Thank you all for always being so kind and sweet with your reviews. Know that I read them and cherish them all. I hope you enjoy this conclusion to the story. :)

Chapter 14

Anna had begun to make a pile of clothing Johnny had outgrown to give to one of the neighbor's. She placed the little shirts she could no longer adjust for him to wear and small pants, but when she made it to the baby clothes in his dresser drawer she paused. Her fingers ran over the top of the pile and she took in a shuddering breath.

"My darling?" John's voice broke her thoughts. She turned slightly, giving him a shaky smile. "Are you alright?"

"I'm….I'm just being stupid, is all," Anna said, before grabbing a stack of the clothing and adding them to the pile. They had been doing a big clean out of everything before their big move in a couple of days. Most of the furniture belonged to the Abbey, but there were some things they didn't need to take with them to the hotel. They were giving most of it away and selling anything that could be sold.

"I doubt that," John murmured, seeing the stack of baby clothes Anna had just placed on the bed. "You don't have to give them all away, if you don't want to. We can find a place for them in our new home."

Anna's head shook.

"We have no need for them," Anna replied, a stray tear slipping down her cheek. John brought his hand up to wipe it away and then he pulled her into his arms. Anna settled against his chest and let out a small sniffle.

"Doesn't matter if we have need for them or not," he soothed, rubbing his hand up and down her back. It had been two months since the two had reunited as one. Now with one another, the two had found their happiness again. But that didn't mean there weren't these moments where they would miss Emily so terribly that it could shake them to their very core. The big difference now was that they helped each other through these moments.

"I have her bonnet," Anna whispered into John's chest. She sat up slightly and met her husband's eyes. He brushed his hand against her cheek, before resting it on her shoulder. "I rather like the notion of someone getting to use these clothes. And the cradle. It makes no sense to hold on to any of them. Johnny is growing bigger and bigger each day."

"He is."

"I do hate that he'll never have a sibling," Anna said with a twist of her lips.

"I never had a sibling and I believe I turned out alright," John playfully teased. Anna chuckled, wiping the few tears that were still on her cheeks.

"You did."

"Mama! Papa!" Johnny's voice called from downstairs. He had been over at the Carsons' house while they worked on going through things in their house.

Both Anna and John walked downstairs to see Johnny with both of the Carsons. Johnny held tightly to a stick within his hand. When Anna looked at it questioningly, Mrs. Hughes answered it for her.

"Mr. Carson thought it was a good idea to play swords and dragons with Johnny."

"Oh."

"This is my sword! Fight dragon!"

John laughed.

"Did you and Mr. Carson find a lot of dragons on your walk over here?"

"Yes," Johnny said, lifting his stick up proudly.

"And we slayed them all," Mr. Carson added. Anna just smiled. She would have never thought that Mr. Carson would ever have been playing swords and dragons with her son. If you had told her all those years ago, she wouldn't have believed you. But Mr. Carson was great with children and Johnny really enjoyed spending time with him and Mrs. Hughes. In many ways, they were his surrogate grandparents.

"Thank you for watching him," Anna told them.

"It's no bother," Mrs. Hughes replied. "Do you need any help packing?"

"No, most of what we have has already been taken over to the hotel. Just a few items left to pack."

"Alright, well, we best be going. See you soon!"

"Bye!" Johnny waved and followed them to the door. He stood in the door frame and waved to them until they had gotten out of his eyesight.

Since Anna and John had picked Johnny up after their visit at the cemetery, he had become more joyful. Anna was sure it was because she knew he could tell they were one again. Johnny no longer felt that disconnection.

"Papa, dragons?" Johnny asked.

"Go on," Anna encouraged. "Take him out back to hunt for dragons and I'll finish up upstairs."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she stated. "I'll put the clothes into the cradle and walk it down to the neighbor's house."

"You're sure you can carry all of that?"

"Yes, Mr. Bates. Now go, I want you to find at least five dragons to slay!"

When Anna had finished taking the items to the neighbor's house down the road, Anna made her way back to their cottage. She could hear John and Johnny out back playing. Johnny's giggles filled the air and Anna's heart. She walked around to the back of the house, opening the gate, and looking around the corner at her boys.

