Replies to reviews:

elder 441 [chapter 25]: Thank you!

Guest (1) [chapter 25]: Thank you, here's the next chapter!

Guest (2) [chapter 25]: Haha, thanks so much! They were really inspiring!

Guest (3) [chapter 25]: He is such a great king, father, brother, husband, brother-in-law, uncle etc, he deserves the world and more! Here is the next chapter, it serves as a part two for the previous one!

Feel free to put down ideas! :) I will start a separate story for one-shots. One for Frary and one for Kennash. This story is more of a loosely-based plotline about their family life, but the one-shots are based on anything and everything, both modern AU or true AU.

As the girls placed the lime pies on the tray, Mary heard voices heading towards the kitchens. She turned to the cook who had the same idea, rushing out of the door.

"Your Majesty! You can't come in, there's been a..." She turned to look at Mary.

"A fire!" She whispered, handing James to one of the lower cooks as she grabbed a serving dome to cover the pies.

"A fire!" The cook told Francis. She gave him and Bash, a bright smile. "We have it all in hand, I assure you both."

"Have you seen the Queen?" Francis asked. "I can't find her or our children anywhere and I've heard from the Duke that she spent her time in the kitchens on Sundays."

Mary cursed her relative for putting a potential hideout to her husband. Not that he didn't already know, but she was organising a surprise.

"Well, I assure you that the Queen hasn't been here. Not whilst there is a fire on the stoves!" The cook told him. "Perhaps she went to the gardens. Some handmaidens saw her and the children whilst they were doing laundry."

"Very well," Francis replied, leading Bash away.

The cook closed the door and turned to Mary, sighing in relief.

"We better start serving these before the princesses eat them all!"

Mary giggled, kissing her daughters' heads as she lifted the tray and went through the secret servants' door to head to the private dining hall. She placed the lime pies in the middle, instructing the other cooks to place the food that they'd prepared equidistant to the pies, the main attraction.

"All of his favourites," Mary gushed, wiping her hands. "I'm sure he misses France. The girls were clever enough to suggest that we cook French food."

"They were, Ma'am," the cook replied. "I will get the best wine."

After the candles were lit and the food was presented, Mary ushered the girls into the dining room and sat them down in their respective seats. It would be a small, family lunch.

Before she called her husband, she headed back to the kitchens and brought the cook aside.

"Chocolate, do we have any?" She asked.

The cook nodded. "We do, Your Majesty."

"My husband and I will not be attending dinner this evening. Bring the chocolate up to our bedchamber melted along with some fruit, if you do not mind," Mary told her.

"Mind? Duke Beaton may be paying my wages, but you are my queen. Of course, I do not mind," the cook replied. "Anything else?"

Mary smiled. "The strawberry wine. I'll pay you for your troubles because I know that my uncle keeps it hidden."

"Leave it to me," the cook said, winking.

Mary returned back into the private dining room, seeing that James was seated in a chair with arms so prevent him from falling. It made her laugh, such a tiny person in a big person's seat. She gave Anne a look when the girl stuffed a small bun into her brother's chubby, little hands.

Well, he was a baby with an appetite. She couldn't blame her children from being peckish as they waited for their father to attend. She hoped that the handmaiden found him quickly. The gardens were a fair distance away from the private dining room.

"Just through here, Your Majesty..." She heard the handmaiden finally say after a while, leading her husband through the doors.

He paused as the handmaiden backed out of the room and closed the door for them. He looked around and saw his children (well, the girls) sitting politely on their chairs as Mary stood beside the table with a wide smile.

"I think you were missing France," she told him, pulling out the chair at the head of the table. "Come, sit."

Francis walked over and took a seat, pulling it in himself as Mary went to the other side and sat down. "A family meal?"

"Yes, Papa!" Anne said, pointing to the lime pies. "We made you little lime pies!"

Francis chuckled. "I think we should save those for afters."

"Indeed," Mary said, preparing a plate for Rose first. "We just needed some family time."

"I believe so, too," Francis said, helping her make Anne a plate. "And all my favourites as well? You're spoiling me."

"That's not all," Mary replied, winking at him. "But some things are best left for afters if you understand what I mean."

Francis looked at her. "So brazen, are you? In front of the children as well!"

"What does that mean?" Rose asked them.

Mary giggled. "Nevermind, sweetling. Your father is attempting to make a joke, he's failed."

"Let's hope that's the only thing I fail at," he said, not leaving her eyes.

