Disclaimer: Same 1-3.


She had been too anxious to fall into a deep sleep. The last thing she wanted to happen was for her to drift off into a deep slumber and not realize when her husband roused from sleep. All of her effort would have been for naught if he had woken first and set off downstairs to try to let her sleep longer or possibly make them breakfast. It was worth it to insure she would be downstairs first and get to see the look on his face when his gift was finally revealed.

As the first slivers of morning light broke the horizon, she ever so quietly got herself out of bed as her husband still slept peacefully under the quilt. She tip toed to the corner to the room to put on her robe and slippers before she slipped completely out of the space. Her steps were feather light going down the stairs and when she reached the bottom she took in a deep breath and released it.

The cottage was cold, so she decided it would be nice for him to wake up to a nice cozy sitting room for once. They rarely got to enjoy their home in the mornings, so a warm fire and a warm breakfast would make their Christmas morning all the more happier. She walked to the fireplace and set to work on building the fire. Kindling was placed, a few pieces of coal were in a pile, logs were stacked, and now she was ready to light. She stood up to retrieve the matches and strained her ears to listen to the second floor. She would be able to hear him when he woke but wanted to make sure she was paying attention. She didn't want to be sneaked up on while she was focused on the fire.

Matches in hand she heard nothing but silence as she walked back to the fireplace. She bent down and took a match out of the box. She scraped it against the match box and then placed it where the kindling and coal lay. The dry small branches caught fire, and she gently blew air until the first flames licked the bottom of the logs. She stood then and put the matches back where she had found them. Looking back to the fireplace, she was proud of her work. She seldom made a fire anymore. She didn't at the abbey and at home Mr. Bates usually set to doing the task before she could. It looked so inviting and made the bookcase look even better with the soft glow of the firelight.

She thought about breakfast for a moment and decided it would be better if she waited. She didn't want to be making noise in the kitchen and he end up wandering into the next room. Once he saw his gift, she would make them a small breakfast to share in front of the fire. She did, however, walk into the kitchen to fill up her small watering can. She took it by the handle and held it under the running faucet until it was full. She turned off the water and carried the can into the front room. Mr. Bates had bought them a small Christmas tree a fortnight ago. She had been tickled when he guessed they stop by a tree farm on their half day and buy one. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it was decorated nicely with a few baubles and some tinsel. She watered the tree at it's base, and when it was full she moved to the windowsill. There sat a red poinsettia, which of course her husband had insisted they must have in their home for the season. She had lightly argued with him, but in the end she loved the little festive touches in their home. She also loved the fact her husband wanted them to have such things. She watered the poinsettia and as she turned it around so the other side would get more light she heard John moving around upstairs.

Quickly, she strode back into the kitchen to place the watering can in its place. When she was done, she walked back into the sitting room to stand next to the bookcase. She placed a hand along the side of it, thinking she would look better in this position. She heard him moving around some more and then took her hand off of it, deciding it would look better to not be touching it.

She was overthinking the whole thing now that it was about to happen. Should she be quiet and just let the moment unfold? Should she exclaim 'Happy Christmas' or 'surprise'? Maybe she should wait for him at the bottom of the stairs and take him into the room.

"No," she said quietly to herself. "Whatever happens, happens," she said inwardly.

She wasn't given much more time to think it over as she heard him coming down the stairs. She felt her heart begin to pound in her chest from the anticipation. She had pulled it off. She was going to successfully surprise her husband with something he didn't have any knowledge about.

She looked straight forward waiting for him to round the corner, and it was in that moment she saw her dear, loving husband enter into the sitting room. His hair was still tousled from sleep and his robe with tied securely at his waist.

"Anna," she heard him voice before his mind caught up with his eyes. She watched with a huge smile on her face as his face looked to the bookcase standing beside her. He took a few steps closer as he looked on in utter astonishment. Her heart felt so light as she looked upon his surprised expression. He always deserved to look this way, and they both deserved to feel this way. He looked like a young boy who just got a present from Father Christmas, and she felt so amazing to be able to give this to him.

"Happy Christmas, my dear husband," she said happily as he stood in front of her with his eyes still on the case.

She giggled as his mouth dropped open slightly, and his gaze shifted to her.

"Is this... is this for me?" he asked with disbelief in his tone.

She nodded eagerly as tears began to gather in her eyes. She hadn't expected to cry, but her heart was so full at that very moment her emotions were starting to run over.

She could tell he was speechless, and he too was overcome with emotions.

"Do you like it?" she asked as she wiped away a tear before it could fall.

He found his voice and said, "Like it? This is the most incredible gift, but how? How did it get here?"

She giggled at his delighted confusion.

"Do you believe in magic, Mr. Bates?" she asked with a smirk playing at her lips.

His hands came up to lay gently on her shoulders as he replied, "I believe in you. How did you manage it?"

She looked him in the eye and said, "Well, picking up a necktie for Mr. Talbot wasn't the only thing I accomplished yesterday, and I was quite successful in my journey the day before as well."

