Here we go, another modern fiction from us. Seems we have dreamt up another scenario for modern Banna. Expect the usual laid back writing style but plenty of romance and (hopefully) some laughs along the way. Hoping to include more characters you all know in this fiction more prominently as well.

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mr Fellowes etc etc etc

Looking at his watch, John exhaled deeply. They were going to be late. Again. He understood that women take a while to get ready for a night out, it's their prerogative so he was told, but this was ridiculous. Getting up from his position, sitting at the table in the kitchen, he grabbed hold of my cane and walked to the foot of the stairs. Looking up towards the half open door of the bedroom he shared with his wife, he looked at his watch again before speaking.

'Will you hurry up, we'll be late. I don't want to make a bad impression.'

'Won't be a moment,' came her reply.

Rolling his eyes, John walked to look at himself in the mirror in the hallway. Brushing his jacket at the shoulders for what seemed the hundredth time, he observed the man staring back at him. Ready for this new start he was being offered.

'Will I do?' came a voice from the stairs behind him.

'Yes Vera, can we get going?'

'John should be here by now,' Robert Crawley commented, looking at the big clock on the wall of his new bar as he wore out the carpet with his pacing. 'He told me this afternoon he would be here by 7. I'll call him.'

'Wait,' Cora, his wife suggested. 'If that wife of his is accompanying him, she's probably holding him up, applying her war paint and such.'

'Cora, must you be so crass?' Robert grimaced, stopping his pacing up and down to look at his wife.

'Come on, Robert. Why is he even still with her?' Cora continued as she did some final checks on the stock behind the bar. Robert had no reply, simply shrugging his shoulders.

'Why is who still with who?' Mary, Robert and Cora's daughter asked as she walked into the bar from upstairs. She was followed by her best friend and Robert's favourite employee, Anna Smith carrying some new drinking glasses. She was on duty, managing the new bar, this its opening night.

'John, why is he still with his wife?' Cora replied to her daughters question, writing on her clipboard. Mary nodded in acknowledgement, John and her father being in the army together meaning she had met John on a number of occasions. 'He should have cut all ties with her when he came back from Bosnia, horrible woman that she is. It's not like there were any children to hang around for as she refuses to give him any.'

'Any what? Children or something else?' Mary continued with her line of questioning.

'Both as far as I know,' Robert answered, eyebrows raised.

'No, she gets hers elsewhere,' Cora said candidly. 'Poor man, really deserves better. That's the reason he's so moody all the time. He knows all about it yet stays with her.'

'Cora, must you discuss his private life in front of everyone?' Robert hissed.

'I am looking forward to meeting my new boss,' Anna said sarcastically, putting the box of glasses she had carried upstairs on top of the bar.

'Anna, could you fetch some more tonic water from the cellar.' Cora asked.

'Of course,' Anna smiled sweetly. 'Anything else whilst I'm down there?'

'Yes, get William and Daisy to get a move on, I want them up here ready behind the bar before we open.' Robert ordered. Anna nodded before disappearing downstairs.

Robert knew Cora was right about John and Vera. On returning from Bosnia with an injured knee for his troubles, saving Robert's life in the process, John discovered Vera had been having an affair all the time he was serving in the Baltics. Vera had begged him for another chance, and for a reason unbeknown to Robert, John had relented.

'What makes John so qualified to be area manager anyway?' Mary asked, straightening up one of the chairs at the table she was standing beside. 'Thomas isn't happy he didn't get the job you know.'

'Grantham's are my bars, Mary. I will choose who runs them and what not.' Robert replied, dismissing Mary's observation.

'I know they are yours.' Mary held her hands up in defence, fearing another of her father's lectures was on the cards.

'You manage one, Anna this and Thomas the other. It is working perfectly well the way it is. John grew up in the pub his parents owned. He helped them run it, he knows how a bar works plus I trust him explicitly. He has the experience and maturity to take over from me meaning myself and you're mother can enter into some sort of semi retirement I have worked so hard to achieve.'

'Alright Dad,' Mary almost snapped.

Since leaving the army, Robert had decided on a complete change in direction, he and Cora deciding to open their own bar and restaurant. The reason for naming it Grantham's was in memory of his mother, her maiden name being Grantham. Moving to the north with their family, Mary and her two sisters, they purchased the premises in York and never looked back. Opening another Grantham's a couple of years later, it becoming more successful than the first, Robert saw the opportunity to add to the others too tempting to turn down.

