The story goes on…my take on what happened next for Mr and Mrs Bates and their family. Post S6/a kind-of S7 (though we'll be going a bit further than that).

Sometimes our healing isn't at all what we thought it would be. Sometimes it goes much deeper. Will John experience an unexpected healing? Modern A/U

WW1 AU, 1916. Sergeant John Bates has been severely injured in the line of duty at the Battle of the Somme and is sent to a rehabilitation hospital back in England where he meets Nurse Anna Smith. Will she be able to bring him out of the shadows? Will he allow her to help him on the road to recovery?

After losing his job at Downton Comprehensive, John Bates is attempting to rebuild his life. Former student Anna Smith is on the verge of small screen stardom. A school reunion brings new perspectives and second chances, bringing two different worlds together once more. Modern Anna x Bates AU. M rated from Chapter 12.

Night after night, it was always the same dream: a dimly lit room, a featherbed draped in silk, and the man in black making passionate love to her untried body. [Reylo] [ReyBen]

Modern AU. When Anna agrees to help her longtime friend John avoid his ex-wife and navigate murky waters with his family, she never expects to realize she's not quite over her college crush on him. When it turns out that she needs his help as much as he needs hers, will either one of them be able to keep their feelings platonic? Rating change at Chapter 11.

"A spot of tea might do, or luncheon at a small hotel. Something to affirm and celebrate their status to one another, to make the most of their time with each other away from their place of work." Because Anna and Mr Bates had a fair few dates…

Bates and Anna's road to happiness has already had more than its share of bumps; his arrest and what comes of it is only the next test of their love. Short vignettes covering on- and offscreen scenes in their romance; sequel to "For This Love."

Anna and John enjoy their last half-day before the arrival of their first child.

Bedtime is often the most eventful time of day in the Bates household. Post S6.

John Bates is looking for a quiet, backwoods kind of job in Kiandra. He wants nothing more than to live alone, tend to his life, and do his job. He does not expect bushrangers, gold miners, anti-immigrant riots, angry locals, or the loveliest woman he ever saw to enter his life. But when he left Ireland for the colonies of Australia he forgot, it's a big country and he's only one m

A life shattered does not have to be broken forever. It is simply different when the pieces are put back together; a mosaic that doesn't have to be less beautiful just because it has imperfections.

The goddess of love (little 'g') decided that John Bates and Anna Smith needed a little push to get them together. As she slowly encourages them- individually- to see the beauty of love with one another they start to see a future for themselves they never before imagined.

When John Bates takes over the management and operation of the lighthouse he expects a life of quiet and serenity. What he does not expect is to save the life of prominent Council Member and fishery magnate, Robert Crawley, or to meet the manager of the day-to-day operations of the closest fishery, Anna Smith. What follows, between the tumults of wind, rain, and sea, is unknown

It was strange, how quickly he had grown accustomed to being touched in such an intimate way. No one had ever done anything before, and he had been quite certain that no matter who was doing the touching, it was simply something that he would not get used to. But Anna had proven him to be wrong yet again. Now, it was his safety.

John Bates has always looked to the stars. Cover image by annambates.

Modern AU. There are certain mundane things in life that make it feel as if you're falling in love all over again.

John and Anna have an important discussion in the months before their baby's birth.

John attempts to point his son's first words in a certain direction, but things don't go to plan. Modern!AU fluff one-shot.

Modern AU. Anna and John's plans to spend a quiet day together are derailed by the bad weather. It isn't always a bad thing.

John Bates had never felt so wonderfully fatigued in his whole life.

Modern AU. If Anna had been told three years ago that the week of her sister's wedding would change her own life for good, she probably would have wondered what on earth they had been smoking. She had longed for more, it was true, but she would certainly not have believed that such a clichéd scenario would have brought her together with the man that she was in love with.

Alphabetically prompted snippets of 155 words in length. Waxing poetic with the Bateses. Enjoy.

Modern AU. Anna Smith had always loved flowers, but she had never thought that one strange bouquet would bring her together with a man like John Bates.

The years may have passed, but Anna and John Bates' love has never faltered.

Modern AU. Anna Smith thinks she's content with her life, her teaching career the focal point. Then she meets Sergeant John Bates, and soon her feelings of friendship blossom into more. However, the road to true love is never smooth and, sometimes, in the most hopeless of hours, there is a choice between fighting and fleeing which can prove the mettle of what was there all along.

