A/N - Don't worry, Winning Isn't Everything hasn't been abandoned. It's just, after a visit to Scotland, we were inspired to write something including the Highlands and rather than starting a new story, we decided to revisit one of our favourites that we have written, 'A New Start'. People have also shown a lot of love for this story so it makes sense. It might help to read the rest of 'A New Start' before reading this but it could work as a stand alone if you so wish. Basically, John and Anna were teachers who met when John moved to Downton. And so a love story ensued. Do read A New Start though if you can, we are really proud of it.

So, here is Banna family fluff aplenty. This will be multi chaptered aswell. Enjoy :)

Turning his key in the lock, John quietly pushed open the front door. Remembering that their children were safe with their grandparents for the afternoon, he had dashed home after school finished early for the summer holidays to try and catch some much needed alone time with his beautiful wife. Closing the door behind him, he could hear footsteps above his head, Anna clearly packing for the trip they were about to embark on with their family. Shaking off his jacket, John hung it on a hook beside the door before making his way upstairs. He winced as he saw all the suitcases and various rucksacks lined up on the landing, wondering how in the world they were going to fit everything in the car.

'Right, that's Finlay, Callum and Ellie done, finally,' Anna said aloud, unaware her husband was watching her in their sons room from the top of the stairs. Moving out of the bedroom, lugging a holdall behind her, she looked up and visibly jumped upon seeing her husband before her. 'Jesus Christ John Bates. You startled me.'

'Sorry my love,' John replied as he chuckled, walking towards Anna then kissing her on the cheek before roaming his eye over all the luggage she had packed. 'I thought we were going away for a few days, not moving house.'

'John, we are travelling with four children. And the two of us. I think I have done well to limit the luggage to what I have packed.'

Four children. The apple of their Daddy's eye and the reason why Anna was the happiest woman on the planet. John and Anna's little family lit up their world. Eleanor was now eight years old, going on eighteen and the spitting image of her mother. She certainly knew what she wanted in life, and had her father wrapped around her finger, much to her mother's chagrin. Finlay and Callum were now four and after the summer would be starting primary school. They were carbon copies of eachother, and their Dad. Dark haired, dark eyes although their characters differed greatly. Whilst Callum was laid back and willing to go with the flow, he often found himself overwhelmed by his much more high maintenance twin brother. Still, working together John and Anna were proud of the three little beings they had brought into the world. Each had their quirks and behaviours, but they were all polite and on the whole, well behaved children.

John's promotion to headmaster shortly after the twins had been born had meant Anna was able to give up work to be a full time mother. Happy with their family of five, it came as a complete shock when Anna fell pregnant a year ago with their fourth child. Despite surprised by finding out about the imminence of their new arrival, John and Anna were both ecstatic to be adding to their brood. They would often reminisce about their courtship and how they had both been lost before finding the other. Maria was never far from their thoughts. As she regarded John before her at that moment, Anna was playing with the bracelet on her wrist that John had bought her to mark the birth of Ellie. Added to the tiny silver heart, gold star and pink butterfly charms were a blue train and a blue football to represent Callum and Finlay. And now, the newest charm was that of a blue teddy bear to mark the birth of their new son, George John.

Unsure as to how he had managed to get away with it again, John's suggestion of George after George Best, had been met with approval from Anna, unbeknownst to her that it was after the football icon. She had chosen John, after her husband, to be their new sons middle name. He was the first of their children to be a mixture of the two of them. A mop of dark hair after his father was matched with bright blue eyes that he obviously inherited from his mother.

'It's lucky we bought that people carrier, I suppose.' John wrapped his arms around Anna's waist, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. 'How long until your parents return with our little ones?'

'An hour or so,' Anna sighed as she sunk herself into John's embrace. 'Why, what did you have in mind, headmaster?'

'Well, we're alone. The house is empty. I thought we could...' John raised his eyebrows before adding, 'make the most of it.'

