Author's Notes: An Announcement! I asked on Twitter about review goals/rewards and got a tremendous response so I will be starting these with all my stories!

For those who do not know what I mean I will be setting goalposts for my series in terms of reviews. When a goalpost is hit I will include for that series a special reward chapter. This chapter WILL NOT AFFECT THE SCHEDULE! That means that if this story hits a goal and that week I am due to post a chapter I will post both the scheduled chapter AND the reward chapter! And if another series is posting that week you will still get the reward chapter! So it is only giving you guys rewards as thanks for reviewing.

Now, I want to make clear that I will not tolerate people artificially boosting the review total just to get to a goal. That happens and I am moving the goal post. I want only legit reviews. When a goal is met I will also list what the next goalpost will be.

Now then… what is the reward? Well I thought about if I should keep it secret or reveal it and for now I am going to play fast and loose with the rules… sometimes revealing, sometimes not. It will be how I feel.

But enough about rules, let's get to the actual reward! When this story hits 825 reviews I will post a special chapter, which I am calling 'The Date That Never Was'. In that chapter Cora will relate the Sybil and Matthew that back in Season 1 she thought, with how much time they spent together, that they two fancied each other and as such secretly arranged a dinner that would bring the two together… except no matter what she did the two didn't realize what was going on. It will be a comedy of errors and misunderstandings that I think you guys will enjoy.

~MC~MC~MC~

Matthew leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms out, feeling his shirt shift and nearly come untucked as he strained his body as much as he could in hopes of working the kinks out that had built in his body. Grunting he placed his hands on his desk and twisted back and forth, eyes scrunched up as he tried to loosen up his muscles. Rolling his shoulders, straining his neck, rocking his head back and forth-

"You know," Matthew heard Thomas say as he entered their shared office, "it is rather unbecoming of you to make sounds and faces like that."

Matthew opened his eyes as Thomas made his way towards his own desk, which sat directly across from his, dropping a bag down beside his rubbish bin. "You think Carson would have a fit if I did that at the dinner table?"

"Not a fit so much as collapse on the ground while clutching his chest."

"And how would he handle it if you had done that downstairs?"

Thomas snorted before mimicking Carson's deep voice, though he threw in exaggerations on the pronunciations and sucked in his lower lip a bit to make his face look fatter. "Mr. Barrow. Are you a servant in the greatest house in all of England… though that would mean saying that the King and Queen are not better than us and that is wrong! So I will just ignore that and continue talking to you and hope you ignore what I just said. Are you a servant… or are you a horse preparing to go for a ride? For I assure you, MISTER Barrow, that only horses and their cloven brethren would make such sounds and such movements in front of others. If you are a horse let me know so I might see you taken to the barn where you belong. But should you choose to be a servant then I suggest you behave as one! For it is the duty of a servant to behave as if their masters are watching at all time! Why, even when I sit for my morning constitutional I imagine his lordship is watching me and I hope that my shit gives him pride, that it is a shit that honors Downton!" He then shook his head, making bubbling nonsense words come forth.

Matthew, by that point, was rubbing his face hard even as he laughed, trying to force the chuckles and gasps to not come bubbling out. "That… it truly terrible."

"That is how he spoke to us," Thomas stated.

"No, I meant the impression. I've never seen him waggle his face like that."

"I admit that I had to add a bit to it, just to make it all the sweeter."

"Did you do that impression for anyone else before?"

"One or two people… mostly those I knew wouldn't talk." Thomas leaned back in his own chair. "Downstairs you had to be careful… you never could truly trust anyone because everyone was wanting to claw their way up. Oh, there were some that believed that there was loyalty and trust… but even then the question was who were they more loyal to? You? Or Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. Or someone else entirely? Or merely themselves?"

"Bloody hell, you make it sound like some Arabian tale with scheming advisors smiling in public only to rub their hands together when everyone's back was turned and whispering their evil schemes." Matthew did just that, his mouth twisting into a sinister little smile while rubbing his hands in an exaggerated manner.

It was Thomas' turn to laugh. "You jest but you aren't exactly wrong. All you ever saw was us standing silently while you ate your meals… you didn't see how we rushed down with the newest tidbit of gossip, knowing that to the right person it would see our standing rise within the hierarchy."

