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. :)

Percy - Part 1

'I Just hope George Dolan won't be thinkin' he can sleep over too.'

'Stop it, Father.'

Eamon and John sat on the sofa in the parlor, enjoying a chat and looking after the two baby girls, which was no easy task. Now that they had mastered scooting on their bums, the twins could get almost anywhere they wanted, unless they were in their play pen. So if there was something you didn't want them getting into you'd better keep it well out of the reach of their pudgy little hands.

Father and grandfather had taken their eyes off them for a mere second when Fee squealed drawing their attention. She was sitting next to her sister, Finn, who was lying on her belly, reaching for all she was worth for something under John's easy chair. 'What on earth is she getting into?' John asked, pulling himself up off the sofa and walking toward his daughters.

At that moment the girl pulled her prize from the from under the chair and immediately put it in her mouth. John knelt down to her level. 'No! No, no. Finnie! Give that nasty old thing to Daddy! That's yucky!' But Finnie thought it was yummy and that her daddy was being funny and playing with her. She held Jack's old gnawed on bone behind her back, giggling, and when John went to reach for it she whacked him.

John sat back on his haunches in surprise, rubbing his nose. Both Fee and Finn began crawling on him, laughing for all they were worth. The bone forgotten, John and his little girls tussled happily on the carpet.

'Get him girls! You have him where you want him now!' Eamon whooped from the sofa, slapping his knee.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, William and Percy sat under the table playing with Will's trains, boats and tin soldiers, waiting for Anna to tell them to tidy up before dinner. Five more minutes, she had said.

'I'm so happy that you'll be sleeping over, Percy. It will be so much fun!' William said with a big grin.

'Yeah! It'll be grand,' Percy answered back excitedly. For him, it would be the first time sleeping at someone else's house, and he couldn't hide the joy on his face every time he thought about it. To him, this house, the Bates' house, was the best place ever.

'Come on, boys, time to put the toys away and set the table, before those two other boys start complaining about their dinner being late,' Anna said, as she lifted the sheet she had thrown over the table to hide the boys playground. 'Wash your hands too.'

'All right, mum,' Will replied obediently, and the two boys were fast to do as Anna had said, running back to the kitchen not five minutes later.

'Good!' Anna clapped her hands together. 'Now Percy, will you help me with the plates? And William can help with the cutlery. It takes half the time with two,' she smiled.

'Yes, Mrs Bates! I wanna help!' Percy took the plates from her hands, and immediately began to set the table.

'Go behind him, William, that's how they do it in the big house...careful, not to drop them, Percy.'

'I won't, Mrs Bates! I promise.'

'Can we sit down?' Eamon asked with a cheeky grin, as both he and John walked into the kitchen. The twins were not far behind them; their squeals of excitement echoing through the house.

John walked up behind his wife, nuzzling her neck briefly and kissing her soundly on the cheek. 'Mmm, something smells delicious.'

"Yuck,' voiced Will, turning to his friend and rolling his eyes. 'See what I mean?'

Percy smiled wistfully, he'd always wanted a loving family. 'I like it.'

'Now what can I help you with, Mrs Bates?' John asked.

'Not a thing. You are free today, Mr Bates,' Anna giggled, pointing to the two boys setting the table. 'I have my little footmen, as you can see.'

'I'm helping, Mr Bates.' Percy stated with a big, proud smile.

'That's very nice of you, Percy,' John praised, running a hand through the boy's hair. He was growing fond of the child, that was for sure. There was something about him that he had never noticed until recently. John knew what it felt like to be misunderstood; to have people judge you before knowing you. That's what he had been doing with Percy, and now that he had given the boy a chance, he didn't look so bad, quite the opposite, really.

'What's for dinner?' Eamon asked again, sitting down in his usual place.

'I roasted a couple of chickens with veggies, and we also have soup and apple pie.'

'Whoa, really?' Percy was open mouthed at Anna's menu. 'Three dishes? That's proper fancy.'

'Yeah, Mum always makes us eat soup.' William wrinkled his nose, not as pleased as his friend was. 'We can't say no to it. Not even granddad.'

'I like soup. I have it everyday.' Percy replied, lifting his brows to intensify his point.

