A/N: Happy Birthday to the best girl in the world! She is the Anna to my Bates, and I am so lucky to have met her. Hope you've had a wonderful day, Kate! :)
Inspired by a prompt at OTP Prompts. Just a bit of silliness. I have no experience with kiddies, and my Language and Acquisiton class is five years gone from my memory, so the language development of the children might be a bit awry (I did try and do a bit of research).
Disclaimer: I don't own Downton Abbey.
Sound Arguments
Anna smiled as she looked up from the kitchen sink. It was late summer, and the flowers in their modest garden were still blooming, the soothing scents, mixing with the salt of the sea, wafting in through the open window. The explosion of colours never failed to raise her spirits—not that her spirits needed lifting often these days. Why would they, when she had everything that she'd ever wanted?
On cue, she heard the front door open, and the echo of John's voice as he called out for her. Seconds later he was answered by a loud, boisterous cry, and Anna heard the clatter of feet pelt from the sitting room. Wiping her hands on the tea towel, she crossed the room, leaning against the threshold as she observed the sight in front of her.
And what a beautiful sight it was. John was still standing by the door, beaming widely, his cane abandoned in favour of hoisting their son up into his arms.
"John," she said reprovingly, but her heart wasn't really in it. She loved seeing the two of them together too much. Jack had his father's name, but his fair-haired, blue-eyed complexion came from her, something that she knew John adored. Their son had inherited the wide, chubby cheeks and was certain to be just as tall, but everything else was her.
"I'm fine," John said, hitching Jack closer as if to prove it. Their son's arms went around his neck, cuddling closer to him. She wouldn't chastise him further. One day Jack would be too big to carry around like that, and he would declare himself too old for public shows of affection. She couldn't blame him for wanting to savour the moment while he could. At just turned three, thankfully, that day seemed a long way away.
"Dada! Dada!"
Impatient with being ignored, little hands clutched at tiny fistfuls of his trousers. Chuckling, John reached down and patted his daughter's head.
"Hello, little darling," he said. "How is my most beautiful girl?"
"Dada!" she squealed again. She had made fantastic progress with her walking, at the stage where neither of her parents could take their eyes off her for a moment if they didn't want her to be up to no good, but her speech was a little slower to come. Anna wasn't too worried. Master George had been just the same, and he was quite the clever little man nowadays. John often joked that since Maisie also took after her mother, it was inevitable that she'd want to explore the world right from the very off.
"She's very well," said Anna.
"Shook off the fever?"
"Determinedly. She's had her nap and now she's ready to enjoy her evening."
Maisie squealed as if to prove it, and Anna swept her up in her arms, pressing a kiss to the round cheek. Maisie was the apple of her father's eye. She'd known the first time around that John was eager for a daughter, and although he had been absolutely beside himself with pride when she'd introduced him to their son, his unspoken dream of a little girl had remained. When Anna had fallen pregnant again only nine months after Jack, John's enthusiasm had reignited. Much to their mutual wistfulness, they had known that the second child would be their last, with their biological clocks working against them, and so it had been with great joy that they had welcomed their baby girl into the world. More prepared this time around, Anna had notified John the moment that she'd suspected that she was pregnant, and once it had been confirmed, John insisted on coming down to London with her himself, leaving their little hotel in the capable hands of their staff for a few days while the medical procedure was taken care of once more. Anna was surprised by how involved John wanted to be with that side of things, when in the past he had shied away from knowing too much about Lady Mary and her so-called womanly secrets. Shyly, he had confessed that he had missed out on the early days with Jack, and didn't want to miss a thing about this pregnancy, with it being their last. Anna couldn't possibly argue with that, and privately it had given her so much delight that he was prepared to come to all of the appointments, sitting outside in the waiting area twisting his hat between his hands in excited apprehension.
Thankfully, everything had run smoothly, and their local doctor, Doctor Wright, had delivered their daughter without a hitch. Every day since then had been a lesson in love.
"How's the hotel?" Anna asked as she hitched Maisie higher up on her hip. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see the Johnsons off."
"I think I handled it admirably enough," he teased. "They even said that they'd be sure to return, so my charms must have rubbed off on them."
Anna cocked a playful eyebrow at him. "I thought your charms only extended as far as me?"
"Apparently I was wrong. I may have to consider a change in vocation."
"Cheeky beggar. Don't forget your family, here at home."
"As if I could ever do that," he growled, closing the distance between them to kiss her. It broke apart but a second later, when Jack squirmed, catching him in the side of the jaw with his elbow.
"I go down, Daddy!" he demanded.
"All right, little man," John said ruefully, setting him down and moving to rub at the sore spot. Anna cooed, planting Maisie back on the floor too, much to her dismay.
