Title: Twelve Days of Christmas

Summary: She had always loved Christmas, ever since she was a little girl. He didn't particularly care for it, not after so many unhappy memories. But each Christmas is different from the other, and opinions and views could be changed. For both of them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Downton Abbey.

A/N: I've been toying with this idea for quite some time now, ever since watching the Christmas Special. I had written two chapters a while ago and then this week I managed to write a few more, in a boost of inspiration. It's nice to be back from modern times (I'm still working on the modern story), so this felt like fresh air. I borrowed the title from the song and the Christian tradition, but this is truly about twelve different Christmases, starting in 1912. I really hope you'll like it.

Twelve Days of Christmas

by fuzzydream

1912

Anna had been really looking forward to Christmas. Not for presents or anything – she just loved the holiday. Its meaning, the joy... She had always loved Christmas, ever since she was a little girl.

Downton wasn't, of course, like any household, especially during Christmas, and that was something good in this case. To his own credit, she couldn't have ever wished for a better employer than the Earl of Grantham. As the servants were starting to gather around the table to celebrate their Christmas, she spotted Mr. Bates in the hallway. She went to talk to him, only to be stopped midway by Gwen, who put a paper hat on her head before heading to the servants' hall. She met Mr. Bates halfway, and he looked mighty amused at her sight.

It was good. Mr. Bates was a good friend, a fine person and he could be incredibly fun when he wanted to. And she liked him. Quite a lot, to be honest.

"I see that you're ready for Christmas," he said with a grin, looking at her paper hat.

"I see that you're not!" Anna said with a smile. "Even Mrs. Hughes wears a paper hat every year. You wouldn't want to feel left out."

"Will Mr. Carson and Thomas wear hats too?"

She looked sceptically at him. "Alright, you win. I do hope you'll enjoy Christmas here, though. We even get desserts today. You wouldn't want to miss that."

"I most definitely don't want to miss that," he said, his eyes glimpsing as he looked at her.

She smiled, "What?"

"You seem very happy today."

"I just love Christmas. My sisters and I always tried to stay up until some ungodly hour to see Santa when we were children," Anna said, "We never really got many presents, but it was always so much fun."

"Children have a special way of turning every moment into a moment of joy," he said a bit mysteriously, and Anna nodded in agreement, "I used to have a great time when I was a boy too, in Ireland."

"You've lived in Ireland, Mr. Bates?" Anna asked him interestedly.

He was always so cryptic, with so few words that she couldn't help but feel much more interested than she should. Really, why did it matter to her where he was from or where he lived? It certainly didn't. But there wasn't any harm on wanting to know it, was it? After all, she liked to think that they were friends. In fact, she held Mr. Bates in high regard. He was a good friend. Perhaps her best friend, apart from Gwen. But of course her relationship with Mr. Bates was so different from her and Gwen's friendship.

She just respected him, so much and even from the beginning. He was a good man. And they were good friends. She really enjoyed spending time with him.

Perhaps a bit more than she should.

There was also the fact that she was falling for him, and she knew it.

"My mother is Irish," he told her in a quiet voice, "We spent a few Christmases in Ireland. It was quite an adventure for a young lad."

She smiled at him; she could just envision him as a little boy, running around with no cares in the world, enjoying time with family and waiting for a Santa he never saw. He was adorable.

"I'm sure it was. Good times that don't come back, right?"

He smiled too, "Indeed they don't. But we'll always have the memories."

"Yes, we do," she agreed, "And we can always make new ones."

They shared a knowing look, and Gwen called for them from the table, a few feet away. Anna grinned at him.

He looked around for a moment before speaking.

"I'm afraid it's already Christmas and we're a bit too old to wait for Santa," he said quietly, "but I think we'll be able to make this a memorable one."

Anna was certain she would have melted if it wasn't for the cool breeze coming from the open courtyard door.

"Well, then we shouldn't wait another minute, should we?"

"We certainly shouldn't."

Somehow, with his presence and his smile, Mr. Bates made the Christmas of 1912 the happiest Anna had ever spent in Downton.

A/N: I know it's simple, but I so miss the quieter times from the first series. I'll try to post the chapter for 1913 soon, depending on whether you liked this or not and if I'll be able to re-read it soon. We'll be having a lot of different situations within the next chapters, and I really hope you'll enjoy it.