I'm sorry that it took me so long to get out of my creative slump regarding this story. I knew what I wanted to happen. I just wasn't sure how I wanted to get there. I was kind of stuck on the last chapter. After months of stagnancy, I decided to give Chapter 15 a shot. I hope that this is satisfactory. I know that things are starting to get good.

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Chapter 15

Clara sat with her daughter and Basil in, of all the places in Paris, a French McDonalds. Izzy had ordered some chips with her burger and so did Basil, but she herself had decided against ordering her own. Still, she thought as she bit into her burger, thos chips looked really tempting. She chewed, swallowed, and set her burger down. The moment Basil looked at his phone, she snatched a chip from his box and popped it into her mouth. Izzy couldn't seem to be able to hide a snicker. Basil looked at Izzy and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." Izzy giggled.

Basil gave his daughter a long, hard look before returning his attention to his phone. He seemed to be checking an email. Clara grabbed another chip and ate it. Izzy succeeded in holding back a laugh. Emboldened by her success, the petite writer reached out to grab another chip. Suddenly, her hand was grabbed by Basil. Looking up from his phone, the doctor asked, "Could you stop stealing my chips?"

Clara, recovering from the surprise of being caught, said, "I didn't order any for myself."

Basil lowered his phone, released Clara's hand, and smirked. "Well, that was your decision. You'll have to live with it."

The doctor's smirk seemed to make him almost more attractive, Clara thought, her face heating up. Dismissing this, she batted her eyelashes at him and said, "Can't I have at least one more chip?"

Basil let out a melodramatic sigh and said, "Fine. Just one more chip."

The doctor picked up a particularly delicious-looking chip and brought it over to Clara. For reasons unknown to herself, she opened her mouth. Basil raised a brow but nonetheless guided the piece of fried potato into the petite brunette's mouth. He then retreated and returned his hand to his side of the table. The moment Clara finished chewing and swallowed, the doctor seemed to notice something on her face. "You have something on your face." he said.

Basil then reached over and brushed some sauce from just below Clara's lower lip with his thumb. She looked up at him, surprised. Their eyes met. She gazed into his blue-grey eyes for what felt like an eternity before he tore his eyes away and withdrew his hand, his face turning red. Clara looked down at her burger, her own face heating up. She suspected that she was blushing just as furiously as Basil. Clara tried to look anywhere but the man in front of her. Her eyes darted to her daughter, who seemed to be focusing on her burger. Had Clara not known better, she might say that the twelve-year-old had an almost smug look in her eyes, eyes which were so much like Basil's. She really hadn't thought about it, but those eyes were one of the things that she liked about the doctor. He was not an unattractive man, she thought. He was kind of attractive in his own unique way. She glanced at Basil again, who was slowly eating his burger and trying not to stare at her. Eventually, he turned his attention to Izzy. "You know that this food isn't good for us, right?" he said with a smirk.

Izzy rolled her eyes and said, "We're on holiday. It doesn't count. Besides, I've seen the pizzas in your freezer."

The two then launched into an extended train of banter. Izzy looked like her, Clara thought, but there was so much of Basil in her movements and facial expressions. It was clear to anyone who saw her that they were related. To be honest, Clara wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one hand, she felt oddly warm at this realisation. On the other hand, she had the irrational worry of losing her little girl to this man. It was ridiculous and she knew it because no one could replace Danny as Izzy's dad, but somehow Basil had wormed his way into their little family. He was no Danny, but it was still as if he somehow belonged there. Maybe, Clara decided, that thought wasn't as scary as it was on Izzy's birthday.

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The rest of their holiday in Paris was mostly uneventful, Basil thought, aside from his occasional glances at Clara. Well, more than just occasional. He tried to be subtle about it, but it was as if he couldn't keep her eyes off her. He felt kind of funny when he looked at her. It was a feeling that he hadn't had in decades. He couldn't help it. She was beautiful, kind, intelligent, and quite assertive when the situation called for it. It was probably his imagination, but sometimes he thought that he might have caught her looking at him like that, too. It was their last night in Paris. The next morning, they would be flying home. Isabel was exhausted and had sat down to take a breather. Basil looked up at the Eiffel Tower, which loomed over them. It was one of the city's most famous landmarks and considered somewhat romantic, to say the least. Unconsciously, he reached out and took Clara's hand in his. Her eyes shot to him. He met her eyes once more. Their gaze broke as she threaded her fingers through his. Clara cleared her throat and said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Basil looked at Clara again before replying, "Yeah. Beautiful."

He looked up at the tower, wondering if he had been talking about the structure when he had used the word 'beautiful'. He then heard an American-accented, feminine voice speak up. "It's so romantic, isn't it?"

Basil looked at the woman, who appeared to be in her 70s. "What?" he said bluntly.

"This spot." she clarified. She looked at Clara and smiled. "I remember when my husband and I came here for the first time, fifty years ago on our honeymoon. I always love seeing newlyweds enjoying Paris."

"Newlyweds?" Clara was confused.

"You and your husband here don't seem to have been married all that long." the old woman said.

Clara and Basil looked at each other, shocked. Quickly, the doctor said, "We're not married."

"Oh. Pardon me." the woman chuckled before glancing at Isabel. "Though, judging from your beautiful daughter here, you've been together for a while."

"We're not a couple." Clara said hastily.

The American woman gave the two a long look before she said, "Pardon me?"

"It's complicated." Basil added.

"I see." the woman said. She then said, "Well, I hope you have a good time regardless. Have a lovely evening, you two!"

The American then left to head over to a man about Basil's age. Judging from the man's appearance, he figured that he was the woman's son. He watched the two walk away before looking at Clara. She was biting her lip and looking away from him. He wondered how those lips would feel against his. Realising what he was thinking, Basil blushed furiously. He glanced over at Isabel, who was watching them and smirking. He couldn't be sure what she was thinking, but he wondered if she was plotting something. It was a look that he had seen both on himself and his sister. He could only hope that she wouldn't get into trouble.

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The flight they were on was uneventful, though Clara was slightly airsick. Isabel seemed to be lost in thought while reading a book. She looked over at Basil, then back at the book. After a long while, she finally spoke. "Basil?"

"What is it?" Basil asked.

"I was wondering…" the twelve-year-old said hesitantly.

"About what?" Basil inquired.

"I was wondering if maybe I could meet your family." Isabel said quietly.

"You've already met Missy." Basil replied.

"What about your parents?" Isabel asked.

"That's not really a question you should ask now." Basil said. "Besides, I only have one parent. My father is dead and I only have a step-dad and my mother."

"Maybe Mum and I could meet your mum." Isabel suggested.

"My mother is… complicated." Basil said. He gave his daughter a smile and said, "Though to be honest, I'm certain that she wouldn't mind meeting her grand-" he paused before correcting himself. "meeting you."

Isabel shrugged and said, "You don't need to decide now. Just think about it, okay?"

"All right." Basil nodded. "I'll think about it."