I cannot believe this story is over. Thank you so much for reading and coming along on this journey with me. New story coming soon and I Think He Did It wrapping up even sooner. :)
Epilogue
John watched with a warm smile, as his wife walked in front of him holding the baby in her arms. She swayed back and forth, glancing over the vast field in front of them. He walked up to her and came beside her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. His head bent over further to place his finger out for the baby to grab at it.
"That's right, Johnny," John encouraged his new son, "You're mighty strong."
Anna chuckled, resting her weight slightly against John's frame. They had gone on an evening walk around the large Downton Estate.
"Papa!" Three-year old Louisa cried out, tumbling over her feet and falling forward. Louisa was a joy, but also quite clumsy. She always found a way to trip over her own feet. John helped Anna readjust before bending over to lift Louisa into his arms and kissing her cheek.
"Got to watch out for those feet," John teased his daughter.
"Pa," Declan sighed, unamused with his father's joke. "You're not funny."
"I think he's hilarious," Anna winked, a chuckle escaping her lips.
The seven year old just huffed and then eyed something further out. He motioned and then began to run.
"Come on Louisa! I think I see some fireflies!"
Louisa was nearly scrambling out of John's arms, as he tried to gently put her down. The good thing about Louisa was that she never gave up. No matter how many times she fell or messed up with something, she was always glad to try it again. The little girl eagerly followed her brother over to where he said he saw the fireflies.
"It's magical out here," Anna mused. John wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.
"It is," he had to agree.
He no longer worked as valet to Lord Grantham. Once he and Anna had become an official husband and wife, John realized that he wanted to spend more of his days with her and the children. Before, he hadn't been able to quit. He had to be able to afford to care for Declan. But with Anna came new dreams for their family, a way for them to spend time together.
They ended up purchasing an inn with the money John had made from selling his mother's home in London. Together, they ran the inn with some minimal assistance from outside help they hired.
With this new job, they were all together as a family all the time. Even though they still worked hard and long hours, John was able to see his wife and children throughout the day. They were also able to close the inn down a few days a month to have those days together completely.
After Johnny's birth, they decided to shut it down for a couple of weeks. They had the money. The inn did very well, better than they could have expected it to.
During their free time, they did walks around the village or the Downton Estate. Their inn was in the village. They liked being close and John knew it was important for Anna not to leave Lou. For both her and Louisa.
Once, Anna had confided in John that she thought he and Lou would be friends. She said she just knew that Lou would have been grateful to John for taking her in and raising their daughter as his own. It had meant a lot to John for Anna to say that to him. He knew how much Anna had loved Lou. He was never jealous of that love, because he knew that she loved him deeply, as well.
Anna yawned and John brought his lips to kiss her crown once more, before shouting out to the two older children.
"Come on, you two, it's time for bed."
Declan took Louisa's hand and the two rushed back toward their parents, eager smiles on their faces.
"Did you see?!" Declan asked them.
"Yes," Anna answered him.
"We counted nearly thirty of them!"
"Fireflies!" Louisa happy emphasized.
"Could we bring a jar next time and capture one to bring home?" Declan pondered. They began their journey back home.
"No, we shouldn't cage it. It would miss its family," John replied.
"What if we got more than one?"
"Perhaps," Anna responded, ruffling his hair. "We'll talk about it later."
That seemed to satisfy Declan. Then he and Louisa went further ahead of them on their journey back to their inn.
"It almost seems like a dream sometimes," Anna commented, shifting Johnny in her arms.
"What does, my darling?"
"How we came together; how we are so lucky and happy now."
"Ah," he stated. "But you're happy."
"Of course, I am, Mr. Bates. I'm positively bursting with happiness, well, and tiredness." Her eyes lingered on Johnny. John couldn't help but smile.
"Good, because I am too."
THE END
