I.

"Oh, come on, that was at least worthy of a yellow card!" John yelled at the television. "Take off your blinders and watch the game!"

Lacy's head lifted quickly from its place in his lap and she fixed him with a glare as if to say 'really?' John apologized and dug his knuckles under the flap of her ear just as she liked, earning a satisfied groan from the big dog. She stretched, pushing against him and almost knocking him off the sofa before laying her head back in his lap. Her eyes never left the bag of crisps just out of her reach on the opposite end of the sofa.

The cable installer had been by that morning, much to his delight. He'd had to submit a written proposal to the church board to have the work done to begin with. Father Gantry and his wife apparently never watched television at all, as his predecessor was a vehement derider of mass media in general, eschewing computers, television, and cell phones. It took quite a bit of convincing to get the seven member board, all of whom were at least twenty years older than he, to acquiesce that even a priest needed something other than the Good Book to entertain him.

His cell phone rang and John patted his shirt pocket where it should have been, remembering that he'd left it in the kitchen instead. He shifted in the seat and pushed himself up onto his left foot, grabbing the crutch he carried for times like this, when he wanted to be free of the prosthetic. He wasn't lying to Anna when he told her it had been bothering him more lately. His physical therapist had warned him the pain could shift about and worsen as time went on, but he thought he had more time, at least another ten years. He considered Rob's offer to send him to a private doctor instead of his military one, but as always, the thought was fleeting. He would bear his scars and pain without complaint. Far holier men than he had endured far greater pain.

Lacy fell into place at his left side automatically, there in case he lost his balance and needed to brace himself. She had gone through training as a puppy to become a therapy and assistance dog, but ultimately had not been selected for the program. By that point, John was too in love with the then gangly teenager of a dog to let her go, so he formally adopted her from the training program. She knew enough to stand beside him when he wobbled, but had the tendency to become distracted, and couldn't be trusted to assist with household tasks, such as opening and closing doors and the like. She did it on occasion, but only on her terms or when food was involved.

It was during one of his nightmares when Lacy showed him her most valuable trick, one that she had never actually received training for. As he lay in bed, whimpering and crying and curled into a pathetic ball, she climbed into the bed with him and laid across his body. She dug her wet nose into the crook of his neck and licked the sweaty skin she found until he awakened, clinging to her like a life preserver in a storm. One moment he was in a village in Iraq surrounded by bloated, fly-covered corpses, the next, a giant tongue was licking him senseless. Every time his sleep was tormented by his demons, Lacy pulled him out of it.

John hobbled into the kitchen, just missing the call from Robert on his cell. He slipped the phone into his shirt pocket and went back into the living room to return the call, Lacy hugging his side all the way. He carefully eased down onto the sofa and checked the game on television before ringing Rob back.

Rob picked up on the second ring. "I'll assumed you're watching the match? What was that call about anyway?" he sputtered indignantly. John could hear the game through the phone. "He was offsides and grabbed the man's shirt, for God's sake."

John folded his arms across his chest and slouched down on the couch, phone tucked between ear and shoulder. "I think this is the same ref that gave that bad call to West Ham over the summer...the game where the crowd rioted."

Rob grunted in agreement. "I take it you're enjoying your cable service?"

"You have no idea," John almost groaned. "How God expected me to live like this, I'll never understand. We don't take vows of boredom, you know."

Rob's chuckle was hearty. "Don't I know it. Listen, John, I keep meaning to bring this up. The firm is having a New Year's Eve party, and I wanted you to come."

John grimaced as he watched another bad play from United. "You know I'm not much of a party sort of fellow," he groused. He remembered the last soiree he'd attended, which had been Rob's retirement party from Crown Petroleum a year ago. A few people at that party knew that he'd saved Rob's life in Iraq, and word spread like wildfire. Too many drunken executives and curious spouses had pressed him for the full story, and he'd had to leave before a half hour had passed. He had gotten dangerously close to having a panic attack when some oblivious idiot set off firecrackers in the garden and ran out as fast as his crippled legs would carry him.

He nearly had a relapse that evening, finding himself standing mournfully outside a liquor store in the pouring rain, staring at the gleaming bottles inside. It had taken divine intervention to keep him from walking inside and purchasing a bottle of what had been his favorite Scotch during his drinking days. His feet propelled him forward toward the door and he suddenly felt as if he'd walked into a brick wall. No matter how he told his legs to move, he couldn't go an inch further. He believed the hand of God had reached down and steadied his heart and cleared his mind that night. It was the most profound religious experience he'd ever had in his life, the feeling of the Holy Spirit filling him, staying his course and keeping him true. It further reinforced to him that he had chosen the right path for the rest of his life.

"Nonsense," Rob replied. "I can promise you it will be much more subdued than the last one. My mother will be there after all."

