Banna, It’s Cold Outside
A/N This story is a present for my dear friend @gilroy95020 as she was my Secret Santa on Tumblr. Since she's a big fan of karaoke I thought this story was appropriate. It’s based on the song, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” written by Frank Loesser. And it has just a touch of another winter classic.
I do not own Downton Abbey, its characters or Baby, It’s Cold Outside.
John Bates sat in his cottage on the Abbey grounds feeling miserable despite the fire burning merrily in the hearth. So miserable, in fact, that he wasn’t really watching the telly at all, just flipping through the channels. When he saw on the news that the roads were closed he felt even worse. Now Anna, and the others with whom he worked, would have to spend the night at the great house. Except for him. He was lucky enough to have his own little cottage on the estate, given to him by the Earl himself in thanks for saving his life back when the two of them were in the army.
He usually loved his little home, but tonight he didn't feel so lucky. He missed the Abbey’s young antiquities director and now he wouldn’t get to spend any of the extra time she would be spending at the Abbey, or any time at all, with her this evening. What made it worse was that it was completely his own fault.
Today was the first real snow, and consequently very cold temperatures, of the season. John had badly wrenched his knee earlier in the day while taking Isis for a walk. He barely made it back to the Abbey and into the servant’s hall, it hurt so badly. He tried to stay at work but the moment Robert had seen his PA in pain, he sent him home stating that it was all his fault for sending John out to walk the dog in such weather in the first place.
Of course Robert, Mr. Carson, and Mrs. Hughes had all asked what happened. John couldn’t possibly tell them that he had been daydreaming about Anna and their first kiss, shared the night before. Earlier in the week, he had been in London to set his mother’s estate in order when his long estranged wife Vera had shown up. Miraculously, she told him she had met a rich man who was willing to take care of her and she was ready for a divorce. Last night, when he returned to Downton, John hadn’t wasted any time in pulling Anna out into the courtyard and sharing the good news with her. The evening ended nicely with her in his arms and her lips on his for the very first time after years of longing.
He could have blamed the dog, but it wasn’t poor Isis’ fault that he had been reliving every touch and kiss instead of paying attention to where he was going. He tripped over an exposed root and ended up ass over tea kettle. In the end, he told them he slipped on a patch of ice. It served him right to be sitting alone in his cottage, huddled in a ratty old hoodie, while the love of his life was up at the Abbey surrounded by warmth, laughter, and friends. She probably wasn’t giving him a second thought. Good lord, he had acted like a love sick teenager rather than a man approaching the end of his forties, and look where it had gotten him.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a muffled knock. Wondering who it could possibly be making their way through the challenging weather, he limped to the door. When he opened it, he was shocked and thrilled to see Anna standing there, although he could barely recognize her, bundled as she was in a heavy coat, scarf, mittens, and hat.
“Anna,” he grinned, despite his knee, “what are you doing here?”
“Are you going to let me in?” she grumbled, “It’s bloody freezing out here!”
“Yes, yes, come through,” he mumbled, wincing slightly as he moved back to make room for her.
She set down the bag she was holding and immediately began to remove her scarf and stuff her mittens into her coat pockets before hanging it on the hall tree where it dripped on John’s floor.
“Jesus, it’s cold out there.”
John closed the door and turned back to her, “What are you doing here? Did you walk all the way from the Abbey?”
She rolled her eyes while kicking off her boots, “No, I flew, silly beggar. How else did you think I would get here?”
“Tom could have driven you in the motorcar.”
“In this? We would have been off the road in seconds and nice as he is, he’s not the bloke I fancy getting stuck in a snowbank with. That would be you. Now quit asking questions and kiss me.”
John hissed as she slid her hands around his neck.
Anna immediately backed away and looked down in concern, “Is it your knee? How is it?”
John chuckled, “It still hurts, but with the rest and keeping heat on it today it’s feeling better. The sound I made was for your hands. They’re like ice!”
She sauntered back to him and placed her hands into the pocket of his hoodie. She spread them wide and slid them up his torso, causing him to replace his hiss with a growl.
“Cold hands, warm heart,” Anna purred, “All the more reason for you to reward my efforts with a kiss, Mr. Bates.”
He pulled her close and brushed a bit of wet hair from her cheek, “Oh believe me, Miss Smith, a kiss from you is well worth cold hands. And I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with a warmer heart.”
He bent slightly, in just the way Anna loved, in order to even up their heights. Then he placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. He couldn’t help the little grin that escaped him when he heard her sigh. It encouraged him to deepen the kiss and for a few moments they simply enjoyed the sensations coursing through them both.
“My god, Anna,” he said as they finally stepped apart, “your cheeks are frozen too. Let’s go through to the kitchen and I’ll fix you a cuppa. The kettle should still be warm. It will only take a minute.”
Anna picked up the bag she had carried in with her and followed John to the kitchen, taking note that he limped with every step. She motioned toward the table, “You sit. Stay off your knee. I’ll sort the tea things.”
“But you’re my guest,” he argued.
Anna was already opening his fridge and storing away the contents of the bag. She turned and said, “I was sent here to make sure you were alright and had everything you need for a day or two. I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”
“Sent?”
