Thank you all! :)

Chapter 13

Christmas was near and Anna was struggling with what she wanted to buy for John's present. Declan had been easy. In fact, she had to slow herself down because she wanted to buy him everything she saw he would like. But she was still saving up for a gravestone for Lou's grave. She was beginning to feel defeated. The money she had put away wasn't even half of what she needed for the stone she had picked out for him, and it was one of the cheapest ones.

She sat on the kitchen table and counted the money again, sure she was counting it wrong. Every week she was very careful not to spend much of her allowance John gave her, so that she would have the funds to purchase the stone. She lifted up the piece of paper that she had torn from the catalog that had the gravestone on it and double checked the price. It was still the same.

The front door opened and Anna quickly began to scoop up the money. John was home early, she had thought she had time to count alone. But he saw the money and the photo from the catalog, before she had time to scoop it all away. He picked up the photo and then glanced down at Anna.

"What's all this?" He kindly asked her.

"I…." She paused, unsure of how he would respond to knowing that she had been squirreling away the money he had given her for necessities. "I've been saving up to buy Lou a proper gravestone."

John eyed the photo and then he placed it back down on the table.

"How much do you have?'

"Not anywhere close to enough," Anna answered, defeated. John sat down next to her and gently took the money from her hand, beginning to count. He had this strange look on his face and Anna tried to read it. But then he smiled.

"You have almost half. I tell you what, how about I give you the rest and you go and order it tomorrow," he said. Anna shook her head.

"I can't do that. You already give me so much. Surely, I must be taking away so much of your savings already," Anna said, feeling badly about taking his money. At that, John laughed. She frowned.

"Anna," he began, "I have plenty of money in my savings. Plus, I rent out my mother's old place in London. I might not be wealthy, but I do just fine with my money. I make a decent salary from my work at Downton. They provide me this place to live and feed me most of my meals. I assure you that I can afford this. Think of it as one of your Christmas gifts."

Anna inhaled and thought on it. She didn't feel right taking John's money, but he was insistent.

"Are you sure?"

"Would it make you happy?"

Anna eyed him carefully, but nodded. It was a weird question, she felt, for money being spent. It had always been about needs for her and she was still trying to come to terms to spend money on things that made her happy.

"I would be very grateful."

"Then it is settled. Tomorrow, you and Declan will go into town to order it. I'll leave the funds on the table before I leave in the morning."

"Thank you, John." Anna slid her hand into his. His larger hand covered hers and he gave it a squeeze. She met his eyes and swallowed hard. "I should…well, I should go to bed. This little boy has been kicking me all night, lately. I hardly get any sleep."

John smiled and glanced down at her large belly. "Or girl."

Anna chuckled, "or girl."

"Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight."

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

Christmas came and went. It had been a joyful time and John had been able to stay home at the cottage for three days. But now it was time for him to head back into work. Anna woke early that morning and decided to make him a breakfast sandwich to eat on the way. He often tended to sleep late after a day off and would miss his own breakfast at the Abbey.

When John came down, he smiled and came up to Anna to see what she was doing.

"I thought you could eat while you walked today," Anna said. She wrapped the sandwich in some paper and handed it to him.

"It smells divine," John answered her. His eyes were on hers and she inhaled sharply, stepping back slightly. The baby kicked and she grabbed John's free hand to rest it on her belly.

"He's running out of room. Not much longer now."

John's eyes were bright. "She'll be here in just a few weeks."

"It's hard to believe." Anna's eyes watered slightly. She found that the closer she got to the baby's due date, the more she thought about Lou. But she shook it away and gave John a smile.

"Off to work with you," she said, shooing him playfully away. "Go on now, Mr. Bates. Declan and I have big plans for today."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Trying to teach him how to ride his new bicycle you got him for Christmas."

"Oh, do be careful. You mustn't over do yourself."

"I'll be fine, Mr. Bates. The exercise will be good for us both. We'll see you this evening."

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

John knocked on Mrs. Hughes' door and she welcomed him in. He quickly closed it behind him and glanced anxiously around the room.

"Did you get it?"

Mrs. Hughes gave him a sly smile and stood, pulling a large box from behind her desk. She placed it on the flat surface, before taking off the top and showing it to John.

"And you're sure it'll fit?" He asked, his hand gently touching the fabric inside.

"Well, I took the dresses from Anna that I offered to wash for her. The seamstress made it a little extra loose in the middle to accommodate for a growing stomach. So it should."

"Excellent," John happily stated. "And she should be able to adjust it after the baby is born to fit her, right?"

"Yes, or we can take it back to the seamstress, either way," Mrs. Hughes told him.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes for helping me choose the fabric and holding it for me. You have the hat as well?"

"I do."