He could almost hear Rob's eyes rolling through the phone. "Brilliant," John snorted as he reached for the bag of crisps and tossed a couple to Lacy. "I'm sure she'll make sure that everyone stays on their best behavior, but I doubt I'd be much fun, you know. New Year's Eve hasn't been my thing in years. I hate fireworks." He'd finally gotten to the point where he could hear and see fireworks without having flashbacks, as long as he knew they were coming.

Rob sighed, his breath heavy in the microphone of his cell. "It's typically not my sort of thing either, but it was Cora's idea. She wanted to throw a party before the office opens officially. It seemed a good time to do it, with the construction wrapping up tomorrow. And she demanded that I invite you."

"I'm losing this battle, aren't I?" John sighed.

"In spectacular fashion."

John sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Who all are coming?"

"The whole family will be there of course, along with the staff and a few of the clients Matthew and I are bringing with to the firm."

"Oh?" John's ears perked up at the mention of the staff attending. "The entire staff?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yes," Rob replied slowly, drawing the word out as the wheels in John's head turned. "Even Anna."

John's heart raced wildly as he tried to cover for himself. "Well, of course I would expect her there, as she is a member of your staff," he said quickly. "I just wanted to get an idea of how many people would be there."

Robert's silence spoke volumes. "She's a wonderful young woman, John," he said carefully after a few seconds. "I know you two spent quite a bit of time together at Christmas. It would do her no good to get her hopes up, given your situation. That is, of course, unless you'd like me to look into that for you."

"No, no," John said as he ran his hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're right," he finally said. "Anna is a wonderful woman who I am happy to count as a friend. There's nothing between us other than that. You're reading too much into things."

"Am I?" Rob said pointedly. "I'll remind you of that if you so much as make her frown at you, much less break her heart."

"I would never do that," John promised, staring out the window into the darkness. At least, never intentionally. He sighed at the tangled web of confusion he'd managed to get himself caught up in. "Fine," he acquiesced. "I'll be there with bells on, if it will make you happy."

II.

The pearl earrings were too matronly, and the cluster of faux sapphires was too gaudy. Anna turned her head from side to side to look at each ear, before making a very unladylike groan of disappointment and removing them both. She stared at her small jewelry box for a while before closing it and reaching into her dresser drawer to find the one pair she hadn't tried on yet. The small velvet box was tucked away in the bottom, at the very back, under her socks. The old hinge creaked as she opened it, revealing a pair of dangling diamond earrings, with a single small sapphire set above the posts. These had been her mother's, intended to be a tenth wedding anniversary gift from her father. He'd died a few days before their anniversary and the expensive dinner he'd planned. The earrings sat in their box, never worn, until her mother found them a few years later. She'd given them to Anna to someday wear at her wedding, but that certainly never came about, so twenty years later, they remained unworn.

Anna turned the box in her hand, the diamonds catching the light from her lamps and flashing brilliantly. The blue of the sapphires went perfectly with the subdued azure sparkles of the shimmering black dress she'd purchased for the party. Matthew had said it was black tie, so she decided to splurge a bit. It had been so long since she really dressed up and went out, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she was looking forward to the opportunity. The dress was long and clingy, without being too risque. All of the appropriate skin was covered, and she would still maintain the professional air she needed to amongst colleagues and clients. She'd spent entirely too much on the dress and shoes, but as she looked at herself in the long mirror on the back of the changing room door at the shop, she knew it was perfect.

She fumbled with the delicate earring clasps a bit before finally sliding them into place. Her hair fell about her shoulders in soft waves, and the earrings managed to peek out as she craned her neck to and fro. It really would have been a shame to not wear the jewelry, she decided, especially since it was probably the only time it would ever see the light of day.

Anna touched up her makeup, much more than she would normally wear, having followed an online video tutorial that Gwen had sent her that morning. It was subtle, but striking all the same. She almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror and she puffed her chest out in satisfaction. She suddenly broke out in giggles. Maybe some rich client at the party would sweep her off her feet, whisk her away into the night, and all of the trite cliches that Hollywood told her should be her dream come true. She looked good, and John Bates had no idea what he would be missing.

She snorted at her folly as her cell phone beeped, the vibration bringing her out of her flight of fancy. It was a text from Gwen, saying she was downstairs waiting to go. Anna fired off a quick reply, checked her makeup and hair one more time, and grabbed her coat and purse.

Anna made her way down the steps in front of her building, colliding with a man on the sidewalk who obviously had begun celebrating early, by the way he was unsteadily swaying on his feet and the distinct stench of alcohol that surrounded him. He grabbed onto her hips, one hand patting her side.

"You look lovely. Going to a party?" he rasped, his breath so sour her stomach clenched.

"Yes," Anna answered quickly, trying to get his hands off her her. She avoided making eye contact, for fear that he would mistake it for interest. "Happy New Year," she murmured politely as she stepped away toward the safety of Gwen's car.

