Chapter 1:

Nozawa Bar, Beverly Hills, California, USA, January 4, 2018

"Ah, here's something you shouldn't have any problem with," Mary declared, smiling when the small bowls of passion fruit sorbet were placed before them.

"I didn't have a problem with any of it," Matthew grumbled, picking up his dessert spoon. "I'm just being careful, is all."

She rolled her eyes and took a small bite of the sorbet. Since landing in Los Angeles in the early afternoon, they'd been struggling to adjust to the time change. The flight from London was close to twelve hours long, and they resisted taking a kip when they arrived here in favour of going to the gym, trying to stay awake for as long as possible. Dinner was absolutely delicious, the concierge at their hotel helping to get them a reservation at this small and intimate Japanese restaurant where the chef served a set omakase menu of delectable, painstakingly handcrafted sushi. Normally, she wasn't one to take photos of her food, but she couldn't resist this time. Every dish was a veritable work of art.

As part of the experience, the chef sent out dishes as he saw fit, which gave an air of mystery and anticipation to what they would eat next. The servers went to great effort to present each roll and piece of fish, explaining any significance it had in Japanese cuisine and also how to properly dip and eat the food. Though Mary and Matthew were quite familiar with sushi, it was still interesting to hear the presentation.

Her new fiancé didn't exactly see it that way.

Matthew frowned when the jellyfish came out. He stared suspiciously at the octopus. He cast a distrustful eye at the salmon eggs and he flat out refused to eat the eel. Normally, he was up for trying anything, especially when a renowned chef was involved, but tonight he was being downright petulant.

"It's not as though I didn't enjoy the meal," he noted, taking a spoonful of sorbet.

"No, you just looked at each course under a microscope before determining if it was safe to eat," she retorted.

"Well, I don't think that suffering food poisoning days before the awards is a particularly wise strategy," he complained. "As beautiful as it all is, it's still raw fish."

She rolled her eyes again. Matthew was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. It was the entire reason they were here. Having already skipped some of the midweek events due to staying in England for the funeral of Mary's grandmother, Violet Crawley, their schedule was now packed through the weekend. Tomorrow night was the annual pre-party held by her agents, CAA. Saturday they had the BAFTA tea party in the afternoon, the Vanity Fair party in the evening, and Sunday was the actual awards show. There were calls, meetings, and fittings crammed into all the available free time.

Having been a television nominee and a presenter in the past, she was used to the whirlwind, and usually enjoyed it quite a bit. This year was different, though. Matthew was nominated in a more prestigious movie category, and it was the first major nomination of his career. They were also relatively new as a couple, at least as far as the public and media were concerned. Their debut was back in September when she won her first Emmy, though they had been together for over a year before that, and previously dated for even longer. The level of scrutiny and attention they would receive this weekend would be beyond anything he'd been used to before.

"God, I'm absolutely knackered," he whinged. "How much longer do we have to stay up?"

She smiled. "We really ought to try and make it to ten, or eleven. That way we should wake up tomorrow with a full night's rest and be relatively adjusted to California time."

"All right, so another two hours. That's not bad," he nodded. "I should be able to hang on."

"Darling, we flew business class the entire way and you did get a decent amount of sleep on the plane," she noted. "It isn't as though you needed to swim across the Atlantic."

"That's not the point," he frowned.

"Then what is the point? Are you saying now that you're a big, important Golden Globe nominee, you need to be pampered and treated like a porcelain figurine?"

"No!" he grumbled. "I'm just being careful, that's all. I want to be at my best when we go out, and I don't think that it's unreasonable to watch what I eat and make sure that I get sufficient rest."

She huffed. "You used to not care about such things, the pomp and ceremony of all of this."

He shook his head and went back to his dessert. "It's not a question of caring. The point is we're here for a reason, and whether it's schmoozing with these completely superficial and vacuous sheep, or trying to impress Hollywood power brokers, I want to put my best foot forward. The outcome doesn't particularly matter to me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be reckless about it."

"Yes, how rebellious of you, risking your very life on a piece of tuna sashimi," she teased.

"You're the one who taught me how important one's image is," he remarked pointedly. "I'm merely following your lead."

"I said to be mindful of it, not paranoid," she distinguished.

"I'm hardly paranoid, but the fact is I'm far more known now than I was before," he replied.

She blinked and arched her eyebrow. "Are you now? Well, do enlighten me please, Mr. Crawley."

He grunted. "A place like this, I would never have been able to get in on my own before. I'd be put on the waiting list like everyone else. Now, because of my work with Armani, or because of my nomination, people know me and recognize me. I'm not saying it's right, or even welcome, but it's the reality of my situation now."

"Excuse me, please," the server asked politely, coming over to their table and bowing her head. "Mr. Crawley?"

Matthew smirked at Mary before turning and smiling at the server. "Yes, that's me. How are you?"

"Oh! Good, good, yes," the server giggled nervously, bowing her head. "I wanted to know if it's okay to ask you a question?"

"Of course it is," he said, smiling warmly and shooting another smug look at Mary. "How can I help you?"

"Oh, please, if you could take a photo of all of us with Lady Mary, please?" the server asked, handing him her phone.

He blinked in shock.

Mary grinned.

"Uh, sure! Yes, of course!" he struggled, taking the phone.

"Thank you! Thank you!" the server exclaimed gleefully. She waved her co-workers over and the other servers and two of the chefs came running and gathered behind Mary's chair.

"I love Empress Jade!" another server gushed, grinning at Mary. "She's my favourite character, like, ever! I love Paladin so much! I was so sorry when it ended after last season."

"Thank you," Mary nodded. "I so love meeting fans. We both do, don't we darling?"

