Author's Note: This chapter is literally just an explosion of Bates family fluff, I'm not going to lie. I hope you all enjoy! :-)
It was the feeling of her hair being stroked that roused Anna from her slumber the next morning, a gentle smile forming on her lips when she opened her eyes and her gaze met with that of her daughter's. 'Hi, Mummy.' Adelaide whispered as she looked at her from where her head rested on her shoulder, her eyes glistening as she continued to stroke her hair with the palm of her hand.
'Hello, my darling,' Anna giggled before pressing her lips against her hairline, 'did you sleep well?
Adelaide nodded in response which caused one of her curls to fall into her face, Anna feeling her heart swell with love for her as she brought the hand that wasn't wrapped around her waist up to her face in order to tuck it back behind her ear. 'Up?' Adelaide asked after a few minutes before Anna turned her head on her pillow to look at the small clock that was sitting on her nightstand.
After noticing that it had just turned 7:45 she turned her attention back to her daughter with a nod. 'Yes, I think it's time for Mummy to get up and start making breakfast.' She smiled lovingly.
'I help?' Adelaide raised her brow at her with hope in her eyes, prompting her to kiss her forehead.
'Of course you can help me, sweetheart.' She swept a hand through her curls before drawing back the quilt and climbing out of bed, her gaze falling on her sleeping husband once her daughter was stood beside her and had taken her hand. 'How about we make Daddy's special breakfast today? He might let us go to the beach and see the sea if we do.' She watched Adelaide's eyes light up.
'See sea, Mummy, see sea!' The three-year-old exclaimed quietly so not to disturb her father.
Anna couldn't help but shake her head in slight disbelief that the incredible little girl beside her was hers to love and take care of for the rest of her life. She meant the whole world and more to her. 'Come on then.' She drew circles into the back of her palm with her thumb. 'We had better get started if we're going to have everything ready for Daddy by the time he gets up, hadn't we?'
She just had to giggle when Adelaide all but dragged her out of the bedroom by the hand.
It was around half-an-hour later when Anna was stood at the stove while she stirred the beans in a saucepan and Adelaide was sat at the table behind her while she drew a picture, her lips curling up into a knowing smile when she felt a pair of arms snake around her middle from behind. 'What are you after?'John's lips brushed her ear while he spoke which caused her to shiver in his arms.
'What do you mean?' She smirked as she leaned back against his chest.
'You know exactly what I mean.' He chuckled before pressing a kiss into her neck. 'You only ever make breakfasts like this when you want something from me or when you want me to agree to something. Now which is it?' He rested his chin on her shoulder, revelling in the giggle she gave.
'Ask Addie.' She told him.
He looked over his shoulder at their beautiful little girl who was still colouring in with her crayons, Adelaide's eyes twinkling as she flashed him a smile when she glanced up from her sheet of paper and met his gaze. Unwinding his arms from around his wife's waist he approached the table with a smile of his own on his lips before lowering himself down into the chair to the right of Adelaide. 'Addie,' He reached out to brush a curl back behind her ear, 'do you know what Mummy's after?'
'Go beach!' She told him as she set down the crayon in her hand. 'See sea, Daddy, see sea!'
He shook his head in response with a smirk, feeling his heart swell when Anna looked at him over her shoulder. 'So you went to all of this trouble because you want to go to the beach? You could have just asked, you know.' He told his wife, Anna laughing as she turned to turn off the stove.
'Addie and I thought that making your "special breakfast" might help convince you.' She admitted.
He watched her spoon the beans onto two plates with pure love in his eyes before feeling a tug on the sleeve of his nightshirt. 'Go beach, Daddy?' Adelaide asked when he turned his attention back to her and met her gaze. 'Please?' The longing she felt was unmistakable in her gentle green eyes.
'I don't see why not.' He replied after placing his hands on her waist and drawing her into his lap, eliciting a series of infectious giggles from her as he tickled her sides. 'We go home tomorrow, so we might as well make the most of our last day.' A surge of deep love for his daughter coursed through him when she cuddled against his chest, a smile on his lips as he kissed her crown softly.
