Hi Elva, your favorite story is back! ;) Hope you enjoy it. I'll try and update more frequently.

November 2017

He felt good. Come to think of it, it was such an awkward sentiment. One he had not encountered in such a long time. He actually felt good, sitting there, on the couch in Robert and Cora's cosy and sunny living-room, Anna snuggled against his side, as they were all catching up. There weren't many sunny days in Yorkshire in November, but today was one. Besides Robert and Cora, Mary was there with Matthew. They had all welcomed him back without asking any intrusive questions, and made him feel like he belonged. He recognized Anna's delicate doing when Robert didn't offer him any alcoholic beverage as they all sat down in the sitting-room before lunch. It was very unusual of him, so John knew that Anna must have warned his old pal about his addiction trouble. He was so grateful for it. He didn't crave for alcohol too much when there was none around, but he didn't know yet how strong his resolve would be if faced with a bottle of whisky. He preferred not to test it yet. As he listened to Anna telling the Crawley family the story of their escape from Ireland, he briefly closed his eyes, letting the feeling of well-being sink in a little deeper. His arm spontaneously held a little tighter to Anna's shoulders. She felt it, and turned to look at him, a radiant smile on her beautiful face. After leaving a light kiss on his cheek, she asked softly:

- Are you alright sweetheart?

He smiled back at her, still somewhat dazed to find himself holding her. He could almost forget about Vera's threats to make their life hell, in that moment.

- Perfectly alright, he answered.

- Shall we continue this conversation around the dining table?, suggested Cora.

Moments later, as they were all seated in the dining-room and eating lunch, Matthew asked:

- So, I guess you're going to file up for divorce now?

- I think it's about time, agreed John. I should have done it a very long time ago.

- I'm not specialized in family law myself, but I can refer you to one of my associates for legal advice if you'd like.

- That's nice, thank you. Although, everything we owned was hers, except the few belongings I brought back with me, so I guess the deal won't take too long to settle. I'm left with pretty much nothing.

- I'm not so sure, argued Matthew. She made you leave your own country and job, I think a good lawyer can get you some kind of compensation for that. And that's not even starting to go into the emotional harm she caused you, even if that will be harder to prove.

- But I don't want to go there, and I don't want any of her money. I just want her to leave us in peace. Just that will be hard to obtain, I know that. And besides, I'm currently broke and out of a job, so I don't have any money to pay for a counsellor.

- Oh but Matthew will cut you a good deal, don't worry, said Mary. And, since we're talking about jobs…

- What about jobs?, asked John.

He saw Anna and Mary exchange a knowing look, before Mary went on:

- You're into languages aren't you?

- Er, sort of, yes, he replied, unsure where this was going.

- Well. Here at Downton Abbey, we'd like to… work on enlarging our touristic audience, reach out to more foreign visitors. So we're in need of someone who's into languages, she smiled. To translate our website into foreign versions first, and make up audio-guides, leaflets, and maybe also guided tours around the estate in other languages than English.

John shot a doubtful look to Anna, who was still smiling, then looked back to Mary.

- Wait…, are you offering me a job?

- I think I am, yes, said Mary.

John stayed speechless for a short moment, his mouth slightly gaping. When he gathered himself, he stuttered:

- Er, wow, hum, thank you… So much, but, you don't have to do this for me. I don't know that I'm the most qualified…

- I'm not doing this "for" you, cut Mary, we'd been discussing hiring that sort of person for months, haven't we Anna? Since well before we heard from you again, in fact.

- Yes we had, agreed Anna. I was just about to publish the job ad, in fact, when I received your text, she added, looking back to John. It'll save us the trouble of sorting out applicants. You are fluent in four languages aren't you?

- Yes, but…

- There's no but, Bates, stated Mary firmly. We're looking for someone like you, you're looking for a job. Why the fuss? Just take it for God's sake. We'll keep looking for someone for Asian languages and Russian though. Or do you know those languages too?

- Er, a little bit of Russian, but not enough to do a guided tour I'm afraid. And no Asian languages, sorry.

- Never mind, smiled Mary. European languages will be good enough for a start.

- OK, well, thank you I guess…

- Oh, I'm so glad you're going to work for us here at Downton, concluded Robert in his booming voice.

- That's one less big worry, admitted John. I still need to open a new bank account back here in England, and to get a new phone line. Vera's keeping on harassing me on my old one…

- Be sure to keep traces of all the messages, advised Matthew. It'll come in handy for the divorce.

- Yes, I'm not erasing anything.

x x x x

Later in the afternoon, back at Anna's apartment, John let himself fall into the couch and exhaled deeply.

- Well, I hadn't thought I would find a job today!

- Isn't it great, though, exclaimed Anna, sitting down beside him. We're going to work together! Be together all day.

- It surely is better than not seeing each other at all for seven years, he pointed. I hope that you're not going to get fed up with me though.

- I couldn't! Not ever, she replied, kissing him soundly on the mouth.

As they cuddled, some loud meowing interrupted them. Anna got up reluctantly, and walked to the French window opening to her balcony.