"And you'll be there tomorrow to watch Declan?"

"Mr. Bates, we have gone over all the plans multiple times. It will all go on without a hitch," Mrs. Hughes assured him.

"I'm sorry. I just want Anna's birthday to be perfect. She's going to have a new baby soon. I want to make this a special night for her."

"It will be. No worries."

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

When John arrived at home after lunch, Anna was confused. She stood from her spot on the settee and furrowed her brows.

"What's all this?" Anna asked him. She pressed her hands on her belly. "Is everything alright?" She glanced around for Declan, but remembered he was drawing at the table.

"Well, it's your birthday," John said to her, a cunning smile on his lips. Anna giggled.

"How did you know?" John had left before she and Declan had woken up that morning.

"When we married, you had to put your birthdate on the certificate."

"And you remembered?"

"I did," John answered, his smile growing. It was then that Anna realized he had two wrapped boxes in his hands. She felt a blush grow on her cheeks. "These are for you."

Anna stepped forward and then hesitated. Was she supposed to open them now?

"Go on," he said, encouraging her. She took the two boxes and brought them over to the kitchen table where Declan was drawing. He stood onto his chair so he could get a better look of what Anna was opening.

"It's your birthday?" He asked her, curious. Anna nodded. She hadn't planned on making today a big deal. It hadn't been before. She began to untie the ribbon off the box and then carefully took off the paper. She assumed he had someone else wrap the presents.

The smaller of the two boxes was opened first. Inside, it held the beautiful blue hat that she had admired months before. Lifting it up, her eyes shinned with happy tears.

"I had forgotten all about this."

"Ah, but I didn't."

"Pretty!" Declan exclaimed. "Mama, put it on." Anna slid the hat over the top of her head. Her hair was down and in a loose braid, but John still looked at her in a special way as she turned to show him.

"What do you think?"

"Magnificent," he told her. "Now, open your other gift."

Anna did as she was told. The second gift was a dark blue dress with beautiful trim that matched her hat perfectly. She ran her fingers over the fabric in awe.

"It should fit you," John explained. "Mrs. Hughes got your measurements for the seamstress."

"This…this is too much," Anna said, placing the dress back into the box.

"Oh, no, it's not," John stated, walking to her and pulling the dress back out. "It is your birthday. Now, go and change. Mrs. Hughes will be by in about an hour. She's watching Declan so we can go out to dinner."

"What?" Anna was in awe. A new dress, a new hat, and dinner? It seemed rather extraordinary for just her birthday.

"It's your special day."

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

Anna felt like she was someone else, as she was led out of the car and onto the sidewalk. John had also been able to borrow a car from the Abbey with their driver. It was all so special. She had never been treated to such a fancy night. John led her inside the restaurant and told the maître de about their reservation. They were taken straight to a table that had flowers on it.

When they were given their menus, Anna's breath hitched in her throat.

"I…John, this is too much," she said, her eyes on the prices.

"It's your birthday. We can treat ourselves every once in a while. Please order whatever you want."

Anna eyed the menu. She couldn't imagine spending that much money on a salad, much less the meal prices. But John convinced her to stop looking at the prices and just choose whatever she wanted.

"I've never had something this extravagant before," Anna confessed, as she sipped on her tea.

"Me either," John winked. "But it is your birthday. You care for Declan every day and are about to have a new little one. You deserved a treat. Plus, you needed somewhere to wear your new hat and dress."

"I guess you are right about that one," she had to agree. Anna cut up a bit of her food and took a bite. She was sure she had never eaten something so wonderful before in her life.

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

John had not been able to secure them a ride back home. He hoped he hadn't ruined Anna's night by them having to walk back. It was a lit path, however, and they ended up just talking and laughing the entire time.

He realized he would need to do this more often. Perhaps not as extravagant each time, but he enjoyed this special time with Anna. She seemed so at ease and she had a permanent smile on her face.

They turned down the road toward the cottage and John reached out his arm, to help Anna over a small bump in the road. She touched him and he felt himself grow warm. Oh, how he needed to control these desires running through him.

Once they reached the front door, they both paused. His eyes fell on hers and she glanced up at him. His heart beat harshly in his chest and without much thought, he brought his hand up to rest on her cheek. Anna licked her lower lip and she blinked, but she never looked away. Slowly, he brought himself closer to her, but the sound of a cat's meow made them both jump and Anna stepped back quickly, making his hand leave her face.

"We…." Anna's head shook. "We can't…" Her face was covered in panic now. She pushed open the door and was up the stairs, before John even had time to go over what had just happened in his head.

"What…what happened?" Mrs. Hughes asked him, standing from the settee. John let out a loud sigh.

"I…I just messed up everything."

TBC...