Love love love. And not just because it has Brendan... I mean Mr. Bates in bed.

I loved this story... perfect. You really made me feel the pain of that kiss on the corner of the lips - the pain to receive it and the pain of being the one giving it, and wanting so fiercely to be able to kiss properly. Thanks for this beautiful piece.

Aww, this was sweet. I enjoyed Anna admiring John without him knowing through the door, and then their hand holding in the courtyard. And I think the kisses fit very well, much better than a proper kiss on the mouth would have. And I melted at him telling her that she was special.

The ending was bittersweet, with John resolving not to encourage her further. But I liked the hopeful note it ended on, and John's dream of the future.

I love it! It was so great. :) We have to admit, it was hot seeing John intimidating Thomas :D

This was such a great scenario! I suppose I've never thought of whether Anna might have seen John shoving Thomas against the wall, but it's an interesting one to consider (and a nice way of getting round it), and I think you got her reaction right. It wouldn't faze her, and if anything she would be proud of him for making a stand.

I really like the outlining of the difference in John's appearance to the way he is with Anna at the beginning. That just makes me go all funny. And her reaction to the shirtsleeves is understandable ;) That he asks her to call him John - sigh. And I really like all of the realisations that run through this story, of Anna and John's feelings. It's like they're occurring precisely at this time and we're experiencing it with them. Those tiny kisses were lovely and I loved it when he said he would find it difficult to face Thomas and O'Brien without her at his side. Aww!

It was a nice surprise to finish off with John's thoughts; it's good to get his perspective after the tray moment. It's so bittersweet, but so in character. And I love that even with his realistic outlook of things being what they were, he resolves to fight for Anna and her happiness. That makes me very happy :)

That was one sweet kiss you wrote! :)

Very nicely done!

I love this so much, so sweet. They're both so adorable in it. Great job!

Ahhh . . . . that was nice. While I "enjoy" all the angsty stories floating around lately, a well-written bit of fluff is very welcome indeed.

Heart. Really.

I always think a brand new story, even a one-shot, set in Series 1 is a breath of fresh air. It's just so lovely to go back to that time, even if they had so many unanswered questions - probably because while they fell in love with each other, that's when we fell in love with them both. And your take in this episode in particular (which is one of my favorite episodes to this day) was not disappointing. We saw a lot of a servant's private life then - what with Anna with her hair down and John in his undershirt - and it translated well into this little story.

I loved how Anna, despite everything, did not reprehend him for going after Thomas like that, and I actually liked that he did not kiss her lips - he was a married man, after all. And I really, really loved his battle of thoughts on this, that he shouldn't encourage her but in the end concluding that she was worth fighting for. And aww, the fact that he imagined them in their cottage and Anna pregnant - absolutely lovely. Thanks for sharing this with us.

I really enjoyed reading this. You've caught them & their relationship really well. Love your description of the air leaving Anna when she sees John in his shirtsleeves - if only we all had a door in our house that revealed such a sight!

This was too sweet ,too perfect. I love Banna series 1 and you nailed it so good D