Loved all of this.

Love this story, made me laugh and made me cry! will def reread this again...so much to love in it

Way to go Bates.

Nothing wrong with moving to a new country and starting over.
No wonder the Americans got rid of their aristocracy - or so they claim.

But really they never did get rid of it. There is still an aristocracy of sorts in the USA. Those families whose ancestors came over on the Mayflower.

Great story.

I know that lullaby. I'm not Irish by any means, but I certainly remember singing that song when I was a child - back in the 1970s...

As for John's view on organised religion - I totally agreee with him. Hypocrites indeed - the whole lot of them.

I also like Mary's new change in attitude - how she was jealous of Sybils' having a life while all Mary does is do the social rounds and chit chat and garden parties. she is certainly discovering just how much her life has no real meaning.

I just finished reading the entire story in one sitting. Oh my gosh that was emotionally wracking but I absolutely loved it. You tell such great stories. I swear I cried when John bent down to say goodbye to their baby thinking he'd never see him/her grow up. This is an amazing story. Hope to see more from you.

Thanks

I must say, Willa Cather is my favorite author.

Just thought I should mention that!

What a perfect ending to a perfect story!

I liked how this half of the epilogue focused on Anna's feelings, and that you delved deeper into the troubles that Anna faced on a daily basis from the village. The memory of the store is horrible, and I thought the gossiping old women were bad enough! Poor Anna, having to face that sort of hostility on a daily basis. But I'm so proud of her for not crying in front of them, and refusing to go back and give them her custom after the despicable way that she was treated.

Yay for Mrs. Bird! I think she's awesome, and I was so happy to see her utilised here! I think you've got her character spot on - gruff around the edges but with a kind heart deep down. I'm glad that Anna could rely on her and at least have some sort of friendship.

And I knew there was a reason for me still being unable to warm to Thomas! This highlights it perfectly - it's the sort of thing that he would definitely do out of spite and jealousy just to ruin John. It's so sad that Anna feels that she can't share her burdens with John because she's a bit apprehensive about what he'd do to Thomas, and the fact that she feels that she should be able to bear it because John has gone through worse himself is just heartbreaking. I really do feel for poor Anna here.

So I am so, so glad that Anna decides that going to America would be the best thing despite everything. Obviously there are always going to be worries about such a risky move, but it's got to be better than what Anna is currently experiencing. And I love how they both miss working together up at the big house - no doubt they would, after spending so many years in such close quarters. At least they will have that again when they move! :)

It's nice to see the role reversal of Anna being the one plagued and John being the one there for her, and I love his vow that he will always be there to support her when she is ready to unburden herself - aww!

Thank you for writing such a wonderful fanfic. I have enjoyed every moment of it immensely, and I can't wait to read your other multi-chapter story and the oneshot that I missed.

What a wonderful way to start the epilogue - yay for Daddy!Bates! I love how he even changes Danny's nappies - it's nice to see him so "hands on". I don't know why, but that's how I always imagine him to be when it comes to his own children. Obviously prison would have a lot to do with that, I think.

Ah, the Irish lullaby brought back some great memories for me; my dad /always/ sang that song to my sister and I when we were younger. I love the image of John singing to his son, even if he's not so keen on it, just because he'd do anything for him. Aww!

It's nice to know that Lady Mary and Matthew finally hooked up! I like how John sees how much she has changed in the last eight years, because she definitely has. And it's nice to see her finally not caring about what society thinks, and simply following her heart instead. I also really like Sybil's choice of career. She's always been the most radical of the sisters, and it's great to see her actually doing something really worthwhile. Most tend to take her down the road of being a nurse, but this additional matter of the contraceptives is really intriguing and definitely something I can see her doing.

And I really love the idea of them moving away and starting again with a little inn! That's what I want for them in the end, so I really enjoyed seeing the possibility of that here. Mrs. Appleman sounds like a lovely old lady (her reply to John really made me giggle, especially with her candidness of the "bastard son-of-a-bitch" comment!) and I just know that she'd get on so well with the Bateses.

But what I love even more is John's outlook on life. Yes, so much of what has happened to John and Anna over the years has been dictated by external forces on John's side. Anna has always had to simply take it and go along with it. It's fitting that now John would want his life to be taken in the direction that Anna wants. That's definitely something that I could see happening, and it's really a very lovely sentiment.

And as horrible as it is, it also makes perfect sense that Anna would be shunned by the people who live in Downton village. Like John it's almost unfathomable since Anna is so kind and caring and lovely, so he is probably very right when he realises that it's down to him again that she is suffering. The recollection of the church incident is horrible. I'm very glad that Anna is not sitting back and simply taking these comments, though. She is a fighter, especially when it comes to her husband and her baby!

