Tied.
A/N: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all the kind reviews. Y'all have a way of making a girl feel special. Well I have to be honest. The last chapter was draining on me. I wrote it and about collapsed. My least favorite moment in the show was when Henry makes Bash witness the consummation.. Seeing the torture on his face... and that is exactly what I pictured while I was writing about him sending Mary away. Absolutely draining. I've taken a few days to recover. ;-) I want to stress that this story will take some time to play out so please hang in there, it is meant to be a MASH story but perhaps not in the most traditional way. (I've learned my lesson from my one shot "Fate" though.. fans don't like it when I keep people apart, I still get messages asking for a sequel.) So Mary and Bash will come back together in this story; I'd never end it with them apart.
Disclaimer: Reign does not belong to me, it just inspired this idea.
Chapter 9: "A Kiss Goodnight" (Back to Mary's POV)
Mary wrapped her hands around a mug of steaming latte and watched Simon stir cream into his black coffee. He had a handsome face comprised of chiseled features that were a bit asymmetrical. There was a scar over one eye that changed the shape of his brow slightly and his hazel eyes were almost intimidatingly intense.
"I have to just ask.. what are you thinking?" Simon was looking at her with his head cocked to one side.
"I was wondering how old you are. Is that rude to ask a man?" She answered his question with a question.
He chuckled. "In my opinion it's not a rude question regardless of gender. It's purely factual and people should be more concerned with how they spend their years rather than how many they've lived through. I'm 25. I'm not a traditional student in the sense that I didn't start college directly after high school. I chose to do some other things first."
Mary pondered this idea with curiosity. It had never occurred to her that people could just choose something other than college. The DeMedici's were the only people who had ever suggested that one shouldn't go to college and that was solely because they felt her purpose should be to serve Francis.
"Can I ask, what did you choose to do?" She sipped her coffee and folded her legs up underneath her to settle in.
He cleared his throat and looked thoughtful. "Well to start I spent over a year abroad. I had friends who wanted to travel and it seemed like a great way to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. We spent time on every continent."
"Every continent?! Antarctica?" She interrupted him rudely before realizing it. "I'm sorry for cutting in, but surely you didn't?"
He grinned a huge smile that made her blush a little at her lack of self-control in conversations. "Oh but I did. Don't be too impressed though, the only way we could manage to get there was to buy ourselves cruise tickets. It was pretty uneventful. We were only off the boat for a few hours here and there to explore."
Mary couldn't fathom why people would even want to go to such a place. Even the New England winters made her shiver.
"But we had visited every other continent so we wanted to round out our collection, so to speak." He looked unapologetic.
"What was your favorite place out of all your travel?" She asked in true curiosity.
He seemed to think for a minute. "Well honestly there were so many great stops along the way. I enjoyed Europe. Scotland, France, England.. There was just something about the history there. Even more so though I'd say that my time in Germany was the most influential."
"How so?" She had been to Germany as a child and she didn't really remember much of it.
He answered immediately. "Well standing on the ground where the holocaust actually took place... it just affected me. It made me want to study history. People need to remember the things that happened and I wanted to be a part of that. There are too many young people that don't have an appreciation for success or desire to learn from mistakes." He paused and his expression was sheepish. "I'm sorry; I'm just a little bit passionate about history. I guess I'm a bit geeky like that."
Mary shook her head and smiled. "Please don't apologize, I think it's admirable. You don't much look like a geek though."
He flashed that smile again. "Pray tell, what do I look like?"
"You look... you look strong. Not arrogant, but decided in behavior. More like a man of action than of studies." She tried to be careful with her words, so as not to embarrass herself or insult him.
He laughed and leaned forward. "I was hoping you'd say handsome but your choice of complements carries more weight." And he winked at her.
She cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind an ear. "So after you came back from traveling? What then?"
He took a swallow of coffee and leaned back. "I worked at a construction company as a laborer for a few years. At first it was more about getting sunburned while carrying stacks of materials but finally they let me help to build stuff. It wasn't glamorous but it was good work and I met some great people."
Now she was completely puzzled. She could tell there was so much of Simon's life that was foreign to her circle of experience.
"I worked until I had enough money to pay for college. And when I did... well then I came here." He took a sip of his coffee. "Do my answers suit you ma'am?"
Mary smiled. "Very much so. Tell me about your family?"
He smiled. "My mom is Sally and my dad is Frank. She's a beautician and he's a writer. They are a romantic match. The kind of couple who still holds hands after all these years. There are two more boys besides me, one younger and one older. I have a sister who is married with three kids of her own now. We're close but the kids don't know me well because she and her husband live in California. I'm the crazy uncle who sent them postcards from my travels when they were tiny."
