I.

Anna stared at the long white dress hanging on the back of the door with tears in her eyes. Tomorrow. She would wear it tomorrow. After a long afternoon last month at two different bridal shops with Mary, Gwen, and Emily, it was the final dress she tried on. It was the only one of that style in stock, having been shoved in the back of the stockroom behind all of the newer dresses. The consultant had become frustrated with Anna, as the other three women had been trying desperately to get her to settle on the newer, more glamourous, and even more revealing dresses hanging on mannequins in the showroom. None of them looked right. None of them felt right. The consultant finally told Anna that all she had left was a single dress from two seasons ago, and she doubted that it would fit. Anna asked to see it anyway.

She knew the moment that the bag was unzipped and the dress removed that her search was over. Anna slipped into the changing room to try it on, and as she looked at herself in the mirror, she burst into tears. It was perfect.

She emerged from the changing room and rendered everyone in the shop speechless, which was impressive, given the three women who had accompanited her. All were currently staring at her with open mouths and wide eyes.

"You look like Mummy!" Emily began to cry with her hand over her mouth.

"You look like an angel," Mary added as she bounced up and down and clapped her hands.

"Seems awfully expensive just to have John tear it to shreds on the wedding night," Gwen said with a smirk. "Because that's exactly what he's going to do. Holy shit, Anna."

So Anna slapped down her credit card with a happy smile, knowing that the most difficult part of the wedding planning was over. Four weekends, three cities, and seven bridal shops later, she had the dress that she knew would make John weak in the knees as she walked down the aisle.

Anna stood up and crossed the room to the closet, where the dress was currently hanging. Her fingers traced the ivory fabric lovingly as her heart caught in her chest. In less than a day, she would be marrying the man of her dreams.

As if the mere thought of him was enough to summon him up, her phone rang with his particular ringtone, the opening guitar strands of Where the Streets Have No Name. "Well hello there, fiance," Anna said into the phone as she sat down on the bed and lay back on the pillows. She wasn't even sure which side would be hers yet. She had no preference, and she imagined they'd work that out tomorrow.

"I'm looking forward to the upgrade," John chuckled into the phone. She could hear loud music and laughter in the background.

"You're out on your stag night," Anna chided him. "Why are you calling me?"

"Because I wanted to hear the sound of your voice?" John suggested hopefully.

Anna giggled and rolled her eyes. "Right," she said with a snort. "Why are you really calling me?"

"Because I'm bored," he said, drawing the word out. "Rob is crying over United actually beating Arsenal, Tom is telling baby nappy stories, and Anthony is just being...odd. He keeps bringing up Edith and I don't think Rob has caught onto that yet," he explained. "The man is oblivious to the lives of his daughters. We're just about to wrap things up here at the pub, I think." They'd rented a private patio at a local pub for their party. She'd questioned the wisdom of having it there, but he insisted that he wouldn't drink, and the pub had amazing food, not to mention a giant wall of televisions tuned to the Manchester-Hull game. Joe, Matthew, Charles, and Henry Lang were also invited, so it would be a very interesting mix of fellows to say the least.

"So anyway," John continued. "It's almost midnight and I just wanted to call you before you went to sleep and tell you goodnight."

"For the last time over the phone," Anna said as she stared up at the ceiling and smiled.

She could hear him sigh heavily. "Tomorrow, love," he crooned. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

"No," she said confidently. "Not at all. You?"

"Only that I won't live up to your expectations."

Anna frowned and rolled onto her side. "Now, don't say things like that. I have no expectations of you other than to love me as best as you can."

"Okay, maybe it's performance anxiety," he admitted with an embarrassed huff.

Anna snorted and sat up in the bed. Her hand clutched at the lovely new sheets she'd just put on the bed that afternoon. Truthfully, she'd been sleeping in her old bedroom since she moved into the house, much to Gwen's amusement, and tomorrow would be her first night in this room as well. "You have absolutely nothing to be anxious about, John Bates," she teased. "I'm the one who has to live up to the expectations of being a vicar's wife and be all prim and proper in public. If they only knew what went on in my fantasies about you…"

John groaned and she could hear him tap his fist against something. A table or a wall maybe? "Just so we're on the same page, is there anything...off limits? I should have asked this by now." She could hear him breathing heavily into the phone. "I'll learn what you like, of course, and endeavour to fulfill those...desires."

"The standard biblical exclusions apply, you should know that," Anna said with a grin. "Nothing illegal or immoral. No animals, domestic or exotic. Everything else is fair game."

"Damn, there goes the goat idea I had," John quipped. "I hope it's not too late to cancel the delivery."

Anna laughed uproariously and she could hear him laughing loudly as well. "Hang on a second," he said. "Oh, blow it out your nose, Rob!" he shouted with his hand over the phone. "Sorry, I'm back. Rob was teasing me about calling you."

