A/N: I'm glad to see this story is being so well received. As promised there is an Anna/Bates scene here and Ms. Hughes makes an appearance. I promise there is more fluff on the horizon, but it can't be all happy days in the journey of Anna and Bates now can it? A big thanks to my editor and partner in crime, A-Lady-To-Me. I own nothing except for my laptop. Again please review :)

Chapter 3

"Mum, I can't talk long. I'm getting ready to go through the tube and I won't have a signal," John said into the cell phone with a sigh as he became exasperated. As much as he loved his mother she had a reputation for becoming long winded in her conversations. "I know you are just checking in on me and I've been putting in a lot of hours lately," he managed to get out before she had a chance to cut him off. He checked his watch again, the next train would be coming by any minute and he still had to run down the stairs and get through the turn style. "Yes, we can do dinner later this week," he answered with all the patience he could muster. "Yes, I'm getting enough to eat. In fact, I'm heading out to grab lunch right now," John added hoping that would quell her questions. "No Mum, it's not as good as your cooking," he said with a smile as he straightened his tie. "And before you even ask, I'm not blowing you off for someone else. You're the only girl in my life right now," he sighed with a hint of dejection in his tone. "I'll call you later, I have to go or I'll miss my train," John explained as he prepared to hang up. "I love you too."

A little while later John arrived at 'The Shop Around the Corner' in hopes of seeing Anna again. Hard as he tried to forget her, his mind simply wouldn't allow it. It was well past breakfast, he realized it was possible she wasn't working the shift, but it was the first time in days he had a free moment to venture out of his office for food. The familiar ring of the bell echoed in his ear as he entered the door and he was greeted by an elderly woman with dark hair and a pleasant smile. "Table for one?" she asked as she began to grab a menu for him.

John took a gander at the dining area and didn't see Anna anywhere in sight serving the tables and tried not to look too disappointed. "Umm…yeah," he replied. She began to walk around the counter to take him to his seat but then he changed his mind, "Actually, I think I'll just sit at the counter. No sense taking up all that space for just myself." 'Probably wouldn't look as pathetic either,' he thought to himself.

"Very well then," she said as she handed him the menu and gestured for him to take a seat. "Do you have any idea what you would like to drink? Or would you like a moment to go over the menu?"

"Tea would be fine. Mint, please. I think I'll go over the menu if that's all right."

"That's quite all right with me. Take your time, I'm not going anywhere," she answered as she walked off to go prepare his tea.

He gave her a small wave and began unbuttoning his suit jacket to take a seat and smoothed his tie out a bit before loosening it around the neck. 'She must be the manager or the owner," he thought. She certainly wasn't dressed in the typical uniform that the rest of the staff was dressed in. She wasn't even wearing a name tag and she carried herself like she was running a tight ship. The older lady certainly seemed friendly enough and had a charming Scottish brogue that reminded him of his mother. John stared blankly at the menu as he tried to determine what his next step should be, even if she was here he hadn't really thought of what he would say to her. He didn't want to come off as a crazy person. Thankfully he didn't appear nearly as haphazard as he did the last time he had been there.

When she returned with his tea she pulled out a pad and pen to jot down his order. "What can I do you for?" she asked.

He mulled it over really quick, not craving anything in particular he said, "Oatmeal."

She had begun to write and then stopped in her tracks as she peered over the rim of her glasses, "Oatmeal?"

"Yeah. Do you not serve oatmeal?"

"No, we do. It's just that the breakfast crowd already left and it's not every day I get a grown man in here ordering oatmeal. That's an order I would expect from someone with a wee one," she said with a smile and scribbled the order down.

John smiled back nervously and was fidgeting with his hands now; he didn't know why but he was feeling very anxious right now.

"Would you like anything on that oatmeal?"

"Brown sugar," he said shyly sounding more like a question than an answer. "And can I get some fruit on the side?" he asked.

"Any particular kind?"

"Surprise me," he answered back.

"Shouldn't take long, Mrs. Patmore still has all the ingredients out from the morning rush," she walked back through the double doors that led to the kitchen to put his order in.