"Making friends?" Gwen joked after Anna shut the car door, earning a glare.

"He's completely sloshed," Anna groaned as she watched the man shamble away. "Probably doesn't know where he is, much less his own name."

"All in the spirit of the evening, I say," Gwen replied. "I wouldn't mind being as oblivious to the world, but I'm the one who's driving." Gwen's serviceable old Volvo, older than both of them, wasn't exactly the most luxurious car to arrive to the party in, but they'd agreed that Anna's little blue Micra was even less suitable. Robert had hired a valet service to park their cars, and arriving in something resembling style was the subject of much consternation as Anna and Gwen picked out their dresses and planned for the evening.

She'd managed to find a space right out front, which was amazing given how horrible the parking typically was in this neighborhood. Anna often had to leave her own car blocks away rather than drive in circles until someone left a space near her flat. It was the one thing she hated about the building. Maybe Gwen had a good point about moving on to greener pastures. She would kill for a private driveway or parking space, not to mention a neighborhood that didn't have an increasing number of vagrants wandering about at night.

Gwen looked Anna up and down and grinned. "Look at you, Miss Fancy Pants," she gushed. She'd picked out a pale green dress and had her hair done up in a bun. "I haven't seen you that dolled up since our formal. Who are you trying to snag?"

Anna rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Please," she said dismissively. "We both know we'll end up coming home together and then pass out watching something on DVD, just like every New Year. And after our formal too, if you'll recall. Neither of our dates had our best intentions in mind."

"Ugh, Tim Bennett was the worst. All acne and grabby hands," Gwen groaned as she pulled away from the curb, making an illegal U-turn to head back toward the highway. "Well, we'll look brilliant in all of our sparkles and glitter during our Pirates of the Caribbean marathon." This sent both of them into hysterical giggles, and they spent the rest of the drive reminiscing about school and boys and everything that had seemed so complicated at the time.

The office building was in the "new" downtown, which was a twenty minute highway drive from where Anna lived. Her days of occasionally walking to work were over, she realized mournfully as she stared out the window at the passing traffic. O'Brien, Barrow and Swire had been near the courthouse and city hall, which was very convenient to her flat. In the past ten years, a second sort of downtown had been emerging from the shadows of the past. People like Robert were buying up old buildings and faithfully restoring them, and if they couldn't be saved, they were torn down and new, modern buildings went in their place. Everything old became new again, and the money followed along.

They pulled up to the front of the building just after eleven, and two valets in red jackets immediately ran out to open the doors for them. After trading Gwen's keys for a claim ticket, they walked arm in arm into the foyer and checked their coats and purses. They took the original old steel and glass elevator to the top floor, where the party was being held. The doors opened to reveal a room absolutely full of people, none of whom Anna recognized. She felt a brief moment of panic and clung to Gwen's arm. So much for the subdued party that Matthew and Robert had promised.

"They really went all out, didn't they?" Gwen marveled as they both took in the room. Gone were the scaffolds and tarps that had been there just days ago, and in their place was gorgeous wood paneling, marble floors, and giant pots planted with lush greenery. The entire south wall that overlooked the park had been knocked out and replaced with a floor to ceiling glass doors that opened onto a patio spanning the length of the building. It was an unseasonably warm evening for this time of year, and even the patio was packed with partygoers. An ice sculpture of a horse rising from an ocean wave was the centerpiece of the room. Young men in ties and tails served drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and a piano played softly from one corner of the open room.

The law offices were below them on the third and fourth floors of the building, with the first and second still being renovated and earmarked for expansion. They wouldn't even be using this fifth floor of the building when the firm opened, but Robert restored it anyway. He planned on renting it out as a posh event space for the right price. Part of the reasoning for the party tonight was to spread the word about the building and the room. That all of the work had been finished so quickly was nothing short of a miracle.

Anna spotted Mary from across the room, and they waved excitedly to each other. Matthew waved as well, though he was far more subdued. He waggled his eyebrows and grinned, then glanced sideways at Mary. He patted his breast pocket, probably to remind Anna of his plans to propose. Anna almost groaned aloud. The man was like a little lost puppy sometimes, the way he followed Mary around.

They ended up mingling with the few people they did know, and Anna went around the room introducing Gwen to the members of the Crawley family. All were absolutely polite and gracious, especially Sybil, who was there without Tom tonight, tonight was a busy night for his fledgling company. Gwen drifted off in search of something to eat, and Anna was left alone with the youngest Crawley sister as they made small talk.

It took her a few moments and several sips of champagne to muster up the courage to ask Sybil something that had been on her mind since Christmas Eve. "If you don't mind my asking," she began.

"Oh, you can ask me anything," Sybil beamed. "I won't mind."

