Disclaimer: I don't own the TV series Reign or any of the characters. I am merely borrowing them. All I own is the laptop I wrote this on.

A/N: A new year, a new chance for me to work on my writing. One of my new year's resolutions was to still make time to write. My uploads may be far in between, but sometimes inspiration strikes and writing and posting a piece of fanfiction is the only way to get it out of my head. This one piece takes place right where episode 11, Inquisition left off. I haven't watched episode 12 yet! I didn't want to spoil myself, but right after I'm posting this I am so going to! I took some liberties with the story and the characters, as we all do on here, but I still hope you like it.

Sanctuary

Let's find a place where we can hide out from all of this rain.

Sebastian held on to her securely whilst informing the guards about Catherine's failed attempt at poisoning the raven haired girl in his arms. He tried to shield as much of her body with his own, making sure that the guards held their gazes upwards and didn't wander. The way his mind couldn't help but do, even while Catherine was seized and taken from the room right in front of them. It was bad-mannered of him to allow, but he remained a man of flesh and blood whose heart beat faster whenever he was in her presence. And it didn't help matters that Mary was completely unclothed underneath the towel he had quickly managed to cover her up with, even though he had still gotten glimpses of the soft lines of her bare skin, her body sinuous beneath his touch. He felt the arches and curves of her body even more when she leaned more of her weight against him.

It happened as soon as he had sent the guards out of the room and there was no one around who would judge her for showing vulnerability. She always carried herself with a fierce gracefulness, but with only Sebastian around she knew she could give in to the fatigue she felt. She had to be on her toes all of the time. So the second the door closed behind the guards, she relaxed her posture and really relied on Sebastian to keep her upright. She realized how she must look, with no corsets, extravagant dresses in colors complimenting her eyes or skin tone, or her lips painted in some appealing color. She must look so plain, but she had recently become aware that Sebastian found her pleasing to look at no matter how much or little she tried.

"How are you feeling?" she heard him ask from somewhere above her, feeling the slight rumble in his chest as he spoke and finding some sort of comfort in it.

"I feel… like it would be better if I rested for awhile. My head…"

Sebastian nodded. "I should have gotten here sooner. You must've still inhaled some of the poison."

Mary brought her hand up to his chest, grabbing a hold of his shirt. "This was not your fault, in any way. If anything, I should blame myself…"

"I should take you down to the castle's physician."

Mary shook her head and he gave in, just like that. "Sleep will cure my ailment."

"We'll see," Sebastian told her. "If you haven't recovered by the time you wake up, my insisting will take on a more convincing nature."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less," Mary responded, the weariness slipping into her voice as she struggled to string the words together loud enough for him to hear.

Her eyes fell closed and the crease in Sebastian's forehead deepened. "I'll call for your ladies."

Mary's eyes opened again. "Don't," she began. "They've been witness to enough of my troubles and it has caused them too much already. Please."

Sebastian shifted his position so he could hold on to her more tightly. "It looks like I'll be the one escorting you to your chamber then."

"No," Mary renounced his idea, her voice having an almost melodic characteristic to it as she got more and more tired. "Take me to yours."

Sebastian glanced down at her. "You realize you are quite demanding for someone who has inhaled poison."

Mary would have offered up a smile, but couldn't muster the energy for one. "I don't want to sleep alone," she admitted, not caring about the all to honest note her answer held. "You give me comfort. I feel safe. I…" Her voice wavered and her eyes closed once again, feeling incredibly heavy to her.

"Well, I suppose we are betrothed and I have practically seen you completely disrobed."

His remark didn't get her usual quick reaction, but it was alright. Sebastian moved his hands and weight, so he could carry hers more easily and lift her up into his arms. He did it quickly and quite seamlessly, as if he had done it countless time before. He knew she was out of it by the lack of complaining on her part of being carried to bed.

By the time he leaned in to lay her down on his bed, she had started feeling comfortable in his arms, like she belonged right there with her body pressed closely against his and her head resting peacefully against his shoulder. His fingers brushed her cheek and slipped through her dark locks before letting go completely.