"Let's have a look," she said, catching his chin and forcing him to turn his head towards the light. "I don't think he did enough to bruise you."
"I've had worse," he agreed. "Now come here. I do believe that I haven't had my greeting kiss from my lovely wife. That peck hardly constitutes."
"You're right," she conceded. "I thought you hadn't noticed."
"Oh, believe me, I noticed," he growled, and she sighed as he looped his arms around her waist, pulling her snug to his front. She braced her hands against his chest, tilting her head back slightly so she could see his face properly. He had aged well, her husband, like a fine wine. His hair was peppered with more grey these days, but it had lost none of its thickness, and his hazel eyes still shone with the boyishness of youth. There were a few more lines on his face, but he had never looked so handsome to her, the father of her children. The most wonderful father that she could ever have hoped him to be. It seemed that their own difficult childhoods had only made them both more determined to make their children as happy as they could possibly manage.
She smiled against his lips when he finally drew her face to him, his mouth impossibly soft. He kissed her so softly that she thought she would melt right then and there. If his arms weren't keeping her grounded, she wasn't sure that anything else could. Her eyes fell closed, concentrating on everything that he evoked within her.
When he finally pulled away, their lips smacking tenderly, she opened her eyes.
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
John's eyes crinkled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can't a man kiss his wife?"
"He can," she conceded, then lowered her voice. "But that kind of kiss was made for the bedroom, John Bates, and this is the hall."
"Then I apologise for that terrible oversight, Mrs. Bates," he murmured. There was nothing contrite about the smirk he shot her. "I hope you can forgive me, and I promise that I shan't make the same mistake again."
"See that you don't," she replied, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him in kind. He made a little sound in the back of his throat, the gravelly one that never failed to raise the hairs on the back of her neck. It was no good. In only a few short seconds, he could make her want him as if it was the first time they had ever been together. She moved to deepen the kiss, unable to resist. His arms tightened around her, and she closed her eyes again, focusing on the feelings that he was stirring within her. Time alone was so hard to come by now that they had two children under the age of five constantly demanding their attention. Recent lovemaking had been reduced to quick fumbles between naptimes and muted, hurried encounters in the dead of night, hardly what they had been used to in the past. Their passion had certainly never dimmed with the passing of the years.
"Daddy! Wead my book!"
Jack's demanding shout from the sitting room made them break apart. Anna lowered herself back to her heels, resting her forehead against his chest.
"One of these days we'll get a moment to ourselves," she said, and John chuckled, feathering a kiss against her hair.
"What a lovely thought," he said. "I don't believe we've had more than five minutes to ourselves since Jack was born."
"Daddy!"
"Dada!"
Anna huffed. "We're certainly not going to be getting more than five minutes now, either."
"Were you busy? I can keep them occupied if you were."
"No, I was just finishing up dinner. Shepherd's pie."
"Sounds divine. So everything's done?"
"Yes. The pots are all washed and put away. There's nothing you need to do until it's time to eat. You've had a long enough day as it is. Go and put your feet up."
"Daddy!"
"Not much chance of that," John joked, wincing a little at the shrill tone his son's voice had taken on. "I'd better go if we want to avoid a tantrum."
Anna followed him into the sitting room, where Jack was sitting cross-legged on the floor, clutching a book on his lap.
"Wead, Daddy," he demanded, holding it out.
John chuckled, moving over to his armchair. It made her smile to see bits of their old life mingling in with their new. Most of the furnishing had had to have been left behind, given that it had never been theirs in the first place, but they hadn't had the heart to part with the old, dilapidated settee that had marked the start of their married life together. Memories from Downton hadn't always been good, but Anna refused to part with the happy ones that they had made. And that particular day, when John had kissed her and the settee had collapsed under their combined weight, was still one of the happiest that she possessed. She made her way over to it now and sank down onto it as Jack heaved himself to his feet and closed the distance to his father's side. John swept him up easily, settling him sideways across his lap and taking the book from his hands.
"Treasure Island, eh?" he said. "Are you eager to be a famous treasure hunter in the future?"
Jack nodded enthusiastically. Anna doubted that he had any real concept of any of the things that John read to him yet, but he seemed to be enchanted by John's voice when he read. There was no denying that he took after her in that respect. She couldn't stop her smile at the thought.
Maisie clambered to her pudgy feet, little eyes sparking with curiosity. Anna swept her up before she could race over to John. She knew that John would be more than happy to incorporate her too, because he was wrapped around his daughter's little finger, but she knew that it was important that he and Jack get quality father-son time together. Jack had been an absolute angel about having a little sister around, but it had taken him a little while to adjust to the idea that he was no longer the baby, and that he couldn't be smothered with all the attention anymore. She didn't want him to feel that he wasn't appreciated, and she knew he might. He had seen John brooding away often enough.
