Tu Es Ma Lumière

175 - Custody *Modern*

Side Note - Piece from The Billionaire's Wife, aka extension story from chapter 113 'The Nanny' :) Also, slight spoilers for that story.

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"Mummy?" Jean-Philippe asks quietly, as Mary slowly slides the grey blanket up the boy's small body. The room is dim from the nightlight lamp resting on the boy's bedside table in the grandeur bedroom, the sky is dark. Rain scatters down from the outside of the window, a storm echoing from outside. Mary hums in half-minded acknowledgement, biting her lip slightly as she glances at the boy's little shoulder to the little plate of snacks should he wake in the night hungry.

"Yes, my love?" Mary can't help but think of her poor fiancée, who was frantically working in his office about the custody case that would go on tomorrow morning. He and his uncles Charles and Francis, the lawyers in this case, were going through their case over and over for Jean-Philippe's custody, making sure there were no loopholes for Lola or Stephane to manipulate to get to the little boy. Her future husband probably wouldn't sleep, he was working so hard. More often than not, the doctor would go to sleep and wake alone in their bed, he had been so preoccupied in his work to keep Jean-Philippe with them.

"What's gonna happen tomorrow?" he asks her, biting his lip in the way his father does. Mary sighs slightly, looking into his eyes, the ones that were a carbon copy of his grandfather's dark brown ones, almost black. She gives him a small smile, stroking his hand under the blanket. Poor little thing, he's only five, he doesn't understand.

"Well, my love-" Mary starts. "you know Lola wants you back, right?"

"Lola's never had me to start off with though, mummy. Meme and Pepe said so." Jean says. His future step mother nods.

"She hasn't. I'm sure your father told you of how he found out you were in this world?"

"Mmm." he nods. "I was dropped off by the baby stork, and the stork put me at Daddy's door. Well, Pepe and Meme's door. He was really young, so he was surprised that the stork bird thought he was ready for me. He didn't want to give me away, so he kept me." he finishes. She smiles, adoring how innocent he was in all of this.

Mary nods with a smile. "That's right. But the mummy who gave you to the stork bird to give to daddy changed her mind a few months ago. She's Lola, and she wants you back. But your daddy and I didn't want you to go, since you're so happy here. That's why we're going to the big room tomorrow, so the people who make the rules can say if you should stay here at home with me and your Papa or go away with Lola and Stephane."

"I don't want to go, mummy." he frowns up at her. "I want to stay here with you and Papa and my little brothers." he says, looking at her abdomen. Mary smiles, stroking his hair.

"I know you do, my little love. That's why we're fighting to keep you here with us. The person who makes the final judgement will ask you a few questions, and whoever that is will put you into consideration. But since Lola doesn't really have a lot of things on her side to prove that you could be happier with her and her fiancée, it's unlikely that you could go to her. But we need to go tomorrow to make sure that you stay where you want to be, okay?"

"Okay." he says. "Can Papa come to kiss me goodnight? I miss my Daddy."

"I know you do, little one. But he's making sure you stay with us, with his uncles right now. I'm sure he'll come upstairs and kiss you goodnight. But there's nothing to worry about, all you need to do is say how you feel about us and Lola, and I'm sure you can stay home with us, okay, my love?"

"Yes, mama." he says. "Kiss?"

Mary kisses his nose, making him giggle. "Try and get some sleep, okay, my love?"

"Okay, mama."

"I love you."

"Love you too, mummy."

//

I'm gonna try my hardest to get TBW up asap, but I wanna get TOWR finished up first, and that's hard because I don't have a lot of inspiration for it right now. But, it is coming eventually, promise.