There is so much love in the Bates household.

Modern AU. John Bates has big plans for this particular April day, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect. But sometimes not every incident can be foreseen, and sometimes those plans can take the most unexpected of turns. Cover image by annambates.

Journal entries written by John & Anna(actually Handy-for-the-bus & Terriejane)after they left service and became the proprietors of the Grantham Arms Hotel in Downton Village. Rated K through M.

It is time to make a dream a reality.

On a small Island in Scotland an injured soldier returns home to heal his body and soul, but little does he know that his recovery is in the hands of an unknown friend. Begins in the Summer of 1945.

Modern Day AU, Coffee House Fic. Fluff? Probably. Based on a prompt from awesomegreentie. We started with a T rating, but who was I kidding? We promptly moved up to a strong M at Chapter 5.

Two hearts, finding each other unexpectedly, fighting through adversity, celebrating in joy - becoming one. Anna and Bates throughout their relationship, in scenes throughout the series of Downton (canon and AU), and how their love conquers all.

Kylo tries to complete his training, Rey tries to begin hers, and Finn tries to figure out where he belongs. When Kylo and Rey both start to lose faith in their respective mentors and a devastating attack leaves Finn directionless, their lives collide. Reylo & Stormpilot.

She'd never thought that she would meet a man like him. But John Bates is an enigma at the best of times, and Anna Smith simply can't work out whether the man that she's fallen in love with has given his heart in return.

As time goes by, love always remains. Written for Banna April.

Anna and John's wedding anniversaries over the years [Spoilers for S6].

This was their chance night. This was their fairytale. Mondler oneshot.

Things Anna and John say to each other at various moments of their lives.

"There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice." [S1 through to S6, S6 spoilers]

Modern AU. Anna's Valentine's Day plans had not involved reeling in a stubborn Mary determined for revenge on Matthew. John had not envisaged he would spend the night trying to stop a rebounding Robert from completely spoiling things with Cora. But on the day for lovers, fate has a way of working things out.

But now, neither of them could stop from smiling, walking through each room of the cottage with their son. Their dearest wish and their greatest gift. (S6 CS spoilers)

Love suffers long and is kind. It is not proud. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (S6 spoilers included)

Years have passed by in the blink of an eye, and yet the people within these hallowed halls haven't changed much in the decade that she's been away.

Spoiler Warning for Series 6, episode 4. This was just my interpretation of what went on in Bates head when Anna rushed off to London with Lady Mary in the middle of the night and his reaction to the news upon her return.

There was always a place for a man like him.

A ficlet for each episode - revealing a little more of what happened between Anna and Bates each step of the way, through the good and the bad. (Trigger warnings for Chapter 20 and 29.)

Life is a risky business. Modern AU.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but Anna thinks a kiss is worth a thousand more.

It has taken a long while for Anna to emerge from the shadows, forever changed but not broken, and he loves her all the same. Contains vague references to the events of Season 4, but nothing detailed. No (official) spoilers beyond Season 5.

He was one, amongst many others, who were being celebrated for the battles they had endured. He was the one honoured for bravery, courage in the face of adversity and possessing an iron will to win through against all odds. A hero in the eyes of the country he had fought for. (Post S6, AU)

Anna feels a soft kiss upon her neck, just below her ear, and she knows that it's time to wake up. Set post-S5, with some S6 "spoilers".

The question comes as she sits at the little table she uses for work.

A "fill-in-the-blank" canon-style journey through Anna and Bates' courtship. I think of this as a "prequel" to A Meeting at Night and Homecoming, but each of the stories can stand alone. This is to be a multiple chapter fic, which began with a T rating and firmly MOVED UP TO A STRONG M AT CHAPTER 16.

Summer 1921. A heatwave hits Downton, but the temperature isn't the only factor warming things up. Set between 3.8 and the S3 CS.

He went away, time after time, but their love could never keep them apart. Modern Anna x Bates one shot.

Modern AU: Anna Smith and John Bates didn't expect a trip to Matlock to change their lives forever... (lame title, I know)

Modern AU. Life can always come up with a few surprises. (completely A/B, but with other characters' appearances as well)

Bates and Anna couldn't have known where that first handshake would lead them: short vignettes covering on- and off-screen scenes in their romance.

In the aftermath of their most recent troubles, Anna notices that her husband has become more protective of her than ever.