"Francis!" She breathed out, blushing. It was her plan for dinner. "Well, eat up. We have a full day of activities to do."

...

Curtains drawn, more candles lit. Mary made her way over to the large bowl of melted chocolate, dipping her finger into the liquid and licking it from her finger.

Francis had gone for a horse ride after lunch with the children and she'd gone to visit Kenna, taking a page from another book of her friend's. How To Treat Your Husband Like The King He Is. Or in Kenna's words, Sex, Sex and More Sex. Oh, and Make Sure He Wants Even More Because He's Insatiable.

Obviously sex wasn't the only thing she was offering Francis. She wanted him to be pampered, loved and well cared for. The horseriding brought up a perfect situation.

She walked over to the bath, feeling the temperature of the water. Piping hot. It will be a while until it cooled down and her husband would be able to soak in it.

She wiped her hands and collected her old chess set, laying out the pieces on a tray and placing it on one of the side tables. She placed the bowl of chocolate on the other and covered it with the tray full of fruit.

Mary waited ten minutes before the handle of the door went down and the door was pushed open, her husband appearing and closing the door behind him.

He smiled softly. "More surprises?" He asked, gesturing to her black, lace lingerie.

"I'm just grateful for having a husband like you," Mary replied, pulling him over to the bath. "You're dirty, so undress and get in."

She checked the water once again as her husband stripped his clothes. It was better now and she grabbed the basket full of lavender plants and lemon slices.

Francis got onto the stool and eased himself into the water, sighing in relief as he turned to his wife. "I got cocky," he said.

"Oh?" She replied, putting half of the basket contents inside.

"Bash came along with Robin and well, the children demanded to know whose father was a better horseman," Francis explained, laughing.

Mary smirked, raising an eyebrow as she grabbed a cloth and began to clean his body. "Who won? Don't leave me in suspense, husband."

"The man formerly known as the Master of Horse and Hunt won, of course," Francis replied, soaking his face with the water. "Robin was very happy, I had to give him some coin to stop singing how much of a loser I was! What a cheeky nephew we have."

Mary began to laugh, kissing his cheek. "You still win in my heart."

"And may that be for life," her husband whispered, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss.

Pulling away, Mary helped him bathe, almost getting wetter than him at certain points. He couldn't keep his hands off her and although her pregnancy was bringing out a more brazen side to her, she didn't want to head straight to lovemaking, she needed to take her time with pampering her king and husband.

After the bath, she had him settled in bed. She got in, laying over the covers as she reached over him to collect the chessboard. She then placed it between them.

"Remember playing chess as children?" She asked, moving a piece.

Her husband moved his own piece. "How could I forget? You kept winning."

"Only because you let me."

"Well, if you win on your own merit, I will thoroughly make sure you are pleasured when-"

"Francis, it is you being pampered! You always thoroughly please me, let me please you," his wife cut him off. "Come on, one game - the fruit is starting to make me drool."

When he'd won, deciding that winning all the time was boring, she handed him the bowl of chocolate and retrieved the fruit from the top, plopping a cranberry into her mouth.

Her husband got a strawberry and dipped it in the chocolate, eating it fully. He picked up a grape and fed it to Mary.

Mary chewed it, collecting a green grape, dipping it into the chocolate and sliding it into Francis's mouth. In doing so, her finger ended up wrapped around his lips and he sucked it, making her laugh.

"What a child," she said.

"Mother always told me to finish my food," Francis quick reply came as he watched her collect a piece of sliced apple. "Making sure that nothing remains."

"Is that right?"

Before she knew it, they were covered in chocolate. It caked her hair and his as her stained hands cupped his cheeks and his own tangled in her hair.

Mary mentally cursed when she realised that the lingerie was now stained. It cost a pretty penny and it was borrowed. She'll make it up to Kenna somehow. Perhaps a sparkly tiara or something.

"Mary..."

"Hmm?"

"The children will be at dinner right now."

"And?"

"That gives us an hour or so until they storm into here as if they own the bloody place," her husband replied, undoing the laces of the lingerie.

Mary laughed, pressing a kiss on Francis's jawline. "Fine. Take it all off."

"Before we make love," he began, sliding the clothing off her body. "I noticed that beautiful painting on the wall."

Mary grinned. "The girls did it. I helped and so did James, in his own way... It's of-"

"Leon," her husband whispered. "It makes me miss France, but I'm glad I am wherever you are."

Mary smiled brightly. "I am happy I am wherever you are, too. I love you."

"I love you, too."