It wasn't long before Anna was placing his breakfast down in front of him on the table, her lips curling up into a smile when he caught hold of her wrist before she could walk off to get her own breakfast. 'Come here.' He told her, Anna brushing her hair out of her face before she rested her hand on his shoulder and bent down to give him a kiss. 'I love you.' He smiled once they'd parted.
'I love you too.' She squeezed his shoulder before heading over to the kitchen counter to fetch her breakfast. Once she had returned to the table she sat in the chair beside John and Adelaide and sighed as she began to eat. 'Have you given any more thought to what you're going to be getting Adelaide for her birthday?' She asked after a time, Adelaide looking up at the sound of her name.
'I have, but I'm not going to say what it is when there are little ears present.' He chuckled.
Anna nodded before running the back of her hand down their daughter's cheek.
'Love Mummy.' Adelaide said as she snuggled against John's chest.
'I love you too, princess.' Anna reassured her. 'So much.'
She and John then shared a loving glance before continuing to eat their breakfast, the thought of spending a day on the beach with their little girl filling them both with great joy.
Anna released a sigh of happiness as she leaned against her husband when the two of them were sat on the sand at the beach that afternoon and he had his arm wrapped around her waist, her head cushioned on his shoulder while they watched Adelaide play a safe distance away from them. Since it was rather windy the beach was practically deserted, save for a couple who were walking along the shore and some children playing with a ball, and it was clear that Adelaide was enjoying herself immensely. 'I know I don't say it often enough, but I feel so blessed to have you for my wife.' Anna heard John sigh into her ear, a smile on her lips as she turned her head towards him.
'You don't have to say it in order for me to know.' She told him while sliding her hand inside his jacket and curling her fingers into his shirt, his lips finding her forehead as she snuggled further into his warmth. 'But, for the record, I feel just as blessed to have you for my husband.' She let her eyes fall closed as she lay her head on his chest but opened them moments later when she heard Adelaide call her name as she hurried over. 'Hello, you.' She laughed. 'Are you having fun?'
Adelaide nodded, out of breath from running, before she lowered herself into her lap and allowed her to bury a kiss in her curls. 'I'm cold, Mummy.' She said after tilting her head back on her chest, Anna sighing in response as she tightened her hold of her and stroked her cheek warmly.
'I had a feeling this coat would be too thin for her; I should have trusted my instinct.' She shook her head after turning her head in her husband's direction, John running his hand up and down her back before he started to remove his jacket. 'If you do that then you're going to be freezing.' She pointed out, feeling her love for him deepen as he shook his head and placed it over Adelaide.
'As long as she's warm I don't care.' He replied, sweeping a hand through their daughter's hair as she smiled up at him from beneath his jacket. 'Is that better, sweetheart?' He asked her gently.
Adelaide hummed her response. 'Thank you, Daddy.'
'It's quite alright.' He reassured her before slipping his arm around Anna's waist again and pulling her close. 'I don't need a jacket when I have you to keep me warm.' He teased, his wife rolling her eyes at him before her eyes fluttered closed as she pressed her lips against his cheek with a sigh. 'I think we've got a tired little girl on our hands.' He whispered once Anna had settled in his arms again, a smile forming on her lips when she looked at Adelaide and noticed her eyes were closed.
'I'm not surprised she's exhausted.' She laughed, stroking her back through his jacket. 'She's done nothing but run around for the last hour. I think I'll put her to bed a little earlier tonight. I'll feed her before we have our dinner and then leave her to get some sleep so she's fully rested for the journey home in the morning.' John nodded before he pressed a slow kiss to the side of her head.
'I think you should have a bit of an earlier night too.' He told her. 'You hardly slept last night.'
Anna sighed. 'It's the morning sickness. It seems to be getting worse rather than better.'
'When we get back to Downton we'll go and see doctor Clarkson and see if there's anything he can prescribe or suggest to ease it.' He ran a hand up and down her side through her coat, Anna laying her head down on her shoulder as she held Adelaide closer to her. 'I can't wait, you know.'
