A/N: I wanted to thank you all for the amazing reviews. Again this chapter is sort of lacking on Mrs. Smith, but I had to create some tension between her and John. She will play a bigger part in the upcoming chapters I swear. Thanks to a-lady-to-me and terriejane for reading through this again. Enjoy and please review :)

Part IV

John rolled over lackadaisically and took a moment to observe his beautiful wife who appeared so content in her slumber. He reached to his bedside table for his pocket watch and saw that it read seven in the morning. Which normally would not have been bad for a day off, but John was quickly reminded that his mother-in-law was staying just down the hallway and possibly waiting on them. Knowing that Anna had been consistently having rough mornings due to her pregnancy he decided to let her sleep a little longer. Before rolling out of bed he kissed Anna's brow and then placed a kiss on her belly where their baby slept.

He had just risen to his feet when he heard the shuffling of blankets from behind him. "How long have you been doing that?" she asked in a gruff voice.

"Since you told me about the baby," he answered honestly. John ran a hand across his chin and knew he would need to shave. He pulled his undershirt over his head and slipped his pants on. "I thought I'd get breakfast started, are you craving anything in particular?"

Anna shook her head in a 'no' motion and John let out an exasperated sigh. Anna attempted to distract him when she playfully reminded her husband, "You don't know how to make breakfast."

"That's true. But for you I'd try my hand at it till I got it just right," he said with a smile. John held her hand with the utmost care and brought it to his lips to place a kiss in her palm. The silence was broken by the sound of Anna's stomach rumbling and they both laughed together as John rubbed his hand across her stomach. "This baby is being very demanding already," he teased. "Are you sure I can't entice you to atleast have some tea?"

"Oh, alright, but only for you," Anna said as she burrowed her head further into the pillow.

John tucked the blankets a little more tightly around her before making his way down stairs. He promptly began to boil a pot of water for the tea and set about getting some bread, butter, and fruit for Anna. He had hoped that if he brought it all up on a tray to her that maybe he could convince her to eat a little more than she had been lately. As he cut up some fresh strawberries he heard a rustling behind him that sounded like newspaper and turned to see the silhouette of his mother-in-law sitting by the window on the settee reading the paper. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you," he apologized. He was glad he had sense enough to change before he went downstairs, lest he give his mother-in-law a scare.

"Oh that's quite alright, I've been awake for quite some time. It's habit from working on the farm," she said and John went back to cutting the strawberries. "But I must say I am intrigued that the two of you slept in so long considering your work normally requires you both to be up earlier."

John's eyes were trained on the wall above the sink, he gave a small roll of the eyes but put on the best smile he could muster when he turned to face Helen. "Well, it's not often we get a proper lie in. One half day every two weeks isn't really enough time to get caught up on sleep and get our chores done around the cottage. This is the first time since I've known Anna that she's taken off more than a day and she chose to spend it with you," he replied. John was met with silence and a hint of a glare. "There. That seemed to quiet her," he thought to himself. He could almost feel the air in cottage drop in temperature. "Can I offer you some tea or coffee?"

"Coffee will be fine. Thank you," she replied before turning her eyes back to the newspaper.

"I'll get it for you as soon as I take Anna up her tray," John said as he set the last of the strawberries into a bowl.

Mrs. Smith suddenly let the paper fall forward and her eyes met with John. "Is she ill?" she asked with concern.

John didn't like the idea of lying to his mother-in-law, even if it only was a white lie. But he wanted to respect Anna's wishes and keep their secret until he was in Helen's good graces. "No, I just thought I'd do something nice for her is all," he said before swallowing hard.

"Do you both plan on attending church today? Or should I make arrangements to go on my own?" Helen asked.

"I'm sure Anna and I will still be going," John said as he began to climb the stairs. His cane hanging over his wrist and the tray balanced in his hands. He couldn't get away from Helen soon enough.

They had gone to church not just out of duty, but because Anna truly enjoyed it and he truly enjoyed his wife. John would sit through a thousand sermons, regardless of his religious preferences, if it meant that he got a few extra minutes to sit at his wife's side, with her hand wrapped in his, and listening to her glorious voice as she sang the hymns. He had been raised a Catholic, but he supposed that was a given when one was brought up in an Irish household. John had never minded attending church with his mother, but he did have trouble coming to terms with the idea that a God would allow his faithful followers to endure so much all in the name of testing one's faith. Still he went through the motions and when they left Anna suggested that once they had eaten lunch together they should head to the fair that had come to town. John would be returning back to work the following day so really it was the last day he'd be able to spend with both Anna and Helen properly before his next half day.