- Yes, yes, Sassenach, I'm coming. Time for your outside stroll, I know…

As she opened the door to the demanding cat, John came behind her.

- How does she go strolling, from a first-floor balcony? It seems too high to jump down?

- Come, I'll show you, said Anna, stepping outside on the balcony and dragging John with her.

She brought him to the edge of the balcony and pointed:

- See? I put in some sort of rope ladder for her to go up and down. So she can go out and enjoy a bit of the outside world.

Surely the cat was already down there on the lawn behind the building.

- Oh, nice, said John. But, aren't you afraid she might get run over by a car, or something?

- It's a risk, yes. But I tried to keep her inside the flat at first, and she was unhappy. We found her a stray, remember, so I guess she needs to go outside. So, I'm taking the risk.

- OK, I understand, he said.

- Let's go back inside, it's getting chilly, said Anna.

As they were coming inside, her phone started ringing. She hurried over to her purse to retrieve it, and took the call, only to frown and put the phone down.

- What was it?, asked John.

- Don't know, it hung up the moment I accepted the call. "Private number". Never mind.

But the phone rang again later in the evening, twice, always hanging up before Anna could say "Hello". She moaned in frustration when it rang again in the middle of the night, when both of them were fast asleep.

- Oh come on! What the hell, she yelled as she looked at the incoming number, that read "Private number" again.

- You should put it on silent mode, said John in a sleepy voice. I'm sure it's Vera, he added, as she fumbled on the screen to activate the silent mode.

- But how the hell did she get my number?!, fumed Anna.

- That I can't tell you, but I'm sure she has.

- Anyway. Let's go back to sleep for now, she said, putting the phone back on her night-stand. What kind of person would bother waking up at three in the morning only to annoy someone else?, she wondered as she snuggled back under the covers.

- Someone very petty and resentful, replied John. Like Vera.

- Urgh.

- Go back to sleep, love, he said, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. We'll figure it out in the morning.

In the morning, Anna looked baffled as she noticed that there were two more missed calls during the night.

- Is she an insomniac or what?, she wondered as John poured them hot water for tea.

- Not that I recall, he said.

Just as he said that, the phone started ringing again. This time Anna swiftly picked up and yelled:

- Come on, who the hell are you now?! What do you want?!

Unlike the previous times, the call wasn't cut short. There was a moment's silence, until Anna heard a low and threatening female voice:

- You know who I am. You know what I want. Give him back to me. Or I'll deliver on my promise. Ask him.

- How did you get my number?, demanded Anna.

- Ask your nice secretary…

And the line went dead. Anna closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.

- Jesus, she breathed.

- What? Did you hear her? What did she say?, asked John, alarmed.

- She said "you know who I am and what I want", she said she'll deliver on her promise if I don't give you back to her. As if you were a package I had stolen!, she added fiercely. What did she promise, by the way?

She could imagine roughly what it would be about, but she was curious all the same.

- She said she'd make my life hell, and when I replied that my life with her was already hell, she said she'd make your life hell.

- Oh. Well at least we know what to expect.

- I'm so sorry you have to put up with that Anna… Maybe I should at least move out of your apartment…

- Does she know where I live?

- I never told her, but I never gave her your number either, and she got it…

- Yeah, I'll have to thank Gwen for that apparently. Shit. I might have to change it too… She's a real nuisance, that woman, she concluded, slamming her tea mug on the table.

- That you can say, agreed John.

- But it doesn't matter, I don't want you out of my apartment. Except if you want to.

- I don't want to.

- We're agreed then. Never mind, I must go to work now, she added, looking at the time. What are you going to do today?

- Go to the bank, to the phone store, and call Matthew's buddy that he recommended me, to make an appointment.

- Good schedule. I'll see you later then. Have a good day.

- You too, he said, bending over the table to kiss her.

x x x x

In late afternoon, John had just come back from the grocery store to fill up Anna's fridge when she came back home, an annoyed look on her face.

- Oh, someone looks as if they've had a bad day, said John cautiously.

- I really need to change my phone number, said Anna. And, my email address… She apparently enjoyed herself leaving my personal data on God-knows how many websites, so I'm now receiving countless newsletters I never asked for, and got two dozen calls from salespeople who said I had asked to be called back. She also put up some ads on Craigslist saying I was selling various stuff, so all in all, my phone hasn't stopped ringing all day. Oh, AND, she literally filled up Downton's Google advices with crappy messages.

- Oh my goodness… We can't deny that she's creative…

- I mean, doesn't she have a job?! That must have taken her all day to set up all this nonsense?

- She does, although I don't think she's ever been very dedicated to it… I know I said it before, but I'm really sorry Anna.

- I know you are. None of this is your fault, John.

- Well, it sort of is though. If I had put a stop to all this from the beginning…

- But as you told me, she didn't show her real face at first.

Anna let herself fall on one of the kitchen chairs, and sighed.

- Well. I'm taking tomorrow morning off to go to the phone store too, get a new SIM, and to the police station file a complaint for harassment.

- I'll come with you.

- Thank you. So. I guess the war is declared then.

John thought bitterly on how good he had felt just the day before. Count on Vera to spoil everything good in his life.