A/N: Just a note to say that I wrote this before the UK press launch (when certain vague things came out regarding A/B in S5), but I suppose it was always my intention to go AU for these parts anyway.

Yellow Light

Part 3

Waves washed over her bare feet, swirling in circles against the sand and then flowing away, to be replaced with the next surge that came from the vast stretch of water. Anna briefly wondered how long it would take to feel the whole sea drift over her skin. When it came in a rush, like it did every so often, she was reminded precisely how ticklish she was, especially upon the soles of her feet. For the most part, the gentle lapping was soothing as well as quite invigorating. It was precisely what she needed, though she hadn't really done much today except stroll at intervals along the shore, watching holiday-makers as they passed by in their pairs or sometimes in larger groups. Toddling children watched over by cautious parents or older siblings brought a fond smile to her face, the late summer breeze that passed by not enough to lift it. The sand beneath her was turning increasingly to a sludgy silt, and she took a strange sort of delight in digging her toes deeper. She didn't see the point of being at the beach if you weren't going to completely embrace it. The water would wash away well enough. It was just the right temperature to feel wonderful to her, the aching of her soles ebbing away with each wave that passed by.

The minutes and hours had a tendency to melt together here, which wasn't a problem for most of the time. In fact it was something of a treat, not to be tied to routines and ruled by the ringing of bells. Anna was struck with a little pang of guilt; she had said that she was only going for a quick paddle, and now she was sure that that must have been at least half an hour ago, if not more.

Not quite ready to tear herself – or rather, her swollen feet, which were thanking her intensely for the relief they had been provided with – from the water just yet, she looked back to the beach, expecting to see her husband's tall and well-tailored figure standing there. When he had returned earlier in the afternoon he had greeted her with a kiss while she sat in one of the deckchairs, folding the book she had been reading against her lap to place her hands upon him instead. Giving her one of his most promising smiles he said he would go back to the hotel to change into something more comfortable instead, already having unbuttoned his suit jacket. So she was a little surprised to find him ambling out towards her an hour or so later, still in his smart clothes even if he was a bit more dishevelled around the edges and his hair mussed – a sight that she would never complain about, having a penchant for John looking a touch more casual. Before she could ask, his slightly sleepy eyes said it all. He'd taken a seat on the bed in their room, just for a minute or two, and had ended up drifting off for an early evening nap, the early start and various appointments of the day obviously taking their toll. His adorable, bumbling apologies made Anna grin, her heart fit to burst with the adoration she would always feel for the wonderful man that belonged completely to her. She silenced his worries with another sweet kiss pressed to his lips – she knew her husband well enough to know what would do the trick – and said that it was just a shame that she hadn't been there to join him, thinking how falling asleep in his arms was undeniably one of her favourite pastimes, at any time of day or night.

At that moment he was running a hand back through his hair that had now become victim to the wind rolling in from the sea. Anna squinted her eyes so that she might get a better look at his face from this distance, but she could be certain that he remained as handsome as ever.

"I won't be long," her voice carried down across the sand. "Just a couple of minutes more."

She didn't need to accurately see his smile, hearing it apparent in his tone instead.

"Take as long as you want, we've got all the time we need. I've got no plans to be anywhere else."

Anna smiled at that, the sleeves of her light blouse billowing against the breeze. It was true that their plans here weren't all that well-defined, their evenings spent in whatever way the tide seemed to carry along. It was a way of life that they would need to adjust to, being familiar with years spent working to the strict schedules of others, but she thought that she could get used to it very well indeed.

She sighed against the air, preparing herself to make a move, when she felt two strong arms slip about her waist. She didn't jump, but instead instinctively relaxed against her husband's hold, one of her hands dropping to cover his. Her head nestled below his shoulder and she smiled as he dropped a kiss upon the top of her head. His feet were either side of hers, dwarfing them in size, and she saw that he had rolled up his trousers just enough so that the legs wouldn't get soaked. Laughter couldn't be stifled as her gaze went back out to the beach behind them, and she saw two black shoes that had previously been well-shined tossed onto the sand, pointing out at different angles like the hands on a compass and quite some distance apart.

