A/N: It's been so long. And there's no real excuse. For anyone that's still reading or following this story, I'm sorry, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I want to get back into the swing of writing this, so the next chapter definitely won't take as long as this one did.

Thy Kingdom Come
Chapter 11

September, 1917

John let out a huge sigh as he struggled along the pavement. He wanted to stop but he also knew that stopping to rest now would mean being unable to make it home for a while. John was nearing the end of the road and the first right after that was where his mother's road started. He let out a deep breath and continued to walk slowly, leaning his weight heavily on his cane. John could feel the palm of his hand beginning to blister with the additional weight, he wished he had thought to wear his gloves today but he had rushed out of the house this morning to work. Sleep had not come easily last night, and as a result he had slept slightly longer than usual. He had gotten to work just in time, but having to walk quicker than usual had put an added strain on his knee.

It was not all the time that he struggled with his prosthetic, but on days like this it just seemed like an uphill struggle. The antics this morning and the warm weather that was altogether unrealistic for a September afternoon was also unhelpful and the material at the top of his prosthetic was rubbing against his leg. John wanted nothing more than to return home and take it off, probably have a bath and relax with a strong cup of tea. He secretly hoped that his mother had stopped by her friend Isobel's house for a cup of tea on the way back from the market, as she often did – partly to keep his discomfort from her, but also to limit the fuss that would undoubtedly occur.

Around ten to fifteen minutes later John was opening the front door. He exhaled a sigh of relief at finally being home and started to shrug off his jacket when he heard a sound coming from the kitchen. A most beautiful sound.

He recognised the sound of her laughter before she spoke. Anna was clearly enjoying a conversation with his mother in the kitchen. John smiled to himself and briefly wondered how nice it would be to return home to this every day. He had not expected to see Anna today, and the thought caused him to momentarily forget about the discomfort to his leg as he walked briskly towards the kitchen.

As soon as he was about to open the door, he heard his mother call out, "Ah, here he is. Home at last!"

"This is a nice surprise," John smiled. He looked over to Anna who was stood leaning against the sideboard. She smiled over at him, although he noticed that she had caught sight of his limp and the glistening of his forehead that betrayed his struggled walk home. Before either of the women in his life could say a word, John moved across to his mother and kissed her on the cheek and then went to stand beside Anna, kissing her on the cheek and lingering for as long as he could without scandalising his mother. Afterwards he settled for taking hold of her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb and squeezing gently.

"I met Anna at the market, she came back for a cup of tea."

John glanced at the empty pot of tea on the kitchen table and smiled to himself. He shifted slightly onto his other foot as the discomfort in his leg persisted, and thought about sitting down at the table before Anna read his mind and suggested he sat down in the living room whilst she made them another pot.

"I can help," John insisted, although if he was honest sitting down sounded a lot more appealing.

"No, go on, I can manage." Anna smiled, rubbing his arm gently and smiling as though she wanted to kiss him should they have been in private.

"If the lady insists."

"I'll be through in a few minutes."

After some gentle insistence Maeve joined her son in their front room. Sitting down opposite him Maeve waited for a moment before smiling knowingly, causing John to look away with a slight tinge to his cheeks.

"Mam…"

"She is lovely, John. I'm so happy we met her, even if the circumstances were…" She paused, but John finished for her.

"Bloody horrendous?"

"Language, John." Maeve reprimanded.

"Sorry, mam. But it was the worst…" Maeve knew he meant that, even considering the dark days he had spent drowning in the drink after Vera had drained the life out of him. "I couldn't have done it without her."

"She's helped us both." Maeve agreed quietly, her eyes casting downwards as she recalled those first several months after John had returned from France. She recalled the nights where her emotions had run free, her heart torn between the joy of having her only son home and alive, and the pain for seeing him so low and disconnected from everyone he knew.

Maeve was pulled from her thoughts when Anna entered the living room, the tray of tea in her hands. The older woman smiled and shuffled forward in her seat to fix their tea as Anna placed it down on the table.

"Here we go."

"Thank you, dear."

They all sat together and shared the pot of tea, laughing and recounting their days and falling into gentle reminisces of the past and often old tales of John as a boy. Anna smiled warmly as Maeve retold the stories, trying to picture in her mind a younger version of John finding secluded corners of the house or garden to hide away with his books.

As the clock struck seven, however, Anna sighed as she realised she should bid her farewells and take the bus ride home before it got too dark.

