A/N: This chapter was particularly difficult, and I hope you'll like it. I apologise if there are any mistakes - it's quite late and after a bust of inspiration to finish this, I'm too tired to re-read it. I'll probably have one more look at it tomorrow to make sure it's okay, but just thought I'd warn you. ;) Hope you'll find this enjoyable!


Chapter Twelve

"What is it with men and football?" Gail asked in an amused tone as she entered the kitchen from the living room; Anna could hear the men talking and the narrator on the TV from the spot she sat on the kitchen, feeding Oliver. "Oh, Anna, don't do that. You work enough as it is; I don't want you coming here to help me with Oliver."

"But I don't mind. That's what aunts are for, right, Oliver?" Anna asked in a playful tone, shaking the spoon she was holding while the baby laughed happily.

Gail smirked, "Right. Well, you should practice."

Anna frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, Anna. You're already living together," Gail said, "The next step is the talk."

"We're not living together," Anna told her, "We're looking for places and when we've found the right one, we'll go. We're still living apart."

"Tell that to Mum. She's been telling everyone that you're living with a very nice chap," Gail rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course she's been omitting the fact that he's married. Not that we care about that. Dad doesn't even talk about it anymore."

Anna rolled her eyes, "And Mum's happy about it?"

"Of course she is. She was starting to think you and Sam would stay single forever. Sam doesn't seem to want to settle down anytime soon, so you're her best hope for more grandchildren. I don't think she will have any more on my account," Gail said, "Now, have you talked about kids or not?"

"No. I don't think we're quite ready for that," Anna told her, making funny faces while trying to make sure that Oliver ate everything from the spoon. "I mean, we've been together for a while, but with the divorce process and everything... I think it's too soon."

"So you're saying that you have no idea if he wants children or not?"

"Well, I hope he does," Anna told her a bit uncertainly, "I mean, most people do, right?"

"You want children, right?"

"Yes, eventually," Anna nodded, "Not right now, but in the future, yes."

"You should have asked him already," her sister said, "Some women actually break up with blokes who don't want children, you know?"

"I'm not breaking up with him if he doesn't want to have children," Anna retorted quickly.

"I'm not telling you to do that," Gail said, "I'm telling you that this is important. If you're starting a life together with someone, you need to know the other person's perspectives and hopes, that's all that I'm saying."

"Maybe you're right. But it's not exactly an easy topic," Anna told her, filling the spoon with food, since Oliver was now mumbling incoherent words impatiently, obviously wanting more food. "I can't just out of nowhere ask him if he wants to have..."

Anna stopped in mid-sentence as the kitchen door opened one more time, and John entered in the kitchen; he looked at them suspiciously, and Anna knew that he knew that they were talking about him. She grinned at his expression.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but it's my turn to grab some beer."

"In the fridge, please help yourself, John," Gail said with a smile, "How's the game?"

"Very good," John told them, opening the fridge and grabbing two beers, "we're losing, but there's still enough time to win."

He turned and, passing by Anna, pinched her cheek ever so softly, making her smile; Gail spoke as soon as the door closed.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with that, though," she said, "He's really good with children. Maya adores him."

Anna laughed, "I'm thinking she's starting to like him more than she likes me."

"Well, but that's a good thing. Everyone likes him. Mum's always talking about how nice he is, and John and Steve get on so well," Gail told her, "I'm happy that you've found yourself someone like him. Who knows? Maybe he'll ask you to marry him as soon as the divorce is final."

"I think that some questions should be left for the future," Anna said with a smile, "Let's try not to be too ahead of ourselves, alright?"

Gail smirked at her, and Anna shook her head with an amused expression.


Anna entered the apartment quietly, smiling at the smell of food and the music in the living room; John was home and, apparently, in a good mood.

She was taking off her coat when he appeared, smiling broadly at her.

"You're late," he said, approaching her and kissing her softly.

"I know, sorry," Anna groaned, "Gwen called in sick and Ethel had to stay home to take care of her son, so it was a bit chaotic."

"I don't even need to ask how your day was, then."

Anna smiled, "No. I'm knackered. You seem quite happy, though. How was your day?"

"It was good," he said simply, his hands stroking her arms. "I'm making dinner. Hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" she laughed, "It's great. What's the chef serving tonight?"

