So, Bash is 20, Francis - 17, Charles - 10, Henri - 9, Louis - 6 and Hercule is 4. We'll also get some moments between Bash and the youngest girls, Henriette and Emone who are 7. Chapters 17 and 18 have been posted.

"Papa, ils sont ici!" Henri calls out to Henry, pulling Bash in the direction of the playroom as Francis follows behind, searching for their parents. "Joue avec nous! Come play, come play!"

Bash raises his eyebrows, lifting Hercule into his arms the second Henri lets go to show off his LEGO set. "That's nice, Henri," he says, running his fingers through Hercule's hair. He rarely sees his younger half-siblings and he can't believe that Hercule is this big already after only seeing them through screens whenever Francis came home for a visit or contacted him back when Bash was still in school.

He's never physically met Hercule and he smiles when the boy points to their matching eyes and hair colour, pressing a long kiss on Hercule's forehead before nuzzling his nose against his. He wonders where Louis is, the last time he was home, Louis had just turned two and was munching away on people's fingers and phones. Charles had been six and Henri had been five the last time they saw him so he's glad they still remember him physically enough to be comfortable around him - Hercule's another case, he'd have to bond with him more.

"Do you guys practice your English?" Francis asks, sitting cross-legged between Charles and Henri with their LEGO replica of the Eiffel Tower.

"Oui," Charles mumbles distractedly, slapping Francis's hand away from a LEGO piece on top of the box.

"Sebastian, Francis, is that you?"

"Oui, Papa," Francis calls out, ruffling Charles's hair as Bash mutters something in French to a babbling Hercule. It makes him smile, knowing that in four years, Bash would have a four-year-old himself. "You better teach Amelia French. I'll help with the Italian."

Bash chuckles as their father enters. "Hey."

"We," Henry starts, pulling a tired Louis into the room. "Are going horseriding tomorrow morning and then Disneyland."

"God, no," Bash mutters. "Horseriding, yes but Disney? No. Not in a mi-"

"One day, my darling granddaughter would love to experience all the things her parents did as children. Like go to Disneyland or Disney World in Kenna's case and she will be so happy to have experiences like that and hold it dear to her heart before she becomes an independent woman-"

"Fine," Bash says, rolling his eyes. "But you better have the VIP tickets. I am not waiting for three bloody hours in a queue."

Francis laughs. "Remember when-"

"Shut up, Francis-"

"You pissed yourself-"

"I didn't piss myself!" Bash cries out, making Hercule jump in his arms. "I just didn't know I sat on the fountain."

Francis smirks. "Yeah, we'll go with that," he says before leaning close to Charles and Henri. "He totally pissed himself." He chuckles with the giggling boys.

...

"How's Amelia?"

Kenna turns to the screen after checking something away from it, probably Amelia herself, and she smiles. "She's good. Eating enough because her poo is coming out really green and solid. That's a good sign."

Bash smiles, looking down at Hercule who is curled up on his chest, staring at a YouTube video playing on Bash's iPad. "That's good. Want to meet my youngest sibling?"

Kenna nods. "Hercule, right?"

"Yeah," he says, shifting the phone over to Hercule who eyes the screen warily. "Say 'hi' Hercule."

"Qui est-elle?" Hercule mumbles shyly, digging his face into Bash's chest.

Bash raises his eyebrows. "Hercule, that's my wife. Remember Amelia, my daughter and your niece?" He asks, Hercule nodding. "Well, that's her maman, Kenna."

There's a knock on the door and Francis peeks inside, sighing in relief. "There you are, Hercule! You ran away from bathtime, silly."

Hercule grins cruelly and Bash makes a disapproving sound that makes his grin waver. "I don't want a bath!"

"So now he speaks English," Francis mutters lightly.

"Is that Francis?" Kenna asks.

Bash nods, returning the screen towards his direction. "Dad thought it would be fun to get him on bathtime duty."

Kenna snorts as Amelia starts crying. "Mary's got her. She's staying, you don't mind do you? My parents are away so I couldn't be bothered to go to theirs."

"Not at all," Bash tells her. "Do you want to say 'hi' to Francis? I know you'll be dying to since he's your new best friend and-"

"Kenna, hi!" Francis says, jumping on the bed and grabbing Bash's phone out of his hand.

Bash chuckles, letting them get on with whatever their conversation is about, hearing Mary join in as he turns his attention onto Hercule. "How about I give you a bath?"

Hercule nods and hurries off the bed with Bash following, pushing Francis on the way which gets him a kick at the back of his knee. He laughs, missing how they could annoy each other and mess about. Boys will be boys.

"Oh, Sebastian," Catherine says, heading down the hallway. "I found more stuff for Amelia. It's the girls' things really. Also, have you and Kenna thought of having Amelia christened?" Her hand latches onto his arm as they follow Hercules to the main bathroom where Louis leaves, dressed in his pyjamas.