"I imagine my arrival netted you some points then?"

Thomas smirked. "The new heir to the great estate of Downton being a country lawyer?" He shook his head. "No, not in the slightest."

"…you did impressions of me too, didn't you?"

"So how is the paperwork coming along?" Thomas asked, Matthew letting out an amused huff at the blatant attempt to change the subject.

"Well enough. With the Americans firmly and fully in the war its made things both easier and harder for us. More companies are shifting to supply for the war but now we are competing with the Yankees to get supplies and of course they show favoritism to their own soldiers. Not that I can blame them, as we are doing the same thing. Still, I am managing. Got an agreement to get better tins for the rations." Matthew made a face but Thomas had no way of knowing that it wasn't merely the stories they had heard about rusting cans contaminating food but rather personal experience in having to decide if he wanted to risk gulping down tainted packed beef or starving to death. "How about you? How was the Breckens?"

"Oh, quite enjoyable. Brought you a gift!" Thomas reached into the bag and pulled out a boot, casually tossing it over to Matthew, forcing him to reach over his desk and catch it before it could smash into the pile of papers and the framed picture of Mary that sat on his workspace. While the office was rather non-descript, much like any other office in the War Office (save for the highest members of the civilian section, where they decorated their offices like they were old world libraries), there were a few personal touches. Thomas had hung some humorous political cartoons upon the wall, ones he'd carefully cut out of the papers that made him smile, while Matthew had Mary's picture on his desk and a few trinkets to remind him who was waiting at home for him. A small stuffed cloth bunny, given to him after Mary had seen his office and declared it utterly depressing and in need of something to give it some cheer, a few of his favorite books in case he decided to read during his lunch break, and of course her photo.

Matthew knew that there were civilians who, hearing how close Matthew and Thomas were to General Lothrop, believed that the two of them had some grand office bigger than most homes with padded chairs that were more like thrones, massive oak desks that could serve a small family as a dinner table, and an army of pretty and buxom secretaries who would rush right in with a file and a drink whenever one of them called for it. The reality was that while the two of them were important to the war effort such extravagances were never going to be allowed. Or wanted. Matthew wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he had such an office while other young men died in the cold French mud. No, their office had drab gray walls and hardwood floors that had tiny nicks in them from countless former occupants moving about it. Their desks were solid enough but standard issue. And their secretary was a plump woman in her forties who would have bashed their heads in with a ledger if they tried to ask her to fetch them drinks; of course the two of them were quite pleased with having a battle axe as their secretary as she ensured that the more annoying business owners who tried to come in and peddle for favors never attempted the same action twice.

Matthew looked over the boot, lips puckered slightly as he took it in. It actually looked rather good for something that was quickly mass produced. Downton had spoiled him when it came to clothing, in both lives actually, but compared to some of the boots he'd seen during the war this one was rather well made. It held up well together, the laces were a decent length, the metal eyelets had been attached properly…

He looked up and saw Thomas smirking and knew there must be something he was missing. Twisting the boot around he looked at the sole, tilting his head before lightly poking at it with his finger.

It went through like he'd just prodded some of Mary's pudding.

"Ah."

"Not their fault, actually," Thomas admitted. "There was an error with the mixing of the rubber… a lot of technical terms I honestly didn't understand… but none of them actually thought to test the stupid things before pouring it."

"But we know better," Matthew said.

Thomas nodded. They were far too used to factories deciding to cut corners or take shortcuts just to save some money or meet a demand. Most times it was greed but other times it was out of genuine desire to help. Someone would think they had a new method to make a bullet and would try it out, convinced they were doing the nation a favor by creating a faster, cheaper way to defend their way of life. Only it would be weeks or months later when some poor bastard would draw up his rifle to shoot a German only for the entire thing to explode in his face. Originally the job of the War Supplies Division was to just make sure things got where they needed to go but as time had went on it had become just as much about making sure that what was being sent was actually worthy of being sent to the soldiers. That rifles would fire, that tents would keep water out, that shovel heads would remain connected to the handles. It was needed work but it was tiring all the same as it let Thomas and Matthew see the worst in humanity, the foolishness and the greediness and the pig-headedness. It was a good day when they could send out a shipment and only worry about it arriving on time.