John and Anna, along with their children, take a trip to Ireland to visit John's cousin. After his eldest daughter drops a bombshell on their faery hunt, John is determined to spoil his wife, but Anna has a secret of her own.

There is joy, there is heartbreak, but in between, in those small moments that define us, there is true love. The story of Anna and Mr. Bates, told in multiple installments.

Their greatest dream had come true once more, just in time. Spoilers for S5 CS.

She was home, and just in time for Christmas.

Four times that Anna and John went to the beach. Some canon, some AU.

26 word prompts from A-Z; 26 glimpses into the life of Bates and Anna.

Oneshots based on Anna and John's relationship, from the fledgling days of friendship to the horror of his imprisonment, stretching beyond into their happy life together.

In the space of a few hours, Anna Smith's life is turned upside down. Can a chance encounter on a Underground train change everything for the better, and guide her to where she is meant to be? Modern Anna and Bates AU, based on the film Sliding Doors. M Rated from Chapter 10. [Winner of 2014 Highclere Award for Anna/Bates Modern AU story]

How do you rebuild the perfect love when it is shattered? Or do you even try?

"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." - Helen Keller :: The worlds of Anna Smith and John Bates become unexpectedly entwined, as they both question everything they've based their lives upon. :: Modern A/U

John Bates knows that he's not destined for great things, not after the life that he's had. But perhaps he can show the measure of himself in other ways.

AU. Mary and Matthew are travelling to Paris for a romantic break away for Valentine's Day. Initially disappointed, Anna is delighted when Matthew makes arrangements for Molesley to swap places with Bates, just for the trip. Anna and Bates get to enjoy a week away in the city of love, re-living Anna's experiences of the last time she was in France. Tumblr prompt.

Ever since Anna fell in love with Mr. Bates, she has been eager for him to return the feelings. When it seems that he will never change the state of their relationship, Anna takes matters into her own hands on the most romantic day of the year. Set after 1.5.

When Anna receives news of her family a week after Bates is released, husband and wife must face another hurdle in yet another chapter of their lives, only this time with a six-year-old in tow.

Downton's yearly tradition of anonymous gift-giving is upon the servants. Anna pulls her husband's name out of the hat—something she has always wanted to do—but what kind of special gift can she get for the man that she's already married to?

Anna and Bates, one year after the opera concert night. Spoilers for Series 4.

A few years after they first went, Anna, John and their daughter venture to Scotland again for a holiday of their own. Will it be a trip to remember? AU post S3.

My second DA fic, this time multi-chapter. Starts at S02E03, but goes more AU from there. Finding Bates again leads Anna to make a difficult decision for the both of them, but it may be the only hope for the future they so long for together.

As Valentine's Day approaches at Downton Abbey, Anna comes up with a plan to make the most of the holiday with John. 4.1 speculation (sort of). Flirty fluff ahead!

It's Anna's birthday, and John decides that a simple but very special gesture is the best way to show his love. AU before S4.

The arrival of Mr Pamuk causes a stir both above and below stairs, leading Anna and Mr Bates into a conversation about what makes someone beautiful.

In the wake of Matthew's death, Anna tries to cheer the house by forming a book club (you know the one she mentioned to Molesley in S2:E2). John is a reluctant participant, but ends up learning that being a good sport comes with its own rewards. Total crack story! Most of the downstairs characters (and Branson too!) make an appearance in this hopefully amusing one-shot.

Anna and John ruminate on each other through the five senses. Prompted by anon on Tumblr.

A sweet one-shot about the best television romance I have ever seen. My first Downton fanfic so please don't be too harsh if some of the chronological details are off!

New Year's Eve, 1920. Hopes are high and promise is in the air as the old year gets ready to fly away...and Anna and John share an encounter in the empty ballroom of Downton Abbey.

Story detailing the scenes we never saw, but all wanted to upon John's arrival back at Downton. S3 spoilers.

It's Christmas 1914. Anna and Mr Bates' situation is the same as it always has been, until a mishap under the mistletoe forces everything to change. Winner of A/B canon, and nominated in A/B angst in Highclere Awards 2014.

Modern AU, Anna and Bates meet at an audition for a new romantic stage play.

"His lordship said to stay in bed and read books. I don't think he had this in mind."

"They were both free, to love and be loved, for the first time in their lives." Spoilers for Series 3.

On their wedding night, John watches Anna sleep, marvelling at everything they've overcome so far and pondering their future.

One slip of the tongue can have far reaching consequences...