A/N: I have wanted to do a one shot like this for the longest time and I have finally gotten around to doing so! I really hope you like this.

SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING: Extremely brief mention of the potential of harming oneself. I just wanted to put a trigger warning just in case.

It was when she failed to turn to him when she woke, muttering something about early mornings and wiping the sleep from her eyes, that he realised another dark day was upon them. In the years since her attack, these days – days where it was a battle for her to get out of bed, let alone function and get all she needed to done – had started to become far less of an occurrence. It took something major to knock her back to such an extent nowadays, but the lead up to the day alone was also enough and that – he knew – was the sole cause of this. She tried her hardest not to think about it every year, working herself into the ground in an attempt to distract herself, but her thoughts would always go there and this was always the way she'd end up. Silent and subdued.

Raking a hand through his tousled hair, he brought it to her hip through the covers and shifted closer to her until he could feel her back against his chest. Again, absolutely nothing from her. Not even the quietest 'good morning' though he knew better by now than to expect as much. "I'm here…" He mumbled softly after a time.

Her thoughts must have been tormenting her.

It was the only explanation for the way she sighed with relief and her body relaxed at the sound of his voice.

"I tried…" Her voice was thick with emotion as she let her hand seek out his own.

"You are doing so well," He soothed. "And, like I said, I'm right here. Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"I don't know. I…I can't think."

"How about I go and make you some tea? You stay here. It may give you a little time to think of something."

For a time, there was no response from her. She just laid there next to him, staring over at the far wall, and he truly feared he'd somehow said the wrong thing until she moved. Rolling onto her back, she looked him in the eye and laid a hand on his cheek and he sighed at seeing the tears gathering in her own eyes as she swept her thumb over his skin. Before he had too much time to worry about it though, she pulled him down into a soft kiss and he hummed in the back of his throat when her lips clung to his as it reached a natural end moments later. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate that." She told him in a quiet voice, grazing his nose with her own.

Smiling at that, he pulled back a little only to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"You just relax. I'll be back in a minute."

He feathered a caress against her cheek before pulling back the quilt and climbing out of bed, stretching as he walked over to where he left his dressing gown last night before reaching for it and pulling it on. Looking over his shoulder at her as he tied the sashes about his waist, he watched her make herself a little more comfortable between the sheets and smiled before making his way out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. It was then that his smile faded and he ran a trembling hand over his face. He was so tired of this, he really was. It had been two decades almost and she was still, albeit not as much, being plagued by memories of that night.

She had come so far in that time and now, though it had taken an incredibly long time for her to get here, she was in a place where she felt she could speak to him about her thoughts when she had them. Sometimes, her words created such a vivid image in his mind that it made him feel sick to his stomach and reignited his desire to kill. Of course, the piece of scum – he would never go so far as to refer to him as a 'man' because, as far as he was concerned, he was nothing but a coward – that did this to her was dead and buried, but the thought of her being pinned down and having…that…done to her made him want to pummel any man that looked at her.

At times like this, his anger took over and it was hard for him to imagine any of them had pure intentions.

It was stupid, but he'd much rather be sceptical and keep her safe than let his guard down and fail her again.

He'd already done that once and he would be damned if he let it happen a second time.

Shaking his head to rid his mind of such thoughts and focus on the task at hand, he walked down the hall to the little kitchen and when he walked inside he spotted a piece of scrap paper on the counter and picked it up.

Gone down to open up for the day.

You two have an hour to yourselves for once. You need it.

See you both later.

Johnny.

He smiled as he read those words. It was a late night for all of them last night, what with one of their parties not arriving at the hotel until midnight thanks to their car breaking down, and it was after one when they all eventually got to bed. It was unnecessary, of course, their boy waking so early and heading down there to start getting things ready for the long day ahead, but it was very much appreciated by him and even more so given the way today was likely going to pan out. It was only an extra hour, but it would do Anna the world of good.

"Son, you are something else, let me tell you…" He muttered under his breath as he turned to the kettle.