"We haven't really talked about that," Bash admits.

Catherine stops him. "You must have Amelia christened. I was thinking of a December event, we will invite the family. Oh, my mother would love to attend, meet her great-granddaughter for the first time and-"

"L'heure du bain!" Hercule sings.

Bash sighs. "I'm coming, Herc. Catherine, I will bring it up with Kenna-"

"Tell her it must be here in France. We'll do it in the gardens," Catherine tells him before heading towards Louis and Hercule's room after Louis. "You better have brushed your teeth, young man!"

Bash rolls his eyes and enters the bathroom, plugging the bottom of the tub before running the water. "Your mother's annoying."

"Elle est aussi le vôtre."

"No, Bubba," Bash says over his shoulder as he searches for the kids' bubble bath. "We have different mamans, remember?"

"Why?"

"Because," Bash starts, pulling Hercule's shirt up and off the boy's head. "Dad was with my maman first and then he was with yours." It's too complicated to explain that Dad cheated on your mother with mine.

"What about Francis?" Hercule asks, poking at Bash's nose.

Bash flinches, chuckles and rolls his eyes playfully. "You, Loulou, Henri, Charlie and Francis have the same maman."

"Why?"

"You will understand when you're older," Bash promises him softly as he continues to undress the child and turn off the taps. "I can't wait for you to meet Amelia though."

"Will you have more?"

Bash furrows his brows, lifting Hercule into the tub. "What?"

"Babies."

Bash chuckles, shaking his head. "I don't know about that, Herc. I'm good with one baby for now," he tells his brother before grabbing the shampoo.

Maybe this trip is useful. When he lived at home, they'd have the governess tend to them but it seems as if Catherine and Henry have relaxed on their children over the years. Now, Bash can use Hercule and the rest of his siblings as practice for when Amelia's bigger.

When he's done, he brushes Hercule's teeth for him before putting him in fresh pyjamas and sending him on his way. Before he heads to his own bedroom, Hercule calls out to him.

"Pouvez-vous rester pour toujours?"

Bash turns to him, seeing the child's face through the soft glow of his night light. "Hercule, my home is in England. I can't stay here forever."

"Why?"

"Well, Amelia's there," Bash starts, coming back inside and perching on the edge of the bed. "And Kenna. My family."

"Sommes-nous pas votre famille?"

Damn, this kid is smart for a four-year-old. Then again, not surprised, Bash thinks lightly. "Okay, I have two families. Well, three. This one with you, your mother, our dad and our siblings," he tells Hercule. "Then the next one with Kenna and our daughter, Amelia. And finally, the one I have with my mother and my older siblings from her. You are my family but I've got one that I have to look after as Papa looks after you and your mother and the rest." He tuts. "It's all a bit complicated but you will understand when you grow up."

Hercule nods and looks over at where Louis's snoring away on the other side of the room. "Stay?"

"I've got to go back to my bedroom, Hercule," Bash says softly. "I know we barely know each other and the only thing you know is that I'm your big brother with a wife and kid, but we'll make up for it tomorrow and on Sunday."

Hercule pouts and Bash sighs heavily. He really wants to call Kenna and have a proper conversation without young ears hearing but at the same time, this is the first time he and Hercule have seen each other and according to Catherine, he's clingy until you overdose him on what he wants from your presence.

I can always call her tomorrow morning..., he thinks before saying, "Let me get changed and I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Hercule says excitedly as he watches Bash leave.

Bash feels his phone, that he retrieved from Francis, vibrate in his pocket and he quickly taps out an apology, explaining that his brother needed him.

{From Kenna: That's so sweet. It's fine x Talk later?}

{To Kenna: Definitely. Give Lia a kiss from me x}

{From Kenna: Will do x}

After he gets dressed in his pyjamas, he returns to see Hercule patiently waiting for him, the boy shuffling across his bed and beckoning Bash over with a pat on the surface.

If Amelia does this in the future, I don't know what I'll do, he thinks lightly before chuckling and getting under the duvet, pulling it up to Hercule's chin.

"Bon nuit, petit frère," he mumbles tiredly.

"Bon nuit, grand frère," Hercule replies, snuggling into Bash's chest as they fall asleep.

...

"My back hurts," Bash mutters darkly as he searches the stalls for his horse, a hand against his lower back. "Hercule kicked me out of the bed. Why did no one warn me that he was a mover?"

Francis chuckles, retrieving his white stallion. "It's practice for when Amelia wants those bedtime stories," he says cheekily, stroking his horse's mane.

"Never again," Bash tells his brother, his eyes finally landing on the poor horse he'd abandoned for England. "There he is."

"Your first girlfriend," Francis teases, receiving a smack on the back of his head. "I'll tell Dad you're hitting me."

