Thank you all so much! The response has been overwhelming. I cannot thank you enough! Your reviews mean a lot to me. I know we haven't seen Matthew, not yet, but I do promise he'll be here soon enough ;).

Chapter 3

He paced the hospital hallway back and forth. Checking his watch, he saw that he had already been here for an hour. Since he didn't know Anna Smith, they weren't going to tell him anything about how she was doing. When he had brought her in to A&E, he hadn't even known her name. The only thing he had been able to do was call Robert and try to figure out which of the girls' friends he had brought to the hospital. Robert, thankfully, quickly knew that the short, blonde friend was Mary's best friend, Anna Smith. He told John he would call Mary, as she was likely Anna's emergency contact, and thanked him for getting his daughter's friend away from that man.

A loud, grumpy sound left his lips and his hands curled into fists. He was angry that he hadn't been able to chase that man down for attempting that in his bar. The police would need to get involved. Who knows what all would have happened if that guy had escaped with Anna. Just the thought of it made his blood boil.

"Bates?"

The sound of his name made John turn on his heel. For a split second, he didn't recognize the person down the hall. It took a moment to recognize that it was Mary Crawley. He had only ever seen Mary put perfectly together. The several times he had been around Mary, she was always dressed in her nicest clothes and there was not a hair out of place. Had you asked him before tonight, he would have said there was no way that Mary owned leggings or oversized t-shirts. He would have been wrong.

Mary was wearing a stained top and her hair was in an unkempt bun. John found he liked this look on her. It made her seem more, well, approachable. Of the three Crawley sisters, she was the one that was…cold? Though, he never really spoke with any of them, her least of all, so it wasn't really all that fair to make such an assumption. He was sure she also had her assumptions about him and his quiet demeanor as well.

"Mary," John then said, when she reached him.

"Where's Anna?" Mary's eyes searched his face and he could tell she was worried. "Papa called and told me you brought her to the hospital, but I realized on the way over here that I didn't even ask what had happened to her."

"She's been taken back," John began to explain. "I think she was drugged." Mary gasped.

"What?"

"Some guy was trying to take her out of the bar and she was barely standing. I stopped him from taking her and brought her here."

"Well, thank god you were there to stop him," Mary said. "I'm going to go and see if I can't find out how she is doing. Do you need a ride or anything back to your bar?"

"No," John shook his head. He guessed he really had no reason to remain here any longer. "I'm going to go to the station and report what's happened."

"Oh, yes, good idea. Maybe they can catch that creep." Mary began to turn to find someone to speak with, before pausing and giving John a grateful smile. "Thank you, Bates, truly."

"It was no problem."

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

After speaking with several people, Mary was finally taken back to Anna's room. They told her that she was sleeping off the drugs that were found in her system. The doctor verified it was one of the known date rape drugs she was given. But they assured Mary that she would be completely fine within a few hours' time, for now she would just sleep.

Mary was so angry with herself and with that man who attempted all of this. How could she have been so stupid to leave Anna all alone? And what if Bates hadn't caught him? What would have happened then?

It was in this moment, that she wished she could call Matthew. He would know the right things to say to make everything better. He always knew what she needed to hear. Her eyes grew misty and she remembered how warm and wonderful he had made her feel. But then she remembered she was the one who had ruined all of it.

A moan left Anna's lips and Mary was able to stop falling back into her self-pity. She stood from her chair and made her way over to her friend, grabbing her hand. Anna's head turned to Mary and she blinked harshly.

"What…."

"You were drugged," Mary quickly explained. "Some guy at the bar drugged you and tried to take you, but Bates stopped him."

Anna's brows furrowed and she brought her hand up to rub at her forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

"A bit shaky, sickly…not great," Anna honestly answered. "Almost like a really bad hangover."

Mary felt uneasy as Anna went over how she was feeling. There was some familiarity in her words that took Mary back. But thankfully, it only lasted momentarily because Anna needed her attention now. She grabbed the water by the bed and brought it to Anna's lips.

"Drink some water," Mary commanded. "This might help you feel a bit better."

Anna did as Mary told her and then laid back against the pillows.

"You should get some rest," Mary added. "Try to sleep it off. You're safe and alright now."

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

Mary didn't arrive back to her house until almost noon. She had waited as the detectives took Anna's statement at the hospital and then took Anna back to her flat, once the doctor said she was cleared to go. Anna had insisted that she would be alright and that she would call her later in the evening.

When Mary made it to her bed, she nearly collapsed. She was exhausted. However, she was also plagued by many thoughts, thoughts that wouldn't leave her alone. She covered her head with a pillow and begged them to go away.

Her phone dinged and she grumbled, reaching blindly for her phone on her bedside table. Mary finally reached it and pulled it to her.

How is your friend?

It was her papa.

She will be alright. I only just got home. I'm going to sleep.

Mary went to place the phone back on the table, but she found herself scrolling back to Matthew's texts from the night before. Opening it up, she saw he had not responded to her last text. She wondered if that was it. Were the messages about him leaving her alone and his new girlfriend going to be the very last words she ever received from him?

No, she was being ridiculous. Certainly she would see him at events and whatnot in the future. But when it came to personal messages, those were likely done. It's what she had asked for, so why wasn't she happy?

