A/N : My exams are finally over and here is Chapter 14 (THE PROPOSAL)

Thanks again to everyone reading this and to Becca for helping me writing it

Read and Review ~

John was sitting across the table from Robert, Matthew and Tom. They all had a drink in their hands, pretending to be here to watch some football match when the matter was more serious in reality.

"John ? What the hell ? Who texts their best friend at 2 in the morning to ask for advice on proposal ?" Robert slapped his forearm.

"Ouch! Sorry… I was just really euphoric"

"Why ?" Matthew questioned in his usual calm voice.

"Anna drunk-proposed to me last night" John had a dumb smile plastered on his face as he recalled her words "I want to be your wife already, John. Marry me."

His friends looked at him in shock. They hadn't expected that.

"John, you bloody idiot. You've been wanting to marry that girl for months and you let her be the one to propose…" Robert scolded him.

"But it wasn't a real proposal. She was drunk and sleepy. I'm not sure she even remembers it. So that's why I need your help, mates, to plan her the perfect proposal" John pleaded.

"You got the ring ?" Robert asked, smiling empathically to his best friend.

John nodded, producing the beautiful claddagh ring from his jeans pocket. His friends gushed over it saying how lucky Anna would be. It was a very pretty ring indeed, and a family estate as well.

"It was my mom's. She gave it to me on Anna's birthday, making me promise I would propose sooner rather than later" John explained to his friends.

"Well…What's your plans ?"

"I want to make something special for her. I want to do a grand proposal. Any ideas ?"

They spent one or two hours planning John's big proposal. By the end of their little meeting, they had managed to pull something very special. John and Anna had met in trivial places, and he wanted something better than that. He knew he wanted to live until his last breath with Anna, so she deserved the best. It would be a bit expensive, but it would be worth it. She would remember it forever.

Unfortunately, John started feeling poorly a few days later. He cursed whatever higher power had made him sick in the middle of summer, when he was planning the perfect proposal for his girlfriend. He tried to work on it as well as he could but Anna began to scold him for it.

"You look dreadful, my love. Surely, whatever you're doing can wait" she told him once as she looked at his pale face focused on his laptop. She was snuggled in their sofa, and John was in his armchair with the laptop on his lap.

"It's really important," he told her with a shiver. Anna rolled her eyes.

She rose from her seat to move next to him. He quickly closed the tabs on his navigator.

"John," she called softly, in a sing-song voice. Seeing as he still didn't move, she caressed his cheek and tilted his head so he would look at her. "Love, you need some rest. Come with me" Her hand stroked his face gently and she could feel the heat emanating from him. "Oh John…You're burning ! Go to bed and I'll prepare a wet cloth."

She pressed a kiss on his crown before moving to the kitchen. John knew there was no point arguing. Anna could be quite the boss, especially when it concerned her boyfriend's welfare. Perhaps a good night of sleep would make him feel better.

He got up, went to their bedroom, changed into his pajamas and tucked himself into bed. He was half-asleep when Anna came into the room with the wet cloth.

"My poor man" she cooed tenderly, coming into the bed to press the cloth against his hot forehead. After she was done, she pressed a kiss to his hairline "Good night, my love."

She changed into her pajamas then slipped into the bed next to him.

John's health worsened as the days passed. He had a bad fever, chills and muscle cramps. He was as pale as a sheet. He had given up on the idea of working on his proposal and spent most of his day in bed. He chastised himself a lot for that, unhappy to have to postpone his proposal yet again. Anna was taking good care of her boyfriend, making him nourishing food so he would get better. John couldn't help but want to marry her more every day. She was his rock and had been since day 1. Oh, how he wished to get better and be able to offer her his perfect proposal.

As bad as John was feeling, he still worried about his girlfriend who was day and night at his bedside. Anna hadn't seen anyone in days now and he felt like he was ruining her summer. Anna had argued countless times that he did no such thing. She was happy to be there for him. She was convinced he would be up on his feet in no time and they would enjoy some time camping in Scarborough like they had planned. John thought about other plans he had and decided to change his girlfriend's mind so she would go out and let him work a bit more on his secret project.

"I'll be fine, darling. You've been an incredible nurse, and you need your rest."

"John, I can't leave you alone. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you" she countered firmly.

"I should hope I'm not dying from a cold, thank you very much" he teased weakly.

She moved to sit on the bed, stroking his cheek with her hand. She looked into his green eyes and smiled.

"I'll ask Elsie to look in on you" she assured him, kissing his fingers gently.

