Translations are at the end of the chapter

Chapter 1

Parents

Francis rolled over in bed after checking the time on his phone. It was eleven thirty. Francis put his arm over Arthur's shoulder, and moved him closer to him.

"Arthur?" Francis asked.

"Bloody what, Francis?" Arthur grumbled, still half asleep.

"What's with the attitude?"

"I was asleep."

"Well you're not anymore." Francis whispered.

"That's why I'm mad."

Francis chuckled. "Arthur, I need to talk to you."

"Obviously." Arthur said.

Francis paused before continuing, figuring out how he should say it. "Remember earlier, we were in that park?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes."

"And we saw that mother with her baby. That was cute, don't you think?" Francis asked.

Arthur shrugged. "I guess so."

"And, there were those kids on the swings." Francis added.

"Where are you going with this, Francis?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I've been having some… Baby blues."

Arthur shifted in Francis' arms. "Baby blues?"

"You know," Francis began, "the want to have a… child."

Arthur sighed. "Incase you haven't noticed, Francis, we are both men. I'm afraid that we can't,"

"Well, there's always adoption." Francis mumbled. "But, I can ignore it, if you don't feel the same way."

Arthur did not reply for a long time, making Francis believe he fell back asleep. "I will have to check over the finances, but, I want children, too." Arthur said to Francis' relief.

"Really?" Francis exclaimed, happiness filling his chest.

"Yes. But first I need to check over the finances and everything, we need to make sure we can support a child."

"Of course," Francis agreed, "we don't want to bring a child into a home that can't afford them."

A long silence hit the room, making Francis believe that Arthur fell asleep again.

"So tomorrow," Arthur began tiredy, "we can check the finances and start looking at orphanages that we can adopt from."

"Oui!" Francis exclaimed loudly and excitedly.

"Ow, that's my ear." Arthur grumbled.

"Désolé, mon cher." Francis whispered into Arthur's ear.

"Bloody frog." Arthur teased.

"Maybe we shouldn't have kids, you'd probably teach them to hate me."

"Of course I would." Arthur replied.

Francis smiled. "But why?"

"It's simple, really." Arthur began. "I hate you."

"Well I hate you too."

Francis couldn't see Arthur's face, but he knew he was scowling. "Well that's quite contradicting."

"How so?"

"You just said you wanted to adopt a child with me, and now you're telling me that you hate me," Arthur yawned, "make up your damn mind."

Francis smiled. "Non!"

"Bloody frog." Arthur moaned.

Francis pretended to feel offended. "You're so kind."

"Yes, yes," Arthur began, "everyone knows how much of an arse I am, you don't have to throw that horrible sarcasm at me."

"Like I said. You're kind." Francis replied sarcastically.

"What did I say about bad sarcasm?" Arthur threatened, his voice growing quieter through his tiredness.

"Why are you so tired? Are you really that old?" Francis teased, hearing the exhaustion in his husband's voice.

"Well, being the school librarian, I need to open the library at six forty-five in the morning, so I need to get up at around five thirty. Also you don't help."

"What did I do?" Francis exclaimed.

"Keep me up until midnight." Arthur growled.

"Désolé, mon cher."

Arthur sighed. "It's fine, love. Just let me sleep. We can talk more about the adoption idea in the morning."

Francis yawned. "Alright, fine."

"Goodnight, frog."

"Bonne nuit, blacksheep."

.

One Month Later

Francis rolled up in his driveway, whistling to a made up tune. He turned off his car, grabbed his new folder, and go out of the car. Closing the door behind him, Francis skipped up the driveway and onto his porch. Without warning, he swung the front door open and ran in.

"Bloody hell! Are you trying to give he a heart attack!" Arthur yelled.

Francis trotted into the house, picked up Arthur by the waist, and held onto him. "Guess what!" Francis sang.

Arthur scowled. "What?"

Francis lowered Arthur to the ground, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Well," he began, showing the peach colored folder filled with papers to Arthur, "we were accepted."

"Accepted?" Arthur asked before a look of realization hit him. "You mean, by the adoption agency?" Arthur exclaimed.

"Oui."

Arthur grabbed Francis by the shoulders. "This isn't a joke, we were accepted?"

Francis nodded, happiness filling his chest. "I wouldn't joke about this, and oui."

Arthur ran his fingers through his short, shaggy blonde hair. "This is… is…" Arthur trailed off.

Francis smiled at his English partner. "This is what?"

Arthur looked at Francis' light blue eyes with his dark green ones. "Wonderful." He breathed.

"I agree." Francis replied, losing himself in his own thought. He's going to be a father. They're going to be parents. He's going to have a family… Hopefully.