"Well, don't let me keep you from the boys," Anna said with a wistful smile. "And don't stay up too late. You need your rest for tomorrow."

"More like tomorrow night," he growled. "I don't know how much sleep either of us will be getting the next few days."

"Fifteen hours until the service," Anna said.

"And about twenty before I take you home," he replied, slowing down each word and enunciating clearly.

Anna felt her entire body flush with anticipation. There was no way she would get any sleep tonight.

II.

Reverend Gantry came out of retirement to perform their ceremony at the church. He was more than happy to dip his toes back into the church again, even if it meant he had to put the hair he'd been growing ever since in a ponytail and give up his sandals and Hawaiian shirts for a day. He'd spent the past year in the Virgin Islands, apparently, and just happened to be in Yorkshire to visit his brother. The difference between the somewhat boring and starched vicar and the current footloose retiree was astounding. John only hoped that Anna would never let him get that stuffy as he got older.

There had actually been some debate between him and the Archbishop when he'd called John to tell him that he was retaining his position at Downton as to whether or not he should be allowed to get married in the church at all. The Archbishop was somewhat of a conservative traditionalist who believed personally that divorcees should be denied remarriage within the church. However, the governing body of the church had relaxed that stance in the past few years. The hesitation was over John's remarriage within a church as a vicar. In the end, the Archbishop acquiesced for two reasons, one being that this was Anna's first marriage, and two, that the majority of the church signed a letter giving their permission for the wedding to take place there. Truthfully, John would have married Anna anywhere, but to have the wedding in his own church was a great blessing to him, further evidence that Anna was being embraced as he had been.

Rob was an interesting shade of greenish grey as they prepared for the service. His best friend had a little more than the rest to drink the night before, and John had personally driven him home around two in the morning and gotten him in the door, only to find Cora waiting with a smile for John and a lecture for Rob.

"Did she give you the third degree?" John asked as he buttoned up his waistcoat.

Rob leaned his head against the wall beside him. "Third, fourth, and fifth. I'm sure she's going to tell our counselor about it on Monday," he said. "At least she cares enough to be mad at me now." Rob and Cora, on John's suggestion, had begun to see a couple's therapist together. They had a long way to go with respect to their individual addictions, but it was a start. It would be a long road, but already, John could see that they were stronger now. Before they started therapy, Cora would have never waited up for him to return from the stag night.

John studied his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his grey tie. He and Anna had decided that he would wear a black morning coat and waistcoat and tie in shades of grey. It had a certain classic elegance to it that appealed to both of them, as if they'd stepped back in time a hundred years. Anna hadn't even shown him a photo of her dress, but she assured him it was quite suitable for the bride of a country vicar without being too conservative.

"Honestly," Rob said, finally sitting up and regaining a little colour in his complexion. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. And that makes me happy."

John turned to his friend and smiled warmly. "You want to see happy? I'm not even talking about the wedding itself. Wait until this evening when we leave the reception."

"Do I need to give you The Talk?" Rob asked with raised brows. "I know it's been a while for you, so I'd hope you haven't forgotten how things work."

John gave him a withering look as he shrugged on his coat. "I'm sure it will all come back fairly quickly," he said wryly.

"Does being a vicar mean that you can only do it with the doors closed, lights off, and in the missionary position?" Rob asked with a smirk. "Because that would be dreadfully boring, no matter how pretty the wife is."

John whirled on his friend and wagged an admonishing finger at him. "Firstly, stop thinking about my almost wife in that way, secondly, that concept was brought as a way of establishing male dominance, which is a travesty. I swear, if the churches of the world wanted us to go out and be fruitful, they would have realized that telling people that variety within married relationships is healthy."

"Oh my," Rob said as he stood up and grabbed his tophat and coat. "Anna has no idea what she'd in for does she? She thinks she's getting a buttoned up conservative vicar."

John only grinned, knowing that a buttoned up, conservative vicar is the last thing that Anna was expecting to marry.

They made their way over to the church a few minutes later, after giving Lacy a good scratch behind the ears. Joe would take care of her this evening and John would come get her tomorrow afternoon. Most of his belongings were already moved over to the house, with only the bare necessities to move over later in the week. Joe himself would actually be moving into the cottage soon, as his father was retiring in a month and John reasoned that it was a good way to keep Joe close to the church as he took over his father's duties. Joe jumped at the chance to move out of his father's home at the ripe age of forty-seven and have his own life. John had the sneaking suspicion that things would be changing in other ways for Joe, as he'd noticed more than a few friendly smiles between him and Phyllis over recent Sundays.

The invitation to the wedding itself was open to any member of the church, with the reception to follow at Rob and Cora's house to be by invitation only. That way, they avoided snubbing people too much, while allowing John and Anna to be able to have a little bit of intimacy in the events of the day. Anna was getting dressed at the house, and Tom would be driving her over in the same limo that would take them to the reception and later on, home.

