A/N: I want to thank you all for sticking with this story and all the positive reviews. You guys are amazing. If there is anything you'd like to see I'm open to suggestions. I'll admit I' am not experienced at writing Carson and Hughes, so I'm slowly building them from lingering glances on the show to being in a romantic state of mind. I plan on having more of them in the next chapter and revealing more of Anna's past in the next chapter. For those of you who are worried Anna's back story follows the season 4 storyline in some way in regards to Mr. Green, it doesn't. I wouldn't take it that far I promise. Sorry for the length of time in between updates, my work schedule has changed and my free time has been reduced significantly. So I appreciate each review, it lets me know you are still interested and keeps me motivated.

Chapter 9

Anna and John had just dropped Aidan off with Charles for the night. The boy had been so eager to spend the evening with his grandfather and Jasper that he had barely hung around long enough to give Anna a kiss goodbye. They could hear the sound of Jasper's claws scratching against the hardwood floor as he gave chase to Aidan's little footsteps somewhere in the distance. Aidan tore through the house and into the backyard like a mad man with Jasper quick on his heels. "Come on Jasper, come and get me boy! " Aidan called out over his shoulder.

She gave his overnight bag a once over to ensure that he had everything he needed for the night and even though it wasn't Aidan's first time there she gave him all the emergency numbers again. It wasn't that she didn't trust her father to take care of her son, but after the way Aidan had gotten sick the last time she didn't want to take any chances. It had made for an awkward moment of silence when the three adults were left standing in the living room. Charles felt as though he should apologize to John; John was not sure he was making the best impression on Charles; and Anna wanted the two most important men in her life to get along.

Anna boldly made the first move. "Well thanks again for having him over, Dad," Anna said as she wrapped her arms around Charlie and placed a kiss on his cheek. She noticed his features softened as she pulled away and it melted her heart.

"Of course, we'll have all sorts of fun," he replied as she let him go and stepped back beside John. He did his best to put on a happy face for her sake, Charlie still didn't know what to think of John but the conversation with Elsie had certainly helped ease his nerves. Nevertheless, Anna was still his daughter and Aidan was his grandson, he wouldn't let his guard down completely until he had John's number. He continued to give off an intimidating vibe, being slightly taller than John and having a wider frame, Charlie seemed to take up the entire room. He clasped his hands together behind his back with his robust chest sticking out and eyed John curiously from behind his distinctive nose.

"Well I don't imagine he'll stay up too late, it's been a long day and John wore him out," she said with a smile as she looked back up at John proudly.

John had something he wanted to ask Anna, knowing that she would be free for the evening he was hoping to take her out so they could share an evening together. He considered the possibility that asking her infront of Charles might help to smooth things over between himself and her father, hopefully he would take it as a sign of his serious interest in Anna. Seeing the opportunity to bridge the gap with Charlie, John spoke up, "We should do something all together next time. I'm sure Aidan would love it."

Charles knew he was probably being silly but he couldn't help feeling like John was slowly elbowing him out of the picture of his own family. Sometimes he would look over at Anna and he still saw a little girl playing house; the same little girl who had told him when she grew up she wanted to marry him. The thought filled him with joy and sadness simultaneously. He would be amicable with Mr. Bates, polite even. But he did not have to like it. At the end of the day, his main priority was to ensure Anna and Aidan's happiness and safety.

"That would be nice. Maybe John could join us for one of our family dinners so you could get to know him better," Anna said thoughtfully.

Charles remained the picture of decorum as he raised one of his bushy eyebrows and cleared his throat before addressing the suggestion. "Yes, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves and see how things go. Shall we?" he answered back in a deep baritone.

John feeling rebuffed, tried not to look too disappointed. "Sure," he replied, none too convincingly.

Aidan came running back in with Jasper following behind him and threw his arms around John's leg as he flung himself into him. "Bye John, thank you for taking me to the zoo," he said looking up at John adoringly.

"Oh, you're welcome little man. We can go again any time you want," John replied as he tickled Aidan's belly.

"Please be good for your Grandpa," Anna said in a stern voice.

"I will, Mummy," Aidan said with a small roll of the eyes.

"When he say's it's bed time, that means it's bed time."

"Ok," Aidan said as he looked up at Charlie and shared a smile with his grandfather.

She ran a hand along his cheek before tapping his nose with the tip of her finger. Anna bit down on her bottom lip and mentally convinced herself that everything would go well. That she had to work on letting him go a little more now that he was getting older.

John gave Anna a knowing look as he placed a hand on the small of her back and headed for the door.

She reluctantly followed John to the door and turned back once more to say 'goodbye' to Aidan, but he had already followed Jasper out into the backyard.

"He'll be fine," Charlie assured as he held the door open for them.

"Of course he will, he's in good hands," John added with a smile.


John stood outside with Anna, rubbing her arms up and down, hoping to ease her nerves. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Yes. I know he's fine and I know that Dad will take good care of him. Sometimes, I just have a hard time letting him out of my sight. I can't protect him when I'm not around," Anna said as she continued to stare at the house almost in a trance.

