Author's Note: Hey everyone. This is my first Downton Abbey fic. Of course, I am a huge Banna fan! They're my favorite couple in the whole show followed by Sybil and Tom. This story is set after World War I in Scotland. It's an Alternate Universe story in which John Bates does not have a limp due to his time in the war but from something perhaps due to his dark past. The new valet at Downton Abbey is none other than the villain, Alex Green. Anna, unfortunately, still experiences assault and sexual violence against her by Alex but, since nothing keeps her at Downton and with the knowledge of something big that will affect her life, she makes a run for it.

Disclaimer: Downton Abbey is not my own. These characters are the work of Julian Fellows.

Chapter One

The shrill whistle of the train startled Anna awake. The events of the past few months and the stress surrounding her last remaining days at the estate, coupled with the rhythmic rumble of the train, had lulled her into a deep, much needed sleep. From the moment she got on the train in York, she had been unable to resist the lure of slumber. It was almost as if her body was letting her know it was time to relax; that the danger was behind her and she could finally breathe again.

It had been months since she had been able to rest fully, and she searched the train to make sure she was safe. Satisfied, she exhaled and relaxed her battered body as she wrapped her wool shawl tighter around her shoulders. Her tired blue eyes, surrounded by the fading reminder of bad days, slid shut into the first restful sleep she'd had since his arrival to Downton Abbey.

Now looking around the almost empty train car, Anna got up and grabbed her small carpet bag. She clutched it herself, as its few contents were the only things she owned in the world and made her way off the train onto the station platform. Night had settled on the tiny Scottish village, her new home, so the station was almost deserted save for the porter closing the car doors for the evening.

The young man was nearing Anna before she realized she had been lingering in the doorway of the train, stuck between her frightening past and the unknown future. She stepped out of his way as they exchanged polite smiles. The details of her departure had been carefully planned except where she would go once she reached Scotland. She had never been outside of her sleepy little York town, had never known a different world other than the one she just shamefully left behind. She was escaping cruel circumstances, a situation that she had never thought she would find herself in.

She used some of her savings to buy a third-class train ticket in York and thought she would try to find an inn to lodge in until she could secure work as a housemaid, laundress, barmaid, whatever would help her stay free and safe from her past.

Before the porter could shut the last door, Anna caught his eye and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Do you know of an inn that I may find lodging?"

The porter, an innocent young man in his late teens, began to tip his hat at her before he noticed the fading bruises over her face. Averting his eyes, he kindly replied. "Yes, ma'am. There's a small public house down the road, not far, called Maggie's. You can lodge there but I daresay it's closing soon so you'd better hurry," he gestured towards the entrance to the station.

Anna caught his reaction but nodded her thanks and gave him her sincerest smile. She would have to do something to help the bruises fade more quickly or else she'd risk suspicion. More suspicion than that of a single woman travelling alone to a new, unfamiliar town would certainly raise.

She followed his directions out of the station and began the short trek down the road to the pub. The chilly winter air spurred her steps. She could see a faint light in the distance and saw the worn sign swaying gently above the door. As she neared the stone building, she realized she may not have planned this as carefully she thought she had. What would her story be? Would she use her real name? Lying seemed like the best possible course of action but could she keep it up? After what had happened, she extinguished the light within. She wouldn't get close to anyone nor would she be so gullible into thinking there was good in the world. This would be hard for her. It went against her very nature, but she affirmed this would be the only way to protect herself in the future. But would her kind, loving ways win out? Would she be able to keep up the walls and the lies? She decided white lies wouldn't hurt and she sure was sure no one would look for her here.

The street to the pub was quiet and the little village seemed to be settling itself in for the night. She could see remnants of its daytime life all around her, but the silence of the night was falling around the street like a blanket. She could see her breath as she picked up her pace to get to the pub before it closed. Almost as if a switch had been flipped, the temperature dropped even lower and her cheeks flushed a brilliant red in response to it. Her coat doing little to protect her from the elements.

She reached the pub and the bells on the door jangled softly against the old wood, the warmth from inside was inviting. The room was small but then she supposed that was fine since this wasn't a large village. There were a few tables and chairs in the middle of the room and a few barstools by the bar in the corner. The windows looked old, in fact the whole place looked like it had been standing for hundreds of years. The furniture was mismatched and worn but it worked. There was a family photo on the wall opposite of the door. It was of a young family: a mother, father, and young son most likely. The man had his arms around the woman in a loving embrace while the young son stood proudly in front of them, a large smile on his face.

Anna sighed looking at the photo and placed a hand on her stomach. It was far too early to show but she knew she was expecting. She was two weeks overdue for her monthly and had hatched her plan of escape when she realized it wasn't just her that would be tormented by his hands.

