A/N: I'm glad to see you all are still enjoying this this little take on the Bates/Smith family, the feedback means so much. Sorry this one is so short, but I have some beefier chapters coming up. I know I'm writing Mrs. Smith as a bit of a handful, but I swear she's got a softer side in there that will show up sooner or later :) I have to extend my gratitude to A-Lady-To-Me and Terriejane once again for all their help with this story.

Part VI

A few days later…

John had been hard at work in the boot room cleaning up Lord Grantham's riding boots when he heard Mrs. Hughes enter the doorway. "There you are Mr. Bates? I missed you this morning at breakfast."

"I ate at home," John answered as he put a little more elbow grease into the boots.

"Oh, did Anna make breakfast before you left?" she asked. This sort of personal conversation would normally not take place between the housekeeper and the servants, but given her unique relationship with the valet and lady's maid it had become normal to have these sort of daily exchanges.

"No. I tried to make some breakfast for my mother-in-law this morning," he said. "You know, extend the olive branch as it were."

"I take it you and Mrs. Smith aren't quite hitting it off then?" Mrs. Hughes asked as she walked further into the boot room.

"Not exactly. But I'm also not the type of guy you would be bragging about if I married your daughter," John said as he set the first boot down on the table. He picked up the next boot and set to work with the brush once more.

"Oh I don't know about that. I consider Anna like a daughter and I have nothing but good things to say about you," she said with a smile. John looked at her with a raised eyebrow before smiling back at the housekeeper. "I'll admit, I had my misgivings about you in the beginning. Any mother who really cared about their child would. But time and time again you proved me wrong. You demonstrated to everyone in this house how much you love Anna and she makes no secret of her feelings for you," she said.

"Everyone?" he asked.

"Even Thomas and O'Brien. Quite frankly if you can make believers out of them, I should think convincing Mrs. Smith should be a piece of cake," Mrs. Hughes said.

The two of them laughed for a moment before he said, "I certainly hope so. Right now I'm more concerned about Anna's welfare. The doctor told her to take it easy and relax and I feel like this tension is causing her undue stress."

"Perhaps, you could do something special for her-just the two of you," she suggested.

"I'm one step ahead of you. I bought this a few days ago," John said as he removed a piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded the paper to unveil his plan, "it should be here by next week. What do you think?"

Mrs. Hughes picked up the piece of paper gently and smiled at the valet, "A crib?" John nodded in agreement. "It is lovely, but…"

"But?"

"Did you not think Anna might want to pick out a crib with you?" she asked.

"I considered that, but we rarely get time to go out shopping for anything even on our half days. There are only a few months between now and the baby's due date. I just thought if I did this on my own, she would see how excited I am about this," he explained. "I did make plans to do something with her today as well, but it's a surprise."

"That sounds wonderful. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture, whatever it may be," she responded.

John still stared at the piece of paper proudly as if he had built it himself. In truth, he would have if he had the time or the know how for wood work. Somehow buying this crib made their baby all the more real and he was absolutely infatuated with it. He only hoped that Anna loved the crib as much as he did when she saw it. "Thank you Mrs. Hughes," he said as he tucked the paper back into his pocket. "Your advice and opinions mean the world to me. I best be off now so I can leave early and meet up with Anna in the village."

John knew Anna had plans to pop into the village that afternoon by herself, sighting that things between she and her mother were still tense since their verbal disagreement. She said she needed a break away from it all and would be stocking up on some things from the market and posting some mail around noon. John figured if he could wrap up his chores and save his errands for Mr. Carson and Lord Grantham for later, he could head her off and meet up with her for lunch. So long as he was back to change Lord Grantham again for dinner there shouldn't be any chance of him running late. And even so, Mr. Carson could easily send Thomas to change him, since he was picking up some things for the butler.

