A/N: After reading - and absolutely loving - the many wonderful modern Anna/Bates 'fics on here, I've ventured to write one of my own at last. *eeeeep*

This is based on my favourite film of all time, Sliding Doors. A story all about what would be if one little thing did or didn't happen in your life. This 'fic won't have a split narrative like the film, because that would be way too confusing and I'll be adding in scenes, making it a little different and tailoring it to Anna and Bates (so even if you've seen the film, I hope it'll be a surprise).

I expect this story to take up most of my time in the next few months, but I'm hoping to delve back into the Downton-verse inbetween too...

Disclaimer: Downton Abbey and its characters belong to Julian Fellowes/Carnival. Sliding Doors is written by Peter Howitt. I don't own anything, and this is all for fun.

"District Line information. Due to a derailment at Victoria, District Line trains are subject to extensive delay. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused."

Anna Smith stood on the platform, letting out an exasperated sigh at the shrill tannoy announcement. Around her a few other commuters were gathered, playing aimlessly with their phones and personal gadgets, letting the news pass them by completely as they were absorbed in their own little world. She took a few steps forward to gaze hopelessly into the yawning black hole in the distance, gave up after a few seconds and instead pulled back the sleeves of her coat and jacket to glimpse the hands upon her watch. Why she did that, when the time was emblazoned in bright orange on the announcement board above her head taunting her eyeline, she wasn't quite sure. Perhaps it was because she'd convinced herself that everything ran in a different dimension on the Underground and looking at her watch, which would give her the real time in real life, would convince her that she couldn't possibly be running that late. As she took in the too-fast ticks, she let out a sigh so loud that it made the eyes of those drowning in the sounds of their iPods swivel towards her sharply. Not for that reason, she felt herself shrink considerably.

It was late. Very late, indeed. She was quite disastrously late.

Anna rolled her eyes at the inconvenience of it all. It could have been worse, she told herself. The meeting wasn't a major one, the fashion show was still a couple of months off, but she wanted to be there to make sure her ideas were heard. She had come up with some really good stuff and being the only woman in the department, she dreaded to imagine what ridiculous things could have been discussed and agreed upon in her absence. It hadn't helped that she'd had to stop off at the off-licence on the way, and had proceeded to stand waiting for ten minutes until they opened. She was just thankful that there hadn't been many people around in the street to wonder who the desperate wino was, itching for booze at eight o'clock in the morning. The bottles clinked in their plastic bag as she shuffled desperately on the platform.

A distinctive screech sounded, metal colliding with metal, and the wail of the Tube train's arrival bounced from the walls. She breathed a sigh of relief as she boarded hastily, appearing to be the only one who discerned the usually abrasive noise. It stayed echoing in her ears, lulling her somewhat strangely as she was finally able to make her way towards work.

She had barely been in the room a minute when the sound was replaced, deafened by the sudden force of another.

"I'm sorry, Miss Smith, there really is no other option but to let you go."

The words took a few moments to register in her head, though she didn't mistake the subtle sneer in Simon O'Brien's voice. Anna's eyes glanced around the table as her body remained frozen to the spot. She had never felt as small and exposed in her life, met with the stares of several blank but undeniably self-satisfied faces, regarding her from head to toe. For too long, she could muster no reply, not even a breath in response.

Fired. She couldn't comprehend it. She hadn't been fired in her life, not even from the first Saturday shop job she had when she was fifteen. She certainly hadn't expected to be fired from the PR job she'd been in for the last four years, the career she'd built up steadily with more than a few successes, in no small part boosting the profile of the company. And yet now, it had all come down to this; one single moment erasing every bit of hard work before her eyes. Surely, it couldn't have been because she'd been late that morning. In the end it had only been fifteen minutes, and there hadn't been a day before then that she hadn't been the first in the office, bidding goodbye to the cleaners as they left. The fashion show was in its earliest planning stages. She could only think that it might have had something to do with the two bottles of vodka she'd taken when she'd been running late for Gwen's birthday party on Friday night, which she'd already paid for and had been on her way to replace. God knows some people there had done much worse in the past, and hadn't even acknowledged. She wasn't to know that there'd be an after-hours meeting when she left, already an hour and a half after she was due to.