She wanted to break down in a fit of sobs for the torment she was feeling was ripping her apart inside. She was unwed, scared, alone, and having his baby. The hand that life dealt her had never been easy to play but she thought she had faced the last of her hardships when she first went to Downton. She thought happiness was on the horizon. Without her permission, a few tears slid down her face and she was trying to wipe them away when she heard a voice behind her.

A man had come up from the cellar at the sound of the bells and saw a petite blond woman standing in the middle of the pub looking travel weary and downtrodden. "Evening miss," his deep voice startled her, and he backed up a little bit to give her some space. "Sorry to startle you." He had a rag slung over his shoulder and there was something familiar about his eyes.

"No, no need to be sorry. I should be apologizing to you. Are you closed? I'm sorry to bother you but I was hoping you had a room available," Anna suddenly felt exhausted. She shifted her carpet bag to her left hand in time to stifle a large yawn with her right one.

"Just about," he said walking around to the other side of the bar. She followed him over, sitting down on one of the barstools. He took a good look at her now. She was petite with pale skin, her hair done in a simple bun, and breathtakingly beautiful. The faded yellow and green bruises caught his attention, but he fought the curiosity, and abject horror, bubbling in him. He put down the rag and picked up a large ledger book. "You're in luck. We have a room available."

The relief in her eyes when he confirmed an available room was palpable and he saw her shoulders relax a little. "Would you like some help with your bag?" He extended his hand to grab take it from her, but she stepped back, nervous like a cornered animal.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." She pulled herself up and made her back stiff. His display of kindness reminding her of her protective walls. He shrugged at her insistence and bade her to follow him through the pub and up the narrow stairs to the second floor.

It was a quick trip up to the second floor and the walls on the stairs were lined with a few more pictures but Anna didn't have the energy, or desire, to stop to look at them. They would most certainly be photos of a family. A family she didn't come from and would never have herself.

The barman led her down a small hallway illuminated by soft lights. He stopped in front of the last door on the left and took out a set of keys to begin unlocking the door. Anna watched him locate the right key and took stock of his presence. If she was in a position to notice, she would acknowledge that he was very handsome. He was tall, certainly taller than her, with broad shoulders and a strong back and arms. Likely due to lifting large kegs and keeping out the riffraff that usually accompanied pubs. He had short brown hair, hazel eyes, and a little bit of stubble on his face. He was older than her but that was alluring, if she allowed herself to think it.

It was during the trip upstairs Anna noticed his gait. It looked as though he had an injury that had caused him to have a slight limp. Anna thought to herself how painful it must be but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside in favor of ones of admiration: he seemed to be managing quite well.

The lock opened with a soft click. "There we are, miss," he stepped back from the door to allow her space inside. "The bathroom is the first door on the right," he gestured to a door they had passed. "I'll come back with a key to your room. I left the spares downstairs." She gave him a smile as a way of thanking him and watched him walk back down the short hallway.

Anna entered the small room and closed the door behind her. It wasn't much but it was enough. There was a small bed in the corner with a little chest of drawers on the wall underneath a window. A small basin was resting on top of a beautiful lace doily. Next to the bed was a small nightstand with a large, partially burned candle. Anna put her carpet bag down on the floor and laid down on the bed. It was softer than she was expecting, and she could tell the big quilt would keep her warm during the cold nights to come. She let her eyes flutter closed a little bit but opened them not a moment later when she heard the soft knock on the door.

Sighing, Anna got up and answered it knowing it would be the barman with the key. She opened the door slightly and saw him standing there, his presence calming her and securing her for some unknown reason.

"Here we are, uh," he paused, "I'm sorry. I never got your name," he passed her the key through the gap in the door.

The wheels in Anna's head began spinning out of control. She had decided upon white lies but were they really necessary? She didn't know this man, but he possessed a certain trustworthiness she couldn't place. But that had been her problem with him before, hadn't it? She couldn't trust him because she didn't sense that she couldn't. Her gut lied to her before and she wouldn't be its victim now. Resolving to stick to fibs, she looked into his eyes and introduced herself.

"Elsie Carson," she stuck her little hand through and took the key.

"I'm John. John Bates. Breakfast is from 7 to 8:30 and don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything." He pointed above their heads, "my room is just upstairs."

She gave him a small, kind smile. "Thank you, Mr. Bates. I will. Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Elsie." He stepped back to let her close the door.

He stared at the door for a moment, not sure how to feel about this mystery woman showing up in the night, alone, looking small and disheveled. He knew what his baser instincts were feeling; she was beautiful and whatever caused those ungodly blemishes made him feel a simmering anger that he had worked hard to tamper down.

He also couldn't figure out what made her lie about her name. He surmised that it had something to do with her situation, but it certainly wasn't his business as she was only a lodger. John decided it was too late to ruminate on such things especially when he had a bit more work to do before turning in for the night. He set off for downstairs to finish cleaning and locking up. The day had been quiet but steady and it had finally come to an end. Though, he suspected that with his new guest, the days would become a lot more interesting.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned.