Francis has a plan for Mary and some sexy time leads to unfortunate situations at the end!
"Guess what?"
Mary looks up from her laptop and tilts her head accusingly. "What did you do now?"
Francis raises his hands defensively, a chuckle escaping his lips before he plops down on the bed beside her. "Since we can't go to France for Christmas, my parents booked a little trip away to Spain for a week. To see Leeza and her family."
"So...?"
"I told them we'd go with them."
"Francis!"
"Mary, they just want to see how we're doing," he tells her softly, kissing the side of her head. "And you can get to know them better-"
"I know them well enough," she laughs, giving him a look.
He tuts. "Yes, as my best friend but not my girlfriend..."
"Fine. We can go with your parents to Spain. If you'll come to my mother's family's for Summer in France," she tells him. He gasps. "Yes, we're at that point of our relationship that we're bargaining with whose family we stay with for holidays."
"Fine!" He says, getting out of their bed. "As long as Christmas is ours, I'm fine with whatever plans we have until then."
She gives him a wide smile, shooing him away. "Thank you, now leave me alone to my work, peasant."
"As Her Majesty wishes," he replies, bowing low and dramatically before leaving her in stitches of laughter.
...
"Mary! Francis! Over here!"
Mary cringes slightly at the waving older couple, gaining some looks from people around the airport. She then laughs to herself as Francis retrieves their suitcases and she heads towards them, hugging Catherine tightly.
"Oh, my darling!" Catherine gushes. "I wanted to see you personally and tell you how sorry I am..."
It still stings, Mary thinks it might never really go. It's been two months since it happened but she still feels strange about the whole situation. Before she can even say anything, Catherine pulls her away from Francis and his father.
"It's awful," Catherine starts, linking their arms as they head to a restaurant bar. "But it gets better. The grief, the pain..."
Mary smiles wryly. "Yeah, I've been told."
"We struggled to conceive before Francis came and then we had our own football team at the end of it," Catherine says, making them both chuckle. "And I'm sure your mother told you what she went through as well. Just know that you're not alone in this. We're here to support you and Francis."
"I know, I'm grateful for all of you," Mary replies, smiling warmly.
Catherine then takes her to the bar and requests for two cocktails and two Cognacs. "Are you going to try another IUI cycle?"
"No, Francis and I decided we'll try naturally. Well more naturally than having it inserted..." She blushes, feeling the blushing bartender's eyes on her briefly as he continues with his job of making their drinks. "You know what I mean."
Catherine laughs. "Yes. Just relax, keep calm, set the tone and try... Your body knows the stress it's under, it reacts to your emotions and feelings. So if you keep seeing those negative tests, you'll know that you're overthinking it. Don't overthink it. Let it happen when it's time to happen."
"So don't force things?" Mary asks, pausing when the bartender slides their drinks over. He leaves and she continues with, "How's that going to work? I've wanted a baby my whole adult life. I had names and everything before I lost the baby..."
"You'll use them soon enough," Catherine tells her, waving over Francis and Henry. "Mary, I wanted a baby so desperately, I remember going to Church every day, praying for one. I made myself ill, I ended up in the hospital for depression. Then when I got better... there was finally the sunshine I was waiting for."
Their eyes drift over to Francis who's talking to his father as they wheel over their suitcases. Mary studies his golden curls in the light, his bright blue eyes and wide happy smile. She wants her baby to have those features, but most of all, she wants her child to have the purest feature of their father's yet. His heart and soul.
"There's a reason I call him my 'Golden Cherub'," Catherine says, just for her ears only before she takes a sip of her drink and their conversation is over.
I'll get mine soon enough, Mary thinks, accepting a quick kiss from Francis when the men finally reach them and grab their drinks.
...
"How are you doing?" Leeza asks immediately when she and Mary have some time alone. "Shit, sorry. You're probably sick of hearing that..."
"It's fine," Mary says kindly, placing a hand on Leeza's forearm. "I'm doing okay."
Leeza smiles and nods. "I struggled after the girls. Philip wanted a son and I miscarried once and well, it just never really picked up from that. For my husband, all of the men in his family had sons they could teach about cars, play Football with and other manly shit they could do. But he only had girls... And I tried, so hard, to give him what he wanted. It got to the point his sister slapped some sense into him and showed him of Bella's love for Football and Kitty's adoration for music."
"You've got smart, little girls," Mary says.
"Yeah, they're advanced for their age," Leeza agrees. "So, Philip started investing time and money in their hobbies and now... Bella just might be called for the Women's Football Team of Spain."
Mary laughs. "I'd be there, cheering at all of her games then."
"Yeah," Leeza says happily. "If Claude of all people can be a mother, despite part-time because her prick of an ex insisted on joint-custody, then you can be a mother too."
"Thanks," Mary laughs, her brows furrowing a little before Leeza makes to leave but she stops her. "Hey, did you ever... excessively buy baby stuff before it happened?"
Leeza takes Mary's hand and squeezes it. "I think we all did at one point... But personally... I did."
She then leaves Mary alone in the conservatory to watch over Bella and Kitty playing Football in the garden. She waves and grins when the girls notice her and squeal. She's been there for a while and when the door opens, they hug her tightly with her pressing kisses on the tops of their heads.
"Uncle Francis is here too with Meme and Pepe."
"No way!" Bella squeals before they leave to greet their other relatives.
Mary smiles after them before turning back to the lovely weather outside, imagining her own child playing with their older cousins. She inhales deeply before releasing it and returning back into the kitchen.
...
"You were right..."
"About what?" Francis asks as they get ready for bed that night.
Mary gives him a smile. "It's been lovely, spending time with Leeza, Philip and the girls."
Francis chuckles and brings her into his arms, pressing a long kiss on her forehead. "Before, you weren't willing to talk to anyone. I just thought... I can't understand what you're going through more than a woman who has gone through it can. I thought I was being clever."
Mary slaps his chest lightly. "It's helped, thank you. To know I'm not alone in all of this, that I'm not to blame. Entirely."
"At all," Francis stresses. "Still not your fault."
"But-"
"Still not your fault."
Mary blinks back tears, pressing her lips against his. "Thank you so much." She fingers the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head and chucking it onto the floor before attacking his lips with hungry kisses.
Gently, he directs her by pushing her to the bed and she falls breathlessly onto the bed before he gets on top of her, peeling her own shirt off her frame. Her fingers make quick work of his belt buckle as he pulls her skinny jeans down, tutting when he starts struggling.
"God, it's so-"
She laughs, helping him and flinging the restricting piece of clothing to the side. She then runs her hands down his chest, pulling his head to meet hers in another starved kiss as he coerces his jeans off and to the floor.
"You're so beautiful," he says against her lips, starting to make a trail of kisses down her jawline and neck.
"I know," she teases him. "Tell me again."
Francis pauses, coming back to look at her face. "You're... so... beautiful."
Smiling widely, a blush staining her cheeks, she pulls his head down for another soft kiss as his fingers undo her bra from underneath her expertly. She laughs into his mouth, taking the item off before feeling his fingers trail up her inner thigh.
"Are you sure you want to do this with your niece next door?" She asks into his ear.
"We've managed to be quiet before," he replies easily, kissing her hard. "And Bella's a heavy sleeper, we're good."
"Not going to ask where you got that vital piece of intel from so just kiss me," she says, giggling when he attacks her skin with kisses.
Come morning, Mary's eyes slowly open before widening at the sight of a very unimpressed Isabella Habsburg-Valois.
"B-Bella!" Mary cries out, swatting Francis awake as she attempts to cover his bare arse up.
"When Mama and Papa say they are wrestling, they make the same noises you did," the girl says. "Next time, do it quietly..." She rolls her eyes hard and leaves, pulling her stuffed dog behind her by its leash.
"Fuck," Francis breathes out, blushing furiously.
"I thought you said she was a heavy sleeper!"
Francis gives her a meek smile. "I may have meant Kitty was..."
Mary scoffs in disbelief before bursting into laughter. "Imagine if that was our kid..." She grows silent, a fond smile gracing her face. "I can't wait to mentally scar our own child by our sex life," she jokes.
Francis laughs, kissing the side of her head. "In due time, my love. Good things come to those who wait."