Maisie whined in protest, but Anna pressed her lips to her fine baby locks, squeezing her tight.
"Soon, baby," she whispered in her ear. "Daddy won't leave you for long. But let the boys have their boy time, hmm? You and I can listen from here."
John began to read aloud then, and thankfully it was enough to quieten Maisie despite her not being on her father's knee. Anna sat back, letting the cadence of his words flow over her, enjoying this perfect family moment as their children snuggled closer and lost themselves in a world that they couldn't quite comprehend just yet.
The rest of the evening passed in a haze of happiness and laughter. One of the huge advantages of being their own bosses meant that they had more power over their free time, and after one more quick trip over to the hotel to ensure that everything was running smoothly, John settled himself in for the night. It was Anna's favourite thing about running a hotel. Gone were the days when their routines had to be planned around others. John never had to experience a day where he barely saw his children except to creep into their bedroom long after they'd been bedded down to press a kiss to each of their foreheads. Now they could enjoy family time together, as was any family's right; John always went into work early so that he could finish in time for dinner, and it was the perfect system.
And what a happy night it was. Jack and Maisie played together on the floor with Jack's building blocks, though Maisie seemed more intent on destroying her brother's hard work, laughing all the while. John joined them, his right leg stretched out in front of him, bringing their game into full life. Anna couldn't help but smile as she watched, taking a much necessary break to put her feet up after running herself ragged trying to keep up with the demands of two small children. When Maisie's eyelids began to droop over the castle they were building, they took the two of them upstairs to ready them for bed. Both of them snuggled under the covers without even the smallest protest, and John grinned at her as they quietly shut the bedroom door behind them.
"That was extraordinarily easy," he whispered.
"I'm half-expecting them to get up and surprise us as soon as we turn our backs," she agreed. Together, they waited for several heartbeats. No sounds could be heard from within. A slow smile crawled across John's face.
"Well, well," he said, voice gravelly, "it seems that we're alone. At last."
Anna smirked. She wouldn't change a thing about her family for anything in the world, but they still needed time as a couple. John had taken her out to dinner a few weeks ago because he'd said that he didn't want the romance to die entirely, but it was difficult to spend any time together with the children's irregular schedules.
"Whatever shall we do?" he murmured.
Anna giggled as he leaned in, hooking his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. She melted back into his embrace.
"Go downstairs and tidy things up a bit," she said. "I have something in mind."
The room looked very romantic. They had electricity in the property these days, but Anna still preferred the atmosphere created by oil lamps and candles. She had taken it upon herself to cloak the room in intimate candlelight now, and reclined on the bed as seductively as she could while she waited for John to arrive.
He appeared in the doorway five minutes later, a smirk immediately cracking over his face.
"Well, Mrs. Bates, what do we have here?" he asked as he ventured into the room, closing the door behind him.
"I don't know," she said, stretching. "What do you think?"
"I think I have a very naughty wife," he growled, shrugging off his waistcoat and starting on the buttons on the front of his shirt. Anna's heart started to pound. Even after all those years, watching him undress still had the same effect on her that it had the first time. When he was bare-chested, he stalked across the room to her, a cat seeking out its prey. Anna sat up, her own hands reaching for her clothes, fully intending to goad him before he reached her—
The bedroom door creaked open, stopping them both short. Anna's hands dropped away as if she'd been scalded, and John fumbled for his shirt at once. Jack, standing in the doorway, didn't seem to notice that anything was amiss. Thank God for small mercies.
"What's wrong, son?" John asked as he fastened the buttons.
Jack stared up at him with lost puppy eyes.
"Can't sleep," he said miserably. "I stay here?"
"Of course you can," John said immediately without even looking to Anna to consult her. He hefted him into his arms with a grimace, limping heavily as he moved over to the bed. "Clamber in next to your mummy."
Well, there went their romantic evening alone. Anna sighed, but she couldn't be too cross, especially when Jack snuggled down, his small arms winding round her.
"I'm not changed for bed yet myself," she pointed out; there had been little reason to when she'd thought that her clothes would just be discarded in a moment anyway.
"When I've finished I'll take him so you can," said John. "You're not too old for a snuggle with Daddy, are you, Jack?"
Jack shook his head, popping his thumb into his mouth, an old habit that they hadn't managed to dissuade him from yet. John beamed in return. Fathers were not always openly affectionate with their sons in particular, living under the pressures of the times, but John had never made a secret of his complete adoration of both of his children. She knew he wasn't ready to let Jack grow up yet.
