When she reaches, she finds the space next to her cold and empty and when she cracks her eyes open she doesn't see him. The room is still dark, looking at the window she sees that it's barely light out.
"Francis?" Mary questions. Did he already leave? Was that it? Was last night just a goodbye? Her stomach twists at that and she moves to get up.
"I'm still here." Her head snaps to the corner of the room and there he is, buttoning up his shirt and the knot in her stomach loosens.
"It's still dark outside."
"I see that." He smirks and then he walks over, sits on the edge of the bed, brushes her hair back, "I didn't want to wake you, you should go back to sleep."
"Are you leaving?" She asks softly and he nods.
"I've already stayed longer than I was given time for, I have to." Right, Paris. She figured this wouldn't change that, he has a whole other life over there and one night with her wasn't going to make him abandon it. It doesn't make this hurt less. "Mary."
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry." He says softly, "For everything."
"I know."
"I wish we did this sooner."
"Apologies or the sex?"
"Both."
"You don't have to leave right now." She suggests and he seems to consider it, but he shakes his head.
"Bash is outside." He sighs, "Not that you being naked in this bed isn't tempting enough to make him wait." Speaking of, they should probably talk about that, things are so different now. She's not sure what this means for them. Kenna's gonna have a field day with this new development.
"Uh…" She starts and then stops and then opens her mouth to start again but he stops her. He kisses her softly but it lingers a little longer than he probably intended and if Bash wasn't outside waiting for him he probably would have crawled back into bed with her, but he pulls away reluctantly and she pouts. He's right they should have done this sooner, all of it, she could have had more than one night with him. "I shouldn't keep you then."
"Unfortunately."
"Francis."
"Hm?"
"What happens now?" She asks softly, do they go back to how things were years ago? Surely they can't, too much time has passed since and there's been too much hurt to just pretend it never happened. Even if she wants to. She's not sure he wants to, she used to be good at reading him, knowing what he wanted. Another example of how much time has passed, she can't read him like that anymore. He shrugs.
"Mary, I still want a future with you if you're open to it." He says softly and she tries to speak but he interrupts her, "I know your opinion on Paris, I know you think it won't work, but it would mean the world to me if we tried to make it work."
"Okay."
"Really?" He seems surprised and she nods, "Wow that was easy."
"I told you I changed my mind the second you left. You'd know that if yo-"
"Answered the phone, I know." He says and she smiles, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"It's really not."
"Francis. I'm okay, it's okay." She says softly and she interlaces her fingers with his, "Though, I'm not the only one you need to apologize to."
"Right."
"Just...promise you'll answer when I call you. Maybe not every time I know you'll be busy."
"I promise." He smiles and he leans forward but before he can connect their lips again, his phone rings and his head falls to her shoulder with a groan and Mary laughs.
"You should probably answer that."
"I'd really rather not." He says softly as he presses a tiny kiss to her shoulder, she jumps when she feels a slight drag of his teeth against her skin and then he pulls away, answers with a roll of his eyes. When he's done taking the call, he stands. "I have to go now."
"Oh."
"Don't look at me like thaaaatt."
"Like what?"
"Like your whole world just ended." He says softly, "Hey."
"What?"
"I love you." He smiles and she smiles too, he doesn't move towards the door, just stares at her.
"I love you too."
"Yeah." He tosses his phone on her dresser, "Bash can wait." He says as he comes back to her and she yelps when he shoves her back down on the mattress.
"Francis!" She squeaks when he tears the sheet off of her and starts covering her in soft kisses.
"What?" He laughs as she squirms, "I'm just making up for lost time." He winks, "I missed you so so much."
"What about you-"
"I forgot how talkative you are." He says softly, "No more, the only sounds I want to hear are the ones I drag out of you." And then his mouth is on hers and all talking ceases and they both ignore the ringing for a little while.
Before she knows it, the snow is melted and it's been a month and a half since she last saw him, but he calls every day and he answers every time she calls him. Even if it's three in the morning where he is and she just woke him up. Mary groans as she browses the toy aisle, looking at her watch. She should have been smart and gotten this done days ago.
"Having trouble?" Francis asks and she rolls her eyes.
"What do you get a one-year-old What do they do? What do they like?" She asks and he laughs.
"What does Rose like?"
"I don't know, sleeping?"
"I've never related more to an infant." He says softly.
"I'm sorry, are you tired? Did I wake you up again?"
"No, baby." He says softly, her stomach flips at that, but she can hear it in his voice, he sounds exhausted. "Get her a book."
"Who gets a kid a book for her birthday? I'm supposed to be the cool aunt. Cool aunts don't gift books."