Mary dropped her phone and turned to her side, before finally falling into a fitful sleep.

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

Anna awoke at three in the afternoon to the sound of someone at her door. She groaned and arose from her bed, to find a letter that had been slid beneath the edge of the door. Bending down to pick it up, she realized it was her final notice of her rent being due. If she didn't have the funds in one week, she was getting evicted.

She sighed and fell back to rest against the door. Why was everything crumbling around her? She had been working so hard to get on her feet, but it seemed as though no matter what she did everything was against her.

She hadn't even had the time to process what had happened to her the night before. When she made it back to her flat, she had still been tired. The doctors told her to take it easy for a day, but that she would be fine. It was an odd way to put it: fine. Someone had preyed on her and had attempted to draw her away from safety likely to assault her and do who knows what else to her.

The thought made her stomach churn and her knees grow weak. Tears stung her eyes.

But she didn't allow herself to remain in her pity for long. She had to figure out how she was going to get her back rent paid so that she could keep a roof over her head. She would need a new job. However, she wouldn't get the money in time to remain in this flat.

She let out a louder sigh than before. Her only choice was to ask Mary for the help. She hated it. While she knew that Mary would be more than happy to give her whatever she needed, Anna did not like depending on other people.

When she was fifteen, Anna had run away from a horrible home, never looking back. Since then, Anna had been taking care of herself. She worked many different odd jobs and found different places to live. Because of that, she never settled into what her aspirations in life had been. And if you asked her now what they were when she was a child, she couldn't tell you, not anymore. Her dreams had died around the same time her mother remarried. Ever since then, Anna had been in survival mode.

Anna ran her hand over her face and pushed herself from the wall. She needed to figure out her next step. But first, she needed to thank John Bates for saving her the night before. He was her true savior. Had it not been for him, who knows what could have happened?

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

Using some strong tape, John secured the help wanted sign on the front door. He adjusted it a couple of times and then decided it was fine where it was.

Hearing steps beside him, John turned his head. There she was, Anna, from the night before. She was staring at the sign he had just put up, reading it intently.

Bartender wanted. Six nights a week. Board included.

"Ms. Smith," John said, making Anna look up at him. She gave him a warm smile and stepped closer.

"I've come to thank you," she told him.

"You don't have to do that," John insisted.

"Oh, I do," Anna replied, a small chuckle on her lips.

"Why don't I get you a drink?" John offered. He pointed for Anna to join him inside the nearly empty bar. It was still early in the evening. It would still be a few hours before it was packed by customers.

Anna entered the doorway and went to take a seat at the bar. John walked behind the bar and grabbed a glass.

"What can I get you?"

Anna inhaled and shook her head.

"I…I don't think I'll be drinking anything from a bar anymore," Anna replied, her lips twisting slightly. John internally cursed himself. Of course, she wouldn't.

"Right, I'm sorry. I do have closed water bottles. Would you like one of those?"

Anna seemed to think on this and then she agreed with a nod. John pulled one of the water bottles out from the small refrigerator beneath the bar. He slid it over the top and handed it to Anna.

"It's sealed," he pointed out. Anna smiled.

"I trust you, Mr. Bates," she winked. "You did save me last night."

"Please call me John," he replied.

"Then you must call me Anna," she responded. Her smile grew and John found that it was such a beautiful smile.

"Anna," he tried her name on his tongue.

"The detective I spoke with at the hospital earlier told me you went in to make a statement last night," Anna went on to say. "Thank you for that. They said they are searching for him now."

"That's good," John stated. "And you don't have to thank me, Anna. I was doing what anyone with a conscious would do. I am glad you are alright."

"I am," Anna said. "It's a little... scary to think of what could have happened. I've known someone who was drugged and the repercussions of it. Usually, I am so careful about these things. I should never have allowed him to buy me a drink."

"Oh, it's not your fault, Anna. It's only his."

Anna's eyes met his and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"I know that," she told him, her lips curling up slightly. "But I am upset I let my guard down. I am usually much smarter than that."

"It doesn't mean you're not smart, Anna. Men like that…well, they have their ways to get what they want."

"Yeah." Anna twisted off the top of her water bottle and took a small sip. Her eyes went around the bar and then to the staircase that led upstairs to the two small studio apartments. "Is that where the rooms are?"

"Hum?"

"On your job posting on the door, it says boarding is included. Is that where it is?"

John narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," he answered. He lived in one of the studio apartments and there was one free space. He needed a full time bartender and he thought that by offering up one of the apartments, he might be able to secure one.

"So a quick commute," Anna seemed to muse. John chuckled.

"What, do you want the job?"

"Yes, actually, I do."

John laughed again. "You want to work here?" He was in disbelief. Mary Crawley's best friend working at a small, rustic bar?

"Why not? Do you not hire women?"

"Of course, I do….I just…"

Before John could say anything else, Anna was already at the other side of the bar next to him. She grabbed a glass and quickly made a concoction and slid it to John to take a sip.

"It's good," he had to reply, trying not to sound too surprised.

"Worked as a bartender on and off over the years. Pretty good at it too," she added. John took a second, bigger sip.

"Alright, you are hired."

"And how soon can I move in?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Perfect."

To be continued...

More soon :)