you and I will have plenty of time get to know each other better in the coming months," Robert said.

Matthew used that moment to take a bite of food, nearly weeping at the taste. 'I've missed Mrs. Patmore's cooking,' he thought before answering. "Yes. But the rest of you are also family and I want to get to know you as well. I've already learned that Cousin Mary has a sharp mind and a sly sense of humor. She teased mother and I early about coming here and I do say that when she spoke of how intimidating Downton is it eased my fears. She knew to just come out and say it rather than dancing around the topic. Having the words spoken lessened their power." He caught out of the corner of his eye Cora giving Mary a smug little smile and Matthew wondered what that was all about.

"What are you suggesting then?" Cora asked.

"I'd like to arrange, over the next week or two, to have tea with each of you. We would have it at Crawley House or here if you prefer but I would very much like it to be one on one. During which I'd like us to just… talk."

"Talk?" Violet asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. How better to break the ice and truly get to know one another? I imagine that you alone could fill an entire day with stories of Downton; stories I truly need to hear. How can I hope to be a part of Downton's grand tradition if I know so little about it?"

"I think that is a lovely idea!" his mother said. "And I would love to do something similar myself with each of you."

"Oh, I agree," Edith said, excited at the prospect. "It is so hard to get to know people at dinners like this, when there are so many about and conversation flies so freely. A more casual setting would be far more personable."

"I second it," Robert said, warming to the idea. "While you and I will of course have our running of the estate I think it speaks well of you to want to get to know everyone better."

Matthew, after swallowing another bite, decided it was time to push another idea he'd had, one that would be far more risky. "There is another request I'd like to make… but perhaps this isn't the right place…"

"Well, you must make it now," Violet said. "You can't just let that cat out of the bag and expect us not to pounce on it."

Matthew nodded before looking at Robert. "I was wondering if there would be any way I could arrange meetings with Carson and Mrs. Hughes."

"Whatever for?" Robert asked.

"To get to know them," Matthew stated. "You told me that Downton isn't just brick and stone but a legacy. And while I agree I think there is another part you've missed… not on purpose, mind you, but because you have an advantage I do not. Downton is also its people… from the family who lives here to those that serve to make it great. I must ask, can you picture a Downton without Carson?"

"I can scarcely say I could," Robert said, looking at Carson who nodded, his face impassive but a flicker in his eye showing he appreciated the words.

"But the thing is I can… but only because I do not know him yet. If I am to be Earl one day it is important I know not just the history and the lay of the land but those who truly make it great with their dedication and hard work. While I suppose the best course of action would be to meet with each and every person, right down to the kitchen maids, I know that would be impractical. And, if I guessed correctly, might cause some pain and stress for the poor girls. But I hope that by knowing Mrs. Hughes and Carson I can learn more about Downton and better understand their places in it, as well as those that work under them."

Cora nodded, smiling a polite and, to Matthew's eyes, genuine smile. "I think that is a wonderful idea. It is so easy to forget how important the servants are. Dinners such as this wouldn't exist without the likes of Mrs. Patmore."

Mary nibbled on her meal before adding, "I suppose it would be better than asking a million questions. Would be less bothersome."

Robert turned to the butler. "What say you, Carson? Do you think you and Mrs. Hughes could at some point make time to talk with Matthew?"

"If that is what Mr. Crawley desires we certainly can," Carson said.

Matthew grinned to himself. 'Another victory.' While he already knew most of the senior staff having those conversations would serve two purposes: it would allow him to have an accuse should he slip up with future knowledge, such as the names of people he hadn't met yet, and it would also work towards winning Mary's heart. He knew Carson was Mary's greatest supporter and he also knew the man hadn't liked him when he'd first arrived. If he could win him into his corner sooner it would give him another ally he desperately needed.

"It sounds as if you will have quite a full calendar for some time," Edith said. "Tea times, working with Papa, meeting the staff."

"And don't forget your new job," Isobel said. "I do so worry about you tiring yourself out, Matthew."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry… a job?" Violet asked, blinking at him in an almost owlish manner.

