Anna returns to the cottage soaked the night before the royal parade. Missing moment from the Downton Abbey Movie.

When DCI John Bates is called to the crime scene at the Cerulean Swan it is up to his investigative skills, along with the skills of his forensic scientist Anna Smith, to find the killer in a room of suspects.

Anna Smith is a British Intelligence operative assigned to work in Ireland on a kidnapping investigation (Marigold Gregson). She is partnered with John Bates and his partner, Tom Branson, to find the perpetrator before he strikes again.

When four gods cast their eyes on the small town of Downton, West Virginia, no force on earth can predict what will become of those who live there. Not the gods, the people, or even the poor man caught in the middle… John Bates.

Anna and John are single parents trying to handle demanding lives that include children and careers. They find out they share more than their parental status or international work. What neither of them reveal is they also work as contract assassins. With so much in common yet so much to hide, what happens when their interests in one another align but nothing else does?

John Bates is a professional thief. He excels in his job because no one suspects him: the older man with a cane and a limp. But when corrupt industrialist, Alex Green, hires him to steal the formula to drought resistant crop hybridization from noted botanical biologist Anna Smith, John may have to rethink his life's goals.

Modern AU: John, retired from the military, supplements his income as a writer by giving trumpet lessons. Anna, excited about a fresh start and new career, moves into the apartment next door. Satisfied with their lots in life, she and John have both given up the hope of finding someone to grow old with. But love may be closer than they'd ever thought to look.

Modern AU: Anna can't believe her good fortune when she lands an interview for her dream job...but when she meets the boss, she's not sure whether her luck is so good after all...

When Anna Smith decides to take the summer-long research position to finish her PhD in oceanography in the South of France she never expects to meet John Bates, government auditor. When the summer ends, both must return to their lives. The moment comes to both of them, in the darkest of their abysses, when they rely on the memories of one another and the hopes of making more.

An offshoot of "The Worst Kept Secret" by theglamorfades. How did John and Anna become a couple?

Modern AU: 'When Anna Smith moves to London to start a new job, she has no idea how much her life will change...'

As a child, Anna Smith survived a year in the Yorkshire Moors all on her own. At least that's what people said. She claimed she was abducted in the dead of night and held hostage on an island. No one believed her. Until someone came for her again. Until John Bates appeared. Until she realized it was all real.

Banna AU: The year is 1951 and Anna Smith, district nurse and midwife, is devoted to her occupation and has her mind focused on it solely. That is, however, until a new G.P - doctor John Bates - comes along. The two form a friendship and attempt to keep things professional, but it is only a matter of time until their feelings start to change. What will happen? Find out here.

After his divorce and the death of his mother, John Bates seeks to fulfill his mother's last wishes and spread her ashes at Greener Pastures in Alberta, Canada. What he doesn't expect is for his mother's solicitor to inform him that she invested heavily in a ranch or that she made yearly trips there. Even more, he doesn't expect the ranch manager, Anna Smith.

After the death of her grandmother, DI Anna Smith goes to Snowy River, Australia for answers. She tells everyone she's retracing her grandmother's planned trip there when the reality is she's trying to discover her grandmother's origins. On her way she meets a bartender, John Bates, who provides clues about the tragedy surrounding the hauntingly familiar ranch there.

Anna Smith and John Bates have been friends since childhood. As they both leave to attend university their futures threaten pull them in separate directions. But will a wild night redefine their relationship?

Two worlds meet and disaster strikes. The repair of a broken heart is never an easy task.

After losing his job at Downton Comprehensive, John Bates is attempting to rebuild his life. Former student Anna Smith is on the verge of small screen stardom. A school reunion brings new perspectives and second chances, bringing two different worlds together once more. Modern Anna x Bates AU. M rated from Chapter 12.

Everyone told him she was no one of any particular standing but when John Bates extended his hand to Anna Smith at the ball at the Bavarian Embassy he upset the order of things and they would either be torn apart in the coming storm or seek strength in one another.

John Bates works as a psychiatrist at a lucrative practice that gives him no satisfaction anymore. One day, contemplating suicide after his divorce, he meets a woman in the Grantham men's room. She blows him away and leaves only her name, Anna Smith.

