AN: Thank you so much for taking the time to read our stories. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy writing them. We don't own John & Anna, we just gently use them. We do, however, own Eamon, Will, the twins and Percy. If The Journal has given you a laugh or a case of the warm fuzzies, please consider leaving us a review. It won't cost you a thing and it makes our day. :) Handy-for-the-bus & Terriejane

~ He Said/She Said ~

John Bates' journal entry - June 2nd, 1928, 11:15 am

It's a glorious June day here in the Village of Downton. Not a cloud in the sky, and we're all hoping it holds out through the weekend. Will and Percy have grand plans, I here. You see, today is the last day of school. We'll all walk down to the schoolhouse to fetch Percy, along his much-improved grades, and we'll thank Mr. Molesley for a job well done.

The boys want to sleep in their new, finished treehouse tonight. Anna, after only a tiny bit of hesitation, has consented. Then tomorrow, they will be catching our dinner fresh from the stream and who knows what else they'll get up to? I have to admit, the child in me is just a bit jealous.

Business is booming here at the hotel and the pub, as well. When Anna and I took over The Grantham Arms a couple of years ago, we never dreamed what a success it would become. We've worked hard, it's true, but we've done it together like we always planned. It's been marvellous!

Anna's Tea Garden is now open for the season, and the ladies are flocking in for their teas and luncheons - ladies who would never dream of stepping foot into a pub room. They seem to enjoy sitting in our gardens hours on end, often asking to see our girls. Why just yesterday I poked my head out to see Lady Merton and the Dowager having their tea. I was quite surprised to find Finnie on Lady Grantham's knee, both totally charmed by a game of This Little Piggie Lady Isobel Merton was playing with her toes. Finnie's toes, not Lady Merton's.

Yes, as long as we can manage to keep that rascal Jack at bay, we do well. He has been known enter this female domain in search of a raspberry tartlet.

And speaking of Jack, I haven't mentioned this before, but a couple of months back...

xxx

It was dinner time, and the family was seated around the kitchen table about to partake of a delicious meal of stew, biscuits and hot buttered rice when they were interrupted by some unknown person pounding angrily on the front door.

'What the devil? Reckon these Downton villagers don't know 'bout manners. No one should knock at someone's door at dinner time,' Eamon had stated, quite upset.

'They don't unless it's important,' John responded, rising from his chair. 'Keep eating; I'll get it.'

Anna, Eamon and William had heard a woman's shrill voice the moment John opened the front door. She seemed to be angrily going on about something and John had yet to get a word in edgewise. 'What on earth?' Anna exclaimed, getting up to see what was going on. Of course, the rest of the family followed her, save for the twins who were confined to their high chairs.

'Fifi...oh my poor, defiled Fifi!' the woman cried into her snow-white handkerchief. Anna immediately recognised her as Mrs. Honoria Clark, the fancy wife of Mr. James Clark, who was the owner of a couple of stores in Downton village.

The dramatic woman continued. 'My baby...that filthy miscreant dog of yours has deflowered my poor Fifi. The Cortland's will never allow her to be bred with their prize-winning poodle, Sebastian after..this...this thing of yours has touched her. Oh, oh the shame!'

Eamon had seen enough and returned to the kitchen and his dinner, dragging the wide-eyed William with him.

'Mrs. Clark, I think-,' John tried to speak, but she wouldn't have it.

'She's damaged goods! I might as well take her out and shoot her!'

'Here now!' John's usually calm voice rose in alarm. 'I wouldn't go that far. The poor dog…'

'My innocent little Fifi. Sullied and shamed by the likes of that foul creature!' Whereupon she glared at Jack, seated at John's feet, looking up at the woman with a goofy grin on his face. 'What will my friends think of us when they see a litter of mutts? We will be the laughingstock of the village. They'll think my poor Fifi was at fault, but no, no! It was that dog of yours who pushed his way into my very home and had his way with her...and...Oh, Lord!'

