A/N: Big thanks for all the great responses. I was kind of hesitant about this story but decided to write it anyway since I'm never quite satisfied with how things play out on screen. And to the guest who left a review on chapter 1 suggesting I write a "love triangle" S2 variation... You inspired me, and I started working on something with a similar premise ;-)

That night, he waited for Vera to return home. Two items sat on his mother's kitchen table in front of him - a new bottle of scotch and a small jeweler's pouch. She entered more quietly than usual, not stumbling or laughing at her own antics. And while Bates could detect the smell of alcohol on her breath, he knew that she was not drunk.

Good. Her sobriety would make things go easier.

"And what's this now?" she asked him with a smile of delight.

"This is for you," he said, holding out the bottle to her.

"I thought you refused to spend any money on your poor wife," Vera said.

Forcing a small smile, he responded, "Consider it a peace offering."

"And will you have a glass with me?" she asked, opening the bottle and pouring herself some into a tumbler.

"No. But I do wish to talk to you."

"If it is about you wanting a divorce, you can save your breath."

"It is about that, but I think you'll want to hear what I have to say."

Perhaps sensing the seriousness and finality in his voice, Vera took the seat across from him.

"I saw Anna today," he began.

"That is a violation of our agreement," she interrupted.

"I know. And for what it's worth, she sought me out at work. But I will no longer be blackmailed by you, Vera. If you want to sell your story to the newspapers, then do so. I can't stop you. I'll pay twice what any of them will for it, but I know you don't care about that."

Knowing he had her attention, Bates went on. "You see, I'm moving out of this house tomorrow. As it is in my name and is my property, I will be selling it as soon as possible."

"You can't do that-"

"I can and I will," Bates reiterated strongly. "I will be going away with Anna. She's willing to be with me even if I'm still married to you. I plan to support her as a man would his wife. We will be comfortable together and happy. You, however, will be left with no where to live and no support from me."

She glared at him so hard that he wondered if she would physically strike him. Bates picked up the pouch from in front of him and emptied the contents into his hand. Vera's eyes lit up at the shiny material, following it like a cat would a string.

The necklace was gold encrusted with several crystals of various values. Bates had found it at a jeweler's shop on his way home from work and paid a considerable sum for it, knowing it was just the type of thing to tempt his wife.

"Because I cannot give her a wedding ring, I plan to give Anna this," he stated. "I plan to buy her presents and clothes and whatever else her heart might desire to make up for living in sin with me. You, however, will be left with nothing but my name."

"You can't just abandon me," Vera said hotly.

"Oh, I can, and I will. Unless of course you wish to change your mind. I want this divorce very much, but I can live my life without it if you decide that continuing to punish me is worth more to you than what I'm prepared to offer."

She sat quietly for a long time, her eyes remaining on the glittering necklace. Finally, she spoke. "I want the house," she demanded, "And all the rest of your savings."

"You can't have the house," he responded sharply. "This was my mother's house and I'd rather see it in the hands of strangers than you continuing to defile it with your presence."

Vera smiled at him evilly. "Then you won't have your divorce."

"I've already told you - I don't need the divorce. I want to marry Anna, but she'll be with me even if I can't." He put the necklace back in the pouch and tucked it away into his pocket. Vera's eyes remained on it until it disappeared from her view.

Her eyes shifting back to him with a knowing expression, Vera said, "You're bluffing. You could have had that girl any time you wanted. And now suddenly you're willing to ruin her? I don't think so, Johnny."

"I think you're over-estimating my restraint," he responded darkly. "A man can only take so much."

"A man, perhaps. But what of your dear, sweet Anna?" she said the words as if they were a curse. "What will she do once you've carted her off to live in sin? She could be some nice farmer's wife if you leave her be now, but once she's gone with you..." Vera chuckled at him. "They'll call her a whore, and rightly so."

Bates growled, "You will not speak of her-"

"I'll speak of her any way I want to. She's trying to steal my husband away."

Quirking his lips, he responded, "I haven't been your husband in anything but name in a very long time, Vera."

Glowering back at him, she said, "In name is enough."

"And what will that name give you?" he asked. "Will it put food on your table or scotch in your glass?"

"What will it give Anna?" Vera retorted. The question brought him up short. "See? Even you recognize the power of having a name. A name means status. A name opens doors. Without a name, a woman goes from being a respectable member of society to being an object of ridicule. And I have no intention of being such a woman."

She went on, "Let your precious Anna be mocked and talked about behind closed doors. Let her be forced to lie about who she is or risk ridicule by all of those she meets. Because that is what is in store for her, Johnny. You might give her some money for her... services to you, but that will only make her a prostitute with one client."

Regarding his wife for several moments, Bates considered her words. He was bluffing, he knew, and Vera had called him on it. She seemed to know him better than he remembered. But at the same time, he knew Anna, and Vera did not.

"Anna is a very different woman from you," he informed her sincerely. "First of all, she loves me, more than you ever did. Being parted from me has been more painful than any punishment society could inflict on us for our sins. And she would rather be my mistress than continue in this manner.

"Second - you don't know Anna. You don't know how kind and loyal and hard-working she is. You don't know how much people respect her, how they look to her for help and guidance, especially now that times are so hard. She will make friends wherever she goes, no matter her circumstances. And she will take with her a glowing letter of reference from an Earl which will guarantee her a job if she wants one. But Anna won't need to work, not with me at her side."

Fixing Vera with a hard, uncompromising gaze, he said, "You, however, will have to work very soon because I'll be selling this house and everything in it. You will no longer be able to pawn or sell my mother's possessions to support your slovenly, licentious lifestyle."