"Just the agency?" Arthur asked, his English accent cutting into Francis' thoughts.

Francis tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Just the adoption agency accepted us, no parents or anything of that sort?"

Francis smiled. "Oui, just the agency."

A small flicker of disappointment appeared in Arthur's eyes. "Oh, that's okay."

"We wouldn't want this to happen too fast, Arthur."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Yes, I know."

"But," Francis started, "in that folder is some parents that have been interested in choosing us to be their child's parents."

"Really?" Arthur asked before opening the folder and searching through the papers. Arthur froze, staring at the paper. "There are only two names on here." Arthur replied, his eyes turning dark in his sadness.

Francis sighed. "I know, Arthur, but that's more that what I thought would be on there. I thought there would be only one name, if any. People just don't accept homosexuals to take care of their children…"

Arthur didn't respond, he just stared forward at the sheet of paper, his eyes filled with disappointment and sadness. "Why must people judge the way they do? There's nothing wrong with us." He finally said.

"I don't know, mon cher, but don't let it go to your head. There are two names on that list! Two chances, and more to come!" Francis exclaimed, trying to cheer up his Englishman.

"Only two." Arthur mumbled.

Francis gave Arthur a reassuring smile. "We'll figure this out. We're both stubborn as hell, we'll adopt someone."

A small smirk appeared on Arthur's lips. "Hopefully." He mumbled.

.

A Week and a Half Later

Arthur sat on the couch, listening to the T.V. as he looked through the folder of documents he got from the agency… again. He came across the paper with the names of the parents who were considering choosing them… Arthur stared at the black mark through the second name. Heather Merritt decided to reject them before ever meeting them, so Arthur drew a dark, black line through her name. He and Francis just begged that Jessica Smith would accept them.

The phone rang, right on cue.

Arthur looked at the contact name, it was Ms. Jessica Smith.

"Hello, Ms. Smith." Arthur greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Arthur. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jessie." She replied.

"Sorry, Jessie." Arthur replied. According to the light-hearted and happy tone in her voice, she didn't call to reject them… Hopefully.

"It's alright, Arthur. I'm wondering, is Francis there?"

"Uh, no." Arthur stated, "He's at work. He'll be home shortly, though."

"Oh, it's okay, I'll just have you tell him."

Arthur tilted his head to the side. "Tell him what?"

"When would be a good time for us to have lunch, or something? I'd like to get to know you."

Joy filled Arthur. Jessie was actually giving them a chance, unlike Mrs. Merritt. "Uh, we're both free on the weekends, well, actually Francis works on Saturdays and gets Sunday off, but we're free on Sunday."

"Sunday it is then." Jessica decided cheerfully.

"Alright, how does two o'clock work for you?"

"Two works just fine. Meet me at the Panera Bread on Gregory Drive?"

Arthur smiled. "Okay, Jessie, I meet you there."

"Okay, goodbye now." Jessie sang.

"Goodbye." Arthur hung up, then sat there, staring forward blankly. If this went well, he and Francis may even have a chance of adopting children.

The front door opened, revealing Francis' return to the house.

"Francis!" Arthur yelled in excitement.

"What? I'm sorry!" Francis yelled back in almost through reflex.

"Come here, come here!" Arthur called from the living room, turning off the T.V. that he wasn't watching.

"What?" Francis moaned, walking into the room.

"We're going to meet Ms. Jessica Smith on Sunday at two o'clock!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Who?" Francis asked.

"The only person who's giving us a chance to adopt her child."

"What?" Francis exclaimed. "This is wonderful! She's giving us a chance?"

"Well, we are meeting her on Sunday."

Francis smiled brightly. "This Sunday?"

"Yes."

Francis hugged Arthur tightly. "Everything might work out! We might be parents!"

Arthur gave Francis a short and sweet kiss on the lips. "Hopefully."

.

Arthur and Francis sat inside the Panera Bread on Gregory Drive. The building was warm from the ovens, and had the wonderfully distracting smell of freshly baked bread. It was around lunch, so not many people were there, most were at home, shoveling their driveways clear of the last snowfall.

Arthur stared at Francis as he ate his French bread. "How stereotypical are you?"

"Hey!" Francis began, "this is the closest I can get to real French bread! I've been eating horrible, American Wonder Bread since I was a teenager!"

"Yet you still complain." Arthur moaned. "You think you'd be used to it by now."

"Well I'm used to delicious French cuisine, unlike you who's used to tasteless English slop. So of course you're used to it."

Arthur scowled. "Why must you always bring up my cooking?" He hissed. "It's not that bad."