The story goes on…my take on what happened next for Mr and Mrs Bates and their family. Post S6/a kind-of S7 (though we'll be going a bit further than that).

There is only one thing worse than dying in war. It's surviving on the losing side. John Bates ran away from the shame of his loss and sought his fortune in Hong Kong. What he did not seek, but what rather sought him, was Anna Smith.

"You have to live my life as well as your own. Go to France, see some sights. Make us some memories." Set during Mr. Bates' imprisonment. Anna goes to France and makes some memories. (S3 Banna)

Lady Mary Crawley recently hired a nanny for the three children under her care and Anna Smith was the only one to meet her exacting standards. Principle among them, Anna is English. With her family located in the American south she worries her children will lose the heritage that matters most. To help Anna, though not obvious to Lady Mary, is the gardener for the estate, John Bates

After placing a deposit down on the hotel of their dreams, John and Anna take a long walk on the beach with their children and come to realise just how wonderful a fresh start all of them are going to have. (Awful summary, I know, but I promise you all that the story inside is better!) I only own the Bates children! Please review!

John Bates works as a cardiologist and meets Anna Smith at hospital when she's on a routine visit for a music therapy session, one of her volunteer activities away from her work as a professional cellist.

When a man who claims to be a bandleader comes to town, everyone in Downton finds themselves on edge. Life, which had for so long been safely the same, is about to be tipped upside down.

Anna Smith is the newest instructor at Downton Ladies' College and one of her students, Emmaline Bates, immediately identifies with her and they form a strong friendship. Little could either of them know, Anna will form a much stronger friendship with someone else. Someone like Emmaline's father, John Bates.

Sometimes our healing isn't at all what we thought it would be. Sometimes it goes much deeper. Will John experience an unexpected healing? Modern A/U

A journal is left at the local coffee house.

What the world teaches us only matters if we care to learn it. What could John Bates and Anna Smith learn when put to the test? Do they learn it together or alone?

John Bates, Army Captain, is on trial for the murder of Vera Bates.

WW1 AU, 1916. Sergeant John Bates has been severely injured in the line of duty at the Battle of the Somme and is sent to a rehabilitation hospital back in England where he meets Nurse Anna Smith. Will she be able to bring him out of the shadows? Will he allow her to help him on the road to recovery?

The coal boom in Cardiff, Wales 1860. John Bates has come from Ireland to Cardiff, Wales to work for his old army commander, Robert Crawley. While attending to his duties as manager of the mine John meets local seamstress Anna Smith. They strike up a fast friendship that quickly develops into something deeper.

Anna Smith, with her son James, has been hired to instruct the children living on the estate of Lord Wuthering in Bombay.

A bit of Bromance.

A bit of family fluff inspired by the Bates family photo this week.

John Bates- a single, eligible WWII veteran- returns to his adopted home of Guernsey and begins a relationship with Anna Smith, the local divorcee with a child, and it throws the whole community into a tizzy.

Artist and illustrator John Bates is trying to paint an elusive butterfly. He expects it to be very difficult but he does not expect it to be more difficult to woo Anna Smith

Anna and John's dream of becoming parents has finally come true! Now they will take the next steps for their future with their family. [Final Update]

Anna Smith owns a trashy blues bar where many a soul has sold itself to the Devil to sing the blues. But when John Bates, a famous blues singer, comes to play there, Anna Smith wonders if she has nothing else to lose and nothing more to live for.

Army Major Anna Smith and photojournalist John Bates work together in Afghanistan trying to piece people back together. What they do not expect is to piece history back together too. Once there was John Bates, foreign correspondent, and Anna Schmidt, German national… and their tale still needs telling.

After being in prison for more than a year, John Bates decides to participate in the prison's pen pal program. When Anna Smith is assigned to him, will they both find comfort in a handwritten love?

Modern AU: Anna Smith always loves the first snowfall of the year, as it signals the beginning of her favourite season…but this year perhaps it will signal the beginning of so much more. Written for the batesessecretservice Secret Santa Exchange on Tumblr for yourenotevenirish - hope you enjoy your gift!

Every actor hopes for that one role to come along that changes their life for the better. Has John Bates found his?