'Oh, I intend to darling,' Anna replied with a seductive lilt to her tone, taking hold of John's hand and leading him to their bedroom. Thinking he had struck it lucky, his heart sank with Anna's next words. 'I still need to pack your bags and you can help.'

Moving around the kitchen with a practiced ease that came with nearly ten years of marriage, John and Anna set about preparing dinner for everyone whilst they waited for Helen and Tony to return with the children, Anna's father having sent a text message to say they were on their way.

'Remember not to put peas on Finlay's plate,' Anna reminded her husband as he dished up the vegetables. 'I'm not having an evening like last Tuesday. As long as he eats his carrots, that's alright with me.'

'Yeah, that was amusing,' John smiled before looking at the expression on Anna's face. 'Or not.'

'Was it you he was throwing peas at, John? No, it was me.'

He couldn't help it then, John began to chuckle as he placed a portion of carrots on his own plate. Anna was not as amused, looking up at her husband.

'Yes, it's hilarious,' Anna's voice showed no hint of sharing her husbands opinion on the matter. 'I was still treading on peas in the dining room even yesterday.'

With those words, John's chuckling turned into full blown laughter. 'You have to give the lad his dues, he has a good arm on him.'

'Oh, is that right?' Anna's demeanour had turned downright mischievous as she loaded up the ladle she was using with the sauce she had made for the chicken. 'Care to rephrase that, Mr Bates?'

Turning his head to see what Anna was planning, John was reprieved from a dunking as the front door burst open, followed by the sound of footsteps running down the hall.

'Saved,' John smirked, his voice tinged with relief as Anna placed the ladle down.

'Oh, don't think this is over, my darling,' Anna whispered, running a finger along John's cheek before bending down to greet her children. Finlay and Callum ran into her embrace.

'Mummy,' Finlay screeched, Anna squeezing them tight.

'Hello my little angels.'

Even now, John felt his heart swell with love when watching Anna with their children. Finlay and Callum, having had their turn with their mother stepped aside and walked towards John, Ellie taking their place and, albeit ever so slightly reluctantly, hugging her mother. She was going through a phrase where she insisted at every opportunity she was a 'big girl' and therefore that should make her exempt from cuddles and the like. Anna however, had other ideas.

'Where's Georgie, Ellie?' John asked as he helped Finlay and Callum out of their jackets, each finding it much more fun to try and climb up their father not helping the process.

'Nan and Grandad are bringing him now. Nan asked me to run in with the twins,' Eleanor replied, wriggling from her mother's hold and sitting at the table. She had a troubled expression on her face, one which John knew meant she was about to ask a question. 'Daddy, can I get a horse?'

'Now, we've had this conversation before, Ellie,' John began just as Helen appeared holding a sleeping George. 'The garden isn't big enough and I'm not clearing horse...'

'Thank you, John,' Anna interrupted, reaching across to take George from her mother. 'Thanks Mum. Where's Dad?'

'Still in the car. I best get moving, we are late for the social clubs annual barbecue. If we get there too late we get the worse of the sausages. Enjoy your trip to Scotland. Regards to Robert and Cora.'

Almost as soon as she had walked into the house, Helen had left leaving John and Anna with their children. Anna watched as John helped Finlay and Callum up to the table, giving them each a high five once they were settled before wrapping his arm around Eleanor's shoulders and giving her a little squeeze, adding some soothing words and a proper explanation as to why they could never possibly have a horse in the back garden. He was a natural with the children, and Anna was sure she could have searched the whole world over, and never found a more perfect man to be the father to her children than John. As George began to stir in her arms, John took the baby from Anna so she could finish dishing up dinner, sitting beside his other children at the table with George settling happily in his hold. He sat their youngest up in his arms so he could see his brothers and his sister. George had just begun to smile, and his siblings liked nothing better than to try and make their baby brother laugh.

Finlay began to blow raspberries across the table in the direction of George, the latter smiling almost instantly although his actions resulted in Anna asking Finlay to stop as it wasn't a very nice thing to do at the dinner table. Finlay saw this as a challenge, carrying on with his raspberries before a stern 'Finlay' from John caused him to stop.