"I guess your fish and chips are… tolerable." Francis mumbled.

Arthur leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Only my fish and chips?"

"Oui."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Bloody frog."

"Excuse me."

Arthur and Francis looked over to the right. At the source of the unknown voice was a young woman, who must be no older than twenty. Her long, dirty blonde hair was tied back in a tail, she wore a purple blouse and blue jeans, and rectangular glasses over her dark blue eyes.

"Hello." Arthur greeted with a smile.

"You must be Arthur and Francis." The woman started. "I heard the 'bloody frog' and kinda guessed. Anyway, I'm Jessie."

Arthur stood up. "Hello, I'm Arthur." He pulled out a chair for Jessica, who sat in it gratefully.

"I'm Francis." The frog began. "So, Jessie… You brought the crack, right?"

Arthur, who just sat back down, gave Francis a strong kick in the shin. Francis then gave Arthur a look of horror. This wasn't a good first impression, and this was their last chance.

Jessie smiled. "Only if you have the money."

Confusion crossed both Arthur and Francis' faces, before Francis began to chuckle and Arthur gave her an amused smile.

"But, we really shouldn't talk about that in public, we don't want people calling the cops." Jessie whispered, delivering them a devious smile.

"Yes, you're right. We don't want to get caught." Francis joked.

"I guess we should shut up about it," Arthur chimed in, "I can't go back to prison."

The three of them shared laughter, then finally calmed down.

"I guess we're lucky you have a sense of humor, we could have been in big trouble if you didn't." Arthur said.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I heard the tone in Francis' voice, so I played along. But just to be clear, you're not into drugs, right?" Jessie asked.

"Of course not." Arthur and Francis replied simultaneously.

Jessica pointed at Arthur. "And you were just kidding about the prison thing?"

"Yes."

"Good, good." Jessie replied, nodding awkwardly. "So… What are your jobs?"

"I am a chef at the French restaurant down the road." Francis replied.

"Which one?"

"La Cuisine Française."

"Oh, I've been there a couple of times, recently actually. What are your work hours?"

Francis glanced up at the ceiling. "I work from four to nine in the evening."

"And what about you, Arthur?"

Arthur cleared his throat. "I am a school librarian at Ravenwood High School."

"Thrilling." Jessie said sarcastically. "Work hours?"

"Uh, I open the library at six forty-five in the morning, and close it at about three fifteen or three thirty in the afternoon."

"Okay. Um, what next. Let me think…" Jessica trailed off, looking around the room almost as if it had the next question. "Any family?"

Arthur looked to Francis, who gave her a smile. "No I don't. But I am close friends with our neighbors that live across the street. They're brother and sister named Tim and Laura. Tim being the older brother, and Laura being the younger sister."

Jessie glanced from Francis to Arthur, but didn't say anything.

"I have three brothers," Arthur started, "all three are wankers, but I'm genetically programmed to love them."

Jessie laughed. "And what would their names be?"

"Well, there's my oldest brother, Alistair, then my second oldest, Patrick, then my third oldest, Dylan, then myself."

"Oh," Jessica said, smiling, "you're the youngest child."

Arthur took a sip of his water and swallowed. "Yes."

"So, is that why they're wankers?" Jessie asked.

"Well they're wankers because, well… Many reasons, actually. But whatever, they're still my brothers."

Jessie chuckled again. "Well I would like to meet these, wankers, and your neighbors. They seem nice."

"Arthur's brothers are much nicer than he is anyday." Francis teased.

Arthur scowled at the wine-drinker sitting to his left. "I hate you."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you say 'I love you?'"

"All insults that we give to one another are fake, we really don't mean it." Francis explained.

"At least that's what I let you think." Arthur mumbled.

A long silence hit them as Jessica tried to figure out what to ask next. "What's your health history?"

"Uh," Francis began, running his fingers through his long, light blonde hair, "normal I guess. My father died of a heart attack. Some cardiovascular problems run in my family, but it's very small."

Jessie looked to Arthur. "You?"

"Um, arthritis runs in my family. My parents got it at a young age, and so did my grandparents. Alistair is going to start dealing with it in a couple years, he can tell. Other than that, type one diabetes, but none of my brothers or I have it."

"That's good." Jessie said. "What about your parents?"

"My parents moved back to England," Arthur said, "my father's work moved us all here, and by the time it moved him back, my brothers and I had already graduated high school, and going to college, so the four of us stayed." Arthur explained.

Jessie nodded, then shifted her weight in her chair and looked up at Francis. "You said your father died, what about your mother, Francis?"