"Spaghetti. I'm feeling adventurous," he said with a grin, and Anna had to laugh at his tone.

"Alright. Do I have time to take a shower?"

"Don't worry about it. I just started," he winked at her and left.

Anna shook her head, amused, and went to take a shower; she felt truly exhausted, and when she came back to the kitchen, freshly showered and wearing comfortable clothes, she was glad to be home – or, rather, in John's home – and to have come home to someone waiting for her.

John had just finished dinner when she got there, and she kissed him more animatedly than she did when she first arrived.

"I take it you're feeling better, then?" he asked playfully, running his fingers through her hair as they sat down to eat.

"Much better," she told him, "I'm so glad to be home. I was starting to think that the end of my shift would never come."

They talked about her day and she complimented him on dinner, ever so thankful to not have to bother with it; when they were finished, Anna made a point of talking about his nice mood and he smiled.

"Well," he started, "I have some news."

Anna took a sip of her soda and waited for him to speak again.

"I spoke to Murray today," he said, referencing to his lawyer, "He had a meeting with Vera's lawyer this afternoon, and he thinks we have a strong chance of finally put all this to an end."

"That's great, darling," Anna told him sincerely, "No wonder you're so happy. This just made my day."

He laughed, "Yes, well, we'll have to wait and see, but it looks good. That's not the only news, though."

"There's more?"

"I think I've found us the perfect place," he told her excitedly, "A few blocks away from your sister's house. I noticed it the last time we went there, and I called it to know the details. We could go take a look at it next week."

"Sounds nice to me," Anna told him animatedly, "Let's see if you've found us a nice place."

He kissed her lightly and as she began to clean up the kitchen, he sent her to the living room, telling her that she'd worked too much already and he'd handle it. She protested, but soon he was guiding her to the couch and she accepted it. The stereo was still on, playing some sad song, and Anna yawned as she sat, taking interest in a magazine that had been tossed onto the coffee table. Boris came to walk between her legs, demanding attention, and Anna stroked behind his ears distractedly, which was enough to keep him satisfied.

After ten minutes, she stood up to put the magazine in its place – not at the coffee table, but she was used to John's habit of leaving everything there by now. The music was better now, not sad but still slow. Anna was contemplating turning it off when she saw John walking towards her, and she giggled when he held her right hand while pushing her towards him by the waist with his free one.

"May I have this dance?"

Anna smiled, "We're already dancing."

"Well, it never hurts to ask," John said, "Besides, you're dancing. I'm just... moving without grace or rhythm."

She laughed gracefully, moving ever so slowly with the song and resting her head against his chest, enjoying their closeness.

"How is the house like?" she asked him quietly.

"It's very nice. I think you'll like it," he told her, "Big kitchen, nice fireplace. Three bedrooms."

"Three?" she repeated, her heart pounding fast against her chest. "What would we do with three bedrooms?"

He laughed softly, the vibrations from his chest against her head, "I'm sure we would find a way to fill up all those rooms."

This was the moment, and Anna knew it; she had been trying to find the right moment to talk to him ever since talking to Gail, days ago.

At first, when Gail suggested the talk, Anna was sceptical. Were they ready for this conversation? She put thoughts about this aside, but the subject kept coming to her mind. He was in his forties, and even though he'd been married for several years he didn't have any children. Perhaps he didn't like children, after all.

And as the days passed by and the doubts didn't stop filling Anna's mind, she thought it was time to ask him about it. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he told her he was opposed to the idea; she was sure she couldn't give him up. Yes, she wanted children, she had always imagined she would be a mother someday. But she knew she'd have to think about it very carefully if John didn't want children.

Still, you should face the problem when it's presented, not beforehand, and that was Anna's main thought when she asked him about it.

"John, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about," she started carefully.

"Now I'm worried," he told her in a playful tone.

Anna let go of his and put her arms around his neck, lifting her head to look at him.

"No need to worry. I think," she explained nervously with a laugh, "Do you... Do you think about having children? In the future?"

"Are you trying to tell me something in particular?"

"No! No," she told him with a smile, "Just... answer the question."

"Alright," he told her with a smile, "Well, I suppose I do. I didn't think about it for a long time, for obvious reasons, but now I think I'd like to be a father. That is, if you want to have children. Only if you want to."