"Yes, indeed," Matthew said tightly, pointing the camera at the group. "All right, everyone ready?"

"Let's all say 'Paladin' on three, shall we?" Mary encouraged them before smiling playfully at Matthew.

Matthew gave her a pointed look and stopped himself from outright frowning. "All right, then. 1…2…3…"

"Paladin!" they all cheered.

Matthew took the photo and checked to make sure it was in focus. He handed it back to the grateful server and they all dispersed after having Mary autograph a pile of napkins for them.

"You're right, darling," she stated, sipping her green tea. "Everyone knows you now."

He smiled ruefully and shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he reached across the table and took her hand.

She smiled back at him.

"So what will we do to stay awake for the rest of the night?" he asked.

She arched her eyebrow, her fingers playing with his. "I thought you were absolutely knackered?"

"Maybe I just need a bit of a workout to get the blood moving again," he answered smoothly, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Think you could help me with that?"

"I don't know, maybe," she mused lightly. "Depends on whether you're going to last long enough."

He grinned and leaned forward to kiss her hand.

She smiled and looked down as he called for their bill.

CAA Party, Catch L.A., West Hollywood, California, USA, January 5, 2018

The hostess walked briskly across the rooftop patio, weaving through the crowd, smiling at the men who turned to look at her. The party was well underway and so far, all was running smoothly. She couldn't be away from her post for too long, though, so she quickened her pace, finally reaching a private booth with a view of the hills in the distance.

"There you are," she announced, nodding to the blonde woman who followed behind her. "Reserved for Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary Crawley."

Anna looked over the booth cautiously, checking out the view, the bottles of alcohol placed on the table, and judging the distance to the nearest bar and the washrooms. It wasn't the best table in the place, far from it, in fact, but she didn't expect top level treatment. Matthew was a nominee, but he wasn't a CAA client, and Mary was far from a priority herself.

"Great. Thanks," Anna said finally, nodding her approval.

"You're very welcome. You're his P.A.?" the hostess asked.

"I'm Mary's P.A.," Anna confirmed. "Matthew doesn't really have one, although my husband's his best friend, and he's here sort of helping out."

"Ah," the hostess replied, already deeming the information not worth remembering. "Have a great night. Carol will be taking care of you. She'll be here in a second."

Anna nodded and took out her phone to text Mary. Her fingers were sliding across the phone screen when she heard a deep voice behind her.

"Corner booth, eh. Well this raises all sorts of possibilities."

She looked up and smiled as a tall man with black hair and dark brown eyes came around in front of her. He was wearing a custom tailored Prada suit and he looked her over with decidedly improper thoughts.

"This is Mary and Matthew's booth," she reminded her husband. "It's not to be used for what you have in mind, Mr. Lewis."

"And what would that be, Ms. Smith?" he countered, his eyes full of mischief as he pulled her into his embrace. "You can read minds now?"

"It's not hard when it comes to you," she smirked, putting her hands on his chest. "And I'm working, so you will have to contain yourself."

"Easy, there. I'm working, too," he replied. "I just spent ten minutes listening to Kevin pitch me on why my clients should front Warner Bros. $50 million for the Shazam movie."

She laughed and shook her head. "Clearly he doesn't know of your disdain for all things DC."

"That's not true. I like Wonder Woman," he noted smoothly.

She rolled her eyes. "I am not wearing that costume again."

"No problem. I found a Batgirl one that I think is even better," he replied easily.

She frowned at him before grudgingly giving him a quick kiss.

"Can I get you a drink, love?" he asked, nodding towards the private booth.

"Just an orange juice for me," she sighed, stepping out of his hold.

"No alcohol tonight?" he asked, going over and pouring her a glass.

"Sadly, no. My husband's trying to get me pregnant, so I've got to stay sober," she teased.

He grinned and handed her the drink. "Really? So you've got big plans later tonight?"

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, sipping her juice. She leaned toward him and whispered in his ear. "Tonight is looking quite promising, timing wise, so you are so going to get it when we get back to the hotel."

"I'll have to save up my energy," he remarked.

"Yeah, you do that, babes," she agreed. "You're going to need it."

He gave her a light poke in her side before heading off to talk to another studio executive who was desperate to have his clients invest in their film.

Matthew sipped his drink, glancing around the patio slowly, seeing who he recognized. Mary was off chatting with some of her friends and he didn't feel like navigating his way over to his booth to sit down and wait for her. He knew a few of the actors here, the party not being confined exclusively to CAA clients. Since their arrival, he had received numerous congratulations and well wishes on his nomination, mostly from people he barely even knew. He just smiled and nodded, holding tight to Mary's hand. This was her agency, and she knew far more people than he did. Normally, he would find somewhere to hang out with Alex and stay inconspicuous, but there was no hiding tonight.

"Matthew! Congrats, bro!"

He smiled and nodded as three men came over to him and shook his hand vigorously. Judging by their suits and slicked hair, they had to be agents, but he didn't want to prejudge.

"Winston Capshaw. You can call me Win, cause that's all I do!" the first laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. "This is Derek and Brad, two juniors of mine."

"Hi," he said politely. Yes, they were definitely agents, all right.

"Having a good time, Matthew? The firm always goes all out. We want everyone to have fun, but also understand how important they are to us," Win continued.

"Right. Yes, it's really impressive," Matthew replied.

"It is, yeah. Look, real quick, don't want to bug you, or anything, but I heard that you still don't have U.S. representation, and I gotta tell ya, I really think you need it. We could for sure help you out a lot," Win insisted.

"I'm good," Matthew shrugged. "My agent takes good care of me."