His cheeks pulled upward at the thought of their home together. Of course, being together tonight would be the highlight of the evening, but the fact that he was actually about to move into the first house that had been his was amazing. He'd always either rented or lived in military housing before coming to Downton, and despite the fact that the house was Anna's originally, they would be adding his name to the title as well next week. This would be the place where they would hopefully bring their babies home to, where they would share their meals, talk about their futures, and awakenen beside each other every morning. Together. He suddenly teared up as the impact of it all finally sank in.

He shook more hands than he'd shaken in his life as he made his way into the church and up toward the altar. He and Rob took their places near the front and waited.

He was more than ready.

III.

"I can't believe you're going to deny me the chance to dance with the man who catches the garter!" Gwen whined, folding her arms across her light blue dress and pouting.

Anna rolled her eyes and sucked her breath in a bit tighter as Mary pulled the ribbons on the back of her dress a bit tighter, cinching her in like a corset. "Really, Gwen, if it's that important to you, I'll bring one along for John to toss. But do you honestly think it's proper for a priest to reach up his wife's skirt in front of an entire room of people and remove an article of her clothing to toss it to a bunch of horny men? You'll get your bouquet. I promise I'll aim for you." She winced and shrugged her shoulders. "A little tight on that last bit," she told Mary.

"Sorry," Mary giggled. "I've actually not done this before. If anything, now I know what not to look for in a dress. John's going to need a pair of scissors to get you out of this if he undoes the ties the wrong way." Her hands suddenly dropped to her sides and she shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe I just pictured my Uncle John like that. Are you sure he's able to keep up with you at his age?"

Anna quirked an eyebrow upward with a smirk. "I have no doubt of that," she replied with a blush.

"If not, there's always pills?" Emily offered cheerfully from her perch in the corner as she put the finishing touches on the bouquet.

"Oh, for God's…" Anna stopped and bit her lip. "Oh for heaven's sake. He's fifty, not ninety, and I have personal knowledge that things work just fine!" Her exasperated statement silenced that discussion immediately.

Mary drove on her own to the church, with Anna, Gwen, and Emily riding in the limo that Tom had provided. His business was booming, and he'd added another driver and two limousines to his fleet, thanks to a lucrative referral deal with Downton and a few of the other local churches.

"Are you nervous?" Emily asked quietly.

Anna smoothed her hands over the ivory fabric of her dress and smiled wistfully. "No," she said. "Just happy. If I were nervous, it would be because something was wrong. This is right."

They arrived at the church ten minutes later, to a great deal of fanfare from the overflow crowd that couldn't fit inside the church. Matthew's job was to help Anna out of the car and escort her to the door, where Emily would take over from there.

"You look amazing," Matthew whispered into her ear. "Of course, not as good as Mary will look in April, but amazing nonetheless."

"She's not in earshot, Matthew," Anna reminded him with a pat on the arm. "You can say whatever you'd like."

"Fine then," he said quickly as they approached the steps. "Reverend Bates is a lucky bastard."

Anna beamed and gave him a kiss on the cheek as he handed her off to Emily.

"Ready?" Emily asked breathlessly as she took Anna's hand.

Anna sighed heavily and nodded. "I've been ready for this day all my life," she whispered.

IV.

The music started and John's lungs immediately expanded with the biggest breath he could take in. The first stirrings of the organ music, played with much enthusiasm by Elsie, stirred emotions within him that threatened to burst open. He'd heard this song nearly every weekend for a year, sometimes twice a day, but it hadn't done a thing to trigger a response such as this. This was the siren's call that would bring his Anna to him.

The doors opened and he could see her silhouette outlined in the bright afternoon sun, an angel with heaven's light behind her. As she drew closer, his vision blurred with tears and he blinked them away as quickly as they could form, wanting to commit every detail of her to memory. The dress she wore was exquisite, simple, yet elegant, modern, yet classic. It had cap sleeves that left her arms exposed and a sheer lace panel covering the satin down the front that evoked an antique elegance. It was suitably demure and beautiful enough to make his blood boil. Her eyes locked with his as soon as she was inside the church, and her smile only broadened as she approached.

He felt Rob tap him in the middle of his back teasingly. "You lucky son of a bitch," he said in wonder.

John didn't even blink to admonish his friend's language, as he didn't want to take his eyes off of her. As Anna took her final steps up the aisle, it was everything he could do to not take her in his arms right then and there, but he waited until she was standing beside him, with Emily flanking her other side, still holding her hand.

The Dearly Beloveds were a blur to him as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She would occasionally glance up at him and giggle just the tiniest bit, then look toward Reverend Gantry to remind John to pay attention.

"Who gives this bride to this man today?" Gantry asked ceremoniously.

Emily smiled and nodded her head proudly. "Our parents and I give her," she said in a firm voice. She turned to Anna and kissed her on the cheek, then passed her hand over to John.

