Wow, this is fantastic! What a wonderful portrayal of how strong attraction is so easily mistaken for loathing...so logical, so tense, so aching. I love how Isobel is as caught up in their tension as they are, all of her chattiness shut down as she's overwhelmed by the uncertainty of what's going on between them. The way you alternated between the three characters' perspectives was excellent: we, the readers, can see how each of them are thinking and feeling and the whole situation makes complete sense, while at the same time each of them are perfectly in character and totally in the dark. I bet the actors would have loved portraying this scene: there's so much going on under the surface of their words. Classic DA, really. Truly fantastic! I'm looking forward to reading your follow-ups!

this story would've been so good in the show. Poor Matthew! Just love him so.

OK take 2 on this review thanks to faulty Google browser crashing and taking review with it completely.

First and foremost, wonderful work :). You're both amazing writers in your own right and the combined efforts result in something clearly brilliant :).

It was nice to take a trip back to S1 and given the point you're starting at, I loved the insight we get from the start as Mary is working the past few days in her head. While we had several indications Mary was starting to develop feelings for Matthew (her reaction at his leaving without saying goodbye etc) it was lovely to see how the feelings still lingered. She clearly wanted to see him again, but there just didn't seem to be a good way to do so without potentially revealing more than she was comfortable revealing. I also liked the idea of her going to visit a poor tenant and it made perfect sense with her personality why she wouldn't announce it. Not because she was ashamed, far from it, but just because she wouldn't feel like it's anyone else's concern.

Loved that they both had their hearts skip a beat at initial sighting of each other, despite that Mary was torn between being happy to see him and not happy that it wasn't in a setting of her planning and choosing and Matthew's still feeling bitter from what had happened at that dinner. Kind of sad how they both hoped for a moment to "miss" each other, but couldn't, and then even more so at the stilted way their conversation started. Nevertheless, it was lovely to see how they were still drawn to each other and even though he wished he didn't, Matthew couldn't stop being curious and couldn't just end the conversation and move on. And when Mary answered truthfully and immediately shifted the topic, in S1 fashion Matthew misinterpreted her change of topic as being ashamed, even while he's softened by it. I loved this line "Torn between annoyance at her flippancy, and an irritating desire to stay close to her a little while longer, he awaited her reply." I couldn't help but grin over how she was more than happy to walk with him and despite the cloud of bitterness and irritation around him, Matthew was too.

As the two of them walked along you made it very easy to visualize this and I could hear Dan and Michelle saying the words, as well as seeing the varying expressions on their faces when they were looking at each other, especially when they were knew the other person was not. At this point, it's hard to see them each try to get some semblance of their thoughts across only for something to get lost in translation because of their own feelings and interpretation of the others' getting in the way. Makes me want to reach through the screen and shake them and say "WILL YOU BOTH JUST SPEAK PLAINLY TO EACH OTHER?" as I wanted to do more than once with the show. But they're clearly not there yet and what you wrote here could very easily be transposed into the show.

Loved that no matter how upset he was, he couldn't quite bring himself to part way from her promptly and the conversation that followed was just adorable. They were so eager to keep the newfound peace and I loved the glimpses into their minds as they played each line back in their head. Loved that Matthew asked her to come in for tea and the significance of that as it played in Mary's head, and even happier she said yes :).

Absolutely loved the picture you painted of Isobel and I could just Penelope sitting at the desk, completely bored and absolutely reluctant to admit it. Plus the idea of how excited she was for her son being home soon was just cute. It was also interesting seeing how when Matthew and Mary arrived how she hung back a bit. While it was definitely a show of respect since she was in his home, there were also a great deal of nerves. Made me a bit sad when she wanted to tease him about Moseley but wasn't sure how it would be received, which sadly made sense given that at the moment the two of them were having a very hard time reading each other. One thing that really made me feel a bit sad for Mary was how she felt like she was intruding on what to her felt like a private time between mother and son, not because she felt like she intruding so much as because she was clearly envious of it. Whether because of her poor relations with Edith or despite of them, she had no clear equivalent ritual of her own, which was sad.