"I thought you were seventeen, not seven," is Bash's reply as he prepares his reins and strokes his horse's back. "It's been too long, my beloved Paris."

Francis watches on his amusement. Horse whisperer, he thinks as he heads outside, Charlemagne following behind him. Times like these make Francis miss France. They lived in the countryside in Versailles, land vast enough for their own farm and stables. Anything they wanted, they got and Francis can't deny that their parents spoilt them a lot.

"He's a difficult one," Henry says of Paris as he lifts Hercule onto his own Shetland pony. "Wouldn't calm for anyone save you."

Bash smiles wryly, leaving Paris to help Louis get onto his own pony. "They had horseriding at boarding school," he starts. "I tried one term with two horses but none of them was Paris."

"We could have made moves to transport him to England," Henry states.

"Not worth the hassle," Bash mumbles. "I should come home more. If that's alright with you?"

Henry's brows raise and he shares a smile with Francis before nodding. "Definitely. And I think you'd insult Catherine by not bringing Amelia with you. Did you hear? She's planning her christening."

"I haven't even asked Kenna..." Bash trails off. "Great, now she'll kill me for not involving her."

Henry laughs. "Lay the blame on Catherine, even her parents know they can't stop her when she gets an idea in her head."

Bash bites his lip and nods, getting onto his horse and watching as Henry attaches Paris to Hercule's pony. "Let me guess, he doesn't want to be away from me?"

Henry nods. "Let his clinginess play out. It's good practice," he tells Bash before Bash starts riding off at a slow gallop with Hercule's excitement rising as his pony follows after.

...

"You look so dead," Mary says, making Bash scowl and Kenna giggles. "Was Disneyland so bad?"

Bash rolls his eyes. "Firstly, it's freezing cold. Secondly, Hercule couldn't be arsed to stand for himself so I had to carry him for three hours. Thirdly, we are never taking Amelia to any of the Disneys."

Kenna snorts now. "We are so taking her to Disneyland," she tells him. "Look how cute Bash looks, Mary. So paternal with lickle Hercule asleep on him. It's attractive for a woman to see."

Mary eyes Kenna suspiciously, a curious smirk playing on her lips as she says, "Yeah... It is." She then clears her throat. "Francis is calling, I'll leave you guys to swoon over children."

Bash sees her disappear from sight and he gently coaxes himself out of Hercule's tight grip on him before pressing a kiss on his head. He heads to Louis's bed and spots the child wide awake on his tablet.

"Donne le moi," he says.

Louis pouts, giving him the tablet. "Five more minutes?"

"Nope," Bash says, turning it off and tucking it under his arm. "Bedtime."

"Story?"

"Not tonight, buddy. I'm on a phone call," Bash says, checking to see that Kenna's still there.

Louis tucks himself in and waits patiently. "Kiss?"

"I thought you were a big boy," Bash asks, amused. "Remember today? You can stand for two hours because you're grown?"

Louis crosses his arms angrily. "I'm not too big for a kiss! Maman does it every night."

"Okay," Bash relents, pecking Louis' forehead and leaving the child satisfied. "No more screens when it's bedtime, okay? Or you'll be on horse muck up duty."

"Fine..."

Bash chuckles and finally leaves the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "I feel like I need to tell my parents what the meaning of protection is because I have too many siblings to kiss 'goodnight'," he tells Kenna.

"You'll need to abide by your own advice," she quips. "Remember Amelia?"

Bash playfully rolls his eyes, opening the door a crack to check on the twins, Henriette and Emone. "I know you're both awake."

Emone is the first one to peek her head out from under the tent they've made. "Go away!"

"It's past eight, you know what that means," Bash tells her, pulling the sheets up to reveal two girls and a bunch of eaten chocolates between them. "Oh, no."

"What is it, Bash?" Kenna asks as he shows her what he's found. "Ouch. Good luck dealing with that sugar rush!"

Bash slaps a hand over his face. "I just wanted one night," he mutters to himself. "Okay, how about this? I'll make you both some warm milk and read you a bedtime story."

Henriette grins. "Yes, please!"

"Kenna, I'll call you back," he promises.

Kenna waves him off. "Call me tomorrow morning."

"But-"

"I've got stuff to deal with anyway. Uh, bye."

He sighs when she hangs up and he looks down at the girls. "Right, let's head downstairs then..."

Bash is glad that Charles, Henri, Claude, Elisabeth and Margaret don't need him checking on them. It has always been the youngest siblings that are clingy due to the attention the elder kids got.

When he finally turns in for the night in his own bedroom, not all that much changed from his teenage years except that it's plainer than before, his posters of favourite bands and music in French being taken down to suit his more young adulthood lifestyle of being modern and minimalistic, Bash pulls his duvet back and closes his eyes with a heavy sigh.

