A/N: This story was in response to a prompt from allcoyledup who wanted to see how Anna's mother would respond when meeting John for the first time. These chapters are shorter than I normally write, but I'm hoping to be able to post a chapter every few days. A big thanks to a-lady-to-me and terriejane for reading through this and giving me feedback and encouragement. Hope you all enjoy it and please review.

Part I

"We should leave now otherwise we'll miss her train coming into the station," John announced from their small sitting room. He fluffed one of the pillows on the settee and propped it up against the arm of the chair. He reached for his coat and put it on before fixing his bowler hat in place. "I'd hate to make her wait longer than necessary," he added. John checked himself in the small mirror by the door and removed the hat, smoothed his hair back once more and replaced the hat in its rightful place. He brushed some lint off his jacket and straightened his tie. "Anna?" he called out as he headed up the stairs to check on her. When he reached the landing she emerged from the washroom looking pale as a sheet and dabbed at her mouth with a wash cloth. She was still clad in her chemise and her hair hung down past her shoulders.

He felt horribly for her, looking as sick as she did, but he couldn't contain his joy at the cause of it all. They had just found out their were expecting a baby in five months time and the two of them could not be happier. It had come as a bit of a shock that it had happened so soon after his release from prison and a selfish side of him had hoped he might have had more time to himself with his wife before she had fallen pregnant. But seeing as how everything else in their relationship had been without haste he supposed this was one thing Anna would prefer not to put off any longer. After all she was in her mid-thirties now. Most women her age would have had three grown children scuttling around the house and he had not forgotten that night in the servants hall all those months ago when they had made plans of an inn by the sea filled with children while working side by side. Those plans were still in place but he ventured a guess that it wouldn't matter to Anna the order in which they came. He clutched at his cane nervously as he took in her appearance, wondering if it would be best for him to pick up his mother-in-law on his own so Anna could collect herself for a bit.

He found the prospect of having his first encounter with his mother-in-law without Anna present a little daunting, but if she was as sweet as Anna was, he was sure they would get along famously. At least he hoped so. He knew Anna had told her mother everything about his past for fear that her mother would hear it from someone else's lips or read about it in some newspaper when he had gone to trial. Anna's mother had expressed her disapproval of the situation and of course he had wanted to do right by Anna and give her the church wedding he was certain she had always dreamed of. But at Anna's insistence they could not and would not wait for Vera to stop dragging her feet and for a divorce to be granted. Not while the threat of jail for the murder of his estranged wife hung over his head. She wanted to be his next of kin in case things did not go in their favor. While he regretted it at the time, he was forever grateful for it when the verdict had been declared. Hearing Anna's painful cry in that courtroom had been like a knife to his chest, but she never doubted him, never failed to miss a visit with him every fortnight on her only half day. He couldn't have asked for a better person to be in his corner or call his wife.

"Maybe you should stay behind...lie down for a moment and drink some water. I could fetch your mother for you," he offered shyly.

Before he could speak another word she cut him off, "Absolutely not. I haven't had a chance to see my mother in ages."

It was true. The bi-weekly half day did not afford one much time to travel outside the realm of Downton. During his time in prison, Anna used her half days to take the two buses and visit with him for the one hour afforded to inmates. "How much time had he stolen from her and from those who had loved her?" he often wondered. And prior to his imprisonment, he couldn't recall a time when Anna had left the Abbey to visit with her mother, other than the death of her brother, Peter at the front in the early years of the war.

"I want to be there when I introduce the man on my arm," she said, her voice breaking him from his thoughts.

John pretended to look around the room while keeping a straight face. "And where is this man?" he joked.

"Very funny Mr. Bates," she teased with a smile on her face. But the smile quickly faded again as she put a hand to her stomach and the other to cover her mouth. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. John started to talk to make sure she was alright but she held her hand up to stop him and opened her eyes again, "It passed, thank God." Her morning sickness usually faded after she had her morning tea, but today it seemed to persist longer than usual. "It must be a case if nerves," she thought to herself.

