Chapter 1

This story was born because of a tongue in cheek post on Tumblr. It was my theory on how John Bates actually killed Mr. Green and got away with. I honestly meant it as a joke. Then a few people got their knickers in a twist and I realized I wanted to tell this story. If you don't like it, don't read it. This is not a love story unless you think 50 Shades of Grey is a healthy love story.

He'd made the long trek from the train station to the house slowly. It wouldn't do for anyone watching to see him walking normally, small villages such as this one were too gossipy. He didn't need the cane but found it made people less suspecting of him, they trusted him more.

Staring at the house he stifled a feeling of rage. It wasn't fair Robert had all of this just by fluke of birth while he scraped and scrounged for scraps. Even this job was largesse from Robert. He could only hope Robert wasn't still the hopeless fop he'd been during the war. Beyond a steady, if somewhat measly salary, this house had things he could easily purloin to augment his salary. If anyone ever suspected him, he would simply blame another, use his relationship with Robert to cast suspicion elsewhere. He smiled maliciously, yes, this would work nicely.

Continuing his slow walk to the house, he made his way to the servant's entrance. He knocked on the door and waited. He knocked a second time and waited again. Feeling his anger build he pushed the door open and entered the house. Finding no one about, he walked down the steps quickly. Just at the bottom he heard footsteps and struggled to get his cane back in place and strike a pose of casual nonchalance.

After the encounter with the hatchet faced woman, he had been pleased to be led to his room by the young maid. She'd smiled up at him shyly trying to assure him the rest of the staff was quite nice and he would get along well here. He'd used all of his charm on her, knowing she was innocent enough to be susceptible to it. The hatchet faced woman was not, she would need to be watched.

In his room he looked around, clearly Robert wasn't wasting any money making sure his servants were comfortable. Still, it was free and he should be able to make a nice side living. His mind wandered to the blonde slip of a thing who had shown him to his room. Innocence had always been is weakness. Vera had known it, had exploited it when they were still together.

Cursing under his breath at the mere thought of Vera. She'd been a mistake almost from the first moment he'd been with her. He'd thought having a woman who shared his particular proclivities would help keep his baser instincts at bay. And for a while it had, then he'd gone to war and his need for violence and domination had escalated. The fact that Vera liked it turned him off. The rougher he got with her the more she wanted.

But it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted someone who was afraid of him, who cowered at his inclinations. Vera had soon figured it out and started procuring him innocent young girls. She lured them to him, promised to protect them from whomever was after them in their lives, little did they know she was bringing them to a place which was ten times worse.

He smiled down at the cane. It had been her idea. Told him his size made him scary to young girls. But people trusted a cripple, gave them extra care. By the time the young girls realized he was a predator, it was too late. If they left, they were ruined. Vera made sure they understood she would accuse them of seducing her crippled husband. They had no choice to take what he dished out, all while Vera watched.

The first girl ran away one night while he was engaged with Vera, rewarding her for her gift to him. It had taken Vera a fortnight to procure another one. Like the other one, she had been tiny and blonde. He'd asked her about it. She'd laughed and said she was the only brunette in his life. He should have sensed the trouble then. But he'd pushed it aside in favor of reeling in the tiny girl.

There had been six girls in all. They moved after each one, shifting from one seedy tenement to the next. To his knowledge, they had never been suspected of the disappearances. Who really noticed when lost little girls permanently disappeared?

Thinking again of the young maid who had shown him to his room he smiled. She was just his type, the type Vera had created in him. He wondered if he could gain her trust, make her fall in love with him. He liked when they fell in love. It was easier to push them into what he liked. He inhaled deeply, imagining he could still smell her in the room. A sharp knock pulled him from his thoughts. Taking care to rely on the cane he opened the door to the creepy young man whose job he was taking.

Before the Banna fans try to hunt me down, remember this is my version of the story. I have the utmost respect for the actors. My issue is with Julian Fellowes and his horribly uneven character development.