A/N: Just a small one-shot set several months after the S5 Christmas Special. I was hoping to finish this for TestShip's birthday, but that week was so busy with essays and the end of term I just didn't have the time (sorry, hehe). Anyway, I hope you all like it, it's fluff overload. An update to Thy Kingdom Come should also be posted very soon. This story was initially based off a photo set on Tumblr of Anna big-sistering Daisy, and then it transpired into this, so Daisy also features prominently in this. Disclaimers are the same as everything I've ever wrote on this site, sadly.
Signs of Life
Anna sighed as she pushed away the last of her mending as she sat in the servant's hall. It was hot, altogether too hot for a day in early May, and she could feel the sweat on her brow and her dress sticking to her skin. She both looked and felt tired. It also did not help that everyone was tiptoeing around her still.
Ever since her pregnancy became visible to the family and staff, her duties had been lessened considerably. There was no longer any walking off to the laundry or ironing, that having become too much of a strenuous task, and now she found herself dressing and undressing Lady Mary and completing any mending that needed doing at the table. Miss Baxter had been ever so kind in taking on some of her tasks and the rest were allocated to some of the maids. Anna had argued her case, of course, and for a time Lady Mary, Mrs Hughes and, most importantly, Mr Bates had relented. However, since her morning sickness had worsened throughout her third and fourth months of pregnancy and since she had fainted at work, Dr Clarkson had instructed her to take it easy if possible. Her slight frame did not help as the early stages of pregnancy took their effects on her, and being an older first time mother meant that there might be some further complications, according to Doctor Clarkson. She also knew that since the concert years ago, she had never quite gained the weight lost, and Anna knew that her husband knew that too. All in all, it made pregnancy quite the fortuitous task when she had been simultaneously working as she was used to.
But Anna was quite sure she felt fine, she certainly felt well within herself; however the thought of any harm coming to their unborn child had caused Anna to heed their warning and lessen her chores. In return for the help Miss Baxter was currently giving her, Anna would take on some of her extra mending, even though the other woman had protested at first. Most of the time, this work could be finished at the table here given the amount of time she now spent here, however sometimes it meant having to take it home with her on a night.
Miss Baxter had become a close friend, Anna thought with a smile as she stopped, one of her hands resting above her five-month-old baby bump as the baby moved inside her. She had started feeling those flutterings – for that was the only way she could describe it – for a few weeks now. It was just a shame John hadn't been able to feel the signs of life growing inside her just yet. He had expressed his brief disappointment the first time she had been taken aback, but she had reassured him that soon enough he would be able to feel it, and often he simply took the sight of her delighted features as the greatest, and simplest, joy ever felt.
But yes, Miss Baxter had become a good friend. Ever since she had helped Mr Molesley in proving the innocence of her husband, or at least proving of his whereabouts, she had been touched. John and her had since thanked them profusely, and had even insisted on treating them to a dinner at the Netherby. Anna recalled the night with a fond smile. She also recalled the moment that she had learned of Mr Molesley and Miss Baxter's involvement in the horrid police business. She had heard it from Lady Mary, and later that evening she had come across Miss Baxter in the corridor outside the laundry room. Tears had filled her eyes and she had opened her mouth, only for no words to come out.
Miss Baxter had patted her arm and told her that she understood. Anna had only been able to close her eyes in an attempt to keep her tears at bay and nodded, attempting to convey her gratitude in more than just a smile. But a smile had been sufficient gratitude for the lady's maid, and often Anna mused that Miss Baxter probably felt willing to help the footman because of the tales she had been forced to tell the police in the months leading to her arrest in London. Whilst Anna had never asked, she assumed there had been good reasons for it. In all honesty, she had believed that to be the case from the start, but in the heat of the police investigation and her initial fears for her husband, all sense of rationality had flown out of the window, resulting in their initial hostility. But Anna still remembered the words Miss Baxter had uttered in the hallway, paying no mind to the implications of the investigation, but that she was just glad that it meant Mr Bates might be able to come home soon, and that everything would get back to normal.