Hercule.

At least his bed is bigger so he shifts the boy onto the left side before taking the right. Before he knows it, Hercule is snuggled into his chest and Bash can't find it in himself to be annoyed.

"Maman says you're kind," Hercule mutters tiredly. "That you care about us a lot but you're busy so can't come to see us."

Bash never expected his stepmother to speak so kind of him as he mutters, "I'll make more of an effort, Hercule. I promise."

Hercule is a miracle baby of sorts. Catherine was fifty-three when she became pregnant with him after never expecting to fall pregnant again. After all, the first ten years of her marriage to their father, she was unable to conceive until the blessings of IVF helped make Francis and eventually the easy conception of Leeza and Margot and Claude.

Bash knows the rest save Hercule are IVF babies and he can't help but think about Francis and Mary and how they will have children. The looks he sees when they stare down at Amelia lovingly, being the ever doting uncle, aunt and unspoken godparents to his and Kenna's daughter, makes his heart tug.

And he knows how much Francis wishes to be a dad.

"Can you take me to England?" Hercule asks, tears springing to his eyes.

"Why?" Bash asks gently. "What's wrong?"

Hercule shrugs. "I have nightmares..."

"About?"

"Never seeing you or Francis again," he says quietly, sitting up now.

Bash sighs, sitting up too as he brings Hercule's head to his lap and strokes his hair. "I know things have been difficult lately and Papa and your mother have been going back and forth a lot but you don't need to worry about never seeing us again. Is something bothering you? Like school or friends or even our siblings?"

From what he's observed, Hercule is a loner of some sorts. Since they were kids or early teens, the kids have always stuck by one other.

Him and Francis, Leeza with Margot and Claude whenever Claude can be arsed to be a family-oriented girl, Charles with Henri and Louis but Louis tends to be in his own world and prefers the solitude and finally the twins being loyal to each other so naturally, the baby of the family missed out.

"What does 'abortion' mean?"

Bash's eyes widen. "Where did you hear that?"

"Dad's girlfriend..."

"Girlfriend...?" Bash asks before he feels anger and sighs heavily. "How long has she been around?"

Hercule holds up his fingers - four. "A long time. That's what Charlie says. Dad's girlfriend said Maman should have had an abortion with me. Is that a bad thing?"

Bash closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He made a promise a long time ago that if he ever got married, it would only be him and his wife and no third parties. He knew his father's marriage to Catherine hadn't been all peaches and rainbows - he was the product of an affair Henry had with his mother who was also cheating on her own husband - (he's surprised that both couples are still going strong somewhat over the past two decades) but he thought Henry had stopped that sort of behaviour once Diane revealed she was expecting him.

"Don't listen to what Dad's girlfriend says," Bash finally tells his little brother. "Sometimes, people say bad things to hurt others but they don't mean it. Ignore her anyway."

"Okay," Hercule mumbles. "Can I live with you though? In England?"

Bash swallows nervously. He has never learnt how to gently bring down a child's wants. Charlie and Henri were easy, 'no' meant 'no' and that was it but Hercule seems to be the one to put up a fight. He's got Francis to deal with, his job, his marriage that he's trying to work out and finally, his own daughter. How can he fit a four-year-old kid in the mix?

"Bubba, I won't have time to look after you in England," he says carefully. Nor do I ever want to hire an au pair or nanny after my childhood of absent parents, he thinks. "I've got a very busy life, you'd feel abandoned and lonely."

"But Francis lives with you!"

"Francis is almost an adult," Bash reminds him. "And he's going to big boy school and looks after himself." And he's married.

"I can look after myself," Hercule says defiantly.

Bash laughs at how cute Hercule looks when he says that and presses a kiss on the kid's forehead. "You're cute. But no, you can't. You need attention and care. Both of which I can't provide right now because I have my own baby to look after, remember?"

Hercule sniffles, lying down and turning away from him. Bash knows he's crying now.

"But I will visit as much as I can," Bash promises him. "After all, we have to go horseriding so Paris doesn't feel abandoned by me anymore."

"No one loves me-"

Bash pulls Hercule to his chest. "Everybody loves you, silly. You're my favourite," he replies. Lying isn't good but it's useful because Hercule turns to him with a smile.

"I'm your favourite?"

Francis is, but you can be my second favourite. "Yeah, don't tell Francis though. He'll kill me."

Hercule giggles and nods. "Okay..."

"Can we sleep now?"

"Yeah," Hercule says, closing his eyes.

As the child sleeps, Bash studies their likeness and wonders who Amelia would fare after. Right now, she's got his eyes and hair colour with her mother's nose and mouth but everyone already says she's a daddy's girl and would most likely take after him.

Drifting off, he can't help but dream about a little boy running after an older Amelia.