A/N: Hey look who finally updated this story? This chick. Apologies for the delay in an update. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for sticking with me and waiting so patiently. Special thanks to my betas nurs3gir1 and drstacib. Without whom I might never have updated. Please review.
Anna was livid, beyond furious. This was a foreign concept to her, Anna had tried so hard for years to find the strength to move past Henry. And now that he was threatening what she had with John and was making some sort of play for her little boy simply to torture her once more, the die had been cast. A part of her was still worried about what this meant; she knew what Henry was capable of, but Anna also knew that when it came to a mama bear one thing you don't mess with is her cub. She'd protect Aidan at all costs and the same went for John. If she told John about Henry's visit today there'd be no chance of reining him in; the problem was that her last secret had cost her dearly. Could she afford to keep another?
She gave it some thought as her finger hovered above the send button, with her message perfectly typed out. And chewed her bottom lip nervously as she debated the matter further. She had to tell him. They'd be man and wife in a few days time, she wouldn't take his name with that big of a secret hanging over her head. But she wouldn't risk telling him while he was working with that man. Anna would have to wait until she could speak to John in person and keep him calm. Now the main concern at the back of her mind was would Henry say something to set off John? Would Henry taunt her fiancé as he had done to her?
"Anna?" Elsie said.
The sound of the older woman's voice caused Anna to jump and nearly knock over the sugar shakers she had been refilling.
"I didn't mean to scare you. You looked so far away in thought. Are you quite alright?" Elsie asked.
"No," Anna said near tears.
Elsie checked to see that the customers seated at their tables were taken care of. "Mrs. Patmore, can you take over for a minute? I need to speak with Anna."
The cook came out after making sure the burners were turned off.
"Thank you. We shouldn't be long," Elsie explained. She placed a hand on Anna's shoulder and ushered her into her office. Once Anna was seated in a chair across from her desk, Elsie set to work in getting her some tissues. "Now, what's the matter, my dear?"
"It's Henry. He came in here and left just before you showed up," Anna began to explain.
"Did he lay a hand on you?" Elsie said, her eyes set ablaze with furry.
"No."
"What did he say?" Elsie asked.
"Oh God, it was horrible." As she went over every detail of that conversation in her head once more she found herself getting angry again. But at least it kept her from crying. "He made it clear that he was clear he was going to challenge his parental rights to Aidan. He warned me not to involve John or he'd only make things more difficult for us."
Elsie scoffed. As if he hadn't already made things difficult for their entire family. "What did John say?"
"I haven't told him yet."
"Anna...you have to tell him," Elsie insisted.
"I know. And I will. Oh God. I'm just worried what he'll do when he finds out."
"Well, I don't know about that. But if you delay telling John and your father one minute longer this will just be history repeating itself."
Anna nodded her head in agreement. "I know. I just thought I could keep John's anger contained. I didn't want to make things worse."
"Oh, my dear girl. I'll be honest with you; I don't know that they can get much worse." That came out harsher than she expected. She wasn't helping the matter, but honesty had always been Elsie's policy.
"I have to speak to John in person," Anna concluded. "I'm sorry to ask this of you when I know you were trying to cut back on your hours here, but..."
"I'll cover for you. You've no need to apologize. You're technically my daughter now, and I'll do whatever I have to to help you and your boy."
Anna got out of her chair to hug Elsie. "You're the best. You know that, right?"
Elsie brushed off the compliment. "Just promise me once you've told John you'll tell your father. I don't know that he'd forgive me if I let another secret this big come between us."
"I will, I promise."
Anna quickly gathered her things and drove as quickly and safely as she could across town. She phoned ahead to make sure John didn't leave the office to go to lunch. She was certain he could read the anxiousness in her voice, but Anna had managed to keep herself composed. When she pulled into the parking lot she could already see him waiting for her in the lobby. Anna unlocked the car doors and motioned for him to get in to join her. He nearly broke out into a full sprint to meet her. She turned the key so the motor had come to a halt. After having some time to think about it on the way over, she had decided it would be best to tell him here. If Henry was in the building she would have less of a chance of being able to control John. As soon as he hopped in the car he began firing off questions; everything ranging from "What's wrong?", "Are you alright?", "Is it Aidan?"
She could keep it a secret no more. Anna had to tell him. She reached across the center console to grab his hand in her own. "He knows," she said softly.
"Who?" John asked with a perplexed look.
"Henry... he asked if Aidan was his and I couldn't deny it."
"For heaven's sake, why not?" he asked with a hint of frustration.
"Because I know him, John. He'd never relent until he got the satisfaction of hearing me say it. There was no point in denying it. He would have pushed for a paternity test, and I won't put Aidan through that," she explained. Anna watched as John's features fell in defeat. Blood was the only claim that John didn't have to Aidan. "He will take us to court, and in the end it wouldn't have looked good that I lied to him about it."