No, they were all just excuses. Unbelievably silly ones, yes, but good enough to be convenient. Deep down, she shouldn't have been surprised, although she would have liked to think that she could be. They'd wanted rid of her for months. A creative, ambitious and successful woman rather upset the atmosphere at a testosterone-filled, all-male PR company that was determined to stay behind the times. The place was achingly sexist, despite her best efforts to change things. Gwen, ever the feminist, had complained about it enough. Now she was feeling quite frankly stupid not to have heeded the warning signs from her best friend. They had been flashing relentlessly in her mind, too, but she'd chosen to be blind.

This was a good thing, she repeated to herself as her feet somehow took her from the room and down the corridor. Did she really want to work somewhere like this? Could she ever really be happy here? Okay, so she was the top performer now, but she would never be able to go any further, not when they'd be intent on curbing her. She should have walked long ago. But it's easy to get comfortable. Besides, it was the principle. There was no reason that she should have walked, or that she should have been sacked. She secured the most high-profile clients, worked the hardest and reaped the rewards. It was an injustice, plain and simple. To think that this kind of attitude still persisted made her blood boil. It was like she was living in 1912. The Suffragettes would be turning in their graves. God, she'd been spending too much time with Gwen lately. Had she really told them all before she walked out of the room that they could shove their job up their arses, that was if they could take their heads out of there for a millisecond? She had definitely spent too much time with Gwen lately.

Turning the corner, Anna bristled to see a figure leaning against the doorway, crossing his ankles and eyeing her with a smug smirk tugging at his lips.

"Bloody shame that you're on your way, it really is. Like that, an' all. That has to hurt."

Thomas Barrow wore a thin veil of empathy over his crisp suit, fumbling in the depths of the pockets. He produced a tobacco paper, wetting it with his tongue before he made the effort to say anything more. Folding his arms, he sighed.

"Just as well I'm here to step into your shoes." A snort emerged from his nostrils as he folded the paper between his fingers. "Not literally."

Anna resisted the urge to throw a sharp remark back, knowing it wouldn't make her feel any better. She'd known that Thomas had been angling for her position for a while, and wouldn't have been shocked if he had put in a few words to O'Brien. He had wormed his way a lot closer to the boss in the past few months. Instead, she adjusted herself, throwing her head and shoulders back just a little. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, not now.

"Good luck with it all. I'm sure you'll do just brilliantly," she affirmed.

Thomas shot out another dismissive laugh.

"Yeah, don't pretend you care."

"I mean it, Thomas. I don't wish you ill." She shuffled on her heels, leaning forward. "I wish you all the luck in the world working here. I couldn't do what you do. It's bad enough being a woman here, but there's nothing I can do to disguise it, and I wouldn't want to. It's really not worth hiding who you are all your life, just for some PR job."

He looked down defensively for a second, before raising his head again a little too quickly. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

Despite herself, Anna's gaze softened.

"But it'll hurt you. It already is."

She sighed, feeling truly sorry for him, perhaps against her better judgement. She didn't even want to imagine how he'd be treated if the others ever found out about his sexuality, knowing the matter wouldn't be taken kindly.

"Whatever," Thomas snarled, shattering the compassion. "I don't need your sympathy, Smith. I've already got your job." The smirk grew as he made to turn in the opposite direction, flicking the discarded paper to the floor. "See you around. Or probably not."

Anna shrugged slightly, clutching her bag to her as she set off again down the never-ending corridor, which seemed an even longer distance today. Some people would never change.

Before she turned the corner, she heard the bell of the elevator reverberate. Though it didn't really matter much, she rushed her steps to be able to catch it. The sooner she was out of this place for good, the better. Making a dash, she squeezed her slender frame behind the doors in time, exhaling the breath she had been holding for what seemed like hours as it came to a brief halt and then resumed its dip downward.

On the split second that the movement of the lift made her stomach drop, Anna felt something else fall from her. Her hand flew instinctively to her face, moving just behind her left ear. She'd lost her earring. It was her favourite, a white-gold knotted stud, a graduation present from her grandmother. She always wore them, and they were forever coming loose. She thought of what her mother told her: Anna May Smith, you're so clumsy sometimes. It was the tiniest, most stupidly sentimental thing, but the thought that she may have lost it made her want to burst into tears on the spot.

Crouching down awkwardly in the crowded elevator, her hands began to roam across the centimetres of space available, fervently hoping that her fingers wouldn't get trodden upon. She caught sight of a small gleam not far from her feet. It disappeared as her hand reached out, covered by the long, large fingers of another.