Mary couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a family like that. The kind where people spent time together because they loved each other. She had never seen her parents hold hands.
Simon interrupted her thoughts. "I think it's your turn Mary. Tell me about your family."
He leaned back with his hands behind his head. She was pulled from her wistful thoughts straight into distraction as she noticed how his biceps flexed. Mary, pull yourself together. She lectured herself.
"I am on only child. I've always wondered what it would be like to have siblings, and a family like yours is a foreign concept for me. My parents are... well let's just say they are involved in many things that keep them in the public eye and they are more concerned with image and success than with family." She stopped abruptly when she realized that she was sounding a bit bitter.
"I'm intrigued. What exact kinds of things are they involved in?" Simon appeared thoughtful and purely interested so she decided she'd continue. It wasn't like her to talk about her background though and so few people at school knew about it that she surprised herself by opening up.
"Well they are the controlling owners of a major record label, real estate investment group, and partial owners of a professional sports team just to name a few items on their collective resume." She stopped and started to question herself and her decision to talk about them. "I'm sorry; this isn't something I usually discuss."
She pulled her legs out from underneath her and he seemed to sense that she was building walls and preparing to retreat. He reached across the table and took her hand.
"Don't! What I mean to say is, please don't feel like you need to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable but don't run off just yet either." He left his hand wrapped around hers and when he noticed her glancing at it he ran his thumb over her wrist slowly.
"I know you said you don't have a boyfriend... but what aren't you telling me?" He looked at her seriously.
Mary blushed. She appraised his handsome face, and in just a few seconds realized that she would want to see him again. It was important that she was honest with him so that he could know that whatever they were sharing could be leading towards a dead end.
"I don't exactly have a boyfriend, but I am spoken for in a more long term sense." She stammered at how ridiculous it sounded coming from her lips. "My family would like me to marry the son of an influential politician, a young man I dated in high school. Right now he and I have an agreement that we will see other people and live our lives, but our families believe that we are still in a relationship."
She could see some confusion in his eyes and she tried to explain her situation with Francis. He stammered just a little. "So you're saying you have an arranged marriage? Mary, you know that in this day and age that you have other choices than this right?"
She smiled at his concern. "It's a little more complicated than that. I had feelings for someone. Deep feelings, and my future in-laws all but derailed the track his life was on and threatened to do more if I didn't end it. I am protecting him by submitting to their control. He would have sacrificed for me and I couldn't let him do that." She looked him in the eye. "I need to warn you that these are real risks for anyone who gets too close to me."
Simon gazed at her for a few minutes. Finally he took both her hands in his and spoke. "Mary, I am not at all intimidated by whatever threats these people can make. I would like to get to know you better. Just promise me one thing?"
She caught her breath and nodded slightly.
"If it we ever get to that point, I'd like to choose what sacrifices I make." His eyes sparkled slightly but she could tell he was serious. She also for the first time could imagine a romance outside of the DeMedici family. It was like a breath of fresh air had swept the cobwebs out of her heart.
They talked their way through two more cups until it was time for the coffee house to close. She learned he owned a motorcycle. He heard about how she had never eaten fast food until she left home. He told her about his bout with Dengue Fever while in the Philippines. She told him how she had met the president of the United States when she was eight years old.
He walked her to her apartment and asked if he could meet her roommates when he noticed them peeking out the window at him. He was a complete gentleman. When he left he took her number and with a promise to call her he kissed her on the cheek before jogging down the street dodging the rain drops that had started to fall.
She crashed on the couch with her friends and recounted every detail of the day she had spent in his presence.
"So does this mean you have a boyfriend?" Aylie asked excitedly.
"I believe it means that I had a first date. And that I've made a new friend." Mary answered in a sure tone but her smile told more.
"You really like him though, I can tell!" Kenna nudged her with a smirk. "I haven't seen this smile on your face since Bash visited. Simon has made you excited about a man again!"
"Kenna please, it's just a date." Mary insisted. Finally she caved and smiled wide. "But it was a very good date."
The next few weeks she and Simon spent more time together. They would have lunch and talk or sit in the sun reading. Mary was enjoying the process of getting to know him. One day as they were studying in quiet company she felt him looking at her.
"Is something that matter?" She asked earnestly from where she was laying on her stomach on the grass.
"I was just wondering if you'd have dinner with me tomorrow night." He looked at her seriously. He was leaned against a tree and she noticed that he hadn't turned a single page in his book.
"Of course!" she answered quickly. "Why aren't you reading?"
"I guess I'm distracted. I know you don't realize it but you're absolutely beautiful." He raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's just hard to focus some times."
She felt her face flush and she glanced away briefly in recovery. "You know I'll never get used to your complements."