Not wanting to leave his wife alone for longer than needed, he made quick work of putting some water in and setting it to boil on the stove. He then found two teacups in the overhead cabinet before placing them on the counter and putting a teabag in each one. He leaned against the counter then, crossing his arms over his chest and sighing to himself. He needed to up his game considerably today and he would see to it that their son did the same. Most days, Anna tended to work herself into oblivion – manning the front desk in the morning and then helping the cleaners straighten up the rooms in the afternoon, but he doubted she would manage it today.

She was already worn out as it was and these thoughts she was having would be doing very little to help.

No, it would probably be best for her to focus on the front desk today and allow the cleaners to get by without her. If the worst came to the worst, he would just ask Caroline if she'd mind giving them a hand when she got there after lunch. In all honesty, it surprised him when she approached him and Anna some months back and asked if she could help out a little with the running of the hotel. She ran it past her mother and she hadn't an issue with it, not if it was something she truly wanted to do, and it meant she could get out of the house for a couple hours and see them and spend some time with Johnny. She was a sweet girl, so they agreed on the spot.

An extra pair of hands around the place, especially on their busiest days, was exactly what they needed.

It was the kettle whistling that pulled him from his thoughts after a time and he turned, using the dial to turn down the ring on the stove before pouring the boiling water into the teacups. He made sure to make his wife's stronger than normal given she would undoubtedly need a bit of a boost in order to get through the morning. Once the tea was made, he picked the cups up by the saucers and left the kitchen once again before returning upstairs. He used his hip to open the bedroom door and attempted to be as quiet as possible, but it was clear when she sat up a little that he'd disturbed her and he gave her an apologetic smile as he headed for their bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He said as he set her tea down on the nightstand.

She shook her head. "I wasn't asleep. I was just resting my eyes for a minute, that's all."

"I'm sure you'll be glad to know we have no need to rush for once," He walked around to his side of the bed, setting his tea down on his own nightstand before climbing back into bed and covering himself with the covers again. Opening his arms to her, he smiled when she moved into them after reaching for her tea and buried the softest kiss in her hair as she nestled into him. "It would seem that boy of ours has decided treat us for once. He got up early this morning to head down to the hotel and open up. Said we both need an extra hour today."

"And what do we think he's after?"

"A little extra money, I imagine. I know he's been planning to take Caroline out for dinner for a while."

"Are you going to give it to him?" She asked, taking a sip of tea.

He nodded. "He's a good lad. He gets all his work done and never complains, so I rather think he's earned it."

"I can't believe how lucky we got with him," She sighed. "I could be biased, but he is actually perfect."

"A testament to the way you raised him." He pointed out, rubbing her arm gently when she looked up at him.

"You mean the way we raised him," She corrected him. "I may have been home a little more often than you, especially when I handed in my notice, but you had just as much to do with raising him as I did. Honestly, I see a lot more of you in him than I see of myself when I look at him these days. He's most definitely a Bates."

He chuckled at that. "You know how much we both love you, don't you? How grateful we are for you?"

"I do," She whispered, stretching up slightly to place the softest of kisses on his lips. "I could never forget it…"

Johnny walked out of the dining room after setting up the last table and frowned, draping the folded tablecloth over his arm as he looked across the foyer at his mother who was still sat behind the desk with a pen in hand. It had to have taken him at least an hour to clear away all the lunch things and get the tables ready for dinner in a couple hours, so the fact she hadn't moved from her spot or seemed to have written anything didn't sit all that well with him. In all truthfulness though, it wasn't just that. Since she and his father arrived at the hotel a little before eight, she hadn't seemed herself in the slightest and it had been troubling him for most of the day.

He never noticed it all that much as a child – he was clearly nowhere near as observant as he was nowadays – but for the past couple years he'd been noticing a sort of pattern. She would have the odd bad day sometimes, as everyone did, but every April without fail there would be a number of days when she was quiet and distant. Her smile would fail to reach her eyes as it normally did and she tended to spend a lot more time in bed. He used to think nothing of it, but there was just something about this particular time that was getting to him and he needed to get to the bottom of what was bothering her so. His thoughts wouldn't leave him be until he did.