"Yours?"

The hand, delicately holding the stud between two fingertips, reached out to her as she straightened herself up in the little space. She was standing incredibly close to the tall man who possessed it, her arm almost brushing his. Anna had to move to the side a little to take in his face, his eyes that were smiling warmly towards her.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

She took the stud, the pads of her fingers touching his just a little too long before she had the sense to pull herself away swiftly. She offered a small, thankful smile, which was met with a bigger one and nod in reply. As she secured the earring back in her ear, the elevator ding came once more, its occupants pouring out onto the ground floor.

Leaving the building, Anna was happy the heavens hadn't decided to open as she strode along in the direction of the Tube station. Not stopping, she took her bag from her shoulder, scrambling around for her phone. Locating it, she pulled it free, scrolled through her contacts and dialled. Instead of the voice she was hoping for, she was met with the clipped tones of the answering machine.

"Hey, only me. Just calling to let you know I'll be home soon, at least I hope so. Nothing to worry about, I'm fine…well, no, I'm terrible, really, but it's nothing…I'll bore you with all of the details when I get in. See you in a bit. Love you."

She sped up on entering the station, huffing impatiently while she waited for her ticket to allow her through the gate. Habit took her right, down the slowly chugging escalator towards the platform. Staring into space, the announcement pierced her senses.

"The Circle Line train to Gloucester Road is on the platform and will be departing in approximately 1 minute…please note that delays to the District Line are ongoing and will cause significant disruption to the service…"

Her heart began to beat faster, distinct panic setting in. If she missed this train, she really would be buggered. She began to move down the steps, manoeuvring past tourists and a little girl walking her Barbie down the handrail, rushing down the platform as fast as she was able. Under her breath, she cursed; she really shouldn't have worn these heels today.

"The Circle Line train to Gloucester Road is now departing…"

No, no, no…hold on, please.

Anna could see the train beginning to inch away, and screamed silently for time to stop. She was at the edge of the platform before she was aware, her hands flat against the doors. There was no way. By some unbelievable effort, she was able to suspend their close just in time. She heaved, standing behind them as they shut, grasping a hand against the rail to steady herself, closing her eyes for a few moments as the train retreated fully away from the station. At least one tiny thing had gone in her favour.

Though rush hour had passed, the train was still full of people; indeed, she could see only one empty seat in the carriage, directly opposite the doors she had entered. Still feeling a touch too hot from her frantic dash to board, Anna shrugged her coat from her shoulders, folding it on her lap underneath her handbag as she sat down. Having glanced at her phone screen, still absent from notifications, she retrieved the paperback book from inside her bag, letting out a tiny sigh as her fingers rifled the pages.

"Good choice. I've been meaning to read that for a while, myself, but never seem to get round to it. Too many books, not enough time."

She had hardly registered the person sitting next to her, other than being another passing presence on a Tube train. It took her some time to figure out that their words were directed at her.

"And an actual book too, not one of those screens. I mean, I've got nothing against them if they get people reading, but you just can't beat the weight of a book in your hands. For me, anyway. I'm glad to see I've not been completely left behind."

"Hmmm? Oh, yes."

She mumbled a vague reply, glancing up from the page momentarily to notice the man sitting at her side. From the corner of her eye, she could see that he was wearing a smile quite uncharacteristic for your average commuter on a Tuesday morning.

"I think I may just stop off at the bookstore on my way, pick up a copy." He leaned further towards her, or maybe it was just the jolt of the tracks. "I'm in a bit of a good mood today, so why not treat myself, eh?"

She'd read the same sentence five times already. "Mmm."

His head turned in the opposite direction for a few seconds.

"It's certainly a better way to pass the time than to subject everyone else to your audition for Britain's Got Talent."

At the other side of them sat an oblivious teenager, eyes screwed shut with huge headphones covering his ears, squeaking out what he believed was a falsetto to rival Justin Timberlake.

"I suspect my ears might be bleeding, but I'm too scared to check."

There was a hearty chuckle, then an almost-silence fell. Anna shifted the book in her hands, bringing it nearer to her face, exhaling deeply, hoping she'd be able to get onto the next paragraph.