'When are we going to the big castle in Scotty-land?' Callum asked his mother as she placed his dinner down in front of him.

'It's Scotland,' Ellie corrected her brother, 'and we leave tomorrow morning.'

John, Anna and their children had been invited to the nuptials of Elsie Hughes and Charles Carson, the receptionist and caretaker respectively at St Peter's, the school where John was headmaster. Elsie, being Scottish, had requested they marry at a castle in the Scottish Highlands. It would be an opportunity for John and Anna to catch up with Robert and Cora, who after Robert's retirement had spent most of their time travelling the world. Robert was John's oldest friend, the reason why he had moved to the North and in the eyes of John, the catalyst for him meeting the love of his life and having everything he had now.

Tom Branson, John's deputy and Robert's son in law was also coming to the wedding with his little family, his wife Sybil having recently giving birth to a little boy, a brother for their elder daughter. Tom and John's friendship had gone from strength to strength, the position Robert had left the school in when he left now even stronger under the stewardship of John and Tom. However, one of John's proudest moments had come when he had been able to offer a position on the Physical Education staff to Charlie, or rather Mr Barton as he was known now to the students. John still remembered how they had both been there for eachother when they both moved to Downton, Charlie from Newcastle and the new boy when John started. Now in his mid twenties and fully trained to be a PE teacher, Charlie insisted he owed it all to John. Charlie would also be travelling to Scotland for the wedding with his fiancée and childhood sweetheart, the girl who he had stolen from the clutches of Billy Harris.

'Now eat up everyone,' Anna instructed, smirking slightly as she watched John struggle with a content George in one hand, trying to cut through his chicken with the edge of his fork in the other. 'It's bed early, tonight.'

John looked over at Anna, a cheeky expression on his face. 'Is that a promise, Mrs Bates?'

Running a hand through his hair as he thanked the Lord for the stillness that had befallen the car, John took a glimpse at the satellite navigation system. They were only an hour or so from their final destination, a hotel they would be sharing with Robert and Cora. The wedding was to be held at Blackness Castle near the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. Having travelled for a good couple of hours since their last stop, the gentle snores of his three eldest children, as well as his wife, were music to John's ears after the choruses of 'are we nearly there yet' and the endless games of eye spy. Looking in the rear view mirror, John smiled as he saw Finlay and Callum asleep in the very back of the car, luggage all around them, clutching the other's hand as they slept. His gaze then moved onto Ellie and her mother, Eleanor resting her head on her mother's shoulder as they dozed beside each other. He chuckled slightly as he remembered their conversation before they had been overcome with the weariness a long journey brings, an in depth discussion about which High School Musical film was the best. Zac Efron was a sacred name in the Bates household.

'You alright down there, little bean?' John asked little George as he cooed beside his father in the front seat. Turning his head, instantly recognising John's voice, George smiled upon finding where his Daddy was. John held out the little finger of his left hand for George to grab a hold of, the baby instantly gripping it with his left hand, hardly enveloping his father's finger. Little bean had become George's nickname as a result of his first scan picture. Upon seeing it, his older brothers said he looked like a little bean, and the moniker had stuck. 'Finally, some peace and quiet so Daddy and his little bean can have a chat, man to man, like.'

George was seemingly impressed with his father's suggestion, babbling enthusiastically and kicking his legs excitedly out in front of him, John noticing the action out of the corner of his vision as he kept his eyes on the road. Being on the motorway, travelling at a steady fifty miles per hour and their junction being miles away meant there was no need to change gears for the time being, so John was quite content to allow George to keep a grip of his finger.

