Anna [J.Shelby]

EPILOGUE

It came as a surprise when Martin showed up days after their encounter on the doorstep of Ada Shelby's home, he watched John's eyes light up when he told him that Anna was allowing him to see the kids.

It brought John entering the home alone, upstairs Anna was sat behind the door, listening into his conversation with their kids.

His voice gave her goosebumps, it still felt so unreal.

Katie was the first to lift her head, and she paled considerably.

"Dad?" James questioned as he raised his head.

"Its me, son." John confirmed.

Katie stood up instantly and threw herself into her father's arms, even at her age of 12 John was able to pick her up off the floor and hold her tightly in his arms.

"We thought you was dead" Katie cried.

"I'll be able to explain more when you're older, but I had to go away, and nobody could know where I was, im sorry you had to to through this" John soothed her.

Listening in, Anna closed her eyes as she let out a sigh, she could hear her daughters cries from upstairs.

Her daughter's cries turned into the cries of every child besides James and Eddie, the baby was just too young to understand.

The children each threw themselves into John's arms and held on for dear life, John telling each of them he loved them, and kissing their foreheads.

It was James who didn't cry, but instead stared back at his father as he held Hattie in his arms.

"Mom cried every night, where was you Dad?" James asked him with his lips set in a straight line.

" Im sorry, son, I'm sorry I wasnt here. But you stepped up, didn't you?"

"Because I had to. But it wasn't the same." James replied. It took another minute for James to crack, before he approached his dad and hugged him. Father and son.

"I promise you, I won't leave you again" John told him.

At this point, tears were streaming from Anna's eyes which were still sealed closed.

He sat down with the kids, like it was a normal day, Katie showcasing everything Eddie could do now, Eddie giggling like the happy baby he was, unaware of anything around him, he hadn't forgotton the word 'dada', because when John was presumed dead, he still spoke it everyday.

The kids even showed him the Christmas presents they received, it hurt his heart to think that their Christmas day was ruined. That he couldn't sit with them like any normal Christmas and watch them open their presents.

He didn't leave until the evening, when the moon had come out and Martin had returned to cook the kids dinner.

But John promsied the kids he'd be back the next day- and soon enough they'd see him morning and night.

Hearing the door shut, Anna scrambled to get up from the floor and went over to the window on unsteady legs, she watched John exit the house and walk across the street through the window, and within seconds she was almost flying down the stairs barefooted and bursting through the door.

It was bitter cold, but John felt so warm when he heard Anna shout his name.

"John!"

She was stood barefooted on the uneven road, shivering in only her night clothes.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Anna. You'll catch your death." John swore, he approached her in long strides, took his coat off and put it over her shoulders, Anna sinking into the warmth of it, and his scent that she had so dearly missed.

Anna just stared up at John so wide-eyed, her hand reaching out and touching his cheek ever so softly, as if to check he was real.

John grabbed the hand placed on his cheek, placing a kiss on her palm before he held it between his hands, pulling her closer to him as she continued to stare up at him.

Her long dark curly hair was as wild as it had always been, and John's eyes were as blue and mesmerising as Anna had imagined every night.

"You're really not dead" Anna muttered.

"Im alive, Anna, and I'm sorry Tommy convinced you otherwise. I wanted to come back to you and the kids, every fucking day, I tried, and I was stopped." John murmed.

"I so badly wanted you to be alive" Annas eyes watered, a single tear escaping her eye.

"I wanted you to walk me under the stars again, I wanted you to come stumbling in drunk, moaning about the kids, I wanted to wake up beside you every morning, laugh with you at silly little things. I dreamt of so many things, it hurt me that I'd never get the chance to again. Despite our ups and our downs, you showed me love and happiness, and how John and Anna Shelby could conquer every obsticle that came our way. You were my strength," A sob escaped her lips, and John pulled her into his arms and hugged her so tightly, he didn't want to let go.

"God brought you back to me, don't you ever, ever, leave me again John, I don't want to live without you walking beside me"

"I swear, I will never leave you, I swear it" John promised.

"I was lost without you too, I've fucked up, so many times. And you've stayed beside me when I thought you'd leave. I love you Anna Shelby, Ill love you until our hairs fucking grey, until we see our last starry sky together. I will never leave you, ever again. I promise you that, because without you and the kids, I'm nobody but a shell, the man I was when the war ended"

John stole Amelia's lips, their lips moving in sync, like they'd been carved for eachother, Anna's cheek was as soft as it had always been as he held it gently in the palm of his hand, her whole body pulled to him, and John would never let go again.

John's lips moved from hers, and he placed a kiss on her forehead, "do you remember our wedding?"

A small laugh escaped Amelia's lips, her watery eyes twinkling with the memory, "how could I forget?"

"I promised you I'd love you, even when you didn't want me to, when you're fuckin' drunk, when you're angry, when you're sad and happy. From that day until my last, and I haven't had my last day yet, Anna,"

Anna smiled as she glanced up at John, "i've never loved or wanted anybody more than I have you, that'll never change. You're my person, John Shelby"

John promised himself from there on that he would hold Anna in his arms, protect her, love her, and cherish her until his very last starry night.

John Shelby had finally discovered his true purpose in life; loving Anna Smith.