So FF isn't working, I'll mostly update on Ao3 until it gets sorted so both sets of readers can enjoy this. Update: It's working and enjoy two chapters so chapters 3 and 4 have both been posted at the same time.
"Oh my God, Francis," Mary breathes out, staring at her birthday gift in shock. "Wh-What...?"
It's a necklace with her birthstone, peridot, in the heart-shaped white-gold pendant. Before she can even lift it up, he gently takes it and opens it up, revealing it to be a locket.
"I'd been already planning to get you this because you said something about wanting a locket back on your twentieth and... Now, you can put our baby's photo in it," Francis tells her.
Mary takes the locket from his hands and looks it over before closing it and returning it. "Help me put it on, please?" She brings her hair up and he stands behind her, clasping the necklace on before taking his seat again. "It's beautiful. I can't believe you remembered that."
Francis chuckles shyly. "I know we were drunk but you were obsessed over the thing for ages so..."
"I'd even forgotten," she whispers, fingering the pendant. "You're amazing. Olivia's lost a real one."
"That will help me sleep better," he replies, rubbing his hands together. "So, you better get going before your mother kills you."
"Yeah," Mary says, giving him a quick hug and a peck on his cheek. "Love you."
"Love you too," he says quietly before she lets go.
Just as she's about to go, she tells him, "I've booked the appointment for two days, before you leave. You'll need to have a, uh, semen sample done so make sure they're fit and ready for testing."
Francis snorts and hides a smile before saying, "Yeah. They'll be fighting fit, don't worry." He even walks her to the door. "Good luck."
"I'll see you later," she promises him.
It doesn't take her long to get to her mother's home and it's her stepfather who answers the door, saying something about golf in California over his shoulder. "Mary!"
"Hiya," Mary says to him, giving him a quick hug before following him into the kitchen where her mother is cooking lunch.
"Louis, you can't go golfing in California! It will be cold and you know it will affect your sciatica," Marie says. "Why don't you try Malaga?"
Louis sighs. "I'll see," he replies. "I'll leave you, ladies, alone."
That's why Mary likes him. He knows when to read the room and make himself scarce. He's been in her life for about ten years now, the wedding proposal coming as a shock for Mary and Jim back then. Now, he's a lovely fixture in their family.
"Mary, did you get what I got you in the post?"
"Yeah, it came this morning," Mary replies, taking a seat at the table. "Thank you."
"Well, it was my baby's thirtieth. I had to go all out," Marie replies coyly. "Did you enjoy it?"
Mary tuts. "Did I enjoy the box of Victoria's Secret lingerie sent to my door by a flustered postman?" She asks. "No."
"You need to put yourself out there, Mary. You're beautiful! You should probably put one on and a lovely dress over that before going out and showing everyone what you've got," Marie says casually, sorting out the salad.
"Is this a normal conversation for a woman to have with her daughter? Hell, is it normal to gift your daughter lingerie?"
Marie rolls her eyes and turns to face Mary. "You're not getting any younger, sweetheart. You're thirty now."
"Speaking about that, I'm trying for a baby," Mary quickly says.
Dropping the salad spoon onto the floor, Marie turns to her daughter with wide eyes. "You're what?!"
"I'm trying for a baby," Mary repeats quietly. "Like, I'm going to do an IUI."
"IUI?!" Marie cries out. "Can you even afford an IUI?"
Mary sighs. "I've done my research, Mother. I can afford a cycle."
"A cycle," Marie says. "Which may or may not be successful. And who will be the sperm donor, pray to tell? Some random man will father my grandchild?"
Mary crosses her arms and sighs heavily. "A random man won't be the donor, Mother. I've done my research and I've taken the steps to get an IUI done."
"Mary, I don't know what to say..."
"Just... support me," Mary tells her. "I've always wanted kids and it's not my fault I couldn't find the one man willing to settle down and start a family with me. I get it, Harold's adorable and you love grandchildren since you can't have any more kids but let me do it in my own time, my own terms."
Marie nods and gives Mary a wry smile. "Well, if you need money to pay for anything, I'm here."
"Thank you," Mary says, standing up to hug her mother. "I love you."
"I love you too."
...
"Don't be so nervous. Just think about yourself doing it at home," Mary tells Francis as they wait in the waiting room of the clinic.
Francis rolls his eyes hard. "Yeah, being in a clinical place that smells like antibacterial shit will really make me feel at home," he says. "God, will they have needles?"
"Why would they need to put any needles in you?" Mary asks.
"I-I don't know!"
"Oh, you big baby," she laughs.
Mary is terrified. If all goes well, she could be a mother in nine months time and that brings a wide smile onto her face as she feels Francis take her hand in his. She turns to him and blushes when he twists her fashion rings around her fingers on her right hand before pecking the back of her hand.