Win looked over at Derek and Brad knowingly. "Right, yeah, Joe, right? Joe Molesely? Yeah, that's great, Matthew. He obviously has done well for you, and he knows England, sure, but I'm talking about having an agent here in the States as part of your team. You know we do the same thing for Mary, right? Rosamund's her agent, goes back and forth between here, New York and London, but Mary also has the benefit of the firm and all our resources over here. You don't have to choose one or the other, you can have a global focus. We're worldwide."

Matthew kept smiling, though his annoyance was growing. CAA had done very little for Mary, particularly lately. When her television show, Paladin, was still on the air, they were quick to champion her, or at least send her projects to consider and get her name out in the industry. However, after the past scandal-plagued year, her opportunities had dried up, and her American agents had shipped her off to France to make movies there for far less pay and even less exposure.

"This is a really crucial time for you, Matthew, you know?" Win continued. "You win that Golden Globe on Sunday and you are going to blow up. I already know studios that are dying to work with you, and your rate will skyrocket. You could use a bigger team. The resources that we could put behind you will make sure you hear your name up for awards every year. Big budget tentpole releases, working with the top directors and producers, whatever you want. We can get you in the same conversation as all the huge A-listers. I'm not a name-dropper, but I was just talking to George Clooney the other day, figuring out his plan for this year, working on how to keep him on top. Just think about it. We can help."

"Sure," Matthew replied.

"Great! Great! Look, one other thing. I heard you flew commercial to get over here? Come on, Matthew, that's no good. Sitting in the same cramped, little cabin as some brat who's sneezing all over the place? Look, I don't do this for just anybody, but I like you, and I like Mary. I'll hook you guys up with a charter flight back to France next week. Have her P.A. contact my office and we'll get you all set up. Just a little gesture to show you how we take care of our own, all right?" Win smiled.

"Thanks," Matthew nodded, wondering why this 'perk' had never been offered to them during all the awards shows Mary had attended.

"Have a good night, Matthew, and we'll be crossing our fingers for you on Sunday," Win said, shaking his hand one last time before departing with his two cronies.

Matthew shook his head and took another sip of his drink. He decided to get moving and try to find Mary.

"There you are, darling."

Mary rolled her eyes and turned around, throwing a pointed glare at the man grinning at her. His dark brown hair was perfectly styled as always, his green eyes playful and mischievous. He was handsome, she never denied that. It was his personality that ruined everything, that and his penchant for never shutting up.

"Henry," she said tightly. "Imagine running into you here."

Henry Talbot chuckled, his eyes sweeping down her body to evaluate her navy sleeveless jumpsuit. She knew he would linger on her breasts and not even pretend to hide it, and as usual, he met her very low expectations.

"Come on. Let me buy you a drink," he offered, reaching out and taking hold of her arm.

She slipped away from his grasp and smiled sweetly at him. As much as she hated her former co-star, causing a scene wasn't worth it. These parties were crawling with gossip bloggers and their ilk. "No, thank you. Not unless you want me to throw it at you."

He laughed and shook his head. "I never got a congratulatory text from you after my nomination was announced."

"That's because I didn't send you one," she answered crisply. "Spoiler alert – I'm not going to be texting you on Sunday, either, win or lose."

"Oh, I'll win. We both know that I will," he replied smugly. "My agent didn't send me the seating plan yet. You're sitting at my table, aren't you?"

She gritted her teeth behind her pursed lips. "I'm here with Matthew. I'll be sitting with him."

"Matthew…Matthew…" he repeated, frowning in thought. "Oh! Matthew! Right! He was nominated for that little movie the two of you did. Well, you know how the show goes, everyone is always circulating around. You can come up from the back and sit with me if you find it hard to watch the show from where he'll be."

She thought she might burst a blood vessel from the strain of trying not to roll her eyes and give him the satisfaction that his boorish words actually registered.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," she said curtly.

"I'm sorry, Mary, I'm being rude," he smiled. "I should be the one congratulating you, after all."

She held his stare as he reached out and took her hand and appraised her engagement ring. "What a lovely ring. Did your father give him a bit of a loan to help pay for it?"

She took her hand back quickly. "Not at all. Matthew's doing very well. This weekend is just the beginning for him."

"Ah, well how clever of you, then," he noted. "Latching on to someone with a better career than yours. Not difficult to find, of course, but the difference is that you've trained him well, so that's something."

She didn't hide the contempt in her eyes as she glared at him. "Good night, Henry."

"I'll see you on Sunday," he declared, leaning in and kissing her cheek.

"Not if I can help it," she hissed.

"Give Matthew my best," he chuckled.

"I will. I'll mention it sometime after he's done fucking my brains out tonight," she replied, arching her eyebrow at him.

The brief flicker of rage on his face was a small victory, but she enjoyed it before turning around and leaving him.

"White Chocolate!"

Matthew looked up in surprise, then shook his head as a tall, black man with a toothy grin waved him over enthusiastically. Smiling in amusement, he went over and dutifully accepted the man's fierce bear hug. Several women were standing around him, watching the scene unfold.

"Ladies, let me introduce you to my man, my brother from another mother, the soon-to-be Golden Globe winner for Best Supporting Actor, Mr. Matthew Crawley!" the actor, Michael B. Jordan boomed, laughing and putting his arm around Matthew's shoulder.

"Don't listen to a word he says," Matthew deflected.

"Now, now, come on, White Chocolate, that ain't no way to talk to family," Michael scolded him.

"Why does he call you White Chocolate?" a young woman showing far too much cleavage asked.

"Because Michael's crazy, basically," Matthew answered.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Michael objected before smiling at her. "It's because when we were in Chicago last year filming Black Panther, my man Matthew right here came out with me and Chad and we tore that city up! He came with us to hear some jazz, ate some soul food, the whole deal. From then on, he was White Chocolate to us, cause he's one of us."

