We always say this story/Journal is really about nothing...nothing but everyday living, things that we all do if we're a part of a normal, loving family. We hope you enjoy our stories as much as we enjoy writing them. So thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. All entries are lovingly written by Handy-for-the-bus & Terriejane. We don't own John & Anna, but we wish we did. Alas, we just gently use them. Eamon, Will and the twins do belong to us, however. If The Journal has given you a laugh or a case of the warm fuzzies, please consider leaving a review. It makes our day. :)

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Date Night - Gallivanting

April 5th, 1928 10:30 am ~ John's Journal entry

When I opened the Journal just now, this note fell out of it.

My darling husband,

It has come to my attention that we have fallen seriously behind on our 'date night'. You remember what that is, don't you? It was the special treat we promised each other back in the Autumn. Well, we've come up short lately, and I mean to rectify that. So prepare yourself, my love. Tonight we shall go on a romantic journey to the far off land of Ripon. Meet me in the Austin at seven and we will begin our adventure. I'm driving and don't ask me any questions today. All is arranged.

Your loving and racy wife, Anna

Well, well! She's right, though. We're together all the time but rarely alone, completely alone. And we did make that promise to set aside time every week, for just the two of us. I suppose a weekly date is unrealistic, but once a month is certainly not. I'm rather looking forward to it, and I can't help but wonder what she has planned for us. I'm a lucky man. Racy, indeed.

I just stretched out my legs and received a 'Hey!' from under the desk. Much to my surprise, Will had crawled under there with a couple of his toy soldiers. He's a lonely lad these past few days, trying to avoid his best friend, Percy. We've told him he should steer clear of the Dolan cottage, but not to blame the boy for the sins of his uncle, but he's afraid. My father is becoming increasingly concerned about George Dolan also, and want's to refuse to serve him. I'm concerned too, but with my past, I don't think he's someone I want to rile unless it becomes necessary.

Anna popped in to check the girl's nappies. I told her I had just changed them before sitting down. She walked over and sat down on my lap and started running her fingers through my hair saying what a lucky woman she was. She's being extremely flirty today. This exchange brought an 'Oh yuck!' from under the desk. Anna shook her head and rolled her eyes. 'Percy was just now sitting on the front stoop. I think he's waiting for you, love,' she said to him. Then she stood up, blew me a kiss and left the room.

Will hauled himself out from under the desk. 'Are you going to see Percy?' I questioned him.

He shook his head sadly. 'I'm going home to make sure the kittens are safe, Daddy,' he mumbled, heading out the back door.

~ John Bates

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Part 1

'Did you tell Will I was waiting for him?'

'I did, Percy.' Anna looked down at the downcast boy sitting on the stoop, unsure of what to say. William had run home after she told him his friend was waiting, and now, she was trying to gather the courage to tell Percy the truth.

'He doesn't want to be my friend anymore, does he?' The child's voice was soft and shaky, and when Anna approached him, she noticed the small, quivering pout that had begun to form on his lips.

'It's not that, Percy,' she sighed, sitting beside the boy and running a hand through his flaming red hair. 'It's just...remember when you told him your uncle drowned kittens in the river?'

Percy looked up at her and nodded his head slowly.

'Well, William is afraid he'll come after our kittens.'

'He won't, Mrs Bates, I swear.'

'I know, but William loves his kittens so much, he's just worried about them. Come with me,' Anna said, standing and taking Percy's hand in hers. 'You should tell him yourself that there's no need to be so worried.'

Percy nodded, a look of hope growing in his eyes. Anna led him into the hotel, through the office, giving John a flirtatious wink as she passed him, out the back door, crossing the garden and ending up at the cottage.

'I'm sure Will is in the master bedroom with the kitties. Why don't you run in there and talk to him?'

'I will, Mrs Bates!'

Percy ran up the stairs after that, only stopping at the door of Anna and John's bedroom. He peeked inside and saw his friend sitting on the floor, right in front of the kitten's cabinet, playing with his soldier toys.

'Your mum told me to come,' the older boy said, sitting beside his friend. William only nodded. 'She said I should talk to you.'