John's brows furrowed as he reconsidered her choice of words, but didn't dwell on it for long. Just then an idea struck him, "I tell you what. Robert has been pestering me to come by his house for weeks to join him and Cora for dinner, he's curious to meet the lady that has captured my heart. Why don't you join me for the night? I'll drive you over there in my car and I can bring you back here later so that you can check on Aidan before you head home for the night. How does that sound?"

She considered his offer for a moment, "Ok, do we need to bring anything? Should I change first?"

"No. And you look lovely just as you are. You have nothing to worry about, they are very down to earth people," John said with a smile that reached his green eyes. He almost couldn't contain his excitement at the prospect of showing her off to his friends. John gave her hand a gentle squeeze and held open the door to his car to let her in.


They pulled up to Robert's and Anna could do nothing but stare with her mouth half open. She still hadn't even gotten out of the car and was already feeling out of place. Staring back at her in judgement was a...well she didn't really know what to call it. It was too large to be a mansion, but it was too small to be a castle. Maybe a manor was the more appropriate term for it. Whatever it was, it wasn't what she had pictured when John had told her before that Robert and Cora were down to earth people. It wasn't as if she wasn't familiar with the Crawleys, but she was more acquainted with the girls. In all the years she had known the family Anna hadn't made many trips to their home. The few times she had as a teenager they had been living in smaller accommodations. Robert had either done very well for himself over the past five years or had come into quite a bit of money.

John came around to her side to open the door for her and offer his hand to help her out of the car. "I know. Sometimes I feel like I'll end up with a crick in my neck from spending so much time looking up," he quipped.

"It's a little daunting. I always remembered them living in a five bedroom house back in London," she said. Anna tried to surmise how many bedrooms this house must have contained based on the number of windows she could spot from the outside.

John leaned on the car door for a bit as he spoke, "They still have that one. Robert stays there while he's working. This is their vacation home, so to speak. He inherited it when his mother passed on about three years ago."

"I remember hearing about that now from Gwen. I think I met her once at a birthday party for one of the girls. Violet, right? "

"Mmhhmm, the place isn't quite the same without the old girl," he noted while dwelling on times gone by. John removed a bottle of wine he spotted to pick up along the way and shut the door to the car. "Come now. Enough stalling. I can't wait to introduce you properly to Robert and Cora," he said as he looped his arm and Anna naturally slipped hers into his.

They walked up the long path to the front door falling into a natural rhythm, matching each others pace. John simply let himself in, having been told before that he was as good as family. Anna followed a half step behind him, feeling under dressed as she took in her surroundings. The foyer was bigger than her living room and there was a sense of grandeur and history about the place. The walls were constructed of deep, mahogany and there was even gold filigree embedded in the ceramic tile that lined the entry way. A giant, marble table served as the centerpiece of the room with a large, crystal vase of freshly cut, tea colored roses. An original Rembrandt painting hung from a gold frame on the wall and was surrounded by similar works of art that she couldn't even begin to venture a guess at their worth. She didn't even want to think about how much it cost to keep a place like this up.

John tugged at her hand and joked, "The key is not to look them in the eyes; they will follow you everywhere."

They shared in a laugh but were quickly cut off by the appearance of a man at the end of the hallway. He was wearing khaki shorts and flip flops, he wore a buttoned down olive green shirt on, and his grey, curly hair looked more manic than usual. He looked so different from what she was used to seeing him in, but she'd recognize that figure anywhere. "Ah, there's the love birds," he greeted warmly.

"Sorry Robert, we took a little longer than expected dropping off Aidan. But we brought wine to make up for our tardiness," John said offering the bottle to his friend.

Robert took a moment to give the label on the bottle a once over and gave his nod of approval to John. "We were all wondering when you were going to show up," Robert said as he embraced John in a hug and offered his hand to Anna to shake.

"All?" Anna asked nervously.

"Yes, the girls are here as are Matthew, Tom, and Anthony. We just threw some food on the grill, should have dinner on the table in under fifteen minutes. Cora headed out to get some stuff for the salad...like it matters. I won't be touching that salad with a ten foot pole," he said. John and Anna shared a smile knowing that Robert was supposed to be on his diet. "Can I get you two anything to drink?" Robert offered as he waved for them to follow him back further into the house.

"I'll take a soda if it's not too much trouble," Anna said.

"Make that two," John added.

"Alright, two soda's it is," Robert said as they entered the kitchen. "Look who made it everybody," Robert announced as he opened the refrigerator and dug out two Coca-Cola's for them. He plucked to glasses from the dish drainer and filled them with ice before cracking open the cans and pouring the soda.

The rest of the group was busy watching a football match on the big screen, turning away only briefly to throw a quick wave or head nod over to John and Anna. The women were a little less engrossed in the game but still enjoying themselves nevertheless. "What are we all watching?" John asked as he approached the group with his hands settled around Anna's hips.