"Considering you don't know what she likes to do I think you're losing in the cool aunt category."
"Shut up."
"Mary, whatever you pick I'm sure she'll love it."
"You're just saying that." She says softly, picking up a stuffed elephant, she puts it back; she has hundreds of stuffed animals and she doesn't want to get her something she already has. "What if she hates it and then hates me? Every time she hears my name she'll be like, "Ugh Mary Stuart? She got me a book for my first birthday, who does that?" I have to get her something she'll actually like."
"Forgive me, Mary, but I think you're thinking way too much about this," Francis says and she can hear that he's trying not to laugh at her misfortune. She groans again, "Just pick something."
"I can't."
"Mary for the love of-"
"I wish you were here." She says softly. "You're better with at baby things than me."
"Believe me I wish I was there too." He sighs, "The baby things debatable."
"Uh, Rose didn't stop screaming until you held her."
"That was Rose." He says, "Ever wonder where Herc got that scar on the side of his head?"
"...What did you do?"
"I picked him up and he didn't want me, squirmed until he fell right into the coffee table."
"Francis!"
"It wasn't my fault, he shouldn't have squirmed so much. He's fine."
"You know I always thought he acted a little odd."
"He's fine," Francis says again.
"Seemed like he may have been dropped on his head at some point in his development."
"Stop it. He's fine." She laughs softly, thumbs through tiny baby outfits.
"Don't drop our kids." She says, "I'll kill you."
"Kids? With an S?"
"Francis."
"Is that a yes to seven?"
"Okay, no to seven." She says softly, "Yes to two."
"Two?"
"Two."
"How are we supposed to have a tiny baby army if you only let us have two?" He asks and she makes a face.
"A what now?" She shakes her head, she's not sure she wants to know, "Okay, two and a puppy."
"Three and a puppy."
"Francis."
"I see this is a conversation for later."
"For later and in person." She says as she continues to look through clothes, she's not really finding anything. She's about to just ask Lola to add her name to her gift. "I miss you."
"I miss you too."
"Am I still the cool aunt if I buy her clothes?" She asks and he laughs.
"Mary, she's one."
"I know."
"She's not going to remember who got her what." He says, "Just pick something before you're late and Greer skins you."
"She can try to skin me."
"I watched her take a grown man, twice her size, down with a frying pan. She will skin you."
"Oh!" She exclaims.
"What?"
"I found something."
"What is it?"
"It's one of those pomsie pets."
"Pomsie what?"
"It's one of those interactive stuffed animal thingies." She says, tossing it in the cart, realizing last minute she probably just broke it.
"Good job." Francis says softly and she smiles, "I have to go. Try to have fun, okay?"
"It's a one-year-olds' birthday party, Francis." She says, "It's going to be a rager."
"Okay." He laughs, "I'll call you later."
-/-
The party is what you'd expect it to be, Rose naps for most of it; being a baby and whatnot. When she's awake, she gets passed around like a doll and winds up on Mary's lap towards the end. Greer's dad came to the party, which was surprising and he even brought a gift for little Rosie but he left earlier than everyone else and he and Greer didn't even speak to each other much.
"So, this was fun." Kenna says softly as she sits at the dining table, "But I think it's time for some adult fun."
"Kenna, I love you but I don't love you that much," Lola says as she makes a face, Kenna makes one back, opens her mouth to speak but Greer comes back from putting Rose to bed and slams a wine bottle on the table.
"Oh. I see Greer was thinking the same." Kenna smirks, clapping her hands together.
"I put Rose to bed, poor thing was exhausted." Greer sighs as she sets some glasses down, "And now I want to just drink. Thank you guys for coming."
"No problem." Kenna smacks her back and she jumps, "I see your dad showed up."
"How'd you talk him into that?" Lola asks as she pours, setting a glass in front of Mary, "I thought he didn't approve."
"Surprisingly it took little convincing. I think my sister said something to him."
"Well, it's nice to see him coming around. Even if it is for five minutes."
"Oh, Mary." Kenna says suddenly, "Have you talked to Francis since he left?" She asks it as if she already knows and Mary blinks.
"Yeah…"
"Oh is he not ghosting you?"
"Nope." She says, "Actually, uh…I slept with him?"
"What!?" Everyone's eyes are on her now.
"I thought you guys knew that oops."
"No, you didn't tell us!" Kenna exclaims, "When? How? Are you guys back together?" Kenna throws several questions her way and Greer puts a hand over Kenna's mouth.
"Let her answer before you ask more."