'About what?' Will asked.

'My uncle,' Percy replied, and Will's eyes were immediately on him, big and scared. 'It's all right, though. Uncle George don't know about them. I haven't told him.'

'You haven't?'

'Of course not! I would never. I don't want anyone to hurt the kitties. I like 'em too,' Percy replied, watching as the babies slept cozily against their mama's fur, their bellies full, their little bodies bigger and looking more like proper cats than just furry, noisy rolls. Charlie had gone out, probably for a good old nature call.

William smiled, feeling an invading sense of relief. 'They're opening their eyes. Mum said it started last night.'

'Are they?' Percy was excited about this. He had never had pets or seen such small cats. Granny didn't like animals, except when they were gracing her dinner plate.

'Yeah, mum said soon, in a couple of weeks, they will try to get out of the box and walk,' William told Percy.

'That will be fun! Just imagine four kittens running around!'

'I know!'

'So, are we still friends?' Percy asked shyly, looking down at the floor.

'Sure. We'll always be friends, Percy,' William assured him with a grin and an elbow against his friend's arm.

'Good!' Percy answered back just the same.

'But Mum and Daddy said I couldn't go down to your cottage anymore 'cause of your uncle.' Will didn't even like talking about the man.

'Yeah,' said Percy, sadly. 'I don't like going there neither.'

Will suddenly felt very sorry for his friend. 'What you want to do?'

'Why don't we stay here today?' Percy suggested. 'We can play with your soldiers and watch over the kittens 'n stuff. Have you named them?'

'Not yet, but maybe we can think about it! There are three girls and one boy, or, at least, that's what dad thinks.'

'That's good to know. Let's think...hmm…'

Part 2

'All done for the day?' John asked his father as he walked behind the big oak bar later that afternoon. The pub was nearly empty, only three old customers remained, having a chat about fishing and where to dig the fattest worms.

'Yeah, just cleaning up and waiting for the afternoon barkeep to come in,' Eamon heaved a sigh, 'And thank God. I never walked so much in my life. We had a full house for lunch.'

'I know, Archie was just saying that...you know, if you get too tired Caleb can -'

'Now I didn't say that! I can manage. It's a good kind of tired, you know?'

'If you say so,' John nodded, checking the pickled onion jars, always a popular item, and making sure they had enough in stock.

'I do say so…' Eamon leaned against the counter, watching as his son opened drawers and looked on shelves, writing down anything that needed to be restocked in his notepad. 'You know who was here earlier? George Dolan, the chump himself.'

'Father…' John shot him a look.

'What? I don't like him one bit, haven't since I first laid eyes on him, and now after being told he's a thief I like him even less!'

'Just make him pay for his drinks and let him be. He's the kind of person we don't want trouble with.'

'Yeah, you should be scared, especially when your son hangs out with his nephew.' Eamon spat out the words.

'First off, I'm not scared of anyone, even less of George Dolan, all right?' John spoke in a low voice, facing his father over his glasses with fierce eyes. 'But, unfortunately, my books are not as clean as I wish them to be and risking something major with a man like him wouldn't do any of us good. Especially when I have a wife and children. The last thing I want is to end up in jail, or God knows where again.'

'And second?' Eamon was not impressed.

'Second?'

'You said, first off, what's the second off?'

John sighed and shut his eyes for a moment before continuing. 'Second, Percy is Percy and not his uncle. Yes, he can be a troublemaker sometimes, but it's children's sort of trouble. He doesn't even like his uncle, and I suspect he tries to stay as far away from him as possible. Just last week he said George Dolan was a proper bastard.'

'You know what I hear? I hear Anna's words; that's what.'

'Because she's right,' John insisted. 'Percy is like a wild cat. Steals your fish when you're not watching but if you start feeding him instead, he will come to you and lick your hand. He needs rules; he needs to be taught what one should and shouldn't do.'

'His granny calls him terrible names, things a child should never be called. I've heard it.' Eamon sighed, starting to feel bad for the boy.