She watched as his eyes crinkled at the edges, and she could hear the soft rumble of his chuckle.

"I knew you where up to something. You're very sneaky, but I would have never thought of something like this," he remarked before looking to the beautiful bookcase standing next to her.

"Would you like to know a bit about it?"

He removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step back.

"Yes, of course I would," he encouraged.

She turned towards the case and as she did she felt one of his hands press solidly to her lower back.

"It's made of oak. I stumbled upon it while shopping on my half day and immediately thought of you."

She paused to glance over her shoulder to see him so enraptured in what she was saying. She looked back and spoke again.

"It wasn't in the greatest condition when I found it. It had some scrapes and blemishes, so I took it to a carpenter to have it refinished. I thought the dark oak stain looked lovely against the grain of the wood."

"It does," he commented.

"The ivy climbs up and down on the front panels to reach a Celtic knot in each of the corners."

"I love that. The detail is stunning."

"I had a time finding all of your books," she teased, turning to face him now.

"Well, I didn't very well have a place to put them did I?" he defended lightly.

"No."

"But now I shall proudly put my books where they belong. The books look inviting standing there."

"I just thought you deserved something special this Christmas," she said sincerely.

He pulled her into an embrace, and she hugged him around his waist.

"Any particular reason?"

His tone had been playful, but her reply wouldn't be so.

"If I can't give you what you truly want then I wanted to give you something you can always enjoy," she answered.

She noticed his demeanor turn serious, and his left hand came up to cup the side of her face. His hand felt warm and tender as he spoke to her.

"What I truly want is standing right in front of me."

"But John I know you-"

He lightly interrupted her.

"We both would like for that to happen, but as I've told you I believe it will happen with all my heart. And if I'm wrong, which I know I'm not, then I love my life the way it is because I have you."

He could be so sweet to her in moments when she doubted herself. As the years passed she had grown more and more reliant on his support as well as he had her.

"I love you," she replied with her eyes wide and open to him.

"And I love you so very much. Thank you my darling for this wonderful gift."

He leaned down and she lifted up until their lips met in a sweet kiss.

When they broke apart, Anna said, "I could make us some breakfast."

"Are you assuming you haven't a gift to open?" he questioned.

"I wasn't sure."

He gave her a knowing grin before he broke their embrace.

"Have a seat, and I'll go see if Father Christmas brought anything."

She smiled happily as he left the room. She walked over to the settee and sat to one side in front of the fire. The warmth felt good against her exposed skin.

She could hear Mr. Bates making some noise from another room. The fact he had hidden her gift made her smile. He was just as bad as she was when it came to surprises.

When he reentered the room he came over to her and sat down beside her. He had a box wrapped in brown paper in his lap with a bright red ribbon tied around it. He lifted it and reached it out to her.

"Happy Christmas," he voiced as she took the gift from him.

"Thank you. It's wrapped beautifully."

She laid in box in her lap to better unwrap it. She pulled the red ribbon until it gave way and sat it neatly on the low table in front of them; it would be kept and used in another capacity. She then set about removing the brown paper.

Inside was the cream porcelain jewelry box with the pink rose pattern. He had remembered.

"Oh, John," she gasped.

"You looked at it so fondly in the shop window. I couldn't resist purchasing it for you."

"It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you so much," she smiled before leaning in to kiss him.

When she pulled back, she heard him whisper, "That isn't all."

She blinked and said, "What isn't?"

"Look inside," he smirked.

Her eyes widened, and she looked back to the jewelry box.

With a shaking hands she lifted the lid of the box to see a pair of teardrop pearl earrings laying on a small patch of red velvet material. One of her hands flew to her mouth as she continued to stare at the earrings.

"I decided you deserved something special this Christmas, too," he said, breaking the silence.

"John," she began as she lowered her hand back to the box to keep a good grip on it. "The jewelry box is more than enough."

He shifted himself so he could take the box from her. He plucked the earrings out of the box before he sat it on the table.

"I couldn't very well give you a jewelry box and not give you something to put inside."

"But it must have cost a-"

"Shhh... none of that matters. What matters is if you are happy or not."

Happy would be an understatement. She would have been more than content with the jewelry box. It was exactly what she wanted, but the earrings her husband had chosen just for her were stunning. She had never had a pair like them in her life.

"I am incredibly happy," she smiled.

He smiled back and asked, "Would you like to try them on?"

She nodded her head and he removed the first one from the velvet. She took it from him and securely placed it in her ear and then did the same with the other.

When they were both in she turned her head so he could see them better.

"How do they look?" she asked.

"Perfect," he rasped as he looked at her.

She reached over to embrace him, and he gladly embraced her in return.

"Thank you, my love," she said lowly in his ear.

"You're welcome. Thank you, too, you sneaky minx."

The rest of their Christmas day was filled with warmth, laughter, and love, and they both had a very happy Christmas, indeed.


A/N: Thank you all for reading and for your kind words of encouragement.