After another half an hour of figuring out what duties Arthur would be allowed to give up and what would happen to Francis while he was at work. It was decided that Arthur would enroll Francis in school with would allow him to be educated and out of Arthur's hair so he could work. Also, if anyone was looking for the nation they were unlikely to look a primary school for him and if they raided Arthur's home it was less probable that the boy would be there.

In exchange Arthur argued that his schedule had to be changed so that he could take care of Francis or he would refuse to do any of his assignments. Cameron gave in at that and they worked out a new routine: Arthur would drop Francis off at school on his way to work until half an hour before school was let out and then he was allowed to be done for the day if he had finished all of his assignments. If he hadn't then he would finish them at home. On his way back he would pick up Francis from school.

He was also given the week off to better get to know Francis and find the best school for Francis. Not only that but it would take a few days to make fake documents for Francis such as a birth certificate and previous school records.

At the end of the meeting Arthur strolled out of the room with a grin, he was proud of his negotiation skills. His assistant met him at the door.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Fine. A lot was taken care of." He looked around. "Where is Francis?" His assistant led him into one of the nearby, empty offices. Looking into the room he saw the boy sitting in the big chair behind the desk with a book in his lap, deeply engrossed in his reading. "What is he reading?"

"Philibert."

"Where did he get it?"

"Your meeting was taking a while so we went on a walk. He asked to stop at a bookstore so we did and he found that book so I bought it for him and he hasn't put it down since."

Without turning his head away from the boy he replied, "I will pay you back for that."

"You don't need to. I was glad to get it for him," she answered quietly. She did not have any children of her own or any nieces or nephews she could spoil so she was happy to watch Francis while her boss was busy.

"Does he understand it? Is he actually reading it or is he just looking at the pictures?"

"He can read. He seems very intelligent."

They continued to watch him until Francis looked up and smiled.

"Are you done, Mr. Arthur?"

Nodding, he said, "Yes Francis. We can go now."

The boy climbed down from the big chair and hurried over to him with the book in his hands.

"Thank you for the book, Miss Archer."

"You're welcome, Francis."

Arthur took the boy's hand and turned to his assistant. "Thank you for your help today. I will get in contact with you later tonight and let you know about what is changing and what your duties are going to be now, alright?" She nodded. "Good. I will see you later."

He and Francis left.

On the way home Arthur stopped to at a few stores to pick up some things that he needed for Francis such as a booster seat, school supplies, and some new clothes. When they got home he put the items he had purchased on the kitchen table except for the clothes which he kept with him as he led Francis through the house, giving him a tour. Each room was given a name, a short description, and either a "Yes you may enter" or "No, stay out of this room." They paused outside a room on the second floor. "This is my study, it's where I work when I'm at home. I do not want to be disturbed if I am in this room, okay?" Francis nodded politely. "Good. Come this way." Slowly they made their way back to the door to the room Francis was staying in. Arthur opened the door and stepped inside the room to hang up the old and new clothes in the wardrobe.

Francis stayed in the doorway, looking at the room properly since he was unable to that morning. The walls were a light gray and the ceiling sloped on one side starting above the only window on the far wall which had old gray curtains. Underneath it was a gray desk that faced out the window. Across from the desk was a twin bed with a dark gray metal frame and gray sheets against the wall. There was a small matching nightstand next to it with a gray lamp on it that was identical to the one on the desk. The only other piece of furniture in the room besides the small desk chair was the large wardrobe across from the door that Arthur was busy putting clothes into and Francis shivered.

Finishing his task, Arthur turned to see that Francis had yet to move from the doorway.

"Come on, lad. You can put your book on the desk and come with me to make supper or you can read until I finish and come get you."

"I want to finish reading please."

With a short nod, Arthur replied, "Alright. I will be back when it is done."

Then he left Francis in the small room.

When Arthur came back he found Francis sitting at the desk, staring out the window. His eyes were unfocused and clearly thinking deeply. "Francis," he called softly, not wanting to startle him out of whatever thoughts he was pondering.

Slowly the boy turned, gaze blurry, and blinked, coming out of his reverie.

"Yes…?"

"Supper is ready."

"Okay…"

He pushed his chair away from the desk and stood up, heading over to Arthur. Together they walked down to the dining room where the table was laid with a simple meal of bread, tea, and stew.

The Englishman helped the boy into one seat and took the one across from him. He began eating and was soon a good way through his meal but when he looked up he saw that Francis had yet to touch his food.

"What is it?" he asked, a bit angry that he had worked hard to cook dinner and the boy wouldn't even eat it. He had never known Francis at this age but surely he was not already so picky when he had so little choice?

"We have not thanked God yet," the child whispered back simply, staring at his lap where his hands were properly folded.

Biting his cheek he remembered that while he was not exactly religious anymore, it was tough when he didn't know which faith to follow, Francis had been for as long as they had known each other.

"Er, yes. You are right, Francis. I apologize." He gently set his spoon down and clasped his hands, closing his eyes and trying to think of something to say. "Dear God, thank you for this meal. Please protect us while we are vulnerable," with that he snuck a glance at the boy across from him who, luckily, still had his eyes dutifully closed. "And make sure no harm comes to us. Amen."

"Amen," Francis' quiet voice repeated, opening his eyes and picking up his spoon.

After that the meal was spent in silence and when they were both finished Arthur sent the boy up to get ready for bed while he did the dishes. Once he was done, he went upstairs to the little room Francis was in. He knocked twice on the door before pushing it open.

Inside he found Francis was already changed and lying in bed.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes."

"Very good. Good night."

"Good night."

Turning off the light Arthur closed the door.

AN: Before anyone freaks out about the small religious content, don't forget that France is a strong Catholic and it's even mentioned in the show.

Italics- speaking in French or internal thoughts

No Italics- speaking in English