'Pushed his way in? How could he possibly do that?' John was confused. He tried to gesture for Mrs. Clark to come in and calm down but she wasn't having it. The woman still stood at their door, making a scene for those who happened to pass by and look and wonder about. Trying to remain calm and understating, he continued. 'Listen, Mrs. Clark... Jack is always here with us, he barely gets out of the garden. He's a lazy dog.'

'I've seen him, all right! Are you saying I'm lying?' Her eyes were fierce on John and for one brief moment, he almost feared for his life. 'Are you calling me a liar?'

'I'm certainly not! But... maybe you saw Fifi with another dog and you thought-,'

'Another dog? Another dog?!' The overly dramatic Mr.s Clark, loudly sobbed into her expensive, lace handkerchief. 'My Fifi is no floozy. She was accosted by your disgusting mutt.' Almost as if he understood what she was saying about him, Jack snarled and curled his lip.

'I'm sure Fifi is no floozy,' John's voice was low, as he patted Jack's head to calm him down. All they needed was for him to take a bite out of her shin. John was growing increasingly nervous about the situation when he noticed neighbours from across the street had been drawn from their porch swings to stand in the lane, the better to hear what was happening.

Well, enough of this foolish conversation, thought Anna, as she stepped into to the hall to stand firmly next to John, her arms folded around her waist.

John looked down at her and knew then, Anna Bates would fix the problem, or maybe just add to it...who knew?

'Listen, Mrs. Clark,' she spoke, a serious look on her face. 'I know you love your Fifi, but I've seen her hanging around with that pug, Leo, Mr. Lewis's dog. I've seen her more than once. With other dogs too.'

'You didn't!' Mrs. Clark shook her head in disbelief.

'I certainly did, and I'll tell you more, your Fifi comes to our garden door and scratches on it so we'll let her in. But we don't because our cat, Charlie, is not fond of other dogs. Jack doesn't even pay attention to her. He just sleeps the day away.'

'My Fifi would never do such a thing. Knocking on this mangy, flea-bitten mutt's door like that. The very idea!' The woman stuck her nose up in the air at the thought of such a thing.

John put his arm around Anna's middle and squeezed her to stop her from saying something she'd no doubt regret. That seemed to calm her, a bit.

'Well, let the puppies be born and then we'll see,' Anna said between her teeth.

'What do you mean?'

'Just what I said, we'll see. I'm sure they'll be born with pug noses.'

'If not, you are taking them,' Mrs. Clark said decisively, crossing her arms to mimic Anna's stance.

'What?' John's jaw dropped when the woman's words registered with him. Did she honestly expect them to take the puppies as if it was their fault Fifi Clark was the biggest floozy dog in Downton village? Not a chance!

'You are taking the puppies, John Bates,' Mrs. Clark insisted, wagging her bony finger in his face. 'I'm not raising any little bastards in my house!'

'And we are not raising any puppies that come from that wanton hussy of a dog you have,' Anna's eye were defiant and she was well on the way to losing her patience. Sensing this, possibly, Honoria Clark let out with one mournful wail, stomped her foot and left without saying another word.

Anna closed the door with some force after that, turning around to face John and her family, who had returned during the exciting part. Her husband was smiling proudly, William was giggling and rubbing delighted tears from his eyes, and Eamon nodded in support.

'Anna, that was a bit...harsh,' John said, laying his arm across her shoulders as they walked back to the kitchen.

'She comes here with that attitude, and I'm not taking it. Not under my own roof.'

'Won't be a surprise if they are Jack's…' Eamon chuckled, sitting back down at the dinner table. 'After all, who can resist the Bates' men, eh? We were born to seduce, and that's a fact.'

'I must have of brothers and sisters spread all over this world, I'm more sure of that every day,' John sighed, shaking his head.

'Now, while we wait for those puppies to be born, let's eat! I'm afraid the food has cooled down,' Anna said.

xxx

June 2nd - Two months later...