He looked down at her, a smile accenting the rugged lines of his face, the ones she found so attractive and imagined running her fingers along when she was alone. Her eyes flickered open, knowing that she should thank him, but all sense had left her as a result of her exhaustion. Instead, all she could seem to focus on was how blue his eyes were and how exposed she must laying there naked beneath his sheets.

"My clothes… I'm not wearing anything."

"I hadn't noticed."

"I should be wearing something."

Her eyes closed again and this time she would be out for a few hours.

The first thing Mary became conscious of when she woke up, was the weight she felt on the bed. Assuming it would be a concerned Sebastian who was there to check up on her, she turned her face towards him, slowly opening her eyes. Her smile never formed itself as shock took over at the sight of the fair-haired man she had once shared a bed with. She noticed Bash asleep on a chair behind Francis, although her eyes flew back over to the latter. "Francis, you're back," was all she managed to croak out.

Francis nodded. "I was informed of what happened to… my mother, and you of course. Naturally I returned to the castle as quickly as I could." He stared off for a few seconds, looking down at his hands as he pulled at the sheets. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright. I didn't breathe in enough of the poison for it to do any damage besides making me fatigued."

He cleared his throat before flicking his eyes back over to her. "I'm relieved to hear that my mother warned you in time. She told me everything," Francis went on before she could interrupt. "Initially she wanted to get rid of you and she sent her servants to do her bidding, but then she changed her mind and-"

"She didn't," Mary stopped him, clutching desperately at the sheets. "I gave her plenty of opportunities to change her mind, but the menace she feels towards me-"

"It's not menace she feels," Francis cut her off sharply. "It's betrayal. Somewhere you have to comprehend her decisions. She was hurt deeply by your actions. You and my brother's actions, actually." He paused briefly, licking his bottom lip before going on and making eye-contact with her once more. "This was her castle. Before you came in and took it."

Mary swallowed, hoping to soften the sharpness she felt on her tongue and the urge to fire back and hurt him more than his words were hurting her, although she had already done just that. It had all been for his own good, at the outset. But then, during all those times when it had just been her and Sebastian, with nothing between her and his piercing and loving - always loving - gaze, she had kept her mind and heart open. It all happened within the blink of an eye, or so it had seemed. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing she had ever done, like purposely losing your way when so caught up in the walk.

So out of guilt and the love inside of her for Francis, love that was still burning out like a candle, Mary took the hits and waited it all out before choosing to speak. "Francis," she said his name, the weight of it already meaning something different to her now that she wasn't hiding her affection for Sebastian, something she was still getting used to. "We've already had this discussion, this fight…"

"Yes! I remember." Francis got up from the bed suddenly, running a hand over his face before turning back around to face her. "Vividly, in fact," he added. He placed his index finger against his lips as his eyes roamed over her. "But humor me and assure me again how all of this is to benefit me…" As he paused, he moved forward quickly and with one forceful and smooth tow, yanked the blankets off her. "… whilst clothed in my brother's garments."

Behind Francis, his brother began to stir just as Mary flew upward into a sitting position, both arms automatically moving to cover herself. Although, as she felt the fabric beneath her hands, she realized that she was indeed wearing a shirt. One of Bash's. Her eyes were wide and her legs bare, even though she tried to cover them with her shirt as she pulled them closer against her body. Her hair tumbled downwards in the most beautiful mess Sebastian has ever seen, but he didn't get to admire it for more than a second as he took in the scene in front of him.

Francis scoffed at her show of modesty. "For a virginal convent girl it didn't take you long to share a bed with me, and my brother."

"Francis," Mary tried again, moving to get up. But the move was too sudden and too soon after she had inhaled poison. It made her just a tad dizzy and Bash jumped up, reaching for Francis' arm to pull him away from the bed. "If you want to take out your anger, brother…"

Francis let out a laugh, not even bothering to spare his brother a look as he spun around and tugged his arm free. "Just know that I don't wish either of you well, nor do I wish you happiness. Not while you two are together and parading it around in my home. You two have everything coming to you."

"Don't blame Bash. It's my-"

Francis shifted his position so he could glance back at the girl on the bed. "Don't you dare defend him," he almost spate out the last three words, raising his finger to point at her. "After everything he took from me. No! You gave to him. On a platter nonetheless."

"Francis," Sebastian warned him, grabbing a hold of his brother once more. "That's enough."