"It is funny, isn't it, how nobody talks on the Tube. Or in lifts. I rarely catch them myself, but it doesn't take much to notice it. Confined spaces…open spaces…we all just shut off. Maybe that's just how it is now, but it's a bit strange really, when you think about it. Perhaps we've been conditioned to think that everyone out there is a drunk, or potential psychopath. So the best plan of action is to plug up our ears, divert ourselves." A little pause interrupted the flow. "Pretend to read a book."

Anna felt a pair of eyes upon her, regarding her with a knowing smirk. She caught their gaze with her own, moulding her expression into a polite, slightly strained half-smile.

"Look, I'm really glad that you're in a good mood, and I don't think you're a psychopath. But I'd just like to read my book." She didn't think she sounded too harsh, not to a complete stranger who seemed intent on sharing his life story with her, when she was really not in the right frame of mind to listen.

"Of course, I understand. I apologise, unreservedly."

"There's no need."

She smoothed her hand across the print. That seemed to do the trick, or so she had thought.

"Have we met before?"

Anna rolled her eyes, lifting them from the page to the metal ceiling above, her hair bouncing upon her shoulders as she jerked her head back.

"Sorry, sorry…you just seem familiar, that's all." The man's voice had become softer, sincerely apologetic.

"I don't think so."

He sighed, setting his head to one side before clicking his fingers towards her in sudden recognition. "Yes, yes. You were in the lift just now. You dropped your earring, I picked it up."

She turned round, looking at him properly for the first time since she'd sat down next to him. Indeed, it was the same man who had come to her rescue in the elevator. The same warm, dark eyes; a lock of loose dark hair falling just above an eyebrow; the same soft smile upon his lips. She let her own smile relax in acknowledgement.

"Oh yes, you did. Thank you. I really did appreciate your help, it meant a lot."

"My pleasure," he said in that same rich, sincere tone that set a strange warmth stretching across the blades of her shoulders. "Do you work there?"

He couldn't have known what would lie behind his innocent question, so she tried her best not to sound cutting.

"I did, until I was fired about…forty five minutes ago?"

"Oh God. That's horrible, really bad. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you didn't do it."

He ran a hand through his hair, looking rather awkward. "You must think I'm the biggest arse in the world for going on about how great I'm feeling. Sorry. This is why I usually don't say anything. Well, that should teach me."

Anna couldn't help but smile at his rambling.

"I don't think that, really, you weren't to know." She glanced at him with her own sincerity, and saw him start to loosen up once more. "It's the way of the universe, isn't it? One person having the perfect day, the next having to wade their way through a ton of crap someone decided should be dumped upon them. Yin and yang."

"That's one way of looking at it."

They exchanged a look, a quiet smile at one another.

"Still, I'm sorry. At least you know it can only get better from here on in."

"I hope so."

The way he was smiling, true and embedded, made fine lines crinkle at the corners of his eyes. "I'll leave you to read your book in peace."

"Thank you."

The rest of the journey, all two minutes of it, passed in comfortable silence, until just after the announcer finished informing them that the next stop was approaching, his voice piped up again.

"I'm getting off at this stop. I'm only telling you in case you happen to get off here too, and you get off before me, and you think I'm following you. Which obviously, I'm not. I mean, I wouldn't, you know?"

He faltered, stifling an awkward burst of a laugh that transformed into a cough. Anna felt herself grinning under the cover of her book.

"I didn't mean any offence. Please forgive me. I'm really not a nutcase. I just wanted you to know." He smiled down at her, towering as he stood, turning to make his way towards the sliding train doors. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

She smiled back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, watching as he disappeared through the doors, onto the platform in the open air. Anna ducked her head back down into her book for a second, before she stopped, threw it back into her bag hastily and got up herself, running the little way and jumping off, her heels making a loud click against the concrete of the platform. His head shot around upon the sound, the clicking increasing as she jogged towards where he was.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry," she uttered a little breathily, standing in front of him. "I'm sure you're not a psycho or nutcase, or anything like that. It's just that I felt like…I'm not very good at…"

"Constructing sentences?"

His eyes twinkled at her, and she shook her head, letting out a small giggle.

"Sorry, that was a bit cheeky of me."

"No, I do seem to be having trouble navigating the basics of life today." She smiled back at him reassuringly. "I just wanted to apologise, if I seemed rude in any way. I'm really not like that."

"Oh, don't worry," he waved one of his hands around distractedly in the air. "You're completely entitled." He looked markedly at her, the way her hands were toying sheepishly with the strap of her bag, and smiled. "Besides, I didn't think that about you. Not at all."

