Tied.

A/N: I know there was some unhappiness with bringing Francis back into the picture to break up Mary and Simon but I really felt that it had to be Francis. Bash would never step in to separate Mary from a great guy like Simon; he wouldn't even force a break up from Francis when he was being a complete jerk to her. Bash wanted Mary to make her own choices. Francis on the other hand, he would easily break up a perfect relationship for Mary. He's used to getting what he wants, when he wants it.

I know the arranged marriage idea is farfetched, but keep in mind that this isn't an arranged marriage.. it's just extreme pressure by powerful rich people who are willing to make their kids miserable to get what they think would best benefit their kids. Parents push their kids to marry people all the time for various reasons. It isn't always easy to turn against them.. so I guess we'll see if Mary does.

As always, thanks for the reviews, and if anyone wants more direct answers it's easier for me to answer if you don't do it anonymously!

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Reign.

Chapter 11 – On With Life

Mary's POV:

After her break up with Simon, Mary made it a point to avoid potential romance. It just didn't make sense to pursue a relationship with anyone when she knew that her heart wouldn't be in it.

She thought of Sebastian often and she knew that he was doing well because Francis would keep her updated. He had moved up quickly in his firm and had several major projects that he had been lead architect on. She also knew that he was dating someone.

Francis hadn't told her. Mary wasn't sure if he was just protecting her feelings as a good friend or if he was afraid it would push her away if he had. It was the Senator who had mentioned it at Christmas dinner that year. Bash hadn't come home for Christmas because he was overseas with his girlfriend, Rowan.

Mary hadn't taken the news well at first, but she did try to put on a strong front. She had ran to the bathroom and silently sobbed. The tears didn't come but she hid there, shaking, thinking of him being happy with another woman. More than anything she just wanted to pick up the phone and call him. She wanted to tell him that she missed his voice. She knew he wouldn't be alone though, so it wasn't an option.

Instead she had returned to her dinner and tried to ignore her newly acquired knowledge.

Later in the spring semester Francis had visited again. They shared another nice dinner and Mary came right out and asked him about Bash. She couldn't help herself.

Francis had told her that Bash was indeed very successful in the architecture field and he confessed that he was very proud of his brother. He also had mentioned that Bash and Rowan seemed to be doing very well. There had been whispers of an engagement on the horizon.

His words echoed on her mind for hours after. "They are so happy together. You should see them. I'm sure that you'll meet her if they do get married. He and I have been discussing it and we really don't think it will be too awkward. It's so good to be close with him again." Francis had taken a sip of wine before continuing. "You know, I really do understand what went on between the two of you. Bash explained to me that his competitiveness had taken over; he had wanted to prove that he could steal you from me. It was a lousy thing to do but I understand what a conquest that must have felt like for him. He always did have a jealousy issue. It's not shocking that he would want my girlfriend as well."

He had squeezed her hand. "I'm just glad that you two didn't do anything that couldn't be undone."

She had gone home after dinner and cried in her room. He couldn't have been right. He must have been lying. There was no way that Bash would have said those things, or moreover, there was no way that Bash could have felt that way. She wasn't a conquest. She wasn't a piece of meat to be fought over like two young dogs. She had wrestled with Francis' words for hours.

She had picked up her cell phone and dialed the number that she hadn't called in so very long.

As it was ringing she started to panic, but she couldn't very well hang up then. "Hello?" his voice was gravelly and she realized that she might have woken him. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Mary?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Hello Bash" She heard her words but they didn't even sound like they were hers.

"Is something wrong?" He was moving about as he talked quietly and she had the thought that he wasn't alone. She had woken him while Rowan was lying beside him.

"No! I mean, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you. I'll just let you go."

"Mary, no. Don't hang up. Just hold on a minute" She waited as he made some shuffling noises and she heard a door latch behind him. "I'm here. I just wanted to leave the room so I didn't wake my girlfriend."

"So it's true? You're quite serious about her?" Mary choked on her words and the nausea started coming in waves.

"She is very good for me, yes. Her name is Rowan. I think.. I think you'd like her Mary." He sounded uncomfortable. "We've been dating a while, and yes, things have been getting more and more serious."

"Francis mentioned it." She answered, trying to hide the bitterness on her tongue. "There are rumors of marriage."