'All right, boys, you can sit down now. I'm serving,' Anna said, removing the roasted chickens out of the oven.

'Let me help you, Anna,' John offered, taking the tray out of Anna's hands.

'They are both so happy,' she whispered to him, looking back at the two boys sitting at the table side by side.

'Yes, and Percy's behaving so well,' John nodded.

'He always does with us,' Anna added, as he set the tray in the middle of the table. In that moment, she spotted Finn helping Fee, as best as she could, to pull herself up on leg William's chair, trying to reach for her brother.

'Oh, no, no, no, missy.' She walked toward her daughters then, picking them up and placing them on their blanket. 'There, you play on the blanket with your toys, you already ate.'

'I reckon they want to sit at the table with their brother,' Eamon laughed, looking over at his granddaughters from his chair. 'Clever lasses. I thought that's what you got those highchairs for.'

'We did, but the table is a bit crowded. I should have put the extra leaf in it tonight.' John said.

'I feel like I have an older brother, with Percy here,' William said. 'I wouldn't mind having an older brother.'

'I've always wanted to have a brother too!' Percy exclaimed, quite impressed with this coincidence.

'Maybe we can be brothers!' William added, opening his eyes wide with excitement.

'Do you think we can!'

'Can we, mum? Please?'

Anna smiled, shaking her head lovingly at the boys. She took her place at the table then.''Course you can, you can be…uh...'

'Brothers by heart,' John suggested.

'Brothers by heart?' The twos boys asked in unison.

'Yes. It's when two people like each other as siblings but they don't have the same parents, so they become brothers by heart. It's the heart that chooses it, not blood,' John explained.

'Oh yes!' William exclaimed, already liking the idea.

'We can be brothers by spit too,' Percy added. 'If we make a deal and spit and shake.'

'Yeah, we can do that!' William nodded.

'Not here, though!' Anna warned before the boys could even think twice about it. 'Oh! The napkins. One minute.'

'I had a brother once,' Eamon sighed deeply. 'It was the most horrible thing ever.'

'Uncle Gerry?' John questioned, confused.

'That chump, yes.'

'I thought you liked him! You seemed so close.'

'Oh we were but only after I turned thirteen and punched him right in the face.' From the expression on Eamon's face, he still wasn't too pleased with the memory. 'He was always bullying me, the shit.'

Both Anna and John winced at his language.

'Mother would spank him for that but he would never learn. See this mark here?' He moved some of his hair away from his forehead to show the boys a big scar, now wrinkled by age, from his brow to his temple. 'It was him, all right! I was riding a wooden trolley a friend had loaned me and the arse said he would push me really nice... well he pushed me really nice, right down the lane! Hit my head right on a brick wall, nearly died and all. Mother spanked him so bad he got the fever.'

'Goodness me!' Anna exclaimed as she returned to the table, rather astounded by the tale. 'What happened then? What happened for you two to grow so close?'

'Ahh...one day, when I was thirteen and tired of being a puppet in his hands, he thought it would be funny to break the neighbour's window and blame it on me. Well, I'd had my fill and punched him in the face when he pointed his accusing finger my way. After that we became as close can be.' Eamon conclude. 'Reckon I had to show him I have a go at it too so he could respect me. Sometimes it's all that takes.'

John and Anna both shared a look, trying not to find this story too funny.

'Well then, William and I are better brothers than you were, Mr Eamon,' Percy said. 'Because we don't fight or push each other into brick buildings.'

'That's true…' Will nodded. 'Percy is always saving me from stepping in poop and puddles.'

'That's 'cause I know how Mrs Bates like her children all clean and tidy. Don't you, Mrs Bates?' Percy asked Anna, with a sense of fulfilled duty to her. She had told him many a time to take care of Will and he had always done so.

'I do, indeed,' Anna smiled at the boy. 'And I thank you for that, Percy. But don't say poop at table, William, it's not nice.'

'See?' Percy pointed out. 'My grannys says loads of dirty words at table and she doesn't tell me not to say them either.'

Again, John and Anna shared a look, but this time Eamon was included, muttering the words 'Didn't I say so?' to them as discreetly as he could.