Matthew smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Have you seen Chad? He's here somewhere," Michael asked.

"No, I haven't seen him. He texted me earlier but I said we'd catch up tomorrow," Matthew replied.

Matthew glanced around the small circle and smiled nervously when he noticed some of the women were eyeing him quite covetously.

"Anyway, I should go. I need to find where Mary's gone to," Matthew said quickly.

"Right, right, yeah," Michael nodded. "All right, man, we'll catch up. Hey, we got the premiere next month, too. Remember that. We are going to kill that. You know Marvel premieres are crazy, too."

"For sure," Matthew agreed, smiling and hugging him again. "Good seeing you."

Mary sipped her drink and looked out across the city, the dark shadows of the hills in the distance lit up by the large houses of the posh neighbourhoods tucked away along the slopes. The party had thinned out a little, but the patio was still busy, the music pumping on through the night.

She hadn't seen Matthew in a while. When she returned to their booth with Anna, she found it empty, but not wanting to venture back into the crowd, she decided to sit down and have a drink. Truthfully, she had probably gotten all she could out of this event, and it was probably time to go back to the hotel and rest her tired feet.

There were some people here that she was genuinely happy to see. Natalie Dormer, who worked with Mary and Matthew on Shattered, the film that Matthew was nominated for, gave her a big hug and asked her how long she would be in Paris for to see if they could meet up there. Benedict Cumberbatch had left early, but promised her they would catch up at the BAFTA tea tomorrow. Some of her other fellow Brits had tracked her down to say hello.

Generally, though, she spent the evening receiving condolences on Granny's passing, or congratulations on her engagement. Matthew had warned her that an official announcement so soon after Granny's death might be awkward, but Mum was so happy for them and once she started telling family and friends, the news would leak anyway. Granny always taught her to control the message about her in public, and so a formal announcement was prepared and released. She even posted a photo of her ring on her social media accounts.

And now that was what she was known as – Matthew Crawley's fiancée.

It wasn't a bother, really. She loved being engaged, was surprisingly giddy about it. For the longest time, she expected her engagement and marriage would be just further life milestones, nothing worth blowing out of proportion. Now, she found herself playing with her ring constantly, admiring it, unafraid of wearing it and being photographed with it on. She found she looked at Matthew differently, too. She would have little daydreams about their life together – where they would live, trips they would take together, more premieres, events and awards shows they would attend – and she couldn't help but smile like some lovestruck teenager thinking about her favourite singer.

No, being engaged wasn't a problem. She was more perturbed that no one bothered to ask her about her career, about what she was working on. The final episode of Paladin had aired just two weeks ago to strong ratings and no one was congratulating her for that. She had wrapped on her latest film, a movie she filmed in France called The Muse, but hardly anyone here knew about it, and those who did, didn't care. Just last year at this very same party, she had agents and producers trying to lure her into quitting her show to work on the plethora of wonderful projects they wanted her to star in. This year, those same people told her how much they admired Granny and hoped that Matthew won on Sunday.

"You all right?" Anna asked.

Mary smiled wanly and nodded, taking another sip of her drink. "Just tired."

Anna nodded in understanding. "Do you want me to go find Matthew? Alex is probably ready to leave, too."

"No, it's his night, he should be allowed to enjoy it," Mary replied. "You and Alex can leave, if you like."

"We're okay," Anna answered. "He's been discussing deals with some of the studio executives."

"Let me know if there's a part for me in any of them," Mary grumbled. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's all right," Anna replied.

"It's funny, isn't it? I'm going back to Paris next week to start filming my second movie there and yet it somehow feels as if I'm losing," Mary laughed emptily.

"You're not losing," Anna stated. "You'll be in the Riviera next month, too. I'd say that's something to look forward to."

"I suppose, although the weather won't be nearly as hot as I'd like," Mary commented, sharing a knowing smile with her assistant and best friend. "Speaking of which, did Paul tell you who's going?"

"I think it's just you and him," Anna replied. "Edna told me that there're some meetings he's arranged over there, but mainly you're going to scout film locations for a few days. I don't know why he thinks you need to go."

"Some of the meetings are with investors and studio people, so he wants to show me off," Mary shrugged. "I'm actually looking forward to it. If we're going to be filming in Nice, I'd like to know which places we're using in advance."

Anna nodded and sipped her juice. The director, Paul Chaput, was rather domineering and stubborn. He had a particular way of working that everyone on the production had to follow, and he hated being questioned. When his assistant director, Edna, told Anna that Paul didn't want assistants or staff accompanying him and Mary to the French Riviera, she found that odd, but it was understandable that he didn't want an entire entourage going with them. This second film that he was working on with Mary had a smaller budget than she was normally used to, and so the fact was the studio couldn't afford many of the things that she and Mary took for granted when they were filming Paladin or a movie in North America.

"Matthew's been quite popular tonight," Anna remarked. "I saw the two of you drew quite a circle earlier."

Mary nodded. "He's a Golden Globe nominee, and a new face. You know how this business is. Everyone loves checking out the new boy."

Anna nodded. She had noticed that Matthew's popularity had grown after being nominated. His social media followers had doubled, and despite this being a rather exclusive party, she had seen a fair number of groupies checking him out.

"Hello, ladies. Either of you looking for a good time tonight?"

Mary looked up and rolled her eyes as Matthew slid into the booth next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

Anna grinned as Alex did the same.

"Can we go, please?" Matthew whinged. "I'm done."

Mary shared a pleased smirk with Anna.

"It's quite weak that you're worn out already, but I guess we can leave," Mary said haughtily.

