A/N: We're reached the end of the road for now! I'm posting an epilogue along with this so we can see how their lives turned out. Thanks so much for Terrie who edited all the chapters and for everyone who has been reading and reviewing. It really means a lot. I hope you'll like the ending - please tell me what you think of it! :)

Chapter Ten

Anna smiled as she peeked into the bedroom, trying to keep herself from laughing as Jack, Bea and Lucy made the most of the small can of paint John had given them to play with; the walls were now properly painted and off the limit, of course, but they seemed content enough with the big papers laid on the floor for their fun. Bea had paint on her nose and hair, whilst Jack was thoroughly focused on whatever he was painting, with Lucy's help. Relieved to see them well behaved and happy on their own, Anna walked down the hall and entered the next door, showing a much bigger room, though only half furnished. John looked up as she entered, his smile interrupted when he noticed she was carrying a box.

"Should you be doing that?" he asked her in a reproachful manner.

Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I've told you, there's nothing I can't do. Dr Clarkson says I'm fine. It has been some time, anyway."

She put the box on the floor and admired John's work on the wall, which was now buff coloured. Chancing a glance at him, brush in hand, focused on his work. She couldn't help but smile, a memory from years ago erupting in her mind. She had been doing this for some time now, comparing their move to the cottage after John was released from prison to their move now, to the Grantham Arms. Everything seemed to be running smoothly so far; the children were very excited at the prospect of moving, they were slowly getting everything ready in their home and most of their things were already at their new house. Not long after their talk, John scheduled a meeting with Mr Litcott, thus completing the purchase of the hotel.

Lord Grantham had been understanding, though surprised and more than a little sad. Anna knew his lordship and John had a strong friendship bond and of course they hadn't unexpected anything less. Mr Molesley would replace him as valet, and John was just a few days away from his last day working at Downton Abbey. Anna knew the feeling quite well, though their situations couldn't have been more different. Now, it was much more permanent – they would not be dependent of the Granthams like before. It gave her a sense of freedom, in a way. They were their own bosses now.

As of now, John was spending every spare minute he had helping her with the move, which was being done slowly as there was only so much one could do with three demanding children to care for. Anna had faith they would soon be moving in, and they had agreed on redecorating slowly as closing the pub and the hotel was not currently an option. They had a full staff working now, and decided to make sure the bedrooms they would occupy were all ready before moving. Though the hotel could use some more modern décor, it was all in a very good state, despite a few unused bedrooms in their own private cottage, right next to the hotel, as the previous owners didn't make good use of them.

She couldn't help but remember the state the cottage had been in when they first moved, how despite it all they had the most fun redecorating, getting to know each other as husband and wife for the first time, really. Their escapades in between painting the whole cottage and moving their possessions there had been many and she couldn't recall one bad memory from that time.

Now, however, it was much different, as they could hear the voices of their children from the room next to theirs and this house was truly theirs, and theirs alone. Anna decided, as she watched John paint the wall, that he still looked as handsome as he did then, though she knew there was more grey in his hair now. She thought it was rather dashing, really, and chuckled, drawing his attention to her. He smiled, the crinkles around his eyes warming to her, and she noticed he had a bit of paint on his cheek, reminding her of their little Beatrice – like father, like daughter.

"What are you up to?" he asked. Anna smiled.

"I was just remembering when we painted the cottage," she bit her lower lip and looked at him playfully. "Do you remember?"

He turned back to the wall, and Anna could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, his ears turning a bit red.

"How could I forget?"

She let out a giggle, walking towards him. "I daresay, Mr Bates, time has been good to you."

He looked at her then, a soft smile on his lips. "That was you, my dear, not time. Though I must say I'm not sure I agree with your words," she gave him a pointed look. "You, on the other hand, look even more beautiful now."