An expedition to buy a Christmas tree turns out to be a little more eventful than John bargained for. Written for the Banna Secret Santa Exchange 2018.

Modern AU. If there was one thing John hated, it was the passing of Halloween.

Christmas 1925 proves to be a quieter affair at Downton Abbey, but merriment and excitement is still in the air - particularly for Mr and Mrs Bates.

What's a parent to do when their child is on the verge of discovering the truth about Santa Claus? Spin the truth. (Modern Banna and family with a hint of bromance).

John Bates is a thief on the run from his old boss and trying to steal enough to get by when he breaks into the house of consumptive heiress Anna Smith. When John meets Anna, it's love at first sight and John risks everything to be with Anna.

They all look like normal people getting their morning dose of coffee. Until somebody turns out to be different, and then much more so. Modern AU, Anna/Bates

"We'll sit by the fire, with all of our children around us, and I will make certain that you are safe." That was a promise that John Bates made to his wife when she was at one of the lowest points in her life. Now, several years later, do the two of them have that? Read to find out :)

John Bates is entered into a television singing competition by his twelve year old niece, a singing competition that is hosted by one Anna Smith...

A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower. A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. There is no word for a parent who loses a child. That's how awful the loss is. -Jay Neugeboren, An Orphan's Tale How will John Bates and Anna Smith bear the sorrow threatening to tear them apart?

At the end of his life John Bates flicks through a box of discount books and finds one with a child's scrawl in the inside cover reading, "This is Averi Smith's Copy, please return" followed by an address. Reading it changes his life to the point where he decides to take up her cause as his own. A cause that leads him to someone else. Someone named Anna Smith.

When John's daughter and Anna's son become friends at nursery school, they don't expect their lives to change forever.

Anna Smith is the head of a mafia-like institution under investigation by John Bates.

I have a few vignettes gathering dust on my computer. Some are from prompts on tumblr, some are just my reactions to scenes that affected me in some way. I've decided to dump there here as I come across them. Mostly canon, mostly rated K (otherwise noted) and not in any particular order. Please let me know what you think, thanks!

Anna May Smith falls for billionaire, financial genius, John Bates even though she isn't fully sure what's in store.

A collection of short works dedicated to John & Anna Bates (and any Baby Bateses). In no particular order or place in time; modern or otherwise. :)

S5E8 Missing Moment. Anna and John have been called to Scotland Yard under false pretenses, thus throwing their lives into upheaval yet again.

Anna has to take a business trip over the weekend leaving John to take care of their little girl.

A half British-half Belgian woman (Anna Smith) works as the doctor at a mining outpost in the post 1920s Congo. The newest supervisor, an ex-Army surveyor (John Bates) recently released from a contract with British Petroleum, comes and they butt heads over the care of the miners and the locals because of the mining process.

When the scandalous news that Lady Anna Smith had a man die in her bedroom finally breaks, she leaves her home in Yorkshire to ride out the storm in America. After a dismal month in New York, she takes up an offer to ride west to see California. In the company of cowboy rancher, John Bates (who invites her to visit his spread in Northern California), she discovers a new world.

There is only one person that gets called when someone needs to be cleaned. This was just the first time he needed to call her.

John Bates, poor fisherman, pulled up his net one day and never could have expected what he saw inside.

Bates works as a detective and is returning to London from a conference in Vienna. Anna, traveling on the same train, is a crime reporter coming from the same conference. They work as partners to figure out who murdered one of the passengers on their train in the middle of the night as they are stranded in a snowstorm.

A little series of drabbles in the FFF universe inspired and shared by Tumblr friends. These are not in chronological order.

It's anything but quiet and mild in the town of Downton when noted gunslinger John Bates rides into town.

Inspired by the Korean movie (same title) In May 1933, Captain Green recruits sniper Anna Smith, demolitions expert Tom Branson, and breakout expert Joseph Moseley to assassinate the head of the newly formed SS. Little do they know their mission is already compromised. Or the hitman Belfast Pistol and his partner have come to Berlin. Or that they already walk over their own graves

Anna Smith, Air Force veteran, works as the English and Mathematics teacher at the local high school in an old coal mining town of Southern Ohio. Her town, old and on the brink of falling off the edge, gets a surprise when industrialist and secretive entrepreneur John Bates rents the room above Grantham Bar.

