"Oh petit Noel, has a cold?" Francis cooed into the phone pressed tightly against his ear. "Well tell her that Papa says to feel better soon and that he will be bringing her something to cheer her up, d'accord mon cher?"
There was a small sigh on the other end of the phone.
"She really misses you, Francis," Arthur replied quietly.
"Je sais. Je sais. I miss her too. Both of you. I did not want to be gone this long and you know I would not have left if I could have stayed. But my business trip ends tomorrow afternoon so I will be home around her bedtime."
"Yes, I know that. It's just been very quiet here and she's been getting very restless."
"Well I cannot wait to come home and see you both again. D'accord?"
"Alright, Francis. Good night. I love you."
The man smiled at the other's warm tone.
"Bon nuit, mon amour. Je t'aime aussi."
Arthur hung up the phone and turned to see his two year old daughter stumble into the room, rubbing her runny nose.
"Noel, what are you doing down here? You are supposed to be in bed. You won't get better like this."
She came over and held up her arms; Arthur quickly picking her up and placing her on his lap.
"Papa back?"
Smiling sadly, he rubbed her back.
"Not yet, pet." Her face fell and he said, "But he'll be home tomorrow. And he'll tuck you into bed like usual and sing you a lullaby and give you a good night kiss."
She smiled brightly at his words.
"Papa back tomorrow?"
Arthur nodded.
"Yes, pet. He just called and told me that." He stood up and and wrapped her small arms around his neck. "He also wants you to get better so back to bed with you." Carrying her into her little room, he tucked her in her bed, making sure the railing on the side was secure, and sat on the edge. "Do you need a story to help you sleep?" She nodded eagerly. "Alright. But just one." A book was pulled off the bookshelf next to the bed at random and opened to the middle. "Once upon a time there was a princess named Rapunzel..."
'He's late,' Arthur thought as he stared at the clock, jiggling his foot impatiently.
"Where Papa?" Noel asked, tugging on his pant leg. "Mama, where Papa? Said today!"
He sighed.
"I know, pet. He must be in traffic." He scooped her up. "Why don't we go take a bath and get ready for bed? Papa's gonna be tired and this way he can spend more time with you."
Noel nodded and let him carry her upstairs where she was given a long bath and tucked into her pajamas.
"No Papa."
Arthur looked at her and nodded.
"Yes, pet..." He glanced at the clock and saw that it was already an hour past her bedtime. "You should go to sleep. I'll wake you up when he gets here, okay?"
"Not sleepy!" she said with a big yawn.
He chuckled and pat her head.
"That yawn didn't agree with you."
Pouting, she crossed her arms and looked away.
"No! Papa!"
Arthur laid down and pulled her to his chest.
"Sleep now, Noel. It's past your bedtime. As soon as Papa gets home, I will wake you."
"Fine."
She closed her eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.
Arthur smiled and watched her sleep, hoping Francis would be there soon. He was quite tired as well and wouldn't last much longer.
Rather quickly he drifted off as well and didn't notice the door open or the soft footsteps making their way towards the bed.
AN: A new story I thought of about a month ago and forgot about. I found it again and was like 'Why didn't I post this...?'
Well now it's posted! What's going to happen next?