When Anna woke up the next morning, feeling badly emotionally hungover, she had the surprise to find John in the hallway, fully dressed, closing a suitcase. Puzzled, she walked up to him and asked:

- John? What… Where are you going?

Averting her eyes, he mumbled:

- Back to Dublin.

Anna's heart skipped a beat, and she stuttered:

- I… I'm sorry, what?! Is this some kind of joke John? It's not funny.

- No, it's not funny, I agree. I thought about it all night. She's obviously designated you as her target, I can't keep on endangering you. I need to get away from you. For your own safety.

- John. You're not going anywhere. I don't want you to leave.

- She killed your cat, for God's sake!, he cried. What is she going to do next?! Kill you? How can I live with myself if something serious happens to you?! I need to keep away from you until all this madness is resolved!

- But… why go back to Dublin? What good will that do? What about your job?

- I'll take a leave. I need to get back there to talk with her, appease her.

Anna looked at him, aghast.

- John. This is… beyond madness. You know you can't talk with her, you can't reason her! She's a lunatic! And for all we know she's not even in Ireland! I mean she just killed my cat here two days ago!

- She is. I texted with her last night. Asked what I could do to make her stop hurting you. I begged her to leave you alone. If I need to go back there in order to ensure that she stops, I will.

Anna let out a long breath.

- Jesus, John… So what? You're taking it lying down? You're bowing to her craziness, teaching her that she can get what she wants, if only she gets nasty enough?

John looked down, embarrassed. He didn't want to give her that satisfaction, but what else could he do. He had turned the question over and over in his head all night, and found no alternative.

- I…, he started. I'm sorry, Anna.

Anna set her jaw and replied in a firm tone:

- Well I don't agree to that.

She walked decidedly to the flat's entrance door, and stood in front of it.

- You're not going anywhere. Not without manhandling me out of the way. Do you remember how you made me promise not to let you go back to her? You told me to tie you up if I had to, for fuck's sake! Well I made that promise and I intend to keep it! I'm not letting you go!

- Anna, please… Listen to me… She's dangerous! I can't have you put at risk because of my crazy wife.

- No you listen to me John Bates!, yelled Anna heatedly. We said we would wage this war together, and we will! I'm not bailing out! I won't let you go there and fall into her claws once again! I already lost you once, I won't lose you a second time!

Her voice had cracked and wavered as she spoke the last words. The fear of losing him once more was so intense she was prepared to fight her ground inch by inch if she had too. She realized he was much stronger than her physically, and if he really decided to push her aside and leave, there would be nothing she could do to hold him back. But she was ready to put all her strength into the battle. However, it seemed it wouldn't be necessary after all. Shoulders hunched, John was looking at her with tears shining in his eyes.

- God knows I don't want to lose you either, he murmured.

And he suddenly broke down sobbing. Anna swiftly left the door and came back to him, hugging him fiercely.

- I am here, love. You won't lose me, she soothed.

- But how can you know? I'm so afraid she's going to go after you in the end… I'm having nightmares of her killing you… I just can't…

His words trailed off into sobs again.

- Hush, darling, said Anna gently. It'll be alright.

- Will it…, he cried.

- Whatever comes, we'll face it together. This is how it should be. I'm not letting you do this alone, she stated, hugging him closer.

- Thank you, he said, sniffing and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. I love you so much Anna.

- And I love you too, she said, kissing tears away on his cheeks.

- Oh God I'm sorry. What a show I'm putting on…

- So, asked Anna matter-of-factly. Are we stopping the nonsense or do I have to go get a belt to tie you up?

John managed to chuckle amidst the tears.

- No. I promise. I'm not going.

- Good. So now come back to bed with me. We'll undo that suitcase later.

Moments later, reconciliation had been sealed on the pillows, and they were quietly enjoying the afterglow. Anna sighed deeply and looked up to face John:

- I can't believe you were really going to go back to that witch. I thought we were past that point…

- I'm sorry, replied John. I thought I was too, but I am so worried for you… I don't want you, or us, spending every hour of every day dreading what she's going to pull out next.

- Well, I do hope, at some point the police will do what they have to do and deal with her.

- I do too, but let's face it, they don't seem to be very efficient… Have you heard from them lately?

- No. But I need to go down to the police station to file another complaint about Sassenach. I have the autopsy report that says she's been poisoned.

- The problem is that she keeps going back and forth between here and Ireland. We know she's protected back there, so it's the British police we have to count on to finally arrest her. And they have to act during her stays here.

- Yep…

- I know that now she's back in Dublin, but then, I told her last night that I would be coming to see her today, and I guess she will go crazy again when she sees I'm not coming. She might be back soon…

- Well. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now I must get dressed and go to the Abbey.

- Why? It's Saturday?

- I know, but our charity evening with the Yorkshire Orchestra is next week, and we need to wrap things up with Mary, so we said we'd meet today to work on it.

- Oh. Ok. I'll come with you then.

- If you'd like. But you don't have to.

- I'd like it. I'll get bored here alone, and I'd like to help you if I can.

- That's sweet, thank you, she concluded, bending down to him to kiss his lips.

- Now go take a shower while I cook you some breakfast, my darling.

x x x x

A few days passed, and the concert drew nearer. If John had a hard time shaking off a permanent sense of impending doom, and kept wondering every day as he woke up what new mischief Vera might be up to, Anna managed to forget about it a little, so engrossed was she in the last-minute management of her and Mary's big event. The day before the concert, Anna and Mary were still locked up in their office at half past nine at night, discussing the minute-after-minute planning of the evening, when a light knock on the door interrupted them. John's head appeared in the doorway. He finished opening the door and held out two paper bags.

- Hey, ladies. I thought you must be starving in here, so I brought Chinese take-away.