"I should make a move." Anna stood up and smoothed out her skirt. John stood up almost instantaneously, and she smiled at the gesture, even though she knew his leg must have been causing him some disturbance now.

"I can walk you to the bus stop," John offered.

Anna was about to protest when Maeve spoke up, "It feels odd that you should be leaving. It's as though the two of you are married already."

"I think it's a little soon to be thinking about that, mother." John laughed nervously. His eyes found Anna and he noticed her failed attempts at hiding a grin.

"Well, I would rather like to meet my grandchildren." Maeve chided her son gently.

John cleared his throat, nervously again, not entirely keen on the route this conversation was beginning to take. His hand instinctively moved to rub his neck. Anna had bowed her head, feeling the heat as it moved to her cheeks. She was sure she had adopted the colouring of a tomato, and she had no intention of creating a spectacle of herself. She fidgeted nervously, remaining silent as John steered the conversation to Anna and her departure, claiming that the two of them needed to leave now if she was to catch her bus.

Anna politely said good night to Maeve and kissed her cheek before retrieving her coat from the hallway and stepping out of the front door with John. Anna had yet to say a word until John found the small of her back with his hand, guiding her along the pavement until he looped their arms together. Anna turned to him and smiled knowingly.

"Here is fine, the bus stop isn't far," Anna insisted, disentangling their arms and moving her hand to take his. She could sense he was about to open his mouth in protest and she intervened. "Honestly. You've had a long day, you could use some rest. Put your feet up."

John smiled. Anna knew the way to insist upon these things without drawing specific attention to his knee that may have caused him some embarrassment or shame.

"Have a warm bath," Anna smiled, tilting her head in the way he had learned she did when she wanted him to kiss her. "I know I'll be having one as soon as I get back."

That image did nothing to shake the feelings he had been experiencing recently. John cleared his throat and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"And I think you should speak to your mother. I think she felt bad when we left."

"She does have a way with words," John laughed nervously, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck.

"Be as it may," Anna smiled, noticing his discomfort.

"I will speak to her. I do understand her... haste in these matters." Anna smiled knowingly. "Anyway, we should be getting you to the bus."

"Do I still have time for a kiss goodnight?" Anna smiled sweetly, the kind of smile that he knew was made entirely to tease him.

"I think we could find the time," John answered, leaving barely a second until he dipped his head and caught her lips in a sweet kiss.

Anna rose on her tiptoes, as she had to when she kissed John, her hand moving to his neck as she vied to steady herself against him. Her tongue swept across his bottom lip as she urged him to join her in deepening the kiss, which he complied with, but only for a few seconds. She sighed as he pulled them apart too quickly for her liking.

He smiled. "Wouldn't want to scandalise the neighbours." Anna was about to turn and head towards the bus stop when she noticed that he was making no move to leave and head back indoors. She opened her mouth to question his movements when he interrupted, "I can walk you to the bus. And I won't hear another word about it." John smiled and fixed her with a firm look that explained his resilience.

Anna grinned. "Ever the gentleman."

His answer was to kiss her again, a short kiss that she barely had time to respond to. John could feel her smile still as he kissed her and it warmed him inside.

"Come on, else you'll miss it altogether." John started. They walked together to the bus stop, and once Anna was safely on the bus and heading home, John turned back in the direction of his.

Maeve was still in the sitting room when he came through the front door, and after he had finished filling the bath, he waited for it to cool and brought a fresh pot of tea into the front room.

"Ah, you read my mind, love." Maeve smiled and took a fresh cup.

John took the seat across from her and sensed she was about to bring up the subject of earlier on.

"I'm sorry if I made you both feel uncomfortable earlier."

John shook his head dismissively as he took a sip of his own tea. However, he had no time to respond as his mother continued to apologise.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, son. I should just keep my mouth closed in future."

"No, mam. You didn't embarrass me. It just came out of the blue," John reasoned. "It's just something we haven't spoken about yet."

Although the subject had been on his mind, John thought privately. There was nothing he wished for more than being able to call Anna his wife and being lucky enough to start a family. But it was a dream that he dared voice. He considered himself lucky enough to have her love.

"Yet. That's the word that matters." Maeve picked up upon.

John shifted in his seat and placed his cup and saucer down on the table. "We haven't known each other for very long. It still feels sudden. I'm not sure if it would be what Anna wants." John knew that these justifications would fall on deaf ears with his mother, and part of him realised that even he would struggle to believe them.