'All right, give me your plate, Percy,' Anna prompted, trying to change the subject of the conversation for something more cheerier. 'You are our guest, and you'll be served first.'

'Oh! Thank you very much, Mrs Bates. I am rather hungry,' Percy said, practically drooling at the food with hungry eyes.

'Good! We like hungry boys in this house,' John added, watching as with every serving of food Anna put on his plate, Percy's smile grew bigger.

'Whoa, is this all for me?' The boy asked when Anna set the dish before him.

'Yes, you can have more when you finish that one.'

'Bloody hell, I've never seen so much - ,' Oh no! Percy stopped himself, remembering that in this house things were said and done differently. 'I mean, I'm sorry...bloody hell is not proper either.'

Soon enough, they all were eating. The chickens were delicious of course, as only Anna was an excellent cook. Percy, the poor boy, was eating as if there was no tomorrow, grabbing food from his plate, knife and fork forgotten.

'Are you going somewhere, lad?' John asked in playful tone, but he was a bit worried about the boy. 'You don't need to eat so fast. Take your time.'

'I'm just so hungry and this food is really good!'Percy looked up, smiling.

'You look like Mr Mason's pigs when they eat!' William giggled.

'William, that's not nice,' John scolded his son.

'Oh, it's all right, Mr Bates, granny says the same.'

'Do you want more?' Anna offered, unsure of how to react.

'Can I?'

'Of course!' she said, putting more on his plate. 'Not too much though because you still have soup and pie to eat.'

'I've never had such good food, Mrs Bates.'

'Is your granny a good cook?' John asked.

'Not like this. She's only makes soup,' Percy answered. 'That's what she makes.'

'You look like you're starving, Percy! Don't use your hands. It's not good manners.' William was shocked at his friend's table manners, but upon his words, the older boy stopped eating, feeling a bit self-conscious.

'William…' Anna opened shot her son a look. 'Here, Percy,'she stood from her chair then, and walked toward Percy. 'Let's clean your hands...like so,' she smiled at him, 'and use the fork, like this, see? Isn't that better?'

'It's not as fast,' Percy wrinkled his nose.

'But you don't want to eat so fast, do you? You want to chew your food,' Anna told him, touching the tip of his nose with her finger. 'Otherwise you'll get a bellyache.'

Percy - Part 2

'All right, boys,' Anna called from the bathroom. 'Your water is ready. Go hop in the tub.' It was bath time for the two boys and William was excited about it. He always loved taking baths, mostly because he could actually play with his boats in the water. 'C'mon Percy, let's go!' Will cried.

Percy now stood in the doorway staring at the steam rising from the shiny porcelain bathtub as if he's never seen such a thing. In fact, he hadn't. 'I ain't never been in a real bathtub before.'

"Huh?' said Will, incredulous. 'How do you take a bath?'

'Well, when I do, I take it in an old wooden tub Gran has in the kitchen. And I ain't never had a hot bath in my life. It's always cold by the time it gets to me. Are you sure about this, Mrs Bates?'

'I am, Percy. Now get your clothes off and hop in there before this water turns cold,' Anna told him.

'Yeah, take your clothes off, Percy,' urged Will, who was already striped down to his socks. Percy looked shyly at Anna.

'It's all right, Percy,' she smiled understandingly. 'You don't need to be shy. I'm a mother. I've seen a bare naked boy before. Here, let me help you.'

Anna kneeled, helping Percy out of his clothes, and that seemed to work in easing the boy's discomfort. But with every piece of clothing removed she noticed the state they were in, terribly worn and in disrepair and really dirty. When she peeled his socks off, Will pointed to his friend's feet, with a shocked look on his face, 'Look at your feet!'

'Will, that's enough.' Anna put down the toilet seat lid and sat Percy down. 'I think we'd better wash those feet off before you get in the tub.' Feet scrubbed, she told him to hop in. 'Now, listen, you can play for a bit but I'll be checking because I want you to wash too, understand?' she told the boys.

'Yes, mummy.'

She handed them each a cloth. 'Clean behind your ears, your necks, under your arms... I'll be checking,' she repeated before walking away, Percy's and Will's clothing in her arms to be thrown into the wash. She'd even be doing some mending on Percy's.