"Uh...before he left, and yes we're trying…" She says softly and she really really thought she mentioned something to them, maybe she didn't. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I knew you couldn't stay away from each other." Lola shakes her head, "Well, I'm happy for you." She smiles and they talk some more about it but then Mary asks about Narcisse and the subject switches over. Now that they know about her and Francis, she's sure everyone else will figure it out too. Kenna and Greer eventually leave the table to clean up more and she stays with Lola, who's watching her with a careful eye.
"You're not drinking," Lola says softly, gesturing at Marys untouched wine glass and she shrugs.
"I have to work tomorrow." She says but Lola squints her eyes at her.
"That's never stopped you before."
"Lola-"
"Wait." Lola gasps, "Oh my god-" Mary shushes her quickly, "Are-"
"Lola, hush," Mary says quickly when she sees the other two heading back to the table, they're giggly and a little more energized than they were before, but they notice Lola's face, looking at Mary like she just cracked the code to the most complicated puzzle in existence.
"What's going on?" Greer asks as she sits down, "Lola are you feeling okay?"
"You should ask Mary that," Lola says with a smile and she chews at her lip, shushes her some more, now they're all looking at her like she's crazy and she sees Kenna slowly piecing it together and she gasps, loudly.
"What? What? What's going on?" Greer asks quickly, "What is everyone gasping at?"
"Greer." Mary says softly, "Uh…"
"Mary, for god's sake, if you don't say it, I will," Kenna warns, and they all wait for her to just let it out, to say it, but she doesn't, she just smirks.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She smiles and Lola reaches for her wine glass, removing it from Mary and Greer, bless her, finally gets it.
"Oh my god!" She squeaks, "Really?" Mary rolls her eyes.
"Have you told Francis?" Lola asks.
"Told him what? That we had sex? Give him some credit, he may be blonde but he's not that dense."
"You're not going to tell us, are you?" Kenna pouts. She doesn't see why she would need too, they already figured it out, besides it's still early and she doesn't want to confirm it with them in case something happens. So, she just sits, pretends she doesn't know what they're talking about and eventually they drop it.
Greer walks her to her car when she decides it's time to leave, saying goodbye to Lola, laughs when Kenna gives her a tiny wave from the couch as she's falling asleep.
"Hey," Greer says softly.
"Yes?" Mary asks as she unlocks her car.
"Are you excited?" She asks softly and Mary shrugs.
"Honestly, I'm pretty scared." She doesn't know the first thing about infants, and all the times she's had to watch Rose, just proves she doesn't. She has no idea how to mother one of those tiny humans, add in the fact Francis is in Paris and you got yourself a trainwreck.
"You'll be fine."
"I hope."
"Mary, it's terrifying, but you have Francis and all, I don't even know how many there are, of his siblings, and Catherine."
"Catherine…"
"You thought she was overbearing before, you're never going to be able to get her to leave you alone when she finds out about this." Greer smirks, "And you have us."
"Yeah, gosh that's a lot of people…"
"Takes a village."
"Hey, at least Rosie will have someone to play with now." Mary smiles and Greer laughs, "I just hope everything...is okay…"
"Why are you in p-"
"No." She says quickly, "But you know...it's early." And Greer nods and then she hugs her, pulls her into her, rubs her back.
"Get plenty of rest and try not to stress yourself out too much," She says, "And tell Francis." She sighs, she wants to tell him in person, it's not something that should be heard over the phone. But she isn't sure when he'll be able to come to visit and she'd rather not be showing by the time she can finally tell him.
She's sure if she tells him over the phone, he'll get on a plane as soon as he can.
She tells Catherine she's sick, it's not entirely false, she spends most of her free time in the bathroom or with her head in her trash can at work, but she has an appointment. It feels pretty real now, as she lays there on the table.
"This'll be a little cold at first." The doctor says as she squeezes out the gross gel on her stomach and she's right, Mary jumps when it touches her; it's pretty cold. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh...okay." She says softly, "The morning sickness is pretty bad."
"We can give you something for that, it'll get better the farther along you get. How far-"
"I'm not sure."
"Okay." She says softly and she turns the monitor away from Mary, squints.
"What?" Mary asks quickly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She smiles, "It looks like you're about six or so weeks, everything looks good."
"Yeah?"
"Look." She turns the monitor towards her and Mary squints at it, "See that little blob? Looks like a bean?"
"Yeah."
"That's your baby."
"That's it?" She asks softly, "Wow, it's so tiny." She smiles, tilts her head at it. It looks like a peanut, it doesn't look like a baby yet. She doesn't know what she expected it to look like, she didn't expect it to be so so tiny. The girl laughs.
