A/N: Second to last scene could be rated as M, so you've been warned. You might want to listen to Unchained Melody at some point in this chapter too. ;)

Chapter Eleven

The bed was warm and Anna was feeling way too comfortable to open her eyes just yet. The previous day and night had been exhausting and draining and she had been more than glad to escape into sleep with John beside her a few hours earlier, she supposed. She wasn't exactly ready to check the clock just yet. The curtains were closed today, apparently, as it still seemed rather dark around her. She let out a sigh and shifted so she was lying on her back. She pulled the blanket closer to her. She really was very comfortable.

She heard a click in the distance but in her half-asleep state didn't even bother to open her eyes. In fact, she barely even remembered falling asleep, so exhausted she was. She remembered John had left for a moment and she vaguely remembered waking up to him joining her, only to fall asleep in the next second. She heard another noise – the cabinet was being open. Reluctantly and still cocooned on the warm bed, she opened her eyes.

She was met with John's broad naked back as he obviously looked for a t-shirt. She decided she wouldn't mind waking up to that every morning. Anna blinked heavily. There was some light peeking through the curtains but not much; she wondered what time was it. A tinge of disappointment ran through her when John put on a purple shirt, still with his back to her. She stretched languidly in bed. His hair was wet and she could smell soap, even when he was some few feet away from her. He opened another drawer.

She had to smile at his slow movements, obviously trying not to wake her, and couldn't help but think about the night before – of them, together; of how feelings long forgotten – and some newly discovered – surfaced and for the first time, she completely gave into them, unable to resist the closeness, the intimacy, the comfort.

But had it only been comfort, really? They were friends, before anything, really. And she felt deeply for him, more than she felt for anyone before – maybe even Colin. His hands had been magical on her skin, his touch had been thrilling and his kisses – his kisses made her heart stutter every single time. It had been intense, and connecting and somehow sudden, but how sudden? It felt like it had always been a matter of time, of when they'd stop fighting against this and let it happen, and now that it did, it had caught her unprepared. And as she reminisced in the good memories of the night before, a small fact – a detail, one might say – struck her.

They hadn't used any protection.

She closed her eyes in defeat, silently cursing herself for having forgotten such an important detail. So caught up in the moment as she was, the thought had never even occurred to her until now. They would have to talk about this, if they were to continue… whatever this was. This couldn't happen again, they'd have to be more careful in the future. It was all too easy to remember the sweet feeling of his skin against her, as physically close as they could be, with nothing stopping them, and it was all too easy to want it to happen again, but they would have to be much more conscious next time.

She felt the bed shift beside her and a second later a soft hand cupping her cheek. Despite her thoughts, she smiled.

"I know you're awake," his voice was quiet and sent shivers throughout her body. He stroked her cheek. She opened her eyes and blinked. He looked very handsome, with his wet hair, and she could see that he had shaved too. She could smell after-shave lotion and soap. She wondered if he did it for her. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she answered with a smile, caressing his hand and sitting up in bed, suddenly aware that she was probably not looking her best. She rubbed her eyes.

"You seem troubled," he commented as his hand came to rest on her knee. He gave her a gentle squeeze. She knew it was probably innocent but it still made her tingle slightly. She wasn't so used to his touch. "Did you sleep well?"

She smiled at his thoughtfulness. "I did, thank you," he kept quiet, obviously still expecting an answer. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and decided she might as well talk of it now. "I just realised that, last night, we… Well, we didn't use anything. You know."

John frowned and after a second understood her words.

"I'm sorry, Anna," he said, and those were not the words she was expecting. "I didn't even think about it."

Anna shook her head. "It's all right, me neither. I mean, I never thought I'd need birth control after Colin, but I'm healthy, and I suppose you are too."

He nodded. "Yes, of course. Are you… worried about the consequences?"

Anna took a deep breath and met his gaze. He seemed honest, hiding nothing. It had been just once. Was it so worrying, really? She thought about it and shook her head. "I know they say it only takes once, but what are the odds, really?"