'Poor lad...I confess, I didn't like him much before, but now...now I feel sorry for him, and I'm starting to see he's more than he shows. He's only two years older than Will. A baby, practically. And as Anna says, he has a good heart, and he loves William. He's very protective of him, and he's so polite when he speaks to Anna...he likes her. And he desperately needs a mother figure in his life. Lord knows, his granny isn't providing it.'

'I reckon you're right. He don't get much love from that old woman. No, I guess he's not a bad lad, and he does make me laugh.'

'Well, I need to find Caleb now; he has a window to fix in number three,' John said, checking his list one last time and returning his glasses to his breast pocket.

'Getting everything done before the big night begins, huh?' Eamon teased. 'Happy wife, happy life.'

'What?'

'Heard the missus has grand plans for both of ye. And I'm in charge of making sure the grandson eats all his dinner while mum and dad are out gallivanting. Then Sarah is in charge of making sure the children get to bed on time because you're likely to be late ,' the old man chuckled.

'Gallivanting? You know more than I do!' John exclaimed eyeing his father curiously.

'I know everything, son. You should know that by know. But you only need to know about one thing.'

'And what's that?' John asked, sure enough, he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.

'The wife is in charge, always,' Eamon replied as he walked away. 'That's it.'

And his father wasn't wrong. John felt a little flutter in his belly in anticipation of what Anna had planned. He couldn't wait to find out!

Part 3

The date…

John stepped outside the cottage, wearing his lighter coat and a relaxed, happy smile on his face. He looked up at the sky; the days were longer now and warmer. That only added to the wonderful mood he was in. Settling his hat atop his head, he joined Anna by the automobile.

'You're late,' Anna observed, her stance making her expression rather defiant. She was leaning against the Austin, flashing a brilliant smile. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation and that cheeky mirth that always made him feel breathless.

'What? It's seven,' he replied, checking his pocket watch.

'Seven five.'

John chuckled. Indeed, seven five. 'I was just making sure -'

'Please get in, Mr Bates,' she interrupted him before he could say another word, opening the door of the passenger's seat for him. 'We have things to do and places to be.'

'All right, all right…' John gave in, earning himself a resounding kiss on the cheek, followed by, yes, those constantly flirty eyes of hers, which today had been so attentive to him. Once he climbed in, and Anna took the driver's seat, he asked, 'So, what's the plan?'

'Dinner in Ripon,' Anna started the engine, '...then Womanhandled and -'

'Wait, wait, womanhandled?' he asked, facing her wide-eyed.

'It's a film. It's a couple of years old, but we haven't seen it. I've heard good things about it. Yes! We're going to the pictures,' she announced, reaching over to pat his thigh. Anna was gleeful. She loved driving and even more so when her own husband was the passenger.

'And that's the title? Oh, wait, I think I've heard of it. Archie and Daisy were talking about it.'

'You probably have. Andy and Daisy took the bus over to watch it last Sunday. Those who've seen it loved it! It's a comedy,' she told him, paying attention to the road.

'That's a change!' John exclaimed with a chuckle. 'Are you sure you won't miss your the good old romances?'

'Silly beggar. We've seen plenty of blazing guns too, and you know that.'

'Well, I know I wouldn't mind being womanhandled,' he teased. 'Annahandled more like.'

'Good, you're in for a treat then, Mr Bates.'

John rested his hand on the back of her neck and gave it a gentle squeeze, that's when he noticed what was in the backseat. 'A blanket? And what's in the basket?'

'No, don't you touch those things, John. That's part of your surprise.'

'This evening is going to get very interesting, I think.' With that, he pointed up the road, 'Onward! To Ripon!'

xxx

Nights like these always tend to go by so fast. One minute they were having dinner at a local pub; quiet and welcoming ambiance inside. Roasted duck with potatoes and carrots for Anna and for John, roasted pheasant for with chestnut stuffing, and bread, cheese and olives for both. Anna said they didn't have time for pudding. The next John was asking for the bill and they were heading to the theatre, excited as they could be about this comedy Anna couldn't stop talking about.