She shook her head at him, highly doubting that at her age and after three full pregnancies she looked beautiful. John, however, looked even younger now – she supposed fatherhood did that to him. She would never forget how young he looked the day Jack was born, how his birth brought them hope and happiness. She supposed she might have looked the same too – a literal breath of new life into their lives. The piece that had been missing.

Or, rather, one of three little missing pieces that were now with them.

Anna stepped closer to John, reaching for her apron to brush the paint away from his cheek. He cringed then smiled.

"You never learn," she said quietly. He slipped his free hand on her waist. "Be careful with my clothes."

His eyes were dark as he spoke. "I always am, aren't I?"

His lips were on hers in the next moment, and she relaxed against him, sighing into his mouth. Not much had changed since then in some aspects – John certainly could never fail to make her knees weak. She turned her head slightly and deepened the kiss, just as the voices from the next room became louder and they had to pull away as a misunderstanding had obviously happened between their children.

"Mummy! Look at what Bea is doing!"

"I didn't do anything!"

John chuckled as Anna rolled eyes and slipped out of his arms.

"We best check that," John agreed, pinching Anna's cheek lovingly.

She sighed. "Yes, we should."

"Mummy!"

Some aspects did change a lot, though.

"Is there anything left?" John asked as he descended the stairs, finding Anna standing in the hallway just in front of it, a vague look on her face. "Is everything all right, Anna?"

She broke out of her reverie, turning to look at him with a smile.

"Yes, everything's perfect. I think there's nothing left," she sighed as he stood before her. "Hard to believe we're leaving."

"I know," John agreed, taking a few steps into the now nearly empty parlour.

He remembered his first time entering the cottage, seeing it filled with dirt and old furniture, how he had wondered they would make do in this. He smiled to himself; Anna had of course seen the best out of it, and he believed anywhere he lived with her would be absolutely grand if only for her presence in the room. It was true – they had made it their home in little time, gone through hard times together, and it had been the birthplace of their three children. Their first months as a married couple were spent here, their love only grew while living in the cottage. He couldn't have wished for better memories of the place.

"Bea took her first steps right there," Anna's voice couldn't betray her emotion as she stopped beside him, pointing at a spot in the middle of the room. "We broke that couch right here."

He chuckled, and she gave him a watery smile. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. "I can remember other times when we didn't break the couch."

Anna gave him a pointed look but let out a laugh all the same. "I do too."

"Jack lost his tooth here somewhere. I can't believe we haven't found it."

She frowned at his words. "Me neither. I was sure we would find it when we took everything out of here for the move."

"Must have been an impressive stumble," he laughed and shook his head. "Lucy said her first word here too. When I came home that afternoon."

"Yes. Papa. You'll never let me forget it, will you?" she teased him, her hand tickling his waist softly.

John chuckled. "Of course I won't," he kissed her hair. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm happy to be moving," she sighed. "But so much of our history was here. I'll miss it."

"I will too," he said sincerely, and Anna looked up with a frown. "I will. We've gone through so much here. I'll never forget that. I will also never forget the state this cottage was when we got here for the first time."

"Oh, but we had fun putting it all together, didn't we?" she punctuated it with a kiss on his lips. His arms rested on her waist. "Our first home."

"Well, the children are already at our new home with Mrs Hughes," he told her quietly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We should go too."

"We should," Anna nodded, taking one more look at the room before meeting his eyes again. "Let's go home."

Anna peeked into the children's bedrooms, happy to see the three of them sound asleep. It was their first night in the new home, and she had been a bit anxious to see if they would be settled quickly. Of course, their definitive move made them all very excited and she was quite sure they wouldn't wake up until the next day, their energy spent after a day of playing and running and "helping" Mummy and Daddy. It proved to be quite difficult moving with them around, demanding attention and, when they were quiet, Anna had been sure they were up to no good. Still, they had been quite endearing, trying to organize their own toys and clothes – not that it turned out very well, but the sentiment was there.