'I like your house, Will.'

'Me too.'

'I wish I could live here with you and Mr and Mrs Bates, and Finn and Fee. It would be grand!'

'Wouldn't you miss your house, though?' William asked.

'Nah...I'll miss being here when I go back tomorrow, that's what.'

Will watched as his friend played with the boat for a moment, and he felt terribly sorry for him. He'd never thought his life was better or worse, but now he knew that he was a very lucky boy. If only his friend could have the same. Oh, how he wanted that!

x

'Handling those two pirates well enough?' John asked with a grin as he sat down on William's bed, choosing a bedtime story for later. Anna was kneeling on the floor, searching for something in the bottom drawers of their son's cupboard.

'Oh yes,' she answered shortly, trying to focus on her task.

'I already took clean pajamas out for Percy, if that's what you are looking for.'

'It's not, John…' She sighed, stopping what she was doing and turning to her husband with a sad look on her face.

'What's the matter?' he asked, worriedly.

'Percy. You should have seen the state he was in. His feet were black as coal, his toenails even worse. He's never even had a warm bath!. And his clothes...I'll wash and mend them.

His grandmother isn't doing a good job of it at all.

'And his manners at dinner?' John said saddly. 'I think the boy is starving.'

'That's why he's so small for his age.'

'I spoke to Will about commenting on his manners too much.'

Anna nodded, 'I don't want the boy to feel bad about the way he is. It's not his fault, poor child.'

'I wish there was more we could do for him.'

'I'm going to speak with his granny. I will, John. I can't witness this happening and do nothing. I know she's old and she's got enough on her plate with that son of hers, but still… Do you think I'm wrong?'

'I don't. Not at all. But, I don't know if I want you speaking to her about it, or even going dropping at their house. Father says she's got a tongue like a sailor, what if she takes offense at what you say and starts cursing you?'

'Well, she better not, because I can curse if I have to.'

'As if you would ever do that!' John chuckled.

'Stop it, you know I would.' Anna smacked his shoulder, and in that moment the sound of laughter and water splashing came to their ears.

'Did you really leave two boys in a tub all by themselves?' John asked, shooting her a cheeky look.

'I told them to wash while they played.' She said, the sound of the water the stronger.

'I repeat, did you really leave two boys in a tub all by themselves?' John insisted, laughing as Anna stormed out the room. 'I'll see to the twins, don't worry!' He called after her.

'William, Percy, I'm coming to check on you - what are you boys doing?!' She walked in the bathroom with her hands resting on her hips.

'Just playin',' the two answered in unison.

'Didn't I tell you to wash too?'

'We forgot,' Will grinned.

'Yeah, we forgot,' Percy repeated.

'At least there's no water on the floor, ah!' she leaned, touching the water. 'It's already cold, you're going to be sick. Stand up, I'll scrub you, and don't think about complaining.'

'You have thick, red hair.' Anna began to wash his hair in gentle motions, and Percy allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment, just enjoying the attention he was being given.

'Yeah, like my mum,' the boy replied.

'Oh, your mum had red hair too?'

'Yes, she did.'

'Did you know his mummy is in heaven, mummy?' William spoke, mimicking his mother's movements on his own head.

'I do, William.'

'That's my fault,' Percy said softly, looking down at the foam in the water.

'What do you mean?' Anna asked.

'She died because I was born. That's what granny says. If I wasn't born she wouldn't have died.'

'Well, if your granny says that she shouldn't.' Anna was angry now, but she spoke calmly with a low, motherly voice. 'Your mummy's death was a terrible tragedy, but it was not your fault.'

'Wasn't it?' Percy frowned, unsure. All his life he had been told the same story, and now Mrs Bates was telling him everything he always heard was wrong?

'Of course not, son. Nothing that happened was your fault, and your mummy wouldn't like it one bit you thinking it was,' Anna reasoned, running her hand along his damp cheek.

'I wouldn't mind you and Mr Bates being my parents,' Percy smiled. 'Then I would have a mum and a dad and roasted chicken every day and baths, and a brother and two sisters. A granddad too! Life would be grand!'

x

'You wouldn't believe how excited Percy was to share Will's bed. He kept going on about how soft the sheets were. Do you know that little guys sleeps on the floor at home? He calls his pile of blankets, his nest. I thought he wouldn't be able sleep tonight, but they're finally down for good.' John said, falling on the bed with a big sigh.