John didn't like the sound of that, but he knew Anna was right. Then his brows knit together as he put the pieces together. "Wait... you said he asked you this? When?"
She bit down on her bottom lip nervously before answering him. "This morning at work. He came into the shop." John's eyes widened at this revelation. He knew Anna to be a strong woman of course, but he didn't like the idea of Mr. Green cornering her in what should be a safe space for Anna and confronting her without him present. "I know I should have told you straight away, but I was worried at how you would react if I didn't tell you face to face," she continued.
"Because you didn't trust that I could keep my anger under control?" he asked.
"Partially, yes. I love you with all my heart, John. You must know that."
"I do."
"I just can't afford to lose you. You and Aidan are my whole world. And I just thought telling you this way could soften the blow. Please don't be mad at me."
John's face softened at that comment. "I could never be mad at you. I just wish I could put your mind at ease."
"It will be at ease once this whole matter has been settled. I don't like not knowing what his next move is or his intentions with Aidan. I won't allow him to continue to be a shadow in our lives," she said with determination.
John was in agreement with her on that note. He knew the adoption wouldn't likely be finalized now without Green interfering, but at least once they were married it would give John an extra foothold in parental rights over Aidan. He let his free hand come up to stroke Anna's cheek. "I'm glad you told me this time. That's one step in the right direction."
"I just don't know where we go from here."
"Why don't we start at the beginning. Tell me what he said first, hmmm," John said as he kissed one of Anna's knuckles.
Anna tried to recall every detail of her encounter with Henry. She could sense John wasn't pleased with what he was hearing, but to his credit John hadn't flown off the handle as she described everything.
When she finished he only had one question. "Did he lay a hand on you?"
"No."
"You swear it?"
"I swear it," she answered. Her eyes met his and offered all the reassurance she could.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding back. John was glad that she had been spared anything of that nature. "I realize he didn't do anything this time, but it might be worth contacting the police about. Even if it's just to make a record of the incident. We have to start thinking one step ahead of him, especially if he plans on taking us to trial. Any shortcomings he has or threats he makes against our family needs to be documented to keep you and Aidan safe."
"To keep all of us safe," she emphasized.
"I'll head down to the station with you if you want," John suggested.
Anna undid her seatbelt and threw herself into his arms as best she could. "Oh John, I can't send Aidan off to that man for hours or days at a time."
"I know. Neither can I. We'll talk to a lawyer, we'll see what our options are after that. Don't despair just yet," John said.
Anna tilted her head up to kiss him. She'd never tire of the way his lips felt against hers, so much love was conveyed in even the simplest of pecks. Their mouths sought each other out, his hand came up to brush through her hair and guided her closer to him. When they pulled away both of them were left breathless, but quite content simply staring at the person opposite of them. "Do you think it too late to run away together?" she said half joking.
"It's probably not the best idea so late in the game, but if that's what it comes down to we will. Downton is not my life. My life began again with you and our boy. As long as I have you two, I could live out of a box." Anna smiled broadly back at him, and it brought his heart more joy than he could ever explain. John was happy to know he still had the ability to make her smile, even in the darkest of circumstances.
"I can't wait until Friday to marry you. And not just because of everything that's going on with Henry," she clarified. Her hand came to rest just over his heart. "I will wear the title of Mrs. John Bates very proudly."
"And I'll be honored that you'll wear it," he said with a smile. His lips brushed against the top of her forehead and pressed a warm, wet kiss there.
Just then Anna's phone began to buzz in her purse. She unfurled herself from John's arms enough to retrieve the device. "It's the school," Anna said as she read the number from the phone screen.
John gestured for her to hurry up and answer it.
Anna pressed the answer button, "Hello?"
"Anna, it's Sybil. There's a man down here who wants to see Aidan..."
Everything Sybil said after that turned into white noise. Anna could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She'd actually temporarily shut down, and was only brought back by Sybil coaxing her to respond. Anna dropped the phone when she attempted to answer back. She scrambled to pick it back up.
By this point John was on tenter hooks and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Henry is at the school," she answered back. Before John could respond to her statement Anna began speaking to Sybil. "We'll be right there. Under no circumstances is he to touch Aidan. Call the police if you have to," Anna rattled off and hung up the phone. No sooner did the words fall from her lips did they buckle up and start the car to race towards the school.
Minutes later they arrived at the school. Anna was sure she was responsible for at least three traffic violations, but she couldn't find it in herself to care right now. "He'll be fine. We're going to get there and it will be fine," John muttered. Anna thought he might have been saying it to put her mind at ease, but now she suspected he might be saying it more for himself.