As John waited for his order, and with no one sitting nearby to talk with, he scrolled languidly through his phone. Checking appointments on his calendar and making notes for upcoming meetings with his staff. Anything he could think of to pass the time as he debated what he should do next. He watched the woman who had taken his order work the room a little longer before he decided to act on his intentions. She had just circled back around the counter when John stopped her abruptly and asked, "I'm sorry to impose, but is Anna working today?"

She turned to face him head on now and her face grew quite serious; her whole body seemed to tense at the mention of Anna's name and her eyes were trained on him now with laser-like precision. It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. "Who wants to know?" she asked in a stern voice.

"Just me," he answered in a soft voice.

"And how do you know Anna?" she said, her voice taking on a more defensive tone.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit intimidated right now. "Well, I don't really. I came in here a few days ago and started talking with her, I was just hoping I could say 'hello' is all," he explained. Yet, even after the words came out he realized how incredibly foolish he must have sounded. Not really knowing someone but wanting to say hello. The older woman didn't look like she was fully convinced or budging on the issue. He actually considered making a beeline for the door and never looking back but he thought she had kind eyes, maybe she'd take pity on him if he took a different approach. "Can I ask your name?"

The woman seemed taken aback, clearly having not expected the line of questioning to go this way. "Elsie," she replied without so much as batting an eyelash.

"Elsie, I'm John Bates," he said while holding out his hand to shake with hers. She eyed it for a moment as he continued to speak, "I swear I mean Anna no harm, you have my word." He watched as her features softened a bit and she put the pad and pen into the pocket of her apron. "I promise I won't interfere with hers or your work. If you could just let her know I've stopped by, I'd appreciate it," he said almost pleading with her. She finally met his hand with hers and he smiled back sheepishly.

"I'll let her know you stopped by, but I make no promises that she'll respond to you calling upon her," Elsie answered as she pulled her hand away and went to put his order in.

John sat there with his fingers interlocked and his hands between his knees as he apprehensively tapped his foot. He worked his way through his food as quickly as possible, not wanting to hang around any longer than he had to if she wasn't there. Everything around him seemed to turn to white noise as he monotonously pushed the oatmeal around and felt something brush against his leg. He looked over to see the same little boy from last time. "Well, hello there," John greeted him warmly.

Aidan barely acknowledged John as he played with his action figures and made them appear to be wrestling on the top of the stools. He created shooting sound effects and gave individual voices and personalities to each of his toys and John marveled at the lad's imagination as he continued to play in a world of his own.

"That guy looks pretty cool," John commented as he pointed to the one he was referring to. "I think I knew someone who looked like that once," he joked.

Clearly this had grabbed the child's attention and he stopped the action figures from fighting long enough to look down at the toy and asked, "Really?"

"Yeah, he looked like this," John said and he tried his best to mimic the crazy expression that was painted on the wrestle buddy's face.

Aidan began laughing and shook his head, "Nu-uh!"

"I swear it," John said seriously but after a few seconds began laughing with Aidan. "Alright, you caught me, Daniel. I didn't know anyone that looked like that."

The child knit his eyes brows together in confusion before asking, "Who's Daniel?"

"I'm sorry. I thought that was your name."

"Why?" the little tyke shot back quickly.

John was thrown for a loop; he wasn't expecting the young man to be keeping him on his toes. He dabbed at his mouth with his napkin as he swallowed the last of his oatmeal. "I heard Gwen call you 'Danno' the last time I saw you," John explained.

"Only she can call me that," he replied tersely before attempting to climb up on to the stool beside John.

John tried his best to muffle a laugh as he watched the little boy exerting himself. "Would you like some help?" he offered. The child refused to answer as he grunted a bit more and used the counter top to steady himself. He certainly was a determined little fellow; John had to give him credit for that. John cautiously held his hand out to catch him as he watched the little boy shakily make his way up to the top. All the while the youngster insisted he was fine and could do it on his own, waving off John's hand. The boy finally sat up straight on the stool as he used his little hands to hoist himself up and sat with his legs dangling a good foot above the ground as they swayed back and forth. "That was quite a climb, I'm impressed soldier. You should join the army, you'd give the wall climb a run for its money," John joked.

"I want to be a soldier someday," the boy answered excitedly, almost loud enough to draw attention from the other customers. "But my mummy says 'no' because it's too dangerous," he explained.