"If I've learnt anything in my years, it's that war causes people to make sudden decisions – to make their minds up. To realise their love for one another. It teaches you to never take your life for granted; each day is a gift."

"Now you sound like an old romantic," John teased.

Maeve waved her hand away and laughed. "Wisdom that comes with being old." She corrected him. However, she noticed that he still looked a little troubled and probed further. "What is it really, son?"

John fidgeted for a while an drank some more of his tea before he spoke again. Maeve waited patiently, knowing after so many years that her son would speak in his own time, and that if he was taking this long to gather his thoughts, she would receive a sincere answer.

"I suppose I still wonder why. Why Anna is interested in me, and how I've been so lucky. She could have the pick of any man she wanted, a younger, more capable man to provide for her. But instead she chooses me, a..."

"Now that's enough, John." Maeve stopped her son before he said something self-deprecating that she knew would not help his state of mind in the slightest. Her tone was reprimanding, as though he was a child again and had crossed the line. "Anna has proven time after time that she does not see your injury as a liability, nor does she believe it makes you less of a man. And I do not think it's fair to doubt her feelings for you."

"But I don't doubt her feelings," John pointed out. "I only doubt my right to be the recipient of them. She should be able to live her life without the possibility of having to nurse me if this becomes worse, or having to cope with how much I struggle on my bad days. She should have the life she deserves, with the man she deserves."

"You still feel strongly about this. What can she do to convince you?"

John shrugged. "I don't think I could ever not be convinced that Anna could do better than me."

"Well, in my opinion you should start trying. Because that girl loves you, John. And if you've been lucky enough to find a love like that, you need to try your damned hardest to keep it."

John raised his eyebrows at her choice of words, having heard his mother curse only a handful of times in his entire life. "It all feels like a modern, scandalous romance. A divorced man and a younger woman," John laughed, subconsciously aiming to deflect the subject.

Maeve would have none of it. "Well, maybe you should try and be more modern... Look at Anna's friend, Sybil and that boy of hers. He was a chauffeur, her family's chauffeur no less. If they can find their way, surely you can find a way to."

"You make it sound easy."

"It won't be. Nothing in life ever is. But love can be. Love can be the easiest thing if you let it."

John sighed and finished his tea. He stayed silent for a few moments before looking up at his mother and shrugging. "I suppose I should start trying to think differently."

Maeve smiled. "Well, old ways won't open new doors, son."

A couple of weeks had passed, and in that time John had rarely spent time with Anna due to both of their work schedules. One of the other nurses had received saddening news from home and had been granted some time to return and be with her family down in Hampshire, so Anna had been considerate and offered to take over some of her shifts, as had a few of the others. However, this had meant only a small handful of days off, and even those were spent catching up on sleep, most of the time at the insistence of John who had seen how tired she looked on an outing to one of their favourite tea shops. Their time together had been spent during snatched lunch breaks, with John often bringing them fish and chips as they sat outside the hospital, soaking up the remainder of the year's good weather before the winter months drew in.

While Anna had been working at the hospital, John had also taken it upon himself to work more shifts at the bookshop, reasoning that throwing himself into work would be more beneficial than sitting at home, pottering around the house and letting his mind wander.

However, the extended time at work had led them to decide on spending a day away at the seaside in Eastbourne. They had both reasoned that once their hectic periods at work were over, they had earned the right to take a day away, with any luck forgetting about all of the worries of the world. They had decided on a Friday in October when neither of them were scheduled to work and their plan was to catch an early train.

John smiled at the thought of their day on the south coast as he walked towards the hospital to meet Anna for her lunch. His leg was not bothering him as much as usual today and it lifted a weight from his shoulders. Thinking about their day in Eastbourne was also helping. He was thrilled at the prospect of being able to hold her hand on the seafront, and if it was a particularly dry day, being able to find a secluded spot on the beach. He continued his steady walk towards Roehampton, under one arm their fish and chips.

Anna spotted John along the street and smiled to herself. Her keen vision noticed that he had bought their lunch already and she sighed. Unbeknownst to them, she had been given the afternoon off in order to prepare for a longer shift tomorrow as cover, so Anna had planned to rustle them something up at her flat. Sybil would be home, and she thought it would be nice to just spend some time together in a different environment. The weather also looked as though it was due for rain which only added sustenance to her plans.