Now he could look at her fully, without restriction. She decided to forgo a veil in favour of a few small white flowers from their garden at home in her loosely pinned-up hair. A few blonde curls hung down, framing the diamond and sapphire earrings she'd worn on New Year's Eve, the night they admitted they were in love with each other and shared their first kiss. She wore a little more makeup than usual, though not because of long gone bruises and cuts. He was drawn to her eyes, which sparkled behind dark lashes and muted eyeshadow, subtle, yet striking.

Truthfully, she could have appeared before him wearing a potato sack and he would have still thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

They went about all of the sermons and prayers and hymns that were tradition in the church. John had performed it all enough himself, but he didn't hear a single word. He could only focus on Anna's hands in his as they faced the altar. When they got to the part about objections, John closed his eyes, praying to his God and every other theoretical god that Vera didn't pop up from the back like an evil jack in the box. Thankfully she didn't, and he heard Anna's sigh of relief beside him. They both glanced over at each other and managed to resist breaking into laughter. As Reverend Gantry droned on and on, he began to wish that they had eloped instead.

V.

She didn't think she had ever seen him look more handsome than he did as she walked down the aisle to meet him. And now, standing beside him, listening to the Reverend's sermon and prayers, she wanted nothing more than to turn to her right and just drink him in. If it weren't for all of the people who were boring holes into her back with their eyes, she would. As she walked down the aisle, she came to the sudden realization that she was not just marrying John, she was marrying the church itself. And she was okay with that.

They finally were able to turn to each other again when it came time for the declarations. Both of them said "I will" to each other in firm, clear voices. Robert and Emily promised to help them uphold their vows in the name of God. Reverend Gantry then launched into another sermon, which made her roll her eyes, thankfully unnoticed. It seemed that he missed the pulpit and was reliving all of his former glory.

Then suddenly, Reverend Gantry was telling them to turn toward each other and repeat their vows to each other. Anna beamed as she was able to finally met his eyes again. They sparkled with the glisten of happy tears, which mirrored her own. The light in the church caught them just so that she was absorbed in the alternating greens and browns that had always fascinated her. One lock of his otherwise tamed hair had fallen down over his forehead and she itched to straighten it, but found herself loving it nonetheless. It was a symbol of him, controlled and confident, with a hint of wildness that could come out to play at any moment.

"I, John Patrick Bates," he was saying just for her, as if there weren't two hundred other people in the room, "take thee, Anna May Smith, to be my wife…"

She didn't hear the words so much as she heard the love in his voice as he spoke them. They had opted for the standard vows, knowing that the words they spoke to each other in private were stronger and more meaningful to them than any they could say here.

Anna's turn to say her vows came, and she repeated them in a high, clear voice, leaving no doubt as to her intentions or her promise to him. She managed to hold back her tears until she saw a single one slip into the groove of John's cheeks and she was lost, though there was nothing but happiness and love in hers. Both of them grinned broadly as she finished her vows, knowing that they were almost there.

Gantry blessed the rings, simple gold bands they'd picked up just last week from the jeweler, with inscriptions inside that neither of them had revealed to the other. John did surprise her by kissing her ring before slipping it onto her finger, and she did the same. "I give you this ring

as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you," they both repeated at the Reverend's instructions.

They then turned to kneel at the altar, her thumb stroking John's ring as she held his hand. The Reverend blessed their marriage with a prayer and had them stand, pronouncing them as married. And finally, finally she was able to throw her arms around John's neck and stand up on tiptoes to kiss him. They'd agreed that four seconds was a good number.

The first kiss was seven. The second was five. The third and fourth, she had no idea, but by the time they finally pulled away and smiled at each other as husband and wife, with the entire church clapping in celebration, she didn't care anymore.

"My husband," Anna said brightly, running her hand up and down his arm.

"My wife," John said in a hoarsely, his voice finally breaking before kissing her again. "My everything."

VI.

They stayed at the church for an hour after the service to mingle with people and to get their photos taken. It was everything John could do to not take Anna by the hand and lead her over to the cottage. He learned she was thinking the same thing when she whispered it in his ear right before taking a photo with Rob, Gwen, and Emily. He was sure that when they received that particular photo in a few weeks, his face would be beet red.

The reception was at the Crawley house, and Rob had paid to have a tent set up outside with lights strung all around to illuminate it as the sun went down. The entire effect was ethereal, and with less than fifty people invited to the reception, it was a cozy, intimate atmosphere.

Neither of them could keep their hands off each other when they were together, nor their eyes when they were apart. They went around the tent both together and separately to talk to everyone. Everyone had the same set of comments. John looked handsome or dashing in his suit. Anna was radiant and beautiful in her dress. They had never seen two people more in love or happy before.

He was absolutely floored when he turned around at one point and was faced with a shorter, somewhat round woman who had his mother's eyes and smile. Maureen had come after all, and John had missed her at the service, where she had stood in the back amongst the crowd, not wanting to make a fuss. She was ecstatic to see that her big brother had found himself such a lovely woman as Anna. John embraced her and promised her a dance later that evening. He waved Anna over to introduce them, and they hit it off in spectacular fashion.