He thought the best course of action would be to consult his father.

If anyone was aware of what was wrong with her and knew what he could do to help, he was the man.

Making his way through the foyer, he gave his mother a smile when she looked up from her notepad and she weakly returned it. Whatever this was, it was exhausting her and it was plain to see. Running a hand through his hair, he continued on until he reached his father's study and knocked on the door before entering when he was granted permission to do so. He felt him follow him with his gaze as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, clearing his throat as he wandered over to the chair before his desk and slowly sat down. "Something's wrong with Mum," He said gently. "I…I don't know what it is though and I thought you might."

John set down the pencil in his hand and leaned back in his chair, running his hands down his thighs through his trousers as he thought for a moment before looking at his son again. "I do, yes, but you have to promise it won't leave this room should I tell you," He told him seriously. "I don't think she'll mind you knowing – you were bound to start catching on at some point – but she doesn't want the whole world knowing her business."

"Dad, you can trust me." Johnny reminded him, his concern only deepening as he sat forward on the chair.

"I know I can, which is why I'm going to tell you," John gave him a small smile before taking a deep breath. "It was a long time ago now. It happened a year or two before you were born. Lord and Lady Grantham held quite a lavish weekend at Downton and, of course, a number of valets and ladies maids accompanied those that stayed at the house. One…uh…one of the valets came with intentions that were less than pure and he decided to focus his attention on your mother. I couldn't stand him from the minute I saw him. He was just constantly teasing her and being quite…inappropriate…and it did make her uncomfortable, but you know what she's like."

"Always wanting to see the best in people." Johnny nodded, already sensing and hating where this was headed.

"Exactly," John replied. "She and I ended up arguing that weekend and it was entirely my fault because I acted like a complete idiot and took my anger towards him out on her which I never should have done. Well, fast forward to the last night – the night of the concert. She and I were on slightly better terms. I'd apologised for my outburst earlier in the evening and we were talking again. She had a headache though from this ridiculous card game they played and so, halfway through the concert, she went down to the kitchens to have a powder. I never saw him follow her. If I had, I would have been straight down there and nothing would have happened."

Johnny swallowed hard. "Dad…did he…?"

John managed a simple nod in response, knowing his voice would surely falter should he attempt to use words. He gave himself a moment to collect himself and then cleared his throat, bringing his trembling hands into his lap. "I don't remember what time it was when we met up again, but it was quite late. She was bruised and her lip was split and there…there was blood in her hair. She told me she fainted and hit her head on the counter, but she was wearing a new uniform and it didn't make sense why she would have to change because of that. It probably should have dawned on me what happened when he saw us and said goodnight to her, but it didn't."

"You mean…you mean he did all that to her and then just rubbed it in her face?" Johnny growled.

"He taunted her about it right in front of me and I never even realised." John shook his head in pure disbelief.

"Dad, none of that was your fault. It wasn't Mum's, but it wasn't yours either." Johnny quietly pointed out.

John chuckled softly. "Funnily enough, Lady Mary said the exact same thing to me."

"I can see why you would blame yourself and that's probably because I know I would feel the exact same if it were me and Caroline in that situation," Johnny admitted. "Realistically though, there was no possible way for you to know that something like that would happen. You may have despised him and he may have made those comments, but none of those things would have been enough to tell you that he was planning on doing such a thing. Hindsight is what makes you feel that way. If you knew back then what you do now, you'd do things in a completely different way to keep it from happening. In my opinion, there's only one person to blame for all this and that is him. He was the one who made that choice and I hope he pays for that for the rest of his life."

"I wish I could say he faced time for what he did to her and that she got the justice she was worthy of, but he was never held to account for what he did," John informed him. "Your mother wasn't his only victim. He had others. How many exactly, I have no idea and I don't wish to know, but I know he encountered one of them a second time. He noticed her in the street and he taunted her about it. I can't say if it was intentional or purely in the heat of the moment, but she pushed him into the road and he was killed. Part of me couldn't be more thrilled because he's gone for good, but there's another part of me that wanted to see him rot in a prison cell."

Johnny was silent for a moment then before he found his voice again. "So, this time of year…"

"In three days, it will have been twenty years since it happened." John revealed.

"All that time and it still leaves her like this." Johnny breathed, swallowing the lump that came to his throat.

"I have dreaded this time of year for the past two decades. I always hope that one year all of this will just stop and she'll not have to go through this, but it never happens," John replied while moving his chair closer to his desk. "I just remind myself of what she was like in the earlier years and it reminds me how much progress she has made. She can talk to me about it to an extent these days and while I hate thinking about it, I know that's what she needs to get through a day like this and so I do it. In my mind, what I want and how I feel doesn't matter on days like today. I am irrelevant and what she wants and how she feels is genuinely all I care about."

Johnny hummed. "I might give Caroline a call. See if we can move dinner to another night."

"No, your mum wouldn't want you to do that. She knows you've been looking forward to it." John told him.

"I have, but it's like you just said. It doesn't matter what I want. Not today," Johnny shook his head, returning the smile he got from him as he clasped his hands. "I think we should both take Mum out for dinner instead."

"Give her the night off for once?"

"Exactly. She has enough going on. She doesn't need to end today spending all night in the kitchen."

John felt his heart swell with pride. "You know, I think that may be just the thing she needs to lift her mood."

"I hope so," Johnny smiled. "I should get back. Could you not tell her about this until tonight?"

"Of course. She won't hear anything about it from me."

"Thanks, Dad."

Johnny stood from his chair then and made his way over to the door, sharing a smile with his father before he opened it and walked out into the foyer a second time. Rounding the corner, he saw his mother still sitting on the stool behind the front desk and smiled. He walked up behind her in silence and put his arms around her, letting his chin settle upon her shoulder and giving her a tender squeeze when he felt her rest a hand over his.

"You all right?" He heard her ask.

"Mmm…" He hummed in response with a nod.

"Really? What's this for then?" Her voice held a hint of a chuckle and it relieved him.

"Because you're my mum and I love you," He told her. "I don't tell you that often enough and I'm sorry."

She leaned forward slightly before turning in place to look at him. "You don't have to say it for me to know."

"No, I know, I just think I'm going to start saying it more often," He admitted. "I really do love you."

"I know you do," She laid her hand lightly on his cheek, smiling up at him. "And I love you just as much."

He leaned into her touch and felt her brush her thumb against his skin before taking a step back from her. "I was wondering if you'd mind me using the phone in the writing room? I just need to give Carrie a quick call."

"Oh yes, you're going out on your date tonight," She remembered. "Are you looking forward to it?"

"I am," He replied before gesturing to the writing room with his head. "I'm just through here if you need me."

She gave him a nod in response and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before making his way round from behind the desk and heading for the writing room, clearing his throat as he entered and shut the door behind him. It was at moments like this that he thanked his lucky stars for the girl he was with. She was so sweet, so understanding and compassionate, and he had no doubt that she would be all right with him moving their date to another night. Some girls, he knew, would complain and make a fuss about it and be frustrated that he was putting his mother before them. Not Carrie though. She was wonderful and he couldn't have adored her more.

Part of him, of course, did feel slightly bad about cancelling their date so last minute.

He'd been looking forward to it for a while now and he was well aware that she had been too.

His mother needed him though, she needed him and his father around her on a day like this and so he would be. He and Carrie could go out for a meal anytime, it was simple enough to arrange, and his mum needed to be his main concern for the time being. He was going to telephone Carrie and speak to her and then he would telephone the restaurant and make a reservation for him and his parents for about half past seven that evening.

He was going to turn this day around and make his mum smile.

Even if it was the last thing he did.

"We don't have to go if you're too tired, my darling. We can stay in and I can make us all a little something."

Sitting at the foot of the bed, all ready to go out for dinner with her boys, Anna looked up from her hands at hearing her husband's voice and watched him shut the door behind him as he ventured further into the room. Her gaze tracked him when he began to make his way over to her and when he sat down at her side, running a hand down her back, she sighed and started wringing her hands together in her lap again. "No…" Her voice was so soft he barely heard her. "I already made him feel he needed to cancel his plans with Caroline because of me. I can't turn around now and tell him that I don't feel up to going out for dinner. It'd be wrong of me."

"You need to stop thinking about everyone else's feelings for a minute and start thinking about your own," He soothed, moving closer to her and putting his arm around her waist when she allowed herself to lean into him. "In all of this, you are the only one who matters and I have been saying the same thing to you for many years now. I know how hard this time of year can be for you. You are dealing with all of this so well, you really are, but I can see how worn out you are. You haven't had a minute's peace all day, sweetheart, so if you'd prefer to just stay home tonight then we will and I'll go down and have a word with Johnny about it. He'll understand."

"I just…I honestly thought I would eventually get past all this."

"You are getting there. It can just take people a little longer than others to get a handle on their trauma."

"But twenty years?" She breathed, tilting her head back against his shoulder and looking up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. I'm so tired of feeling this way."

Not knowing what else to do in that moment, he just gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap and when she curled up and tucked her head beneath his chin he buried his nose in her hair. He smoothed a hand over her hair in a somewhat futile attempt to comfort her as she sobbed, moving it slowly to cradle the back of her head in his palm, and he had to look up for a second to keep his own emotions in check when she buried her face in his throat. He could feel her damp cheeks and hot breath against his skin and his heart only ached more. "I think we should stay here," He eventually murmured. "You need a long, hot bath and an early night."

"But…"

"Johnny will understand, I promise you. He only cares about making sure you're all right, as I do."

She looked up at him again at that, her eyes red and swollen and still brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry…"

"You have no reason to be sorry," He brought a hand to her cheek and caught the tear that fell on his thumb, sweeping it away and looking at her for a moment before lowering his head to kiss her tenderly on the lips. It lingered for a moment before breaking and when he pulled away, brushing her hair from her face, he gave her a smile when her eyes opened again. "I'm going to go and start running this bath. You get changed and then you can get straight in. I'll go down and see what we have in the cupboards to eat while you're having a soak."

A gentle hum was as much as he got of a response, but it was good enough for him and when she left his lap and started to remove her dress he watched her. She reached behind her for the zip that ran down her back as she moved to stand in front of the mirror, but her hands were trembling too much for her to get a proper grip and he decided for her that he was going to help. Standing from the bed, he made his way up behind her and stilled her hands before waiting until she let them fall to her sides to unzip the garment. It pooled around her feet when he slid the straps down her arms and he brought his hands to her waist, gently kissing her shoulder.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome. I'll just go and get that bath sorted for you."

His hands fell from her waist then and he walked across the bedroom to the door, opening it and walking out onto the landing before closing it again, and she ran a hand over her face with a deep groan once she was on her own. She was so upset with herself. It wasn't the end of the world that they were no longer going out, she was aware of that, but her boys had been planning all afternoon to take her out to dine as a treat and she had just ruined the entire thing. It felt as though she'd been ruining a great many things today, but she knew they would never agree with her or say so themselves. Truthfully, she had no idea what she would do without them.

Both of them were always so patient with her, so loving and gentle, even when she felt she was unworthy of it.

She couldn't have loved her husband any more if she tried and their beautiful boy, quite literally, was what she deemed her greatest accomplishment in life. He'd turned out to be such a selfless, good, respectful young man and that was all she could have hoped for when she had him. He was the proof that she'd at least managed to do one thing right in her life and it was enough to make her smile even when she was having such a dark day.

Remembering the task after a time, she removed her slip and her underthings and laid them on the bed along with her dress before reaching for her dressing gown and putting it on. She tied the sashes about her waist and made her way out of the room, heading down to the small bathroom where she could hear the water running and leaning against the doorframe. Her husband was running a hand back and forth through the water, testing the temperature, and when he pulled it out he must have sensed her presence because he turned to look at her. "Good timing. I think this is just about done," He told her with a smile. "You don't want me to stay, do you?"

She shook her head. "I think I'll be all right."

"I just…"

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, I promise."

She walked towards him and cupped the sides of his neck in her hands, letting her thumbs trace the line of his jaw as he took her waist in his hands and brought her against him. "Your husband is an idiot." He murmured.

"You're not an idiot," She comforted. "I worry myself sometimes with the thoughts that come into my head, so I completely understand your concern. I promise you though, I would never do anything like that and you and Johnny are why. I have a reason to live with the two of you and I can't imagine leaving either of you behind. I have no doubt it would be a whole other story if you two weren't an element, but luckily it's not because you are. I love you both so much and as long as I've got you, I really have no reason to want to be anywhere else."

"You mean everything to us, you know that?"

"I do."

Planting a kiss on her forehead, he sighed against her skin before pulling away again and sharing a smile with her. "I should go down and speak to him about the change of plan. You get in there and try to relax for a bit. You never know, it might make you feel a little better and you might want to eat something when you're out."

"I hope so," She replied. "I'll try not to be too long."

He stooped to brush his lips against her cheek before releasing her from his hold and heading out of the room, making sure to close the door behind him before he turned to the stairs and made his way down. He expected Johnny to be standing there ready to go out, so when he wasn't he frowned and paused for a second. That was when he heard a light clattering from the kitchen and walked down the hall, the love he had for his boy only deepening when he saw him standing at the counter in his undershirt and trousers while chopping up a carrot. "I was coming down to let you know there's been a slight change of plans, but I see I have no need." He said.

"I heard you both through the door when I came out of my room and I realized that would be the outcome," Johnny admitted as he looked over his shoulder at him, following him with his gaze as he walked over to him. "I already telephoned and said we no longer need our table, so you don't have to need to worry about that. Is Mum going to be all right, do you think? I just…uhm…I don't believe I've ever heard her cry like that before."

"Of course," John patted him on the shoulder. "Your mother is stronger than either of us gives her credit for."

Johnny nodded. "Since we're no longer going out, I thought we could bring the experience here for her."

"I like that idea," John told him, watching him continue with the vegetables. "What do you want me to do?"

"You could have a look for a tablecloth and some candles. I think Mum keeps them in a box under the stairs for special occasions," Johnny replied. "It shouldn't take me too much longer to get these pies done and then I can come and help. I think we still have some of the cake Mrs. Patmore made in the pantry which is brilliant."

"If that alone doesn't cheer her up, I'll begin to think nothing will." John teased, making his son chuckle.

"Dad, do you think she's ever going to stop having days like this?" Johnny asked. "That it will stop one year?"

John sighed. "I honestly have no idea. I hope so, but I'm not sure. We just need to keep supporting her."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed, putting the knife down. "I'm so proud of her though."

"Me too. I doubt I would handle it anywhere near as incredibly as she has if it were me in her situation."

"No. No, me neither…"

For a time, the two of them stood together in silence before John left the kitchen to go in search of the candles and the tablecloth and Johnny went back to preparing the pies. It would be a far from grand meal. It was one they had often, but he knew what his mother was like and he knew that she would be over the moon with just a bowl of soup. He admired her beyond words, truly. Her kindness, her resilience, her strength…she'd set such an incredible example for him for as long as he could remember and he meant what he said to her earlier on. He didn't tell her how much he loved her and how much she meant to him nearly enough, but he'd do better.

She needed that from him.

And whatever she needed, that was what she would get.

It was moments after the last candle was lit that they heard the top stair creak and exchanged a knowing look. John set the little box of matches in his hand down on the counter and moved to stand with his son, brushing some lint from his jumper, and not long after that his wife entered the room and the look she gave them made all their hard work feel so much more worth it. It was clear to the both of them that whatever she'd expected, this had been the farthest thing from that and she was well and truly blown away and touched by the gesture. "Oh, what are you two like, doing all this?" She asked gently, looking at the table and then back at them both.