Anna spent the afternoon with Mary whose baby bump was getting bigger at now 6 months pregnant. She felt bad for being away from John at this moment but knew she couldn't be there 24/7. She also was glad to meet with her best friend again. Mary had some gossip for her. She told her that Edith was searching for a house, wanting to let her parents have some space as well as needing a bigger place to bring up Marigold. Anna understood Mary's sister's choice. But what Mary told her next surprised Anna. It seems Edith and the real estate agent who sold her the house got on very well and were going on a date the next day. Mary made fun of her sister, which was greeted by a reproving look from Anna. In return, Anna told her about John's condition, which worried Mary a bit. She wasn't one to put on a show of her emotions, but her friend knew the oldest Crawley daughter had a soft spot for John. He was her godfather, after all.

"I should be getting back. I asked Elsie to look after him, but I need to tend to him" Anna said after a while.

"You're not a nurse, Anna. He's a grown up man who can look after himself" her friend pointed out.

"Of course he can, but it hurts my heart to see him this bad" Anna admitted, smiling awkwardly.

"Oh you're down bad for him. When are you two getting married ?" Mary laughed.

"I would propose myself, but I know how romantic John is. He probably is planning for it to be perfect. He's sweet, but I wouldn't mind something simple as long as I can be his fiancée as quickly as possible" Anna confessed, sighing slightly. Mary reached out to her friend, placing a kind hand on her arm.

When Anna came back to their house in the evening, she heard a retching sound coming from upstairs. She almost ran to their bedroom to find John vomiting in the toilets. He was paler than when she left him. Her heart constricted at the sight. She came to his side, stroking his back soothingly. After he was done and he flushed the toilet, he whimpered her name. He hadn't made much progress on his project and was asleep when Elsie came to see him. He had woken up an hour ago and had thrown up a few times since then. After he had cleaned up, she directed him to the bed and tucked him in.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone," Anna whispered, but he shook his head.

"It's okay, my darling. How was your afternoon ?"

"Nothing special, just gossip with Mary," she revealed.

"I'm glad" he smiled weakly.

After a modest dinner served in bed, Anna changed into her nightdress and slipped into the bed with John. She missed cuddling with him a lot, but John refused to pass on whatever he had to her. He had relented and let her sleep next to him. He would miss her too much otherwise.

Early in the morning, Anna was awakened by a tantrum coming from the bathroom. She checked the left side of their bed to notice John wasn't here. She sat up, passing her hand in her tangled hair while she looked around the room, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She rose from the bed and walked to the bathroom. Anna feared John had been sick again, but she wasn't prepared for the sight she was confronted with as she stepped into the room. Her boyfriend was gingerly bent over the sink, a razor in his trembling hand trying to shave himself. He was as pale as a sheet and couldn't handle the thing well. She rushed to him before he could harm himself.

"John ! What on earth are you doing ?" She hissed in a whisper.

"I-I haven't shaved in a week.." he said, weakly.

"Darling, you're sick ! You need to rest" she tried to bring him back to their bed but John whined like a little child.

"I-I need to shave."

"John, don't be silly. If you want I'll do it later but come back to bed", she chastised him, letting out a small chuckle.

"You would do that for me ?" He asked, gingerly.

"Yes, silly beggar," she said, kissing his moist forehead. "But you know…You look really dashing with a bit of stubble" she admitted, caressing his hair covered cheek tenderly.

John looked at her, searching her eyes to see if she was genuine. She offered him a loving smile to reassure him.

John relented and accepted to go back to sleep for a while before Anna woke up to prepare him some breakfast. He was sorry she had to do that for him, even though it was sweet. He loved to cook for his girlfriend. He always made her taste his mother's famous recipes.

She came back to the room, with steaming scrambled eggs on a tray, accompanied with hot tea made just the way he liked (no milk and one sugar), sausages and crispy toasts.

She smiled as she noticed that his face had regained some colour. He also seemed hungry. Anna was reassured. She set the tray on his lap and moved her hand to his forehead to check his temperature.

"You look better."

"Only because I had the best nurse," he took a bite of the eggs and moaned in appreciation "and a good cook."

"I'm the perfect wife, it seems," she said in jest but noticed the change in his demeanour. She switched the subject quickly. "Do you want me to shave your beard ?"

It wasn't a proper furnished beard, but he had a coarse patch of stubble ornating his jaws. Anna found herself slightly aroused by this look despite John being sick. She had always known him without facial hair and couldn't have imagined it would draw such a reaction from her. She lowkey hoped he would keep it. Though, she suspected more women would realize how handsome her boyfriend was and she would have to fight them off. As she looked into those beautiful green eyes full of adoration for her, she figured out there would be no fight because he was hers through and through.