John and Anna go on a date for the first time after the birth of Baby Bates

Modern AU. When Anna agrees to help her longtime friend John avoid his ex-wife and navigate murky waters with his family, she never expects to realize she's not quite over her college crush on him. When it turns out that she needs his help as much as he needs hers, will either one of them be able to keep their feelings platonic? Rating change at Chapter 11.

Anna Smith comes to Downton Abbey to work for Lady Mary after a rather scandalous event. Only Lady Mary and Mrs. Hughes know the truth of what happened and, despite misgivings by the family, Lady Mary insists on Anna's services as her Lady's Maid. It is there that Anna Smith, timid and reserved, meets the buoyant and kind John Bates, valet to Lord Grantham.

The World as we know it has come to an end. People survive as they can. Evil men roam the land . With no food, shelter or a chance to rest, the only way is South. And it's on his way South that John Bates saves Anna Smith and their life together begins - Modern

The cycle turns as the immortal being, John Bates, fights against his immortal adversary for the right to escape to the mortal coil and find love.

John Bates is starting a new life while seeking to revenge himself on his enemies from his past life.

"A spot of tea might do, or luncheon at a small hotel. Something to affirm and celebrate their status to one another, to make the most of their time with each other away from their place of work." Because Anna and Mr Bates had a fair few dates…

Modern AU. When John Bates agrees to take care of Isis whilst his best friend is away, he doesn't expect his world to collide—quite literally—with Anna Smith. Cover image by annambates.

Steampunk western: Anna Smith runs her bar the way any single woman living at the edge of the frontier of science and the world does: with an iron fist, a quick laugh, and a sharp eye… aided by her steam powered repeating rifle. Therefore it was a bit of a surprise when she met John Bates. A poet philosopher not quite man for this world… and yet made for no other.

Modern AU for Secret Santa Exchange 2017 "Did you mean what you said, earlier?" John asked, eyes still fixated on the child, "About marriage?" Anna sighed, "Oh, John. You're not still brooding about that are you? I've never known someone to dwell so very much."

John is unsure about becoming a father. Written for the Banna Secret Santa Exchange 2017.

Anna sneaks a Christmas gift into the cottage for Mr. Bates. Canon era Christmas tale.

New Year's Eve is the most predictable time of year - isn't it? Anna x Bates Modern AU one-shot.

written for annambates for the batesessecretservice Secret Santa on tumblr. John and Anna are thrilled to welcome eight month old Evan into their home on Christmas Day but the feeling is not quite mutual for some reason. Written in the 'Ten Items or Less' universe - consider it some kind of sequel, I guess. ugh, I hope this even makes sense... xoxo

Modern AU. Not everything goes quite according to plan in the Bates household on Christmas Day.

A Christmas One Shot

A Christmas fic for lemacd123 as part of the Banna Secret Santa Exchange on Tumblr.

A Christmas past, present and future, and a few carols too. Canon era Anna x Bates.

John and Anna Bates have plans to celebrate Christmas away from the Abbey as couple before the arrival of Baby Bates. Set December 24, 1925 (season 6)

Christmas has changed so much for John and Anna over the years.

I bit of fluff for Gilroy95920 as part of the Secret Santa Exchange on Tumblr. Enjoy.

We all know that Anna hates early mornings and not being able to wake naturally, but we also know that that has to change now that she's a mother to a newborn. What does she think about while she gives William his early morning feed? You'll have to read to find out! Warning: Mummy and Baby Bates fluff, alert! Please review! x

A guardian angel comes to John Bates and begins an introspective journey that will help him find love and love of himself. She is Eve.

In 1895, New York City Police Chief Robert Crawley is faced with a rash of violent murders. To stop the spread of the violence he transfers his old Army friend, now a detective in Five Points, to help him solve the murders. But times have been hard on John Bates and when faced with a killer slaking a savage thirst he might be out of his depth.

Modern A/U one shot in which John discusses with Anna his frustration over their son's choice of reading material at bedtime.

How do we remember the dead?

Like it did almost any time it came, the snow snuck up on them unexpectedly, in the dark of night. When John opened the curtains on the grey December morning, he raised his eyebrows and whistled.

