AN: A chapter for you my dear readers! I'd forgotten what good fun it was to bring these characters to life! This is a bit of a short one, but lots of fluff!

RECAP: Mary and Matthew have gone through a rough spell in their relationship, following Matthew overhearing Mary tell Sybil that she wishes she could have another child, and Matthew being filled with guilt. Mary thinks that he doesn't love her anymore, and agonizes over why, sharing a moment of comfort with Anna and Charlie. Meanwhile, with news that the war has ended, Isobel tells Matthew to man up, and talk to his wife. They have a heart to heart (yes, another one) leading to a reassurance of their love for eachother, and the surprising discovery that a certain part of Matthew's anatomy is working again! They make love very briefly, and are filled with optimism for the future.

Mary rang for Bates as soon as they made it back to Matthew's room, and she had straightened out his clothes and his hair, in the hopes that no one would be able to guess what they had gotten up to in the washroom. She had planned on clothing herself in her nightclothes after her bath, but found that she felt it better if she were to dress in a simple day dress that she wouldn't need any help in or out of. She darted about the room, fixing this and that, and preparing the space for the Doctor's arrival. Matthew caught her suddenly by the wrist, and pulled her back to him, pressing his lips reverently against hers.

"Darling, I've so much hope." He said as quietly as a prayer. She kissed him again, smiling against his lips.

"So have I." Bates knocked on the door just then before entering.

"You rang for me, Master- Oh, Lady Mary! What a pleasant surprise." Bates said, unable to bite his tongue. He and Anna had both been worried about the distance that seemed to be forming between the newlyweds.

"We did, Mr. Bates. We need you to send for Doctor Clarkson." Mary insisted.

"Of course, I will at once. Is there something the matter?" Bates asked warily.

"On the contrary, it's something very, very good!" Matthew laughed, and took his wife's hand.

"It would appear that Mr. Crawley has regained quite a good deal of feeling in his legs, and we are eager for him to be examined." Mary explained quickly.

"Of course!" Bates smiled at them, and exited at once. Matthew pulled Mary into his lap against, ignoring the pins and needles pains that her weight gave him. It was good, ever so good, to feel anything at all.

"I should go tell your mother...and my parents. I'm sure they'll be most pleased." Mary sighed, not wanting to leave her husband now, or ever. He cupped her cheek, and stared deeply into her eyes.

"My love, it appears we shall have our entire lives ahead of us to be together now, the way that a married couple ought to. Or I hope to God that we do, because after being with you tonight...I can't bear it if we can't make love again."

"Oh my darling, I know that we will." Mary insisted, twisting her neck so she could kiss his palm. "We have had tonight, and when you're stronger, we can spend every night like this." She grinned against his skin, and nestled her face in his hand. "And you will walk again, I know that you will! Perhaps not for months, but you will walk again!"

"I could teach our son to bat and pitch!" He said suddenly, tears springing into his perfect blue eyes. "Could wrestle him in the grass, and chase him about the pond, teach him to swim-"

"Yes, yes my darling, all of those things in good time!" Mary laughed, and kissed away a fallen tear. "But first, we must focus on getting you well again, so that you can walk. And to start that progress, we'll have to call for Clarkson, and since Clarkson is already being called, we shall have to inform our family of these developments, because they'll be horribly cross if they hear it from Clarkson before they hear it from us!"

"Not all of these developments, I hope." Matthew said with a half smile that made Mary's heart skip a beat.

"No, some things are our little secret." She laughed, and kissed him again. "Alright, I'll be back in only a few moments, darling, darling Matthew." She rose from his laugh and had made it halfway to the door when she turned around suddenly, and kissed him again. "Alright, I really am going now." And she did. She walked so quickly through the hall, that it didn't occur to her until she was well over halfway to the sitting room that she wasn't wearing any shoes, which she supposed was only strange because she couldn't recall ever having walked through the halls of Downton without wearing slippers at the very least. This was the thought that had enveloped her mind when she suddenly bumped into Carson in the hall.

"Pardon me My Lady, I should have-" Mary interrupted his apology by flinging her arms around him, and kissing his cheek. "Goodness, Lady Mary!"

"Oh Carson! I'm so pleased!"

"So it's true then? Bates came to have me telephone the Doctor, which I did, of course, but I couldn't help but feel that, well-"

"It was impossible?" Mary asked, and the kindly old butler nodded sheepishly. "It is impossible, Carson, only it isn't you see? That's what makes it so wonderful!"

"My sincerest congratulations Lady Mary." Carson said with a broad smile, as he blinked back tears.

"Thank you Carson." She walked past him to enter the room, and then stopped. "I named my son after you. Did you know that, Mr. Carson?"

"I had thought- but My Lady, that is too high an honor!" he insisted, barely keeping himself composed.

"Nonsense." Mary shook her head. "You were always my greatest champion, Carson, apart from Granny. Even when my father gave up on me, you believed that I would do great things. I'm afraid I've let you down, you had such high expectations for what my life would be."

"Mary- My Lady, I've never been disappointed by you." He said fervently. Mary took his hand and squeezed it gently. The old butler cleared his throat. "Mmm. Well then, I suppose I should go wait for the Doctor. I suppose you'll want him to go directly to Mr. Crawley's bedroom."