"It was his idea," John gestured with his head to their son, chuckling. "He made all this. I just laid the table."

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me, darling." She sighed.

"I know, but I wanted to do something nice for you for once and I just thought I'd bring the experience home since you're not feeling up to eating out," He admitted. "I should have asked before arranging it all. I'm sorry."

Reaching for him, she smiled when he walked towards her so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her into a hug. She gave him a squeeze before looking at him again and reaching up to brush his fringe away from his forehead. "You never have to be sorry for something like that, silly boy," She soothed. "Honestly, I should be the one apologizing. I made you feel you had to cancel your plans with Caroline and it was all for nothing."

"You didn't do anything of the sort, Mum," He told her. "I did what I did because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to, and I never actually cancelled anything. I just asked her if we could move it to another night due to a family matter and she was more than okay with that. I believe we're going the night after tomorrow now."

His words brought her a measure of relief. "Well, I am glad about that at least."

"Do you think you might be able to sit now and eat the dinner I made you before it goes cold?" He jested.

"I think I might be able to manage that." She laughed.

All day, he and his father had been waiting for that sound from her and it was just as amazing as they hoped. Taking his arms from around her, he pulled out a chair at the table before waiting for her to sit down so that he could tuck it in for her. He then moved to sit down next to her while his father sat down opposite him and shared a smile with her. "I know it probably isn't the best, but I wanted to give you something better than just a bowl of soup for dinner," He said while watching her tuck into her pie. "We have got dessert for afterwards."

"If it's that cake Mrs. Patmore made not long ago, I'll be pleased." She replied.

He and his father chuckled as they shared a glance across the table. "I thought it would be gone by now."

"Mmm…so did I." She turned to her husband, the smallest smirk on her lips.

"What are you looking at me for?" John raised an eyebrow at her. "To be fair, I did forget that it was there."

"Which is why there's still some left."

"You know, us doing this for you does not mean you have the right to pick on me."

"No, I know," She gave his knee a light pat underneath the table. "Me being married to you does."

He looked over at their son. "You're not even going to try to defend me?"

Johnny held up his hands. "You're the one who's always telling me Mum's always right."

John couldn't argue with that. "I never signed up to have you two gang up on me, you know."

"Oh, come on," Anna smiled after taking a sip of water. "You love us really."

"Luckily for the pair of you, I do." He teased, covering her hand with his on his knee and looking her in the eye as he gave it a squeeze. "I love you more than you could possibly imagine…"

Opening his arms to his wife in bed that night, he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath when she all but fell into them after covering herself with the quilt. He waited for her to curl up and hook her leg over his hip, anchoring herself to him, before burying his lips in her hair and humming with contentment. In spite of being unable to go out together, the evening had been a wonderful one and getting to hear her laugh and even go so far as to joke with him and their son was truly one of the highlights. It had been a horrid day to say the least, but it was ending on a much better note and he could tell that she was feeling far brighter than she did earlier.

"My beautiful girl…" He mumbled against her crown, his hand running lazily up and down her back.

She moved her head from his chest to his shoulder, allowing her hand to settle upon the thatch of coarse dark hairs on his chest as she smiled sleepily at him. "I needed this tonight," Her voice was heavy, a clear sign she was ready to rest. "I…I didn't think I would, but I obviously did and it has helped me so much. Thank you…"

"You have no need to thank me," He touched his forehead to hers. "I'm just glad to see you smiling again."

"You were so patient with me all day," Her eyes slipped closed as she spoke. "I love you for that."

"And I love you," He whispered. "Now stop talking and just let yourself sleep. You've earned it, my darling."

She nodded, nestling deeper into his embrace with a deep, contented sigh. "Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight, Anna," He echoed into the darkness. "Sleep well."

A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to read and thank you a bunch to Becca and Emma for all the support you gave me with this! It was so fun to write (although it was hard in some places) and I truly hope you liked it. I would love to know what you thought with a review if you have the time! See you all soon x