“Mmmm,” Anna replied as she reached into one of John’s cupboards for the tea, “Lord Grantham insists that you have a few days rest. He feels terrible about you hurting your knee while walking his dog.” She turned and took the tray, minus the teapot, over to the table, noting the look of disappointment on John’s face. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” John pouted, “it’s just that I’d hoped you were here because you wanted to see me. Not because Robert sent you.”
Anna flashed him a smile that could have melted all the snow between his cottage and Downton, “Who do you think put the idea into his head?”
“You little minx,” he grinned back.
“And I volunteered to be the one to bring you the care package Mrs. Patmore sent,” Anna smiled proudly. She rubbed her hands together and added, “Why don’t I help you back to the lounge so we can warm up by the fire? Then I’ll come back and bring the tea through.”
“I can manage,” John grumbled.
“I know you can manage, John,” she rolled her eyes, “I just thought you might want me to put my arm around you and press up against you on the way. But if you’d rather go alone…”
John waved his hands, “No, no. You’re right, I can’t take any chances with this knee. You’d better help me.”
“That’s what I thought.” Anna’s eyes sparkled so brightly John didn’t even care that it was because she had won their verbal exchange.
Before making himself comfortable on the sofa, John added to the fire while Anna went to the kitchen and waited for the kettle to boil. When she returned, she poured them both a cup and handed one to John before cradling her own in her hands and snuggling into his side. He flipped off the telly and they both sat in silence enjoying the warmth and company.
“Are you a little warmer?” John asked after several minutes had passed.
“A little, but I’m still awfully cold,” she said suggestively.
“Well,” he smiled, leaning forward to put down his tea, “let’s see what I can do about that, shall we?” He put his arm around Anna and pulled her tightly against him, “May I kiss you Miss Smith?”
She looked at him, beaming, “I thought you’d never ask.”
They kissed for a few moments and when they finally broke apart Anna said, “I had big plans for you in the courtyard this evening. Bloody bad timing on your knee.”
“It’s your fault you know.”
“My fault?”
“Yes.”
“How could it be my fault?”
“I was daydreaming of you and our kiss last night when I tripped over a root.” John was so in love with the woman beside him and so happy she was in his home, he didn’t even bother to be embarrassed by his confession.
Before closing the distance between them again, Anna shook her head and whispered, “Silly beggar.”
An hour later, with the fire slowly dying, John shifted Anna a bit away from himself. Regretfully he said, “You really can’t stay.”
“But John, it’s so cold outside.”
“Nope,” he leaned forward, further disentangling their limbs, “you’ve got to go.”
“But it’s cold outside,” she pouted, “Don’t you like me being here?”
John was certain she knew damn well he liked her being there. Hell, he was barely keeping his body in check. But he also knew that the later it got the more the temperature was dropping and the deeper the snow was getting. Even worse, with his knee being so dodgy, he couldn’t escort her back to the Abbey, so she would be completely on her own.
“Listen,” he said earnestly, “This evening has been really nice. I was sitting here all alone thinking of you and couldn’t have hoped in my wildest dreams that you would make your way to me through the mess out there. I’m so glad you did but I don’t want to end up regretting it because you got hurt going back to the Abbey in this storm.”
Completely ignoring John’s words, Anna reached out to him, “Will you hold my hands? They’re still like ice. Besides, what’s the hurry?”
The devilish look on her face told John that he should try a different tack.
“Mrs. Hughes will start to worry…”
Somehow, Anna’s hands were indeed in his and she was kissing his neck in a most distracting way.
“Mr. Carson will be pacing the floor…”
Just then, one of the logs in the fireplace popped and broke in half, sending the near dead blaze into a burst of new flames.
“Mmmmm,” Anna ignored him again, whispering into his neck, “listen to that fireplace roar.”
“C’mon now, Anna,” John pleaded, already knowing he was losing the fight, “you’d better scurry.”
“How about more tea?” she rasped as she nibbled at his ear.
Before he knew what he was doing, he caught himself saying, “Well, maybe just a half a cup more. To warm you up before you go out again.”
Anna immediately brightened, “Why don’t you put some music on while I pour?”
“You won’t be here that much longer,” John insisted.
“For me?” she looked at him with a pair of puppy dog eyes that would have put Isis to shame.
As he was turning on his music system to some romantic Christmassy thing, he thanked his lucky stars that Anna was such a good and loving person. Because, he realized, she could literally get him to do anything.
It was a good half an hour later, their tea long gone cold, before they spoke again in more than murmurs, groans or sighs.
Finally, John found his determination, from where he had no idea, and insisted, “Anna, I mean it now. The people up at the Abbey are going to think something funny is going on with you being gone so long.”
“But it’s so bad out there,” Anna whined again before continuing to kiss him deeply. “It’s not like there are any cabs to be had,” she continued when she needed a breath. She brushed the one unruly lock of hair from his forehead adding, “Your eyes look like starlight, you know that?”
Well now she’s getting desperate, John thought to himself, throwing around lines like that. I wonder what she put in this tea? My willpower seems to have deserted me completely. I have to find a way to break this spell she has over me and send her on her way.
