Tu Es Ma Lumière

30 - Father *Modern*

"-the end." Francis de Valois-Anguleme-Medici finished the story he read to his children with a slight flare, flashing the two five year old boys a charming smile as he closed the book they had requested that night. One platinum haired, the other a dark ravenette. Their matching blue eyes were half lidded with childish tiredness. 

The eldest male in the room got up from his slightly uncomfortable position in the middle of the two beds in the large room, placing the book back upon the large bookshelf. He smiled at them, coming back towards the two little boys. 

He walked to his own son first, pressing a kiss to John's head. The little boy held his hair, but he held Lola's eyes. Although he could be a little temperamental, he was still his son and the father loved him deeply. It wasn't ideal, having John. A drunken one night stand with Francis' mutual friend, Lola, had resulted in the child in which they agreed to co parent. There had never been anything between them. Lola had Julian -Francis' friend- and he had Mary, both had agreed to spend John's life being friends and co parents, but no more. He whispered his love for his only biological child -so far- and told him to have a nice dream, to go straight to sleep and not to come out of the room until he came to arouse them from their slumber the next morning.

Francis then walked over to his step son James. He kissed the boy on his dark head and sat upon his bed, straightened the blankets around his small frame and brushed his fingers through the long strands of hair in which his toy sloth had. This child was much like Francis' wife, the child's mother. They looked exactly alike, the same facial structure and the same energy, only the child held blue eyes. Must be from Darnley's side, Mary had told him when he had asked. But the boys father was a drunk and a deadbeat who had taken advantage of her when they were both drunk, then trapped her in a horrid marriage full of hatred and infidelity. The divorce had been messy, and that's when he had met Mary properly. Of course, they belonged in the same friend group. Kenna and Bash had brought everybody together, it had seemed. It was because of them that Lola had met Julian and Greer had met Leith, giving little Rose a step father, seeing as her bio father was in the Navy and was gone a lot of the time. Aylee and Remy had been getting to know each other, so it only seemed natural that Francis and Mary were going to meet.

He had seen her for years, the quiet, pretty girl who was labelled as Lola's cousin. But neither had talked, since she always came later than everybody and left earlier, claiming her son had an illness, or more times than not, bringing the little boy with her. The first time the duo had finally gotten to talk was when it became apparent that the blonde guy who was her other cousin's boyfriends' brother was her son's teacher, when James had identified him at one of the groups' outings. And the boys' reaction to seeing his father had told Francis that there was more to the Stuart household than what met the eye.

The divorce had been messy and long, most of it having been told to the group with Chinese whispers, for Mary had an impressive job as a multi million dollar, top notch surgeon who flew around the world to work. She had at least extended knowledge in each and every medical field, becoming known as a 'Jack of all trades' and a 'master of all' in the medical field. They had talked through face time, Mary paying Francis to online tutor her son when they travelled, for she didn't trust Darnley to take care of him. The boy had let slip a few things he shouldn't have, somehow leading the pretty blonde fellow to be a shoulder to cry to for the boy's mother. One thing lead to another after the divorce and custody battle, ending in wedding bells for the happy couple.

"Get to sleep, okay?" Francis asked his step son softly. "We've to be up early tomorrow to pick up mommy from the airport." he stated softly.

"She's coming back for real?" James asked, his voice quiet. Francis nodded slowly, remembering the boy's slight seperation anxiety to his mother.

"For real, James. We'll pick mommy up from the airport, and we'll all have breakfast together before school starts, okay?"

"Okay, Francis." James called him by name still, upon Francis' own insistence. John did the same for Mary, but with their own parent, they called them 'mom' and 'dad'.

"Good. Now, the sooner you get to sleep, the sooner you can see mommy and ask about all the people she's helped."

James nodded, his eyes falling closed in childish exhaustion.

"Sleep tight, bud." Francis leaned down and kissed his step son's head, before getting up and turning on the nightlight, the lamp going off.

"Goodnight, John." Francis said, leaning against the white door frame.

"Night, daddy." he stated softly.

"Goodnight, James." Francis stated.

A pause.

"Goodnight, daddy."