"I'm glad to see that Anna was able to meet a man of faith," Helen remarked as they embarked toward the village square where the fair was to be held. John let out a half chuckle, but tried to rein it in so as not to completely offend the elder of the two ladies. "Is there something funny about what I said?" she asked curiously.

"No, not at all, it's just I'm not sure I'd call myself a man of faith," he explained. "The truth of the matter is my faith lies with Anna. She has never given me reason to doubt and has believed in me more than anyone else ever did," John said as he extended a smile to his wife. She blushed and tried not to look too taken with his words in the presence of her mother.

"And how do you intend to raise your children, whenever you have them?" Helen asked. "Will they be attending church?"

Anna and John shared a knowing glance as they continued to walk hand in hand. "I don't see why not. If church helps to make our children anything like Anna then I am all for it," John boasted as he looked over at his wife with pride.

This seemed to satisfy Helen and she gave a silent nod of approval as they continued to make their way toward the village. It wasn't a huge step, but it was a start. John only hoped they could find some common ground before Helen had to leave so that Anna could experience the joy of telling her mother that she was going to become a mother herself. It was bad enough that her mother had not been able to attend their wedding, John would not deny Anna this experience as well.

When they arrived at the fair, Helen ventured to only a few stalls with them before deciding to head over to the post office to send a telegram to her son. She said she might poke into a shop or two, insisting that fairs were better spent on the young. "Do you think she's having a good time? " Anna asked.

"I'm not sure," John said as they made their way over to one of the sweet stands and stood in line. Anna looked disappointed as she watched her mother become smaller in the distance. John placed the tip of his forefinger under her chin and tilted her head up to face him. "But, I'm not concerned with her. The question is are you having a good time?"

Anna nodded and let her hand come up to rest on his, knowing that a year ago being out in public with her husband had been nothing more than a dream. Yet here she was feeling the weight of his hand in her own, watching him pour every ounce of love into his words as he spoke to her, and staring at her like she was the only girl in the world. A love like theirs was something to behold and she counted her blessings everyday to have a love like it with a man as good and true as her husband. Their romantic moment was interrupted by the vendor that called out for the next customer in line and John insisted she should indulge in whatever her heart desired. Anna eventually settled on a caramel covered apple while John chose a penny lick knowing full well his wife would want a little of both. Before he even finished his, he gladly handed the remainder to her. "You are eating for two, it's only right that you get two treats," he commented.

"Charmer," she replied back.

"What would you like to do next? Perhaps a turn on the merry-go-round? Or one of the ring toss games?" he suggested.

Anna clutched at her stomach, "No merry-go-round for me. A game sounds lovely though. Perhaps you can win me a prize or two."

"It would be my pleasure," John said as he looped his arm for her to slide hers into.

The smell of sweet treats and the organ music that spilled out from the merry-go-round filled the air. John loved the way his wife's face lit up like a child as he attempted to best the ring toss game, even if it was at his expense. It almost made him sorry that they had missed their opportunity to attend the fair in his first years at Downton. But he wouldn't take back a moment of it. He'd been able to repay a favor for her kindness that fateful night and he was sure that it had sparked something in Anna to extend her hand to him in the months that followed.

John stared at the last two coins that sat in his hand, he and Anna had promised each other they wouldn't spend more than what he brought in his pocket. That they had to save every pence they could for the arrival of the baby, with the knowledge that the arrival of their little one meant Anna would no longer be in service. "Perhaps our money would have been better spent on the high striker," Anna said with a grin. "We know you can swing an axe, a hammer shouldn't be too much different."

John's eyebrows raised in eager anticipation as they walked over to the stall for the high striker. They both waited for John's turn and he gladly handed over the coins in his hand to the person manning the booth. He handed him the mallet and told John he would only get three turns. John scoffed at the insinuation and as he walked past Anna to hand her his jacket muttered under his breath, "I won't need three turns. It's time we separate the men from the boys." Anna didn't dare hide her glee at the sound of his words. And much like he had for the wood the day before the lever was struck with enough force to send the puck soaring in the air and striking the bell. Anna clapped at his victory as he strutted back over to her with his prize. "For the baby," John said as he handed her a tiny teddy bear.

"The baby's first gift," Anna said and was moved to tears. She caressed the brown fur of the cuddly, stuffed animal and adjusted the limp bow that was tied neatly around its neck. Anna didn't have trouble imagining their little one sleeping or playing with the bear for years to come. "It's lovely and it's only right it should come from its father," she said sweetly.

John was taken aback by her words. It wasn't as if he hadn't known they were having a baby or that he would be a father, but it was the first time that Anna had referred to him that way. Reality had sunk in at that moment that he, John Bates, would eventually be a father and could not imagine a more perfect reality with Anna at his side.