He waited until after Lord Grantham finished up his meal and made his way into the village. When he came upon her standing outside of one of the shops looking so smart in her regular clothing. He'd love her no matter what she wore of course, but seeing her out of her uniform was always a sight to behold. The color of her personal dresses were such a nice touch compared to her drab, black uniform. The way it clung and hugged her dainty frame so perfectly. She stood up tall with her head held high, her golden, blonde locks pinned up, and the same white blouse she had worn on their wedding day. He smiled when he saw her rub a hand across her stomach and let out a content sigh. John snuck up behind her and placed his hands over her eyes, "Guess who?" He could already feel her smile as her cheeks twitched against the palm of his hands.

Anna let out a giggle, "I don't need to guess. I'd know those hands and that voice anywhere." John lowered his hands and she turned to face him, "This is quite the surprise. Did you plan this?"

"Indeed. Sometimes good things come from my brooding," he said with a hint of a smile.

"But why?" she asked.

"I thought you could use a break from your mother and also...I miss you terribly," he said. John let his hand reach down to meet Anna's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

They found a little table in the corner of the hotel restaurant, John hung his cane over the back of the chair and held her hand the whole time. After years of not being able to out of propriety and then being denied for a year and a half while he was in prison, he took advantage of every moment he could to hold her hand. John had removed his leather gloves so that he could feel his skin against hers. Her skin felt so soft against his and somehow still had the ability to make him recall all those times that she could only use her hands to comfort him. How far they had come from accidental grazes against one another in the corridors of Downton to stolen moments in the courtyard, or from promising themselves to one another on their wedding day to a brief moment of salvation in a Yorkshire prison. But now she was his to hold for as long as he wanted and his tender but firm grasp was just another symbol to the world that they belonged to one another.

John watched with intrigue as Anna quickly devoured two jam tarts before he could even start on one. "I'm glad to see you are getting your appetite back," he commented.

"I don't know what came over me, I feel better just being here with you," she said with a smile as she dabbed at the side of her mouth with her napkin.

"Well, I'm delighted to hear that. And your coloring is looking much better," he noted. "You're faring much better than Lady Mary, I can tell you that."

"Oh really? I hope she's alright," Anna said. She may have been an employee, but she did care for Lady Mary like a sister and hated to hear that her Lady was in distress while she was taking time off.

"More than alright! She and Mr. Matthew announced today that she is with child. Not far behind you, my darling," John said optimistically.

Anna's eyes lit up, knowing that her Lady had travelled to London just a few months before in hopes to correct a problem with her to increase her and Mr. Matthew's chances of conceiving a child. "That's wonderful news. You'll have to extend my congratulations to her until I have a chance to do it properly when I return to the Abbey."

"I'll be sure to do that," John said as he poured them both a spot of tea and prepared Anna's just the way she liked it. "What is your mother up to today?" he asked.

"Do you really want to know?" she countered.

"Of course I do. We may not be on the best of terms, but she's still your mother and I know you care about her," he said attempting to feign interest.

Anna knew he wasn't really interested, but she loved him all the more for trying to be. "She's working on some knitting at home and then composing a letter to my brother. I'm sure she's telling him what a disappointment I am," Anna said as her eyes dropped to her lap.

"Don't say such things. You are many things Anna May Bates, but a disappointment is not one of them," John said as he saw the corners of her lips begin to turn. Her cheeks flushed red at his words and her bright blue eyes could have swallowed him whole with the intensity that was burning through him. "We are going to have a baby, this is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. After all we've been through we are more than deserving of that and I won't let your mother make you feel that you are not worthy."

Anna beamed back at him and looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. "John Bates, I would marry you now if I wasn't already your wife." Anna leaned forward and let her lips softly press against his, it was chaste but it conveyed all she needed to in a single action. Her lips said more than her voice could in that moment. While it wasn't considered scandalous to kiss one's husband in public she certainly was pushing the limits as she leaned into him a little more than usual. He knew she needed that reassurance and it brought her an overwhelming sense of relief.

"You know Mrs. Bates, sometimes I wonder if your mother should be looking out for me instead of you. You can be a horrible influence," John said with a flirtatious smirk as he leaned in to kiss her once more.