A/N: HAPPY DOWNTON DAY/MONDAY! It's been a little while, I know, but at last inspiraton struck in the PERFECTION that was M/M in 3x07.

At request, here is the smutty continuation of the lap-sitting-bed-flopping scene of epicness. Thanks to EOlivet for her polish, despite having not seen the episode yet - so much appreciation!

Enjoy! :)

Convince Me Again

"And - don't say, 'if' we ever have any... because we will," she smiled convincingly.

Matthew tried to smile, too, and believe her. But by the time she'd reached the door, it had already fallen. He hoped, God, he hoped... But it had been months, now, and however much they tried - and that really was a lot, despite a brief spell after Sybil's death - it was inconceivable that they hadn't yet been blessed with the promise of a family. His own thoughts mocked him, and he looked down miserably.

Mary seemed to feel it, as her hand fell to the doorknob, and she turned back to him. "Matthew? Darling..."

"I'm sorry, my darling, I can only try to believe you but..." He licked his lips and stared at his hands in his lap, and a shadow fell across them. He looked up, and his wife was by his side, and then perched on his lap once more as his arms came instinctively around her waist.

"Now, darling," she took his face in her hands again, stroking fondly at his cheeks, and kissed him softly. "You just asked me to believe in you. All I'm asking is the same of you. Believe in me, darling... We will, one day, and it isn't your fault. You must believe that."

Unable to quite mask his sigh, he smiled bravely, palm grazing distractedly over her hip.

"I'm trying to," he murmured.

"Well that's not good enough," she said sharply, smiling. "Don't try. Do."

Warming up to her tone, Matthew's lips twitched into a gentle smirk.

"Alright, but I... might need some... convincing," he breathed, as he kissed her.

They fell back together, sinking into the softness of the eiderdown as they kissed and shifted pleasurably, Mary's feeble protest going barely heeded.

"Darling, you really will make me untidy," she gasped, even as she lowered her head to kiss him again.

"Well, I need to change for dinner anyway, and... oh, God, I don't care."

"Oh, you... do, don't you..."

As his eager hands clutched at her hips, his own writhing up helplessly beneath her, she thought it only fair, in the interests of time, to help him change... or, at least, to rid him of his current clothing. She set about it enthusiastically; first his jacket, then waistcoat, then tie, piece after piece pulled from his body under her hands as his own slid beneath the hem of her dress, gliding up her thighs where she knelt over him.

The silk of her dress and stockings against his bared skin was intoxicating, and Matthew gazed appreciatively up at her.

"I can't help feeling this is somewhat... unbalanced, darling," he teased.

"Oh, you don't mind." She leaned down to kiss him again, their mouths warm and passionate, revelling in his little gasps of pleasure as she moved over him. And she didn't complain when he rolled to lie above her, knowing what it was that he sought, knowing that Anna could easily enough be called to fix her hairpins again after... this...

He deftly slipped away the delicate scrap of her underwear, heated kisses dropping to her neck as his palm grazed reverently along her thigh, easing her leg up to curl around his waist. She knew how he loved the sensation of silk, her stockings gliding against his skin, the heels of her shoes marking his backside.

She writhed up to meet him, gasping sharply in pleasure as he slid within the tightness of her body, his hips moving in quick, urgent thrusts. Oh, he was making her untidy, alright, but... how could she care? Her hands grasped wildly between his hair and his back, arching up again and again to meet him as he kissed her, and worshipped her body with his own.

It was quick, and desperate, and messy, and glorious. Her stockings slipped against the beading sweat of his back as he began to lose control, rising cries of pleasure masked by kisses, ever sweeter and deeper.

Time, sense, reality, all lost any meaning or bearing as everything became skin, silk, lips, pleasure, hands, kisses, hips thudding together, again and again, until all else faded from perception. There was only this, and each other, and heat, and at last the overwhelming crash of ecstasy as they shuddered and cried out, him only moments after her, long limbs falling and tangling and trembling as they calmed together with soothing, adoring kisses.

"Was that... quite enough convincing, darling?" Mary murmured into his hair, stroking reflexively at his sweat-dampened shoulders, hardly caring for the state of her gown, rumpled beneath his body. "You see, there's... nothing, nothing at all, the matter with you..."

Matthew laughed, weakly, pressing a warm kiss to his wife's neck from where his head lay nestled against her shoulder.

"I think I'd be... quite hard pressed to argue, my darling," he sighed in pleasure. "Although... I can't say I'd object, if you ever felt I could be convinced a little more..."

"Now, that's quite enough of that," she chuckled fondly, smiling at him as he leaned up. "I will bear it in mind... but just now you should probably dress for dinner!"

Reluctantly, he sat up, shivering at the cool afternoon air against his chest as he helped Mary up beside him.

"I suppose you're right." He kissed her softly, tenderly brushing the loosened wisps of hair away from her face. "I'll go and ring for Molesley, and... well, darling, you probably should ask Anna to come up again, too, I'm sorry..."

"If you must apologise for anything," she scolded him fondly, "it certainly shouldn't be for that! Now off you go."

He rose, and she watched him with enormous affection as he covered himself once more, to spare Molesley's blushes more than his own. And when the door to his dressing room had closed behind him, she rose stiffly herself, smoothing down her dress before crossing to the mirror, to assess just how dishevelled her husband had left her.

Fin

A/N: Thanks ever so much for reading - I'd love to know what you thought! Here's to more M/M happiness in 3x08... Eeeeeeeee! Thank you! :D :D