He sighed. "I knew I never should have told him. We've been working on our trust lately and it seemed like confiding in him might be a good idea. Yes, I have a ring for her. But I haven't proposed yet."

The room started to spin around Mary as she leaned back on her bed. The idea of Bash being married to someone was just more than she could handle.

"And us? You've been telling him things about us? Why we did what we did?" She held her breath while she waited for him to break her heart.

"I'm sorry Mary. I just felt he deserved to know the truth. I never meant for him to tell you, and I never meant to betray your trust or hurt you. I was just ashamed of myself and needed him to know." Bash's voice was warbled in her mind. She didn't even hear the rest of his statement.

She hung up the phone before his words could sting her any deeper.

After Francis left that weekend Mary's friends took her out for a night of dancing and fun but she was truly no company. The following day they insisted on her attendance at a fundraiser they were helping with. She didn't smile at all while she was there.

The third day it was obvious that she just needed to be alone, so that was how they left her.

Weeks passed and Mary was living in a fog. She'd go to class and then come home and study, but her smile had faded and her friends were concerned about her seriousness.

She had nobody to blame but herself for what had happened. Well that wasn't quite true. She blamed Catherine DeMedici for being so vengeful and manipulative. She blamed the Senator for not taking better care of his sons and allowing such a woman to control him. She blamed Francis for even asking her out to begin with. She blamed Bash for letting her think that what they had was real.

Mary remembered those early days of talking with Sebastian on the phone and how they had seemingly connected because neither of them had anyone in their own families that they could depend on. She felt so foolish thinking that it was all so real for her. How could Bash have been just trying to sleep with her the whole time? Wasn't she different than the other girls he had so many casual encounters with?

She wouldn't have believed it had she never called Bash that night. Part of her wished she never had.

Mary knew that her friends were concerned about her, but she really was okay. She wasn't destroyed by the rejection or betrayal. The only thing that it had destroyed was her trust in men. Not a single part of her desired to fall in love again.

When her friends worried about her she tried to explain to them that she was fine. She was more than fine. She was academically thriving, she had made plans for travel over the summer, and she was making some educated changes in regards to her finances. In actuality Mary was making very stable and mature decisions. Worry was unfounded.

She started participating with more on-campus activities and charities and by the time spring mid-terms approached she had filled up her calendar so that she barely had time to think about men. One of her professors had asked if she would be interested in a volunteer position at the local children's hospital and she had accepted.

The Stuart family had always been involved with charities, but more on the fundraising side than anything else. It was easier to give money than to get their hands dirty. Mary's work at the hospital gave her exposure to all new sorts of sadness. There were little ones there who were facing the scariest illnesses in the world and yet they would still smile when they saw her. It helped her to realize exactly how fortunate she was.

Some of the children barely ever saw their families, not because of lack of want but because of lack of funds. Mary learned that some of the parents had to choose between visiting and holding down their jobs. For the parents who lived close it wasn't a problem, they could visit their children in the evening. The children who lived hours away didn't have that luxury. Their parents might visit only on the weekends. Mary's heart ached for them. She could see in the eyes of those people a longing that she had never seen in the eyes of her own parents.

Her duties at the hospital included everything from playing dress up with the kids on their good days to reading stories while she cuddled them in a rocking chair on their bad days. She began to meet the parents and become attached to the children. Some of the moms were there daily with their children and she was able to relieve them by sitting by a bedside for an hour so they could get a breath of fresh air where their babies couldn't see them weeping.

After one week of volunteering Mary had known what she could do to help those parents. She started a charity for the parents of sick children. It was something that would pay for plane tickets, hotel rooms, gas cards, restaurant gift cards, and so many other travel conveniences that would make visiting a little easier for parents. There was also rent assistance and other financial help for parents who were having a hard time making ends meet. She couldn't secure their employment for them but she could lower their expenses.

There was one mother who would leave packages for her daughter during the day while she was at work. She would write notes that Mary or the other volunteers could read to her every day, a toy to play with or a book to read. The little girl's name was Lily and Mary learned that she was at the end of her battle with Leukemia. She and Mary became friends over their afternoon story books.