Dr. Anna Smith works at a private research firm. Tasked with delivering a research update to their chief investor, she travels to French wine country. There she meets John Bates, reclusive investor. Heavy snows trap them together in the house long enough to realize that they may never want to be apart.

Bates and Anna's road to happiness has already had more than its share of bumps; his arrest and what comes of it is only the next test of their love. Short vignettes covering on- and offscreen scenes in their romance; sequel to "For This Love."

Lady Ravensburg has lived her whole life knowing she had to marry for position, for fortune, and- if she was very lucky- for companionship. But when Anna was young she dreamed of someone else. She dreamed of the Illusionist, long before he was called that. He's always been John to her. Now, after so many years apart, Anna wants him to be John to her again.

Modern AU. John has an aversion to Halloween, even with Anna's undying enthusiasm. But something might be about to change his feelings.

Modern Banna fluff

Little slice of modern AU Banna life

Recruited to Naval Intelligence by Admiral Robert Crawley, Commander John Bates (codename: Bernhard) enters the world of espionage during the Battle of Britain. Working with him is Crawley's top agent, Anna Smith (codename: Monday), as they try to uncover German spies in Allied territory and bring Hitler to his knees.

A variation on S6E7, if Bates had not let Anna run after Mary following the crash.

Anna Smith owns a jazz club called the Cerulean Swan and John Bates enters the scene to replace a lagging alcohol maker and distributor, Green. He invites her to come to his alcohol refinery, The Bubble Room, and specializes in refined champagnes and other alcoholic beverages. Together they will create a new kind of night club with his new brand: Ugly Duckling.

Random moments of Bromance between Robert Crawley and John Bates. Not in chronological order.

Anna and John enjoy their last half-day before the arrival of their first child.

Bedtime is often the most eventful time of day in the Bates household. Post S6.

John Bates is looking for a quiet, backwoods kind of job in Kiandra. He wants nothing more than to live alone, tend to his life, and do his job. He does not expect bushrangers, gold miners, anti-immigrant riots, angry locals, or the loveliest woman he ever saw to enter his life. But when he left Ireland for the colonies of Australia he forgot, it's a big country and he's only one m

Anna's work brings her to the Lonestar State. Will she find more then just southern hospitality?

A life shattered does not have to be broken forever. It is simply different when the pieces are put back together; a mosaic that doesn't have to be less beautiful just because it has imperfections.

A letter that John writes to His Lordship the evening after the "One kiss, to take with me" scene.

When John Bates takes over the management and operation of the lighthouse he expects a life of quiet and serenity. What he does not expect is to save the life of prominent Council Member and fishery magnate, Robert Crawley, or to meet the manager of the day-to-day operations of the closest fishery, Anna Smith. What follows, between the tumults of wind, rain, and sea, is unknown

Banna Concepts I write on Tumblr.

It was strange, how quickly he had grown accustomed to being touched in such an intimate way. No one had ever done anything before, and he had been quite certain that no matter who was doing the touching, it was simply something that he would not get used to. But Anna had proven him to be wrong yet again. Now, it was his safety.

John Bates has always looked to the stars. Cover image by annambates.

Modern AU. There are certain mundane things in life that make it feel as if you're falling in love all over again.

John and Anna have an important discussion in the months before their baby's birth.

John attempts to point his son's first words in a certain direction, but things don't go to plan. Modern!AU fluff one-shot.

John takes his son to meet some of Downton's pastoral citizens.

Modern A/U. Different circumstances bring John Bates and Anna Smith to Seattle, Washington. But what if Anna is the one with the secret? Rating will go up as the story progresses.

Another stab at writing, this time for Banna. A night out leads to a sing along and great embarrassment. Thanks to our Gelana for the prompt: something around singing/music and embarrassment. Hey...we can't all be Pavarotti :)

A series of drabbles written in response to the fic challenge, created by awesomegreentie and terriejane on Tumblr :)

Modern AU. Anna and John's plans to spend a quiet day together are derailed by the bad weather. It isn't always a bad thing.

John Bates had never felt so wonderfully fatigued in his whole life.

Modern AU. If Anna had been told three years ago that the week of her sister's wedding would change her own life for good, she probably would have wondered what on earth they had been smoking. She had longed for more, it was true, but she would certainly not have believed that such a clichéd scenario would have brought her together with the man that she was in love with.

[Post S6CS] A fluffy day with a sometimes mischievous Baby Bates. Happy birthday to theglamourfades!

Modern AU: Anna is an up-and-coming cellist, and John is in her audience by coincidence. Will they find love together?

Modern AU. Anna Smith had always loved flowers, but she had never thought that one strange bouquet would bring her together with a man like John Bates.

After a school lesson about the holiday, six year old William Bates is ready to give his first Valentine's card - and his parents have to contend with their little boy growing up fast. Modern Anna x Bates AU.

While Anna enjoys a night out, John is home with their little girl. What could she possibly rope him into? (Banna, Modern AU)

After being injured in the Army, John Bates settles into a new life as a florist at Downton's flower shop. When a simple act of kindness spirals out of control, John comes face to face with a kindred spirit in Anna Smith, a local girl that seems to be shrouded in sadness and just as lonely as he is. Based off of the movie "Bed of Roses".

They've never spoken but their paths cross every day... can you really love at first sight?

Prompted by a Secret Santa exchange on Tumblr.

'Today was Anna Smith's most favourite day of the year.' Modern AU for the Secret Santa Exchange- Merry Belated Christmas mr-and-mrs-bates!

They met, they fell in love then they parted. So what happens when they meet again years later? Their circumstances have changed, but have their feelings for one another?

The years may have passed, but Anna and John Bates' love has never faltered.

A glimpse into Christmases past and present throughout the courtship of John and Anna. This is my secret santa gift for @awesomegreentie that was organized by @batesessecretservice .

After being in Scotland for the past three years, Anna Smith is back home just in time for the holidays. Written for the batessecretservice secret santa exchange for Tumblr for revfrog. I hope you enjoy this tale revfrog and a very Merry Christmas to everyone.

December 1st means one thing at Grantham Industries: the official start of Christmas, and the all-important draw of the office Secret Santa. As the staff gather to take their picks, will John draw the one name he really wants? Written for the Banna Secret Santa Exchange 2016. Modern AU A/B, featuring other members of Team Downstairs.

It's Christmas Eve in the Bates' home. There's lots of love, some old traditions and maybe some new ones. (Banna Modern AU)

Modern AU. Anna Smith thinks she's content with her life, her teaching career the focal point. Then she meets Sergeant John Bates, and soon her feelings of friendship blossom into more. However, the road to true love is never smooth and, sometimes, in the most hopeless of hours, there is a choice between fighting and fleeing which can prove the mettle of what was there all along.

The Bateses have plenty of reasons to celebrate, come Christmas 1926. A Secret Santa gift for annambates!

Anna and John looking forward to the future and anticipating their little one. Final chapter now up! [Spoilers for Series 6]

dou·blet \ˈdəb-lət\ n. Definition: 1 : something consisting of two identical or similar parts: a lens consisting of two components 2 : a set of two identical or similar things 3 : one of a pair; specifically : one of two or more words (as guard and ward) in the same language derived by different routes of transmission from the same source (merriam webster)

Anna Smith is 16 years old and has just been signed up for an arranged marriage. John Bates is an soldier who needs a wife to tend his home while he's off at war. Anna has always wanted to marry for love and it's love at first sight when she meet's John. But it's been reduced to a business transaction. When her husband comes home wounded is this Anna's chance to make him love her?

A little ficlet for nurs3gir1's birthday. It's four months after the arrival of their son and Anna is still adjusting to motherhood, while trying to find a way to celebrate her anniversary with her husband.

Set in 1956. Father John Bates is at a turning point in his life when he's offered a chance at a new beginning...but life sometimes has different plans.

There is so much love in the Bates household.

"One's not half of two; two are halves of one." Modern AUs.

All John Bates needed was a glimpse of her...

Anna Smith's favorite season has finally arrived.

On the day of their wedding, Anna tells John about a superstition that some Knitter's have. K for mention of a sexual assault.

From the beginning of time, people have judged others based on the surface of the story, forming opinions after seeing one side or clinging to their pre-conceived notions. From a young age, Lizzie Bates realises that the world isn't always a kind place, but she has learnt a valuable lesson along the way.