Anna started to walk towards John, and her smile widened as he spotted her. She greeted him with a soft kiss and rubbed his upper arm.

"Good afternoon, Sergeant. Fancy seeing you here."

John grinned. "I come here quite often, I'm surprised you haven't seen me before. I've taken a fancy to one of the nurses."

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his teasing, and instead decided to play along, "And who is the lucky lady?"

"You may know her," John continued, edging closer to Anna. "She is rather beautiful. A fine lady."

"A lady?" Anna laughed, and was quite sure a lady would not consider doing this in public. She took the bag of fish and chips from underneath his arm and then took his free hand, pulling him to an alcove of trees beside the hospital on the road. Once under the relative privacy of the trees, her hand snaked behind his neck, pulling him down and closer to her lips as she greeted him properly.

Once the kiss had ended, Anna looked up to find John smirking.

"What? Why are you smiling like that?" She questioned.

John chuckled and used his spare arm to wrap around her waist, pulling her into his side and kissing her temple. "You are most definitely a lady. The finest one I ever knew."

Anna craned her neck upwards to shake her head at his words, but she could not resist kissing him one more time. She could feel her heart beating madly as she welcomed his invitation to deepen the kiss, and she praised whichever decider of fate that had sent John Bates into her life.

In the end, the two of them had agreed upon their fish and chip lunch back at the apartment. Sybil happened to have left on some errands, which caused John to smile and tease Anna that she had planned the whole thing. She allowed him to kiss her briefly before sharply telling him to go and sort the plates for lunch while she made them some tea. John muttered loudly enough for her to hear that she would make a great wife one day. Anna laughed and swatted him playfully before going to quickly get changed out of her work clothes. She soon reappeared and started on the tea.

As the kettle on the stove was boiling, John had already placed their plates on the table and set out the cutlery, and decided to sidle up behind Anna, wrapping his arms around her waist and place soft kisses on her exposed shoulder. Anna hummed in appreciation and leaned slightly back into his touch, enjoying the sensations he was creating. This caused John to continue with his ministrations, simultaneously stroking her sides until the sound of the kettle whistling brought them out of their trance.

"Good timing," John scorned gruffly.

Anna chuckled, removing the kettle from the stove and pouring the water into the teapot to brew. She then turned to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing the bottom of his shoulder above his shirt.

"It was probably a good thing. The last thing we want is to lose control of ourselves when Sybil could come back at any moment." John sighed in defeat and nodded.

Anna smiled at him softly and then started to move the teapot to the table. It also gave her a moment to turn away from him and let out a shaky, quiet sigh. She could feel a tightness in her stomach that she could only attribute to her desire for John, and she was all too aware of how easy it would be for them to continue. Their relationship had awakened feelings she had not expected to be experiencing until a much later stage in her life, especially after the outbreak of war and taking her job in London. The thought of marriage had not crossed her mind after her decision to enter nursing, and she had assumed this would be her life at least until the war ended.

They both sat down at the table and started their lunch, which had cooled down considerably since their walk back from the hospital. Anna was quiet for a while, John noticed, even as she poured them both a cup of tea. He watched her carefully, until he decided to probe her for more information.

"Anna, what is it?"

He watched her look up briefly, take another bite of food, and then push the rest of it around her plate. Anna smiled at him in the hopes that it would bring him some reassurance. It did little to alleviate his concerns.

"Was this about earlier? Because if it was, then..."

"John, it's fine," Anna insisted, reaching across the table to take his hand. The contact with his skin briefly reminded Anna of the whole issue and she breathed shakily. It amazed her how much she wanted John, even after all that had happened. She tried to steady her breathing, and cursed her mind for not coming up with the right set of words for explaining how she felt.

"I want you to know that I have no intention of compromising your honour." He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I respect you far too much for that."

Anna smiled at his words and lifted their joined hands, resting her elbow on the table. She entwined their fingers, watching closely as they fit perfectly together. Anna continued to stare at their hands as she spoke, feeling slightly embarrassed to be speaking with such forwardness. "Whilst I agree, we should not, take things further right now," Anna stopped and collected her words. Her implicit words thus far had brought flames to her cheeks. "Sometimes my body begs to differ."

She waited a few moments until she was sure her cheeks had returned to a slightly more normal colouring, and then Anna looked up at John. She smiled shyly, and John responded by tugging gently at their hands, beckoning her with his head to come around the table. Anna followed his instructions, and opened her mouth to protest as he gestured for her to sit on his good knee, but took one look at him and realised he would not have offered if it would have caused him too much discomfort.