And things slowly had. After Christmas and New Year, once the hype of Mr Bates' return had died down, everything had started to fall back into place. Everyone seemed to have a new, carefree air about them, even despite Mr Branson's departure to America and Lady Rose and Atticus leaving for their honeymoon. The house fell back into its usual routine, continuing day after day as it should, and had to. Downstairs their days hardly changed, small moments would be clutched at during the day, and people would attempt to grab a few extra minutes over their morning tea until Mr Carson sent them on their way. Anna would spend her days tending to Lady Mary, looking to catch any moment she could alone with her husband, longing for their half days and the nights when they could return to their cottage (or their 'love nest' as Thomas liked to refer to, as of course he had not changed either) and shroud themselves beneath the sheets until morning. This was all of course, until they had discovered her pregnancy and they had revealed their joyous news to the staff.
Mr Carson had turned quite red at the shock, and Mrs Hughes had gasped and brought her hands to her mouth in surprise as tears filled her eyes. Anna remembered being in the housekeeper's sitting room at the time, having found them both in there sharing a glass of sherry before they had gone back to the cottage for the night. Anna had noticed a difference in the housekeeper ever since the New Year, but she was yet to discover what the reason for that was, although after John had accidentally walked in on a meeting of theirs before leaving for the cottage one night, he assumed that something might have happened too. However, it was not for them to pry, and the two of them merely waited for any news to reach their ears. Anna noticed that Mrs Hughes had become a little more open about her emotions lately, although she assumed that was also because of the baby. The housekeeper had been ecstatic to hear of the news, even though it would inevitably result in Anna leaving service, and whilst she would not often display the affection as much in front of the others, she was very perceptive and strict about Anna taking it easier. She also invited her into her sitting room for tea – whenever Mr Carson was not in there – more often than usual, and attempted to talk to Anna more about the baby. She and John had discussed the idea briefly, but both of them were considering asking the housekeeper to be the child's godmother, both of them deciding that there could be no better choice.
Miss Baxter had been ecstatic about the news too, as had Mr Molesley and Mrs Patmore, the latter had recently been making Anna plainer meals to settle her stomach, and Anna had found herself with a craving for ginger lately, resulting in a colossal amount of ginger biscuits filling the cottage, as well as the aroma hanging in the kitchen constantly. Daisy had been surprised too but happy all the same. Thomas had made the snarky comment the married couple knew would be coming, something along the lines of being surprised that John still had it in him at his age, but Anna had ignored him blissfully. She had been too happy to listen to anything the under-butler said. Furthermore, he seemed to be all mouth, for later on that week she had noticed him watching her closely, and after she had fainted at work, he had helped her on the stairs with carrying some of Lady Mary's clothes, insisting that he simply did not want her fainting on them again. She had promised John later that night not to breathe a word of it to anyone.
The servant's hall table had been filled with gossip about the new Bates baby, until of course Mr Carson would enter the room and demand for either a new line of conversation or silence. Anna noticed that Mrs Hughes had given him a stern but endearing look afterwards, and this only impounded the fact that she was sure there had to be something different between them as of late.
Anna suddenly heard a loud, sharp noise coming from the direction of the back door and it made her jump. Once over the initial shock, acknowledging that it must be one of the hall boys having dropped something in the courtyard, Anna reached over for her cup of tea, only to find that it had long turned cold. It was quite a new feeling for her tea to be going cold, usually she barely had time to sit for long enough until it did, and in the cottage she barely finished a cup before she and John were heading to bed, either too tired from the day to stay up any longer, or wishing to forego tea in favour of other activities.
With a sigh, Anna lifted herself from her seat and decided to go through into the kitchen in search of another cup.
She found Daisy in there, who was just filling the kettle for the stove.
"Just what I came to find." Anna smiled.
Daisy turned to her and returned the gesture. "Do you want one? Mrs Patmore asked me to make a pot, she's just with Mrs Hughes now talking about the dinner next week." His Lordship and Her Ladyship were hosting a small dinner party for some of their friends.
"Go on then," Anna replied, instantly walking over to where the cups and saucers sat and taking them down.
"Oh no, I can do that!"
Anna turned to the assistant cook and gave her a mock frown. Daisy giggled.
"Mrs Patmore left you some of those biscuits aside that you like."