"Thank you," Matthew said, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "And I'm far from worn out. I just want to get out of here. I just want to get you out of here."

She grinned and took his hand, letting him help her up out of the booth. The four of them quickly headed for the elevator, giving token nods and smiles to those they knew on their way out.

Wilshire Suite, Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA, January 6, 2018

"How many men tried to pick you up tonight?" Alex asked.

"None, obviously," Anna scoffed, coming over and sitting down on the bed. "There were models, and singers, and actresses there. No one was looking at me."

"I don't think men at these parties care about what a woman's job is," he replied, smiling at her from his side of the bed.

"Maybe, but the point is the place was full of gorgeous women," she muttered.

"I wouldn't know. I wasn't looking," he noted, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, right."

He sat up and shifted over to her, his bare chest and arms immediately drawing her attention.

She hummed when he pressed a light kiss to her cheek. "I only had eyes for my sexy wife."

"I bet there were plenty of women fawning all over you," she whispered, closing her eyes as he kissed her neck. "Offering to give you a quickie in some dark corner."

"I was hoping to get you into one of the bathrooms," he replied smoothly. "But you were busy working."

"Mmm, well I'm not working now," she breathed, her hands sliding up and down his back as she felt him untie her robe.

The sheer force of his desire for her was overwhelming at times. They had been married for years now and still he wanted her like he did when they were dating, possibly even more. The past seven months since her miscarriage had been rough for them, almost catastrophic even, but they had survived. They weren't all the way healed just yet, and she was still looking over her shoulder, afraid that some past demons might come back to haunt her again. But at moments like these, when she could feel just how much he held her above all others, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

"Your schedule is finally clear, eh?" he asked, pulling her robe off and licking her bare shoulder.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, her pulse jumping when his fingers reached around and undid her bra. "I blocked off the rest of the night for fucking my husband."

He chuckled and kissed his way down her front.

She gasped and arched her back as his mouth captured her breast. Her fingers wound through his hair, encouraging him to play with her body in the way he knew would drive her mad.

He eased her on to her back, still kissing and caressing her breasts. She turned her head and groaned into the pillow, every touch of his lips and tongue building her up.

She moaned loudly when his hand ducked beneath the black lace of her thong and his fingers stroked her before sliding into her centre. Her hand shot down and took hold of his wrist, urging him to go faster, deeper, harder.

He did.

"Alex! I'm so close!" she cried, writhing beneath him.

"Let me hear you," he hissed against her skin.

She yelled when he sent her over with his mouth and fingers, her shout of pleasure making her release seem all the more intense.

He pulled her thong off while she came back down from her high. Running his hands up and down the smooth skin of her legs, he smiled at her as she calmed.

She opened her eyes and pounced on him, pushing him on to his back and quickly removing his pyjama trousers and shorts. He grinned down at her, his eyes instructing her as she closed her mouth around him, her hand stroking the rest of him in sweet obedience.

"Anna," he grunted, running his hand up and down her back and thrusting his hips towards her mouth. She moaned around him, licking his length, aroused and elated that she had this effect on him, that he responded to her touch so powerfully, as if she was the only one who could make him feel this way. He had told her exactly that so many times, but it was only when they were like this – naked and overwhelmed with desire – that she truly believed it.

She tasted him one last time before reluctantly letting him go and swinging around, straddling him and grinding her hips against his.

"Fuck! Oh God!" she cried, leaning over him as his hands on her hips guided her down. She moved, slowly at first to ease him in, before need and desperation made her go faster and take more of him. He sat up and kissed her, one hand reaching through her blonde hair and holding her head, the other wrapped around her to hold her tight. She yelped into his mouth, her tongue playing with his as every thrust drove her towards the edge once more.

"Fuck me, fuck me," she chanted, her breathing harsh and ragged.

He turned them over. Her legs wrapped around him as he picked up the pace, pushing in deep with each stroke.

She closed her eyes and hung on to him, a string of moans and vulgar pleas falling from her lips in time with his driving hips. A dark craving built in the back of her mind, wanting to feel him let go inside of her, fill her, the thought of carrying his child thrilling and terrifying her all at once.

The idea sent her flying a second time. She squeezed him, kissed his face, moved on him as she felt him getting close.

He warned her.

She begged him.

They both cried out together as she took all that he gave.

75th Golden Globe Awards, The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA, January 7, 2018

Like most of the audience, Mary and Matthew grew progressively more drunk as the evening went on. They were well behaved for the most part, arriving on the red carpet calm and cool, despite the crowd and the paparazzi going nuts around them. Her blue halter-style dress was backless, with a large belt and a long form-fitting skirt. She wore her hair up this time, revealing more of her pale skin, and standing next to Matthew in his Armani tuxedo, she matched him well. They did a few interviews, smoothly trading off when to answer and comment, before heading into the venue and greeting friends and well-wishers. Their table was near the front, sufficiently far enough away from Henry, and quite close to the stage. At the beginning of the evening, they socialized freely, even moving about the tables to greet friends during the commercial breaks. As Matthew's category approached, they became more composed, whispering to each other and keeping their eyes on the stage.

Henry's category came up first, and Matthew almost jumped out of his seat when Rami Malek won for Mr. Robot. Mary touched his arm and smiled, applauding politely and sharing a knowing glance with her fiancé. She imagined the look of shock and anger on Henry's face, but she didn't bother looking, focusing instead on Rami's lovely speech.

The tribute to Granny was included in the 'In Memoriam' reel played during the show. Mary had to agree that Aunt Rosamund had chosen a beautiful photo, a more recent one of Granny where she was actually smiling. Though she was known to many in the room, it had been so long since she'd been in anything that many of the younger people had never seen her work. Truly, Mary felt sorry for them rather than annoyed. Granny never put much stock in awards and accolades anyway. She had a remarkable ability to trust in her own opinion over those of others, especially when it came to her career. Mary was still learning that particular skill, but as she and Matthew looked up at Granny's photo, they smiled and were grateful once again for a woman who had impacted their lives so profoundly.