"It's the Liverpool vs. Manchester United game," Sybil answered with a smile and was immediately "shushed" by Tom, earning him a quick smack on the shoulder. They all burst into laughter and continued to watch the game.

Mary finally rose from her chair to come over and greet Anna properly with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. Anna had always been able to look past her difficult exterior and see Mary for what she really was. They had always gotten along splendidly but when Anna had gone to university their phone calls were far and few between, their visits were even less frequent. Once she found out she was pregnant with Aidan they had gone so far down different paths in their lives that Anna had not stayed in touch with Mary. Given the circumstances with how she became pregnant and the fact that she was no longer with the father of her child she just couldn't face the judgement, ridicule, or pity that most certainly would have been behind those eyes. It had been easier to pretend as if they had just grown apart than it was to be rejected. It wasn't until Anna had run into Robert at the cafe two years ago that she had gotten some idea as to how the girls were all fairing. When Aidan began school and she found out that Sybil was also his teacher it had re-opened the possibilities of reestablishing their pre existing friendship.

Sybil wasn't far behind with a welcoming hug for Anna as well as a kiss on the cheek for John. "I'm so glad we finally got the two of you over here for dinner," she commented.

"Well your father has a way of wearing me down."

"That's Dad for you," she said with a playful roll of the eyes.

"So I hear you are both official now," she said.

"Well, we aren't exactly shouting it from the rooftops, but yes I'd say we are fairly cemented in exclusiveness," he said.

"Whatever the status, you'd better be good to her, Uncle John," she scolded playfully. "I'd hate to think you'd made a liar out of me."

"Me? Never," John retorted. "Don't worry I promise to take good care of her." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they headed back to the sitting area.

"There's plenty of room for you two over here," Matthew patted against the cushion on his end of the couch.

"I don't think lack of room is the problem," Anna muttered under her breath. John chuckled jauntily into her ear as they headed towards the seating area Matthew had suggested.

Robert came up to them just as they were sitting down to hand them their drinks, "I think you already know everyone, but if you need me to do the introductions I will."

"Actually I think I've met everyone already, except for him," Anna said as she pointed towards the man sat beside Edith. He appeared to be a little older than John and with blonde, curly hair that was beginning to grey. The man seemed somewhat awkward and gawky looking, but he had kind eyes and a warm smile.

"This is my boyfriend, Anthony," Edith answered back and made herself cozy as she leaned against Anthony.

Robert rolled his eyes in response, hoping that his middle daughter's much older suitor was merely a phase. Although if he were being honest with himself he still wasn't particularly fond of Tom either.

"Oh please, they barely met a few weeks ago," Mary said under her breath, but it was loud enough to receive an icy glare from Edith.

Anna had to stifle a giggle; amused that the competitive streak between Mary and Edith hadn't seemed to ebb in all the years she had known them. She never could understand what it was that had triggered such cold and bitter feelings towards each other. They certainly didn't exist when it came to their relationship with Sybil who had nothing but a kind word and smile to offer everyone she met. She supposed that was part of growing up with siblings, but that was something she never got to experience. Anna used to think she'd have more than one child, but she just couldn't see that happening now, not on her own anyway.

Cora entered the kitchen with a bag full of groceries, "I should have the salad ready to go in a few, how much longer on the meet and corn?" She wore an embroidered top and a simple pair of jeans but still looked stunning to Anna for her age. She had to be pushing her mid fifties and still had flawless skin and the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen, with dark, wavy brown hair like Mary and Sybil.

"Not much," Robert called out from the patio as he opened the grill to rotate the meet over the flame. He was still keeping an ear out for the game as Matthew occasionally shouted out updates to keep Robert apprised as to what was going on.

"See, laid back," John whispered into her ear.

Anna smiled back and let herself relax a bit. She tried to feign interest as she watched the game and figure out the rules as best she could, but couldn't seem to get into it. After a few minutes John asked, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Mhmmm," she replied with an approving nod of the head.

"Do you not like football?" he asked. It wouldn't have necessarily been a deal breaker if she said no, but he had hopes that she enjoyed it as much as he did.

She was about to respond when she noticed all eyes in the room were on her. "I just don't really understand it. I'm trying to learn how to follow it though. Aidan is signed up for playing in a little league this fall. Probably wouldn't hurt to comprehend what's going on," she said with a childlike smile.

The boys in the room let out a mock sigh of relief. "Thank God. I thought that would be the last we'd see of Anna," Tom joked.

"I didn't know Aidan played football. I could come to the games with you and explain what's going on if you want," he offered.

"That would be great! But I don't want you thinking you are obligated to go," she said.

"I don't feel obligated," he corrected her, "I want to." Of course he wouldn't mind the time spent with Anna as well, but he didn't want her confusing his offer as some way of trying to impress her. He had meant every word he said about wanting to give things a shot and be there for Aidan in whatever way he could. "We had fun today didn't we? It couldn't hurt for me to spend some more time with him," John replied.