Jack let go of her and snuggled his back against John's front when he clambered into bed. Anna went about changing, watching her two men out of the corner of her eye. A lump rose in her throat as she took them in. Jack looked so small in the circle of his father's large arms, his golden hair a stark contrast to John's. They were beautiful.
When she was done, she crawled back into bed with them. She lay so that she was facing John, shuffling closer so that Jack was caught protectively between them. He wound one little arm around her waist and finally began to relax.
"Goodnight, Mrs. Bates," John said with a grin, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her lips.
"Night," she murmured. The night might not have gone as planned, but she was more than content to fall asleep with her two men so close by.
The novelty lost some of its appeal when the routine went on night after night after night.
It wasn't always at the same time. Sometimes they would be woken by Jack's prodding fingers, the little boy standing pathetically at the side of their bed, his thumb stuck in his mouth. Other times he would almost throw a tantrum until he was allowed to share their room. Anna was the villain of that particular story. She knew that caving to their children's every demand was not the way to teach them respect and gratefulness, but John seemed to have an inability to say no to them; Jack wheedled at his father until he sighed and swept him into his arms, disregarding his knee, limping back to their room. There, he would place him on the bed and Jack would spend the night sandwiched between the two of them, sleeping soundly with his thumb in his mouth. It was a miracle that Maisie wasn't crying to follow suit.
"You can't keep endorsing it," she said one night, with Jack's elbow jammed in her ribs and his leg flung over hers. "He's getting bigger now. He needs his own private space. And so do we."
"You don't mind too much, do you?" said John. "He'll only be this little once."
Anna sighed. "Don't misinterpret me. Of course I don't mind, per se." She lowered her voice, mindful of the little ears. "But it would be quite nice to spend a whole night with my husband."
In the darkness, John's arm reached across to touch her hand.
"You have a very good point there," he said. "All right, we'll make a date of it. Tomorrow night. I'll see if Mrs. Hyslop would be able to mind the children for a few hours."
Smiling into the darkness, Anna couldn't even mind too much when Jack kicked out in his sleep, hitting her shin rather painfully.
"You have a deal, Mr. Bates," she said. Perhaps it would be a turning point.
It had been the perfect evening.
True to his word, John had gone to Mrs. Hyslop the moment it was deemed acceptable to call on a neighbour. The elderly woman was thrilled to be asked to keep her eye on the children for a few hours. Anna knew that she had no family of her own left. She supposed that she liked the idea of having company. They had dropped Jack and Maisie off at her cottage after their dinner, and had continued on to the picture show. 7th Heaven, still a hit even a few years after its initial release, was showing in their town, and the fundamental story of love conquering all had made tears well in Anna's eyes. After all of the trauma they had been through in their own relationship, it always gladdened her heart to see other couples pulling through too. Apart from the darkest periods in her life, when her mind had been playing cruel tricks on her, she too had never doubted the strength and longevity of John's love. It had conquered all.
They were also lucky enough that the local fair was in town, celebrating the start of summer in their little seaside getaway, and they took the long route home, strolling through the various stalls and sharing greasy chicken legs that John purchased from one of the food vendors. He kissed her on the edge of the green, both of his hands cupping her face, uncaring of anyone who might stumble across them, and she felt like a sixteen year old girl all over again, walking out with a beau. Except for her, reality was much sweeter than any imagined past could be.
When they arrived back, they found Maisie asleep and Jack almost there. Mrs. Hyslop reassured them that both children had been absolute angels, and she would be more than happy to take care of them again should Anna and John want a little time to themselves. They thanked her for generosity, and Anna decided silently that she must make up a basket to take to her tomorrow in gratitude.
Maisie didn't even stir as they changed her into her little nightdress, and Jack's head kept nodding as they fastened the buttons on his shirt. John lifted him into his arms while Anna pulled the covers on his bed back, and they tucked him in tight, feathering kisses to his blond hair before doing the same with Maisie. Together, they slipped out of the bedroom and made their way towards their own. An early night was in order.
Anna kissed him as soon as the door was closed behind him, pushing him against the wood and tugging desperately at his clothes. John grunted in the back of his throat, his hands pushing at her hips until she parted from him with great reluctance.
"What is this in aid of?" he rasped.
"Four weeks without you, that's what," she murmured feverishly, wrenching at the buttons.
"I've been here the whole time," he said, but she could hear the smile in his voice. He knew exactly what she meant, but was deriving great pleasure from teasing her. Well, she'd soon put an end to that.