"Yes, I suppose I will." She smiled at him, and would have kissed his cheek again if she didn't think that the old butler would have been a bit too uncomfortable. When he had turned to go, she opened the door to the study, and burst in.

"Mary, what on earth-"

"We've sent for Doctor Clarkson! It's Matthew, his legs!" Mary cried.

"What's wrong?" Isobel asked, almost running to her side.

"Nothing's wrong! On the contrary something wonderful has happened!" Mary laughed. "He can feel them, Isobel! He can feel his legs!"

…

It felt like an eternity of waiting, while Doctor Clarkson examined Matthew. Mary waited at the edge of the room, with her father and mother clasping her hands, while Sybil and Isobel assisted Clarkson in his tests.

"I had suspected that this would happen." Clarkson finally said.

"What?" Robert gasped, indignantly. "But you told us that he would never recover!"

"I know what I said, Lord Grantham, please let me explain myself." Doctor Clarkson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The bruising on Mr. Crawley's spine was brutal, and intense, and there was every indication that it was a permanent injury- however, there have been several more recent incidents like this where the injury healed, and the men began to live fairly normal lives again."

"Why wouldn't you tell us that?" Cora asked.

"Because- Well, I thought- I thought-" Clarkson stammered.

"Because he thought that giving hope would have been cruel, since it was entirely possible that the injury was permanent." Matthew finished. HIs first instinct had been to be angry with Clarkson for his diagnosis- but he realized that it would have been ten times as agonizing to be bound to the chair, always hoping to walk again, but never being able.

"Exactly." Clarkson nodded.

"Then there is every indication that he will recover fully? And live a normal life?" Mary asked, letting go of her parents and rushing to her husband's side to take his hand.

"Given the circumstances, I'd say there's no reason to suspect he won't. He'll need quite a bit of therapy to be able to regain the muscles his legs have lost from so many months of disuse, and he will have to be cautious when it comes to...physical activity, if that particular function is indeed recovered." Clarkson's face turned red as he spoke, highly aware of the Countess of Grantham's presence.

"Doctor, are you referring to Matthew's ability to father further children with his wife?" Isobel asked bluntly.

"Mother!" Matthew hissed, and covered his eyes

"I am. There's no reason to suspect further impotence after some time of recovery, but there have been cases where men have recovered their ability to walk, but not their ability to...well, to sire offspring." Clarkson said as delicately as possible. Mary's own face turned pink and she bit her tongue. Of course, at some point, Clarkson and the others would want an answer about whether that "particular part" of his anatomy was working, but she would be hanged before she would admit to them that it certainly was. "Now, I can make several recommendations for specialists in this area, so that Mr. Crawley can receive the best of aid as he recovers his strength."

"Isobel, Papa, would the two of you see to that? It's been a taxing day, and I think that Matthew and I both need to retire for the evening...If that's alright with my husband of course." Matthew nodded in agreement.

"Of course we will, my dear girl." Her father said striding over to the bed. He placed a tentative kiss on her forehead, and extended his hand to Matthew, who shook it. "My boy, I must tell you how incredibly glad I am for you today."

"Thank you, Robert." Matthew said, smiling at him. Cora kissed his forehead, while Isobel embraced her daughter-in-law tightly.

"You'll see my dear girl, everything is going to be better than best from now on!" she said, and Mary squeezed her shoulders.

"I think you're quite right Isobel." She waited for everyone to shuffled out of the room, and she climbed up onto the bed. Matthew opened his arms to her, and she let him wrap his arms tightly around her waist as she laid her head on his chest.

"I can feel where you're pressed against me." he said in wonder.

"Darling, tell me, this being able to feel, you can't have just noticed it today?" she asked.

"No, I suppose not. I've thought that I may have been feeling something for several weeks."

"Weeks?! Why on earth didn't you tell me?" she asked exasperatedly, as she propped herself up on an elbow to look at him.

"Because after hearing you talk to your sister, I wanted more than ever to be out of that damnable chair! And so I chalked up everything I was feeling to wishful thinking, and too much imagination. After all, until a moment ago, my diagnosis was permanent senselessness below the waist."

"Well, I suppose we know that's wrong, now, don't we?" Mary said slyly and kissed him gently.

"You aren't cross with me?"

"Cross with you?" Mary laughed. "Matthew, first of all, I think that I forfeited my right to be cross with you years ago-"

"Now don't say that! You've every right to be cross with me, especially if I've been a…"

"...bit of a beast?" she suggested, and he chuckled.

"A bit of a beast, yes."

"Then it's settled- but that doesn't matter, because secondly, I can't be cross Matthew. Not when you're going to get your whole life back!" Mary grinned, and kissed him again.

"Ill be glad to put that sorry chair behind me. Oh, I know it won't be for months yet, but It will go." Matthew was grinning too. "Though it hasn't all been bad...I met our son in that chair, and found you again, married you even. And then, of course, there was tonight….but even with all of that, I must say I'd be hard pressed not to chop it up into kindling when I don't need it any longer."

"If that's what you wish, darling, then we surely shall!" Mary laughed lightly. "Oh Matthew, my darling, darling Matthew... look at us! Who could have dreamed we'd be this happy again."

"I never imagined." he chuckled too, and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.