During another commercial break, Matthew got up and went over to say hello to Rooney Mara, his co-star in the film they just wrapped a few months ago in Spain. They had seen each other at the Vanity Fair party last night, and she wished him good luck before he went back to his seat.

Mary returned from the washroom and patted Matthew's hand when she sat back down. He gave her a brave smile.

"Nervous?" she teased.

"No, just enjoying the moment," he replied.

"Well, you should," she smiled, squeezing his hand. "I'm proud of you, you know."

He grinned and nodded. "Thanks."

He squeezed her hand a touch harder when Viola Davis was introduced to present the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor – Film. He always found this category strange. The Golden Globes separated lead actor and actress categories into drama, and comedy or musical. The supporting actor award encompassed all the different genres of film into one. He didn't think his chances would be any better if he only had to compete against other drama roles, but it was a peculiar distinction all the same.

His name was read out first in the alphabetical order and he turned and smiled at Mary. He could feel the camera on them, and the polite applause from the audience, as brief as it was, still surprised him a bit. He became nervous as the last nominee was read and Viola began opening the envelope.

"And the Golden Globe goes to…Matthew Crawley, Shattered…"

Hearing his name was so shocking that he jumped a bit, his pulse quickening. As the applause rang out around him, he turned towards Mary's smiling face, the look of disbelief matching his own. He kissed her tenderly before standing up and making his way to the stage. He felt hands reach out and touch him, voices uttering congratulations, but he couldn't pay attention, all of his effort devoted to making sure he got up the steps without falling on his face.

Every step across the stage felt like he might slip at any moment. He kissed Viola on the cheek and hugged her, accepting the trophy and turning towards the microphone. The lights were intensely bright, but he could make out the audience before him, his eyes adjusting to the glare. The music stopped and everyone grew silent, waiting on him to speak.

"Thank you, God, wow, I really, wow…" he stammered, looking down at the trophy to make sure it was really in his hand.

Mary covered her mouth to stop herself from crying as she watched him clear his throat before continuing. He looked at the trophy once more before turning his blue eyes back to the audience.

"There's countless people to thank at a surreal moment like this – the Hollywood Foreign Press firstly, thank you. My Mother, all of my wonderful friends who have supported me throughout my career, who offered me their couches to sleep on, and kitchens to eat in when I needed them. My agent, Joseph Molesley, of course, thank you so very much. I have to thank Sony and Thea Sharrock for letting me be a part of this project with such an amazing cast and crew. I…I must thank Violet Crawley…"

A small sob escaped Mary's lips as the audience applauded at the mention of Granny.

Matthew nodded before going on.

"She was a legend to all of you, but to me, she was simply Violet, and I loved her dearly," he said. "There's one person that I need to thank most of all, and that's my incredible co-star, Mary…"

His eyes found hers. Her breath caught.

"She doesn't know this, but the only reason I ever got into acting so, so many years ago when we were children was because she did. I thought it was something we would have in common to talk about, and that was it, really. I quickly learned that if I was going to have any hope of keeping up with her, I'd have to raise my game, as they say, and well, here I am. My darling, I'll keep chasing after you for as long as you'll let me. It's worked out brilliantly so far. I love you. Thank you. Good night, everyone. Thanks."

Mary applauded heartily while the orchestra began playing once more and Matthew was escorted off the stage. He turned and smiled at her one last time before disappearing behind the curtains.

NBCUniversal After-Party, The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA, January 7, 2018

Mary would never admit it, but she was enjoying herself even more than the night she won her Emmy Award. She went backstage almost immediately and watched as Matthew did his press conference, accompanied him as he went through various tasks required of award winners and even laughed when he was able to charm the staff into giving him a women's swag bag rather than the men's. He gave her a teasing smile as he handed it to her. Most of the coveted cosmetics would be gifted to her sisters, but she appreciated his consideration all the same.

"Can you believe it?" she asked, grinning as they lingered backstage.

"Can you?" he countered, looking at her playfully.

She smiled and kissed him lightly. "I must say I didn't think you would win, if I'm honest."

"Neither did I," he admitted.

They shared a knowing glance before heading off to another area to meet up with Alex and Anna, who congratulated him heartily. They took some selfies with the trophy, though Mary refused to touch it, and all four of them did a rather hilarious Skype session with Sybil and Edith, who were still at Downton and were exhausted, but elated for Matthew's victory.

The rest of the ceremony was rather a blur. Matthew spent a while speaking to his mother before they headed to the official after-party, which was wisely staged in the same venue. They had barely gotten their drinks when a procession of friends and colleagues descended upon them to offer their congratulations and chat. She stood by to let him have his moment, but his free hand kept straying to hers. Even when he gestured while he was talking, he would keep hold of her fingers, such that they comically looked like they were swinging their arms together for no reason.

After a while, he pulled her on to the dance floor, as much to get away from everyone clamouring for his attention as to have a private moment with her. Unlike his normal reserved demeanour, he let loose a little, smiling at her mischievously as they turned about to a slow song one minute and playfully grinded to a faster dance tune the next. It was wonderful to see him enjoying himself and celebrating this incredible achievement, and his happiness seemed contagious. When people came up to congratulate her on his win, she didn't even mind or care that it was rather patronising, just accepting the well wishes with a lovely smile. For one night, her pride and love for him outweighed her own disappointment on the state of her career, and it was remarkably freeing.