As he was lost in thought, Anna snuggled into him even more closely, “You don’t mind do you?”
Even with his determination of only a moment ago, he heard himself whisper, “I ought to say no, no, no.”
She kissed his neck again and ran her hand up his chest, underneath his hoodie, “But you won’t will you. What’s the sense of turning me down when I’m practically throwing myself at you. You don’t want to hurt my pride, do you?”
John groaned and leaned back against the couch again, pulling Anna with him, “At least I can say I tried,” he sighed.
Time with Anna passed more quickly than John could ever have imagined, but somewhere in the recesses of his mind, around Anna’s sighs and his own incoherent mumblings, he heard the clock chime 10:30.
He pulled her hands from his neck and firmly insisted, “Now Anna, you really can’t stay…”
Anna repeated the mantra she had been using all evening, “But it’s so cold outside…”
“The answer is ‘no’...” he spoke over her, knowing that if he let her continue he would be overcome again.
“But John, I know you’re happy I’m here. Your welcome has been so very, very nice.”
“Yes,” he readily agreed, “I’m lucky that you dropped in. Hell, I’m lucky you ever noticed me at all. But look out the window at this storm. If you don’t leave soon, you won’t be able to make it to the Abbey at all tonight.”
“Gosh, your lips look delicious,” she spoke against them as she leaned back into him. “Would it be so bad if I had to stay?”
He groaned and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, “I’m sure it would be bloody fantastic! But I’m also sure Ms. O’Brien is already suspicious.”
She blocked his words by kissing him again, “Your lips are delicious.”
“I’m sure Thomas is standing at the door right now,” he insisted, refusing to be distracted at this point in the evening.
“Mmmmm,” she hummed, resting her head on his chest, “I’ve never seen such a blizzard before, but in here, with you, I could swear I was lying on some shore in the tropics somewhere.”
“Anna,” John scolded, standing and stepping out of her reach, “you know how vicious those two can be and I’ll not have them talking about us, about you, that way.”
Anna sensed she was finally losing the fight but she refused to rise from the couch nonetheless.
“You’ve got to go home.”
“But I’ll freeze out there.”
“Here,” he moved toward his bedroom, “I’ll get you my comb. I seem to have mussed your hair a bit,” he couldn’t help himself and he smirked proudly.
He disappeared and reappeared a moment later, handing her the comb.
Anna took it but didn’t use it, “It’s up to my knees out there,” she said matter of factly.
“And whose fault is that? I asked you to go hours ago.”
“How can you say that to me?” he recognized her fake pout immediately, “I thought you’d been waiting for this relationship as long as I had. Well, almost as long anyway,” she added. “What if I catch pneumonia and die? How will you feel then?”
John ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck before reaching it out to her and pulling her from the sofa and into his arms.
“This has been the greatest night of my life,” he whispered into her damp hair, “You’re right. I’ve waited for this almost as long as you have. And it’s only your faith in me and in us that’s brought us to this point. I know I don’t deserve you, Anna. But I swear, I’ll strive every day to become the man you think I am. You’ve defended my honor like a tiger all these years and now I’m going to do the same for you.” He sighed and continued, “And as much as the idea of you spending the night thrills every cell in my body, protecting you starts tonight. There’s bound to be talk tomorrow, or at least plenty implied, and remember, they don’t know that Vera’s agreed to a divorce. They only know that I’m still married.”
“I wish you would wrap your head around the fact that I don’t give two figs for what Thomas and O’Brien think. Get over that line of argument,” she added gently.
“But you may get raised eyebrows from Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson as well, and I know you care they think of you. And quite frankly, I don’t fancy imagining the teasing Lady Mary will be tossing our way.” He tugged her toward the door, “C’mon now, you really must go.”
“It’s really cold outside,” she pleaded weakly, rewrapping herself in her layers.
When she was ready, John entwined their fingers and led her to the door.
John made to answer the door, but Anna stilled him. Looking into his eyes she whispered, “I love you, John Bates. I thrill when you even touch my hand.”
John chuckled and opened the door.
Before she stepped over the threshold and out into the full brunt of the weather, Anna turned, “One kiss? To take with me?”
“Just one?” John purred, quirking his eyebrow and letting his hands trail down to her bum. He bent his head and kissed her, pouring all that he felt for her into the kiss.
When he broke away he apologized, “I wish I could escort you back.”
“Not on your life. The quicker you heal, the quicker you get back to work and the more I’ll get to see you during the day.”
“I know but…” he moaned, looking at the terrible weather she would be heading into.
Anna looked too and then glanceded back at him. “What do I care how much it may storm?” she reassured him, beaming the smile that always melted his heart. “I’ve got your love to keep me warm.”
He watched her walk down the rapidly disappearing path, “Text me when you get there. Else I’ll worry,” he called.
“Well we can’t have that now, can we?” she laughed, “Close the door, John. The cold isn’t good for your knee.”
“Yes, ma’am” he called. He closed the door and rested his head against it. He would never understand how he had gotten lucky enough to hook out a woman like Anna Smith. But one thing was clear. He would never take it for granted, and he would never stop being profoundly grateful.