Once Anna had cocooned herself into his embrace, she felt her cheeks finally start to return to their normal state. She was sat on his good leg, his arms wrapped around her waist keeping her steady with her legs hanging between his. They remained sat in this way for at least ten minutes in a comfortable silence until Anna spoke up quietly, "I never thought I would feel this way again. At least not for a long time. Sometimes it scares me how much my body reacts."

John gently tightened his hold around her, resting his chin on top of her hair after he had kissed it tenderly.

"The body can have a mind of its own sometimes," John replied. He could hear Anna chuckle as it reverberated against him and he smiled to himself. "But there is nothing to be scared of, and nothing to be ashamed of."

Anna nodded against him. Silence settled over them once again, and Anna felt herself slowly dozing. The last several shifts and the limited sleep would finally be catching up with her. She drifted in and out of sleep for a few minutes until she focused on John and the way his hand grazed up and down her arm and side.

John could feel Anna starting to tire in his arms, and he felt certain she was beginning to fall asleep. However, he did not have the heart to move them and risk rousing her from whatever rest she was being able to catch. She worked so hard, and whilst it was part of Anna that he loved and admired, it failed to prevent him from stressing that she had pushed herself too far these past weeks.

So John simply held her. They had lost track of time by then. It felt like hours could have passed, but in reality Sybil had not returned home just yet, so it was likely to have been no more than half an hour. John could feel Anna breathing evenly and she had barely stirred since he had last spoken. He admired her as much as he could from their current positioning, committing to memory the colouring of her hair, where it went darker and lighter. He could no longer resist dropping his lips to the top of her head, pressing a kiss lightly there.

"I'm too old for you, you know," he murmured against her hair. Being able to watch Anna sleep had caused John to realise how perfect she was, and his insecurities had resurfaced. "You deserve better than me."

John almost fell back on his chair when he felt Anna stir in his arms, her head craning to look at him in the face. It seemed she had been stirring for the past few minutes, since he had kissed her, and she had heard every word.

"I'm sorry," John began. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Enough of that," Anna replied dismissively, her voice scratchy. She cleared her throat and sat further upright on his leg. She searched his face for any sign of discomfort, but saw none. "John, is that really how you feel?" Anna watched as he looked down. "John, look at me, please." He seemed to make no movement. Anna sighed but moved her hand to cup his cheek. She stroked her thumb across his face and waited for him to move.

When he did, she smiled. She still looked as though she were on a mission, and John knew deep down that he would not be able to divert this conversation from happening within the next few minutes.

John took a deep breath and started to explain, "It is how I feel. I love you. I adore you. But I'm not sure I will ever stop feeling as though you deserve better."

"Why? Because of your injury?"

"Yes, but not just that. I am a divorced man, I am much older..."

"But do you not understand, that underneath all of that, that despite all of that, I love you." John looked up to see her eyes filled with a steely sense of determination. "I couldn't care that you've been married, or that you're older than me. I fell in love with you. This version of you. The you who struggled and survived and became a stronger man because of it all." Anna took hold of his hand and squeezed it with reassurance. "The reasons you list when you say you are not deserving of me, being injured, being divorced, being older... Those are part of the reasons why I love you." Those were the reasons he was the strong, resilient man he was today. Those were some of the reasons that Anna took pride in being by his side every day, regardless of what others might say.

"Truly?"

Anna cupped his face with her hands and smiled, her eyes watering. "I want you to truly believe me when I say, I would love you however, whatever, whenever." John smiled in response to her statement, and Anna closed the distance between them and kissed him gently. "We can do this," Anna reassured him. "But you have to trust me. You have to trust me when I say that I want this too."

"I do trust you. More than anything," John reassured. "But it won't be easy."

Anna took his hand once again. "When is life ever easy?"

John smiled as he conceded defeat.

"But we can do it together. Because being with you, here like this, is easy. And loving you comes second nature to me now. We just promise to take things one day at a time."

John could think of no better words to soothe his aching heart or his wandering mind, and to show how perfect she was, and just how perfect her words had been to him, he kissed her. There were no words that could fathom a response to such a reassurance, only a tangible sign of his love for her. Anna had reassured him, and now this kiss was all the reassurance she needed from him.