"Have you seen Henry?" Anna asked, smiling conspiratorially.

"No," Mary laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere, or we'll see him at one of the other parties. Funny enough, I didn't even look at him all night."

"That is surprising," Anna noted. "I thought you'd want to see the look on his face when he lost, or when Matthew won."

"I would have thought so, too, but in the moment, I barely thought about him. It's better to just imagine his fury," Mary laughed.

"Goodness, Lady Mary Crawley choosing to take the high road?" Anna teased.

Mary frowned at her. "Bite your tongue. You know me better than that."

"Darling! Darling! Come on! They have a chocolate fountain!" Matthew gushed, coming over and grabbing her hand. "You too, Anna! Let's go!"

Mary smirked at Anna knowingly before dutifully following her giddy fiancé to the dessert station.

The man wandered away from the dance floor, past the dessert table and out the door to the reception area beyond the ballroom. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, he took out his headset and put it in his ear before dialling a number on his phone.

"Oui."

"I'm at the after-party. She's here. She arrived with Matthew Crawley and her assistant. They're having dessert. Strawberries with chocolate."

"What else?"

"She hasn't taken any meetings yet. I am told that no one here wants to work with her. She's not in the conversation for anything."

"Bon."

Matthew smiled and tapped his beer with Alex's. They shared a knowing smile and drank, standing off to the side while the party went on before them. Some of the more high profile guests had moved on to the other after-parties thrown by different studios and networks. They would head out soon enough. For now, they were waiting for Mary and Anna to come back from the ladies' room, and enjoying what was a truly unbelievable evening.

"So did you bet on me, or against me?" Matthew asked, smirking at his best friend.

"Both, obviously," Alex replied. "The odds on you were pretty low, so I hedged a bit and still made money."

Matthew laughed and took another drink.

"So what's next? Back to Paris and figure it out from there?" Alex asked.

Matthew shook his head. "I'm going back to Downton, actually. Mother agreed to head up to Manchester for a few days. I think it'll be good for her."

Alex nodded in surprise. "I see. So when will you be back in France?"

"Just before we come back here for the SAG Awards," Matthew advised. "Mary starts filming right away on Wednesday so she'll be pretty busy for the next two weeks. By February she should be into a routine, so that'll be easier."

"After she gets back from Nice?" Alex asked.

Matthew nodded. "Exactly. I'll be in Paris while she's away, and should know what my next move is by then. Well, we have the Black Panther premiere in London"

"Being a Golden Globe winner will help a lot. It'll get you better scripts, more money, more exposure," Alex noted.

"Whatever that means," Matthew shrugged. "I'll talk to Joe about it when I get back. For now, the only thing in my future is a wedding in September."

Alex smiled. "Fair enough. Just so you know, though, you will seem much more attractive to my clients now."

Matthew frowned. "Really? I thought you said they wouldn't want to give me any money for a film by a first-time director."

"They usually won't, especially since you don't even have an idea yet, let alone an actual script. But it's easier for me to pitch them on a project being developed by a Golden Globe winner, as opposed to one by just a first-time director," Alex explained.

Matthew nodded, considering his words. "How much do you think I could get?"

Alex laughed. "Here we go."

Matthew huffed. "Well, it makes a difference when it comes to who I can cast and all that."

"I thought it was going to be you and Mary and you'd figure out the rest?" Alex asked.

"Yes, that is the hope, but it's not just going to be the two of us, and we might actually have to pay people. You know, the union isn't too big on actors working for free," Matthew remarked.

Alex laughed. "Work on an actual idea first. Develop an outline, a treatment. Get me something tangible, together with a realistic budget, and I'll see if I can get you enough money to give it a try."

Matthew grinned and took another drink.

Rodeo View Suite, Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA, January 8, 2018

Mary laughed as she stumbled through the door, swaying her hips back and forth and holding her arms out to try and balance herself. Matthew followed behind her, closing the door and smiling at her antics. She flipped her Jimmy Choos on to the floor and headed into the living room. Fumbling with the pins in her hair, she managed to pull them loose and shake her tresses free. His eyes widened when he watched her lift the halter of her dress over her head and ease the gown down her hips and to the floor.

"What?" she asked, smiling at him over her shoulder, now dressed in just her bra, thong, garters and stockings. "It's more efficient this way, isn't it?"

He shook his head in amusement and followed her towards the bedroom. She turned around and beckoned him towards her.

"You're very overdressed, Mr. Crawley," she drawled, quickly easing his suit jacket off and undoing his bow tie. "Or do you prefer it this way? Am I to parade around naked for you? Fetch you a drink and your slippers and await my orders?"

He chuckled as she unbuttoned his shirt. "I would never presume to command the Lady Mary Crawley to do anything."

She laughed sultrily and kissed his chest as she revealed more and more of his skin. "You can tonight. I'll do anything you want, darling. Anything and everything. You're the victor, and I am your spoils."

He grinned. She stood back up and pulled his shirt from his trousers, eased it down his arms and kissed all over his neck and shoulders.

"You know, seeing you up on that stage made me so hot," she nodded, smiling at him wickedly. "I kept thinking 'I'm going to be fucked by a Golden Globe winner tonight.'"

He chuckled. "You're really drunk."

She laughed and undid his belt. "So what if I am? So are you. Are you saying that it's just the vodka making me behave this way?"

He ran one hand through her hair and massaged her nape, his grip on her neck soothing and yet noticeably firm. "You're being far more…unladylike…than usual, is all."

She shook her head and kissed her way to his ear. "Maybe that's because I don't want to be a Lady for you tonight, Matthew."

He growled and took hold of her hips, massaging her skin just above the red silk.

