When the shrapnel in Bates' knee shifts unexpectedly, the pain is nearly unbearable. Will he and Anna be able to cope with the change in his circumstances, or will it be enough to finally break them apart?

This is what i really wanted to happen in 4x4 when Anna arrived back from London. Read and Enjoy!

Letters from the Anna-Bates prison correspondence in S3. Anna is optimistic and cheerful, with her usual honesty and humor, while Bates is the romantic brooder, though not without his own humor. Letters begin early in 03x01.

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

"Deny me light, deny me spring, but never your laughter, for I would die." Pablo Neruda

During those six months, Anna spends every other Wednesday afternoon that she can on the bus to Kirkbymoorside.

He gazed across the bed at his wife's face, relaxed and innocent in slumber. In these moments, she looked as young and untouched by life as the first day they'd met. Rated M

Anna was distracted by a bright and colorful object which caught her eye peeking out from behind a flower pot by the front stoop.

One year had gone by since John had left Anna to go with Vera instead. Anna had lost hope for John to actually come back to her, she had lost him forever, she had given up. One day she gets a surprise, but is it too late? R&R

Modern/AU - Inspired by this 'Imagine Your OTP' prompt on Tumblr - "Imagine Person A teaching Person B of your OTP how to kiss, and Person B ends up kissing Person A really quick, nervously asks "Like that?" and leaves Person A silent and flustered for a moment."

Bates breaks Anna's heart when he tells her he's leaving with Vera the next morning. But before he goes, Anna makes a decision that will change their life forever. Will that night be the beginning of the end for both Anna and Bates? Heartbreak, misunderstandings and concealments will only prove how uncertain the future can be.

Thank tumblr for this one. Normally I am a strictly cannon sort of writer, but this time I will make an exception. Takes place immediately following Anna's first visit to the Red Lion in Kirbymoorside. Side note: I genuinely do not believe this is how things went down, but it was an interesting exercise.

Pre Downton Abbey. 1902 -1903. The life and times of young John Bates during the Second Boer War. Twists and turns of his life that take him from being a happily married young soldier to a cripple and a drunk.Discover the soul crushing secret that convinced him he was undeserving of a good woman's love. And learn about a secret love who held John's heart after Vera and before Anna.

[Post S4CS] Anna, John, and their daughter celebrate Easter together. [fluffy mushy stuff yet again]

An AU one-shot about John and his little girl.

A/U set after S3 - Anna and John have been blessed with a baby boy, but things are not nearly as happy as they should be. Anna falls into a deep depression. Feelings of inadequacy, failure, and insecurity cast a shadow over their lives and threaten her marriage to the love of her life. Can John pull her from the depths of darkness? Is love enough to save them?

Modern!Anna x Bates AU ficlet. Anna appreciates seeing John in a new light.

Anna Bates getting shit done. Takes place after the s4/CS.

John and Anna's 4 year old decides to ask Mr. Carson for a job at Downton Abbey. Fluff-tastic.

The perfect man is what you make him.

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

[Set after S2E5] Coming to terms with William's death.

[Set sometime after S4CS] Mrs. Hughes had been there for Anna during the darkest period of her life, and now the brightest.

Modern Anna x Bates one shot. At a dinner party held by the Crawleys in the grand surroundings of Downton Abbey, Anna and John get the chance to explore.

John and Anna Bates' two year old hates naps. And afternoons off aren't what they used to be.