"Well, your mum is right, it can be," he said as he took a sip of his tea. John looked out of the corner of his eye and noticed the little boy was staring at him intently, or studying him was more like it. He swallowed the gulp and cleared his throat before asking, "So if your name isn't Daniel, what is your name?"

The boy was prepared to answer John's question, but hesitated for a moment, "I forgot I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"It's ok, Aidan. This is Mr. Bates," Anna said cheerfully. She seemingly had popped up from out of nowhere and began to clean up the empty bowl sitting in front of John.

"Hello Mr. Bates," he waved before using the counter as leverage to spin himself around on the stool.

"John is fine," he replied and smiled at the child tenderly.

A few minutes earlier, Anna was standing in the back of the freezer going over inventory and preparing to accept an incoming shipment of food for the storage unit. Anna pulled her thin cardigan as tightly around her as she could to keep warm, though it did little good; having forgotten her jacket while getting Aidan ready for school that morning. The life of a single mother wasn't always easy; she would often think to herself that if her head wasn't sewn on she would have lost it by now. Her teeth were chattering wildly and she rubbed her arms furiously as she finished the last of the counts. She skimmed the numbers over one more time on her clip board before turning around to shut the door to the freezer.

As the freezer door slammed shut she was surprised to be met by Gwen standing behind it. "Christ! Gwen you scared me half to death," Anna said as she gripped at her chest. Her mind then began pacing wildly, "Wait a minute, what are you doing here? Is Aidan all right?"

"He's fine. Easy mama bear, it was a half day at school today. Remember?"

"Oh, right," Anna said as she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Anna looked down at her watch, "Good heavens is it really noon already?" She continued to pull out some of the vegetables and fruit from the storage unit to make room for the incoming shipment and stage for Mrs. Patmore. "Where's Aidan?"

"He's with his godmother. He's fine. Give me a little credit, Anna. I am a school teacher you know," she stated.

"Sorry Gwen. It's not you, it's me. Aidan's always running off and he's so into hiding lately, I feel like I need to have eyes in the back of my head so I can watch him like a hawk," Anna explained and rubbed at her temple as she tried to think of what else she had to do. She grabbed the empty salt and pepper shakers she had collected earlier and began to refill them, paying little attention to Gwen as she did so.

"You know what I think you need?"

"What?"

"A girls night out."

"No Gwen…I…" Anna began to speak but her friend was so excited that Gwen couldn't help but interrupt her.

"Hold on now, when was the last time you went out and had some proper fun?" Anna's silence was enough to answer her question. "There's going to be a student/teacher charity ball that is being hosted by Aidan's teacher, Sybil Crawley. You should come with me," Gwen could already hear the soft groans coming from Anna. "Come on," she encouraged, "we can get all dressed up and dance a little and drink a little. Or dance a lot and drink a lot, your choice." Anna rolled her eyes at Gwen this time but was smirking a little now as she tried not to rain on Gwen's parade. "You never know…you might even meet someone," she added.

"I don't want to meet someone," Anna responded. "I have Aidan."

"So."

"So…I have other priorities. I can't just leave him," she tried to think of a better excuse.

"Anna, you aren't leaving him to fend for himself. You can leave him with your Dad or even Ms. Hughes. I'm sure she'd be more than willing to take him off your hands for a few hours," she said with a smile.

"Who would I be willing to take off your hands?" Elsie asked as she walked into the back to grab some more bread for one of the tables.

"I was just saying to Anna here, that she needs a night out and that if her Dad couldn't watch Aidan that maybe you could," Gwen answered.

"Of course, my god son is always welcome over," she cooed.

"I don't know," Anna said as she looked down at her feet and fidgeted with her hands for a bit.

"Anna, what's the worse that could happen?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, alright I will go," Anna relented.

"Good it's settled then," Elsie said. "When should I expect to have my god son over?"

"It's next Saturday," Gwen answered Ms. Hughes. She then turned her attention back to Anna, "We need to leave by seven so I'll stop by sometime before that. And we can go through your outfit options the day before." Gwen was rattling off a to-do list faster than Anna could comprehend was she was saying. "Oh, Anna-banana it's going to be just like old times."