"Well, you said last night that you liked it, and I have to admit I'm quite happy with it too. I haven't let it grow since college," John claimed, smoothing his stubble with his hand. Anna's knees weakened, she couldn't wait to know how it felt against her skin.

"You're handsome," she simply stated with a smile, walking to him. She leaned to capture his lips in a tender kiss.

Two days later, John was as fit as fiddle. He had Anna to profusely thank for that. And he did.

She was doing the washing, her back to him. He couldn't help but be in awe at how gorgeous she looked in her thin summer dress. He couldn't deny that he was looking at her bum, because this dress accentuated her curves perfectly. She was a goddess, and he was glad he was no longer sick and could work on his proposal again.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, bending a bit - their height gap was endearing - to put his head on her shoulder. She smiled as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You seem in good shape, sir," she teased.

"You were so good to me. No one has cared for me the way you did," he said lovingly. They both smiled.

"I'm sure your mother tended to you when you were sick" Anna pointed out teasingly but John kissed her neck. His stubble felt exquisite against her skin.

"I meant no girlfriend or wife ever did that ?"

"Had a lot of wives, did you ?" he chuckled but resumed his kisses. Anna sighed in his embrace.

"Only planning on having one for the rest of my life now", he said hoarsely and Anna's heart missed a bit. She turned around in his arms to look at him, her eyes filled with questions.

"A-are you proposing ?"

"Do you want me to be proposing ?" John gulped. He hadn't planned on doing it now. He wanted it to be really special.

"I don't know…I want you to propose, but I know how much of a romantic you are. You must have the perfect proposal ready. I don't want to spoil you of that."

"You know me so well."

"Just know I'd love however you decide to propose. I'm ready…even impatient, I have to admit. I love you, John, and the prospect of spending my life with you gets me very excited."

"How excited ?" he smirked. He had decided to change the subject but the subject was very present in his mind. The cogs were working as he thought of a way to propose as soon as possible while keeping it a memorable moment for Anna. He captured her mouth with a teasing smile, making her moan slightly. They let themselves be wrapped in the sensual kiss, his hands on her hips while hers were against his chest.

"I would like to get on my knees right now, but it's not to propose" he joked saucily, loving the way his girlfriend's eyes glowed with desire.

"I would love that too" she whispered then she squealed when John lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his hips. He put her on top of the kitchen counter and bunched up her skirt.

"Here ?"

"Only if you're okay with that" John's voice was low, and it made Anna shiver with want.

"Yes, I'm just surprised by your raciness" she chuckled, though she was highly distracted by his hand stroking her thigh.

"You aren't the only racy one, love." His fingers came further between her legs and he could sense her muscles tightening.

When his fingers hooked at her knickers, she bit her lip to contain her moan. He bunched up her dress even more, and let her underwear slide along her leg before taking them off. She moaned in earnest, her head tilted back when she felt his lips on her inner thigh. His stubble was scratching her skin in a torturing yet delicious way.

He bit on her thigh, earning a surprised gasp from his girlfriend. After soothing the bite, his kisses trailed up her leg to the object of his desire. He tested her wetness with his fingers and Anna mewled. Her fingers threaded in his cloud-like hair. She lightly tugged on it when he pressed a kiss to her bud. She could feel the exciting rasp of his beard against her skin as he lapped at her folds. He was driving her crazy, switching restlessly from the flat to the tip of his tongues. He surprised her when he went lower near her bum. His tongue was warm and deep, but she was undone when he added two fingers to bring her to her climax. She moaned his name loudly as she came. John whipped his mouth with a smirk before rising to her head to kiss her. He only meant for it to be a quick kiss, but Anna wrapped her arms around his neck, dragging him into a slow and loving kiss.

"I love you", she whispered, pressing her forehead against his.

John's mind was now made up. He didn't want to lose any more time before proposing to Anna. He knew she wasn't going anywhere, but he couldn't wait to call her his fiancée. He still planned a romantic surprise. It wouldn't be a simple proposal in their living room or in their bed after a lovemaking session. He didn't worry because he knew the lovemaking would come after, and in a beautiful place.