Rob gave his best man's speech, thankfully keeping it on the tame side, telling a few little anecdotes, and for once not telling their Iraq story. Emily's speech was shorter, but perhaps more heartfelt. She wished that their parents had been there for this day, and she would have gladly given up the honour of walking Anna down the aisle if it could have been their father instead. Her two sons were in attendance as well, and despite flopping around in their chairs like they'd lost all of the bones in their bodies, they were remarkably well behaved. They ended up running off with Nigel and Charlie for only God knew where on the family's expansive grounds.

Somewhere in between chasing after her two boys, making sure the caterer and DJ were paid, and the waitstaff corralled, Emily slipped off outside the tent on her own. Anna noticed a tall figure walking alongside her and squinted until she could make out the shock of red hair atop his head. Gwen noticed her brother was missing right around the same time, and Anna had to hold her best friend back from going after him as he and Emily reconnected with each other. She made Gwen promise not to interfere for as long as she could stand it. After years of being unloved and unwanted, maybe it was time that Emily found some happiness in her life, even at the expense of Gwen's blood pressure.

It was during their toast, with sparkling cider instead of champagne, that John revealed what his inscription inside Anna's ring read. "Love is patient, love is kind," he said aloud. "From Corinthians. That about sums up our relationship, don't you think, Anna? We've been very, very patient as we've waited for this day." This caused a few laughs and wolf whistles.

Anna's eyes glistened with tears as she leaned in for a kiss, eliciting a few more whoops and claps from their guests. She cleared her throat and took his ring finger between her finger and thumb. "And my husband's ring says I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. From The Song of Songs." She gazed at him as his skin flushed with heat. His beautiful wife had been doing her research, it seemed.

After dinner, they took to the dance floor together, and he held her close and whispered his own private vows to her. "I'll love you for all of my days, even if not for all of yours. So long as I draw breath, I you are my everything. I love you, Anna Bates, and thank God for you."

She was so overcome at his words that she could only tuck her head into his shoulder and cry happily.

VII.

John danced with Maureen after he and Anna finished their third song and dance together. To have her there was almost as joyous as the wedding itself. She had never liked Vera and turned down the invitation to the first wedding date they had set, to have been at a hotel. In fact, their mother and father also turned it down, as did his grandmother, so they ended up just getting married at the courthouse on a Tuesday afternoon before he shipped out for training. He should have listened to them all then.

But now, there wasn't a sad face or a worried word amongst the precious few in the tent. Everyone there could be counted as a friend or loved one. John took a spin with Cora and each of the Crawley daughters, even Edith, who picked his brain about Anthony. Truthfully, John had said he a few reservations about them, but he could both see that they made each other happy, so he was not one to judge, given that he and Anna were in a similar situation themselves. By the end of the evening, she and Anthony were sitting rather comfortably in a corner by themselves, which Cora immediately noticed, and Rob blissfully ignored. He didn't want to be there when his friend figured that one out.

Anna was dancing with Charles Carson, who cut a mean rug despite his age and figure. Elsie watched from the sidelines with a twinkle in her eye, and as soon as the song ended, she shoved herself between Anna and Charles, earning quite the comically raised brow from him. They never danced with anyone else the rest of the evening.

The bouquet was skillfully caught by Gwen, who moved with an athleticism that he wished the goaltender for United had. As they had decided against the somewhat practice of removing the garter from Anna's thigh, she instead gave him one and announced that she had in fact worn it on her hen night, which was spent at a luxury spa instead of an all-male revue as Gwen had suggested. John popped it over his shoulder like a slingshot and it landed far away from the raised hands and in someone's water glass at a nearby table instead. Joe knocked over three glasses to snatch it up triumphantly.

Sometime after eight o'clock, John caught Anna's eyes from across the room, his dark gaze full of want and anticipation. Anna gave him a little mischievous smile in return and peeled herself away from Violet's completely unriveting story about meeting George VI at a country club when she was a teenager. She excused herself and made her way across the tent to meet John halfway.

He bent down slightly to whisper in her ear. "So, Mrs. Bates," he purred. "Is it safe to say that we've done our due diligence with our guests and can make our way home?"

Her breath caught and she blushed deeply, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have someplace else to be, Reverend?" she asked sweetly.

"You know exactly where I want to be right now," he growled as he swept his hand down the small of her back to rest at the rise of her hip. "So what say you? Shall we go?"

They bade their thank yous and goodbyes, kissed and hugged their loved ones, and headed out to the limousine. Anna was careful to gather the skirt of her dress under her as John helped her inside. Once in the privacy of the cabin, John looked around and chuckled. "It's the same one," he said, remembering Valentine's Day as if it were yesterday.