John smiled. "Well, it's done now. We'll just have to be more careful next time."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she couldn't help but smile. So he wanted to continue this. At least, she thought he did. She grinned.

"You seem very sure that there will be a next time," she said cheekily. His eyes widened and she detected a faint blush in his cheeks.

"Oh, I didn't mean that way, just that, well, if it happens-"

She smiled at him all flustered and out of impulse leaned in and caught his lips in a soft, quick kiss. She pulled away with slight hesitance and shared a smile with him.

"I was just teasing you," Anna said. "You are right. We will just have to be more careful in the next times until I get us covered."

They shared a new, lighter smile and the promising look in his eyes made her tremble just a bit.

"Let's have breakfast, then?" he asked.

Anna nodded. "Let's."

John shifted in his seat, his fingers swiftly typing the letters, slowly forming another sentence for his book. He found he had been quite inspired today, and now, more than never, he was confident he'd finish the book before Christmas, maybe even with more than a few days to spare. He chanced a look at Anna, only to meet her gaze for a moment before she looked back at the manuscript she had been trying to read the whole day.

Yes, trying, because he had caught her staring much more than a few times, feeling her gaze on him more than usual. They were back at the house, after breakfast, since Anna insisted she needed to get some of her own clothes and had invited him along for the day, as it wasn't unusual for them. They did spend more time at the cottage, but every now and then he ventured into the house, and since Anna insisted, he couldn't very well say no.

He gave her some time and stopped by the village, arriving at the house a little while later with lunch, which had earned him a bright smile from her. He would have to admit he was a bit disappointed she was no longer wearing his clothes – they did look so awfully good on her – but she hadn't given them back to him either. She had chosen to wear jeans – and they fit her ever so well – and a comfortable sweater, and he was mildly disappointed to see her wavy hair trapped into a ponytail, but she was as beautiful as ever and he even thought about telling her that, but bit back the words. He wasn't sure how to progress now that so much progress had been done.

With the exception of the kiss she gave him in the morning, the rest of the day had been spent in an almost careful manner. He wasn't sure she wanted to talk about everything that had happened, and he himself wanted a break from all the troubles that seemed to run through them. They had attempted and succeeded in some light conversation topics, but apart from some lingering touches and looks, they hadn't had much contact. The mood had gone playful when they attempted to make dinner together and now, having been working for a while, he pondered if it was time he left for the cottage.

The last thing he wanted to do was to push Anna, to have her thinking he was expecting more, so he decided to keep quiet and write. Having exchanged few words after dinner and settling on the sofa of one of the house's living rooms – Anna's favourite, as she told him – he wondered if she had any idea of how much her simple movements could affect him. As she sat against the arm of the sofa, her eyes hidden behind her glasses as she read and her small feet almost touching his thigh, more than once he thought about sliding his hand to touch her lovely ankles, or bring her feet to his lap and try to warm them up. It hadn't been an unusual thing – they had both been in the same positions many days before, but as tantalising as it had been then, it was nothing compared as to how it was now, now that he had had Anna.

He sighed, writing the finishing words of yet another chapter. He chanced a look at the clock. It was barely past ten, but he felt exhausted after not having slept much in the previous night. Anna was apparently focused on her reading now. He looked around the room. It was tastefully decorated with comfortable sofas and a fireplace. It was quite traditional, in a way, though the big flat television on the wall displayed quite a bit of modernity there. It was currently on mute, some old period drama on. He had noticed Anna watching it a few times before. There were some photographs on the coffee table, and he supposed they were all Anna's, since she had told him before her aunt and uncle had already taken a lot of their things from the house. He noticed a young blonde girl in several of them all, and it made him smile. Despite everything, it seemed like she had had a good childhood.

He took a deep breath and closed the laptop, leaning back against the sofa. Anna looked up at him with a frown.

"Finished already?" she asked.

John nodded. "Seems like it. I'm exhausted."

"You did get a lot done," she said, taking off her glasses and putting them on top of her head. "Didn't even ask for help today."