Francis swallowed his piece of bread. "She's still in France. We moved here after the death of my father, to try and start a new life, but she felt guilty, and moved back when I was in college."

Another silence, but this one was short and sweet.

"I've ran out of things to ask you." Jessica said, glancing from Arthur to Francis.

"Just wondering, how pregnant are you? It didn't say on any of the papers we got." Francis asked.

"Three months."

Francis smiled cheerfully. "Oh, only six more months."

"Yep," Jessie breathed, "six more months of morning sickness and strange cravings."

"Like what?" Francis asked. "Human flesh?"

Jessica smiled. "You know it."

"Speaking of food, are you hungry? Do you want me to buy you anything?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, no. The other day I was happy that I would come here and eat, but I'm actually a little nauseous right now."

Arthur leaned forward a tiny bit. "Do you need me to do anything?"

Jessie waved her hand dismissively. "No, I'm fine." She then adjusted her glasses, and tucked her loose bangs behind her ear. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Arthur and Francis fell silent. They were both prepared to answer any and all questions she for them, but they hadn't thought of any to ask her.

"Um," Francis hummed, "what about your health? I just want to be prepared for what we might encounter with your child, healthwise."

"Well, as you can tell, poor eyesight has been running in my family for generations, so you'll probably have to deal with that. Um, on a positive note, people in my family tend to heal faster, and have a higher tolerance to pain." Jessie glanced down at her hands that were folded in her lap, then back up. "But there is something I have to tell you."

Fear rose in Arthur's chest, but he kept the slight smile on his face. "What is it?"

"I really hope this doesn't change anything," she began, running her hand over her stomach, "but I'm having twins."

Relief washed over Arthur, he had expected Jessie to say something about a horrible disease that runs in her family, or something along those lines. Arthur looked at Francis, then back to Jessie. "No, this doesn't change anything."

Jessica sighed in relief. "Thank God. I was worried that you'd turn me down because of that."

"We were worried you'd turn us down because of our sexuality." Francis replied.

"Why the hell would that matter?" Jessie said. "As long as my children are supported by people, whether two men, two women, or a man and a woman, and they are loved, I'm good."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you, not many people say things like that."

Jessie stared at the table, thinking. "Next Sunday, you want to meet here again, same time? Hopefully I'll actually eat."

"Sure, yes." Francis exclaimed. "Let's meet here again. Sunday, two o'clock?"

"Yes." Jessica said, standing.

Arthur stood up. "It was nice talking to you, Jessie. And I can't wait to see you on Sunday."

"Me neither, Arthur. Anyways, I'll see you around, guys."

"Goodbye." Arthur said.

"Au Revoir." Francis called.

Arthur and Francis then stood, and made their way out of the restaurant, and to their car. They rode home in silence, thinking about what could be. They would be parents… Hopefully. They finally arrived at the house and walked in, both of them filled with excitement.

"So this must be good." Francis started, "I mean, were going to see her again."

"Yes." Arthur replied over his shoulder. He turned around. "But, what if she does choose us?" Arthur asked. "We'll be parents..."

"Oui." Francis said, hugging Arthur.

"And, we'll see them as newborns. Their first birthdays, and second birthdays..." Arthur continued.

Francis smiled at Arthur.

"And, their first words, and we would teach them how to ride a bike…"

Arthur sat down on the couch, Francis sitting next to him.

"Then they'd go to kindergarten, and gradeschool, oh, and middle school along with high school…" Arthur trailed off, thinking of what would come next. "They would graduate and move away and go to college. They would start a family of their own and we'd become grandfathers. Then we would get too old to live alone, so they'd pay for putting us in a retirement home. Then we'd get ill and die…" Arthur trailed off, sadness and fear filling him. "Our children would be crying, and they'd have a funeral and have to bury us, and- maybe we shouldn't do this, I don't want them to have to bury us!"

"Mon cher, you're getting ahead of yourself."

"Oh, God, what if we have to bury them?" Arthur breathed.

"What?" Francis exclaimed. "No, Arthur, don't think like that!" Francis grabbed Arthur's hands. "Listen, we have to do this one step at a time. We've already completed one step, which was to talk to Jessie. Do you know what step two is?"

Arthur shook his head.

"Talk to her on Sunday."

"What about after that?" Arthur asked.

"Do not think that far into the future. The furthest we'll be thinking is Sunday. That's all."

"Sunday." Arthur echoed. "Nothing past Sunday."

Translations:

Oui- Yes (French)

Désolé, mon cher- Sorry, dear (French)

Non- No (French)

Bonne nuit- Goodnight (French)

La Cuisine Française- The French Kitchen (French)

Au Revoir- Goodbye (French)