"Yeah, they're pretty small at this point." She shakes her head, "Everything looks great, measuring where it should, we can give you something for nausea. I'm going to go print this off, how many did you want?"
"Two."
"Okay, I'll be right back." She says, "Congratulations."
"Thanks." She says softly as she wipes the gel off and pulls her shirt back down. She spends a little bit of time just staring at her little peanut still up on the monitor and nearly jumps out of her skin when her phone rings.
"Hello?"
"How are you feeling?" Francis asks and she makes a face. Someone better not have told him before she did.
"What?"
"My mother told me you were sick?"
"Oh." She nods, "I'm fine. It's probably just something I ate." God if only he knew where she was right now. "Hey."
"Hello."
"You should visit."
"You should visit." He says softly and she shakes her head, a plane and her terrible morning sickness don't sound like a fun time. Can she even fly? Isn't that bad for pregnant people? She hates that she knows nothing about this stuff.
"Francis, I'm sick." She says softly, "And I need to see you."
"Hm, do you?"
"Yes." She chews at her lip, she needs to tell him soon. She needs him to know so she can talk about it with someone other than three really nosey people.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes?"
"That didn't sound convincing."
"Francis, I'm fine." She says softly, "Just miss you."
"You just saw me a couple weeks ago."
"Six."
"Wow someone's been keeping count."
"Please."
"I'll see what I can do, but I don't know. Don't get your hopes up, okay?" He says softly.
"Okay."
"Get some sleep, you sound tired."
"Sure." And she jumps a little when the door opens again and the doctor comes back, "I gotta go." She says quickly and then she hangs up on him before he can say anything. She hopes that didn't come off suspicious.
"I accidentally printed off an extra one." She says as she hands them over, "I want you back in two weeks, okay? Take it easy."
"Okay."
"It's still early."
"I know."
"Lots of rest and keep taking those vitamins."
"Yeah." Mary nods, ready to get out of here and take a nap at home. When she's in her car, she sets the pictures down on the passenger seat, still not believing something so small is in her right now and that one day it'll be a full-fledged human that she has to help navigate the world. She wonders if it'll look like Francis, probably. She hopes it has his eyes, those pretty blues that she has no idea where he got them from. Or if it'll look like her, or maybe just a perfect blend of both of them.
She almost takes a picture and sends it to him, but she needs to tell him in person. If she's going to give the man a heart attack, she damn well gonna do it with him in front of her.
S he sleeps pretty much the rest of the day, waking when it's dark outside. She has a bunch of messages. She opens the group chat first.
Kenna: "How are you feeling?"
Lola: "Yeah how was your appointment?"
Greer: "Have you told Francis yet?"
Lola: "Probably not."
Kenna: "She wants to do it in person."
Kenna: "Then we can tell people, right, I'm literally dying."
Mary: "It was fine." She sends a picture of the ultrasound to them.
Mary: "Look! It's so tiny."
Greer: "Aaawww, I'm so excited."
Kenna: "I'm praying it has his hair."
Lola: "Same ^"
Mary: "Come on, I want my kid to look a little like meeee." She sighs as she sets her phone down for a minute and she just closes her eyes when it starts to ring, it's probably Francis. She should get that, but she's too tired to move. She reaches.
"What?"
"I was hoping for a hello, but what works too," Francis says and she can hear the smirk. She stretches, "How are you feeling?"
"Okay."
"Any better than this morning?"
"I'm probably not going to work tomorrow." She says softly, she stretches.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Getting on a plane sounds like a great treatment plan."
"Mary."
"Can't you just sneak away? Just for a day or two?"
"Doesn't work like that, babe." He says softly, "I wish I could, I miss you too." She groans, curling up a little more as she listens to him talk, eventually, she moves to her room and crawls in bed. Giving tiny acknowledgments to whatever he's telling her about. She stopped paying attention a little bit ago, instead started dozing off.
"Mary?" She hears, "Hello? Did you fall asleep on me?"
"A little."
"Rude."
"I'm sleepy." She whines, "and I miss you."
"I know." He says softly, "Go to sleep, I'll see you soon."
"What?"
"What?"
"Francis."
"Byyeee." He hangs up and she's too tired to dwell on it so she goes to sleep.
-/-
The next day, she doesn't talk to him at all which is a little weird. He doesn't answer when she calls him and he doesn't text back like usual. Her stomach twists, did she do something wrong? Does he hate her again? Are they going back to how things were the last few years? The thought nearly knocks the wind out of her. They can't go back to that, she can't do this alone. She tries him all day, but he doesn't return any of her calls and he isn't in a hurry to quiet her worries either so she must have done something really bad.