Anna looked around and noticed the plate of ginger biscuits. She smiled at the cook's thoughtfulness, and then smiled even more at the acknowledgement that the baby must be keen on them – or at least that was the excuse she gave John when he mocked her lightly. She took one from the pile and started to chew on it contently, looking up at Daisy and grinning as the younger girl set the kettle on the stove.
"So, how is Mr Mason?"
Daisy turned to her and wiped her hands on her apron. "He's well. I plan on visiting him again in the next month or so."
"Do you like it on the farm?"
"Oh yes," Daisy smiled. "Although it's not quite Downton."
"I doubt anything could compare to here."
"No, I guess not." Daisy smiled.
Anna noticed that the kettle had started to boil and was about to move over and tend to it before Daisy beat her to it. As the assistant cook started to pour their tea, Anna continued her line of conversation.
"So can you imagine yourself there, in the future?"
Daisy looked up from the tea and smiled shyly before she nodded. "I think so. It would take some getting used to, mind."
"Well you know all about keeping records and finances now after Miss Bunting's help. I think you could manage it."
Daisy smiled in gratitude to the compliment. "What about you?" She asked, handing Anna her cup. "Have you and Mr Bates ever thought about leaving?"
Anna smiled instantly. They had told no one yet, but they had started looking at hotels recently after the news that John's mother's house would likely to be sold within the next month or so. The lawyer had given them an estimated sum and the couple had found a few hotel options around the local area, one especially nice place right on the coast in Scarborough. And ever since the news of her pregnancy the married couple had almost stepped up their searches as all of their dreams were finally starting to come true.
Both of them knew that once Anna left work their finances would understandably tighten, and the arrival of a new baby would only add to that. So they wanted to move towards the next stage of their lives sooner rather than later. She also knew that John worried about not being there a lot of the time, and experiencing the baby growing up. The two of them definitely wanted the move sooner rather than later, although both were anticipating several months after the birth at this stage. Anna smiled now at the thought of the things they had bought for the baby so far. Since neither of them knew when the hotel would become a reality, they had used their spare bedroom and started to decorate, turning it into a nursery. It was small, but it was fitting. Anna also spent as much spare time as possible knitting clothes for the baby. It was one of the best ways to spend their spare time on the settee when they returned to the cottage on a night.
"We've thought about it, the times are changing," Anna revealed, aware that neither of them wanted to divulge this information yet, especially not until she had spoken to Mrs Hughes and Lady Mary, and Lord Grantham for John. "Nothing concrete though."
"Alfred always used to say the times are changing, and I suppose he was right. So many people are starting to choose different paths, or looking to the future," Daisy revealed, taking hold of a wet cloth and wiping down the table, some flour having gathered there from earlier. Anna smiled as she noticed Daisy looking particularly fond of the memory. "And then he went away to be a chef. Who'd have thought that ten years ago?"
"Do you ever miss him?"
Daisy smiled shyly. "A little, sometimes. But not so much anymore, we parted on good terms as friends, and I couldn't have asked for-"
Daisy suddenly stopped as she noticed Anna's face scrunched up and watched as her hand flew to her stomach.
"Anna?! What is it? Should I fetch Mrs Hughes, or Mr Bates?"
Daisy grew alarmed until Anna looked up at her and smiled reassuringly. The older woman shook her head.
"No, no need for that. The baby just seems to be quite restless today. They just kicked!"
Anna felt her heart rate quicken as she considered the occasion. It was the first time she had felt the baby kick, aside from its small movements, but those felt more like flutters. This really was the first, proper sign of life coming from their child, and it seemed that he or she was in a particularly boisterous mood today. She could feel the joyful tears springing to her eyes.
"You mean you can feel it?" Daisy asked.
Anna smiled at her, tears in her eyes as her hand remained splayed across her small five-month-old bump. She beckoned Daisy over, noticing that no one else was around to witness it.
Daisy acquiesced, and once at her side, Anna took the girl's hand and placed it on the exact spot that the baby was making itself known. She could not wait to tell John when she saw him.
"Oh my!" Daisy exclaimed happily, the sound of her voice seemingly causing the baby to move even more. "Wow," Daisy mouthed a few moments later as no more than a whisper.