'Bless him,' Anna was leaning back against their headboard going through a decorating magazine. 'He told me he had never had a bedtime 's so sad, John. He said he wished we were his mum and dad.'

'Well, maybe...maybe he could stay over more often? Will would love that and I'm sure his granny wouldn't mind.'

'I can hardly believe what I'm hearing.' She rested the magazine on top of her nightstand. 'You didn't want him around a few weeks ago and now you want him staying over more often?'

'Well,' John hesitated, leaning on one elbow to look at her. 'After you get to know the boy you understand that all that roughness is made by the way he's being raised, or better, by the way he's being neglected.'

'Can you believe his granny told him he was to blame for his mother's death? I can't believe it. The wicked creature.'

John agreed, and nodded toward her magazine. 'Were you thinking of doing some decorating, love?'

'Maybe…Not yet, but when they are old enough to have a room of their own. I was thinking we could decorate the little dormer room for the girls. I'd like it all girly and flowery, with lace curtains and their little girl toys.' Anna planned enthusiastically.

'What if they don't like all that stuff?' John wondered.

'Why wouldn't they?'

'Well, Miss Sibbie loves cars, doesn't she? Not every gi -,'

'Until they are old enough to have a say their room will be flowery and lacy and girly.' Anna shot him a look.

'You're the one who wants that,aren't you?' John teased. 'This is all because I didn't want those pink, flowery curtains for the bedroom,' he said, dragging himself across the bed until he was beside her. 'You're a girly-girl, Mrs Bates, admit it.'

'So what if I am? 'And yes, I always wanted to have daughters so I could decorate their room and them too. I never had a girly room, but I've always dreamed about it.'

'Well, you can have all you want now, and if you really want those curtains,' John sighed before giving in. 'That's fine by me.'

'Oh, just come here to me, Johnny,' Anna said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him to her.

'Don't call me that in front of my father,' John warned as she nuzzled her nose in the crook of his neck.

'Why not? It's sweet. My sweet Johnny,' she giggled.

'Mother used to call me that when I was little.'

'Come here, Johnny boy.' Anna was running her warm hands under his pyjama shirt and up over his chest. 'Johnny boy, my Johnny boy,' she was saying in a sing-songy voice.

'Oh God, stop it,' John insisted, and Anna stopped the movement of her hands and flashed him a cheeky grin.

'No, not that,' he pulled her to him again, as his hands made their own way under her gown, 'Just the name.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

April 12th, 1928 11:15 am

We had our monthly staff meeting breakfast earlier today. Everyone was there. Daisy came in early, as did Frank Buckley, our night time barkeep and even Mrs Emory who helps with the cleaning once a week. Will and the twins were there too because, well, they're always there. Will knows to behave and the girls like being fussed over. Percy Dolan was also present, having spent the night with Will. He was so busy eating he didn't say a word. I've never seen a boy eat with such relish.

We use this time to discuss what's going to be happening in the upcoming month, like menus changes, scheduling, any big parties we'll be hosting in our banquet room, etc. It was decided that we need to hire two waitresses for the lunch and dinner hours. This brought a 'Here, here!' from Frank and an 'About damn time,' from my father. Mrs Emory said her niece might be interested and Daisy mentioned a friend who might be also.

I've been a bit worried about Father spending so much time on his feet. I casually tried to tell him to sit down when he got tired but he apparently took my concern as an insult and nearly bit my head off. The new waitresses should help.

Since the weather is turning so nice, Anna has been hankering to open up Anna's Garden Tea Room. She was so heavily pregnant last year she couldn't really enjoy running it. None the less, it was very well received. We had several groups of ladies from the church use it and Anna said that none other than the Dowager herself, had complimented her on the ambiance of it all.

If the weather holds we'll have the two teenage lads we hired to clean the garden, bring the outdoor tables and chair from storage and get them washed off and set in place this week.

It was a fairly productive monthly meeting, I have to say.