'Neither can I.' She beamed when he looked into her eyes. 'Neither can I.'
'She was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow, the little darling.' Anna told John as she entered the sitting room of the cottage after putting Adelaide to bed that night, her husband smiling at her from where he was sat on the settee. 'I've never seen such an exhausted little girl.'
'It's been a long day. For all three of us.' He replied. 'Come here.'
She began to walk over to him when he extended his hand to her, a tired sigh leaving her as she slipped her own into it and lowered herself down into his lap. When his arms slipped around her middle she lay her head down on his chest before closing her eyes. 'This is nice.' She murmured.
'It is.' He concurred. 'We don't seem to cuddle as much as we used to anymore.'
'That's probably because we're so worn out by the end of the day that we go to bed near enough at the same time as Addie.' She giggled, the tiredness evident in her voice as she grasped his shirt in her hand. ''All jokes aside, though, I have to admit that I do miss having moments like this.'
John smiled as he buried a number of kisses in her hair. 'You wouldn't change anything though?'
'Not for all the money in the world.' She shook her head. 'I finally have all I've ever wanted.'
Even though she found that she was far more tired at the end of each day than she had been in the months before she and John had brought Adelaide home from the adoption centre she couldn't complain. She loved having their little girl snuggle against her in the night and bury her cold feet under her legs to warm them up; she loved having her run up to her with a picture she had drawn just for her, pride and happiness etched into her features. She just loved being Adelaide's mother in general. Over the last few weeks she had made mistakes, she knew that, but she knew Adelaide still loved her and that John was still proud of her and that made her happier than she could say.
She tilted her head back on his chest once a few silent seconds had passed and lifted her hand to his face, the two of them sharing a smile as she drew the back of it down his cheek. 'I love you. I hope you know that, John.' She told him while she gazed into his eyes and played with his collar.
'Of course I know.' He whispered before tucking her hair back behind her ear.
'I just feel as though I've...neglected...you a little since we brought Addie home and I want you to know that it wasn't intentional. It's just that I -' His lips pressed against her own prevented her from finishing her sentence, a whimper leaving her as she cupped the side of his neck and traced his jawline with her thumb. 'Blimey…' She breathed once their kiss had come to its conclusion.
The feeling of her husband running the tip of his nose along the bridge of hers caused a smile to grace her features before she opened her eyes and wound her arms around her neck as she met his gaze. 'You haven't neglected me.' He told her while running his hands up and down her sides. 'I know how much Addie means to you and I know how much trying to help her get past what happened to her as a baby means to you, my love, and I respect that.' Anna gave a gentle nod.
'I think I'm emotional because I'm tired.' She sighed.
'You are tired.' He ran his hand over her hair. 'This trip has taken a lot out of you, my darling.'
She teased the hairs at the nape of his neck with her fingers. 'It was so worth it though.'
'This time next year we're going to have two children.' He told her, drawing her closer to him.
'I can't believe it, I really can't.' She admitted. 'I've wanted this for longer than I can remember.'
John ran a hand along the small of her back. 'We both have.' He kissed her forehead.
'You mean so much to me, you know.' She cupped the sides of his neck in her hands.
'And you mean just as much to me, my love, I can assure you of that.' He placed a soft kiss on her lips before realising just how tired she really was. 'I think it's time for you to head to bed.'
'We haven't even had dinner yet.' She reminded him.
He gave her a pointed look. 'You are not slaving away in that kitchen for the next hour. We can make some sandwiches and take them up to bed with us.' Anna knew that nothing she said was going to make him change his mind and so she nodded and left a final kiss to his mouth before slipping out of his lap. 'You do know that I expect you to rest when we get home, don't you?'
'I figured that, yes.' She giggled as they walked to the kitchen together. 'I love you, John Bates.'
He turned to her once they had entered the kitchen before resting his hand on her waist, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her brow. 'I love you too, Anna Bates.' He sighed. 'So, so much.'
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that! I imagine that the next chapter will be about Anna having the stitch and John and Adelaide looking after her, but we'll see what enters my mind! Please review and I'll see you all next time :-)