Anna snorted and reached for the intercom button. "No potholes, Tom!" she ordered him with a giggle.

"Yes, ma'am!" Tom called back, turning off the intercom with a beep of finality.

They didn't talk much on the way home, only made a few comments about how lovely the wedding was, how well the reception went, and other such small talk. Now, his stomach began to knot in nervous anticipation, knowing what would be awaiting them tonight.

They pulled up to the house and Tom opened the door for them. John got out first and helped Anna out behind him. They both embraced Tom, who was a part of their extended little family now that he and Sybil had gotten married last month. There was still some debate as to whether their daughter would be baptized Catholic or Anglican, but that was a discussion for another day.

John took Anna by the hand and led her up the walk. He removed his key from his pocket and opened the door. Anna began to walk forward, but he stopped her by bending and sweeping her off of her feet, carrying her easily across the threshold as she giggled and clung to his neck for dear life. He set her down and laughed along with her, then the mood turned a little serious.

"So," he said quietly. "Here we are."

"Nervous?" Anna asked, swallowing as her eyes flicked toward the stairs.

"You have no idea," he admitted with a chuckle. "You?"

"I feel like I'm going to pass out," she said, her hand trembling slightly.

John laughed gently and wrapped his arm around her waist in case she did in fact faint. "Before we go upstairs, will you pray with me?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," Anna said with a smile. They went into the living room and sat down on the sofa, where Moe was perched on the back, glaring at them in curiosity. He jumped down and retreated into the kitchen. John took Anna's hand and ran his thumb across her soft skin. "I pray before bed, upon waking, and before every meal," he said, even though she already knew that. His nerves were making him talk to keep the room from going silent.

"I know," Anna said sweetly. "And I do the same." She bowed her head and began to pray silently.

John did the same, closing his eyes and appealing to God. He prayed for their health and happiness, for them to be fruitful, and for their love to never fade or flicker. He threw in one last somewhat selfish prayer that his body would cooperate with him tonight, and for at least the next several years, knowing that he had a younger wife who he intended to keep well satisfied.

At her murmured "Amen," he said his own and opened his eyes. "Well then," he said, taking a deep breath and chuckling nervously.

"So we have all of the...spiritual parts of the day over with?" she asked expectantly.

"Yes," John said with a little nod. "From here on out, the floodgates are open."

"Good," Anna said. She stood up and turned her back to him, looking over her shoulder through her lashes with a smouldering gaze. "That top tie of ribbon," she said in a slow drawl. "Pull that."

John swallowed thickly and did as he was told, untying the ivory satin ribbon that held the back of her dress together. It unraveled easily, and he awaited further instruction and permission before continuing.

"Go on," Anna encouraged him. "I can't reach it myself."

With trembling fingers, he loosened the rest of the ribbon, from her shoulders to the small of her back. The somewhat rigid midsection of the dress opened like a clamshell, revealing the back clasps of her white bra. His finger drew down the length of her spine, and she gasped quietly.

To his complete surprise, she shrugged the shoulders of the dress off of her, letting it fall around her to the floor in a puddle of satin and lace. Anna stood before him wearing her bra and panties, very little fabric between them, and her thigh high white stockings and garters. She still wore the white heels she'd walked down the aisle in. His jaw dropped open and he sat completely still on the sofa, unable to think, breathe, blink, or speak.

Anna stepped over her dress carefully and looked over her shoulder at him. "Be a dear and hang that up on the back of the hall closet door for me. I don't want it to get wrinkled." She walked from the living room to the foyer, where the staircase led up to the bedroom. She leaned against the doorframe and ran her hand down it slowly. "Keep up, John," she said firmly. "I don't want to wait any longer." And with that, she disappeared up the stairs.

John sat with his mouth still gaping, all blood diverted to parts below. He looked down at the dress on the floor, then glanced upstairs when he heard the floor above him creak as she walked into the bedroom.

"Thank you, God," he said, closing his eyes, the image of her standing before him burned into his retinas. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

VIII.

Anna closed the door to the bathroom and tried to control her breathing. Her little act downstairs wasn't part of the plan, but she had to take the initiative, as John's nerves seemed to be holding him back. She quickly freshened herself up and dabbed a droplet of the perfume that he liked in strategic places, just enough to be noticeable. She gave herself the once over in the mirror, taking in her overall appearance. Tired, but hungry. She decided to leave her hair up, knowing that he took great pleasure in taking it down whenever she wore it in a ponytail or bun. At the last moment, she decided to put on the cream silk robe hanging on the back of the door, leaving it untied and loose around her body.

She went back out into the bedroom and grabbed the lighter that she'd left on her dresser, going around the room and lighting the dozen candles she'd set out that morning. She turned on the gas fireplace that she'd had them put in for her, finding that she rather enjoyed having one in her old flat.