Did he find out about the baby and he's angry because she didn't tell him? No, he definitely wouldn't cut her out again if he knew there was a child involved.
She works herself up, crying and then puking and then crying again and she's too busy burying her head in the toilet to answer the loud knocking on her door right now.
"It's-" She heaves, "It's open!" She shouts and goes back to spewing what little bit of lunch she forced herself to eat, that remained in her stomach out. She hears keys hit the bowl by the door, heavy feet hitting the floor, heading for her.
"Oh, god you look horrible." Francis' voice is soft as he heads for her, he pulls her hair back.
"Go away." She mutters. "What are you doing here?"
"Mary, I'm not going anywhere." He says softly, kneeling down next to her, he rubs her back.
"It's gross."
"I had to take care of my younger siblings when they were sick, believe me, I've seen worse." He says as he wets a washcloth and brings it to her mouth, he wipes gently. "This contagious?"
"No."
"You sure?" She's pretty sure. He pulls her up, uses his foot to flush and then he's tugging her to the couch. "You don't feel warm." He says softly and it reminds her of the time she got food poisoning and her mom was away like she always was, so he took care of her.
"Francis." She says softly, "I'm not sick."
"You're in denial, then." He says, pressing a kiss to her forehead and she rolls her eyes. "I brought some soup, I can heat it up for yo-"
"I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat-"
"I thought you were mad at me." She says softly, "I've been calling all day."
"I'm sorry, I wanted to surprise you."
"I thought you couldn't-"
"I quit my job." He says it quickly, casually as he covers her with a blanket and heads to the kitchen. "I actually quit several weeks ago, but I had to take care of some things- why are you looking at me like that?"
"You quit your job?"
"Yup."
"But you love your job."
"I love you more." He says softly and she sits up, "Eh. Lay down."
"Francis, tell me you didn't do it for me."
"I didn't do it for you." But he did, she can see it on his face and she stands, "Baby, lay down."
"Francis…" She swallows, "No, you can't quit for me."
"I missed you." He says with a smirk, "And my mother surprisingly and all my hotheaded siblings, it wasn't just for you, though you had a lot to do with the decision making." He looks up, "Girl if you don't lay down I-"
"I'm pregnant." He doesn't hear her over the roaring of the electric can opener, she walks over to him, pulls his hand away from it to stop the noise. "Francis."
"What?"
"You're staying?"
"If you'll have me." He says and she smiles, "I did keep the house in Paris, but that's just for vacationing and if you think it's too soon to live together, Bash has an extra room since he mo-"
"I'm pregnant." She says and he stops.
"What?"
"I'm-"
"Don't...tease me, Mary."
"I'm not. I'm serious."
"You're…" He says softly, "Really?"
"Yes." This isn't the reaction she thought she'd get, he just stands there, looking at her like she's insane. And then it hits him, she watches it sink into him, and he smiles. The way she loves, the kind of smile that reaches his eyes and she smiles too. She almost falls over when he grabs her, lifts her off the ground and spins her around.
"I love you." He beams, presses a kiss to her cheek and then her lips, "Mary…"
"What?" She asks softly as he sets her on the counter but doesn't step back.
"We have to get married."
"Okay." She laughs, "I didn't tell your mother yet, I figured if you were with me she'd be a little nicer about it." He laughs as he presses his forehead against hers.
"If she doesn't suspect it already." He says softly, "I can't believe it." He says as his hand finds her stomach, "One down, six to go."
"Francis, no." She laughs. He laughs too, pulls her off the counter, helps her steady herself back on the ground.
"Maybe there's two in there."
"I hope not." She makes a face, she's sick enough already, she can't imagine what it would be like if she were having twins. "The thingie only showed one." She says grabbing one from the top of the fridge and hands it to him, he smiles.
"Wow, it's so small."
"I know…" She says softly, resting her chin on his shoulder, "Looks like a little peanut." He sets it down and pulls her back to the couch.
"I love you so much." He whispers and then he's kissing her, long and slow and she probably tastes like vomit but he doesn't seem to care or maybe he doesn't notice. She pulls away.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." She says softly, "I'm just really happy you're back."
"I'm happy to be back." He says pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, "And I'm never ever leaving you again."
A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading. I had so much fun writing this, I'm pretty sad it's over. I hope you liked this last chapter.
I'm not done with these two yet, I have some leftover flashbacks that I either scrapped last minute or just didn't have a place for. I'm not sure what I want to do yet. Some of you have asked if there is going to be a sequel, I don't know. Honestly, I'd love to do it, but I just don't know what it'll be about. So, if you have any suggestions, ideas, whatever, don't be afraid to tell me.
Thanks for reading. :)