Francis whirled around, his fist already swinging. It came down hard on Bash's jaw. It made Sebastian stumble backwards a few steps and reach for his face.

Mary gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. She wanted to say something to Francis, call the guards, comfort Sebastian. All these emotions rushed over her at once and when Francis sought out her eyes with his, she simply lowered her head and looked away. "Leave," she demanded of him. "And take comfort in the fact that your words have cut deep, drew blood even. That of your own brother."

"Mary…" His features softened for a second or two, before he regained his composure, as if all of a sudden remembering why he had pulled the punch.

Francis left the room.

As the door closed, Mary moved to get up. She was unsteady, tripping over her own feet as her legs untangled themselves. Sebastian was the one catching her and gently pulling her back down on the bed with him. "I'm sure I deserved that."

Mary was quick to shake her head, unconsciously shifting closer towards the man besides her, her bare thighs touching his pant-clad legs, needing their closeness to act as comfort for the both of them. She allowed her hands to sit in between the two of them, her palms pressing down on her own skin while her fingers skimmed his leg.

"You don't," Mary jumped to his defense, her voice just loud enough for him to hear. " You haven't deserved any of… what I've brought on. I've asked so much of you, and I've put Francis through worse. It is my fault that you two have estranged."

"You have been put into impossible positions," Sebastian reminded her.

"No, I willingly take my share of the blame."

Sebastian tilted his head, just in time to catch her eyes momentarily. "I imagine, it'll balance off the guilt quite well."

Mary lowered her head, pulling her hands closer to her body. "Do you think he will move past it, eventually?"

"I would like to hope so," Sebastian answered honestly. "But we mustn't disregard his stubbornness. I fear that our marriage will be forced to endure a lot of malevolence."

Mary nodded, understanding, because there was nothing else she could do.

"I will do my best to talk to him," he made a promise to her, before letting her know, "I will do whatever is in my capabilities to make you happy. To be worthy of you. I wasn't raised a king the way Francis was."

Now it was him who lowered his head, but Mary reached out and touched his face, brushing her fingers gingerly against where surely a bruise would form in a few hours. "Bash, you are… so good. It is me who has to prove to you that I am worthy of you. You have been here for me since my first days in this castle and you have stood by and watched me be with Francis. I didn't take your feelings into consideration, at first, but never once did you act as spiteful as him. I'm young still," she offered up her weak conclusion. "And my heart can waver, can't it?"

Sebastian looked at her, taking in how she looked sitting on his bed wearing one of his shirts, everything about her alluring to him.

"It's like looking at a fantasy come to life, seeing you right in front of me like this. Exposed." He dropped his hand down to the edge of the shirt she was wearing, taking a piece of it between his fingers.

A blush formed on her cheeks, creeping all the way down to her neck. "I must admit I was relieved to find myself wearing something when I woke up."

"You insisted… and I obliged, all the whilst keeping my eyes closed. I promise."

Mary shook her head, but her long locks didn't hide her smile from his glinting eyes. "I assume you're feeling better?"

She nodded. "It's wearing off, but I still feel tired."

Sebastian nodded, letting go of her and went to get up, but Mary reached for his arm with both of her hands, keeping him in place. "Bash," she said his name, almost close enough to rest her chin on his shoulder. "All our concerns won't magically disperse. I propose we let it be for a while. Come to bed… with me." The crimson in her cheeks deepened and both felt something stir within them. "I didn't mean that the way it must've sounded, or perhaps I do… I want you to be close," she confessed to him, looking him in the eyes.

Sebastian didn't say anything, simply kicking off his shoes and getting into the bed. He lost his shirt while she climbed back into her place besides him. She instinctively moved closer to him, placing her head on his bare chest and winding her bare leg around his. She brought her hand to his chest and his was already there to clasp hers. He touched his lips to her hair and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Everything would still be there after they were done taking a little time.

Please review? I am aware that this might have come over overly dramatic, but I hope I managed to keep the characters mostly in character. I just wanted to set the scene for a cute moment between Mary and Bash. They deserve just a moment for themselves. Please let me know what you thought and if you have any critical feedback, that is also welcome. :) I'm off to watch episode 12 now.