SO sorry for the delay! This chapter was difficult to write and I kept re-doing it. Anywho, I hope it came out ok. I put an extra 2 sneak peeks to reward your patience (since the nurse Mary and sick Bash has happened). Would you guys like sneak peeks at the end of each chapter?

I'm sorry the paragraphs don't indent on . I indent them when I write but it doesn't show up that way. I should also mention Mary says "Mum" because she's originally from Scotland. My mom was raised in Canada by a Scottish mother and English father and though both have been dead for several years and she hasn't lived in Canada since she was 17, she still writers "Mum" on Christmas cards and emails =)

Disclaimer: I don't own Reign or the characters or the Monkees (but I am going to their concert May 28th-the day after my bday!)

Doing all those things
Without any strings
To tie me down.

I Wanna Be Free- The Monkees

"First, Henry isn't a bad person. He makes mistakes just like any of us and that doesn't excuse him but I don't want you to think he's an awful human being," Bash told me.

I nodded. "I'll try."

He smiled. "That's all I ask."

"So what happened?"

Bash took a deep breath. "I've dated a few girls. I don't want to say they've been bad experiences because I've learned from most of them but I'm still trying to figure out what I learned from this last girl. Maybe that girls prefer Henry to me? I don't know."

"Henry to you? I doubt that, unless you're dating older women who prefer a man nearly 30 years older than you."

"Thanks. Anyway, Francis introduced me to this girl at a work party the office was having for the 4th of July. I normally wouldn't have gone but my brother insisted I come. He introduced us and we hit it off. She was flirtatious but sweet and extremely pretty. So naturally I asked her to go to dinner with me that weekend."

"How was that?"

"It went well. She's forward and she knows what she wants. I found it attractive and so I asked her for another date the next weekend. After a few dates, it became a habit to just make plans together. I even brought her back here to meet Diane."

"Your mother? What did she think?"

Bash laughed. "The same as any mother- that no girl is good enough for her son. It took a while for her to even want to warm up to her. I don't think she ever fully did."

"So what happened next?"

"We were officially dating for a couple months. I won't bore you with details during that time period except the last month. Francis had become an official employee of the office and came to my house one night worried about her. He said she'd been acting strange."

"I'm sorry Bash, I don't mean to interrupt you, but can you at least tell me the name of this girl?" I asked.

"I will soon. So Francis was worried about her so I went to her home and told her I was concerned about her without mentioning what my brother had said. She brushed it off and said it was nothing. I didn't push her." He put a finger to his throat. "Sorry, my throat is hurting. I need more water,. Can I get you some?"

"I'll get the water," I took his glass from him before he could argue. After I filled them both, I sat back down.

"By the end of November, she and I had started seeing each other less and less. I thought she was busy but she decided we should end the relationship."

"But I thought you said-"

"I did. And she did do that, which is how she ended the relationship. She didn't tell me, Francis told me about it."

"Francis caught them? How?"

"He never would have, but he left his credit card at his desk. He went back late at night and saw her all over Henry in the conference room. He left as quickly as he could and told me that night."

"Your brother is very loyal to you."

"He has his moments. Can't say the same about Kenna."

Bash saw my expression. The woman being Kenna made me remember the first day. When she and Mr. Valois had given each other a smile, one that looked like they shared a secret.

"Yes, Kenna. Go ahead and criticize me for it."

"Bash, I wouldn't do that. It wasn't your fault."

"But that's the point! It was."

"How was any of it your fault?"

"I thought I was giving her enough attention but perhaps I said something I shouldn't. She is eccentric at times and there could have been a misunderstanding..."

"Oh for gods sake Sebastian! Don't blame any of her actions on yourself. She's a grown woman who made her choice, however wrong it was, and you can do so much better than her!"

I hadn't realized my voice had risen an octave.

"Wow," he said. "You'll make a great attorney one day, with that spirit you have."

"I'm sorry if I yelled at you Bash. I was just trying to get my point across t you which I can see now I have."

"Oh, you definitely did make your point Mary. Well, this was a nice conversation but I have to get ready for work. Thanks again for cooking everything, it was great. Do you mind if I take some of the dessert to go?"

I jumped up. "Not at all. I'll wrap everything up while you get ready," he reached for his plate, "don't you dare touch the plates or cups. Leave those to me."

"I have time to wash them."

"Bash, go get dressed."

He had put on sweats after his shower which I guess wasn't appropriate for work. After giving me a mock bow, he headed to his room and I started to wash everything. I was almost done when I heard footsteps and saw Bash coming back into the kitchen.

I looked at him.

"Oh," I said more to myself, in a whisper.

He had changed from sweats and a baggy shirt to jeans and a dress shirt. No tie or suit, but a light blue dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, and a white shirt underneath. That mixed with the hair that he hadn't bothered to fix and the slight stubble made him look, well, good.

Very good.

"Mary! Earth to Mary," he waved his hand in front of my face.

"Oh! Sorry, I spaced out for a second. What were you saying?"

"I was asking if you were ready. I have to lock the door and I don't think you want to stay here by yourself. I'm not trying to kick you out but Diane might be wondering who you are if she comes home and you're here by yourself."