Thomas Barrow was manager of the original branch, working his way up the ladder whilst working under Robert. Mary became manager of the second bar after Robert had decided he wanted to open the third, learning the business after years of working closely with her parents. Anna, having been loyal to the company and assistant to Thomas, was offered the opportunity to manage the new Grantham's and accepted it with both hands.

Now making the decision to take a step back, the bars generating enough income for Robert and Cora to live comfortably, Robert looked to his old friend to entrust the general running of the business upon. A timely catch up lead to the positions they now found themselves in, John and Vera moving to the North.

Suddenly, there was a tapping at the door and Robert turned to see Vera and John standing outside. Breathing an audible sigh of relief, Robert strode towards the front doors. Cora came out from behind the bar to stand beside her daughter.

'Oh my God, she looks like a harlot,' Cora said under her breath to Mary as Robert greeted his old friend and his wife. 'I best go and greet the witch.'

'Mum,' Mary gasped, stifling a shocked laugh.

'Vera, how are you?' Cora exclaimed, wide smile on her face, offering her hand and exchanging air kisses. Mary rolled her eyes as she watched her mother carry out this charade. 'And John, it's so lovely to see you.'

Mary noticed the more sincere stance her mother took whilst talking to John, no doubt dating back to the war and his brave actions in saving her father's life.

'This is him then?' Mary looked behind to see Thomas. Anna had rounded up William and Daisy, her head bar staff and they too were standing, ready to greet their new boss.

'Yes,' Mary replied.

'He's got a walking stick.' Thomas commented.

'Ten out of ten for observation, Thomas.' Anna said. 'He's quite dashing, isn't he?'

'Dashing? What are you, a hundred?' Mary laughed, sarcasm evident in her tone before turning her attentions to Thomas. 'And he has a stick because he has a war wound.'

'He was a soldier?' Daisy asked.

'That is generally what people who go to war are referred to as,' Mary said, still in a sarcastic vein as Robert lead John towards his new staff.

'John, here stands before you the managers of all three branches of Granthams,' Robert announced. 'Mary, you know.'

'Yes, Mary. How are you?' John asked, shaking her hand.

'Good, it's lovely to have you on board and so nice to see you again.' Mary smiled as John nodded.

'This is Thomas, he runs the original bar, a few streets away from this one,' Robert explained.

John offered his hand. Thomas refused it before offering a simple, 'alright?'

'And this is Anna,' Robert continued, trying to gloss over Thomas's rudeness. 'Mary, Thomas, come and let me run through what is going to happen this evening.'

Robert walked away, followed by Mary and Thomas who looked over his shoulder at John as he left. As John tried to fathom the hostility from Thomas, he slowly removed his gaze from him as he walked away until it fell upon Anna. She was gorgeous, there was no denying it. A beautiful face framed by soft blonde hair which fell delicately upon her shoulders. Instantly, he forgot about the man he had spoken to before, looking down at Anna's outstretched hand.

'Hello Anna.'

'John, it's nice to meet you at last,' Anna smiled, taking his hand in hers.

She had certainly been correct in deeming him dashing. She liked the way he left a few strands of his dark brown hair to fall upon his forehead, his eyes a beautiful shade of hazely brown.

'And you, Anna,' John smiled.

'This is William and Daisy,' Anna gestured behind her. 'They are my bar staff. The others are in the kitchen, preparing for tonight. I'll introduce you later.'

'Thank you,' John said softly.

'It must be very daunting for you, taking all this on.' Anna remarked, looking around the new premises she had been entrusted to manage. 'I know I am quite nervous, having been given the managers job.'

'Well, maybe we can help each other out then?' John suggested, smiling gently whilst keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Anna's.

'Maybe we can,' Anna agreed, reciprocating his smile.

'John, aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?' John closed his eyes, registering the voice he had just heard.

'Yes. Anna, this is my wife. Vera.' John said, stepping aside to allow the two women to greet each other. 'Vera, this is Anna. She is the manager here.'

'Right,' Vera said dismissively, ignoring Anna's hand in the same way Thomas had ignored John's moments before taking hold of John's arm. 'Buy me a drink, John.'

'Yes, alright,' John said, watching Vera as she walked towards the bar. 'I'll see you later then, Anna.'