"I want this to work, you know?" He says quietly. "I'm just scared I won't be able to perform well."
"You'll be fine," Mary assures him. "Just keep a relaxed mind and you'll be okay."
When her name is called, they get up and follow the doctor into the treatment room, taking seats before him. It's a lovely, contemporary room and it doesn't give Mary the overly hospitalised feeling but a sense of serenity and comfort. Almost less formal than a hospital room would be.
"I'm Dr Diaz and I'll be talking you through and hopefully be performing your IUI," the doctor says. "During our phone call, I told you that we'd need to go through some tests. Just the standard fertility tests..."
Mary drowns him out as her eyes dart around the room. She knows it's really happening, this clinic consultation but it still feels quite surreal to her. And her doctor... He's quite handsome and young-looking, perhaps not that much older than her even but he's a man and he might be getting her pregnant in some sort of way. A giggle almost escapes her lips at the thought of a male doctor over a female doctor but she said she doesn't mind who it is. She's not one of those people who must be treated by specific people.
"...any questions?"
"Do IUIs hurt?" Mary asks shakily.
Dr Diaz smiles comfortingly. "It's mostly painless, some women do experience mild cramping for a short time but it's a ten-minute process where you'd be able to go home after a little rest following the procedure. It's less invasive than IVF if you're thinking about that."
"Okay," Mary says. "Thanks."
"Three or more cycles of IUI are recommended for success, it most likely won't happen on the first go as it's all about the woman's body reacting naturally to the process of conception," Dr Diaz informs them. "And you will have to go through a short course of hormone therapy as you have stated you have irregular periods so when you ovulate, the sperm will be introduced to increase chances of pregnancy. As you're on the hormone therapy, we will test the sperm sample given in today and in a couple of months in October, we will perform the first cycle if the sperm is healthy and see where that takes us."
October, Mary thinks. The potential month I conceive. It's getting more real by the minute. "Right," she says, giving Francis a small smile. "What if I don't get pregnant after three cycles?"
"We will check what hormone therapy to put you on or if you have any issues such as endometriosis which you said the women in your family have a history of but you haven't got it, things like that," Dr Diaz replies. "Anything we can fix to ensure the fourth and so on cycles work. Throughout the treatment, you will have regular scans and blood tests to observe the growth of your follicles and track your ovulation cycles."
"Okay. And each of the IUI cycles varies in costs?"
"Yes, depending on hormone therapy given, etcetera," Dr Diaz tells her. "Shall we get the tests done?"
Mary nods. "Yeah."
...
"So, I'll be back in two months," Francis says, standing by Mary's front door with his suitcase. "It's been a blast."
Mary nods, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, you don't how much you've made me happy. It's the best birthday gift anyone can give me."
"We've not even got you pregnant, yet," Francis laughs. "I'll miss you."
"Yeah, I'll miss you too," Mary breathes out, biting her bottom lip. I should talk about the kiss... "Uh, you know when we kissed on my birthday-"
"That was a mistake-"
"I felt-Wait, what?"
Francis's eyes dart away from hers as he blushes. "You're my best friend, Mary. We've known each other since we were five-years-old. I think we may have even shared one bath after a sticky ice cream situation... We've seen each other grow up, we've been there for the most important times in each other's lives. I... think we work better as friends. I can tell you anything without being scared of getting judged for it and you can ask me to father your child through IUI."
Fuck, okay... "Y-Yeah. You're right, it was a mistake but I felt like it was hanging in the air over us so..." She waves him off with a wry smile.
"What were you going to say?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing. Just that I felt awkward about ruining the good thing we have with that kiss."
"Right," Francis says softly, the sound of his phone beeping. "That will be my Uber. And by Uber, I mean Bash."
Mary chuckles wryly, giving him one last hug before pulling away. "Get home safely. Text me when you do," she orders him.
"I will. I'll even send you a lovely picture of my cat to confirm it," he replies lightly.
She smiles, playfully rolling her eyes. She got him the white cat for his twenty-fifth birthday and when he's home in France to keep him company, it's been a real support to him whenever they are apart. He's even named the cat 'Josie' after her middle name Josephine.
"I love you," Francis says, brushing her hair away from her face, behind her ear.
"Love you too," Mary replies, opening the door and seeing him out. She waves at Bash and he gives her a salute before helping Francis put his suitcase in the boot and soon they're off.
Closing the door behind her, Mary mentally curses Francis for rejecting any idea of them making that kiss something more. It's not like she wants a friends with benefits situation. She really likes him, she always has but whenever one is single, the other is taken. It's like a roundabout, neither wanting to ruin what could become something more for the other. At least on her part because she never knew if he and Olivia were off or on at times, leading her to seek boyfriends who are awful.