Anna closed her eyes, and as she felt the baby move inside her, she could almost imagine holding them in her arms. She imagined how in a few months time she and John would be proud parents. She imagined a little boy with his father's hair and cheeks, or a little girl with dark hair who her father would no doubt spoil rotten and dote upon irrevocably. She knew John wanted their child to look like her, he had teased about why in heavens would she want the child to look like him, but Anna knew that regardless of who their child took after, she would love them so much. The two of them had so much love to give. This was one gift she would never take for granted. They had both learned to take every day in their stride and appreciate the moments they spent together, too many of them having been spent apart. And this news would be the start of the rest of their lives – their new chapter.
Anna's reverie was broken however, when Mr Carson's booming voice filled the kitchen.
"Daisy," he started, and both women turned sharply to look at the stalwart butler. "May I ask what you're doing?"
Before Daisy could answer, Anna intervened, "That's me, Mr Carson. The baby was kicking, so I asked Daisy to come over to see."
For a moment Anna saw the briefest flash of warmth across his face, and it took all of her strength not to smile. She knew from her talks with Mrs Hughes that the butler would wear his mask of propriety in public or when she was expecting the child, but as soon as he or she was born it would be a different tale. Anna knew from the stories Lady Mary told her that Mr Carson was very fond of children, and that much was still clear whenever he spoke of Master George, or Marigold or Miss Sybbie.
"I think Daisy must have... other work to do." Mr Carson replied awkwardly, and to save him further discomfort, the two women nodded. Daisy rounded the table and Anna set down her finished cup.
As Mr Carson nodded to them and left, Anna and Daisy shared a small laugh.
Then Anna caught the sound of a familiar tapping descending the staircase and decided to hurry through into the hall, eager to share this news with her husband.
"I just wish I'd been there with you," John complained as husband and wife made the journey home to the cottage later that night. Their hands were joined together, as they were apt to do once they had left the back door into the courtyard, and the cool May night was a comfortable temperature to take the walk home in, quite the opposite from earlier that day.
"Next time," Anna rubbed his arm. "I'll come and find you, I promise."
John turned to her and smiled. "It just makes it seem more... real. If that's even possible." They shared the sweetest smile, and they stopped on the road just by the row of cottages as John dipped his head down to catch her lips in a short, loving kiss.
It lasted mere seconds, as Anna rested her hand on his chest and teased, "That's enough of that, Mr Bates. We don't want to scandalise Mr Chirk."
John smirked devilishly.
"I should think he wouldn't be too surprised that the Bateses are very, happily married," John teased back, his hand drifting to her protruding belly, only slightly visible however beneath her coat. It was a different story when he ran his hand over her bare skin. "Not when the evidence is so... forthright."
Anna giggled at his matter-of-fact wording. Momentarily forgetting their surroundings, the cloak of the night sky easing her insecurities, Anna reached up and stroked back his hair, her fingers also moving to his ears as she replied, "And you say I'm the racy one."
"I never said we both weren't." John continued to tease her. He could not resist capturing her lips once more in a kiss under the cover of the night before they eventually made their way inside the cottage.
It was times like these that John marvelled at how strong his wife was; how far she had come since the attack. He tended not to voice his admirations, but he knew that she saw them in his eyes, and she had slowly started to smile when she did, rather than feel ashamed. She had learned to take strength from it. The pieces of their life were slowly starting to fall together again. The pages of their latest chapters had been turned, not erased, because both of them were aware that their lives would never be the same again and they had learnt to live with those realisations. But they were very much looking forward to whatever their next chapters may be, with another Bates in tow.
"Shall we make some tea?" Anna asked as she disposed of her coat on the stand and shuffled out of her heels. It was always a relief at the end of the day to be rid of them, even more so now she was pregnant. She then turned to help her husband out of his overcoat, and watched as he hooked his cane on the stand too. Often he went without it in the cottage, especially as the days became warmer and the tension in his knee lessened. It was often the biting cold of the winter that made it worse for him.
"I can do that," John insisted as he slipped off his own shoes. He smiled proudly at the sight of their shoes side by side, a simple domestic sight that never failed to warm his heart. Hers were also tiny in comparison to his, another thought that made the corners of his eyes wrinkle as a true smile graced his lips. "Why don't you head up? I can bring them to you, we could sit and read for a while."