"Of course. Let me just get my bag and we'll go. So the medicine is making you feel better?" I asked as I handed him the shortbread cookies.

"Much better. Throat is still a little sore but nothing I can't handle."

He walked me to my car.

"Will you let me know if you start feeling sick again? Or text me when you get home so that I know you're not bent over a toilet."

He smiled. "I will. Don't worry about me."

"Promise?"

He put my pinky through his. "I promise."

I didn't hear from him until I woke up the next morning.

The text had been sent at 2:55.

I got off work at 2 but I'm keeping my promise and letting you know I'm home. Got a headache at work but sleep will help. - B

The fact that Bash had kept his promise made me smile for no reason.

And smiling helped after the cramps I'd felt when I woke up.

"Good morning," Mum was already downstairs making breakfast. I nodded and laid down on the couch.

"Do we have ice cream?" I asked her.

"Ice cream? Mary, it's the morning, why would you want that?"

"My monthly appointment is why. Do we have any?"

Her frown didn't escape my attention but she pointed to the freezer. "Could you at least wait until noon? I'm making pancakes."

"No."

She sighed in defeat. "One bite then. But then wait until noon."

I got up, had more than one bite straight from the ice cream tub, and then proceeded to lie back on the couch and put in a Disney movie. Disney movies always help make me feel better. I had my pancakes and was about halfway through Mary Poppins when the doorbell rang. I didn't want to answer it in my pajamas.

"Mary, it's Francis."

I groaned. Now was not the time.

I didn't have to get up. Mum had let him in.

"Bash told me you took care of him yesterday. Thank you for that. I wouldn't know how to do such a thing."

"It's not difficult. Just get them the right medicine, read the instructions on how often they're supposed to take it, and let them sleep a lot."

"Yes, but knowing what food would have made him sick was more tricky."

"Not really. Bash told me what you ate in front of him, which I know you did on purpose. He also said you were a terrible nurse."

Francis shrugged. "I never told him I was good in the medical field. Anyway," he reached into the backpack he'd brought, "this is for you."

He handed me a red envelope.

"What is it?" I opened it.

"Trust me, my mother wanted these done. I think invitations on paper is for children but I won't argue with her. It's an invitation to a party. My birthday party at the Lux Lounge in DC in two weeks time. My parents have paid and reserved for it. I've invited 250 people to be at the club and then about only 50 will come back to the house afterward. The invitation is for those who are invited to both. You're one of them."

I read over the invite. "In two weeks? Which day?"

"Saturday, February 8th. You in?"

The club was going to be open for us from 10 until 1, and then his house for as long as we'd want. That meant I wouldn't have to stay very long if I didn't want to, which I did but I didn't want to be the one girl who's there and doesn't know anyone.

"I can come."

Francis gave me a huge smile. "Excellent! You're going to love it, I promise." He grabbed his backpack and headed to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at work?"

"You will."

He nodded and left.

Mum came back down. "So what was that about?"

"He's invited me to his birthday party that's on February 8th. I told him I would go."

I knew Mum liked Francis when she first met him so I wasn't surprised to see her smiling. "It will be fun. You'll get to meet people."

"Perhaps."

She sat down on the ground beside me (I was still on the couch). "What's wrong?"

"He takes me on dates and then once we start working together, he treats me like any other colleague. Now he says I'm one of the few people who could come to his house after the party."

"The party won't be at his house?"

"No, it's at the Lux Lounge."

Mum started to worry. "Mary, be careful there. Don't accept drinks from people you don't know, even if they're friends with Francis."

"I know."

"I'll still worry but I trust you. And about the work situation, maybe he just wants to keep his professional life separate from his personal life. It might not have anything to do with you. He's asking you to his party at least, so he hasn't forgotten about you."

"Why are men so complicated?"

She smiled. "They think the same of us."

"I think women are much more simple to understand. I could walk around town and tell you which woman is in love with which man, but I couldn't say if a man is simply flirting with a woman or actually interested in her."

"You're thinking too much. Finish your movie, and then maybe we can go out for lunch? And watch another movie tonight with ice cream?"

"I'd love to."

We went to lunch at a pizzeria downtown and then did some shopping. The stores aren't open very long on Sundays so the only place we went to was a boutique.

Once we were home, we took off our make-up and settled into our sweats to watch 13 going on 30 (I felt like watching a romantic comedy). I forgot about the cramps and the upcoming party as I enjoyed our girls night.

So I wrote the prologue before 1x12 and completely forgot they ever showed Henry Jr (I'm calling him that), so that's why he's not in this story and it's just Elizabeth (who, IMO, did not look younger than Francis so I made her older), Francis, and Charlie (I put it as that instead of Charles) as the Valois kids.

Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.

The traffic graph increased by 1,500 just since that last chapter so maybe people are catching up. But reviews are motivation!

SNEAK PEEKS: Well we've had more Marie, but here are two more sneakings and peekings for you guys:

Mary will meet Diane.

Bash will meet Marie (let's see what her first impression of him is)