- Oh, Lord, thank you John!, exclaimed Mary, eagerly taking on of the paper bag. I am famished. What time is it, anyway?

- Nine thirty, said John.

- That late? Jesus I didn't see time fleeing.

- Are you getting on fine, at least?, asked John with a sympathetic smile.

- Quite, said Anna. But we've still got things to go over before we can go home.

- Can you at least grant yourself a little dinner break?

- I think so, she said. Let's go into the break-room, we don't want to get our desks all dirty. You'll join us of course, she told John, in a tone that was not open to discussion.

- Of course.

Just as they came out of their office, they came across Thomas, coming back from the Abbey's public area.

- Oh, Thomas, so, how's it going downstairs?, asked Mary.

- Great! We just finished setting all the chairs and the platform in the Great Hall, would you like to come down and check if everything is alright?

As Anna turned to John, he said:

- Go, you two, I'll put the food to re-heat. I'll wait for you in the kitchen.

- OK, we won't be long, said Anna, as she and Mary started rushing down the stairs.

John found himself on his own in the break-room, and started unwrapping the take-away, and put the food in the oven to warm it up. Then, he sat down, sighing, and started to think back on his day, and all that had happened and that he needed to tell Anna. He had hoped to catch her alone for a moment to tell her, but it seemed Mary and she always went side by side these days. A few minutes later, however, Anna was alone when she came back into the room, a little flushed from climbing the stairs in a hurry.

- So, is everything ship-shape and Bristol fashion?, asked John.

- It is, she exhaled.

- And where is Mary?, he asked.

- She stayed behind for a moment, discussing something with Mrs Patmore about the catering.

- Oh, OK.

Now was maybe his chance after all. He filled a glass of water from the tap and put it in front of Anna who had sat down across the table.

- Thank you darling, she said in an appreciative tone.

- So, there's something I need to tell you, he replied.

Anna straightened up at once.

- Oh. Good or bad?, she asked tentatively.

- Er, I don't know, really. You know this morning when I went into town to see Alistair? Well I came across Vera and her brother Patrick.

- Blimey. Did she see you? Did you talk?

- No. I stood back so they couldn't notice me. They went into a car. I noted the license plate and the car model, and I followed them until I saw where they stopped, and then I called the Officer Perkins. He told me they would go and take her into interrogation today. And they did apparently. He just called me back, an hour ago. They took her into the police station, and they seized her phone and her laptop, to search for proof of the harassment.

- Oh wow. That's sort of good news, isn't it?

- Could be. Except I'm afraid what she'll do when they let her go. Because I don't think they're going to keep her locked up in prison for long. Officer Perkins told me she would probably be given a restraining order, but the offences aren't serious enough to justify putting her in preventive detention… And I don't think she'll give a shit about a restraining order unfortunately…

- Oh, said Anna, dumbfounded.

- And…

- And what?, she asked, her eyebrows raised.

- They found something else too, in her laptop suitcase. Some insulin vials.

- Filthy bitch, uttered Anna between her clenched teeth.

She had always known of course, that Vera had to be responsible for Sassenach's death. But now there was the proof of it.

- Oh I hope she'll burn in hell for it one day!, she added heatedly.

- I quite agree, said John, as Mary barged in, followed by Thomas.

- So, someone told me there was Chinese food in here?, said Thomas.

- Yes, said John, gesturing to the oven. It should be warm by now.

- You look out of sorts Anna, said Mary. What were you talking about?

Anna drew in a deep breath, and said:

- The police has taken Vera in for questioning. They took her phone and laptop, and they found some insulin in her things.

- Oh. Well, it was about time they started doing something, those guys!, snarled Mary.

- Yeah, said Anna. I just hope we won't find ourselves facing all hell breaking loose the minute they let her go.

x x x x

It was nearly midnight when Anna and John finally came back home. Exhausted, they went straight to bed. Anna fell asleep like a stone, while John was kept awake by his fear of what was coming next. She wouldn't stay quiet, that was a sure thing, even if she was given a restraining order. She wasn't the kind of woman to let that kind of judiciary obstacle get in the way of seeking her revenge. At last, he too fell into an uneasy sleep, and jerked awake when the alarm clock switched on the next morning. As usual, Anna grunted her way out of bed only to disappear into the bathroom, and soon he heard the shower running. While he was perusing into the chest of drawers in search of clothes for the day, the text signal of his old phone suddenly biped, sending a chill down his spine. There was only one person who still used that number to contact him. And he had taken that phone out a few days before, when he had tried to negotiate and reason with her during the night. He took it from the bedside table, not really wanting to read that particular text. The incoming number was not Vera's usual one, but he assumed she was using another phone, since the police must have kept her own for further investigation.

"YOU'LL REGRET THIS JOHN BATES"

He had expected nothing less, and sighed, as his new phone started ringing.

- Hello?

- Mr Bates?

- Speaking.

- Officer Perkins. I was just calling to inform you that Mrs Bates has been let out of custody early this morning.

- Yes. I know, he replied wearily. She's already texted me.

- Oh. She's been given a restraining order regarding you and Miss Smith, and the area of Downton Abbey too. That's pretty much everything we can do for now. But we're analysing her phone and computer.

- Alright, thank you Officer.

Anna got out of the bathroom, a bright smile on her face, reborn, as she was every morning, after a warm shower. Towelling her hair dry, she chimed happily:

- I'm so excited about today! God we've been working on this day for six months, and now it's finally here! I'm so nervous. Oh I hope everything goes as we planned!

- Yes, I hope so too my darling, he replied with a somewhat forced smile. (I especially hope my crazy future-ex-wife will not manage to ruin your perfect day, he added to himself silently.)