They pulled into the first parking space available and John held her hand tightly as he led her to the front office of the school. It was there that they found Green arguing with the administrative staff that he had a right to see Aidan. "I'm sorry Mr. Green, but you are not on the authorized 'safe list' for pick up or visitation with the child," the headmistress, Mrs. Isobel Clarkson pointed out.
"That's right," Anna nearly shouted. Everyone's eyes including Henry's flew across the room to determine who had raised their voice. "I'm Aidan's mother, and you have no right to take him from this school or from me for that matter."
"Perhaps we should take this into my office," Isobel suggested. She opened the door to the office and gestured for Mr. Green to go in first followed by Anna and John. John instinctively positioned himself so that he was standing between Anna and Mr. Green, should the man feel the impulse to lash out at her. The headmistress waited for everyone to take a seat, but they all seemed to prefer to stand.
"Now then," Isobel spoke, "Miss Smith, is there some sort of domestic dispute or custody ruling we should be aware of?"
"Sadly, I wasn't allowed the opportunity to have my day in court," Henry stated feigning regret.
"You should count yourself lucky you weren't given the opportunity or you'd be behind bars," John pointed out.
Henry smirked, he didn't even flinch at the accusation. He'd always been a brilliant actor and a master manipulator. And right now he was playing the role of the innocent party perfectly. Anna was in utter amazement at how he could stand there, completely unashamed or even willing to acknowledging the part he'd played in ruining their relationship. "Let's not delve into criminal records, Mr. Bates. I believe you've got a nasty mark there if I'm not mistaken."
Anna watched as John's body tensed, his hand forming into a fist. She reached for his arm to calm him. There was a slight pause before she could feel the muscles in his body begin to slack; a moment of realization as to where he was and what it could mean for his family if he acted on his impulse to hit Green. He turned back so his eyes met hers and John let his hand relax. Still, John was ready for a fight.
"He's not supposed to be here. He may be related to Aidan by blood, but he is the furthest thing from a father figure to that boy," Anna protested calmly.
"And who's fault is that?" Henry shot back. He was doing his best to remain unphased, preparing his plea to the headmaster for some sympathy. "I just found out he's mine and she won't let me so much as see him. And now I see why. She ran off and started a life with this man when we would have made such a happy family."
Anna's mouth hung open in shock. "I did not run off," she said vehemently. "Well...ok I did, but not the way he's making it sound. I didn't meet John until early last year."
"And I can guarantee you they would have been far from a happy family," John threw in his two cents.
"Why don't you just stay out of it, old man," Henry responded sharply. "Leave Anna and me to ourselves to work out the matter."
"Like hell I will," John argued back.
The headmistress was reeling from the accusations that were being flung back and forth across the office. Finally Isobel piped up, "I'm sorry Mr. Green, but even if you are a blood relation to the boy, we can not authorize people who aren't on the 'safe list' to have contact with the child. You'll have to speak with the courts and get this sorted out on your own time."
Henry pointed his finger at Anna, "I warned you what would happen if you got him involved." His finger now pointed at John. "This is far from over now, Anna. I will see my son. You can't keep him from me. I'm his father."
Before John could even process what he was doing, he had grabbed Green by the lapels of his jacket, nearly lifting the sniveling weasel off of the ground and shoving him up against the wall. The back of Green's head made contact with the solid surface behind him. He winced, but only for a moment. Henry wanted to make sure he had the broadest smile on his face just to get John's goat. "Listen here, you little pipsqueak," John said as he shoved Green harder against the wall. "You are not his father. I am. You leave them alone, do you hear me?" John snarled.
Green could only laugh.
"John, stop. Put him down," Anna begged. "You'll hurt him."
"I knew she still carried a torch for me," Green hissed between his teeth. "After all these years, look how she tries to protect me."
John's hands had yet to let go of Henry.
"Don't listen to him, John. Put him down," Anna urged. "Please do this for me. Do it for us."
John set Green back on solid ground. His face was one of disappointment; John would have loved nothing more than to give Green the beatdown of a lifetime. "Anna, go get Aidan from Sybil and go to the car. Tell her we are leaving for the day."
Anna was unsure as to whether she should leave or not. She didn't know what John would do or say once she was out of sight or what Henry might say to antagonize him. At least Isobel was still there, but right now she just really needed to make sure Aidan was as far from Henry as possible. Reluctantly, she left the room to fetch her son.
John turned his attentions back on Green. "I'm talking to my lawyer as soon as I leave here. Until a judge orders me to turn that boy over to you, the only way you'll be seeing him is through a set of prison bars."
Henry straightened his tie and smoothed his suit before seeing himself out of the office.