'Mr Clark was in the pub today,' John said between bites. It was dinner time, and the family was enjoying a big shepherd's pie and salad. The twins sat in their high chairs, with their parents at either side, as Anna tried her best to keep them entertained with boiled carrots and spoonfuls of thick green pea soup in turns; John helped too, but he found it more amusing when the girls used their hands to feed themselves.

'Oh yes? Haven't seen him in a while,' Anna replied.

'Reckon he's been taking care of the pregnant pooch,' he joked. 'He said it would be any time now, and his wife still thinks Jack's the one to blame.'

'Goodness me, the silly woman!' Anna shook her head, cleaning traces of soup from Fee's cheek. 'Fee, don't spit it out, darling. It's good, yum, yum…John, can you help with Finn, please?'

John smiled, handing Finnie a big piece of soft carrot that she was fast to destroy between her chubby fingers.

'What did Jack do?' Percy asked since he hadn't been living with the Bateses when the incident happened a couple of months ago.

'Jack put babies in Fifi's tummy, and now we have to wait for them to come out and see if they have his look on their faces,' William explained.

'Fifi?' Percy wrinkled his nose. 'That ugly old dog? Jack wouldn't be so dumb to put babies in her.'

'Fifi's not ugly,' Anna giggled.

'In fact, she's bloody ugly!' Eamon laughed. 'I would drown...I mean...I would never have a dog like that.' He saw his son shooting daggers at him. 'I wouldn't drown anyone, of course. It was just an expression, all right. Jesus!'

'Fifi is always angry,' William said. 'Whenever I try to pet her she smiles weird at me.'

'She's not smiling, Will,' John told the boy. 'She's showing her teeth, and that means you should keep your distance.'

'I do. But...I still don't understand how Fifi can have Jack's babies in her if they are not married?'

'What?' John wasn't grasping what Will meant.

'Because Mummy said that babies come after you get married, not before.'

'Silly,' Percy rolled his eyes. 'Babies come when people can't hold their fire.'

'Fire?' Will was confused.

'Under their skirts and inside their trousers,' Percy sang with a smile on his lips.

'Percy!' Anna gasped, looking over at John, who seemed rather shocked with the two boy's chat.

'Isn't that true?' Percy asked. 'Granny used to say it every time.'

'What does that mean, Mummy?' William insisted.

'It means…'

'It means you either wear a dress or a suit, but what matters is that you are responsible enough to not put babies in people who don't want babies,' Eamon proclaimed, quite sure of himself as he rested his cutlery next to his empty plate. 'That's why babies should happen after one is married, because when two people get married, they agree on allowing babies to be put in and born.'

Everyone went silent after the old man's speech. Anna and John shared unsure, wary looks. What would their son think of this explanation? Would he buy it?

'Oh! That's why Mrs. Clark is so mad. Because there was no deal for Jack to put babies in Fifi.' The young boy nodded, happy with his grandpa's explanation.

'Exactly!' Anna voiced, greatly relieved. John couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

'I'm not sure if that's how it-,'

'Why don't we finish our delicious meal, Percy?' John interrupted the boy before he could bring more doubt to the matter. 'This duck is excellent. You're the best cook in the world, Anna.'

'Thank you, darling,' Anna smiled. The twins had finished their soup and carrots and now played with the remains of food that had fallen on their highchair trays.

'Who's helping me with the dishes?' Anna asked after some time when they all had finished eating.

'Why don't you rest?' John suggested, rising from his chair and starting to take the empty plates to the sink. 'Father and I can do it.'

Eamon was just rising from his chair, with a few muffled words against John's idea, when suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. 'What on earth?'

'I'll go,' Anna said, walking to the front door. When she opened it, Mr. Clark standing was there, his breathing erratic, like he'd been running, and his hat in his hand.

'Mrs. Bates!' the man took a deep breath. 'Fifi's in labour. My wife is calling you.'

'Oh!' Anna eyed the man from head to toe. 'All right…'

'I'm sorry, Mrs. Bates but Honoria, she's…'

'It's all right, Mr. Clark, let me just tell the others.'