'Maybe you will.'

After being shown around the bar by Anna and Robert, John stood chatting to some of the staff he would soon be in charge of. He decided he liked William, an honest lad whom he would get an honest shift out of. Daisy seemed sweet enough and the kitchen staff had been brought over from one of the other branches of Grantham's so knew the menu inside out.

Once he had introduced himself and promised Mary and Thomas he would be over to see them in their bars when he actually started, he stood by the bar beside where Anna was serving and tried to ignore his wife's behaviour. She had promised to behave herself, like she always did on their nights out together. Flirting outrageously with men half her age, drinking excessively, John was used to it all by now. Trying to make him jealous, that was her aim.

Truth was, John didn't care. Not anymore anyway. When he first left the army, he drank far too much. He was the first to admit that. After finding out Vera had been cheating on him, she begged him to give her another chance, using his addiction to alcohol as an excuse. John made a pact with Vera, he would give up the drink if she would be faithful to him. It seemed it was only John who had kept his side of the bargain.

John would have left her years ago, had it not been for the fact he didn't know what he would do if he actually did leave her. For reasons he couldn't figure he had never found the strength to take that leap. No one had ever given him reason to.

Watching Vera, flirting with Robert right under Cora's nose, he wondered what actually made him stay. He realised within a year of marriage it was a mistake. His pride had kept them together then, his parents telling him it was a mistake before he walked her down the aisle. Blinded by love, or rather lust, he entered into a marriage which was doomed from the start.

'Doesn't that bother you?' Anna asked, leaning on the bar beside him as the rush of customers she had to serve began to subside.

'What's that?' John asked, sipping on his coke.

'Your wife.' Anna continued.

'She's always like this when she's had a drink.' John shrugged his shoulders before looking at Anna. 'How have you found tonight? Being in charge?'

'It's been good.' Anna smiled. 'Determined to not let the power go to my head unlike some.' Anna gestured in the direction of Thomas, whom Vera now had in her sights.

'Yes, he seems a little stand offish,' John remarked. 'Seems friendly enough with my wife, though.'

'You have no fear there,' Anna explained, 'Vera isn't his type.'

'Oh, have no fear, Vera will see that as a challenge.'

Anna laughed then, turning away from John and preceding to check the stock in the fridge behind her. John found himself unable to remove his gaze from her. As Anna stood up and turned, she tripped on an empty bottle that had gone astray and began to fall. Instinct told John to hold his arms out, preventing Anna from hitting the floor.

'Are you alright?' John asked as Anna tried to regain her composure.

'Yes, thank you.' Anna said. 'I feel like such an idiot.'

'Don't worry,' John laughed. 'I think everyone is too paralytic to notice.'

John removed his arms from Anna's waist as she stared over his shoulder. 'I think you might be in trouble.'

'What?' John said as he looked behind him to see Vera marching towards him. Before he had a chance to blink she had emptied the contents of her glass over the front of his shirt. 'What the hell are you doing?'

'I've been watching you, flirting with that trollop all evening,' Vera bellowed, everyone now turning to see the commotion at the bar. Vera's next move was to throw herself at Anna behind the bar before John threw out an arm to stop her. Robert stepped in at this moment, sensing John may lose his temper.

'Vera, calm down,' John shouted as Robert got hold of her by the waist and dragged her away from her husband.

'No one makes a fool out of me!' Vera said before attempting to launch herself at John.

'No, you do a pretty good job of that yourself, sweetheart,' Robert remarked, trying to fend himself against Vera's flailing limbs. Releasing her as she calmed, she walked straight out of the bar. 'I'll put her in a cab.'

'I'll help,' Cora said, an amused expression on her face as she followed her husband.

'I'm sorry,' John said to Anna as she handed him a cloth to dry his shirt. 'She's crazy.'

'I'm not here to judge,' Anna held her hands up before a smile spread across her lips. 'But you're right, she is crazy. And I've been called much worse than a trollop in my time.'

John stood outside the back door of the storage room, trying to light a cigarette. He pretended to listen to his wife's incessant yelling at him on his phone which he had put on speaker phone and balanced on top of the wheelie bin next to him.

'Yes Vera,' he replied, not sure what he had just replied to. Her voice just resembled white noise to him as he took a puff on his now lit cigarette.

'John, are you listening to me?'