Yanking at his shirt, she managed to get it untucked from his trousers, throwing it unceremoniously to the floor. She rucked his undershirt up next, the forlorn material meeting the same fate. Now he was bare from the waist up, open to her touch. She ran her hands over him, feeling the muscles in his back quiver and twitch, tell-tale signals of how much she was affecting him. He was not idle as she worked, his own hands moving to her clothes and his head dipping down to catch her mouth in another kiss. Somehow, between gasps and whimpers and even more kisses, they managed to reach the bed. Anna groaned softly as John moved over her, her naked body tingling in the cool night air, a sharp disparity to the raging heat that was emanating from him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer, the heavy bulk of him pressing her right into the mattress—
There was a series of knocks on the door, then a pleading voice.
"Mummy, Daddy!"
Jack.
They froze in place for a split-second. Ice sluiced down Anna's spine. Here they were, tangled up in each other, so very close to reuniting, and their son was outside the door.
John was the first to recover. Dropping to the mattress beside her, he called, "Just-just a minute, Jacky! Stay right there!"
They rose frantically from the bed, snatching up the clothes that had only just been discarded. John glanced behind him to make sure that she was redressed before opening the door. Anna sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. She couldn't stop the frustration from leaking through, however much she tried. One evening without interruption, that was all she was asking for. She loved her son deeply, fiercely, but she had other needs too, needs that had been demanding to be fulfilled for almost a month…
"What's the matter, son?" said John as Jack bounded into the room.
"Bed time!" he squealed happily, and leapt onto the bed. Anna huffed a little as the breath was knocked out of her by the wriggling bundle of energy. She cast John a helpless glance over his shoulder as he clambered into her lap.
"Darling, your bed is along the hall, next to your sister's," she said.
"Here," he said stubbornly.
"No. You have your own room at the end of the corridor. There's nothing wrong with it."
"Here," he repeated stubbornly.
John shrugged helplessly, limping across to her side. He took the seat next to her, his hand ruffling Jack's thick, blond hair.
"Mummy's right," he said. "This is my room, and Mummy's."
Jack sucked his bottom lip in—a trait picked up from his father. "No! I stay too!"
"John, you're a big boy now," Anna tried. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Jack knew to associate his Christian name with his parents' displeasure. "Of course Mummy and Daddy don't mind you coming in sometimes, but you've come in consistently for the past few weeks. You're a big boy now, and you're too old to sleep with us every night. You're old enough to sleep on your own in your own bed."
"You are here," Jack said indignantly. He wriggled free—he could be quite the force of nature when he wanted to be—and snuggled himself down right in the centre of the bed. Anna sighed, the fight seeping out of her.
"I suppose that settles it," she said forlornly. "Jack wants to be here with us."
John reached out and touched her hand, turning his own gaze to their boy, who looked as content as a cat curled in front of the fire.
"We'll get our time, you'll see," he murmured.
Anna sighed dejectedly. He was probably right—if this didn't kill her first.
By the end of the fourth week, Anna was verging on despair. Jack seemed determined that he wouldn't sleep in his own bed anymore, kicking up a fit the minute that they tried to put him down, making Maisie eye him curiously from the comforts of her own cot. Together, they tried everything to get him to settle, from bribing him with his favourite treats to shouting. Nothing moved him. When morning dawned, it would find him wedged between the two of them, taking up space that they barely had in the first place.
"What are we going to do?" she asked John one evening, the conversation conducted in whispers so as to not disturb their son as he snuffled in the middle of them.
John gave a heavy sigh, rubbing his hand over his face.
"I don't know," he confessed. "But I'm sure we'll think of something soon."
Soon couldn't come soon enough, Anna thought as she ruefully rubbed at her ribs. She had the suspicion that if anyone was going to break, it wasn't going to be little Jack.
"Mrs. Bates, are you feeling quite well?"
The sound of Mrs. Pinslow, one of the travelling guests, made Anna wheel around at once. Her cheeks flamed. She had been caught with her head on the desk; it was far from a professional sight.
"I'm fine, thank you, Mrs. Pinslow," she stammered. "Just had a bit of trouble sleeping over the last couple of weeks, that's all."
Mrs. Pinslow's eyes softened in concern. "Oh, my dear, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know why?"
"It's my son, John." She paused for a moment, wondering how much to reveal to an outsider about her family, but the older woman's face was kind. She relaxed a little. "Truth be told, he keeps climbing into bed with us at night. It doesn't leave much room for me and my husband." And certainly no room for other marital activities.
"Oh, I can relate, dearie. My sons were exactly the same when they were young."
"They were?" Anna's ears pricked up at once. "How did you stop them?"
"It took a long time to convince them. In the end, we managed to convince them by telling them that they were grown up, and grown boys didn't sleep with their parents."
"We tried something similar, but it didn't work," said Anna.
"What did you say, if you don't mind me asking?"
"That he was too old to be sleeping with us."
"Ah, I see. Slightly different wording. Why don't you give it another try? I find that children respond more positively to the idea of being grown up."