'I'll go now; they need me.'

He ran off after that, leaving Anna thinking the Clarks were the perfect match. Two crazy people.

She gathered her family then, Eamon and John took the twins, Percy and William walked on either side of Anna. The night was warm and breezy. The full moon shone, the frogs and crickets were singing. The walk to the Clark's house wouldn't be more than five minutes.

'I hope Jack's the daddy,' Will said, squeezing his mother's hand. 'The kittens would be so happy to have puppies to play with!'

'They would!' Percy agreed, taking Anna's other hand.

'No matter who the father is, we are not getting more pets,' John warned, as the two men walked behind. Fee with him, her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she jabbered to her sister in Grandpa's arms; Finnie, squealing and flailing to her twin. 'We still have to find owners for the cats.'

'No, not our kitties, Papa!' Percy begged. 'They love us. We're their family.'

'They are getting under our feet, climbing on things, doing their business in the potted plants inside the house. They need to go.' John declared.

'They climb my skirt, the beggars,' Anna smiled. 'And they get on the counter to watch me cook. Now and then they stick a little paw, trying to steal this and that, but when I tell them to stop they do. They love watching.'

'You're a softie,' John chuckled, suspecting he was about to lose the battle. Fee had turned her focus on his earlobe, her breathing strong and low, thoughtful sounds coming from her lips. Finn was enjoying the breeze against her dark curls, her grandpa's half step lulling her into a peaceful state.

'And they are good at licking feet too,' Eamon told them. 'It's ticklish and rough enough at the same time. I like that orange one, the one with the big lion's mane. Mr. Sunshine, that's his name, right?'

'Yes, Granddad,' William replied. 'Mr. Sunshine loves to sleep in the window.'

'And Pearly loves to snuggle on my legs,' Percy crowed.

'And Lily keeps me company when I'm home,' Anna said. 'She's always following me around. She sits when I sit and stands when I stand. I think being mamas make us understand each other. We both know the deal.'

'I see…' John sighed. 'We're keeping them, aren't we?'

'Well...not all maybe,' Anna said. 'But I'm not giving them away like that. We ought to make sure they go to someone who loves them.'

'Of course! I like the little beggars. I wouldn't give them to just anyone and not right away,' John admitted.

'Ah! Here we are!' Anna said, looking through the Clark's front gate at their impressive garden. A big, fancy house. Nothing like the Abbey or even Lord and Lady Merton's, but something between a good sized cottage and a mansion; the front facade was illuminated with gas lamps.

'Come in, please.' Mr. Clark was already at the door when they arrived. 'Honoria and Fifi are in the parlour. Please, do come in.'

'Thank you, Mr. Clark,' John smiled politely as they all came in the big house.

'So, Mrs. Clark, do they look like our Jack?' Anna asked the woman kneeling down on the floor. When they were able to peek, they could see Fifi in a comfortable, blanketed basket, with her little babies already searching for her milk. Eleven puppies, all colours, all curly and… all poodle.

'They are poodles!' Mrs. Clark clapped her hands together, with the remains of tears tracks on her face. The smile she wore was more than smug, it was full of pride and vanity. 'Look at them...purebred poodles, just like my Fifi.'

'What?' The two boys asked in unison.

'I reckon Fifi and Sebastian, the Cortland's poodle, were a match after all,' Mr. Clark shared with a big smile. 'We've never seen them together but, there's no way around it.'

'Ugly little bastards, aren't they,' Eamon said, grimacing at the pups.

'What did you say?' Mrs. Clark was quick to turn to face the old man.

'He said nothing, Mrs. Clark,' Anna cleared her throat. 'I suppose we can go home then?'

'Oh yes, you can. Shall I save a puppy for you? '

'Yes!' The two boys, again, replied in unison.

'No, no, no...no more animals,' John shot them a look.