It had been amusing, seeing a man trying to escape from gold-diggers and his own relatives. 'He asked for it,' according to John. 'Everything we heard about it was true. It was so funny!' he continued, summarizing the film for Anna as if she hadn't been there with him. 'And when she found him, oh my God, the look on his face!'

'I think maybe we should watch more comedies,' Anna decided, climbing back into the Austin and resuming her place behind the wheel.

'Mmm, I don't know. Comedies aren't usually my cup of tea. It was just this one I think,' John said, joining her in the Austin.

'That's true, mine either. This one was really good. I did feel sorry for him, though.'

'Nonsense. The bloke deserved it. Aren't you tired? I should drive back.'

'I'm all right, I love driving you, you know that.' She smiled over at him.

John relaxed back into his seat and rolled his head in her direction, 'We were both needing this…I love these date nights of ours.'

'So, you enjoyed it?' Anna asked.

'I still am enjoying it. It isn't over yet, is it?'

'Well, not if we don't want it to be. I told Sarah we'd be late and I did give her the day off tomorrow.'

John chuckled.

'Why are you laughing?' Anna asked.

He shook his head, 'It's nothing really, just something Father said about us going out gallivanting tonight. I've always wondered about that word.'

'Now you know, Mr Bates. But I think it must mean a bit more than dinner and a picture, don't you?'

Part 4

They were about five miles out of Ripon when...

'What are you doing?' John sat straighter in his seat.

'Pulling down this quiet side road.'

Although it was dark, he could see Anna's eyes gleaming and the smile she flashed him. 'Anna? Oh... I know that look.' He cocked his eyebrow at her as she pulled off the road and stopped the car near a big tree.

'Come here…' she said, turning her body toward and pulling him by his lapels for a slow and heated kiss.

'I'm the luckiest man in the world, do you know that?'

'I have an idea, yes.'

'Let's get in the backseat,' John breathed into her ear.

'Why?'

'Well...why not? This gear shift is poking into my groin for one thing, and I want to see what you have in that basket.'

'Oh, you'll love it! Come on then.'

With that, John opened his door and stepped out.

'Where are you going?' she asked him, as she crawled into the back seat.

'What? I'm getting in the back the normal way, through the door. Can you really see me trying to crawl over that seat? You're tiny. You fit anywhere,' he told her with a grin, settling beside her on the blanket and pulling her into a lengthy kiss.

'I thought you wanted to see what was in the basket, mister...'

John nuzzled into her neck. 'Well, I found better things to do in the meantime.'

She felt his hands pulling her closer, and without a second thought, she straddled him. 'Have you, indeed?'

'My, my, look at us, Mrs Bates,' he closed his eyes and whispered in her ear; his hands finding their way underneath her skirt. In that moment, he felt her move, and when he opened his eyes, he saw her reaching for the basket and taking out a container.

'I melted some chocolate today,' she told him, opening it before reaching for the basket once again. 'And I brought strawberries,' she smiled, knowing this would please him.

'My favourite! I love you, my darling. You do know how to make me happy.'

'I do, and that's why I broug- no, no, no, Mr Bates. I'll feed you.' She stopped him before he could reach for the fruit.

'Oh, that's even better.' John winked as Anna slowly dipped one strawberry in the chocolate before guiding it to his mouth.

'Good?'

'Hmm…' John closed his eyes, lost in the sweetness of the strawberry. His reaction made her giggle. 'So good.'

'Want more?'

'I want anything you have to give me,' he smiled languidly.

'Then I'll give you everything, my love,' she said in a low voice.

Anna took another strawberry, but this one would be for herself.

'You tease,' John whispered, kissing the corner of her mouth and tasting the hint of chocolate she had just eaten. By now his hands had found their way to her undergarments and were now resting on her warm thighs.

'Are you complaining?' Anna asked biting her lower lip.

'Certainly not, now...give me another one.'

But the fruit and chocolate would be soon forgotten. Their hands had become too bold to not answer the call from other's body.

John and Anna had always been the most loving of couples, but this night...there was something about the full moon shining through the window, the cloudless sky and the fact that not a living soul, save for the two of them, were within a mile's distance. It became magical and breathtaking.