"You might be right," said Anna. "Thank you, Mrs. Pinslow."
"You're very welcome, Mrs. Bates. Thank you for a wonderful stay. I'm sure my husband and I will be back for a visit very soon in the future."
"You'll be most welcome."
At that moment, John entered the room, Mr. Pinslow at his heels.
"Mr. Simms will run you to the station now," he said.
"Thank you, Mr. Bates." With a smile, Mrs. Pinslow went to her husband, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm. Mr. Pinslow tipped his hat. Then, they were gone. John moved over to her, chancing slipping his arm around her waist.
"What has you smiling?" he murmured.
Anna turned to him with a grin. "Oh, nothing. I just think that I've got a plan."
John furrowed his brows. "A plan? For what?"
She patted his chest. "Wait and see, Mr. Bates. Wait and see."
With two young children to take care of, Anna didn't have the time to spend all day at the hotel, although she did take them over with her for a few hours so that she could pitch in. She and John managed very well between themselves, taking it in turns to keep the children occupied. The hotel staff pitched in too, often taking Jack and Maisie up to help in the bedrooms. They were probably much more of a hindrance than a help, but the Bates children's cherubic looks had won them many admirers. Working there on a more lengthy basis would come in time, when they were old enough to go to school. Anna missed the bustle of a working environment, but nothing could compare to spending moments at home with her son and her daughter, whether that be sitting quietly by while they napped against her, or playing by her feet while she focused on her mending, or else clamouring to help her bake some delicious treat for after their dinner.
Family life was more wonderful than she could ever have anticipated it being.
John kept them occupied now while she tidied away the last bits in the kitchen. She could hear their delighted squeals and pleas as he indulged them in whatever game they wanted. He was so perfect with them.
When she was done in the kitchen, she made her way back to the sitting room, leaning against the doorframe and drinking in the sight before her. John was sprawled on the floor with their children, his leg held awkwardly out in front of him, charming them both by bringing their toys to life. Anna couldn't stop her smile, but she cleared her throat.
"This looks like fun," she said.
"It is, Mummy!" said Jack enthusiastically. "Daddy been a bear!"
"I think a bear suits me well," John growled, reaching out and grabbing Jack around the middle as if he were his cub. Jack squealed, wriggling. Maisie, not liking not being part of the fun, immediately crawled onto her father's lap, pulling insistently on his shirt. It was a very good thing that he'd discarded his tie as soon as he'd walked through the door.
"I feel like I've got a circus of animals in here," Anna teased. Her family looked up from where they were tangled together. "But I think it might be time for the babies to go to bed."
"No!" Jack whined at once, bottom lip popping out. John swore blind that hers did the exact same thing when she was cross. She deigned to ignore him.
"Yes," she said firmly. "It's past both of your bed times. Maisie will be a nightmare in the morning if she doesn't get some sleep now. And I think we could all benefit from having an early night." She cast John a meaningful look.
He was up in a flash, ruffling Jack's hair. "That's that, little man. Your mummy has some excellent ideas. An early night is just what we all need."
Anna smiled. She had no doubt that Jack would probably be paying them a visit very shortly indeed, but thanks to Mrs. Pinslow, she had an ace up her sleeve.
"You tried your best, Anna."
She huffed, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't understand. I felt so sure that this time would be the one to crack him…"
"Our son is a tough nut to crack, just like his mother."
She shifted as much as Jack's head against her shoulder would allow. "I'm quite sure that I never kept my parents from each other's arms. They had my sister after me, in any case." The thought of her parents, and of the tightknit family that they had been then, made her clamp her mouth into a tight line.
Thankfully, John seemed to sense her disquiet, and did not pick up that thread of conversation. He reached across as best he could instead, closing his fingers over her arm. "What made you sure that this would work?"
"Something Mrs. Pinslow said. She said that whenever she tried to appeal to her sons by calling them grown up, they responded positively. I thought it might work the same way for Jack, but he still insisted that he sleep with us."
John was silent for a moment. She let him ruminate, going back to brooding a little herself. She didn't mind their son sharing their bed. Not really. But when it was every night, leaving them with no time for themselves…well, it did present a bit of a problem. She'd been so certain that this time would be it, that she would sort the trouble. Mrs. Pinslow had said that her sons had reacted to being told that they were too grown up to be sharing a bed, so why hadn't it worked with Jack…?
"Anna, I've been thinking."
John's voice disturbed her thoughts, and she stirred, peering across at him as best she could when her son's head obstructed her movement. She could make out John's silhouette in the darkness.
"About what?" she prompted. Anxiety began to gnaw just slightly at the lining of her stomach. She had no reason to doubt John's dedication and utter joy at the life they shared now, but she'd heard many a forlorn story during her time at Downton where I've been thinking usually preceded a broken heart.