Modern AU. John Bates has big plans for this particular April day, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect. But sometimes not every incident can be foreseen, and sometimes those plans can take the most unexpected of turns. Cover image by annambates.

Journal entries written by John & Anna(actually Handy-for-the-bus & Terriejane)after they left service and became the proprietors of the Grantham Arms Hotel in Downton Village. Rated K through M.

Letters written between two newlyweds during WW2. Every post is one letter only, and you will have to wait for the next one to read the response. The letters come accompanied with a short scene (present or flashback).

It's John's turn to call the shots on date night. Banna Modern AU.

[Post S6] The Bates family goes on a picnic.

It is time to make a dream a reality.

It was a war that had dragged on for months, and would probably never have a ceasefire. With his military background, John was quite the soldier. But, Anna had discovered, she could be quite the sergeant too. She would never concede defeat as long as there was air in her lungs. It was the loveliest of wars, one that she was more than happy to do battle in.

On a small Island in Scotland an injured soldier returns home to heal his body and soul, but little does he know that his recovery is in the hands of an unknown friend. Begins in the Summer of 1945.

A series of alphabetic drabblish snippets in the life of Anna Smith and John Bates. Originally from the Tumblr drabble challenge. The words were given to me by my online bestie Anglophile68.

Drabbles based on A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words Challenge by Awesomegreentie & Terriejane on Tumblr.

Modern Day AU, Coffee House Fic. Fluff? Probably. Based on a prompt from awesomegreentie. We started with a T rating, but who was I kidding? We promptly moved up to a strong M at Chapter 5.

Modern AU. For the last six weeks, they had had the same argument at five to nine on a dark Sunday evening.

"After a bad break-up, the AMB dance club is the last place John wants to be, but a chance encounter there ends up changing his mind...and his life."

It's the anniversary of the day Anna presented Mr. Bates with the gift of a warm meal when he first arrived at Downton. How will John surprise his wife? A birthday present for Aria E. Seymour.

[Set mid-S6] Even within the happiness, Anna still sometimes has low moments.

Modern A/U - Anna Smith is an up and coming fashion designer while John Bates is trying to put his life back together while working as a personal assistant to TV Executive Robert Crawley. John and Anna are convinced by their close friends to try online dating in order to find love, but will they be successful?

"Really?" "Really." There's more to be told than what made it to the screen... (Banna S6 Missing Moment)

A half-day for the Bates' is certainly not a day half-lived. Banna one-shot...for now. ;) My response to the A Picture is Worth 1000 Words Challenge #8: The Picnic

Modern AU. The best relationships bloom through simple, shared joys. Cover image by annambates.

When Anna goes to the Harrogate RSPCA to adopt a homeless cat, she finds more than she bargained for.

A look into the lives of the Bates' pursuing their dreams beyond Downton Abbey. (A Banna one-shot response to the "A Picture is Worth 1000 Words" Challenge #6: The Campfire)

It was almost nothing at first, too easily dismissed as a quirk of digestion. Anna could not pinpoint it to a single hour or day. All she knew was that there was a time before she could feel it and then there was the time after.

Anna spots a special pair of shoes. Modern AU, written for the 'A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words' challenge on Tumblr.

"She knew him very well. John Bates was a romantic man and he would never forget their 4th anniversary. She knew he wouldn't. " - One-shot based on terriejane and awesomegreentie prompt on tumblr

Modern AU Banna one-shot inspired by the "A Picture is Worth 1000 Words" Challenge #3: The Blocks. John and his son are left to their own devices while Anna enjoys a night out. :)

Anna wants to do something special for John, and enlists their children's help.

[Spoilers for S6] Anna plans a small but meaningful surprise for John.

Bates embarks on the unpleasant task of packing for the Crawley's travels...or is it unpleasant at all? {canon. circa 1913} (A Banna one-shot response to the "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" fic challenge on Tumblr. Challenge #2: The Fan)

Anna is looking forward to her first day back to work after giving birth to her son. However, one person can't quite stop worrying about the baby...

Best friends would do anything for each other - even pretending to be more than that, for a day. Modern AU.