But she's already told herself, she's not going to let romance ruin her chances at making her a mum and Francis has helped her confirm that by deciding against taking that kiss any further.
The kiss was a mistake after all.
...
"Two months, huh?" Kenna asks Mary as she breastfeeds her daughter. "It's happening in two months?"
Mary grins and nods, checking out all the details once again. It's all surreal. "I'm excited," she says, nudging Raven's cheek. "This little one will have another friend to play with!"
Kenna smiles warmly, looking down at her feeding daughter before turning to Mary. "So, you've found a certain donor?"
"I'm not telling you anything about him," Mary says. "And there's a chance the cycle could fail so I might go for a few options." She hates lying, she's a terrible liar. She'll never go for someone she doesn't know. Francis is the safest choice she has. "Who will be the lucky guy?"
"What if your kid wants to know their father? Surely, they could question why they only have one parent," Kenna asks her.
Mary rolls her eyes, leaning back in her seat. "Don't sound like my mother, Kenna. I will handle it when it happens."
"I know," Kenna says, tutting. "You've probably been thinking about this for years-"
"I have-"
"And you've finally taken the plunge and decided to just do it-"
"Yeah-"
"But do you have a good support system? You're going to have to think about schools and pick-ups and drop-offs and your job. You will only have one income to provide for this child-"
"The father will be involved!"
Kenna gasps as her daughter latches off and seemingly gasps too. "But I thought you said-"
"It's Francis. Well, it is going to be Francis," Mary confesses quietly. "And he's going to be a hands-on co-parent and we will raise the child together."
After nudging her daughter to latch on, Kenna blinks in surprise at Mary. "You mean Francis Valois? Our best friend and my brother-in-law, Francis?"
Mary nods shyly, biting her lip. "Yeah..."
"You mean Francis who lives miles away in France, Francis?"
"Yeah."
"You mean Francis-"
"Kenna, Francis fucking Valois, Francis. What other Francis do you know," Mary says before cursing once more when she sees Raven's eyes on her. "Sorry, sweetie. Ignore Aunt Mary's swearing, yeah?"
Kenna chuckles before she's full-on laughing. "It's fine, Bash and I have said worse when we're in bed and forget the baby monitor's on loud on her end. We're waiting for her first swear word," she says before pausing suddenly. "Wait, do you know what that means?"
"What?" Mary asks warily.
Kenna smirks. "Our kids will be cousins."
A smile grows on Mary's face and she chuckles. "They will be. You're not... mad?
"Huh? What have I got to be mad for?"
"Not telling you or the girls," Mary says with a heavy sigh. "I thought you guys would judge me for having a kid with a guy who doesn't even love me like that when I've given him my heart without realising."
Kenna tuts and reaches out to squeeze Mary's hand. "I'm happy for you guys. Your baby will be so cute and they'll have great parents in you and Francis. But you have to tell Francis that you love him."
Mary groans, covering her face. "He wouldn't like that. He's already rejected me before he left. We kind of kissed a little when I got home from my birthday dinner."
"What?!" Kenna squeals, jolting her pissed off daughter. "Sorry, darling." She hushes the crying baby. "You and Francis kissed?!"
Mary shakes her head. "He was leaning in to kiss my cheek but I turned my head and we... kissed."
"Oh," Kenna sighs. "But it's not like you haven't kissed before. You've guys have shagged many times back in uni."
"Twice, Kenna."
"Still twice as many as none," Kenna replies. "What's different about this one?"
Mary frowns deeply. "I felt tingles and sparks. And I wasn't majorly drunk because of you guys had to think about your babies... Maybe it was just me feeling horny because I've not had birthday sex in a long while but that kiss was different."
"Then you have to tell him."
Mary swallows hard and reaches out to take Raven to burp her as Kenna finishes up and does her bra and shirt up. "I can't. What if he freaks out and thinks I'm insane and pulls out from being the father of my child?"
"If you tell him, he could not be pulling out of you and get the job done better than an IUI," Kenna replies.
Mary chokes on air, giving her best friend a glare. "Shut up!"
"It's not like he's not done that before. When did you become such a prude?!"
"I'm not, I just haven't... It's been a while, Kenna. And as I said, best friends won't have sex again because it ruins everything. I'd rather have him as a friend than him as a stranger," Mary tells her.
Kenna rolls her eyes and sighs. "Okay. I guess I should wish you luck then."
Mary smiles. "Yeah. Because even if I don't have a boyfriend or a husband, I'm still going to finally be a mother. And that is the only important thing to me right now."