Thankfully, John's thoughts were not gloomy. His hand found hers in the darkness, linking their fingers together over Jack's back.
"About Jack," he supplied. "And his insistence that he sleep with us. It might sound mad…but do you think we might be misinterpreting him?"
Anna frowned, craning her head up slightly. "I'm not sure I'm following."
"This evening, when you told him that he was grown up, and grown ups slept in their own beds, what did he say?"
Anna thought back, to Jack's indignant face scrunched up with the injustice of it all, his blond hair flopping over those intelligent blue eyes.
You are here, he'd said, as he had done every night since they'd tried to deter him.
"He said that we were in here," she said.
"But what if that wasn't what he was saying? What if he was responding to you telling him that he was big enough to have a bed of his own?"
You are here, Jack had said time and time again. Anna's eyes widened.
"You don't think…?" she said.
"I do," John confirmed, a chuckle rumbling from him. "I think our son refuses to sleep in his own bed because he doesn't like the hypocrisy coming from us."
Anna couldn't help it. She laughed too. "Oh my God. Do you really think it's plausible?"
"I do. I can talk to him about it in the morning, if you'd like."
"No, I'll do it. Maybe with this knowledge I can finally crack him."
"Thank God for that," John laughed. "Because I'm afraid that I will go mad if I don't get you to myself for at least one whole night."
"Oh, believe me, Mr. Bates," she teased, "I feel exactly the same way."
Despite the lack of room, Anna managed to sleep rather well. It was helped in no small part down to her husband, who lay as close to them as possible, his arm flung over both her and Jack to keep them close. They had also been joined by the fourth member of their family. Maisie must have noticed her brother's absence in the night and traced him here. Her confidence in her surroundings had grown by the day. Now that she had apparently learned how to clamber out of her cot, their hands would be fuller than ever before trying to keep track of her. She'd wriggled between her and John, practically sleeping on top of her sibling.
Blinking sleepily in the grey dawn light, Anna couldn't help but smile. There had been a time when she'd believed that having a family was impossible, and now here they were together. Her two miracle babies. She sifted her fingers through Maisie's dark baby locks, watching her rosebud lips twitch at the sensation. In moments like these, it was difficult to remember why she would ever want things different to this.
Stirring from the other side of the small bed caught her attention, and she strained to see John, who was stretching out long limbs. His sleepy eyes latched onto hers.
"Morning," she whispered.
"Is it? Bloody hell, it doesn't feel like it."
"Language, Mr. Bates," she whispered severely. "We don't want them to pick up on that. They're sponges at this age."
"Sorry," he muttered. "It's just that my knee is on fire. I think I must have slept on it funny."
Concern overtook her at once. "Do you need me to get anything for it?"
"I'll try and take a powder. There was no room to manoeuvre. I'm hoping that walking on it a bit will loosen the muscles."
"Don't overdo it. You'll only make it worse. I'll make a warm compress up for you tonight. That should help to ease it."
"I know what else would," he growled.
"Be off with you," she said. "Honestly, men."
Inch by inch, John eased himself out of bed, careful not to disturb the children. She heard his bones crack as he stretched.
"All of these years, I was convinced that men were the primitive sex when it came to baser urges," he whispered. "But now I know better. Women like to pretend they're innocent, but they're far from it."
Anna managed to untangle herself too, leaving Jack and Maisie fast asleep in the middle of their bed. She crossed to his side, slipping her arms around his waist, pressing her smile into his shoulder blades. Standing barefooted beside him, she had to stretch high on her tiptoes to reach his ear, and even then that was only achieved when he bent down a little to receive her words.
"Maybe later you'll see how much of a devil I can be," she murmured. "But right now I have to get breakfast ready for us. You'll need something to keep your strength up through the day."
She grinned when John groaned breathlessly in response, and flounced out of the room.
After making her husband a hearty breakfast and sending him off ahead of her with a kiss, Anna went back to tidying up the mess so that she could start again when the children awoke. It was only half an hour later when she heard the patter of tiny feet on the stairs, and Jack appeared in the doorway, rubbing sleepily at his eyes.
"Good morning, darling," she cooed.
"Hewwo, Mummy," he said solemnly, moving forward to wrap his arms around her legs. He certainly had the Bates swagger about him, and Anna bit back a giggle at the sight, threading her fingers through his hair. He was getting a bit too big for her to lift up now, but she could still just about manage, heaving him to her hip with a huff and leaning back against the counter for some extra support. He blinked at her.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Her boy nodded.
"And is your sister still asleep?"
Another nod. Jack peered interestedly over her shoulder at the eggs that sat on the side.