Will and Percy just walked in and flopped themselves down on a couple of chairs looking rather bored. If there's one thing I've learned from being a father it's that you never want to let a boy get bored. That nearly always leads to something...well, you've heard the saying, 'An idle mind is the devil's playground.' So Anna has set them to work in the vegetable garden, weeding Will's pea patch.

I mentioned Percy spent last night with us. It went well and we'll have him again, to be sure. I am concerned about the well-being of the lad though. When dinnertime rolled around he was practically overwhelmed. It makes me wonder how well-fed and cared for the boy is at home. I worry about him.

~John Bates

Percy - Part 3

The Yorkshire village of Downton was being blessed with another glorious Spring day. This afternoon, found the two young boys playing in the Bateses garden after a successful sleep-over.

It was almost tea time. The twins were untethered, discovering the world with their hands, and mouths, under the attentive eyes of their father.

'Like this, Finnie.' Percy helped the girl running the boat through the grass. The babies liked being near the boys.

'They always like to play with my toys,' William said. 'I reckon their toys are no good. Dolls and soft stuff.'

'Yeah, nobody likes them, that's why they are always stealing yours,' Percy agreed.

'I don't mind though, as long as they don't chew on them and get them all drooly. Babies have a lot of drool.'

'Babies are not good at being real people, I guess, that's why they've got to learn,' Percy reasoned.

'Are those two scooting monkeys giving you grief?' John asked, sitting back in a chair and enjoying the sun on his face.

'No. Percy was teaching Finn how to sail the boat through the grass,' William told him.

'That's very nice of Percy,' John smiled.

'Mr Bates, why do babies have to drool so much?' Percy questioned in a serious tone as he watched the twins drooling over the boat he had just been playing with.

'Well…' John pursed his lips, unsure. Anna probably knew the answer, but he could take a guess. 'I reckon it's because they are teething and discovering the world with their mouths.'

'It does make sense,' Percy nodded. 'If they put everything in their mouths they probably drool out the nasty bits.'

'That does make sense, Percy.' John was impressed by the boy's logic. He hadn't thought about it that way before.

'They just don't know very well how to spit so they drool all over instead,' Percy continued.

'They drool all over Dad the most,' William stated with a giggle, remembering too well the amount of times his father had to clean drool off his lapels so he would look presentable to greet new guests.

John chuckled. 'I'm going inside for a second, watch the girls, all right? I'll see if mummy needs help bringing the tea tray.'

'Don't worry, Mr Bates, your girls are safe with us! We won't let them chew on the nasty bits.'

'I'm trusting you,' John pointed and winked, before walking to the kitchen's door, and spotting Anna already smiling at him from the window.

'Hello, my darling,' he said as he entered the kitchen, walking to his wife and wrapping his arms behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, placing a kiss on her neck. 'What a lovely day this is.'

'Yes…' Anna sighed into his embrace. 'Look at them playing with the girls...they are such sweet boys, aren't they?' she said, looking out of the window.

'Percy does surprise me, although I've heard him cursing a few times today.'

'Yes, he curses a lot for someone so young. Just this morning I heard him say he would happily kill the Robinson boy if he dared to walk past him again. They are not on the best of terms those two.'

'From all I've heard, Bobby Robinson is a choir boy; what problems does he have with Percy Dolan?' John was confused. 'Mr Robinson doesn't want his children playing with common folk, as he says.'

'He threw a snowball at Percy two winters ago, or so I was told, since then it's been Percy's goal to kill the bastard.'

'Anna!' John feigned shock at her language.

'That's what Percy said,' she giggled.

'That boy…'

'But you see, William hasn't picked up any of his manners, that's why I always let them play together. Our son is not easily influenced.'

'He takes after his mother, he does,' John said proudly. 'He judges people by his own accord and not by what other people say.'

'Yes, but you can also say he takes after his father on that. Oh look, John!'

Through the kitchen window they saw Percy supporting Finn on her feet as the girl excitedly walked to her brother, who was stretched his arms out to her. Fee sat watching, giggling and clapping her hands together as if cheering on her sister.

'Come on, Finnie,' William encouraged the girl, earning him a few enthusiastic squeals. 'Come on!'

