A/N: Thank you everyone for accepting me and giving me a chance! I appreciate all views, follows, favorites, and reviews! I'm feeling very loved and honored, and hope that I can keep you interested. Special thanks to downtonluvr for her help with editing; that being said any mistakes are mine. Thanks again, and as always-I own nothing of Downton Abbey.

Anna hated her annual physical. She really hated this one. She'd always wanted a sibling, but her mom was unable to have any more children after Anna was born. Her parents had tried, but it never happened. She knew her mother had always blamed herself, and she'd seen her father comfort her when month after month there was no baby. Deep down, Anna was always afraid that whatever had kept her parents from having more children would plague her, as well. Now that her parents were gone and she had no living family, she was even more anxious about it.

Anna had never met her grandparents. Her parents had moved to the US from Northern England in the late 1970s. Travel was too expensive for either side of her family to make the trip across the pond very often. By the time Anna's parents could afford to do so, her grandparents had passed on. Her parents had always promised to take her to Yorkshire and show her the people and places of her heritage, but her mom and dad had died in that house fire before they'd had the chance. She'd been a teenager, and thankfully at a sleepover at a friend's house, the night the fire happened. Although at the time she wished she would have died with them. She had never felt so alone in her life.

This loneliness was something Anna did not want to experience again and was the driving force behind her desire for a child. It was also the cause of her anxiety this morning as she waited on Dr. Clarkson for her physical. She was old enough to be considered high-risk for pregnancy, she had no boyfriend or husband to help her have a baby, and she was sure that whatever had prevented her mother from getting pregnant later in life was afflicting her as well-even if there was no proof of that. She was so lost in her thoughts that she startled when the nurse called her name.

"Hi, Anna," Patti warmly welcomed as the younger woman walked through the doorway between the waiting and exam rooms. "Let's just get your weight, and Dr. Clarkson will be ready for you in a few minutes."

Before long, Anna had given her updated history to Patti and prepared for Dr. Clarkson. He joined the two women shortly, and quickly, but thoroughly, completed his exam. He told Anna that she could get dressed and meet him in his office, which she did in short order.

"Patti tells me that you have concerns about fertility," Dr. Clarkson stated.

"Yes," Anna answered. "My parents had difficulty getting pregnant, and I'm afraid that I'll follow in those footsteps. I also know that I'm getting to an age that getting pregnant can be more difficult." Anna didn't realize how fast she was talking or that she was holding her breath waiting for Dr. Clarkson's response, but he could easily read the distress on her face.

" Anna," he began, folding his hands together and leaning on his desk. "You are a healthy woman. I see no physical reason why you should not be able to get pregnant. Your hormone levels are within normal limits, your endometrium is normal, yes, your age is a getting to the 'advanced' stage, but there's still no reason you can't bear and deliver a healthy baby."

"But my mother couldn't," Anna reiterated.

"And you're not your mother," he reassured.

"But we don't know what was wrong with her," Anna continued, as if she wanted to Dr. Clarkson to agree that she would have difficulty having children.

"Anna. Have you tried getting pregnant?" Dr. Clarkson asked matter of factly.

"Well, no," she admitted, her face red both because they were now discussing her sex life and because he'd made a good point.

"Then there's no reason to worry at this point. Once you've tried for a year with no results, then we'll get reproductive endocrinology involved. But right now, you've still got time to become a mother, and there's no evidence to back up your fears of infertility."

"Okay," she acquiesced, but she still couldn't shake the fear of ending up in this world alone, or almost worse, without passing anything on to the next generation. She knew her thought process might be irrational to some, but it was real for her.

"I tell you what," Dr. Clarkson continued. "If you and your boyfriend try consistently for the next six months and nothing happens, I'll go ahead and make that referral to Dr. Randolph. But I truly think you are worrying for nothing...and your anxiety will not help conception. So relax and enjoy some time with your boyfriend. Call me in six months if nothing happens. Call me sooner if it does." He smiled and stood, holding an arm out in a gesture to usher Anna out of his office. She smiled weakly and nodded. At least there was a plan. Too bad there was no boyfriend to complete it.

John took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat behind his desk at Queens University. It wasn't really his office; he shared it on a staggered schedule with two other adjunct professors, but today was his scheduled office hours. He hated "office hours," really, but it was part of the job. He rarely had any students visit him. He supposed many of them were introverted like himself and preferred to email him; he seemed to not be running short on messages in his inbox. It also drove him nuts how there could be so many questions about a single creative writing assignment. Follow the guidelines in the syllabus, get your grammar and spelling right, and you've pretty much guaranteed yourself a passing grade. Apparently, that concept was not as easy as it seemed.

John stood and stretched and walked to the window. He linked his hands behind his head and arched his back. From his vantage point in the Humanities building, he could see the marching band rehearsing on the intramural football field. If he strained, he was pretty sure he could make out Robert running up and down the sidelines, no doubt yelling at those poor souls just the way Dr. Carson had yelled at him thirty years ago.

What had happened to his life? John wondered. He wished he could have a "do over" for most of it, starting again at college and this time avoiding Vera. He often wondered how his life would have turned out if it had not been for her. Would he be in Los Angeles writing screenplays like he once dreamed of? Working in the theater? On a set of a sit-com? Would he have married someone else? Started a family? Would he have been free to pursue Anna when she first came into his life?

John shook his head and wondered where that last thought came from. Mary's teasing of Anna over the past few weeks must be getting under his skin. Apparently Anna didn't know he'd figured out way back then that she fancied him, but he had. He'd found her harmless infatuation charming, but with the wreck Vera was making of him mind, body, and soul, he had not wanted any kind of relationship with anyone, much less someone who was not much more than half his age at that point. But she wasn't a girl, anymore; now she was a woman. And although he knew she'd been playing a part the other night, he was a bit surprised by his own reactions to her performance. John returned to his seat, vowing to get his head on straight and to not read anything into Anna's friendship. He was good at putting up walls. It was time to construct another one.

True to her word, Mary had accompanied Anna dress shopping the evening following their dinner with the guys. Anna was not one to try on every dress in every store, so it took less than an hour at the dress shop to find what she wanted. She had chosen a black halter-top dress that extended to mid-calf. It was simple but elegant and unlike anything else she owned. She even splurged on new 6 inch heels to accompany her dress purchase. She typically wore 4 inch heels, but she wanted to be standing as tall as possible Saturday night when she would have to face Vera again as well as Greg. She also wondered if John would like the outfit, but pushed the thought out of her mind. She didn't really have a right to think those thoughts, she reminded herself; it wasn't a real date—it was two friends helping each other out.

Saturday came quickly and before she knew it, it was 2:00 in the afternoon. She grabbed the new dress and shoes along with the clutch she intended to use that night and headed out the door. She had agreed to meet Mary at her condo so they could get ready together and carpool to the church. By 5:30, both women were fully dressed and ready to begin the evening.

There was still an hour before they needed to be at the church and the drive was only 15 minutes from Mary's place. Mary suggested she open a bottle of white wine, and she set out some cheese and crackers for the ladies to munch on. "We can have some hors d'oeuvres before the ceremony," she announced. "After all, it'll be a late dinner tonight anyway."

"Sounds great," Anna chimed in. "A little alcohol to take the edge off is not a bad idea at all. Part of me is dreading this evening while the other part is excited to celebrate with friends." She was looking forward to celebrating Joseph's marriage, but she was not excited about encountering Vera or Greg. She was hoping they would be lucky enough to avoid those two, but she knew it was unlikely.

"Well, I wish I had a better date than my dad," Mary lamented, "but I'm still going to enjoy the evening; I have been looking forward to it for some time. I'm not sure I'm ready to move on after Matthew, yet, anyway, so going with Dad is a blessing, I guess." Matthew had been Mary's boyfriend of two years when he was killed in a freak one-car traffic accident 18 months ago. Even after that amount of time, Mary still showed no interest in dating. It had taken her family and friends six months just to get her out of her house for anything other than work. She now had returned to the land of the living, but she made no effort in looking for love or returning the interest of would-be suitors. Anna had learned not to push her; it just ended up in Mary recoiling further into her darkness. Anna did not voice it, but just the fact that Mary intimated she would have been willing to go to Joseph's wedding with someone other than her father was progress.

"Well, I don't mind my date, but I'm a little nervous since I pretended to be his girlfriend the other night. That kinda shot 'going as friends' out of the water as I'll have to keep up the charade for Vera's benefit. I'm afraid I've made things awkward for John and me," Anna admitted as she sipped on the wine.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," Mary replied as she flapped her hand through the air. "John looks great in a tux. It'll make it easier to pretend you're in love with him," she teased while wiggling her eyebrows. "Plus, that girl you used to be would be wigging out of her mind if she had a date with John."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Anna replied, but couldn't deny the truth of Mary's statement. "I don't want to ruin a friendship by a careless comment."

"I think if anything your comment made your friendship stronger. I'm sure John appreciated you stepping in. Vera is such a monster, and I hope she realizes what she lost," Mary replied with a raised eyebrow. Anna smiled and admitted to herself that she wouldn't mind if Vera were envious of her and John, but she didn't want Vera to make a play for John out of jealousy. Not that she thought John would ever go back to Vera, but the thought of it made her a bit nauseous. She wouldn't admit that that out loud to Mary, though, so she continued her smile and took another sip of wine. The two friends continued to relax and nibble on the appetizers for the next 45 minutes.

"We'd better head to the church if we don't want to sit in the balcony," Mary announced and she rose from her chair and took her wine glass to the kitchen. Anna followed suit, and then the pair headed for the church.

Anna and Mary walked through the front door of Malone Park United Methodist Church thirty minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to start. They were some of the first attendees to arrive, but there was already a sprinkling of guests in their seats. John and Robert were in the Narthex ready to escort the next to arrive. Anna's breath hitched just a bit when she saw John. He was wearing a tuxedo, but it was not his concert black, which was a simple black suit with a black bow-tie and cummerbund. He was wearing a cut tuxedo with a maroon vest and tie. Robert was standing to his right and looked handsome as well in his matching tux.

"I thought you two were wearing concert black," Anna mentioned as she reached up to give Robert a hug, carefully avoiding John's gaze as she was trying to compose herself before facing him.

"Apparently Phyllis decided that she did not want the guys standing up with Joseph to look like musicians. She stated that she saw us dressed that way often enough and tonight was special. So, Joseph paid the rush fee for us to be fit with these ensembles," Robert explained as he let Anna go and reached to hug his daughter.

"Well, you both look nice," Anna smiled as she turned to face John and involuntarily looked him up and down. He had combed his hair back and used a small amount of gel to hold his hair in place. Still, one rebel lock had sprung free to hang over his forehead. The tuxedo accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs. All of a sudden, Anna was the nervous school girl she thought she'd left behind all those years ago.

"Hello, Anna," John said gently as he smiled at her. He also was scanning her from head to toe, and she could feel her temperature rising. He stepped toward her and enveloped her in his arms. "You look nice," he complimented as he tightened his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and replied, "Thank you. You don't look half-bad yourself." Both of them were smiling as they let go and backed away from each other, but Anna suddenly felt naked. She was unsure if she was missing his embrace or if it was the way that he was looking at her that made her feel so exposed.

The door to the church opened at that moment and a group of four entered the Narthex. "Guess we'd better get you ladies seated," Robert announced as he held his arm out for Mary. She took it and he escorted her down the aisle towards the front of the church. "One of these days I'll get to escort you down the aisle to your own groom," he mused as she looked at him and smiled a sad smile.

"One day, Daddy. One day." Robert stopped three rows from the front of the church and directed Mary to sit on the pew to the right in support of the groom. She kissed her father on the cheek and then took her seat as he spun on his heel to return to the Narthex.

John and Anna were a few steps behind the Crawleys. John was enjoying the feel of her hand in the crook of his arm. The charade Anna initiated a few days ago was playing with his head. She looked beautiful tonight, and as far as most people knew, she belonged to him. He knew she wasn't his girlfriend, but for the short amount of time he had her tucked against him as they walked to the front of the church, he allowed himself to pretend she was. Why? He wasn't sure. Maybe he wanted to protect her from Greg. Maybe he couldn't help hope that Vera would be a bit jealous that he'd moved on with a woman who was as beautiful and classy as Anna. Not that he wanted anything to do with Vera these days, but he'd be lying if he didn't want her to see that someone, especially someone like Anna, thought he was worth it. Or maybe he was just desperate to have female companionship. He truthfully didn't know where his feelings were coming from, but he was proud to have Anna on his arm. He had always appreciated her beauty, but had never thought of her as a love interest. But for this one night, he was going to treat her as if she was the only woman in the world. After tonight, he'd put up his walls just as he'd promised himself he would do, and they'd go back to their previous relationship—just two acquaintances tied together by mutual friends and their love of music. But tonight, she was his. He bent down and grazed her cheek with his lips as he stopped at the pew Mary already occupied.

Anna felt the heat rise in her cheeks and her eyelids became heavy. It wasn't as if she hadn't been kissed before, but she was sure a peck on the cheek had never affected her like that. She looked up at John and smiled as she took her seat beside Mary, but he'd already begun his retreat back to the Narthex to escort the next guest. She let out a sigh and watched him go.

A bit later while Anna was waiting on the ceremony to begin, she saw Greg enter with whom she assumed was Melissa. John had escorted her to her seat, with Greg following behind. Whether it was because what was available, or whether John did it on purpose, Anna did not know, but Greg and Melissa were seated in the same row as she and Mary, just on the opposite side of the church. While she didn't relish being so close to Greg, it gave her a chance to size up Melissa, who was in many ways physically the opposite of Anna. She was brunette and tall, and although she was pretty, Anna didn't think she'd call her beautiful. She wasn't quite sure what Greg saw in Melissa that she didn't have herself, and she had to admit that it stung to see them together tonight. Not because she was harboring any feelings for Greg, but because the feeling of inadequacy as a woman was returning, leaving her feeling lacking and unwanted. Anna did her best to squelch those feelings and focus on the reason she was there: Joseph's and Phyllis's wedding.

Joe had been speaking truthfully when he promised a thirty minute ceremony. The wedding was succinct but beautiful. The sanctuary was candle-lit and the lights had been dimmed to a romantic glow. Phyllis was gorgeous and every bit the blushing bride. Joseph seemed more confident than usual and so proud to be joining his life with the lovely woman at his side. Anna kept finding that her eyes were drifting towards John throughout the ceremony. He really was quite attractive in his tuxedo, and she had a hard time paying attention to the minister's homily as she found John very distracting. The thought crossed her mind that there was nothing keeping her from pursuing John if she wanted. She'd been so young when she first met John, and he wasn't free at the time. Then once he was free, she wasn't. Now that they were both single, she was having a difficult time justifying why she couldn't be romantically interested in John. Except that she was pretty sure that he did not reciprocate her feelings.

At the end of the wedding, John and Rob were sent back into the sanctuary to dismiss the pews one at a time, John on the right side and Rob on the left. When John reached Anna's pew, he offered her his hand to help her stand. As Anna took his hand and looked shyly up at him as she stood, he leaned in and chastely kissed the corner of her mouth. "I'll meet you out front to go to the club, sweetheart. Wait for me," John announced, just loud enough to make sure Greg heard him over the processional music. Anna nodded, ignoring the weakness in her knees as John let go of her hand and watched affectionately as she turned and walked toward the back of the church. She turned to make sure that Mary was following her and saw the smirk on her friends' face. She also couldn't miss Greg's stunned reaction and John's crinkled eyes. Oh, Heavens, Anna thought. This is going to be a long night, and we've not even encountered Vera yet.