Anna nodded in agreement right before Gwen through her arms around her to pull her in for a hug. As Anna pulled away she teased, "But if you drag me to this thing and abandon me to go dance with another man, so help me Gwendolyn Dawson, I'm never going out with you again,"

"Deal," Gwen replied and the two broke into a fit of giggles.

"Speaking of another man. Anna, I almost forgot there was a man at the counter asking about you. I wasn't sure who he was at first but he claims to know you," Elsie said.

Anna's eyes widened with alarm as she felt everything in her body screaming out to run and hide. No. She needed to find Aidan first. Her heart felt like it was caught in her throat and she wanted to move but was frozen in place as a flood of memories came crashing down around her. She almost couldn't focus on Ms. Hughes words, but eventually regained some sense of composure and was able to formulate some kind of response. "Did he give a name?" Anna asked in a whisper.

"He said his name is John Bates," Elsie said.

Anna immediately felt all her muscles in her body slacken and her heart beat begin to slow down. "John Bates?" Anna asked aloud. It wasn't that she'd forgotten him, but rather, that she was surprised he had remembered her. She couldn't help but stop the smile from nearly splitting her face in two. She gripped onto the side of one of the racks that held the kitchen appliances and felt herself go weak in the knees. It was like his name was a bolt of lightning that was coursing through her veins and just the thought of him sent shivers down her spine.

"Do you know him? Should I call the police?" Elsie asked in a voice filled with worry.

Anna had to shake herself from her thoughts. "No, he's fine," she answered. She gave the elderly woman's arm a squeeze to put her mind at ease. She had so much love for the woman whom she had come to see as a mother and loved her son like he was her own grandchild. She gave a pleasant smile that she hoped would speak louder than words. "Is he here?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, he's just sat over at the counter finishing up his meal. I meant to say something sooner, but we got slammed with customers shortly after he asked." On that note, Gwen bolted for the swinging double doors that led from the scullery to the area behind the counter to scope out anyone sitting at the counter.

"Gwen, what on earth are you doing? Shouldn't I be the one gawking at the window?" Anna joked as she prodded her friend in the side.

"Look Anna," Gwen said as she gripped her friend by the shoulders with both hands and looked her in the eye. "I've seen gorgeous men practically throw themselves at you. Men that I would have climbed like a tree if given the chance, and you didn't so much as look at them. This is the first time I've seen that at the mere mention of a man you've suddenly taken an interest. He's got to be something special and I have to see this guy for myself," Gwen rationalized. She returned her attention to the window and looked out at the counter only to see one man. "It's him!" she exclaimed. Gwen immediately recognized him from a few days before, "And he's talking to Aidan."

"What?" Anna pushed her friend aside as it was now her turn to take a peek through the window. She watched quietly as John conversed with Aidan with relative ease; it wasn't out of obligation but it was so natural, it was as if they had been long time friends. She felt something tug at her heart strings as she watched John try to help Aidan up onto the stool. Without even thinking of what she was going to say she pushed her way through the door to get to know John Bates a little better.

Aidan continued to spin himself around in his chair as Anna refilled his cup of tea. "Back so soon," she said as she wiped down the counter and set the pot of tea back down on the warmer. She was taken aback by the smile that met her when she turned back around, "It's reassuring to know that our food is still bringing people back."

Mindful of the child that was seated beside him and taking a leap of faith John said in a low voice, "Not to put down the food, but I think the service here is what keeps people coming back." Anna stopped cleaning her hands on the hem of her apron and looked up to meet John's gaze. There. John had gotten her attention but he wasn't sure if he had gotten the message across. For what seemed like hours they just stood there sizing one another up as the constant clang of dishes, silverware, and strangers seemed to drone on around them. He cleared his throat before saying, "At least, for me it is."

Anna blushed under his heated gaze and tried to not to get carried away. Charming as he was, Anna wasn't sure where this was going or where she wanted it to go. She pushed an errant strand of hair back behind her ear as she tried to think of what to say next, "Um…will that be all for you today?"

John leaned all the way back in his chair and tried not to wear his heart on his sleeve as his face fell slightly. "Uh…yes, that will be all."

Anna averted her eyes and excused herself, "I'll just go get your bill ready."

"All right," he answered back softly. When she had walked to the other end of the counter, he let his head fall in his hands at the realization that he had either scared her off or struck out. John felt something poke at his side and looked over to see Aidan's big blue eyes staring up at him.