"And you know I'll never stop giving them." He replied. "I'm sorry. I'll study. But just remember we have a date tomorrow night. And wear jeans because we're taking my bike."
Mary's eyes widened but he was already reading so she didn't protest.
When he knocked on her door the following night she was wearing dark form fitting jeans with a pair of calf high black boots and a soft light gray top that glistened delicately. It was a really warm night she had the windows open so she heard him pull up.
Greer and Lola were on the couch with popcorn smiling at her knowingly. "You can do this. It's rather sexy if you ask me.. I've seen Top Gun. Motorcycles make for romance." Lola teased her.
"Only if I don't have a heart attack first." Mary mumbled as she went to the door.
She had pulled her hair back in a loose braid and she double checked herself in the mirror before she opened the door.
Simon looked like a picture of manliness, minus the roses in his hand. His black shirt was form fitting and he had been running a hand through his short hair absentmindedly. She thanked him for the flowers with a hug and she could smell him, a hint of after shave and a lot of fresh air.
"You look beautiful as always." He whispered into her hair. She mumbled a thank you and ran to put the flowers in water. When she returned the girls and Simon were laughing.
"So the ladies tell me that you're nervous about my motorcycle?" He was looking at her playfully with raised eyebrows.
She glared at Greer, knowing for sure who the culprit was. "Well I haven't ever ridden one." She stammered out an explanation.
He laughed heartily and hugged her again, holding her a little closer this time. "Well if you'd rather I could try to distract you with complements so you don't even have time to worry about the bike."
"I think I'll be fine!" She cleared her throat as she headed for the door. "I think I could use some air anyway. Goodnight girls!"
Her heart was racing as they headed down her sidewalk. He handed her a helmet and as he put his own on he straddled the bike easily.
He reached for her hand. "Just slide on behind me and hold on. I promise I'll take good care of you."
She climbed on gingerly and couldn't help thinking that it looked a lot less awkward when he did it. As she settled in he showed her where to rest her feet and she lightly put her hands on his back.
"Mary, I'm not going to bite. You'll feel better if you actually hold on to me." He said gently as he took her arms and wrapped them around his torso tightly. Her breath caught a little as she pressed her chest into his back. She could tell there wasn't a bit of fat on him and the way his shirt clung to his muscle didn't help her shyness, but if he sensed it he kindly ignored it.
"Hold on tight." He said and with that they started off.
She closed her eyes almost immediately and when they came to a stop light she heard him laugh.
"Are your eyes even open Mary?"
"How did you know?" She asked breathlessly.
"Because you didn't even seem to notice the fact that Kenna is sitting in the car in the next lane." He was chuckling and nodding to his left.
Her eyes popped open. "Oh!" She weakly waved and realized that Kenna was taking a cell phone picture of her so she tried to smile. The light turned green and she went back to holding on for dear life.
He headed out of town and she finally started looking around at orange sky glowing from the inevitable sunset. "It really is pretty!" She couldn't tell if he could hear her or not but she was getting braver and relaxed some.
The wind was exhilarating. She had to admit it was and exciting way to travel. There was so much to see and feel.
They pulled into a little diner and the engine silenced leaving here to hear nothing but crickets and her own heart racing. Simon pulled off his helmet so she did the same and he took it from her. He made no effort to get off the bike though.
"Should we go in?" She asked him breathlessly.
"We should… I was just enjoying you." He squeezed her hand and she shyly buried her face in his back. "I know you're embarrassed but I don't care Mary Stuart." She could hear the grin on his face.
Finally he helped her off the bike and he spent the next two hours in the diner booth flirting shamelessly with her as if he was on a mission to make her combust from embarrassment. She was getting more used to his attention but it was still tough to handle.
Their ride home was so relaxing compared to the first time. When they stopped in front of her apartment he leaned back into her and she slid her hands up over his chest and kissed him lightly on his neck. He helped her off the bike and walked her to her door. Before she could even unlock it he grabbed her hand and pulled her back from the door to him.
Without a word he ran his fingers through her hair and her skin tingled in reaction. "Can I kiss you goodnight?" He asked in a low voice. She released a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding and nodded. When his lips met hers they did so gently, and when she responded he pushed deeper feeling her tongue with his. They went back and forth like that for a while, one of his hands on her hip and the other woven through her hair.
He finally pulled away slowly.
"I... I'm really out of practice but that.. that seemed perfect." She stammered. "Thank you for tonight Simon."
He grinned. "I should be thanking you. Goodnight Mary."
When she walked in she realized the girls had been watching. And she didn't even care.
A/N: I like Simon, and I like the idea that Mary should be able to spend some life outside of politics and angst for a while. It will be good for her. I hope you think so too!