Anna was just lighting the last two candles when she felt a pair of large hands slide around her waist, and a pair of lips at the skin under her ear. She grinned and leaned back against him, noticing that he was already somewhat primed for the occasion. "Did you do as I asked?" she purred as she reached up and drew his head closer to her neck.

"I obeyed like a good husband," John whispered into her ear. His teeth nipped at the earlobe, and she gasped. It seemed that her dumbfounded and stricken husband had found his passion after all.

Anna turned in his arms and breathed heavily as she ran her hands up his white shirt. He'd shed his long coat at the reception, and had since removed his waistcoat and tie. Thankfully, he was breathing just as hoarsely as she was, and her hand slipped into the open top of his shirt and felt his heart beating solidly in his chest. His hand came up and covered hers, and she laced their fingers together. Anna looked up at him and smiled, loving the way the lines beside his eyes deepened when he returned the smile.

"All this waiting, and now it seems that time is standing still," she said with a little hitch in her voice.

"I'd say that I don't want this day to end, but I'm looking forward to the rest of my life with you," John said with tears in his eyes.

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth," she recited from memory. "For your love is more delightful than wine."

That was the trigger he needed to get things started. He pulled her against his body and Anna pulled his head down to hers, threading her fingers in the soft hairs she found. They pressed their lips together sweetly at first, then with a sharp intake of his breath, she opened her mouth to his probing tongue. She whimpered as he pushed her gently against the dresser behind her, his ardor already well apparent. His hands slipped inside the open front of her robe and took her hips possessively.

While she was enjoying being the passive partner for the moment, she had other ideas. Anna began pushing him backward slowly, until his knees met the bed. She pushed him down with a smirk and stood between his open legs, working two more of his shirt buttons open quickly. He ran his fingers through her hair in search of the five pins that held it in place until her blonde locks were finally free. She shook them loose as he gathered them in his fists and tugged at them gently to give him better access to her neck. His hands then dropped to her hips and slid up her sides to play with the fabric the robe, a unspoken question in his eyes. She nodded in assent and he pushed it from her shoulders, neither of them caring a whit about it lying on the floor getting wrinkled.

His mouth immediately found her collarbone as she leaned over him, and he worked his way downward to the tops of her breasts where they swelled from within the lace cups of her white demi bra. Anna gasped and held his head to her as they awkwardly fell onto the bed facing each other. John pushed her halfway onto her back and continued his exploration of her body, moving down to her sensitive stomach and ribcage, making her giggle.

She looked down at his completely clothed form as she tugged on his dark hair, a little thin at the top, but nonetheless gorgeous to her. "You have me at a disadvantage," she said in a breathy voice as his lips and tongue traced her navel.

"How so?" he rumbled against her skin.

"You're still dressed like you could walk right out in public and no one would bat an eye, and I'm lying here at my most impractical," she pointed out.

John grinned and sat up enough for her to pull his shirt from his pants and unbutton it the rest of the way. Anna gleefully pushed it from his shoulders and stripped his arms of it, revealing the torso that she'd only seen through his clothing. He was dark and thick of hair, which she knew, but she was pleasantly surprised at how fit he was for his age. Of course, he had a little softness here and there, and so did she, but when he leaned back over her, the muscles in his chest and arms pulled and strained and tightened as they supported him.

He slipped his hand under her back to touch the clasp of her bra. "May I?" he asked simply.

Her eyebrow quirked up in answer and he grinned, unhooking it after three or four tries and one bit back curse. Finally she felt the relief of the elastic giving way, and she groaned as his hands swept under the lacy fabric to knead her flesh, both from relief and from arousal. He pushed the fabric up and his mouth found her left breast first, the right getting the attention of his hand. Anna whimpered as he laved and suckled and gently worked her to gooseflesh, then moved over to the other side.

She writhed under him and wrapped her legs around one of his thick thighs to press herself against him. He was straining in his black trousers and she had every intention of helping him with that problem. She pushed against his shoulder until he got the idea and rolled onto his back. Now upright, she slipped the bra down her shoulders and dropped it to the floor, scooting out of the way when he reached for her exposed breasts like a boy reaching for candy.

"Breast man?" she asked as she untied one of his shoes.

"I might be," he answered with a chuckle.

Anna slipped the shoe and sock off of his left foot and stopped with her hand over the right shoe. She looked up at him with a raised brow until he nodded. She removed that one as well, her finger tracing the shell of the work of medical art that allowed him to have a normal life again.

"Do you think you'll need it for leverage or something?" she asked with a frown. She'd thought a bit about the mechanics of it all, but never broached the subject with him.

"Not unless we're standing up, obviously," John said with a shrug.

"Good," Anna decided. "It comes off too."

John nodded as she slid her hands up his trouser legs, then gasped as she cupped his length through the fabric. She let her hand go up and down twice before reaching for his belt and undoing it. He bit his lip as she unbuttoned the trousers and drew the zipper down carefully, as not to get anything caught in the process. He lifted his hips as she scooted the trousers down his legs and laid them across the foot of the bed. The suit was a rental, after all.