"How did the trip to the zoo go today, John? I forgot to ask when I text you earlier," Robert commented as he brought a plate of steaks and chicken in from the grill. Everyone took this as a sign to head to the island in the kitchen and begin grabbing a plate and silverware as they heaped piles of salad onto their plates and an assortment of other foods that Cora had set out earlier.

"I'd say it went better than expected," John said as he sent a smug smile Anna's way. Knowing that they had shared their first kiss on the train ride back home.

Anna felt a shiver travel up her spine at the memory of it all and he gave her one of those wide grins that lit up the room and made his eyes crinkle around the edges. She almost felt herself go week in the knees just looking at him. Butterflies settled in her belly and she had to question if this feeling would ever wane.

"Are you blushing?" Mary pointed out enthusiastically. Drawing far more attention to her than Anna would have preferred. "Perhaps there was more than one kind of love bird flitting around the zoo today," she teased. "Have you two kissed yet?"

Anna shot her a look of silent warning. The moment shared between she and John was special and she didn't feel like recanting it to everyone in the room and making a spectacle of herself or John.

Realizing that Anna didn't feel comfortable discussing the matter further he quickly changed the subject. "My hip is a little sore from dealing with those damned billy goats at the petting zoo. One of them had a crush on me and kept head butting my leg when I refused to walk where he wanted me to," John joked.

They all shared in a laugh and Anna mouthed the word 'Thank you' to him when he caught her eye.

As they took their seats at the large dining room table with the game still blasting in the background, Sybil asked how Aidan was doing. "Aidan had a blast, he couldn't stop talking about the monkeys and the kangaroos for hours on the way back to my father's house," Anna reported.

"That's great! And how is he taking to John? " Sybil inquired. Part of her wanted to know for her own selfish reasons, but the other side of her cared very much for the three people involved in this relationship. She didn't expect that this would be a smooth transition for Aidan, no matter how sweet of a boy he may be or how nice John may act towards him. Aidan had never had a father figure before that was encroaching on his time with his mother, and even though she was confident that both John and Anna would be considerate of Aidan's feelings, it was not something she expected him to take lying down. She made a mental note to herself to be on the look out for any out of the ordinary behavior from Aidan at school so that she could notify Anna of it right away before it became a problem.

"We seem to be hitting it off well enough," John replied easily. He remembered how Aidan willingly held his hand at the zoo or was intrigued by John's answers to his endless questions about anything and everything under the sun. "I'll admit I feel a bit out of my element at times, but I think if we both have patience with one another we'll navigate the little bumps along the way," John added as he put a piece of the cut up steak into his mouth.

"Yes, John has a certain charm about him when it comes to Aidan," Anna said as she added some dressing to her salad.

"Just with Aidan?" Matthew jabbed at him.

"I'd like to think I'm just as boyishly charming with Anna as I am with Aidan," he answered back with a wink aimed at Matthew.

John wasn't very familiar with the new men in his nieces' lives, but they all seemed to be well matched. Tom was a bit of a loose cannon at times, but he was a good man at heart and had a shared Irish heritage with John. They seemed to hit it off at work as did he and Matthew. Mary's beau was a little more on the quiet side, but was well matched with the always outspoken Mary and seemed to be very knowledgable. The one he knew the least about was Anthony. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about him, but something told him he'd find a way to appreciate all the characteristics that Edith had always been teased about. At the end of the day it was their happiness that mattered and not the opinions of others he surmised. He hoped that that would be enough to get he and Anna past their age gap. Hers and Aidan's happiness was what he would strive to maintain.

"I have to admit, I never would have thought to pair you two up. But you seem to be great together. And dating someone with a child, John...well that would have been unheard of even two years ago," Robert noted.

"Thanks," John replied sarcastically.

"I don't mean it to be an insult, I think it shows personal growth. And if what Anna says is true, you sound like a natural with the boy," Robert said.

"I know it probably sounds strange, but I'm already missing him after having him buzzing around me all day," John said.

"Really?" Anna asked under her breath.

"Really," he replied back.

She felt the anxiety that had been nagging at her the whole night begin to melt away. Anna no longer felt the overwhelming desire to call Charlie just to hear Aidan's voice. And although she had spent time around other adults before, it had been some time since she had been in a large social setting like this. She wasn't sure what she had been so scared about, especially since she saw Robert and Sybil on an almost daily basis. They weren't dressed to the nines and drinking from goblets, despite their rather large and richly decorated dwelling, at the heart of it all they were still human. The Crawleys were still just as lovely as they had been all those years ago. She could now see that it was important to John that she get to know them the way he did; they weren't just friends to him. They were family.


"He's flying so high! Aidan the Magnificent! Charlie shouted across the house as he carried Aidan in his arms pretending to be an airplane. He lifted Aidan up as high as he could before pretending to nearly drop him all the way to the ground. Aidan laughed and squealed with each turn that Charlie made around the sharp corners of the house. His large frame managed to move rather gracefully through the small home. Jasper followed close behind , trying to keep up with all the action and barking occasionally when Aidan came too low to the ground. A few times Charlie had nearly stumbled over the mutt and had to bite back a curse directed at Jasper. "What's this?" Charlie asked, feigning concern.