They were both now yielding sticks and searching through the bushes for dragons. Johnny was leading his father, holding onto his hand, and taking him to the next bush.

Spotting Anna, Johnny dropped John's hand and made his way to her, holding out his stick to her.

"Here Mama!"

Anna gratefully took the stick from Johnny's hand and followed him back to John, so they all could continue their search for the dragons. As Anna grew closer to John, he pulled her to him and gave her a kiss.

"Are you the princess that needs saving?" John questioned her. Anna's head shook.

"No, I am another dragon slayer."

"And I've never known a finer one," John replied, leaning forward for a second kiss.

"Dragon!" Johnny declared, pointing his finger toward the corner of their small garden.

"How big?"

"Big!" Johnny exclaimed, expanding his arms for emphasis. He asked for John to lift him up and the three of them went over to the corner of the garden in search of the rogue dragon.

"This is nice," Anna whispered to John, the two meeting eyes. And John knew immediately what she meant by it. In this moment, all three of them, were absolutely, undeniably happy. It didn't mean their sadness had disappeared, but it was a sign that they had found true happiness once again.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"You'll be missed, Bates," Lord Grantham sincerely told John. He had offered him a sip of whisky, but John said no thank you. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay a little while longer?"

"No, m'lord," John replied with a smile. "We open in a month. It's time we settled into our new lives, but you're always welcome to visit."

"Absolutely, we will," Lord Grantham said. John could tell he was trying not to be too emotional with this departure. The two had been working together for a very long time and before that, they had been in the war together. But this was necessary. It was a time for them to move on. As much as they loved Downton Abbey, there had been a lot of hurt here too. New beginnings were needed.

"Thank you, m'lord for everything. Truly."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Please tell me you'll come by and visit? You'll have to bring Johnny. Caroline is going to miss him so very much," Mary said, as Anna curled her hair for the last time.

"We will," Anna promised. "And you'll come by the hotel?"

"Of course," Mary said with a smile. "This feels quite strange, an end of an era."

"It truly is, m'lady, but it's been a good era."

"It is," Mary replied. She stood from her chair and grasped Anna's hands within her own. "There will never be another like you, Anna."

"Nor you, Lady Mary."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

After the two had gotten Lady Mary and Lord Grantham ready for dinner for the last time, they came downstairs to have their farewell dinner with the staff. They brought Johnny with them, planning on heading back to their cottage early.

Thomas quickly snatched Johnny up, making him giggle. While Thomas and John never got along, not really, their relationship softened once Johnny had been born. Daisy came up to Anna and wrapped her up into a large hug, telling her she would miss her terribly.

"Daisy, we'll still be nearby. This isn't goodbye forever," Anna reminded her.

"I know," Daisy said, as she pulled out of the hug. "It only seems so strange for you two to leave."

"Times are changing," Mr. Carson interrupted. He had surprised them by entering the room. Anna thought it was sweet of Mr. Carson to come to their good bye meal. He walked up to Mrs. Hughes and rested his hand on his shoulder. "But we'll all still be nearby and can all still see one another."

"Right he is," Mrs. Hughes stated. "Now, let's eat."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The next morning was filled with anticipation. Anna had placed their luggage by the door and did a quick sweep of the cottage to make sure they had not left anything behind. Most of their stuff was already at the hotel, but she needed to double check.

Her eyes swelled up with tears, as she thought of all the memories this home had brought to them. Johnny had taken his first steps by the settee and she and John had so many wonderful memories in this home.

"Mama!" Johnny tugged on her hand. "Ready?"

"Yes, my sweetness," Anna said, as John's hand rested on her lower back. "I'm ready for our new adventure."

"We'll always have our memories," John whispered into her ear.

"We will."

John grabbed the luggage and Anna held onto Johnny's hand. The three of them walked toward the hotel. It was a journey, but they made it within half an hour. They stood right outside their new home, their new venture and took in a deep breath.

"To new beginnings?"

"To new beginnings."

THE END

Again, thank you so much for reading. :)