"How long will it take to fix them?" Matthew asked.

"About three days," Thomas admitted. "Douglas was horrified when he saw it and swore he'd get it fixed right away. Going to move half his team to removing the bad soles while the other group makes the new ones. As such I told him we wouldn't activate our penalty clause for the delay, since I could tell he truly didn't mean for it to happen. And this will cost him money. But we aren't going to add to the hurt."

"Good," Matthew stated. While at times it was needed to take the whip to their suppliers Matthew was more than willing to work with them when it wasn't malice that led to issues. "Well," he said, finishing out his pocket watch and glancing at it, "if you don't mind I think I'll leave for lunch. Mind if I take a longer one than normal?"

"You worked through the last two you had this week so you've more than earned it," Thomas said, standing up and walking over to retrieve the boot. "What do you have planned?"

"I want to surprise Mary at lunch. She told me where she was going today and I thought it would be nice if the two of us had a meal together."

"And this has nothing to do with you pressing her about her ladyship, does it?" Thomas asked.

"...perhaps," Matthew admitted. In the months since Cora and Lillian had come to London Mary hadn't seen her mother since that first visit. Cora had gotten settled with an old friend of hers, Lady Marchgrove, whose husband was currently on a ship patrolling the Atlantic for German boats. Cora and Lillian were helping to fill the woman's London house with some noise and life and from what Matthew had heard the two of them were happy enough. Still, Mary hadn't visited her mother though she had been willing to send letters. Matthew thought it rather silly and a waste of money, especially since Lady Marchgrove lived only a few blocks away from the Lothrops, but he didn't risk voicing that opinion.

"Well, you enjoy yourself and give Mary my regards," Thomas said. It had taken a few years but finally he could talk about Mary without feeling awkward about 'overstepping his station'. "As for me I think I'll see what they are serving here."

"You are braver than I!" Matthew joked. "Jonsey not available for lunch then?"

"Well... no, he isn't," Thomas stated, going and pulling on his uniform jacket. "But we have plans to grab a pint after work tonight." Belatedly he added, "If you want to come..." It was the kind of question where the asker didn't want to say, "This is where you refuse" but put all the stress in just that.

"No but thank you. I got a new collection of short stories that I wish to try and get Mary hooked on so I'd rather spend the night reading to her."

The two of them parted ways after that and as Matthew pulled on his heavy woolen coat and tugged on the knitted cap his mother had given him last Christmas he wondered about Thomas and Jonsey and what it must be like to be in a relationship with someone where you could never admit it.

Oh, there was no doubt in Matthew's mind that the two of them were courting, or whatever the homosexuals called it. Matthew had learned from Robert that Thomas was that way a few months before he'd died, explaining just what had happened with Jimmy being made first footman, so that wasn't a shock, and no person talked about another as much as Thomas did Jonsey unless they were smitten with them. Matthew never stated that to Thomas because he knew that if Thomas wanted to talk about it he'd have brought it up.

'No, that's not true,' Matthew admitted as he stepped outside and pulled his coat tighter to his body, a blast of cold wind seeping instantly through his clothes and chilling his skin. 'The truth of it is I don't want to discuss it.' While he knew that it was wrong to judge people, that the Bible taught that only the Lord could truly judge the choices others made, the idea of being with a man the same way Matthew was with Mary frankly disgusted him. The idea of him caressing another man, kissing a man's lips, seeing one in the nude… it made him fight down having full body shivers. 'I don't say a word because I don't want to risk Thomas telling me all the sordid details.'