"Why is everyone so down on Edith?" Anna asked curiously. "Everyone but you, of course."

Sybil made an uncomfortable face and Anna immediately regretted her brashness. "It's something she did several years ago," she explained slowly. She bit her lip and glanced over at Edith as she chatted up an older man in a tuxedo that looked a few decades out of style. "Do you remember back in, oh, 2005, I think, the captain of Arsenal died suddenly while in London for a match?"

Anna wracked her brain to try to remember anything of the sort, but everything was fuzzy. "It might sound familiar? I'm sorry I can't remember anything about it. I don't really follow football."

Sybil waved her hand and shrugged. "It's okay. Anyway, he was being talked about as the new David Beckham. All of the clubs were fighting over who would sign him, all over Europe, before he signed with Arsenal. His name was Kemal Pamuk, and he was gorgeous. Bronze skin, curls, tall and athletic. Such a waste."

Something tickled the back of Anna's mind then, and she vaguely remembered a bit more. "There was something about the way he died, wasn't there?" Anna reminisced with a little frown. "Some sort of scandal?"

Sybil nodded and laced her fingers together nervously. "He was dating a supermodel at the time, and they were a huge power couple in the press. Tabloids loved them. They couldn't go anywhere without cameras being shoved in their faces. He was starting his own modeling career and fashion line, and even film producers were talking him up. So, that day in London, the night of a match, he suddenly had a heart attack while in bed." She paused and bit her lip.

"Go on," Anna said slowly, not seeing where this was going.

"He was in bed with Mary," Sybil almost whispered, her eyes darting over to her sister.

Anna clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god," she gasped between her fingers as she tried not to be too obvious. She dared not look in Mary's direction.

"And no one would have known he was actually in her bed, but it turned out that Edith found out about it. She sold the story and a few photos from the scene to the Daily Mail for a hundred and fifty thousand pounds, along with some lewd photos that Kemal had been sending to Mary, and used the money to start up her own celebrity gossip site." Sybil shook her head in exasperation. "Mary was devastated enough about Kemal, but to have Edith sell her out was like twisting a knife in her back."

"That's awful!" Anna said in disgust. "Why would she turn on her own sister like that?"

Sybil rolled her eyes dramatically. "Because she and Mary have always had this ridiculous rivalry. I don't even know who started it. I doubt either of them do either. But that was like a can of petrol thrown onto the fire. Even Mummy and Papa still hold it against her." She groaned and dropped her shoulders. "We had paparazzi outside our house for weeks. I couldn't even go see my friends, much less them come see me, because there was always some camera being shoved in my face as well. I was fifteen. Do you have any idea how much that destroyed my social life?"

"I can't even imagine," Anna said in sympathy.

"So that's that," Sybil shrugged. "Mary hates Edith, Edith won't apologize, and Mummy and Daddy want to disown her still. And me? I just want everyone to get along and be happy and love each other."

Anna smiled and took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray. "Well, that's a good goal to have, I think."

"I think so too," Sybil's eyes brightened. "So it's my turn to ask questions. I've been dying to ask how you know my uncle John?"

Her heart jumped at the mention of John, and her eyes quickly scanned the room for him, with no luck. "Umm, my mother passed away a couple months ago," Anna explained. "I ended up at Downton in need of someone to talk to, and there he was." She smiled at the memory of his voice as he comforted her that autumn afternoon. She didn't really look at him much that day, but she remembered the kindness of his eyes. "I ran into him a couple more times, and we sort of hit it off. As friends, I mean."

"Friends," Sybil said, her eyes narrowing tightly.

"Friends," Anna said firmly.

Sybil leveled a finger at Anna's chest with a cheeky grin. "I really like you, but if you hurt his feelings…"

"What?" Anna scoffed defensively. "Why would I do that?"

"Because he likes you, silly," Sybil ribbed good naturedly. "I could tell that all night at Christmas dinner. Not to mention every time he looked at you at church Christmas morning. I've never seen him so flustered. He's had too many bad things happen to him in his life to get his heart broken now, what with the war, and his leg, not to mention the whole business with Nigel."

Anna frowned, her head snapping backward slightly. "Nigel? He's never told me about a Nigel?"

"He hasn't?" Sybil was definitely uncomfortable now, and she seemed to be looking for an exit route. "Umm, it's not my place to tell…"

"You just told me about your sister shagging a man to death," Anna snorted. "Honestly, this can't be worse."

"Well, you'll have to ask him sometime," Sybil said, ducking her head. "Not tonight though."

"What do you mean, not tonight? He's not here, is he?" Anna's voice rose an octave as she panicked and searched the room frantically.

Sybil's nod in the opposite direction Anna was facing made her spin on her heels quickly, her eyes widening as she was met immediately with a broad chest impeccably clad in a black tuxedo, and hazel eyes sparkling with amusement and anticipation.