"What?" Aidan called back as he pretended to control the imaginary plane he was flying in.

"He's spinning out of control!" Charlie said as he mimicked the sensation of turbulence.

Aidan was wearing a pair of swim goggles over his eyes and had one of Charlie's old scarves tied around his neck while wearing a set of snow gloves. He held a spatula from the kitchen in his hand to look like the joystick of an airplane. "Pull up, pull up!" the little boy shouted.

Feeling himself growing tired after having played with Aidan all evening he finally said, "The motor is giving out! She's heading into a nose dive!" Charlie's facial expression grew more animated with each word that poured out of his mouth. "You better bailout!" Charlie suggested as he headed toward the bedroom.

"She can make it! I can land her!"

"There's not enough time! She's in a nose dive!" Charlie said as he brought him lower to the level of the mattress. "Jump!" Charlie suggested as he tossed the boy onto the guest bed. The bed sprang to life as Aidan's weight was absorbed by the impact and he rolled into the pillows. Jasper jumped onto the bed without hesitation and began licking the little boy's face, trying to rouse a reaction from him. Aidan began laughing as he pushed the giant mutt's face away. Charles was smiling broadly when Aidan managed to sit up straight and saw that his hair was standing on end.

"That was great, Grandpa! Can we do it again?" Aidan asked, his voice teeming with excitement. Jasper barked his vote of approval afterward and Charlie waved him off, directing him with a motion of the finger to remove himself from the bed. He sat perched on his knees awaiting an answer from his grandpa as he tugged on the sleeve of his dinosaur pajamas.

Charlie, looking rather exhausted at this point let out a heavy sigh. His face was red from exertion and his hair was disheveled but he wouldn't have had it any other way. He loved how Aidan's laughter filled the room and how Jasper turned into a tornado of fur, tearing through the house. He knew it hadn't been long since Anna and John had started dating, but he hadn't seen his grandson in quite sometime. One look into those big, blue eyes that shone like diamonds in the sky and he was putty in Aidan's hands. "Oh, alright," Charlie replied, his defenses faltering.

"Hooray!" Aidan cheered as he jumped off the bed and landed in Charlie's arms causing the older man to fall forward a bit.

"But then it's story time so we can get settled for bed," Charlie replied.


"How are you enjoying yourself?" John whispered as the rest of the table continued to make idle chit chat on their own.

"I'm having a lovely time," she said, but the expression on her face said otherwise. She seemed far away, lost in her thoughts as she mindlessly pushed her cake around on the plate but refused to eat it.

John observed her for a moment in silence. She appeared so poised, so curiously enchanting, delightful in her thoughtfulness, and flawless in her movements. Her features were delicate but firm, emitting strength from every pore as if she'd been molded in it. He didn't think it possible for perfection to exist in human form, but here it was before him and he was at a loss of what to do.

He considered doing something to to grab her attention, hoping it would evoke the reaction he intended it to. John used his free hand to tickle her knee under the table and saw her do her best to withhold a smile but was blushing furiously. The rough tips of his fingers contrasted nicely against her soft skin, pressing upon her like feather-light kisses. She could feel a heat rush over her, causing her ears to burn and her cheeks to flush red. He took this as a sign to let his fingers drift a little higher along her thigh. Goosebumps made themselves known on her arms and she felt a thrill travel from her stomach to her lower half causing her to sit up straight as an arrow. Her knee smacked the bottom of the table and caused the drinks in the glasses to sway dangerously close to tipping over the edge. She yelped a bit as the pain resonated in her knee.

"Anna are you okay?" Cora asked in a concerned voice as her wide, blue eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"I...I thought I saw a...mouse," Anna lied as she averted John's gaze.

"Are you serious?" Mary asked as she scooted away from the table in her chair so she could scan the ground.

The rest of the members of the table followed suit. John chuckled a bit into his napkin and nearly choked on the small bite of chocolate cake he'd been chewing on. Anna lightly smacked his chest but was positively glowing when she smiled back at him.

"I think my eyes were just playing tricks on me," Anna said apologetically. "I didn't mean to ruin dessert."

"It's quite alright," Robert said looking around nervously. "But perhaps we should take that as our cue to move back into the living room or onto the patio," he suggested as he offered Cora his hand and walked her out. The others grabbed their plates and began to walk out. "Sorry," he mouthed. John leaned over and whispered into her ear, "I didn't mean to scare you." He waited until the last of them had left before he rubbed her knee soothingly, hoping his hand would absolve her of the pain.

She appeared embarrassed, but didn't cease to amaze him when she smiled back with a twinkle in her eye. "It was unexpected, but you didn't scare me," she replied confidently. "In fact, if I'm being quite honest…"

"Please do," he interrupted and it produced a small snort from her as she tried to stifle a laugh. His eyes darkened and his eyebrows lifted as he hung on her every word.