He had asked Robert for the keys to the school. One could argue proposing at your workplace - especially when it's a school - isn't really the picture of romanticism. But, it had once been a house and had a lot of secret places. There was a beautiful greenhouse not far on the school grounds. Anna had shown it to him in the first weeks they had been friends. He could remember how much he had wanted to kiss her then. It had been the golden hours, and it had transformed the whole scene into a painting, with Anna as the central model. They had shared more than a kiss there later, in the spring days. John could picture again how brazen Anna had been when she propositioned him one Saturday morning after they had been done supervising detention and all the students had left. It had been incredible to exchange lust-fuelled touches under the bright sun of April. When he thought about it, John was convinced it was the perfect place to propose to his girlfriend. It held some tender memories.

He decided on the upcoming Saturday. It was the beginning of August, and it provided the same golden hours as the one they had that first time. He would take her on a picnic there and propose under the flamy sky.

That morning, John told Anna about his surprise. She looked at him suspiciously.

"An evening picnic date in our place ?" His heart swelled as he heard her call it their place.

"Yes. It's a beautiful day, and I want to treat you", he explained, hoping she wasn't guessing too much of his surprise.

"I'd love to. Let's do that !" Anna cheered, kissing him sweetly.

John spent the rest of the day on tenterhooks. He tried to empty his mind doing some gardening but went over the details of his plan at least ten times. Around 6pm, they got ready for their outing. Anna put on a white dress with pink roses, some pink Converse and a thin beige cardigan as it was a bit chilling. John was wearing jean shorts and a white buttoned down shirt. He had sunglasses perched in his hair.

They took his car to go to the school. During the ride, they sang along to the car music, which calmed down John's stress a little. He looked over at his girlfriend, thinking of how she would soon be- God willing- his fiancée. She was joyfully singing along to "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton in the seat next to him. The sight was endearing. How lucky he was to be hers. He couldn't wait to be her husband, to be with her for better and for worse. They already were like that, but he took pleasure in the idea of being introduced as her husband and Anna as his wife.

Soon enough, they were at the school. They walked hand in hand to the gate, which John opened with the keys. Then, they walked to the greenhouse.

Anna gasped when John was finally done unlocking the door and she stepped inside. It was beautifully decorated with twinkling lights, blankets were littering the floor as well as some pillows. John put the basket with their food down on the blankets. Anna turned to her boyfriend, with an expression of utter surprise.

"John, what's all this?"

"It's been a while since we went on a date. I thought I could do something a bit more extra."

"But when did you do this?"

"Well I had some help," John admitted. Since Mary was on holidays with Matthew and Gwen was visiting her parents in Scotland, John had had to call Thomas for help. Although the later was surprised, he immediately accepted when he heard of John's plans on proposing to Anna.

"You're finally proposing to her ? I thought you would never step up to the mark", He had told him in his usual teasing way of speaking.

"Yes but I need your help with the setting, otherwise Anna would smell a rat" John had confessed and Thomas had agreed.

"I got you, Johnny boy. How do I get the keys ?"

"I'll leave them under the door mat. You'll put them in the letterbox when you're done. Text me when you're coming by, so I keep Anna occupied" John had rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"I'm not sure I want to know how you're going to do that…"

"Thomas" John had scolded and the other man had laughed.

"I'm kidding, Mr Bates. I'll do it. Tiny one's gonna be so happy" Thomas had said in a emotional voice, which made John smile tenderly. He was always impressed at how deeply Thomas loved Anna.

Now, as he watched his girlfriend's reaction, he knew he had been right to give this task to Thomas. Her eyes were glowing with tears and wonder.

"I love you so much" she whispered softly, dragging him by his shirt to her so she could kiss him sweetly.

"And I love you. Let's have our dinner now, I'm famished" John laughed. Dinner would undoubtedly reduce his stress.

They ate the picnic they had prepared together, with appetite. They chatted simply about random things like Edith's new romance, some show they had watched together, their plans for Scarborough…They were leaving in two days. John hadn't forgotten, and he thought it would be super romantic to spend their first week as fiancés in the seaside.

They were now cuddling on the blankets. Anna was between his legs, her back to his front. Her hand playing with his fingers, linking and unlinking them, while he was placing kisses in her hair. They watched the sky turn orange.

"Should we head back home ?" Anna's voice pierced through the pleasant silence.

"Not yet," John told her as she got up, holding her hand which made her look at him. He rose and took both of her hands in his.

John kneeled down before Anna, who looked confused. Then, when realization hit her, she brought her hand to her open mouth. John gave her a smile that made his eyes' corner crinkle. Anna's face was split in two by a smile. She knew what he was about to do, he was proposing. She wanted to say yes already, but she needed to hear his speech.