Oh, the last line of the chapter was rather heartbreaking. :( I'm sure that Anna is happy because she's got her little family, but I wonder how much her circumstances are affecting the other areas in her life. I can't wait to read the final chapter and hear what her answer is!

An absolutely beautiful chapter. Truly, truly wonderful. You get inside John's head so well, it's fantastic.

I love how this ordeal has finally changed John's outlook on life. You do a wonderful job of explaining that process. Of course it makes complete sense that John's outlook on life would initially be bleak after everything that he's gone through (and you described that so well with the references to the war and Vera), but it also makes sense for him to re-evaluate everything that has happened to him in his life. I'm glad that he's choosing to look at things with a more positive perspective and how, consequently, he has finally come to view himself as worthy of Anna, worthy of a life with her, and worthy of a second chance. To me, that's the most beautiful image of all.

I also love the little insight you gave into the retrial. There were so many things wrong with the initial trial anyway, so I'm glad that it was all put to bed so quickly and efficiently by Mr. Cameron. Also, I really like the parallels to the first trial, with Anna crying out again, but this time with joy rather than horror and despair. And her visit to him! Like John, it took me a few moments to understand what she was referring to, and then I couldn't stop grinning. Naughty girl indeed! And John's thoughts about where re-reading "The Rainbow" might lead to were no better! I love the teasing and freer side of their relationship. I hope we have some of that to come this series.

I'm so glad that the prosecution chose not to push for yet another retrial, and that John was now free to go. And at first I was worried about Anna not being there. I didn't think that she would've had the baby right then, so that was a surprise - a very good surprise! I'm so happy that John's release is marked with such a wondrous event. Also, I love how feisty Anna is, threatening Matthew with death if he told John the gender of the baby. Bless her!

I like Matthew and John's conversation about Lady Mary in the back of the car. Their interactions are really nice, especially since it's something that happens so rarely.

And then I absolutely adore the reunion scene. My favourite image of the whole chapter was John comparing the scene before him to Madonna and baby Jesus, and how none of the creations were could compare to Anna and his child. Honestly, what a gorgeous image.

John's "new father" fears were lovely. Of course it would feel so strange and rather scary. I love how he was afraid to take them both in his arms because he was afraid of breaking them, and Anna's reassurances that they were both fine. And yay for mother's intuition! I can never decide if I see them with a boy or a girl more, but it's so nice that they had a son. Maybe John's Irish intuition will work better in the future.

And, finally, I adore the symbolism of John echoing Anna's words on the night that their son was conceived on the day of his birth. Simply perfect. And the last sentence of the chapter just rounded the whole thing off perfectly. Can't wait to read the epilogue.

I always think there are parallels between Mary and Bates, so it was nice to see you bringing them up here. And I absolutely adore the friendship between Anna and Mary, so I loved the scene of them together here! It's so nice seeing Anna laughing and happy after everything that she and John have been through. I also really loved their conversation about John and his renewed hope - aww! It's so lovely that Anna has someone to confide in. I really hope the appeal goes well for them! And it's so great seeing everyone banding together to help free John, from Matthew and Mary to Warden Cox. I really do love that man!

But oh my lord, I wasn't expecting Sir Richard to go and kill himself! That was definitely a twist that I hadn't seen coming! In some respects it's not very nice, if it got to the point where it was the only way out for him, but at the same time he was a pretty irredeemable character, with all the terrible things that he's done to others. And let's face it, I'm not going to be sad if it makes John's chances of getting off pretty much cemented.

And it led to a lovely moment between Mary and Matthew! Their conversation was very sweet, and I love how Matthew chooses to refer to her as "Mary Crawley" rather than "Mary Carlisle". Yes, that's perfect! And it's only natural that Mary should feel liberated. After having such a terrible marriage, of course she would be. I'm glad that she's finally decided that she wants to stand up and fight for a life worth living.

Oh, thank God. Thank God. I was so nervous about opening this chapter, not sure whether my heart would be broken or not. And I'm so glad it wasn't.

I really liked this chapter! Anna's reactions to everything were very believable, and her reunion with John was so sweet - I loved her touching his face and him pulling her close to his side. I was crying again, but this time they were happy tears! Her panic at the thought of how everything had come down to chance was completely justifiable - it's a very scary thought indeed, to think of how close she'd come to losing him, and how the outcome could've been so different if only one little thing was different. I adored John's ability to calm her down with the words "our baby" used together. That would be a wonderful phrase to hear after everything they've been through, so it's no wonder that it could calm Anna down.