'Now, we are going to be meeting some very special people over the next few days, Georgie. Robert is Daddy's oldest friend, and the reason why he came to Downton. Downton is a very special place, it was where I met Mummy.' Allowing himself another glance in the rear view mirror, John looked at Anna still sleeping quite peacefully, saying to himself yet another silent prayer of thanks that she had come into his life. 'We didn't get together straight away. Oh no. But when we did, I was the happiest I had ever been.' John stopped to think about his children for a second. 'Up until you four came along, anyway. It wasn't just the four of you, though. There was Maria, who Mummy and I will make sure you and your brothers and sister know all about.'

Gazing out over the horizon beyond the hills of the highlands he was currently driving through, the sun setting in the distance, John thought of that time in their life for a moment. Despite all they had now, the pain of losing Maria had never lessened. A gold star sat beside pictures of their children at home, her memory never far from their minds. On each anniversary of when they had first released the gold star balloon down in Cornwall, John and Anna had released one more with their children around them. They would always maintain there were parents of five, not four.

'Anyway, Robert,' John continued, quickly glancing at George who was still staring at him intently. 'He's the best man I've ever known. And I'm sure he's going to adore you. Like he does, Ellie, Fin and Callum.'

Robert was Godfather to all three of their older children, and John and Anna were planning to ask him to be George's aswell. Robert made sure he kept in contact with his Godchildren, addressing letters and greetings cards to them personally, as well as visiting as often as he could.

'And Scotland is a fine place, little bean,' John announced, surveying his surroundings as they continued to travel down the motorway. 'We have the Highland Cows, with their floppy hair. Mummy said they remind her of Daddy when he needs a hair cut. And the Loch Ness monster of course, who Mummy says looks like Daddy after he's had a few drinks with Tom. Maybe if we have a spare few hours, we could all go on the hunt for the monster. Then there is the shortbread. I'm sure you wouldn't mind getting your gums around a piece of that, Georgie.' As he said those words, John lightly pressed a finger to George's nose, causing him to gurgle in delight.

'You are not feeding him shortbread.'

John was startled as Anna's voice filled the air. Meeting her gaze in the mirror, he was relieved to see her smirking at him. 'How long have you been awake?'

'I was never asleep,' Anna admitted, John quickly going over what he had said to George in his mind, trying to gauge if he should be worried or not. Anna's next words eased his fears. 'I enjoyed your little, father son chat. Loch Ness Monster hunting sounds like fun.'

'Well, we are up in Scotland for a whole week, I'm sure we'll have some spare time to fit it all in.'

'I'm looking forward to our evening alone. It was so kind of Robert and Cora to offer to baby sit for us.'

'Yeah, a whole evening to ourselves,' John sighed, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Anna in the rear view mirror once more. 'A rare luxury.'

'But a luxury you haven't minded giving up, I hope?' Anna asked, looking over her shoulder at the twins before snuggling more closely to Ellie. 'We made this happen, John. We brought these four beautiful little creatures into the world.'

'I wouldn't change a single thing about or life together, Anna. You know that. I'd have a whole football team of Bates's with you if I could.'

'I know,' Anna replied with a nod. 'I love you.'

'I love you too,' John responded, his voice still filled with as much conviction as it had been the first time he had told Anna, if not more.

'Now carry on chatting with the bean, I wanted to hear what else we would be up to when in Scotland.'

The hotel was set in a beautiful location, with spacious gardens and views that were some of the most breathtaking in the entire United Kingdom. Their rooms overlooked the Firth of Forth, the dusky evening the perfect backdrop for the hillsides in the distance. With the hotel being quite small, John and Anna found out they had taken up almost a quarter of the accommodation with their brood. Robert and Cora had recommended the place to them, their travelling having taken in most of the British Isles. It had been decided that John would share a room with the twins, Anna thinking it would cause George as little disturbance as possible if she shared a room with the baby and their daughter. One room just wouldn't have been big enough for the whole family, and renting a cottage a little too out of their price range for the amount of time they wanted to spend in Scotland. They were heartened to learn upon checking in that their rooms were adjoining, meaning the only occasion they would be apart was when bedtime was upon them. A living room separated the bedrooms, and Anna and John realised they could put their children to bed before retiring in that room together in the evening, perhaps even stepping out on the tiny balcony to enjoy the views.