"Will you marry this foolish, frightened old man…who needs you more than he can bear to say…who loves you, even though he hardly knows how?"-Shadowlands {Banna one-shot fluff}{ Another response to the Downton Canon Prompt Challenge on Tumblr}

Modern AU. Glimpses into Anna and John's relationship as they deal with highs and lows, together as Team Bates.

This is a series of moments, both on-screen and off, portraying the thoughts and conversations of the characters. Canon, beginning S1E1. Will mainly revolve around Anna/Bates, but will include other canonical pairings as well. Will begin with a T rating but will probably change to M later on.

Modern AU. After Anna suggests that they should watch a TV show together, John confides in his friend. Robert thinks he's got the measure of it, but John finds that the evening goes beyond his wildest expectation.

It all started when Bates was asked to run an errand for his Lordship... Oneshot set in S1.

She'd never thought that she would meet a man like him. But John Bates is an enigma at the best of times, and Anna Smith simply can't work out whether the man that she's fallen in love with has given his heart in return.

Could a series of unlucky mishaps for two lonely travelers end up being the very best luck of all? / Written for batesessecretservice's Banna April celebration on Tumblr ;)

As time goes by, love always remains. Written for Banna April.

Anna Smith was a practical woman. Which was why, on the first day of her new job, she was not Anna Smith. Modern oneshot.

An idyllic family moment in the Bates' house inadvertently draws John's attention to a tragedy in the past. A disturbing revelation obliges him to make a tough decision about how to address it. This is mostly John Bates introspection flavoured with Anna, John, and baby Robbie enjoying some domestic bliss. POST-SEASON 6.

John Bates is a wealthy business owner, looking for someone to look after his precious daughter. Anna Smith is a young woman looking for employment to get back on her feet, after a tragic event left her almost broken. What happens when the two meet? Rated T for now but it may change. X

Two is company but three is a crowd when it comes to bed time.

Anna and John have always felt most content in each other's arms.

On the day Thomas takes over for Mr. Carson as butler, a strange twist of fate leaves him in an odd state during which he witnesses the vulnerability of Mr. Bates. Likewise, Bates begins to finally understand the new butler. Set Post S6.

Anna Smith was always so very little...

This year, Mother's Day has a different meaning for Anna. [Spoilers for Series 6]

Modern AU. Anna's Valentine's Day plans had not involved reeling in a stubborn Mary determined for revenge on Matthew. John had not envisaged he would spend the night trying to stop a rebounding Robert from completely spoiling things with Cora. But on the day for lovers, fate has a way of working things out.

Modern AU. John Bates, an eclectic Artist and Dr. Anna Bates, a controlling surgeon meet on Christmas Eve while waiting for news about loved ones in the hospital. They are quickly captivated by one another's kindness and caring ways, but will their polar opposite lives prove to be too much chaos for a chance at real love?

But now, neither of them could stop from smiling, walking through each room of the cottage with their son. Their dearest wish and their greatest gift. (S6 CS spoilers)

Short slices of Banna, mainly from Terriejane's Weekend Challenges on tumblr, plus other odd assorted prompt type things that have passed through my head.

Modern AU. She is still the main suspect of Green's murder, but finally out of prison, at least for the time being. Desperately looking for a job, while trying to put her life back together, Anna meets Mr Bates.

Modern AU. The beginning of an affair of convenience and understanding. Anna Smith and John Bates are professionals who live on opposite sides of the globe. When they meet at a conference, things get personal too quickly, and they have to deal with the consequences of a seemingly casual relationship that neither of them was looking for. Prequel to So Long, Lonesome.

"If we have to leave here, if we have to leave the country, we are going to be together." AU from S2E6.

Anna is a maid travelling with the Earl of Grantham and his family to Newport, visiting Lady Grantham's family. John is seeking a new life in America, away from his past sins. Sparks fly on the ship of dreams and startling revelations promise to change both of their lives for good, but when the ship hits the ice they are not guaranteed a happy end. Highclere Award '14 nom/winner.

Modern AU. John Bates is struggling to get his life back on track after a traumatic experience. He follows his mother's advice and seeks help with a therapist, Anna Smith. Can she help him get through this difficult period and ignore the growing connection between them?