"John!" she exclaimed, trying not to be distracted with the feel of his fingertips floating against her. "Your shoes! You only got them the other week."

"I don't reckon any seagulls will come along and steal them," he shrugged, his broad chest remaining pressed to her back. "Besides, they're only a pair of shoes. You are always telling me that I should throw more caution to the wind."

"Caution, not a perfectly good pair of new shoes," she pointed out. "We are supposed to be saving, after all."

"I'll collect them in a moment." John was suitably admonished, but Anna craned her head to see him smiling fondly down at her. "I just couldn't resist coming out to see what was so great about this water."

Anna smiled, knowing her husband's usual reluctance to join her for a paddle, complaining that the sea was always too cold.

"It's nice and warm, isn't it? I think it's just perfect."

"It is," he conceded, and she was pleasantly surprised. "As are a couple of other things that I could mention. In fact I am quite certain that nothing else this place, or indeed the world, has to offer could come close to matching them for perfection."

John always had a sweet tongue when he was in these kind of playful moods, which Anna was happy to note were occurring more frequently now. His large hands were careful as they reached down to cradle the swell of her stomach, growing as it seemed to by the hour, never mind the day. She couldn't help but think that this moment, as completely ordinary as it was, was one of the most perfect that she had ever experienced – the sun slow in its set over the shore, the water coming to a calm at both of their feet, but most of all her husband there to share it all with her, keeping guard of their unborn child, who must have been lulled to sleep with the peace of everything. For most of the day she had felt it move and wriggle inside of her, much like the waves that danced at intervals on the top of the sea. It was a bit of a peculiar sensation, but one Anna rejoiced in every single time she encountered it, each movement unique and different from the last. Now she was quite sure that she never wanted to move from where she was, wishing to live for eternity inside the rest of this moment.

Then she thought otherwise, considering that she was already far too eager to hold their baby in her arms. Better still, she simply could not wait to witness John cradling their child, already imagining the look of sheer wonder upon his face. They would have to come back here when the baby was old enough, take it for stumbling little steps upon the sand and sit smiling for hours as it played with fistfuls in its tiny hands. Though the plan was for Anna to give birth at home in Downton, neither wanted to wait too long to make their move away. Being able to run their own business would be much better, giving them the precious opportunity to watch their child grow and cherish in all those special moments, as well as having longer to spend with one another of mornings and evenings. They had waited long enough to be blessed in such a way, and now that the time was approaching they had decided to do everything just how they had always dreamed. Thankfully there had been nothing to take them by unfortunate surprise, and though Anna doubted that any force was powerful enough to stop John's fussing, she was quite assured that things would continue to go as smoothly as they had been.

At least John had been relieved when Mrs Hughes had informed them that they were clear to head to Whitby for a week, in their pursuit of seeking out some potential hotels that might serve as their future home. He had been pleading with Anna to take it easier for months; ever since she had come home to the cottage with the happy news from Doctor Clarkson, he would have had her tucked up in bed with an endless supply of cocoa and books to while away the time. Anna was of a different mind, knowing herself and wanting to be able to carry on working for as long as she was able. She would attend to Lady Mary for a couple of weeks longer when they got back and then another maid would take over, her career of a little over twenty years coming to an end. The thought was rather sad, she did not deny, but she was more than ready for her new occupation to begin.

They strolled along with fingers linked together, Anna going at a slower pace that John was more than happy to accommodate, commenting that she had slowed down enough for him over the past years. She watched him, her palms stroking over her belly, as he picked up his shoes that were decorated with grains of sand, shaking them vigorously before putting on his socks and fixing them back to his feet. Anna found herself worrying on two accounts – the first whether her feet would even fit back into her own shoes, and how on earth she would look even halfway dignified as she struggled to be able to reach to put them back on. John grinned boyishly as he held the pair in one of his hands, reaching out towards his wife with the other. Leading her back to the row of deckchairs that thankfully hadn't been blown away by the wind, he sat her down and held one foot then the other in his hands, pausing to give the soles a little massage before acting as her own personal lady's maid. The very idea made her giggle helplessly.