She swallowed hard as she tried to find her courage to speak her mind. It was something that years ago she would have done with so much as batting an eyelash. But that was not the case anymore and she fidgeted with the napkin in her hands as she stared down at her feet. "It's what I feel for you when you touch me that scares me...I haven't felt that for a long time," she said in a low voice. She secretly hoped that the rest of the Crawleys hadn't heard her from the other room.

"And what is it you feel?" he asked as his voice took on a sinfully delicious tone.

She licked her lips and tried to keep her wits about her as she stared into his eyes and then focused on his mouth. "Too many things...things I probably shouldn't say," she confessed. She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to making good choices. I would normally go with what my heart is saying but I paid dearly for that once before."

"I wish you'd tell me why. I don't mean to push or rush you, but perhaps I could put your mind at ease if I knew what it was you were worried about," he said tenderly as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

She shut her eyes tightly as she tried to fight off the bad memories that haunted her. Her breath hitched as she began to speak, "I..."

There was an audible groan from the other room that shook them from their private moment. Then Robert poked his head into the dining room, "You two need to get in here. Liverpool just took the lead. This is shaping up to be a nail biter."

John let his head fall forward and his shoulders sunk down in exasperation. "Be right there," he called back. He turned to face Anna, "He has the timing of a storm trooper sometimes." They chuckled softly while holding eye contact with one another. "A conversation for another time I suppose."


Charlie began to tuck Aidan into bed, Jasper taking up his post at the foot of the bed with his head rested over Aidan's feet. Charlie rubbed the dog's head and took a seat on the edge of the bed beside Aidan. "Did you have a good day today?" Charlie asked as he pulled the covers up to Aidan's chin and tucked the blankets around the outline of his tiny form. He leaned over and clicked the night light on and handed Aidan his teddy bear.

"Yes," Aidan replied as he rubbed at his tired eyes with his tiny fists. He let out a heavy yawn as he insisted that he wasn't tired yet.

"How did you like John?"

"He's nice. We have lots of fun," Aidan answered honestly as he played with the ears of his bear and traced patterns into the quilt on the bed.

Charles was happy to have heard that at least. "And your Mummy seems happy with him?" He didn't want to pry too much, but if he had learned anything about children in all his years as a single parent and now as a grandparent it was that children had no filters. They spoke honestly and from the heart.

"Yes," Aidan answered. "She said they love each other and they want to date," he said nonchalantly as he pet Jasper and snuggled with his teddy bear.

"Oh."

"Will John be my new Daddy, Grandpa?"

"Um…" Charlie knew he shouldn't have probed him for answers. He hadn't expected the boy to turn the line of questioning onto him. Now Aidan would have more questions, and the ones he couldn't answer he would ask Anna. What if she became cross with him for crossing the line with Aidan? He shifted uncomfortably on the bed and cleared his throat as he tried to appear unphased by the question. "Well, would you want him to be your Daddy?" Charlie asked and struggled to get the words out.

Aidan shrugged his shoulders as he became more engrossed with his bear. "I don't know...maybe," Aidan replied as he avoided eye contact with his grandpa.

Charlie didn't want to sway him either way, but his policy with Aidan was always the same as it had been with Anna. He'd keep it simple and honest. "Well, he seems like a nice man. If he's good to you and good to your Mum that sounds like a pretty good candidate for a Daddy to me," Charlie said. "I'm sure your Mummy will make sure that things between you and her stay just as they are, don't you think?"

Aidan smiled at him and shook his head in agreement.

"Good, now sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite," Charlie said as he leaned forward to place a kiss on Aidan's forehead. Aidan held out his arms to hug Charlie and they embraced for a tender moment. "I love you my boy."

"I love you too, Grandpa," Aidan replied in a soft voice. He shimmied under the covers to get comfortable as Charlie turned the main light off.

"Grandpa?" he asked innocently, his voice rising in pitch as he posed the question.

"Yes," Charlie answered back in the dimly lit room.

"Don't worry. Mummy says it won't change things for you either," Aidan assured with a smile that Charlie could just barely make out in the darkness.

Charlie swallowed hard at the lump that had formed in his throat and wiped at the tears that had begun to form in the corners of his eyes. He remained composed and looked over at the grandfather clock that stood at the end of the hallway. It was still a decent hour, hopefully she wouldn't be sore with him for calling her so late in the evening. He gently shut the door so that it was left open just a crack and headed into the living room to grab the phone and promptly began to dial. It rang only once before he heard the sound indicating that the other end had been picked up. "Elsie?" he said hoping he didn't sound too desperate.

"Charles? Are you alright?" she asked and sounded like she had just been settled in bed.

"I'm fine."

"Is it Aidan then?" she asked knowing that Charles was taking him for the night.

"He's fast asleep."

"Thank goodness," she replied.