John closed the door as softly as he could behind him, leaving Finlay and Callum sleeping soundly. He looked up to see Anna sitting on the balcony, cradling George in her arms as she fed him, whispering to him as she did so. He smiled upon seeing them, crossing the room before looking in on Eleanor in the other bedroom. She was fast asleep in the double bed, clutching the stuffed teddy bear she had never been able to sleep without since birth. Moving back out into the living room, John decided to approach Anna, she seemingly having finished feeding their youngest.

'They were both out like a light,' John revealed to his wife as he sat beside her. 'I let them have the double bed. The smaller one wouldn't fit them both in without it being an incredibly uncomfortable nights sleep. I'll sleep there.'

'It's a sacrifice a parent must make,' Anna replied with a jovial lilt to her tone, draping George's muslin over her shoulder. She raised the baby to lean over her shoulder before gently patting his back.

'Do you want me to do that?' John offered, leaning forward with an outstretched arm. 'I know you said you wanted a bath.'

'No, it's fine. He just gave up some wind with a sound even you would have been proud of so I'm not sure there is much more to give.'

Just then, the sound of John's message tone filled the air, George wriggling in Anna's arms to try and find out where the sound was coming from. He was an inquisitive little thing, always needing to know what was going on. The baby settled his gaze on his father as he read the message, Anna continuing to pat his back.

'It's Robert. Asking what room we are in.'

'Why would he want to know that?' Anna furrowed her brow, kissing George lightly on his temple. Both she and John had believed Robert and Cora wouldn't be in town until the morning of the wedding. That was two days away. Before he had a chance to respond to the message, a soft knock at the door caused both John and Anna to look inside from the balcony. Rising to his feet, John walked as quietly as he could to the door, opening it and unable to stop the grin on his face as he took in the sight in front of him.

'Hello, you old dog,' Robert exclaimed, John instantly wincing and bringing his finger to his lips to ask his friend keep his voice down. Cora looked on embarrassingly behind him, waving weakly at Anna who had now come inside from the balcony clutching George.

'Sorry,' Cora whispered, following Robert into the room. 'We checked in here a little while ago and Robert insisted we come and find you guys. I knew the kids would be asleep but you know Robert.'

'Don't be sorry, it's lovely to see you,' John exclaimed, shaking Robert's hand vigorously before kissing Cora on the cheek. 'We just weren't expecting you for a couple of days.'

'Well, we were sitting on a fishing boat just off the coast of Spain, when it dawned on me we hadn't yet met your new addition.' Robert explained, trying to keep his voice as quiet as he could. 'I turned to Cora and said we should head to Scotland early, spend more time with the family. So here we are.'

'And here he is,' Cora cooed, stepping towards Anna. 'This must be George.'

'He is indeed,' Anna replied, turning the boy in her arms. 'Would you like to hold him, Cora?'

'Oh please, he's so beautiful.'

As the women fussed over the baby, John and Robert took a moment to become reacquainted in a manner only best friends of over thirty years could.

'You cad, old man. I never knew you had it in you at our age.'

'It wasn't planned, he's our happy little accident,' John responded with a smile as he nudged Robert in the ribs with his elbow. 'But have you seen my wife? She's stunning. It's a miracle we've kept the children down to the amount we have.'

'Fair point,' Robert conceded with a nod, looking over to their wives, Cora now rocking George in her arms.

'Oh Robert, come and see him. He's such a bonny wee thing.'

'A few hours in Scotland and she's already talking like the locals,' Robert quipped as he walked towards Cora. John moved towards Anna, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, she gripping his hand in hers as Cora gently passed George over to Robert. 'Well, he's certainly got your hair, John. But the rest is all Anna.'

'Thank God,' John breathed, turning his head to kiss Anna on the cheek.

'How about we let the men go to the pub next door for a pint,' Cora suggested, 'whilst you and me catch up, eh Anna?'

