The Abbey by Frea_O (PG-13)

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Fandom Category: Downton Abbey
Pairing: Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley, John Bates/Anna Smith, hint of Sybil Crawley/Tom Branson
Fic Title: The Abbey
Author: Frea_O
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/431176/chapters/729020
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13/T - some violence and language
Genre: AU, action, drama, humor
WIP?: Nope

Why This Must Be Read: This is Downton Abbey as a spy thriller, and it is awesome. The premise is that Mary has gone rogue from her family's security agency (known as "The Abbey"), and Matthew is recruited to hunt her down and bring her back. The plot has the proper number of twist and turns for a spy thriller, almost all of the Downton characters show up in clever and fitting ways, and Matthew and Mary have a wonderful Nick and Nora-type banter that makes this story an absolute joy to read. My only disappointment is that this isn't part of a series yet, because I would happily read a hundred more stories set in this AU.