'You would have to pay though; these are purebred poodles. I'm going to sell them for a pretty penny,' Mrs. Clark said.

'Well, we wouldn't want one even if you offered a dowry with it,' Eamon told her and once again she turned to face him with fierce eyes.

'What did he say?'

'He said nothing.' It was John's turn to defend his father from his own tongue.

Mrs. Clark nodded, thinning her lips. 'If you boys want to see them, you can, but no touching.'

'Thank you, Mrs. Clark,' Anna smiled, as Percy and William kneeled beside the woman to take a better look at the babies. They would have watched them all night, if only their parents had let them.

'All right then, it's time to go. The girls are getting fussy and need their sleep,' John told the boys and the two were fast to rise to their feet and do as he said. 'Goodnight to you, Mr. and Mrs. Clark. I hope you have good luck with those puppies.'

'Goodnight, Mr. Bates. We will. Purebred, you know.'

x

'I really wanted a puppy,' Percy sighed as they walked home.

'Me too,' William mimicked his brother's miserable expression.

'Don't you have enough cats at home?' John asked them. 'A bird and a dog too? That's plenty.'

'And two little sisters who are not much different than pets, really,' Eamon laughed.

'Father…!'

'Well, good end for this matter, I reckon,' Anna said.

'I knew our Jack was a gentleman. He takes after his owner,' John smiled proudly.

'Ha! Tell me stories, John Bates. Tell me good ones but I sure ain't believing.' Eamon shook his head, teasing his son, and when John was going to answer him back, Anna pulled at his sleeve and pointed ahead.

'Look! Fireflies!'

xxx

Anna Bates' journal entry - June 2nd, 1928, 9:45pm

What an evening it's been for us! The whole day, really, as it was the last day of school. We all met Percy at the gate when the teacher released them. Percy very proudly handed John his grades. They were quite good. Not perfect, but he's been trying his best, and there has been a huge improvement. Credit to Mr. Moseley for a job well done, but to John also. He has worked tirelessly with Percy, and the boy enjoys the attention. John vows to keep it up during the Summer. It will help to prepare Will for Autumn when he starts school.

Wanting to begin school vacation off with a bang, the boys begged to spend the night in their treehouse, and since the weather is so nice right now, we decided to let them. I probably won't sleep a wink. John said, rather wistfully, they'd probably be moved out there permanently by the end of the week. I think my big boy would like to be sleeping out there too. He's had to settle for going up just long enough to tell them their story. He'll be coming in soon, leaving Jack posted at the base of the tree for the night as a precaution.

Speaking of Jack…

Thankfully he was proved innocent of all charges tonight with the birth of that Fifi dog's pups. Even Mrs. Honoria Clark could see they weren't sired by our good boy, Jack. The nerve of her to accuse him of breaking into her home to 'romance' her silly dog. And then she had to gall to ask if we wanted to buy one. She was so smug, that woman! Eamon had a hard time keeping quiet; I can tell you.

It appears we've decided we will keep at least two of the kittens. Will, of course, has Charlie and Lily comes along with him. Mr. Sunshine, I think will be our hotel cat. Eamon especially likes that orange one. And Percy simply adores the white kitten he named Pearly. I think he needs something he can call his very own. The other two, we'll make sure they have happy homes with people who need and want them.

On the short walk home from the Clark's house, we spotted fireflies for the first time this year. This was Finn and Fee's first firefly experience, so we had to make an occasion of it. As soon as we arrived home, we went to the back garden. The boys wanted to catch them and were a bit disappointed when I told them they could, but they would have to let them go. I'm sorry, it just seems cruel to me. The girls were mesmerised by their flashing lights. All in all, it turned out to be a lovely day.

I hear my husband puttering around in the kitchen. I wonder what he's doing?

Well, now I know. He just informed me he was staying in the treehouse with his sons tonight. He left the bedroom with two quilts and his pillow. He's on his own. I will not feel sorry for his aches and pains tomorrow. Three boys - that's what I have, three boys.

~Anna Bates