"Are you okay Mr. Bates?" Aidan asked

"I can manage," John replied.

"You look upset." John had forgotten how observant and blatantly honest children could be. "When I get upset my mummy sings me the 'smile' song. Would you like me to sing it to you?" he asked with all the sincerity and innocence a single voice could hold.

As he looked down at Aidan, John did his best to muster up a smile and reassure him that everything would be alright; the little fellow had somehow captured his heart in a way he couldn't begin to describe. "That's okay partner. I think I'll pass," John said as he ruffled the little boy's hair. Aidan looked up forlornly at John as he stood up and straightened his tie once more, before neatly folding his suit jacket over his arm. John knew if he didn't get heading back to the office soon he'd be late for a meeting. He grabbed his brief case from the stool that had been sitting on the other side of him and checked around his seat that he hadn't forgotten anything. John winked at him before he walked away and Aidan gave him a wide grin in return. Then John removed his wallet from his back pocket and headed to the register to pay.

He wished Robert were here to take care of the bill so he could avoid seeing her all together. Never in his life- not even that first time he had approached her a week before- had he felt as nervous and reluctant to see her again as he did now. He might as well have had lead weights strapped to his feet as he slowly ambled towards her. There was no point in coming here anymore. The cards had been dealt and John clearly did not have a winning hand. He silently handed her the money and she began to ring it up and count back his change to him before she wished him a good day. Normally he would have left it at that but something in his heart told him he had to say something more; surely that couldn't be the end of it. "Anna, I..." his voice trailed off and she quickly picked up where he left off.

"It's fine, John," she said abruptly without looking up as she shut the door to the till.

"No, it's not," he corrected in a slightly raised voice. The tone in his voice startled her as she looked at him with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable with that comment and I don't want you to worry that I'll be a bother. I won't come back in here if you don't want me to," he said with apologetic eyes. His face dropped and he lowered his eyes to stare at his fingers as they mindlessly played with the keys on the key ring. "It's just that I am a little out of practice when it comes to this sort of thing and I couldn't think of a better way to ask you out," he stated honestly.

Anna was speechless; she didn't know how to respond to what he was saying. She couldn't deny that she wasn't flattered or attracted to this man, but past experience told her that she couldn't go through with this—it wouldn't be fair to him. "No…please…I don't want you feeling you have to stay away from here. It's just that…well…it's complicated," she tried to let him down gently.

John was taken aback by her answer. He stared at her hand and saw that there was no wedding ring, though it shouldn't have surprised him that an attractive and kind lady like her was already dating someone else. "Is there someone else?" he asked, needing some sort of confirmation. "More like a bullet to the head to put him out of his misery." Though why he asked he wasn't sure. "What difference would it make?" he thought to himself.

Anna looked over at Aidan for a moment before answering his question, "There is." She saw the way his face fell and his eye brows crumpled; each crinkle of his eyes broke her heart a little more. It was as if someone had taken the wind out of his sails; his shoulders hunched forward, his once hopeful smile turned into a frown, and his eyes seemed to droop. "I'm sorry, but I'm not free to be with anyone right now," she said in a soft and shaky voice.

He took a moment before he spoke again, "It's quite alright. I should have known better."

Anna felt herself wince at the sound of his self deprecation. He had to know, it wasn't his fault and that he wasn't to blame. Nothing he could have done would have changed her mind, no matter how much she already loved him.

"Whoever he is, he's a very lucky man." John tried to look and sound optimistic as he grabbed his change from the counter and walked out of the restaurant.

Once he was out of sight Anna immediately fled to the kitchen where Ms. Hughes and Gwen had been waiting. She barely stopped long enough to excuse herself and ask them to keep an eye on Aidan as she brushed past them. Anna headed to the back door that led into an alley behind the restaurant and was stopped by the railing that led to the stairs with a huff. She clutched at her stomach with her hand and felt hot tears come flooding down in droves. Anna wanted to scream, but no sound would come out as the tears, unrelenting, continued to cascade along her cheek. It had been almost five years. Five years of fear and heartache. He was still controlling her. Still ruining her life. Anna stood on the loading dock in the cool air—letting it fill her lungs in between long gasps and sobs—she wondered if she would ever be able to move on.