'I'm not sure...' John began to weakly protest, Anna realising his game, rolling her eyes knowing John actually wouldn't mind reacquainting with his friend over a beer. Noticing her actions, John tried to feign confusion. 'Why are you rolling your eyes at me this time?'

'Just go to the pub. Cora and I can hold the fort here. George will be going to bed soon anyway, and I noticed some wine in the fridge.'

Without missing a beat, Robert was handing George back to Cora. 'Come on John, I noticed on the way in it's happy hour.'

'We won't be long,' John said, kissing Anna on the cheek once more. 'I promise.'

'It's not funny, I had spent all bank holiday weekend painting the hallway,' John explained as Robert chuckled away beside him, 'then it took my delightful children twenty minutes to add their own finishing touches.'

'Quite literally,' Robert added before taking another sip of his pint. 'Hand painting freshly painted walls, how did they get away with it?'

'Well, Eleanor told me she was taking Fin and Callum upstairs to play. Anna was out with Ethel and I was feeding George so I was relieved she was trying to be helpful.' John rolled his eyes as he remembered that afternoon a few weeks ago. 'Little did I know when she said she was going to play with her brothers, she meant get out her new art set. So my buttermilk walls are now accentuated by green, purple and red hand prints.'

'They are still there?'

'Oh yes,' John nodded, finishing the rest of his drink in one. 'Anna loved the kids decoration. It was tastefully done, I have to admit.' He reached into his pocket for his phone. 'Want a look? I have a picture on here somewhere.'

Happy hour had turned into two, the old friends losing track of time as they caught up on each other's news. A quick text to the ladies upstairs to say they would be back soon was replied to with a message telling them to take as long as they wanted, the circumstances were extenuating after all. John had been regaling Robert with tales of his children, Robert genuinely thrilled to hear all about what his Godchildren get up to and how happy they made his best friend. John's happy ending had been a long time coming and Robert was so happy for him that it had finally happened.

'I miss mine being that young, but the grandchildren are a delight,' Robert mused, picking up the bar mat in front of him and tapping it on the table. 'Little Sybbie and Patrick certainly keep me and Cora on our toes.'

'Yes, Tom and I often exchange stories.' John nodded with a laugh. 'It's been the making of him. Becoming a Dad.'

'I wasn't sure in the beginning but in the end it materialises there was no better man for our Sybil,' Robert conceded. 'They are happy and as long as your children are happy, that's all you can ask for really. Mary and Matthew are really settled in America, Matthew loves working at the university and little Georgia is thriving. We saw them a few weeks ago. Again, really happy.'

'And Edith?'

'Fine, dating a journalist in London as it happens.' Robert revealed. 'He seems a nice chap. But Edith is an independent woman, she loves her career so we'll see how that goes. Tom and Sybil are down there with the kids at the moment.'

Silence fell for a moment as they both reflected on the points in their lives they now found themselves at. Robert was clearly enjoying his life at the moment, travelling the globe seeing new things. His children were never far from his thoughts, however. John wondered how Robert could be away from them for so long, seeing them whenever he and Cora could fit in a trip home. John couldn't bear the thought of being away from his children for the working day, let alone weeks at a time. He dreaded the day they would be ready to fly the nest.

'I thought myself and Cora would do our babysitting duties the evening after the wedding.' Robert announced, breaking the silence between them.

'Whatever is easiest mate, we really appreciate it,' John smiled. 'I can't remember the last time we had an evening alone.'

'It's no bother,' Robert insisted, rising to his feet. 'We might be out of practice, but myself and Cora are certainly capable. Now, I'll get us two more drinks then we can discuss the itinerary for this week. If you don't mind, myself and Cora intend to spend as much time as we can with your beautiful family.'

John smiled as he watched Robert almost dance to the bar. A few days in the company of the finest man he had ever known was music to John's ears. What with a wedding, his best friend and four children to chase after, it was going to be an eventful week.