Finally, he made his last offer. "I will give you the necklace now - tonight. Sell it, keep it, I don't care. And after the divorce is final, I'll give you a great deal of money, enough for you to live on comfortably for a while, until you find a job that suits you or some other man to support you. But if you refuse me again, Vera, I will do as I've said and leave you with nothing. The choice is entirely yours."

The next morning, Anna was waiting for him at the restaurant, Steven having let her into the empty dining area once again. She lit up like a street lamp at dusk at the sight of him and without a word of preamble, greeted him with a kiss.

While just as passionate as their kiss the day before, this time Bates did not let himself get swept up in the physical desire she aroused in him.

They would have plenty of time for that later.

As he pulled away, Bate gave her the news. "Vera has finally agreed to a divorce."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she asked, "How did you convince her after so long?"

"I told her that if she tried to fight it, that I would leave with you anyway. I plan to sell the house, so she will have no where to live. Essentially, she could ruin us both, but you and I, Anna, we would be happy together even if we couldn't be married. However, I told her if she grants the divorce and agrees to keep her story about Lady Mary out of the papers, I'll give her a great deal of money."

"And she agreed?"

"Grudgingly, but I think she realized she has no choice. I will likely have to give her much of my mother's inheritance, as well as most of what I've saved over the past few years, but it will be worth it to be rid of her."

"I'd give her the shirt off my back if it meant we could finally be together," Anna offered. "But don't give her a dime until after the divorce is final. If she gets it all now, there's nothing to keep her to her word."

Bates nodded his agreement. "I'm speaking to my lawyer today to get things moving. The petition will have to allege cruelty and abandonment on my part, and probably adultery. I'll admit to all of that, so she won't need to show proof. And I will have to leave the house to prove that it has broken the marriage. The last part will be easy because I plan to sell anyway."

"Where will you go?" Anna asked.

"Steven has an elderly neighbor with a room I may rent," he said. "She could use the extra income and some help around the house."

"I wish you could come back to Downton with us," she said pensively.

"I'm afraid that when I left with Vera, His Lordship and I were not on the best of terms. Not giving him time to find a replacement left everyone in the lurch, and he was very unforgiving of such reprehensible conduct."

"But surely if he knew the truth..."

"I don't want him to know," Bates interrupted her softly. "Hearing such a story about his own daughter, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. It is bad enough that I risked Vera selling it to the papers just so we could be happy together."

"But she won't?" Anna inquired, obviously worried.

"She says she won't, not if she's paid. Not that I trust her, but..." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"I think we should tell Lady Mary. There was a man she considered marrying, Sir Richard Carlisle, that is in the newspaper business. She turned down his proposal but I think they're still on speaking terms. He might be able to help."

"It couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose," Bates allowed.

Anna smiled at him, her joy so infectious that he could not help but beam back at her. He leaned down to kiss her again, just to enjoy the freedom of it, their lips touching chastely before he pulled away.

"I can hardly wait to marry you, Anna Smith," he told her. He considered discussing where they might live and if she wanted to stay at Downton. He supposed that he could find a place in Ripon to work so she could keep her position, if Lord Grantham did not disapprove, of course. And maybe in time he could earn back his place as the Earl's valet, especially if Anna put in a good word for him.

But Bates had already learned his lesson once. He would be making no plans for the future with Anna until he was truly free of Vera.

"When does the family return to Downton?" he asked instead, knowing Anna would go with them as well.

"Soon, unfortunately. I won't be able to come and see you the next few days for all the packing that needs done."

"Just as well," he lamented, "with all the packing and moving I'll be doing. But I will miss you."

He reached out to stroke her cheek with his palm, and she leaned into the touch. The softness of her skin never failed to amaze him and he wondered how she could stand the feel of his rough, calloused hands on her. But her sigh of contentment drove away his doubts.

"You'll write to me when things are settled?" she asked.

"I'll write to you sooner, if you'd like," Bates offered.

Anna nodded eagerly. "Yes, I would like that very much."

She reached up and took his hand touching her face. Wrapping both of her own small hands around it, she brought it to her lips and kissed his palm. The warmth of her went through him like a bolt of lightening, and Bates felt his ability to resist her crumbling.

"You better head back," he suggested, forcing himself to say the words.

"If I don't see you before we leave..." she began in earnest.

Bates assured her, "Then you'll see me in a few months."

Anna stepped away from him but paused before exiting through the restaurant door. "This isn't a dream, is it?" she asked. "This is really happening?"

"My dreams are never this beautiful," Bates assured her. He watched her go, unable to take his eyes off her tiny figure.

Once she was gone, he wondered back into the kitchen feeling a little dazed. Steven looked at him expectantly and Bates filled him in on his conversations with both Vera and Anna.

"You know, if things don't work out, you could always bring that lass back here and stay working for me," the cook told him. "I don't give a fig whether she's got a ring on her finger or not. Besides, you're a hard worker, John. I'd hate to lose you."

"I'll consider it," Bates responded good-naturedly. He truly hoped that Vera was telling the truth about the divorce.

If so, and he was finally able to marry Anna, Bates knew that she would prefer to stay at Downton if it was possible. She'd spent most of her life working in that house, from the time she began as a young maid of fourteen years. Through hard work and determination, Anna had risen through the ranks downstairs until she became head housemaid and then took on looking after all three of the Earl's daughters. And now he knew from Mrs. Hughes that she'd finally been promoted to a true lady's maid. He could not have been prouder of her.

The thought of having to ask her to give all that up still left him awash with dread.

"Would you have really done it?" Steven asked curiously. "Would you have gone off to live in sin with Anna? Or were you bluffing after all?"

Bates considered the question for a long time. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I really don't."

TBC