"Yes," Matthew said with a grin, remembering well this particular part of the dinner from the last go-around. "In a partnership. You might have heard of it, Harvell and Carter. They need someone who understands industrial law, although it will mostly be wills and the like. Though I suppose the odd contract or two will pop up from time to time."

Cora stared at him, her eyes narrowed slightly. "I was under the impression you'd be involved in the running of the estate."

"And so he shall be," Robert answered, stepping in the smooth things over. "Matthew is only working three days a week and will only keep the job for a short while, until there is enough work for him to do in running Downton."

"I told Robert I didn't feel comfortable diving in, as it were, until I had proven myself, both to him and myself. I'll learn about the estate, take on a few small projects, and hopefully within a year's time be ready to sell out my part of the partnership and dedicate myself fully to Downton." He paused, sipping his wine before continuing. "It pays rather well, so there is no fear that I am lowering myself, if that is a concern. Merely me allowing myself to ease into my new life and not make myself a burden on all of you by being constantly underfoot." What he didn't say was that he'd been offered a salary that equaled what he'd made the last time working a full week; he had come to realize, sadly, that Harvell and Carter was more interested in having the Heir of Grantham as part of the team than actually having HIM. After he'd signed the contract he'd gone over his case load from the two years he'd worked for them and realized that he'd done almost nothing of value at all, and certainly nothing anyone else at the partnership couldn't have easily taken on along with their normal load. It had been a gut punch, to say the least, to realize that he'd been hired only for his title but rather than grow angry he accepted what had happened; especially since it worked so well with his plans now.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," Mary said dryly. "You could have claimed you'd only help Downton on holidays and the weekend."

"What is a weekend?" Violet asked, Matthew smiling as he returned to his meal, allowing the chatter to flow around him and the feeling of being with his family again, even if the bonds were nowhere as strong as they had been before, wash over him. It was a balm for his soul and he smiled gently as he listened to his mother try and explain the concept of weekends to the Dowager Countess.

After several months of living and several years falling back through time… Matthew was home again.

~A~O~O~O~F~

Author's Notes: First off, a few reviewers have asked me what the connection is between my story and Anne O' The Lake's story, Miracles Happen. Well, two things: one, I came up with the original plot and Anne is running with it. Two, we use each other as sounding boards. Some people think I am writing Anne's story as well or that Anne is writing this with me. That isn't the case. We are writing our own things and have our styles, if you can't tell. But we use each other to bounce ideas off… she'll ask me for advice occasionally and I'll bounce ideas off her. I do it with other people too, including the other Ann that I've mentioned in previous author's notes.

So some might complain that Matthew's charm offensive is working to well and there is no way that Robert would be so taken with him so soon. But here is the approach I am going with: When Robert first learned of Matthew he was prepared for the absolute worst. In the show he met a man that was decent enough so he went along with it, being friendly. Here though? Here he is meeting a Matthew that knows how to be upper class and says the right thing almost every time. Who has soothed his fears. I'm reminded of a comment River Song made, concerning the Doctor: Imagine someone suddenly appearing who knows everything about you and is everything you could ever hope to find in a person… can you imagine what that does to someone? The same here. Matthew isn't just charming Robert he is using his future knowledge to… well… woo him. To say "Here is everything you could have hoped for in an heir and by the way these things you aren't too sure about? Here is reassurance that it will be a-okay". Robert is utterly relieved (and in my mind he was never happy with Patrick being heir… James was find but Patrick only got his blessing because he saw Mary being in charge) to have at last an heir he wants.

And finally we get our first dinner party conversation. This one was a fun one to write as I got to take out priggish Matthew and replace him with one who was a better hand at playing the game. We got to see the family's reaction to him, as well as his own thoughts. We also see that Matthew isn't perfect… he slips up at times but his great strength is thinking quickly on his feet.

And once again, it is time for Plot Bunny Theater. And this one will be a bit different as I've decided to focus on another of the fan favorite pairings, Tom and Sybil.