"You're certain you still want to come to the station with me?" he asked. This time John gave her his best puppy dog eyes as he placed his free hand gently on the barely perceptible bump of her stomach. "I don't want you overdoing it," he said with tender eyes. Even though Dr. Clarkson had assured her that she would be fine to perform her normal duties well into her sixth month of pregnancy, he had advised that she should rest more frequently.

"If this is what I have to look forward to the next few months, you can just march out of this room right now," she quipped.

An undeniable smirk graced his face. He had always loved that fire about her and found her stubbornness to be endearing. Perhaps their son or daughter would be lucky enough to inherit such traits. John smiled as his musings got the better of him.

"Now," she walked past him to the dress she had laid out on the bed, "I'll need your help putting my corset on."

John eyed Anna in her chemise; the thin fabric allowing him a glimpse of her silhouette and her taut stomach that barely showed any indication of another life growing beneath it. But it was most certainly there. At night, when she was free of all the layers of her Lady's maid uniform he would allow his palm to shield her stomach and could feel the skin that harvested and shielded their child. There was a barely noticeable bump, only the trained eye, one who was familiar with Anna in her purest form would have been able to distinguish the difference. It was still hard to believe that something, or rather someone, that he couldn't yet see already held such a huge piece of his heart. "Anna, I don't think you should be wearing that. You already said it was too tight before we found out you were pregnant," he pointed out.

"Yes, but I don't want my mother to know I'm pregnant right away," she said as she slid into the corset.

John shot her a look of confusion when he asked, "Why ever not?"

"I just think it would be best to ease her into the idea of me being married to…"

"A formerly convicted criminal?"

"No."

"An older man?"

"No."

"A cripple?"

"No. Not at all. Now you stop that this instance," she scolded, only this time it wasn't playfully.

John couldn't help himself, he knew he had so many shortcomings to contend with that would make him appear the least suited candidate for marriage to someone as fine as Anna. Or anyone for that matter. It wasn't the first time he thought it either, he had convinced himself years ago, the first time she ever shared a smile with him, that Anna was better off with another man. A younger man, that had the use of both legs, and hadn't been married before. A man that had so much more to offer than he ever could. He'd be lucky if Anna's mother would even give him the time of day, let alone accept him with open arms into her family. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "It's just...I'd hate for your mother to disapprove of me and for it to cause a rift between the two of you." What if she made Anna chose between her and him? He wouldn't blame Anna, but he knew he couldn't survive such rejection either.

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to charm her the way you did me," Anna said flirtatiously before standing on tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled weakly back at her and helped her with the ties of her corset as requested, taking care not to tie them as tightly as he had in the past. When he finished he placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. He watched as Anna slipped into her dress and fastened the buttons, then she put on her best hat that she reserved for church and special outings. He always loved her in her little hats, particularly this one as it had been an anniversary gift from himself.

Anna caught his reflection in the mirror as she brushed a loose hair back into place. She winked at him and dabbed some powder on her nose and pinched her cheeks to give herself a bit of color. "She'll be here for the next two weeks. Let's just enjoy our time together as the three of us for the first few days and once you are in her good graces we can make the announcement," she said.

"Whatever you want my darling. Though we best be going or we'll be late. I don't want to give your mother another reason to hate me," he said half joking.

"Well, we can't have that," she replied with a giggle.

John stood waiting for her in the door frame. He stepped aside to let Anna pass and admired her fine figure as she descended the stairs. When she reached the front door he held out her coat for her to put her arms in and smoothed it over her shoulders. She stepped outside in front of their cozy cottage and admired her flowers as John locked the door. John looped his arm for Anna to slip hers through. "Lord Grantham said we could use the car to fetch your mother. It will give your feet a rest and we wont have to juggle all her bags on the way back from the station," he relayed. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said as they walked off towards the Abbey.