"I thought you could use a break," he smiled. "Good book?"

She shrugged. "All right."

He nodded thoughtfully, and was just about to tell her he should get going when his eyes spotted an item in the far corner of the room, right in front of a window. He frowned in amusement.

"Is that a turntable?"

Anna followed his gaze and nodded. "Oh, yes. That's an old one. Belonged to my grandfather. We managed to get it fixed and everything but no one's used it in ages."

He turned to look at her. "You mean it still works?"

She nodded again. "It's supposed to work, yes. You can try it if you want to. There's an LP collection under it."

John stood up, making Anna laugh at his eagerness, and walked towards the turntable. Indeed, it seemed very well-cared for. Its polished wood made him smile. His father used to have one of those. Of course it had broken after a while; it was difficult to find one that worked nowadays. He thought he still remembered how it worked. He took a look at the cabinet under the turntable and opened it, finding a number of discs inside. It was clear it hadn't been used in a while, as most of the discs were from the fifties and sixties, but one of them made him smile.

"Found one, then?" he heard Anna's voice as he worked his way around the turntable. He smiled when the distinct sound of music started playing and turned around to see Anna chuckling at his song of choice. "Unchained Melody? Really?"

He arched his eyebrows. "It's a classic. Have you never seen Ghost?"

Her smile was bright and she put her glasses and the manuscript away on the coffee table. "You aren't hearing me complain. I actually like it."

John couldn't help but grin and walk towards her. "Come on. Let's dance."

"You dance, huh?" she said teasingly, but accepting his hand and standing up. "Tell me it's not something you learnt while in the university to impress girls."

He chuckled, enjoying the feeling of her hands against his and her body so close. "No. My mother taught me some moves here and there. I know my way around."

And to prove his point, he whirled her around, making her giggle when she turned back to the original position, though a bit closer now. He marvelled in the sound of her laughter against the melody. They moved slowly in their spot, and she looked so precious, so different from the broken woman of a few days before, that he couldn't help but place a chaste kiss on her forehead, closest to his reach. She let out another laugh as he attempted to move them in tune with the song, her ponytail bouncing ever so slightly. She was even closer to him now. He looked down and met her gaze.

"I could listen to your laugh all day," he commented and she blinked at his words, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

"You really do have a way with words," she said. Her voice was quiet, but her smile didn't falter. Her hands moved to his shoulders and he placed his on her waist. "No wonder you're a writer."

She stopped rather abruptly, and before he knew she was standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her lips were soft and lingering, rather insistent against his, and it wasn't long before he was kissing her back and she was opening her mouth, deepening the kiss. He wondered how it was possible for her to taste even better now than she had all the previous times; he brought her closer to him, stroking her waist as he felt her hands slipping through the hair just above his neck.

They pulled away to breathe a moment later, and he vaguely noticed that the room was silent now. Anna's eyes were anxious, boring into his, but she made no attempt to move away from him. Instead, she kissed him again, quickly but full of promise.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" she whispered as she pulled away. "I know I said we needed to be careful and we do, but I-"

"I may have taken care of that when I went to the village earlier," he admitted. "I hope you don't find me too cheeky."

Anna let out a laugh and kissed him again.

They made it to the bed, this time; they had to stop by the kitchen to get some provisions, but he found that once she kissed him it was difficult for him to stop and not kiss her. As she led him up the stairs to the bedroom she occupied, he didn't even pay much attention to his surroundings, only to her. The first time had been rushed and he felt like he hadn't had much time to fully explore her; now, however, he was sure he'd never have enough time to do that. He was completely mesmerised by her, in every way possible. The way that she had whimpered when he backed her up against the door before they reached the bedroom, how she moaned when he cupped her breasts through the material of her sweater and how she seemed to always gasp when he kissed that spot behind her ear.

Anna had taken to a more active part than last time, undressing him languidly when they reached the bedroom, taking her time with his chest and teasing through his undergarments; she definitely would learn fast how to drive him crazy, as she already did, and he didn't mind it one bit. Her hands were swift and soft and everywhere, and teasing and exploring like they never had before.