"Anna, the day you came into my life was probably the greatest I've ever known. I thought I wasn't worthy of that second chance life was offering me with this new job and new home, but you were the person who convinced me. You had me believe in myself for the first time in years; you made me a better man. I'm certainly the luckiest man on earth to have a girlfriend as extraordinary as you. You're my soulmate. It was written in the stars, you and I. We were destined to be there for each other no matter what could come. And as your soulmate, I want to give you proof that I'll forever be by your side. Will you marry me, my darling ?"

He opened the box to reveal a golden Claddagh ring with a heart shaped emerald at its center and celtic tracery forming the "hands". Anna nodded eagerly, and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

"Of course I'll marry you, John !" she said happily when she pulled away. John chuckled and kissed her again. He then pushed the ring on her finger.

"This is a beautiful ring", she noted, smiling.

"It's a Claddagh ring. It's an Irish tradition. The heart stands for love, the crown for loyalty and the hands for friendship" he explained softly, caressing the outlines of her ring.

"Oh, John. Why are you making me cry like this ? My mascara is all smudged !" she complained lightly, trying to dry her tears.

"Sorry about that, angel. You don't really mind though ?" He said, tracing circles on her cheeks with his thumb.

"Of course I mind ! I look like a panda now ! In fact I would give you a smack if I didn't want to kiss you so much I could burst !" She laughed before grabbing his face to kiss him.

"I love you, mo anamchara," he rasped against her lips.

"What does that mean ?" She asked, stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. The way he had said it sounded really sexy to her ears.

"My soulmate" he replied, with an eye smile.

"Anamchara" she tested the word on her lips. "Take me home, John. Let's celebrate this !"

"Your wish should be my command" he chuckled. "But we're not going home."

"We're not ?"

"Follow me" he said in a breath.

They walked to the school. John opened the front door and led them upstairs. At the far end of the first floor, there were several rooms that had never been turned into classrooms. Downton Abbey was a huge building and it was full of unknown places such as these. John knew of them and he was leading Anna to one of these rooms. He went to her door with written "Ripon" on a golden plaque on it and opened it.

Anna was stunned by the sight before her eyes. The room looked so romantic with the flare of the candles and the refined sheet.

"Oh my god…what is this ?"

"This, my darling, is where we'll spend the night."

"But how ?"

"You'll have your best friends to thank for that. Mary told me about the room and Thomas helped with this" he nodded his head at the room "and the greenhouse"

"So they knew you were going to propose ?" Anna asked, thinking about how Mary had let her talk about longing for a proposal the last time they had seen each other.

"They did. Now, I think we have champagne" John suggested, picking up the drink from its refrigerated bucket.

"I don't want champagne" she said sultrily, walking to her fiancé. "I only want you."

He didn't have time to answer because her lips were already on his, moving with determination. Soon, her tongue was licking his lips, begging for entrance. She pushed him on the bed, not breaking the kiss an instant. She was straddling him with her dress skirt bunched at her hips. He helped her shrug off her cardigan and ran his hands along her arms.

She eventually pulled away from their kiss to help him out of his shorts, and he helped her out of her dress in return. She was now in her underwear while he was still wearing his shirt. Anna bent to kiss his neck. She left a trail of open-mouthed kisses, licking and biting her way down while she was unfastening the buttons of his shirt. She finally exposed him to her, kissing his sensitive nipples with eagerness. She closed her lips around them, biting teasingly which made John moan. He was in awe of her excitement. His hands were idle as they roamed her perfect body but he was content to lie there and let his girl ravish him.

She kissed her way down to his boxers, now tented with the evidence of his desire. She hooked her fingers in them which made John snap back out of his lust drunk state.

"Anna, I should-"

"You proposed, I get to reward you" she teased him, letting her fingers whisper over his crotch.

"My darling, I don't need a reward…In fact, I should have done this ages ago", John apologized but Anna put her finger against his lips. She abandoned his middle area to face him.

"I know you wanted to give me the perfect proposal…and you managed it" she kissed him before adding "very well."

"I had something even bigger planned… but then you made me realize I should do it sooner rather than later. I didn't want to lose my chance" he admitted and Anna sighed adoringly.

"John, you would have never lost your chance. I mean to die by your side. I will do so even if I'm not your wife. Although I probably would have proposed if you hadn't done at some point" her lips were very close to his, and his eyes drifted to them.

"I know. You did once"

Anna cocked her head to the side, wondering what he was referring to.

"On Cora and Robert's anniversary party night. You were drunk and said ' Marry me, John,'" he confessed, holding her waist.