This one would begin roughly a month or so after the Season 3 cricket episode but before the Christmas in the Highlands episode. So in that period where Mary is pregnant, she and Matthew are happy, Tom is settling into his new life at Downton and save for the death of Sybil things are looking better for all. And that is the key: for everyone but Tom life is getting better. But for him he is still a widower with a baby, mourning a love that was taken too soon. One night, unable to sleep, he goes to check on Sybie (and doesn't find that odious hippo of a woman Nanny West on duty… oh, maybe she was hit by a bus and my prayers will be answers!) who is fussing and decides to walk around with her to get her to calm down. He talks to her about the house and how he wishes Sybil were here to tell her all about growing up at Downton and soon Sybie falls asleep… but Tom still hears a baby whimpering. Following to a hall he can't ever remember going down he reaches a door that looks like it hasn't been touched for ages. Opening it he finds himself in a small drawing room…

…and is shocked to find Sybil walking around, trying to calm down a crying baby.

Tom at first thinks he must be dreaming but this Sybil is just as shocked to see him, the two of them both exclaiming "You're dead!" in shock. After a heartfelt reunion the two begin to talk and Sybil explains that for her she was sick before giving birth but Tom sided with Doctor Clarkson early on and forced the family to take Sybil to the hospital, where she lived. Later that night she awoke and asked Tom to go a blanket that she'd had made for the baby, as it didn't feel right for the child to be without it. Tom did so but as he walked to the house he saw a fire had broken out in a house in the village. Tom had heroically saved those inside but the building collapsed, killing him. Sybil always blamed herself for sending him away, just as Tom blamed himself for not listening to Clarkson. Both feel guilt that they killed the person they loved.

As the night goes on the two talk but then both realize that the babies are fussing and they need to go get milk for them. Sybil goes first but when Tom leaves the room she isn't anywhere to be found. Robert and Cora believe he had a dream and Sybil was never there when he tries to explain what happened. Tom begins to accept this… until the next night when he awakens once more, walks towards the room… and hears Sybil calling for him desperately. He rushes inside and there she is again, the two embracing.

The two soon come to the conclusion that they are from two different worlds (Sybil and Tom both reading a story that dealt with parallel worlds in the Strand) and that the Drawing Room they are in links these two worlds. At the hour when their counterparts died in their realities the dimensions cross over in the drawing room and the two are able to meet. If one leaves before the other the realities separate until the next night.

How it would go from there would depend on the author. Tom and Sybil could decide to live in two separate worlds, experiencing the events of the show for two points of view and then meeting at night to be together, raising their now twin girls (with Sybil's baby being given a different name, of course). Maybe even eventually they request their living quarters be made the drawing room and thus a strange little life comes about for the two. Or the author could focus on them working to merge their realities together, so that they can be together, or decide to live in one world and abandoned the other and who should join who (making it that so long as they leave together they enter one reality together, with whoever stepped out first determining the world; they can only return to the other one the next night). Or even that they decide to split the difference and spend one day in each universe.

One could also decide to make Sybil's reality radically different. For example… what if Sybil's reality had already separated when it was Lord Patrick Crawley, Robert's father, who had lived instead of Violet? And then, when Robert and Cora died along with Patrick and James, Lord Patrick Crawley, heartbroken, brought his cousin Reginald and his son Matthew to be his heirs. This could be a reality where Mary dies in child birth and Edith died before she and Gregson could be together and thus the Crawley's of Sybil's world decide to jump to Tom's world, so that Violet is reunited with her husband, Isobel with Reginald, Edith and Gregson, and of course Mary and Matthew, with several babies now having twins.

Or it could be almost exactly the same to the point of Sybil's death/Tom's death and the two decide to see how their worlds are the same and different, finding happiness in their time in the room and actually building their lives around it so that, nearly a century later, Sybie and her 'twin' Kate (let's just call her that) have family reunions that always start late at night when the two realities meet up and share what has happened and the entire Crawley family just accepts that they live odd lives.

This idea was inspired very loosely by the Harry Potter fanfic 'Passageways' where Harry uses the Room of Requirement to meet someone he can trust and ends up meeting a 15 year old Bellatrix Black before she was (in this story) basically mind raped into insanity by Voldemort, the two falling in love. I liked the idea that story had but it didn't take advantage of the idea of living in two worlds.