Soon they had reached their peak and as she climbed on top of him and most coherent thoughts were banished from his mind, he could only marvel in the feeling of her skin against his, of how perfectly they fit, of how incredibly right this felt, despite everything; Anna made him feel alive, more alive than anything or anyone ever had before, despite how tentative their actions and touches still were, still discovering, still anxious to make the other feel good, but the feeling of being inside her was more than enough for him. As her movements grew increasingly fast and he moved his attentions from her perky breasts and reached to where they were joined, massaging her and slowly learning what she liked, he knew he'd be undone soon.

In the back of his mind, whilst he watched her bite her lower lip and moan, he thought about how he had never had this before, this strong connection, to any other woman before. As she shuddered on top of him, splaying her hands against his chest and reaching to kiss his lips, himself losing control, he vaguely thought that this was it – this was what he had been looking for, and it was so much more than physical intimacy and friendship and companionship.

It was love.

John kissed her languidly when she collapsed on top of him, her light weight feeling delicious against him, their breaths mingling as they struggled to get it back to normal. This time, so unlike the last one, had they sharing a smile, and he realised that was the first time he had seen one of her smile reaching her eyes, and his heart swelled with joy.

This time, they lay contently afterwards, talking about sweet nothings and he found out it wasn't so difficult to make her laugh, especially when he touched that spot beneath her ribs. He was sure he looked like a fool whenever Anna smiled, but he didn't mind it at all. This time, he told her she was beautiful. And this time, she replied him with a kiss.

He decided that with Anna by his side, there was nothing he couldn't do.

"It's good to see that no one is missing this morning," Anna's soft voice startled him and he turned from the stove to see her in the doorway.

John stood with his mouth agape at the sight of her, now wearing the hoodie he had been wearing the previous evening and some pink slippers. Luckily for him, the hoodie was big enough to cover most of her thighs but she had to know it affected him. It took him at least two seconds to properly close his mouth and smile at her as she walked towards him.

"You know, I thought you had decided to wear my clothes yesterday because yours were dirty and the rest was here," he teased her. "But I think you just want to drive me a little crazy."

She hugged him from behind as he took care of their breakfast, careful to not be distracted by her leaning against him. Anna planted a kiss on his shoulder and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"I like your clothes. They smell like you," she said simply, before moving away from him and settling with her back on the counter. "What are you making?"

"Just some eggs and toast," he answered with a shrug. "I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but you beat me to it."

She let out a laugh. "Well, we'll just have to work on some other opportunities," he exchanged a look with her. She seemed a bit anxious. "I was wondering if, when the book is finished, you'd like to go to London with me. There's… something I'd like to do there. And I'd like it if you came with me."

John smiled. "I'd love to. But we don't need to wait until the book is finished. We can go this week, if you'd like."

"So soon?" Anna asked in surprise. "But there are only 3 weeks until Christmas and the book isn't finished."

"Two or three more chapters and it's over. I can manage a day or two without writing," he told her. "If you're asking me now it must be important. I maintain what I said before, Anna. I'm here for you."

She smiled sweetly and he detected a hint of sadness there, but also gratitude. He took a quick look at the eggs and stepped away to be closer to her. The moment he opened his arms, she embraced him and he placed a soft kiss on her temple. She pulled away to look at him properly, her hands cupping his cheeks.

"Thank you," Anna told him. "You're such a wonderful man."

"Well, you make it very easy for me, you know," he commented and she laughed, though she cringed abruptly after a moment.

"I think there's something burning," she said, but he gave her a quick peck on the lips before going back to check the eggs.

He didn't mind. Not even burnt eggs would take Anna's sweet taste out of his mouth.

A/N: We're getting closer to the ending, and there's still some healing to be done... Reviews are always welcome! What do you think Anna wants to do in London? Some issues still need covering, let's see if you'll get it all right, since you were all so clever about Anna's past! :)

Thanks so much for reading!