'What? Yes Vera, I am.' John sighed, rubbing his face with one hand.

'I've double bolted the door and I won't get up for anyone,' Vera explained. 'Not even you.'

'Great, so I'll just sleep on the front lawn, shall I?' John suggested.

'You have the car keys,' Vera said. 'Sleep in there.'

'Nice to see you have my best interests at heart darling.' John said, sarcasm evident in his tone. 'Rather than sleep outside in the cold I can sleep in the car. Me. A war veteran with a knee that was shattered by a bullet. Fantastic. I would have given my life for my country and that's the thanks I get.'

Suddenly the line went dead and in his frustration, John threw his phone across the yard he was standing in, landing in an open bin. Although initially impressed with his accuracy, he then began to curse himself as he would now have to retrieve his phone. Luck was shining down on him as he spotted a ladder leant up against the wall. Leaving his cane where it was and stubbing out his cigarette, he limped over to the ladder and lined it up against the outside of the bin. Once at the top, he was relieved to see his phone resting on the top of a bin bag, well within reach.

'Do you need any help?'

'I can manage,' John called back before walking down the ladder.

He turned to see Anna walking towards him, a bin bag in each hand. Without saying a word she tossed them in the bin before sitting on the bench outside the door. 'It's my break.'

'Ahh, okay.' John nodded, placing the ladder back where he found it. 'And you spend it back here by the bins?'

'Better than next to the people being sick out front in the street.' Anna said, evidence of a smirk on her face.

The corners of John's mouth began to curve upwards before he replied. 'Fair enough. I'll leave you to it.'

Anna pulled out her phone and began to tap on the screen. 'Don't leave on my account. I hope you don't mind, I'm just checking in at home.'

'No worries,' John replied, sitting on the opposite end of the bench. 'Your partner waiting for you at home, is he?'

'Oh no, I don't have a partner,' Anna responded. 'It's my daughter.'

'You have a daughter,' John said, a surprised look on his face.

'Is that so hard to believe?' Anna asked, turning to look at John.

'No, I suppose not,' John shrugged. 'You don't seem old enough.'

'You charmer,' Anna chuckled, gently nudging John. 'How old do you think I am?'

'Oh no,' John held his hands up. 'I'm not falling into that trap.'

'Come on, I don't mind.' Anna urged. 'Have a guess.'

John turned on the bench to get a better look at the woman sitting beside him. Looking her up and down, her perfect figure not going unnoticed by him, he hazarded a guess. 'Twenty four?'

'John, you're my best friend for life,' Anna laughed. 'I wish. Try thirty two.'

'Thirty two?' John exclaimed. 'I am shocked.'

'Okay,' Anna said, sizing John up. 'Let me have a guess at your age.'

'Well, it's only fair, isn't it?'

'Hmm... forty three,' Anna guessed.

'Close, forty five.' John corrected her before he lifted his cane and tapped it on the floor. 'And already on the scrap heap.'

'I wouldn't say that,' Anna replied.

'You're too kind. If I wasn't already married I'd propose right here and now.' John said with a wink.

'Yeah, see if you're still keen after you have met my daughter.' Anna laughed as she turned her attentions back to her phone. 'Do you not have any kids, John?'

'You've met my wife and you ask me that question?' John replied. 'I wouldn't trust her maternal skills on a bloody dog, let alone a human being.'

Anna stopped then and looked up at John, searching for some hint of amusement in his demeanour or expression. He was completely deadpan, staring straight ahead.

'John, tell me to mind my own business but why are the two of you even married?'

John looked at her, opened his mouth to reply before deciding to change the subject. 'What's your daughter called?'

'Emily.' Anna replied. 'She's just turned four. Her dad left as soon as he found out I was expecting her.'

'I'm sorry,' John said in sympathy.

'Don't be, he was a loser.' Anna said. 'An older man too as it happens.'

'So you like the older man?' John smiled, catching Anna's eye.

Blushing, she looked away and began to scrape her foot along the floor. 'I noticed you changed the subject, by the way.'

'Everything alright out here?' They both looked over their shoulders to see Robert standing at the door.

'Yeah, just becoming acquainted with the new boss,' Anna answered.

'Right, well I'll steal him from you so you can enjoy your break. There are a couple of staff from Mary's bar come in to meet him.'

John stood up and walked towards the back door. 'Nice chatting, Anna.'

'You too, John.'