Signaling for a taxi Matthew got in and told the driver to take him to the White Raven before settling back and letting his mind drift back to the subject of Thomas. 'But at least I don't let my feelings affect my relationship with him. Yes, I find being with another man to be vile… but perhaps for Thomas the thought of me being with Mary is just as off-putting. And I know that there are those that look down on Mary and I being together for all sorts of reasons… our social standing, for one. And then there are those that say that cousins, even ones as distant as the two of us, should never be together. They look upon us and are disgusted and repulsed to see us in love. I know they are wrong so what right do I have to claim that Thomas can't be happy with someone else? Even if that person is a man?' He sighed, watching London go by as they drove down the streets of the great metropolis. 'I will never be comfortable about such things but I refuse to allow them to color how I treat Thomas. He is a good partner and a good friend. We work well together and our strengths compliment each other well. I simply couldn't shove him aside because of something he can't control.'

The other reason Matthew didn't say a word was that he knew how dangerous it was being the way Thomas was. The crime of Gross Indecency, were Thomas charged with it, would see him face prison time with the potential of hard labor. More so should Thomas be discovered to be a homosexual then his life in London would be over. No man would be willing to ever hire him again. The owners of flats would refuse to allow him to live in their buildings, fearing what sort of things he would do within their walls and the stigma that would bring. Restaurants wouldn't serve him and the more conservative doctors, despite their oaths, would deny him aid should he need it. People would avoid him at best and wish to strike him down at worse. Yes, there were homosexuals who were open about their nature but they tended to have enough wealth and standing to survive all the damage that came from such bravery. For Thomas he simply didn't have the means to admit the truth and continue to live in England.

'There are people with leprosy that are treated better than Thomas would be, should the truth ever come out.' Matthew shook his head as the taxi began to slow. 'How utterly sad it must be to be unable to admit who you truly are. To know that you must forever pretend to be something you aren't or face a literal Hell… he is a stronger man than I. I merely have to hide the knowledge I have… I am still able to love who I wish to love.'

It was that reason why, as he stepped out of the taxi and handed over the driver his fare, that Matthew silently wished Thomas all the happiness in the world. Where others may have scoffed at the Lord answering such a prayer Matthew knew that God was listening and would consider his plea; the Bible taught that Christ was loving and accepting of all so why not Thomas?

Slipping into the White Raven Matthew pushed all thoughts about Thomas and his love life out of his head and instead focused on his own. People had been telling him since he'd made Mary his wife that they would go through a period of wedded bliss where everything seemed shiny and bright but that it wouldn't last and soon they'd begin to get on each other's nerves and bicker and that would be the true test. If they made it through that then they were meant for each other. But it seemed as if whatever power had brought him back to the past had decided that he and Mary had dealt with enough feuding in two lifetimes and as such deserved to simply skip over that time and settle into a comfortable marital life. Gone were the days where they felt the urge to simply stay in bed wrapped up in each other but that didn't mean they didn't welcome such chances when they could. And Matthew tried his hardest, even with his busy schedule, to make time for little surprises like this one, just to keep things fresh and exciting.

The White Raven wasn't overly busy, what with it only being lunch time and not supper, but Matthew still had to wait in line to see the head waiter. Unlike the hotel restaurants that Mary had preferred in their first life, with their converted ballrooms and multi-leveled dining areas, the White Raven had lower ceilings and padded booths that bordered the walls that reminded Matthew of the images he'd seen of New York restaurants. The roman-style pillars that nearly every high end building in London seemed required to have were present, as were the deep brown-colored floors and random bits of red fabric that Matthew was sure had some purpose but he honestly couldn't tell what. The main lobby was larger than the kitchen back in his Manchester home and seemed all the bigger with only seven other people waiting to be seated. Luckily it turned out that most of the people ahead of him were in a large party and within a few minutes he was at the podium where the head waiter was standing.

"Captain Matthew Crawley. I called ahead concerning my wife Lady Mary Crawley's reservation?"

The head waiter, the stereotypical rail thin man with slicked back dark hair and thin mustache, nodded firmly. "Yes of course, Cpt. Crawley. As requested we moved your wife to a booth and selected one that offers a bit of privacy. Will you be joining her now?"

"I will. Has her friend arrived yet?"

"No sir, your wife was the first to arrive. If you would?" he motioned for Matthew to follow and they quickly weaved their way through the tables that were in the center of the restaurant, finally arriving at one of the more private booths in the back. Matthew nodded in thanks before slipping into the booth, smiling as Mary, who had been stirring a glass of ice water idly with her index finger (a very unladylike thing to do and Matthew had a feeling that was why she'd picked up that bad habit), started.