As they walked the length of the pier arm in arm, Anna could not contain her curiosity any longer. John had given her some details about the last property he had visited that afternoon before he had his rest, but now she was keen to know more. The deep furrow of his brow did not bode well. He explained that it had fewer rooms than he was expecting, not to mention that the running water that had been installed was rather unpredictable at best. Anna bit back a smirk, thinking that her husband's standards were higher than anyone she had ever come across. She believed they were more than capable of getting stuck in to a bit of work, managing well enough to bring the cottage back from its disrepair. Yet John would not settle for anything less than perfect. It wasn't just the two of them they needed to think about, he said, and no matter what they thought it would be a lot harder to get things done when they also needed to keep an eye on an inquisitive and active baby. They both smiled as they considered that they wouldn't have it any other way. But still the fact remained that they didn't have much time if they were to get matters sorted.

"You know, I'd like to be able to go to more than one appointment every other day," Anna gazed up at John, running her fingers over his arm in the hope that it would add to her methods of persuasion. His look of concern would need a little more effort to shift. "I'm sure I've seen everything the seaside has to offer of an afternoon. At least three times over now."

"Traipsing around inspecting hotels is a tiring business," he said soundly, looking off into the distance. "I don't want you to get worn out."

She frowned a little, his answer not at all unexpected. "John, I'm six months pregnant, not an invalid. I think I can put up with a little tiredness." The way that he pursed his lips made her giggle. "Really, if I would have known you weren't going to let me tag along, I would have stayed at Downton. I thought the point was to explore together?"

A smirk came up on his face, and she didn't need to ask what he was thinking.

"Well, there are a few places I wouldn't mind exploring with you."

Anna looped her arm away from his for a moment to give his elbow a playful smack. "That's quite enough of that, Mr Bates. You don't know how much this one is likely to hear." She delighted in watching her husband's face fill with a smile as he regarded her splaying her hand upon her stomach.

"No, you're right," John relented. "The next viewing isn't too far from here, and it's not until noon tomorrow. Gives us the chance to have a lie-in, too."

"That would be very nice."

Her smile was triumphant, and she had to admit that she very much liked the sound of a lazy morning too, seeming all the better when the sounds of the sea were just outside of their window. Looking up to his height, Anna thought that the climate here suited John very well. It had been so long since she had seen him quite so relaxed, and even though he always had many smiles for her the ones he wore now were genuine, she could tell.

It seemed like it was just now that they were moving forward, really and truly. The last couple of years had been trying, much as she knew they would be. She had needed time to adjust to the things John told her about what he had been thinking and came perilously close to doing, but for the saving grace that was her. She battled with her own struggles, the memories that she would never be able to banish completely. It was a part of her past, but she had not let it rule her future. There was a time a year or so ago when everything had seemed to accumulate in her head, believing the looks she got while she went through the village meant something more than just passing glances. One night she dissolved into tears at the cottage, pleading with John that they should go to a place where nobody knew them to begin everything again. She knew now that they hadn't been ready for it then. But with different, happier changes very close by in their life, the time was right and for reasons Anna couldn't be more overjoyed with.

"We can look elsewhere, perhaps in a month or so we could ask for a couple of days," John's voice punctured her thoughts. "There's Bridlington, Withernsea…some places just a little bit further from the sea, but not by too much."

Anna had to smile knowing that John was keen to follow her wishes to the letter. "Something will turn up," she said with more faith than she'd had in anything else in her life. "Maybe we can count on the baby's opinion, too."

"Theirs is the one that matters most of all."

He squeezed her hand before raising it to his mouth, his lips pliable against her skin. John was always so tender and considerate with her, but now these tendencies had only increased, and Anna cherished every kiss and gentle touch.

Her free hand patted against her stomach, which had seemed to have replaced her brain in thinking for her. "But for the moment, the baby's opinion is that it would like some supper."

John nodded, stopping for a moment to consider, though there weren't too many options.

"Will fish and chips do?"

Anna bobbed her head in approval. "I do believe it will."

Sitting in the little restaurant they made their way through their portions and looked out towards the beach that was almost empty, thinking rather than dreaming of all the things that were in store for them. Anna stopped between mouthfuls, smiling as she felt the baby thumping against her insides. It had certainly acquired a liking for fish and chip suppers, which would mean that they would need to return very soon indeed.