"Oh, I've woken you haven't I. I didn't mean to disturb you," he began to apologize.

"No. No. It's fine," she quickly brushed off his attempts at apologies.

"I just…" he paused. Why was it that he could open up so easily with his four year old grandson, but when it came to this woman whom he had known for nearly thirty years that his brain and mouth ceased to function. He supposed at this point in his life he shouldn't waste another moment on worrying about the hypothetical scenarios running through his head. They had waited long enough.

He strummed his long fingers on the back of the couch cushion before finally deciding to take a seat. Charles could hear her breathing on the other end, there was something oddly comforting about their shared silence. "I just wanted to hear your voice," he said in a friendly tone. Charles thought he heard her sigh with relief. "It always makes me feel steady when I can't hold your hand," he admitted sheepishly.

"Charles, I have to be honest. If you aren't ready to go down this road again, I think it would be for the best if we just leave things as they are between us. I couldn't bear it again," she explained in a pleading tone. Her voice was awash with emotions and he could almost picture the pain on her face as each word spilled from her lips.

Charles let out a regretful sigh. It wasn't her fault, he had pushed her away when he should have done the opposite. He should have trusted her judgement and her actions instead of punishing her for trying to protect him. "I won't do it," he uttered, "I swear...I won't fill your head with false hope and promises that I can't keep."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Charles looked around the house and was reminded of how quiet it was without Aidan running around, or Anna, or Alice, or Elsie. The silence was deafening with only the grandfather clock ticking away, reminding him that time was slowly but surely slipping away. What would he do with himself now that Anna had taken up with John? He'd still see them of course, but it wouldn't be the same. She'd always love him, but he would no longer be the most important man in her life. He would have to start making decisions for himself. He mulled it over for a few seconds before he spoke once more. "Will you come over, I'd love to see you," he confessed. There was no hidden meaning in it or expectations that it would go any further than their usual exchange of glances. Charles was sure that Aidan would be asleep for the night and he just needed her comforting presence.

"I don't think that would be wise," she replied quickly.

Charles ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair as he relaxed a little more on the couch. He covered his eyes with his hand and pinched at the bridge of his nose, reprimanding himself for allowing them to fall so far from where they had started. Feeling dejected, he simply let out a frustrated, "Oh. I understand." He couldn't blame her, it would take time to build up the bridges he had torn down.

"Charles, don't be daft. I have to open up the shop early in the morning," she stated and put his mind at ease. "Perhaps we can do something later on tomorrow night," she suggested.

"That sounds perfect. I look forward to it," Charles said. "I'll let you get your rest then."

"Good night, Charles," she said in her Scottish brogue.

It warmed his heart and he was reminded of a better time, when such sentiments had passed between them with ease. A time when there had been no hesitation or doubt. They would get back to that point somehow he thought to himself. "Good night, Elsie," he replied sweetly before placing the phone back on the receiver.


They drove back together after a night with the Crawleys. John was pleased to see that Anna had not only enjoyed herself but seemed to have grown more comfortable with the family as the time passed by. They shared in a few laughs as they recounted some of the conversations that passed between the bickering sisters and Robert with his future son-in-laws. He held her hand as he navigated the roads with his other hand on the wheel and would chance a glance at her every so often. God, did she look gorgeous, even in the simplest of outfits. He'd have to be careful. She could be awfully distracting and they were still a good ways away from Charles home.

"I hope you don't mind, but I told Robert there wasn't a rodent problem," he said.

"What?" she asked in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him why. I mean, I think he got the picture without me saying anything, but I didn't want him having the house fumigated or anything," he explained.

Anna blushed furiously as she turned her head to look out the window. "Your honor is still intact, I told him I wasn't exactly engaging in gentlemanly conduct and took you by surprise."

"Well thank God for that," she said and John smirked devilishly at her. "Although, after having a child out of wedlock, I'm not sure I have much honor left to preserve," she said thoughtfully.

Her words hurt him, he wondered if she was always this hard on herself. "I hope that's not the way you see yourself. As if you've failed everyone in some way because of having Aidan at a young age or without a husband."

"No, it's not because of Aidan," she answered honestly.

"Then why?" he asked.

"Does it really matter? We can't help the way we perceive ourselves," Anna said and pulled her hand away for a moment.

John pursed his lips, he had never known someone that was as self deprecating as himself. "Well that's true. But I hope you believe me when I say that's not how I see you, whatever the reason," he tried to comfort her. She did her best to muster a smile. Now he was wondering if she was still hung up on something that Robert had mentioned earlier and thought he should take the opportunity to clear the air. "Kids were never in the cards for me initially because I was too young and didn't want the responsibilities that came with it. And then later, when I thought I was ready I realized I didn't want them with Vera."

"Why are you telling me this?" Anna asked.

"Because I want you to realize that we all make mistakes, but they are in the past and we can't take them back. The best thing we can do is learn from them, accept them, and move forward with our heads held high."