It was very easy to see as you did a great job of not just allowing glimpses into the thoughts of the 3 people in the room, but also described the scene such that you could clearly picture everyone in the room, their expressions, countenances, etc. As a result, it made the getting-more-awkward-and-strained-by-the-moment tea because it felt more like watching then like reading and the moment when Matthew inadvertently stuck his foot in his mouth, it was sad to see how it all went depressingly downhill fast. I loved how you continued to give glimpses into their minds and by the end of it I was sad for both of them AND wanting to knock their heads together at the same time. Am very glad I read this knowing more was coming and already ready to read because it would have been torture waiting given how you left things!

Thank you ladies for sharing your wonderful talents and for sharing your stories :)!

"Suddenly, Matthew remembered Mary's presence, and whirled round to her. At once he felt strangely awkward, looking nervously for a moment between her and his mother."

Oh, I could absolutely see this moment. It's so very Matthew. :)

"She knew well enough Matthew could stay in these dark moods for days, brooding and moping, seeping the happiness out of the house. It had long been Isobel's experience that the best thing to do was to face these childhood tempers head on. Though Matthew never reacted well to her prying, if it would save a few days of him sulking about the house like a stroppy adolescent, it was worth the risk!"

Before seeing the end of S2, this might not have stood out to me so much. But now it seems like a brilliant piece of foreshadowing on your parts!

My last bit of praise may come out a bit backhanded, which I certainly don't want it to do, but ... I really do want to praise you in this way. I just wanted to let you know how much you guys have improved at writing your parts together. This story is truly enjoyable, but the transition between Mary and Matthew's parts doesn't quite flow as seamlessly as you currently do it. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that now, with your more recent collaborations, you have totally mastered the art of a writing the two POVs together so that it's as if one author wrote it. I think the ultimate so far has been the final chapter of Such Wonderful Things (guh).

I'm so excited for the Castle AU.

So, I'm reading this over again in preparation for your Castle fic, and I'm appalled to see that I never reviewed it (especially when I so enjoyed its first sequel)! You really capture the unique tension between them very well here, where every topic of conversation is a potential landmine. It's almost like a form of masochism on both of their parts ... but I'm so glad they keep going at it :)

Is it bad that I just kept screaming "Kiss her and fix this" over and over again? I'm enjoying this tremendously.. a very smart, insightful, clever setup.

Aww, this was as wonderfully engaging as the first time! :D I adore how, post-ep 5, M/M are *incapable* of even the most simple small talk without there being subtext to it. :D The remarks about the weather are a perfect example...innocuous comments dripping with hidden meaning! Just amazing! :) And what I adore about the Mrs. Barnet exchange is I can see both sides perfectly: I understand what Matthew meant, but why Mary took it as such. Sigh...such great characterization. :D And poor Isobel caught in the middle, oh, and bringing up the cottages - another unknowing point of contention! :( This is just so well-crafted, it flows beautifully and the writing is just excellent. Thank you for another wonderful trip inside their heads and I cannot WAIT for more! :D Please update soon! :)

I shall be dying until the next update :D love it...

He better run after her! Both chapters are so well written, and I love Isobel's point of view in all of this as well. I like how Mary feels she intruding on a family moment and how it was a shame she didn't have moments like that :( Poor Mary! Please update soon!

...no kissing *pouts*

never mind that, I love it! pleeeeeeeeeaaaaasse write more, guys! Love it! :D

Whee! What fun! Already this is lovely and I hear thousands and thousands more words to come! Love Mary in this, so true to her character and poor Matthew... can't wait for more!

Love it! You captured Matthew & Mary's personalities perfectly in my opinion. I can't wait for the next chapter. (:

Aww, this brings back the most wonderful memories! :D I'm seriously in awe that this was your first RP together because it just reads beautifully. :) The banter is just brilliant, and captures the full range of post-ep 5 emotions - from the Sir Anthony fallout to Mary asking about Matthew's job (LOVE that! So spontaneous and wonderful!) to Mary's charity work...sigh. You just get that feeling of how much they enjoy talking to each other - even if it turns awkward or uncomfortable, it's worth the effort. Sigh. :) Your characterization is just flawless, and again, I still cannot get over the fact that this was written by two people. Can't wait to read the tea scene again - thank you SO MUCH for posting these! What a treat! :D Keep RPing! :)