A/N: Another little one-shot! Happy reading x


Cuddling against her husband when he wrapped an arm around her and started running his fingers through her hair while they sat together on the sofa one evening, Anna allowed her head to fall onto his shoulder before he kissed her on the forehead and a tender smile crossed her lips. Her hand found his chest through his jumper and she curled her fingers into it when he settled again and stroked her arm, a sigh escaping her as she turned her head to watch the flames of the fire dance in the hearth. There were no words for how much she loved evenings like this one. Evenings when they and their children were able to leave the hotel early, spend an hour together in the garden before dinner, have fun at bath time, and then wind down in front of the fire with cookies and mugs of hot chocolate. These were the precious moments she had dreamt about.

She tilted her head back on her husband's shoulder and cast her gaze over at his armchair after some time had passed, her heart swelling with love for their son as she watched him sit there with a book in his lap. He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of reading, had their Johnny, but he loved to flip through the pages and look at all the pictures of trains and cars and ships. When she thought about how grown up he was getting, she had to admit that it made her heart ache. He would be turning four in a week and there was no denying that he was no longer the helpless baby he had once been. He no longer needed her or John to help him with his shoes or the buttons on his shirts, it was rare that he ever asked to be carried to and from Downton when they visited, he didn't need a mug of warm milk at bedtime anymore, and he was incredibly intelligent.

Despite the fact that he no longer needed the two of them as much as he once had anymore, there was one thing that hadn't changed and she hoped that it remained so for a long time to come. He would still ask them to lie beside him until he fell asleep when they tucked him into bed. It helped to settle him, their fingers trailing through his fair hair or up and down his back through his nightshirt while they spoke softly to him, and it brought them such happiness to know that he was still their baby in that respect. It didn't matter how old he got or how independent he became though, she knew that, because they would never see him as anything other than the cheeky, mischievous, bright-eyed little boy he had always been. Even once he had left home and had a family of his own to care for, there was no doubt in her mind that he would still need them.

And they would always be there to support him.

It was the sound of soft babbles that pulled her from her thoughts and she was incapable of keeping a straight face when she turned her head to see Faith and Hope waddling towards them. She lifted her head from her husband's shoulder and sat up properly next to him then, her gaze fixed on their daughters as she held out her hands and watched them continue to approach. 'So clever…' She whispered once they had reached her and Faith had taken hold of her nightgown after stumbling a little, her love for them deepening when the two of them blessed her with the sweetest smiles. When Hope yawned and rubbed at her eye with the back of her hand, she decided that it was time to get them off to sleep and turned to John. 'Would you mind settling Hope? I truly don't understand the difference, but she falls asleep much easier with you than with me.'

'What can I say? She loves her daddy.' He teased, taking his arm from around her shoulders as she brought Hope into her lap for a moment.

'I suppose that makes two of us.' She smirked before letting out a muffled giggle when he pressed his lips against her own.

Once they had brought the kiss to an end, she allowed him to ease Hope out of her lap and cradle her in his arms before she reached for Faith and did the same. The two of them then made themselves comfortable against the cushions while their daughters snuggled into them, nothing but love for them in their eyes as they gazed down at them and watched them settle down. Their marriage had had so many surprises for them over the years, some wonderful and some not so much, but finding out that they had been expecting twins had been the biggest surprise of all. When Doctor Clarkson had given them the news, it had taken them quite some time to believe him. It had been enough of a miracle, her falling pregnant again at her age, and so finding out that they had been expecting two babies instead of just the one had been unfathomable to them.

Even though the doctor had assured them that he had been correct and they had eventually believed him, it hadn't been until she had begun to show that it had really hit them. The bump she'd had when pregnant with Faith and Hope had been about twice the size of the one she had had when pregnant with Johnny and she had been so uncomfortable, but she hadn't complained. She had seen it as such a blessing, expecting two babies, especially since she had known that it would be her last pregnancy, and she had felt as though it would have been wrong of her to walk around complaining about her lot. No, she had spent most of her maternity leave sorting out their nursery and talking to them while wandering around the cottage, and she had just made the most of being pregnant. Nothing could ever have prepared her for life with them both, however.

While it had been hard at times, adjusting to life with three children and having two babies to care for at the same time, she and John had just loved the early days with the two of them. They had watched Johnny fawn all over them and take to his new role like a duck to water, though he had had a couple of small tantrums whenever she had had to nurse them and hadn't been able to play with him, and both of the girls had been an absolute dream. Of course, they had cried whenever they had needed changing or been hungry, but other than that they had been the most laid-back and happy babies they had ever seen, and that had made things so much easier for them. Just like Johnny, they were both growing up far too fast and were just three months shy of turning one, but they had such sweet little personalities and they couldn't have loved them more.

'Mummy? Daddy?'

'Yes?' They replied in unison when their son spoke up.

'I…I want to have a cuddle too.' He told them.

Turning his head in Anna's direction, John shared a smile with her before turning back to their son and shuffling away from her a little to make room for him between them on the sofa. 'Come on, little man,' He said in a soft voice so as not to wake Hope, easing an arm out from beneath her and patting the cushion before chuckling when Johnny all but jumped out of the armchair and hurried over to where he and Anna were sitting. Watching him squeeze into the space between the two of them and his sisters, he waited for him to get comfortable before caressing his cheek with the back of his hand and sighing when he moved closer to Anna and snuggled into her side. He loved how much their children adored her. Johnny, as well as being the spitting image of her and sharing her beautiful personality, was a devoted mummy's boy and he adored their bond.

Whenever something was wrong or he suffered from a nightmare, she was the one that he would seek out for comfort and cuddles and kisses. He pretended to be jealous and feel left out on occasion, simply because he knew it wound Anna up, but he honestly didn't care in the slightest that Johnny gravitated towards her than he did him. To be a mother was all that she had ever wanted since they had spoken about their future in the servant's hall all those years ago, he was well aware, and now she had that and what right had he to complain about their children loving her so much? She was a natural mother to all three of them. She had an astounding amount of patience and she was so loving, warm, and kind. Watching her care for their children and spend time with them made him so proud and he knew it was something he would never tire of seeing.

Reaching out to run his hand over her hair after a while, he smiled when she stopped gazing at Faith and lifted her head to look him in the eye. 'We'll sit by the fire,' He whispered, knowing that Johnny was nodding off. 'With all our children around us, and I'll make certain that you're safe.'

'When I think about the first time you ever said that to me, it feels like a lifetime ago.' She admitted with a shake of her head.

'A lot has changed since then,' He pointed out. 'But I promised you that it would happen for us in time and it has.'

She nodded. 'I should have trusted you. I couldn't be more thankful for the life I have right now, I hope that you know that.'

'I feel the same way,' He assured her. 'I have the most beautiful wife, the most wonderful children, a job I adore, and I couldn't be happier.'

'I love you.' She sighed.

'I love you too,' He leaned over their sleeping son to brush two slow kisses against her lips. 'However, whatever, whenever…'


A/N: If you couldn't already tell, Banna fluff is my favourite thing to write! I loved writing this little one-shot and I hoped you all enjoyed it. Please leave a review to let me know what you thought of it and I'll see you all soon x