But at that moment, Finn let herself fall to the grass; Percy making sure the girl had landed as softly as possible. She began to laugh even louder as her sister scooted her way toward her.

'Oh, mummy, daddy! Did you see that?! 'William asked, shouting so his parents could hear him through the half opened the window. 'Percy and I were teaching Finn to walk! Fee doesn't want to though…'.

'You did so well, you two!' Anna answered back, smiling. 'Now, who wants chocolate biscuits and milk?'

'You all eat so much in this house,' Percy stated with big eyes, struck by the many times Anna would ask if they were hungry, and if they said they were she would come out with a snack.

'Yeah, Mum likes to feed us,' Will said.

'Here it is!' Anna announced bringing the tray with tea and biscuits. John following behind, offering to help but being shooed away.

'Oh, right on time, I am!' Eamon's voice came to their ears as the old man settled himself in one of the garden chairs.

'It's like you smell Anna's food from miles away,' John shook his head with a grin.

'Nose like a dog, that's what my mother used to say.' Eamon touched the tip of his nose. 'Always knew when the food was ready, still do.'

'Let's eat then,' Anna said, sitting down on the grass and waiting for the girls to scoot toward her.

'I have to take Percy home soon, before his granny grows worried.' John sat down in his previous spot, watching as his father shot him a look. Too hard for a woman like that to grow worried about anything. Eamon thought.

'Aw,' William cried. 'Already?'

'I told Mrs Dolan I would bring him after tea.' John reasoned.

'I wish I could stay.' Percy sighed, looking down at the biscuit he had in his hands.

'You can stay overnight whenever you want, Percy. We just have to check with your granny when you do,' Anna told him kindly. 'And I've prepared a bag of goodies for you to take home too.'

'Really?! Great!' That seemed to have cheered the boy's mood. 'Did you get me some of these biscuits, Mrs Bates?'

'Of course, Percy. I know they're your favourite.'

Tea time passed by too quickly for the two boys, and when the day began to darken it was time to go. John and William would take Percy home, but that didn't mean it made him feel any better.

'All right, let's go?' John said with the bag of goodies Anna had prepared in his hands.

'Yeah,' Percy replied, straightening his freshly washed clothes. 'Thank you for the bag, Mrs Bates.'

'You're welcome, love.'

The boy wrapped his arms around Anna's legs tightly, her words touching his heart. He looked up at her with big eyes then. 'I really liked staying here, Mrs Bates. Maybe you can talk my granny into letting me stay more often,' Percy pleaded.

'I certainly will, Percy. It was a pleasure to have you here, and you'll be here again tomorrow, won't you? And the next day?. Maybe you can have lunch with us at the hotel. Mr Bates will ask your granny if you can when he walks you home,' she told the boy, taking his face between her hands and kissing the top of his head. 'Now go before it gets too dark.'

Percy nodded with a smile, feeling a bit better, and waving Anna goodbye.

She watched as John and William walked Percy home, her heart unsettled in her chest. If only she could do more for that boy… at the same time she felt an undying feeling of happiness, for the family she had built with John, and she only hoped that the time Percy spent with them most days would be enough to soften him up.

She would make sure to show him how important he was, if not to his granny, to her own family. There was nothing worse than feeling so lost in family, she knew that.

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April 12, 1928 9:45 pm

The girls are all tucked in for the night. John's finishing up with Will's bedtime story, and I'm here in bed worrying about how Percy's doing. I know he's tough little man and a survivor but no child should have to live like that.

It broke my heart to see the state his clothes were in. Ripped and buttons missing, and desperately in need of a good washing; all easy fixes. I know the Dolan's aren't a wealthy family and according to Father, they spend too much of their money on liquor, but soap and a little effort doesn't cost much.

Will loves him like a brother and said to me he wished they really were. John has a soft spot for him too now, and even Granddad does. We all would like to make his life better but I wonder about how much right we have to interfere? I surely don't want to raise the ire of that odious uncle of his. I feel positive he would take it out on the boy. I did breathe a sigh of relief when I didn't find any scars on his little body.

We'll just take it one day at a time and do what we can.

I hear John coming so I'll close now and welcome my husband with open arms.

~Anna Bates