She smiled at his last sentence and his sudden nervousness and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"I want to," she told him, and realised they had stopped dancing, "Not now, though. I hadn't even thought about it until Gail asked me. Just... well, since we'll be living together it made sense to ask you about this."

"It does make sense," he agreed, "And we should settle down, wait for this divorce to be complete and then start making some babies."

She laughed, "Babies? As in more than one?"

"We'd make beautiful babies," he told her with a smile, "You know, we could start practicing."

"Really?" Anna teased him.

"Yes. So when we decide to try, we're really good at it."

"I think we're pretty good at it already," Anna told him with a grin, "But, well, they do say that practice makes perfect."

Before she knew it, he had one arm behind her knees and was carrying her in his arms; she gasped in surprise, strengthening her hold on his neck. She giggled as he settled his arms behind her securely, and his smile was broad when he looked at her face. He leaned in and kissed her deeply, leaving her breathless.

"We could stay like this a little more, but I'm afraid my knees aren't the same as they used to be," he said in a playful tone, starting to walk to the bedroom.

"Is that your way of telling me I put on some weight?"

"No, my dear," he told her as he entered the bedroom with her in his arms, "That's me having my way with you."

"Sounds great to me."


Two weeks later, Anna sat on the couch of her living room, flipping through the channels, trying to find something useful to watch. She left work a bit earlier than usual, and hoped that John would be home by that time. Of course, it didn't happen. He had left for York earlier that day and she wasn't sure when he would be home.

She was also curious; she knew that John had spoken with the estate agent in the morning, but she had no idea what their conclusion was.

They went to look at the house that John mentioned and, even though Anna was a bit sceptical at first, she absolutely loved it. It was perfect, indeed – the perfect large bay windows at the front, a big fireplace, nice bathrooms and bedrooms and a beautiful garden. She truly couldn't imagine a house better for them.

The price was higher than their budget, and at first Anna didn't want to buy the house; they could look for something that would fit better. John, however, was sure that the house was perfect and within days had persuaded her that it would be alright, they could manage just fine.

When she heard the noise of the keys, she instantly turned off the TV, and smiled nervously at John when he saw her.

He smiled tiredly at her, taking off his shoes and coat and then making his way to her on the couch; he greeted her with a kiss and sat down beside her.

Anna took her time to watch him, nervously putting a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"How was York?"

"Not very nice, I'm afraid," he said with a sigh, "We reached no agreement. Vera didn't accept any of our offers, and we'll have to discuss everything with a judge in a few weeks."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Anna said quietly.

"Well, it was unexpected, but I can live with it," John said, turning to look at her with a smile. "You seem a bit distracted, my dear."

"I'm alright," Anna told him with a smile, "Did you talk to the estate agent?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," he told her slowly, "The house is ours."

Anna squealed in delight, putting her arms around his neck and kissing his mouth soundly; John laughed at her excitement.

"Really?" she asked finally, "When can we move?"

"In a few weeks, I suppose. The house was already ours, it's just ours officially now," he said, leaning in to kiss her, "We have a house."

"Is it just me or those words are just perfect?" Anna said against his lips.

"They are," John agreed, stroking her arms, "We should go out and celebrate."

"Yeah, we should," Anna told him simply as they leaned in for another kiss, but just as their lips touched, a phone started to ring.

Huffing, John looked around for his cell phone, when it was obvious it wasn't Anna's landline; he stood up and went to look for the phone in his coat's pocket. He looked at Anna apologetically when he looked at the phone on his hand.

"It's Robert, I'll have to take this," he told her, and Anna shrugged, telling him to go ahead.

As he walked around the living room talking to Robert on the other line, Anna pondered at her latest discovery; she had been determined to wait a little longer to tell him, but now she felt like she could burst if she didn't. Maybe wait until they're out? Or tell him in the morning?

It didn't feel right to wait that much.

She sighed nervously, exchanging a smile with John as he sat down behind her again, still talking on the phone.

He looked tired. Happy, but tired.

Just as she thought this, he said goodbye to Robert and turned to look at her again.

"So, where are we going tonight?"

"Um... I don't know," Anna answered sincerely, her thoughts elsewhere. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you."

He frowned, "What is it?"

She stared at his handsome face, looked to the floor and then at him again. He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together, and Anna sighed before speaking again.

"I think I'm pregnant."