She took a moment to clarify something, "I don't think of Aidan as a mistake or a burden." Something in her tone sounded defensive, he knew she wasn't arguing with him but he felt as though she had spent some time defending her decision to keep Aidan in the past.

"I didn't say you did or that he was," John pointed out. "My not having children before was not due to the fact that I hated the idea of children. I just never had a good role model for a father. All I could see in my future was a child that would be constantly disappointed. The person I chose as a partner was not the right one for me and wouldn't have made a good parent to any child I would have wanted."

Well they had that in common she thought to herself. Anna shook her head in confusion and said, "You may have not had a good father John, but you are wonderful with Aidan. I couldn't have asked for a better influence on my son."

He was rendered speechless by her words, John knew that Anna and Aidan had just barely come into his life but he would move heaven and earth for them. Of that, he was already sure.

"I know I can't explain it to you and I don't mean to be so cryptic about it. I promise I'll tell you more one day and I hope you can understand that and be patient with me," she begged.

"Anna, it's no trouble. I'll wait. You tell me what you want to whenever you are ready," he said.

She smiled at that. "I will say this much. I already know you are a better man than his own father was. You could never be a disappointment...not to me or Aidan."


John continued to drive her back to Charlie's house so that she could retrieve her car. When they arrived outside of the house he noticed the lights were off inside. "Looks like they have both turned in for the night already, " he noted. "You still want to go in and check on Aidan?"

She shook bet head, "No, I didn't receive any emergency calls this time around. I think I can let them be and just head home for the night. "

He unlocked the door and handed her her purse that was in the back seat. Pausing when their hands brushed up against one another.

"I can't thank you enough for today," she said before she unbuckled her seat belt.

"It was nothing. I enjoyed myself and I was surrounded by great company," he said charismatically as he reached down for her hand again. He squeezed it gently, enjoying the solidity of her hand resting in his.

"It was nice to get out and spend some time with the Crawleys again too," Anna commented with a genuine smile. She looked as though she were stalling for time, wanting to say or do something more, but unsure of how to go about broaching the subject.

He gave her the space she needed and revelled in the time he was able to spend with her. As much as he loved having Aidan around, it was nice to have a quiet moment with Anna on their own. "It's been a big day for us," he noted. "I met Charlie and you met...er…got reacquainted with my friends."

"Aidan knows about us now and we shared our first kiss," she added and said the last part slowly. She appeared to be shy and the expression on her face was absolutely enchanting.

"Yeah, about that…" John said as he moved closer to her but stopped when he reached her face.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't feel I was able to do our first kiss justice," he said and she giggled. "You took me completely by surprise and I had a child in my lap."

"What would you have done differently?" she asked half teasing, but also half serious.

"I would have taken my time," John whispered as he stroked her cheek and tilted her head back slightly. "I'd look deeply into your captivating, blue eyes," he said huskily.

"Uh huh," she replied nervously but intrigued in what was to come.

"I'd let my fingers sink into your hair like this, because it's been driving me wild all day," John said as he moved his hand to run his fingers through her blonde tresses.

"And then?"

"Then I'd wait for your breath to catch in anticipation," John narrated as he pressed his lips against hers. He felt her smile against him as their mouths became one, falling into a natural rhythm. His range of motion was limited by the center console in the car and his seat belt that was still in place, but it didn't stop him from pulling her as close as he could. He wanted all of her, had to taste her and take her in. Her perfume was filling his nose and her tongue slipped into his mouth with practiced ease. John was letting her take the lead, gain some confidence, he didn't want to do anything that would make her question her honor. As much as he wanted her now, he'd wait as long as she needed him too. Her earlier mention about being afraid how she felt when he touched her still resonated with him.

He wouldn't lie that he was disappointed when she finally pulled away, but it was only their second official date. It was progress. "How was that?"

"Wow," she said in a voice no louder than a whisper. Her eyes were wide like saucers now and she sat there with her mouth wide open. She could still feel the impression of his lips upon hers and the way his little bit of scruff has rubbed against her skin. His musk still lingering in the air around her and the gentle way he regarded her in silence. She was certain that if it weren't so dark he could have read the emotions written on her face as her cheeks blushed. "I best be going now," she said as she attempted to find the door handle while keeping her eyes fixed on him.

He grinned in amusement when she failed to locate it right away. "I'll wait until you are safely in your car."

"Thanks," Anna said as she began to exit the car.

John started the car up again and shifted out of park as he prepared to leave. Anna took him by surprise once more as she came to retrieve one last kiss from him before leaving. The force of it nearly driving him back into his seat, he had gripped the stick shift of the car to anchor himself. It was the most passionate and impulsive kiss he had shared with her so far and it left him reeling.

"I'll see you soon. I'll text you when I get home," she said when she shut the door.

He watched her scamper off to her car, her hair bouncing delightfully as her hips sashayed. If that is what he was to expect from all of her kisses he knew he would be a goner. John rolled down the window and waved to her when she backed out of the driveway and pulled up alongside of him in the street. "I can't wait," he called out.