"Why don't you sit at the table," she suggested. "I'll make you some scrambled eggs and toast, and we can have a chat, just the two of us."
"Awwight," he agreed, and she lowered him back to the floor. Jack clambered onto one of the chairs by the table, his little legs swinging as he watched her go about whipping up breakfast. She brought it over when she'd done, along with a glass of water. Jack began to attack his food clumsily, and she took the seat beside him, letting him gobble down a few mouthfuls before taking a deep breath.
"Can Mummy ask you a question?" she said.
Jack nodded, his mouth full.
"Why do you always want to sleep in Mummy and Daddy's bed when you're grown up enough to have your own?"
"I say: you dere."
"Do you mean that Daddy and I are grown up and we still share a bed, so why can't you share with us?"
"Yes," said Jack. "You goane up."
"Oh, Jacky," she sighed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. John was right. With his speech still developing, they'd been misinterpreting him all this time. "You see, that's something a little bit different."
"Why?"
"Well, because we're Mummy and Daddy. If I was just a grown up, then that would be right. But I'm not. I'm a mummy. And mummies share beds with daddies. That's the rule."
Jack furrowed his brows. "Why?"
Anna cast around for a way to explain without raising too many difficult questions. She didn't really think there was one. Gracious, this parenting was hard at times.
"Don't ask me to explain the rules of society, son," she said. "They make little sense to me either. Still, they are the rules. Do you understand it better? Mummies and Daddies need a bed all to themselves, and you're a grown up lad now. You've got a bed of your own to sleep in. Maybe one day, when you're much, much older, you'll meet someone who will be a mummy for your children, and then you will do what me and Daddy do." It was better to keep the analogies to mothers and fathers without muddying the waters with the complications of married couples who didn't have children.
"Yes," said Jack, but he looked rather downcast by it all. At least there was a consolation—he was probably far too young to even consider the question of children and how mummies and daddies became mummies and daddies. Anna encouraged him onto her knee. She pressed a kiss to the side of his face.
"That doesn't mean that you can't ever come in to us ever again," she promised him. "In fact, Daddy and I like having you with us sometimes. Just…every night for a month is a bit extreme, isn't it?"
Jack snuggled closer, reaching out for a finger of toast. Anna winced as he dropped crumbs down her dress, but she didn't have the heart to scold him. She settled for kissing his hair one more time, breathing in the baby scent of his skin that he still hadn't lost.
She wouldn't know for certain until later, of course, but she had the feeling that she had just won the war.
"You, Anna Bates, are a miracle."
Anna giggled, snuggling further into John's chest. Two hours ago, they had put their son to bed, and not a murmur had been heard from him since. He had clambered into his own bed without even one plea to share with them, and it seemed that equilibrium had been restored once more. They'd lain in the darkness, listening to the silence for as long as they'd been able to manage, but the temptation of being so close to one another, with no interruptions, after such a long time apart, had meant that it had been difficult not to let their hands wander. Their passion had led them to this, lying together in a very happy afterglow, enjoying the feel of bare skin against bare skin for a little while longer until they would be forced to part and re-dress themselves.
John pressed a kiss to her forehead, stretching out his leg. "So I was right? Jack didn't want to use his own bed because we were sharing?"
"That's right," she confirmed. "I managed to convince him that the rules were different for mummies and daddies."
"Well, they are," he growled, walking his fingers over her ribs. She squirmed at the tickling sensation.
"Hush, you," she said.
"Make me," he challenged her, and she leaned up so she could kiss him again, winding an arm around his neck so she could pull him closer down to her. He rubbed his nose against hers when they parted, a broad smile on his face.
"There, that ought to do it," she said, smoothing her fingers over his cheek.
"I don't know about that," he said, nudging against her pointedly.
"Mr. Bates, really," she scolded.
"Not yet. I'm not a young man anymore. I need some time to regroup, so to speak. But the night is still young. Who knows what the rest might bring."
He brought her closer to kiss again, and she curled her body around him, relishing the sheer sensations of their nakedness.
As it so happened, the night did not bring the presence of their son. Later on in the wee hours, Anna would rise to check on their children, and would find Jack sleeping perfectly peacefully in his own bed, starfished on his front, his hair tousled. Maisie would be sleeping just as serenely, her thumb popped in her mouth.
There was no more romancing, either. Anna lay pressed against her husband, listening to the gradual evening of his breathing, then the soft snores that escaped. She smiled, and pressed a kiss to his forehead, smoothing away the rogue lock of hair that refused to be tamed. She pulled the covers tight over him, hiding his unclothed state, then slipped out of bed to tidy herself up and redress just in case she was needed. She snuggled back up against him when she was done, leeching off his body heat. Sated and satisfied, she drifted off too, content in her wonderful life.