She would have to admit she was thoroughly tired, exhausted even, after today. It was almost unbelievable that they were here now, that this would be their home – their permanent home. There was still a lot to do but most of it was all ready. Walking down the stairs slowly, she shivered at the cold air – time flew by them, and winter was already so close. Still unfamiliar with the house and the places, she wondered where John might be, as she wrapped her arms around herself hoping to get warmer, her thin nightgown proving not to be a fine choice for tonight.

She found him in the parlour, already in his pyjamas, eyes focused on a book. She guessed poetry. She couldn't help the smile on her lips as she took him in, already feeling so at home. Her breath caught in her throat when his gaze flickered over to her and a warm smile crossed his features.

"Are the children all right?" he asked her softly.

"Fast asleep, the poor darlings. I suspect today was as exhausting for them as it has been for us," she sighed, walking further into the room. "Room for one more over there?"

"Of course," John smiled, closing the book and putting it on the table next to his chair. "Come here."

She did, more than willingly so; she settled carefully on his lap, mindful of his right leg, and his arm came to her waist naturally. Anna sighed contently, bringing one of her hands to the back of his neck and feeling his lips on her cheek in the next moment. She looked around; they had managed to turn the parlour into a very welcoming room, she decided. Lucy's doll lay forgotten on the floor, already – some things did remain the same, after all. John squeezed her waist. She turned to look at him; she smiled when she saw the glint in his eyes.

"What?" she ran her hand through his hair affectionately.

"We're finally here," John said simply.

Anna giggled. "Yes, we are," she locked her eyes with his, bringing her other hand to his cheek. "We really are."

His lips found her easily, in a natural way, pulling her close him; she could feel his careful touch on her waist through the thin layers of clothing, and sighed into his mouth, his tentative kiss so full of love and tenderness she felt like she could melt under his touch. As the kiss deepened and his hands wandered she held back a moan, having missed him for so long. She rested her hands against his chest and leaned back as he began to plant wet kisses on her neck; slowly she moved her hands to massage his hair, bringing his lips back to her almost in a desperate way. After a moment or so, they pulled away to catch their breaths, and Anna searched John's eyes – his soft hands were caressing her hair now, in a way that she liked very much.

"John, let's go to bed," she pleaded, kissing his lips pointedly.

She wriggled off his lap and let out her hand for him to take as she stood up.

"Anna, are you sure?" he took her hand. "We haven't…"

"I know," she interrupted him and kissed his lips soundly. "And I am sure."

The walk upstairs was punctuated by quiet steps and stolen kisses – in a way Anna felt like a giddy newlywed, and she couldn't help but giggle at the thought. The moment John closed their bedroom door she was kissing him, prompting him to chuckle and wrap his arms around her. His kisses were quick to set her on fire – it had been way too long. She had only managed to take his shirt off – along with her robe – and they collapsed in bed. John was careful and mindful of her; his hands were soft on her skin, caressing her thighs as her nightgown gathered around her waist.

His lips peppered her face with kisses, stopping by her earlobe and making her moan as he nipped there. Soon, he discarded her nightgown with her help, and her underwear followed in the next moment. She grew impatient, squirming underneath him, lost in his hot kisses and intoxicating touch. It wasn't long before his pants followed her clothes and he was kissing her again, his hand cupping one breast as the other slowly parted her legs. She pulled him closer, breathing in his scent.

"I've missed you," she whispered softly.

"I've missed you too, my darling," John said quietly, moving to kiss her neck as he positioned himself above her.

Afterwards, they lay together, their legs intertwined as half of Anna's body covered his. She let out a sigh, her fingers playing with the hair on his chest as he drew lazy circles with his hand on her hip. She chanced a look at John, and met his eyes; he smiled. She did so too and wrapped her arm around his waist, feeling very much at peace. She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply.

"What are you thinking?" he whispered to her, moving his hand to her face and caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"I'm thinking," she started, taking a deep breath, "that we'll be very happy here."

He chuckled at her response, and she raised her head to meet his lips again.

She could sense his agreement in his kiss.