"Oh gosh…I don't remember that" she placed a hand over her head, embarrassed.

"Don't be embarrassed, love, it was adorable" he moved her hand away to kiss her forehead. Then he thought of something. "I would have proposed nevertheless… Don't believe that-"

"I know, John. Now can you let me seducing you" she smirked and he smiled. He nodded.

She removed his boxers slowly, leaving him completely bare to her. His cock was pointing straight, which made John a tad embarrassed. However, Anna was biting her lips at the sight. He could see the desire in her eyes and that made him almost come completely undone.

"Can I ?" she asked. There was no nervosity. She just wanted to make sure he was alright with what she was about to do. Their relationship was about equality, and they always made sure the other was hundred percent on board with what they did in the bedroom. Some could find it corny, but it mattered a lot to Anna and John.

"Yes, my lovely fiancée" He breathed, before audibly gasping when Anna's hand wrapped around his dick. His head tilted back and his hands grasped as the sheets. His hips buckled into her hand as she started a slow movement of pumping on him. She swiped her hair on one side before leaning to kiss his nipples again. She knew how sensitive he was there and relished in hearing his soft groans and moans as her hand and mouth worked on him.

His hands were on her back, going up to stroke her golden locks. He whispered sweet words of love to her between moans, though he often just became a groaning mess when she rolled her thumb over his tip. He cried her name when she started licking him. Her mouth was so warm and wet as she took him in. His hips bucked against his own will, sending him deeper into her mouth. He was about to apologize to her when she sucked faster, making him grab her head to try to control a little of this torturing pleasure.

"ANNA, oh Jesus…Oh I love you" he cried, his eyes closed, when he finally came into her mouth.

She kissed him back into consciousness, stroking his stomach soothingly. He opened his eyes to see Anna, with a proud smile.

"You're amazing, Miss Smith", he told her, and he saw her smirk at something. They were laying side by side, facing each other. His hand went to her breast, covering it. "What are you thinking about ?"

"That in a few months I'll be Mrs Bates", she hummed as she closed her eyes at the feeling of his big warm hand on her breast.

"Will you ?", he teased.

"Definitely" she said determinedly before leaning in to capture his mouth in a hot kiss. They opened their mouths right away to deepen it. The kiss lasted several seconds before turning into several breathless French kisses, punctuated with moans as one of John's hands teased Anna's breast while the other was testing the wetness between her legs.

"Oh my…don't stop," she moaned.

"I won't" his voice was hoarse, tugging at Anna's insides. She was incredibly wet, and was only getting wetter as John stroked her. His attention soon made her cry out his name.

She opened her eyes to smile tenderly at his boyfriend. His hand was still near her sex and she could feel his erection against her thigh. She thought of something they didn't do often but she wanted to share with him right now.

"Let me touch you…and touch me back" she whispered and despite his initial surprise at her request, he gave her a smile and kissed her nose as an agreement.

His fingers started working on hers while she was doing the same to him. They resumed their heated kiss, drifting to their jaws, earlobes, necks from time to time. Before they could reach their climax, John decided to roll them over so he was over Anna. He looked into her eyes and could see she was ready for him to join them. He still voiced his question, leaning over to whisper into her ear.

"Can I, darling?"

"Make love to me" she only replied, sealing her agreement with a kiss. He entered her then, his hand linking with the ones that wore the engagement ring, pulling it next to her head.

He moved then, slowly. He stroked her cheek with his free hand, still kissing her tenderly. This whole moment was the sweetest they had ever experienced.

"I love you Anna soon-to-be Bates. More than anything in this world" he growled lovingly into her ear.

"And I love you John Bates. I love you, and I can't wait to be your wife. I want a life with you. I want children with you. I want to have something that's a part of me and of you growing inside me. I want every night to be like this one. Nothing feels better than when we're together…like this" she confessed, bringing tears to his eyes yet also coaxing him into a climax.

He cried her name as he spent himself inside her, shaking. He was laying limbless on her, enjoying the warmth of her body as well as the smell of sex on both of them. After a while, he realized he was probably too heavy for her. He moved to his back, taking Anna into his arms so she was laying over him, her head on his chest and his arms around her back. They both fell fast asleep in each other's arms, exhausted by their exquisite moment of passion.

The week in Scarborough had been pretty much the same as that night. They had spent the days doing fun or relaxing activities as a couple and had spent the nights in each other's arms.

Anna's claddagh ring was proudly sitting at its rightful place showing everyone she was going to be his forever. They were terribly happy.