They felt like sweethearts in the modern French tales, young and carefree. In times like this, more than any other, memory would take them back in time, and that's when lips would become more possessive, more urgent, to make sure this was not just a dream.

John removed his jacket as Anna opened the first buttons of his shirt, and his hands continued to tease her between her thighs.

She could feel him there too, hot and throbbing against her skin, and when she released him from his trousers and shorts… 'Anna, please, now,' he groaned...she lowered herself onto him. The windows steamed up.

As much as this seemed like a dream, and as much as they felt truly free, that wasn't the case; they could be slow and sweet any other night in their own bedroom. Here, time was precious and passions were urgent. They were parents, after all, and that responsibility was always close at hand.

They were parents, after all, and that responsibility was always close at hand.

xxx

'We should go,' Anna said, still a bit breathless from their glorious exertions as she tried to the refasten the buttons of her blouse. John wasn't helping at all. 'I have to feed the girls.'

'Isn't it too late for that?' John lifted his head then, having a hard time relinquishing her warm cleavage. 'Sarah has probably put them to sleep already.'

'I know but…' she wrinkled her nose, touching her breasts, her cheeks flushed. 'They're so full. I won't be able to sleep like this, and I don't think they will either, not through the night. They're used to nursing before they sleep.'

John smiled at her, caressing her cheek with his thumb, his eyes on her sure and loving, 'Well, I wouldn't be opposed to helping you out, you know?'

Anna gave him that look.

'What? No? Just remember, I offered.' He stared at her, a soft smile on his lips.

'What is it? What are you looking at?' she asked with when his stare didn't subside.

'I don't know...you are just so beautiful, and even more so when you speak about motherly things.'

'Well, I am a mother, and you are so silly sometimes,' she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for one last kiss.

He held her close in a tight embrace. 'This night has been so wonderful, Anna,' he told her, pulling back just enough to see face her. Her eyes matched the full moon tonight, big and shining, filled with love and passion. 'Different and wonderful.'

'We'll have to do it again,' she decided with a soft giggle.

'I certainly hope so, but next time, I do the planning.'

'Oh, you have some ideas, Mr Bates? Do you think you can top this?' Anna challenged.

'It will be hard, but I can only try. Now I'm driving, please. You've done enough for today. Time to go home and get back to real life,' John stated, as they took their places in the front of the automobile again.

'A life I wouldn't trade for anything in the world,' Anna said, looking over at him with a satisfied smile.

'Right you are, my dear,' John started the engine and began the drive back home, '...not for anything in the world.'

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April 6th, 1928 3:35 pm ~ Anna's Journal entry

This has been such a busy day for me. It's the first time I've been able to sit down for even a minute. I gave Sarah the day off because she watched the children until late last night. John and I had a brilliant and much needed evening out. Dinner and a picture in Ripon and we took our sweet time coming home. I'm a firm believer in couples taking time for themselves, but sometimes it's hard, especially with a young family.

We got home just before midnight. The children were in bed and Sarah was asleep on the sofa. After waking her waking her up, John walked her home and helped close the pub. My breasts were as hard as rocks by this point so I had to wake up the girls and feed them. I hated to but they wouldn't have slept through the night without nursing and I was miserable.

By the time I was done, John was home, and we were more than ready for bed. Am I tired? Yes, but it was worth it. John says he's already planning our next date night.

So here I sit, finally, my feet up, sipping tea and enjoying a chicken salad sandwich. My babies are napping in their pen, next to me. Through the open office door, I can see Will and Percy sitting at a table in the lobby playing chess. Will's an old pro, John taught him early on. Percy just learned yesterday. Will tried teaching him, but when that failed, John took over instructions. I'm so glad the boys are friends again. Percy needs Will as much as Will needs him. And John's change of heart as far as Percy is concerned is amazing to me, bless him.

I just overheard Father teasing John about gallivanting around the countryside last night. Such a funny word - gallivanting. If Eamon only knew! Well, maybe he does.

My tea time is over. I see new guests coming through the front door. I have to greet them before Will and Percy decide to do it for me.

~ Anna Bates