I blame this entirely on Torrance and his "Mary and doughnut" tweet. And because I like giving Bash angst (though not the way the Reign writers do). Ok, maybe I don't blame Torrance entirely. 90% of it is his fault. 10% is to the television studios and the renewal/cancellations because now I have Mary working at a television network studio. This is a short intro. And I'll be changing the cover photo once I figure out how (unless someone wants to offer?)

Disclaimer: I do not own Reign or the characters and all mistakes are mine.

Sebastian "Bash" de Poitiers had lost it all at once. His father had died, his stepmother had moved the family away, and his real mother, Diane, was back in her home country of France. Ms. De Poitiers had left to find a better life for her and her son by getting a job and saving money to bring them over. Unfortunately, the little money they had was only enough for her. With his father gone (Bash was the result of an affair), they lost out on his help. His wife Catherine wanted nothing to do with him and so, two years ago, she had taken her four children back to Italy where she had been born and raised. That left Bash to find his way in the world. And that world currently meant the streets of San Diego, California.

The only thing he was truly grateful for was the lack of winter in such a city. It could have been worse. He could have ended up on the streets of Chicago.

There were times when Bash was able to look back and decide his current situation was for the best. Diane had been in France for four years, his father dead for nearly three. All that would have been left was a stepmother (if she could be called that) that would have thrown him out eventually. Better he had left because the Valois family was moving, and not because he had been kicked out (though he wasn't entirely sure if that would have been legal, even if he was 20 at the time). He could thank Catherine for telling him four months in advance that she was moving the family. At least he left with a backpack on his shoulders.

The backpack may have only fit so much but he'd saved up $2,000 at that time and it worked for a while. He made a deal with a motel manager. He would work for him and handle tenants causing problems, while getting a reduced rate. That only worked until his money started to run out. Now his backpack only had some papers, a few clothes, and a picture of his mother.

He had kept his car but couldn't drive it. The cost of gas and insurance, mixed with any repairs it would eventually need, left him only the option to use it as a room. He thought about selling it, but it was an older car that he could sell for $5,000 at the most. Once that money was gone, he would have nowhere to sleep for however many more years he was on the street. So now his days consisted of sleeping in a car, washing his face and brushing his teeth in the bathroom of a gas station (with the occasional shave), and relying on the pity from the owner of the pit stop who would give him something to eat for breakfast. And Bash hated the pity. Which is why he would just get breakfast from that place, but sometimes that would be his only meal.

At least being in a cheap motel had given him some work to do. Nobody was in any condition to hire a street kid who hadn't been working for two years. He was nearly 23 and spent most of his days wondering where life was taking him, but never finding anywhere to work or live. Occasionally he would stop by the soup kitchen, but that was only if he had nowhere else to eat.

His cousin Isabel lived a few states away but she had just enough money to take care of herself, much less a cousin and the baby she was pregnant with. Besides, he had no way to get there. Neither had the money for a plane ride and she had no car to come and get him.

Maybe the job fair downtown would provide some hope. His resume had been in a folder since he had left home, never getting the chance to take it out before being turned away. Not that there was much to see on it anyway.

The day was starting to warm up, which Bash took as a sign that it was late morning. People were walking to work or school, and brushing past him without a second glance. Though in a big city like this, who would?

That's when he saw her. A girl walking down the street. There were plenty of girls walking around him, but there was something about this particular one. He could only see her from the back, but she was petite and well-dressed. The April weather was known for being one of the best times in the city but she was still in dress pants and a long-sleeved blouse.

She stopped walking and Bash looked to where her eyes went.

A television network studio.

He furrowed his brow. Was that where she worked? He could see her from the side and she looked like she was his age, possibly younger. Of course, nobody else would know that with the days-old facial hair Bash had been growing. It was hard to shave when all you could afford were cheap razors that so easily cut you.

She was on the phone too. Whoever this girl was, she was busy. He was getting close enough to hear her.

"I can be there after my meeting. How long will it take?" She looked completely exhausted. "Ok, thank you." She hung up.

So she did work at the television studio.

But she didn't cross the street. She made another call.

"Hi, may I speak to Mr. Stuart please? Thank you...Hi! I have to go to the publishing company after my meeting but what do you say about lunch tomorrow?.." The girl seemed happier in this conversation. "Perfect! I love you too. Bye."

Boyfriend. She had no ring on her left hand to suggest a fiancee or husband.

Bash was about to walk past her when she started to text as she was crossing the street. She was the only one not to notice the traffic headed her way.

Was nobody going to tell her?

He looked back to find a car going faster than it should. And the driver wasn't about to obey the pedestrian law, even if the girl was crossing when she wasn't supposed to.

Bash ran out on the street and grabbed the girl before the car drove by, honking. She screamed from surprise right as it did. Bash looked at the license plate. He may not have worked for a long time, but he was always good with numbers and statistics. It was a gift.

He and the girl were safe on the sidewalk. Her phone hasn't been so fortunate.

She stared at Bash, wide-eyed and panicked. He wasn't sure if it was due to the fate of her phone or her near-death experience.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you like that ma'am, but you would have been hit otherwise," Bash apologized as he looked her over. She wasn't hurt.

"No, I should be the one saying sorry. I wasn't looking and I nearly got you killed too."

Bash wanted to laugh. A few years from now, he would still be on the streets and looking back, death might have been a relief from that fate.

"Are you all right?" he asked her as they stood up.

She looked at him for the first time since he'd stopped her from being roadkill. All it took was one look into her brown eyes and he knew life was always going to be unfair.

But fate had other plans for Sebastian de Poitiers and Mary Stuart.

Confusing? Perhaps. More about Bash's backstory in later chapters. Reviews are candy! Hope I didn't mess up on anything. I wrote this in two hours lol. I have finals in 2 weeks and I start another fanfic. What is my life?... =D