Again, it's completely justifiable that Anna would feel fear at the thought of leaving her husband behind again in case anything happened. I adored Warden Cox even more now! He's such a lovely man. The "Kind eyes peered out from his craggy old face." summed him up so perfectly.

And John has hope again! I was smiling so hard at that point. It's natural for him to have lost his hope in such dire circumstances, but it's wonderful that he's got it back again. And his promise to Anna was lovely. I'm so glad he won't give up again.

Yay for John getting the chance to read "The Rainbow". I loved Anna's comment of him starting it, but them finishing it off together. You have no idea how glad I am that they're finally getting a chance at a future together.

Wonderful, as always.

Incredible. Simply incredible. This chapter was so powerful, so poignant, so heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Even though it is so angsty and unspeakably sad, it's still my favourite chapter of the whole story so far. I don't think I will be able to articulate how much I adore this, but I shall try.

I was fine in the beginning. Mary and Tom's bickering made me smile - it seems as though their peace with each other cannot last long, especially under such stressful circumstances, haha. Good on Sybil for taking the initiative to ask for help, and for them finding out that the prison wasn't so far away. And I loved the little moment of humour you added in there with Mary commenting, "I knew it began with a T." Brilliant.

But oh dear God, it all went out the window for me with the Anna and John bit. Just...wow. The simple game of word association in the beginning was nice and lighthearted at the start, especially with the "Rat" and "Thomas" associations - too true. But then it started to get so much more intimate and saddening - I was in tears by the time Anna told John how proud she was of him.

And I will never get over the goodbyes. Ever. They were so beautifully written, so heartbreaking, so utterly perfect. The image of John kneeling down on the floor to say goodbye to his child had me in absolute floods. For me, that was the most powerful image of them all. But the rest of the goodbyes were equally wonderful in their level of angst. From the little observation of Anna not knowing if it was her or John who was shuddering, to Anna's complete breakdown and reluctance to let him go, to John's speech about their hearts being forever tied, everything was agonisingly spot on. Honestly, I could never praise this goodbye scene enough. I think it's the best thing that you've ever written, which is a hard thing to pinpoint since you're so wonderful.

I shuddered at the thought of Anna having to watch John hang - as if she isn't going to be tortured enough. So I'm so glad that John put his foot down and said that he didn't want her there. He would definitely have done that in the show, no question. And I love how it's the last thing that Anna wants to see, yet at the same time she is so desperate to be there and support her husband that she would bear it for him. That is so true to her character, and made my heart ache even more.

And their last kiss and Anna saying that she won't say goodbye because she knows that they'll meet again...gah! My God, my heart is cracked right in two. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

My heart leapt into my throat when Tom, Matthew, Mary and Sybil entered the scene. My hope was renewed all over again, and I was on the edge of my seat, pleading that they would get there in time. I had given up on hope that they would arrive, so it was so amazing to see them getting there on time. But oh, what a terrible way (and I mean that in a good way, not in a terrible one!) to end the chapter! Poor Anna! She can't lose him now! She just can't!

So yeah, even though this chapter absolutely killed me and I'm sitting here like a complete weirdo surrounded by loads of tissues, I still absolutely adore everything about this chapter. And I will stick with it and pray.

First of all, I love your Matthew in this chapter. He's so lovely and charming, and it reminded me of why I loved him so much in the first place (I sort of went off him a bit in series two). And his interactions with Mary are really nice. I also like the way that you built the tension here with the list of "What ifs" that could go wrong.

I'm so pleased that Mary is finally beginning to see that Tom is a wonderful addition to the Crawley family. I love the way he uses his initiative and comes up with such a great idea. And my favourite part of their segment was the bonding between Mary and Tom. I was smiling when she asked him to take over the papers for her if something happened to Richard, and how she'd rather have someone she trusted at the helm rather than someone with experience. Aww!

Just for one moment, I'd forgotten about the severity of Anna and John's situation. But the final section brought it crashing back down painfully. Poor, poor John. His thoughts here are so painful and sad, especially his reflections on him wanting to believe in an afterlife, but being unable to - and even more so, the fact that he wants death to be like a good night's sleep because it would be fitting, and how he wants Heaven to be a reality so that he could be with Anna forever. I was welling up right there - again, testimony to your wonderful writing skills. I don't think I've ever cried so many times over the course of one story as I have during this.