When Mary came in one April afternoon Lily's mom and dad were in the hallway crying. The doctors had told them it was time to say goodbye. Lily had drifted farther into unconsciousness but they were able to tell her they loved her before she passed. Mary was heartbroken, not only for the loss of her little friend but also for the sadness of the parents who stood before her.

Lily's parents thanked her that day. They appreciated Mary's friendship with their little girl, and through tear soaked eyes they assured her that someday she'd be a great mother herself.

The idea of motherhood never crossed Mary's mind. Later in the safety of her own room she thought about what she knew of parenthood and how unnatural her own experiences had been. Her friends had good relationships with their families and she had witnessed a parental love at the hospital that she had never imagined. Could she ever be that kind of parent? Could she be someone's mom?

As sleep approached her she realized that she longed for that sense of belonging and unconditional love. She dreamed that night of having a normal life with a sweet baby of her own to rock on the porch of a little house while her husband sat across from her. The husband resembled Sebastian in features but she couldn't tell if it was him or not. She only knew that she was happy.

Xxx 00 Xxx oo X o

Home didn't really seem like home any more so as Mary stood in the foyer of her parents' mansion she wondered about the different person she had become. She missed her apartment with the girls and it amused her that a few years could so change a person.

She was engrossed in such thoughts when the doorbell rang and she answered it herself. Francis met her with a smile and a brief hug. "Mary, you look well!" he said as he held her at arm's reach.

"Thank you Francis, I could say the same of you." She took his arm and they headed out the door. It had been decided that one of the first outings of Mary's summer would be a trip to the beach. It was a good distraction from the party that she was dreading that weekend.

Sebastian DeMedici was getting married and the family was throwing the couple an engagement party. At first Mary had refused the invitation but after some thought she had decided to attend. She didn't harbor secret intent to break up the relationship but she wanted to see it for herself. She just had to see if it was as real of a love as everyone else seemed to think it was.

As she sat in the sun at the beach that day she realized that she really just had a desire to start her life. If what she had with Bash was never real then she had to start living in reality.

"Mary?" Francis interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes Francis?" She turned to look at him.

He was handing her a small box.

"What's this?" She asked pensively.

"Please don't panic. I know that we haven't discussed this in a while and I know that you don't love me. I'm not expecting that to change right away but I think you and I want a lot of the same things out of life, so I'm asking you to please consider taking this ring." He opened it to reveal a princess cut diamond that sparkled in the sunshine. "Please think about it Mary. We are friends now. Can you imagine anyone else who would understand the life that you've led so well?"

"Francis, I don't love you." Mary stammered in shock. "I know what our parents want but that pressure is not enough to push me into something I don't need. I'm not a teenager anymore Francis and I don't need my parents' money or your parents' approval. I don't need a husband."

"You mean you don't want a husband? You don't want to have children? You don't want a better family for yourself than the one you have now? Mary who could you marry that would be a better match for you than I am? I can give you the world, do anything to make sure that our family together is better than either of us ever had growing up in the public eye and I will." Francis was pleading.

She did want a family. She did care for Francis as a friend and she didn't have any desire to date random guys for the next ten years trying to find one who would suit her. He had valid points and whether or not she wanted to admit it, he had matured a lot over the last year.

"Francis you are my friend. Please don't ask me to make a choice between marrying you and losing you right now because I am not ready to be married. I have a lot of plans for my life." She spoke low and calmly but her voice wavered and he heard it.

"I'm not asking you to change your plans Mary. I want you to succeed and I will be supportive of whatever you decide to do." He reached over to take her hand from where it was gripping her beach towel and he placed the ring in it. "I'm not asking you to marry me right now Mary. I'm just asking you to consider giving us another chance. Love isn't the only reason to marry someone; in fact it often ends with broken hearts when it starts with love. I'm simply asking for you to think about making a commitment. Neither one of us is dating anyone, it's not like anything would change there. It would just give us something to experiment with for the next year or two. If it doesn't work and we both can tell that engagement wasn't the right decision for us then we'll part ways. Please just take it and think it over before you say no."

He watched as she tucked the box into her beach bag safely. "I will think it over." She sighed and lay back down on her towel. "Now please let me rest in the sun."

A/N: Well… I've always thought that Francis plays on Mary's vulnerabilities too much. (Remember that Mary does not live happily ever after with Francis so even a marriage proposal or engagement isn't the end of the world)