"Maybe I want to be your naughty girl tonight," she whispered, licking his ear. "Maybe I want you to turn me into your wanton little whore, make me do things that I would never, ever think to do."

His grip tightened on her hips.

"Make me scream your name and beg you for it," she teased, pressing her body against his.

He snarled and picked her up off the floor.

"Mmm, such a big strong man you are," she purred, kissing his neck.

He carried her to bed and tossed her on to the mattress. So desperate to take off his trousers, he almost fell over trying to get his legs out of them. With some effort, he was soon naked and standing at the side of the bed.

"Come here," he snapped, his eyes lit up as he leered at her.

She smiled and crawled to him, her head level with his waist. Keeping her eyes on his, she reached out and took hold of him. He watched her lick her lips and guide him to her mouth.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides as she took him in, his breath hissing through his clenched teeth.

"Is this good?" she asked, licking him slowly.

He tangled her hair around his fist and pulled her on to him.

She moaned as he quickened her pace, sealing her lips around him and taking him deep.

His other hand reached out and undid her bra. He yanked it off of her and she groaned when his fingers found her breast, fondling and pinching her roughly. Her pulse jumped at the sensation of helplessness and arousal filling her. She rocked back and forth on her hands and knees, letting him have his way, her eyes locked on his all the while.

Eventually, he pulled back and she sat up, wiping her face and licking her lips.

He came to bed and stalked towards her, forcing her on to her back.

She spread her legs and raised her arms above her head in surrender. His looming presence made her feel small and vulnerable, even though they were almost the same height. She took in a sharp breath when he undid her garters and pulled her thong off, keeping her stockings on. Anticipation and a twinge of fear floated through her head when he lifted her leg to this shoulder and opened her up.

"Matthew!" she keened, her back arching when he plunged inside without pretence or warning. His eyes were predatory, his teeth bared. She felt his warm breath on her skin, every thrust accompanied by a rough grunt. He was like an animal claiming his mate, and she held herself open, every touch pushing her closer to bliss.

"Mine," he growled, somehow taking her even harder.

"Yours! All yours!" she chanted, yelping as he kissed her hard, his tongue seizing her mouth.

She shouted as she fell apart, his hips not stopping their furious pace. Her entire body seemed to tense and explode, and when he drew back and released her mouth, she yelled out wildly. A part of her almost hoped that one of the guests on this floor would hear them. That would make for a rather spicy headline.

He stopped and pulled out, grinning devilishly when he heard her whinge in protest. Moving quickly, he went to her side and lifted her head. Her eyes widened just before he forced her mouth on him again.

"Fuck!" he groaned, his head falling back as she attended to him enthusiastically, the sound of her mouth and throat making him delirious with lust.

"So good," she whispered when he released her. She could tell he was close. She could also tell that he wasn't going to be nearly satisfied with just one round.

She turned over on to her front, raising her hips and displaying herself shamefully to him. "Do you remember that one time when I told you I would only do that thing we did on very rare occasions?"

He blinked, his mind barely able to form coherent thoughts as the blood raced through his veins.

"I do," he nodded. "I remember vividly."

She smiled and lowered her head to the pillows. Tucking her knees beneath her, she raised her hips enticingly to his hungry gaze.

He moved behind her and ran a shaking hand over her arse before giving her a hard spank.

She moaned loudly.

"Is this a rare occasion?" he demanded, spanking her again.

"If you say so," she breathed, groaning with every sharp sting of his hand on her skin. She clutched the duvet tightly and bit into the pillow to brace herself.

"I do say so," he grunted, taking hold of her hips. He paused, letting the tension linger just before he lunged forward.

She screamed and shook, writhed in his hold, unable to move unless he allowed it, unable to do anything but give in to the burning heat and addictive thrill of him taking control of her.

He shifted back and forth, giving her more and more with each push.

She moaned and urged him on, begged him to not stop.

He didn't, giving her deep strokes until he couldn't hold back anymore and had to let go.

She cried out when she felt him shoot, remaining in his clutches until he was finished.

They collapsed to the bed, barely able to turn and cuddle together, the warmth of their joined bodies making them both drowsy.

"Thank you," he grinned, kissing her forehead and holding her close. "That was amazing."

"Mmm, yes, it was," she agreed. "Let's rest a bit. You've got all night to come up with my next command."

He laughed. "Are you sure you can take much more?"

She kissed his neck and snuggled against him. "I want you to make me take it all."

He hummed in delight, held her close and let his imagination wander.

Cité du Cinéma studio complex, Saint-Denis, France, January 11, 2018

"Bon! That's a good one!" Paul called.

The crew took over the set, moving equipment around to prepare for the next scene.

Mary came over to where Paul was seated, sipping her water.

"That was good?" she asked.

He nodded, not looking up from his tablet. "A good start, yes. We need to work on the chemistry between you and James. It is good for now, but it needs some more fire."

"Fire?" she questioned.

"Yes, fire. You get along now, but the audience must believe he is your lover, that there is heat between you. It will come as you work together more. The more intense scenes we will not film until later, in March, maybe," he explained.

She nodded. "Have you cast the other remaining roles?"

He nodded. "I have someone older to play Florian. You will meet him later. His scenes do not start until March."

"And what about the part of Ludivine?" she asked.

He grunted. "I have someone to play her, also. You will meet her in Nice."

"In Nice?" she repeated.

"Yes. She will meet us there, inspect some of the possible film locations, and go to the functions with us to talk to the investors and studio executives," he confirmed.

"Ah, I see," she nodded. "And here I thought that you only needed me to dazzle those that you wanted to impress."

He laughed and looked up, giving her a bright smile. "Marie, you are the star, remember that."

She smiled and nodded before turning away and meeting up with Anna to go back to her trailer.