I whimpered aloud when John picked the phone up but didn't answer it. Nooooo! I was so hoping that he'd pick it up and be given hope but alas, it wasn't to be.

The last lines are very hard-hitting and powerful. My heart is bleeding for both of them.

I'm definitely trusting you! And even if I didn't, well, this story is wonderful enough to keep me reading no matter what comes.

I really enjoyed seeing things from Branson's perspective at the beginning of this chapter, and how he had a bond with both Anna and John. I also like to see the three of them as friends, so it was really nice to see that here. I like how you depicted Anna as an older sister to Tom, and how Branson and John shared discussions about life and things; I can definitely see them doing that. Branson is obviously a very clever man, as is John, so it's only natural that they should gravitate towards each other. I also liked the little war metaphor you had here, with the alliances and O'Brien and Thomas being the "central powers". That was a very nice image. I like how supportive Anna and Bates are of Sybil and Tom. Of all the servants below stairs, those are the two who would definitely support them the most, because they understand what it is to be in love.

Oh, and I also loved the inclusion of each of their motives. You got them all spot on. Only Tom knows them both intimately. He's the only one who has worked in close quarters with them, who has been able to observe them over the years.

Tom's little break-in was great. I was terrified that they would end up stranded with no petrol, so I'm really glad that he chose to break in despite his misgivings. I'm also glad that no one was injured when the man was shooting at them! My God, what a crazy person. I'm still praying that they will get to London in time.

And the Anna/John scenes. You're probably tired of hearing the same thing over and over by now, but oh my God. It's so perfectly angsty. So, so perfect. The two of them making love for one final time just killed me inside. Especially this line: "She needed this to be able to go on without him, to be able to let him go." I liked that you included a nice bit of banter over Anna's attempt of explaining the old wives' tale, but then John's next line made my heart break again. The whole scene just made me feel so desperately sad (but in a very good way!)

Seriously, it's a testament to you that you can continually make me feel this emotions with every single chapter.

Mary and Tom's bickering at the beginning of the chapter was spot on. They're both so hot-headed and strong-willed that it's only natural that they should clash. The two of them glaring at each other through the mirror also added a bit of humour to this chapter.

I'm glad that no one was badly injured in the accident. Thank God they had a spare tyre! My nerves are already frayed on their journey - I don't think I could have survived if they hadn't taken a spare with them!

Really loved the Mary/Sybil bonding here, and how you chose to highlight the differences between them, with Sybil not being a naive little girl, but simply choosing to keep positive, whereas Mary has the tendency of looking on the black side. I liked how Sybil laid Mary's choices clear to her in regards to what her future holds, and gave her Tom's advice. It's very good advice, and I hope that Mary chooses to follow it.

The New Year's kiss was unexpected and very nice - because there was no pre-warning, I was left as pleasantly surprised as Mary was, which works wonderfully in such circumstances.

And then, with Anna and John, I went back to crying. I've just resigned myself to the fact that because this is such an amazingly emotive piece of work, I'm not going to stop with the tears until it's over.

Knowing that their New Year is going to begin with such a terrible act makes me so sad. And it was good to see Anna break down and cry (not the right word, but you get what I mean). She's always so strong, and sometimes - especially under such horrific circumstances - she needs comfort herself. I love how John just holds her and waits for her to recover, and knows that she is the bravest person he has ever known.

The books Anna chose to bring are wonderful choices. I've always been very curious about The Rainbow because of the reasons you explained, and John would find it an interesting read. And I always imagine John as a Yeats lover. I liked their connection with My Antonia, too. It makes perfect sense that Anna and John would have to rebuild their relationship after his return to Downton, and having them regaining their trust through reading is a lovely way of doing it. Anna also choosing to bring her Bible was also sad. Like many, I don't believe that John has faith in God, but I do believe Anna does. I like the way you highlighted that here, especially John's reasons for not believing. They are extremely valid and exactly what I believe he would think. Especially with God in regards to Anna.

Anna's reaction after reading the Yeats poem broke my heart. All of your dialogue is superb. In the scenes between Anna and John, it never fails to move me. It's brilliant. I love the detail of how Anna inked "Bates" into her Bible, and John trying to comfort her through that even if it's not something that will really bring any comfort to him. And the final few lines...my God, they're so heartbreaking and so beautiful. Anna's plea to have John tell her that they'd see each other again just tore my heart right open, and how John couldn't bring himself to say that to her. What he said instead though...oh God. Yes, he'd definitely say something like that.

Beautiful work. Truly beautiful.