In the steady breeze that settled about them, Anna felt her cheeks flush. She gazed back up towards him, noticing the tiny flecks of green in his irises as the light fell over his face, before she swivelled her head sharply away, the wind sending her hair flying all over as she looked about her aimlessly.

"Well, I feel like I know so much about you already. That you've been unfortunately fired, that you have impeccable taste in literature. Yet I don't even know your name." He stretched out a hand towards her. "I'm John."

She quickly touched her palm to his. "Anna."

"Lovely to meet you properly, Anna."

"You too, John."

They shared another smile, and strangely, she didn't feel quite as uncomfortable as she should have done revealing her name to this man who was all but a stranger to her, on a near-empty train platform in the middle of the city of a mid weekday-morning.

They would have likely stood there for some long minutes, just smiling at one another, until he made to move, pointing an arm ahead of them.

"Shall we? As nice as this is, I do have to be getting somewhere."

Anna shook herself, starting to set off in a stride towards the stairs alongside him. "Of course."

They made their way down the trail of steps that led to the exit of the station side by side, talking away about trivial details of their lives, where they lived, how unusually nice the weather was turning out for a late February day. They went on chatting easily, and Anna laughed at his remarks more than once, which she felt quite surprised for doing given the wretched state she was in. It was a nice distraction though, and for a few minutes she felt content, as if it were merely just another morning in her life, with no disasters having occurred to send her life spiralling out of control. In fact, she almost felt it was somehow quite more than just another morning, in a different way altogether. Being in this moment seemed significant. It was utterly senseless, of course. She lived with her fiancé, she'd just told him as much, and he was still really unknown to her. You couldn't feel that good about a total stranger appearing suddenly from nowhere. Yet, Anna was feeling just that.

She wore a funny smile upon her face as they exited the station, turning to head in different directions.

"Well, this is me. Thanks for the chat, it was nice to get to know you. Sort of."

"And the same goes for you." She looked up at the sky briefly, biting her lip to stop a laugh emerging. "Now that I know you're definitely not a nutter."

"Thanks," he chortled, and once he did so, Anna didn't hold back. "You know, I have people I consider soulmates who don't confide in me this much."

She coloured as his gaze burned into her, and shrugged her head to the side. "Sorry. You should have told me to stop going on."

"No, it was fine. Honestly." John let his smile widen while he kept looking at her. "It was payback." He chuckled lightly. "It's good to get to know someone in this little closed off world, even if it was only for a while, even if you won't meet again. Unburdens you. Gives you the feeling that everything isn't going to ruin after all."

Anna heard herself sigh.

"And it isn't, believe me. I am sorry about your job, Anna. It's their loss. Something else will come along. There's plenty more fish in the sea. Oh great, now I'm getting my horribly overused clichés mixed up."

She burst into an impromptu fit of laughter, and he simply smiled in response, his eyes genuine and full of comfort that betrayed any flippant remarks he might have been making.

"Really, it'll all be fine. It's something I've learned."

Before he made to turn down the road, he tucked his organiser under his arm, throwing a hand out once more into the air.

"Remember what the Monty Python boys say."

She looked temporarily puzzled. "What, 'Always look on the bright side of life'?"

" 'Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition'."

All she could do was scrunch up her nose confusedly and chuckle in reply, watching him recede further away.

"Goodbye, Anna. Take care of yourself."

She waved at his back, a little stupidly, relaxing her shoulders and smiling before she turned into the street awaiting her. It took a few seconds to realise that she was two stops away from her usual one, and she shook her head again, thinking how very silly she was being. Coming to her senses, she hailed a cab that was travelling down the road, deciding it wasn't worth going back into the station, not when the next train would be God only knows when.

Settling herself into the back, placing her coat and bag at her side, Anna looked out of the window, watching the world whirl by. She brought a hand up to her face, biting at a nail briefly before she realised the habit she was prone to while daydreaming. Taking it away again and staring in front of her, she let her mind drift not all that far.

Though it really shouldn't have done, a sliver of a smile settled upon her.

A/N: I had to turn O'Brien into a man - hopefully it works okay. Also, I hope John doesn't seem wildly OOC, but they had to get chatting somehow...

I'm really quite nervous about venturing into AU territory, so any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks :)