Anna swiped her finger across the screen and resettled in the airport chair.

"It doesn't matter how much you shift. You can never get comfortable in these things." Anna turned her head up and a smile broke over her face as John pointed to the seat where her carry-on perched, "May I?"

"Well I was saving it for someone."

"Someone special?"

"You could say that." She grinned, removing her bag, "But since you're here I don't think I'll wait for him anymore."

"Oh," John sat, stretching his right leg and tipping his cane on her roller bag. "So are you close to this gentlemen you've decided to abandon to find his own seat?"

"I think so." Anna put her iPad away, "We spent a lovely two days at his chateau in France."

"Sounds romantic."

"It was." She shifted closer, leaning on his shoulder, "And he calls me every day and when he can't call he texts."

"Must be exhausting."

Anna shrugged, "I like the attention."

"And this is the man whose seat you'd give a stranger?"

"But you're so cute I didn't see the harm." Anna grinned at him as John reached over to tickle her. She twisted away from him and he grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers and pulling her knuckles to his mouth to kiss them.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." Anna kissed him and settled back on his shoulder, "Though you didn't have to pay for my ticket. I could've done that."

"I get miles and it made sure we were in the same section of the plane." John argued and pulled out his own ticket, "I don't want to share first class with just anyone."

"I've never ridden in first class."

"Never?"

Anna shook her head, "I never saw the point. I've never had a flight longer than two hours so why spend all that money on seats that only really give you an advantage if you're flying across the world?"

"Then one day we'll have to fly across the world to justify some first-class seats."

"Isn't that thinking a bit far ahead?" Anna twisted her head to see him clearly, "We've only just met… technically speaking."

"And yet you're flying to Ireland with me on holiday." John sobered, "If you think it's too fast I can-"

"John," Anna pulled his hand into her lap, "I'm just having you on."

He wrapped her hands in his, looking her in the eye, "If, at any moment, you feel we're moving too fast I want you to say something."

"As I recall I was the one who invited you to stay the night in my room… and had my way with you."

"I think we were both enthusiastic participants in that."

"We're we just though?" Anna kissed his cheek, "But yes, I promise if I feel it's too fast I'll say something."

"Good."

"Don't think I'll have to though."

"Just in case." John settled back in the seat, stretching his leg. "We should've gotten seats in the lounge. These chairs don't do my leg any favors."

Anna chewed her lip a minute, "What exactly happened to your leg?"

"You mean what did Vera do to it?"

"I guess."

"Medically they called it an infarction." John paused, "I assume you know what that means."

"I studied oncology but, if I remember the first years of medical school, it's an embolism. In this case I'd guess in your leg."

"It affected my quadriceps and almost went necrotic." John massaged his leg, "She'd gone on the piss and came home in a rage. I tried to calm her but she threw one of my statues from Easter Island at me. It was a pretty heavy, stone, piece and I tried to catch it but didn't quite move fast enough."

"It struck you?"

"At first I thought it was just extreme bruising but then I woke up one night in terrible pain. Moseley actually drove me to hospital since Vera was out, and they found the muscles already turning necrotic from muscle death." Anna stroked up John's arm and he looked down at his leg. "They removed quite a bit of the muscle and since then I've used this."

John held up the cane and Anna actually looked at it for the first time. "Did you buy this specially made?"

"It actually belonged to my grandfather." John smoothed his hand over the Celtic carvings on the wood, "It was then my father's and then mine."

"Not the best way to get a family heirloom."

"I was angry for a long time and I had to complete a round of physical therapy but now," John sighed, "It is what it is."

"And we are who we are." Anna held herself closer to him.

"Yes we are."

They sat together until the airline called for first class. Anna grabbed John's duffle and her handbag. He tried to argue but she pointed to her roller bag. "You can push that for me."

He frowned at her but Anna only kissed his pout, "You'll make me feel useless."

"What's useless about handling my bags? Don't all boyfriends grow to that stage?"

"Are we there yet?"

Anna shrugged, "Maybe."

They walked the down the corridor and took their seats in first class. John immediately tipped his seat back to stretch his leg and Anna took his hand. "Is this why you insisted on first-class?"

"If I sit in anything less than business I get cramps. Usually those can get walked off or stretched out but the bigger worry is another embolism. If I get one big enough it could mean I lose my leg or, worse-"

"You'd die." Anna clutched his hand, "I didn't forget that much from medical school."

"Don't worry," John pulled her close, "I don't intend to leave you to your other man just yet."

"Other man?" Anna pushed back, narrowing her eyes, "What other man?"

"The one whose seat I took. The seat you were saving in the waiting area." John kept a straight face and Anna swatted at him.

"You must think you're so funny John Bates."

"I do." He smiled, sitting back in his chair as Anna extracted her iPad again, pulling up her reading. "Aren't you going to talk to me?"

"I don't talk to strangers." Anna didn't look over at him, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"I see." His fingers trailed up her arm and Anna struggled not to respond. "Then why are you sitting so close to me?"

"Just a habit." She turned another page, though she really could not say what she just read. "I can move if you-"

"No, by all means," John shifted in his chair, "I like meeting new people on planes. Though I have to warn you, I fall asleep quickly on planes and then tend to snore."

"Loudly?"

John leaned over to whisper in her ear, sending a shiver Anna could not suppress up her spine, "You tell me."

Anna turned and kissed him, "Not loudly enough to bother me."

They settled into their seats and, as John promised, he was asleep before they finished take off. Anna took a minute to watch him sleep, the lines in his face fading as he relaxed. She leaned over so his head landed on her shoulder and she put her cheek on his hair. His hands still held hers, though his fingers had released some of their grip, and Anna stroked over the skin there. Her iPad screen darkened but she forgot all about her book as they just stayed in their own little world.

John jerked slightly when they touched down and Anna rubbed at his shoulders when he blinked, trying to wake up. "We there?"

"Yes, we're landing." Anna handed him his cane, "I was wondering what loud noise I'd need to use since the engines obviously weren't enough to keep you from dreamland."

"Just your voice would be enough to reach me anywhere." John whispered and Anna clicked her tongue through her teeth at him.

"You're such a charmer."

"Winning over hearts and minds you know."

"You've already won mine." They grabbed their things and Anna let John lead the way out of the plane.

They ignored baggage claim, with their carry-ons all they needed, and headed to the exit. John pointed toward a man holding a sign with his name on it and shook the man's hand. "Good to see you again Laing."

"Pleasure to have you in Ireland again sir. May I take your bags?" Anna handed over John's duffle and he wheeled her roller bag into Laing's grip. Grabbing them with confidence he nodded toward the doors, "This way."

They followed Laing to a black car and he opened the back door for them before placing their bags in the trunk. John slid into the car first, stretching his leg along the floor while Anna joined him. The trunk shut and Anna went to grab the door but pulled her hand back as Laing shut it before she could.

"Very efficient your man."

"Usually." John buckled his seatbelt, "I only ever use him."

"Why?"

"Not a talker."

"That's important in a driver?"

John turned to the window and Anna watched his face fall a bit, "For this it is."

Anna bit her tongue and just took John's hand in hers. He gripped tightly a moment before loosening, but not releasing, her hand. They drove in silence through Dublin and toward one of the smaller villages. Before they entered it the car pulled off the main road and followed an older track toward a hill dotted with shapes Anna soon recognized as gravestones.

The car pulled to a stop and the driver opened the partition, "Do you want me to wait here like always Mr. Bates?"

"Yes, thank you Laing." John opened his door and set his cane on the ground to support him as he got out. When he stood outside he extended a hand to Anna. "Would you like to come?"

Anna nodded and took his hand, sliding out of the car. John's cane crunched in the gravel as they walked up the hill. John weaved them through the stones and stopped at one set at a slant out of the ground. He stood in front of it and Anna joined him, reading the names on the stone.

"You buried your parents here?"

"Ireland was their real home, not England. They deserved to be buried with their family." John motioned to the stones around them. "This is the family cemetery. Generations of my family are buried here and it seemed a fitting place for them."

"I agree." Anna held her own hands, leaving John to take his moment, leaning on his cane.

"I don't mean to be morbid, bringing you to a graveyard."

'It's hardly morbid." Anna gestured to the headstone, "This is your family. They deserve respect."

"They do." John nodded and faced Anna, "And I don't give it to them."

"What do you mean?"

He hung his head, "I told you I quit drinking but that's not entirely true." Anna waited for John to continue, "Every year I come here, to visit my parents' grave on the anniversary of the day my mother died."

"Alone?"

"Vera never wanted to come. She never got on with my parents and my mother refused to allow her in the house when she almost ruined my father's wake." John brushed his hand over the top of the stone, "the anniversary of my mother's death is also the anniversary of the day I got the finalized divorce papers and finally felt free of Vera… which I thought was an odd coincidence."

"Or good fortune."

John snorted, "Or that."

"But that's not what you really want to say, is it?" Anna drew closer and took John's unoccupied hand, "What's really bothering you?"

Every year I come here, visit this spot, and then get blackout drunk to forget all the ways I failed her and my father."

"John-" Anna put her hands on either side of his face, "You haven't failed them."

"I did. But not anymore." John took Anna's hands and kissed them, looking in her eyes, "For the first time in five years I don't feel shame coming here. I don't need to go back to Dublin and drink myself into a stupor that because I don't feel like I'm failing her anymore. I don't feel lost anymore because I have you."

Anna wrapped her arms around his shoulders and John buried his head in her shoulder. Hot tears hit her shoulder but Anna did not let go. She stroked the back of his head, feeling the soft hair in her fingers while his arms wrapped around her. They stood there, locked together in grief, as the world moved around them.

Eventually John pulled away, staring at her hands. "I know we're nothing official and I know that there's a lot we'd still have to work out even if we were and maybe this is too much for you but," He stopped, taking a deep breath before meeting her eyes again, "My life changed the moment you walked into it and I don't want anyone else."

"I don't think I could ever want anyone else either." Anna glanced down at the headstone, "And I don't think they'd want you to think you're failing them because you're not."

"But after everything-"

"We all make mistakes, John. No one is perfect just like no one is young forever."

"You're staying young."

"You don't know how old I am." Anna teased and ran her hand down John's arm. "They'd want you to be happy, just like I do."

"You do?"

"Of course I do." Anna smiled, "Because I've never met anyone who makes me as happy as you do. I'd like to return the favor, if you'll let me."

John kissed her hands again, "Then we'd better go find other ways to be happy. This isn't the best place for joy."

"I think they'd share it if they could." Anna linked her arm with John's and they started back down the hill. "Though I do wonder, how much of Dublin one can reasonably see if they're too busy in the hotel room."

John's cane slid in the gravel and Anna grinned to herself.