"Matthew! Whatever are you doing here?"

"I decided to surprise you."

"…you arranged for the booth, didn't you?"

"Yes," he said, knowing it was no use to try and deny it.

The corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, a sign that she wanted to be annoyed with him but was too touched to actually be angry. But she would try. "You do remember that I am meeting with a friend, do you not?"

Matthew let out an overly-exasperated sigh. "And thus dies my hopes to make an utterly horrid scene of kissing you senseless right here in the middle of this completely public place." Mary glowered at him for that though her smile grew a fraction more at his antics. "Yes, I do know. That's actually why I wanted to come… I felt it was time I met this friend of yours that had become so important to you. You've told me so much and yet so little about her that I must know if she is real."

"Oh, she is quite real!" Mary said.

"I would hope I'm real."

Mary smiled and looked up, missing how Matthew suddenly went utterly still. His heart stopped beating, the blood froze in his veins, and every synapse in his brain ceased to fire. As slowly as one might turn around after intruding in a bear's den to steal some honey only to hear a fearsome growl just behind them, Matthew turned as Mary rose, inch after painful inch until he saw her.

Lavinia.

Finding himself in the past had been like walking into an abandoned manor and finding it haunted by ghosts.

And now the ghosts were hugging Mary and wishing her well and wondering who he was.

He could swear he could hear all the angels in Heaven laughing.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: So one of the important things here that I watned to do was show that Matthew is human. It would have been real easy to write him as being completely supportive of homosexuality. That he is fine with it and would support Thomas and be a comfort to him.

But that isn't real. That isn't human.

But the fact that Matthew sees this flaw in him, his inability to actually connect with Thomas that way, that he is in fact repulsed by the idea of him being gay but understands and is working to be better… that is human. And I think far more noble than most.

So our plot bunny is inspired by two things… the need for it coming from an issue I had with a fanfic I recently read involving My Hero Academia (I won't name it here) and after that inspired by the Buffy The Vampire Slayer story "Penny For Your Thoughts"

Where you start the story is up to you but I'd put it roughly towards the end of Season 1. Mary and Matthew almost in a relationship, the Thomas/Bates feud heating up, Branson has already fallen for Sybil, Mary and Edith's feud is hot. Maybe right before Edith decides to send the letter?

Anyway, the entire family is gathered for a standard Downton meal. The dinner gong is rung, they enter the dining room… and suddenly there is a flash of light and a young woman appears in the air, hanging there for a moment before she crashed right into the table. Naturally everyone is shocked but they are also concerned and rush to help her. Clarkson is called and the young woman, who we will call Amy, begins to awaken… before staring in shock at everyone and beginning to laugh because she is sure she has cracked. And the family thinks her injuries are making her giggle like mad because she'd brain addled.

But the truth very quickly comes out. Amy is from another universe: our universe. She was a super fan of Downton Abbey who watched the show while she was in college to get her degree in psychology and, just like in "Penny For Your Thoughts", wrote her doctoral thesis examining the interpersonal relationships and the many issues within said relationships of a show called Downton Abbey. Of course the family is very unsure of this until she asks for what recently has happened and begins to reveal facts NO ONE should know… things like conversations only one or two people heard, so on. The family finally believes her when Amy looks right at Cora, then Mary, then a newly arrived Anna while discussing Pamuk… that gets all three instantly to agree she is telling the truth.

The Crawleys take her in and discuss trying to help her settle and what she can do, with Violet unsure that she could do anything because a woman doctor… and of the mind?

And that's when Amy decides to show off her skills by inviting Violet for a counseling session concerning a certain family member who refuses to admit Robert is her heir…

Thus the story would see Amy become a member of Downton working as the family psychologist, getting them to admit their problems and fix things. Mary's issues with Pamuk and her misplaced guilt. Matthew's self sabotage. Robert's fear of change. And the servants would soon come to her too… Thomas and her would spend a TON of time talking about all his issues but the likes of Bates, Carson, Mrs. Hughes… eventually everyone is scheduling appointments to talk to Amy.