Now they were even, save for the garter belt and stockings that she still wore over her panties. They turned to their sides facing each other and his hand flicked the first clasp open on one leg, then the other. She helped him with the rest and delighted as he drew his fingers slowly down her legs, unrolling the thin fabric all the way.

He sat beside her looking first at her, then at the apparatus attached to his right knee and sighed.

"I've seen it before, John," she said as she stroked the small of his back. "It's not shocking or of any passing interest anymore. It's you."

He gave her a little smile and went about taking it off, leaving him exposed physically and psychologically to her. Anna ran one tentative hand down his thigh to his knee, tracing the scar tissue gently. John sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. She stopped moving her hand until he relaxed. When his eyes opened, she started moving again, but his hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist. His eyes darkened with lust and he moved atop her, crushing his lips against hers in a bruising kiss.

Anna gasped into his mouth as he maneuvered himself between her open legs, his hardness pressing against her through two layers of fabric. Her hands drew up and down his back, her nails rasping against his skin, learning the feel of him above her. He began to move downward, bypassing her breasts and kissing his way to the top of her panties. He looked up at her with lust in his eyes.

She nodded, and he pulled the scrap of fabric down and over her legs, immediately lowering his mouth to the top of the dark blonde curls he had revealed. "Wait," she said quickly.

His head shot up in alarm. "What?" he replied sharply.

"We can do that?" she asked slowly, unsure. "Right?" She would really have hated to give that up.

John chuckled and simply lowered his mouth to her center, causing her cry out and lift her hips from the bed in ecstasy. "Oh, thank God," Anna whimpered as he laughed again.

In short order, between his fingers and his mouth, he was bringing her to the pinnacle of arousal. She alternately clutched at the sheets and his hair, her little gasps and whimpers spurring him on. Her heel dug into his back as he hit just the right spot, and he took that as encouragement, continuing to work her in that way until she felt that blissful tightening. She cried out his name as her entire world suddenly exploded in a blinding flash. She felt her entire body turn to jelly as he kissed the insides of her thighs, then moved up to her belly, then her breasts.

Anna reached as far as she could to hook her thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and push them downward. He helped her remove them the rest of the way and she looked down to see him finally free and very eager to finish what they started. She grinned and circled him with one small hand, the contrast between her light skin and his darker flesh, not to mention the size disparity, was incredibly arousing. She had to have him. Now.

The not-so-gentle tug toward her signalled to him that it was time. He carefully eased himself between her legs and stopped. He braced himself on his elbows and looked down at her with tears in his eyes. "I love you so much," he said hoarsely.

"I love you," she whispered, her own tears filling at her eyes.

With that, he took himself in hand and slowly pushed into her, his eyes never leaving hers. It hurt at first, having been a long time since she'd been with anyone, and by her recollection, he was a little bigger than she'd remembered her other partners to be. She felt a little moment of panic at that and drew in a sharp breath.

John stilled, the strain of self control clearly evident on his face. Anna gave him a little nod of encouragement and he rocked back out and in again, then again and again, and finally he was fully inside of her.

Anna smiled and pressed her hand against his cheek as he lay there completely still above her. His eyes flickered over her face as he waited for her to be ready. In answer, she tilted her head up and kissed him, tasting herself on him. She rocked her hips ever so slightly against him, and that was all the signal he needed to continue.

She gasped as he withdrew and slid in again, that delicious feeling of him finally setting off every nerve ending in her body. He filled her again and again, each meeting a further affirmation of their love. She began to meet him thrust for thrust, raising her hips to his in counterpoint.

John buried his face in her shoulder as his motions began to draw ragged. "I can't much longer," he gasped against her hair.

"Then let go," she said with a groan, knowing full well that their first time was likely to have been a little rushed anyway. She felt her own climax rising again and tilted her hips just the way she needed to, locking her ankles behind his back. She began to cry out louder and louder, until she could no longer form any coherent words, only keening noises of pleasure.

John's hips moved erratically and he suddenly pounded against her with all of his strength, the force sending her over the edge again. He stilled and closed his eyes, the face contorting into a beautiful grimace, and he spilled into her with a gasp of her name. Anna whimpered into his skin, her own oversensitivity sending shivers up and down her body as he weakly moved against her with the last bit of energy he had. She stroked up and down his back as he stilled, the weight of him almost too much to bear, but at the same time, being exactly what she needed. She whispered her love into his ear as his breathing still laboured on. John's tears fell onto her neck and he returned her words with just as much passion and fervour.

He lifted his head to pepper her face with little kisses and sighs. "So they are no longer two, but one flesh," he said breathlessly. "Therefore what God has joined together, let no man tear asunder."

Anna could only nod in agreement. This was her husband, who God had put forward for her, and she loved him with all of her heart and soul, and finally, her body.