Anna smiled at her husband's thoughtfulness. "Fine, I'll lock up first."
Their deal was sealed with a kiss.
As John disappeared into their comfortable, little kitchen, Anna turned to lock the front door behind them and placed the key on the small table nearby. "Oh, John?"
"Yes?" She heard him shout from the kitchen.
"Please could you bring up some of those biscuits too?"
She could hear him chuckle from the hallway, but he acquiesced to her request regardless.
Anna then ascended the stairs and readied herself for bed, lighting the candles and using the wash cloth briefly from the pail of water they kept in the bedroom for that very reason before changing into her nightgown. She took the time as usual to admire her baby bump in the mirror, intent on savouring these moments and cherishing them dearly, before slipping the gown over her head and letting down her hair.
As she sat at her vanity and started to brush it, she could hear John preparing a tray downstairs. Her eyes flickered between the small mirror and their wedding photograph at her side, she having brought it upstairs months ago before John had returned home, needing it close by and never quite wanting to take it back down lately. She listened as he made the journey upstairs, reaching the bedroom just after she had completed her plait. Anna smiled as she watched his reflection enter the bedroom and set down the tray on the bed, before he walked across to her and admired her lovingly, kissing the side of her neck and stroking her hand before he brought it up to his lips.
"Biscuits for m'lady."
Anna giggled. "Not just for me."
John's smile grew even larger at the recognition, the type that reached the corners of his eyes. Anna had never known a more beautiful sight, or one that had such a profound impact on her insides.
"I put the extra sugar in your tea, can't be having any complaints tonight."
John teased her as he moved across to get himself readied for bed too. Ever since her pregnancy had become known to them, Anna had been experiencing cravings for sweets, and that included her tea, which she would usually drink without, with just a drop of milk. Anna poked out her tongue at him through the mirror then stood up and turned, moving across the bedroom and slipping beneath the covers, reaching out for her cup of tea and a biscuit or two – or three.
She was just about to pop one into her mouth, however, when another resounding kick came from her belly. Anna let out a surprised gasp, causing John to turn around and look at her, slightly alarmed at the sound. He watched her sat in bed, the sheets surrounding her, one of her hands lying on her outstretched stomach.
But Anna smiled brightly and it reassured him. She quickly put her tea down and outstretched her arm. "Come here, John, quick."
John followed her instructions and came to sit on the bed, now changed into his night clothes. Anna took his hand and placed it on her lower stomach, just as another kick could be felt.
Anna was quite sure the face that her husband made would stay with her until her dying day.
His mouth dropped open slightly, his eyes widened, and then they began to water. His mouth moved in an attempt to speak, but nothing came out. Words were simply not enough for this moment. It was more than he could ever have wished for.
"Say hello to your son or daughter, Mr Bates."
John looked at his wife, amazed. "Do you think they'll recognise me?"
As he spoke, another series of kicks began. Anna laughed, and John joined her.
"I'd say this little one knows their daddy's voice." Anna had tears of her own now – the happiest, most joyous, tears.
John continued to speak, occasionally directed at Anna, sometimes at the baby. He was still getting used to the feeling of talking to their baby. Their child seemed to have been having a particularly boisterous few moments, because it was several minutes before they stopped moving, but even then John kept his hand firmly in place.
"Maybe they're trying to tell us somethi..." Just as Anna was about to finish speaking, she let out a large yawn. Her eyes blinked sleepily.
John smiled at her endearingly and then reached across, closing the small distance between them and capturing her lips in a heated kiss. She responded enthusiastically, the emotive moment between them being marked by their tender embrace. When they broke apart, he was the first to speak, continuing from where she had last spoken.
"Maybe so. Come on, we have another early start tomorrow."
Anna nodded, and soon both of them were snug and beneath the duvet cover. As they were used to doing, John came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his hand coming to rest upon her stomach.
Both of them knew that they could never hope to know what the future would hold for them. But one thing husband and wife were sure of was that they, and their love, could survive whatever else came their way together, they had before and they would again, and that was all that mattered. And as the baby started to make itself known once more, husband and wife knew that their hopes and dreams were finally falling into place.
A/N: I'm still a bit iffy about the ending, but oh well.