John watched to ensure Henry didn't make any attempts to interfere with Anna and Aidan. When he saw that Green left the school and went in the opposite direction, John was satisfied. He then turned his focus to the headmistress, "I really must apologize, Mrs. Clarkson. That was not my intention, and I wish you didn't have to see that."
"It's quite alright," Isobel said. "I've always known Anna to be a very involved and capable parent, and I've seen you with Aidan on occasion. I may not know the whole story, but I'd have a very hard time siding against the two of you in this situation. I probably would have done the same," she said with a smile. "But you didn't hear that from me."
It wasn't a proud moment for him; still, John felt a little more at ease hearing Mrs. Clarkson speak. "I should tend to Anna. I promise we'll have this whole matter cleared up as soon as possible," John said.
When he returned to the car he found Aidan pleading with Anna to let him go back inside. "I was in the middle of my game with Charlie. Why do we have to leave early?"
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. You can play with Charlie later," Anna replied. She was sitting in the front passenger seat and looking over her shoulder to talk to Aidan.
"But I don't want to go. Daddy, can you tell Mummy to let me go play with Charlie?"
Hearing the word 'Daddy' fall from Aidan's lips nearly did John in. With tears stinging at his eyes, John responded simply, "Not today, son." He started the car and turned back to face the boy. "Aidan, I need you to promise your Mummy and me that you will not walk off with any strangers. I don't care how many treats they offer you or what they promise you. You are only to go places with your grandparents, Aunt Cora, Uncle Robert, and your teachers."
"And you and Mummy too?" Aidan piped up.
"Yes, of course," John responded.
"And what about Mary or Gwen?" he inquired.
This was going to be harder than he thought. There were too many people who were trusted sources that Aidan knew. "Yes, they are fine too," John answered back. Aidan now wore a look of confusion.
Anna would not put it past Henry to try and tell Aidan he was his Daddy or even use someone that he had paid to take her little boy. "If you've never met them before, Sweetheart, then you can't go with them. And anyone you aren't sure of you come and ask Mummy and Daddy, okay?"
"Okay," Aidan replied.
"You have to promise us," John reiterated. "This is very important."
"I promise," Aidan said.
It didn't completely ease their worries, but it was somewhat of a relief in an otherwise difficult situation. As soon as they were able, that same day, John and Anna went to the police station to see if it was possible to put in for a restraining order against Green. They had left Aidan with Cora since the boy was already meant to go there after school with Sybil. The Crawley home had been outfitted with the latest security gadgets and the change of scenery would be a nice distraction for the boy while they tended to their legal matters. Henry may have been Aidan's father biologically but until they could go to court, John and Anna needed to know that Henry was going to be forced to stay away from their family.
They couldn't have foreseen what piece of news was about to be dropped in their laps when they arrived. John was filling out the paperwork on a clipboard while Anna was on the phone with her father, filling Charlie in on everything that Elsie couldn't. "I'm fine, Dad. Or as fine as I can be right now. John's with me and we're nearly finished here. I can call you once we have picked up Aidan and we're back home." Anna then caught John waving her over. "Dad, I have to go now. I need to fill something out. I love you."
She hung up the phone and turned her attention to John. "Are we done?" Just being in this building was giving her heart palpitations. For a moment she thought she might be having a panic attack. If she had only come here six years ago like Elsie had suggested this whole mess could have been avoided. By trying to save her reputation then, Anna had ensured she would have to relive this nightmare again. Only now she wasn't so sure of what the outcome would be.
John placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I just need you to confirm that you agree with the reasoning for why the order is needed. They need both of our signatures on here since it is for both of us, and Aidan of course," John explained.
Anna read the statement over and filled in her signature where it was necessary. "Is that it?" she asked.
"We just need to give it back to the officer for processing to make it official," John responded.
John approached the counter once more and handed the clipboard back to the officer. "Let me just enter the information into our database; it should only take a few minutes. After that we'll stamp it for the record and make a copy for our files," the officer stated.
"Sure." John responded.
"I'll need to see a copy of both of your IDs or passports, to confirm you are in fact who you say you are," the officer commented.
"Right." John began rummaging through his wallet first and set his on the counter. Anna's joined his shortly after. The officer grabbed both and began to fill out the screen on her computer with the information. A few seconds later she stopped typing. She studied the form a little more closely.
"Is there something wrong?" John asked the officer.
Nothing could have prepared John for what the officer said next. "It's interesting that you're here. This was supposed to go out in tomorrow's mail." She went over to the outbox tray on the other side of her desk and handed an envelope to John.
John stared unblinking at the envelope with his name and address scrawled on it. His hands were shaking, but he managed to get the envelope open. John read through the text on the piece of paper and his eyes shot up to meet Anna's. "He's filed a restraining order against me."