A/N: This is the final little bit finishing off this collection of ficlets, drabbles, and oneshots, and it's short but sweet. I've done what I set out to do- told Anna and John's story as I saw it and twenty-five chapters later, John and Anna's journey is as complete as I can make it. I love all of the reviews I've gotten throughout the process of creating these stories, and I couldn't be more proud of my growth as a writer and the many, many lovely people I've met thanks to these two characters. Thank you so much for all of your support- I hope this is an appropriate ending to a great project.
Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Downton Abbey.
"Are we really doing this, John?" Her voice is soft in the morning breeze that curls through the open window, the tattered curtain whipping about as she turns to her husband.
John smiles at her lightly and he feels his heart swell when she smiles back— it had taken them nearly a year to get back to this, trusting in each other, feeling safe. The pain had been unimaginable, and many of his nights were spent holding Anna, whispering to her in the darkness of their room, chasing the ghosts and nightmares away, but here, now, with her, he knows that he wouldn't change any of it. The little hotel was modest but inviting, the seaside location offering a peaceful lifestyle— John had made the bid in the autumn, and both he and Anna had handed in their notices to the family that winter. Spring was here, and with it, a new chapter in their lives.
"We are," John steps forward to join his wife, and her fingers find his as if it is a reflex.
They are home. The place is dank and dusty, but it's nothing they can't fix between the two of them. Together, how it always would be. It's quiet here, in this paradise— John can hear the sea lapping against the shore and he takes a deep breath; he smells salt, and dust, and home.
"Are you sure?" he intones once more, concern in his voice as she leans into him, her hat brushing his shoulder as her hand slips beneath his coat.
"I am— I've never been more sure of anything."
John presses a kiss to her hair and decides then, looking out of the small window and to the sea, that this is the beginning of the best part of their lives.
A/: Thank you so much for joining me on this fantastic journey.