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Mary smiled as she saw her parents welcoming faces at the end of the airport terminal. Aside from Face Time she hadn't seen her family in two years, she picked up her pace and ran to hug them and her older brother, James. " I have been so excited to see you all! I can't believe I am finally back in New York!" Mary squeezed each family member tightly. Mary's mother embraced her " Oh my daughter, we have missed you so much! I can not wait to hear about all of your adventures." pulling back to look into her daughter's eyes she burst out with excitement, "and we are not the only ones who came to welcome you home....." Turning so Mary could see behind her, she revealed Francis standing behind the family. " Hello Mary '' shocked to be reunited so quickly, Mary just stood there with her eyes wide at the sight of him. " Well...t-this is certainly a surprise mother!" Was all Mary could say, she was brought out of her shocked state when he came up and hugged her tightly. Not sure how to respond, she hugged him lightly. Aside from a phone call every six months or so he hadn't really shown any interest in keeping up with her, she certainly didn't expect to see him so eager to see her. " Well I think this reunion would be better at home with a wonderful dinner, wouldn't you say? Francis will be joining us so we can have time to catch up properly." Mary's father, NY Senator James Stuart, interjected trying to break the awkwardness of the homecoming. The four of them got into the motorcade that awaited them and went back to the mansion they called home in Lower Manhattan.

The mood at home lightened a little as dinner was served and the wine bottles became emptied. Mary was relieved to see her long time friend, and now sister in law, Greer, had joined the family for dinner. Stories were shared of Mary's adventures and the going ons of home. James took Greer by the hand and stood from the table, " Mary it's so good to have you home. We are going to head out, I'm sure we will catch up again soon." They hugged each other tightly and the girls made plans for breakfast at their favorite cafe. Now it was just Mary, Francis and her parents. She could feel the awkwardness returning as her parents exchanged glances. " Mary, we need to have a rather frank decision with you two..." She knew when her father started a conversation with her name it wasn't going to be a light hearted talk. "We need to solidify your relationship with each other given that it is an election year and we need some positive news for both of our families. A wedding should be just the ticket, you'll be all the media we need to win the hearts of America." Mary didn't move, she just got back and hardly talked to Francis the whole time she was away, "Dad! I just got home...I haven't even unpacked and you already want me to throw myself in the middle of your political games? And since when did the entire country need to love you?" Francis, who obviously was in on this scheme because he didn't act shocked in the slightest, interjected " Our father's political ambitions have elevated since you left. My father is running for President with your father being his VP. The race is close and this could help spur them over their opponent easily." All she could do was stare at the three of them. Marie stood to pour more wine for everyone" Oh come now Mary, stop acting so shell shocked! You two have been together since high-school, you knew this would happen eventually." Mary's shock now turned to a slight bit of anger towards her mother, " So you all decided this before I came back? You know Francis and I haven't exactly talked to each other much since I left?" The couple looked at Francis with a subtle hint of anger. He stumbled for his excuse " Father....had me busy, and the time change was hard to keep track of." He looked at Mary for some back up but none came, " I have an idea to make up for lost time though. Mary can come home with me next week and we can spend the summer together, we can plan the wedding for October so it's right before the election. A big southern wedding!" Her parents quickly agreed before she even had a chance to react.

Mary spent the rest of the hour not talking much as the other three continued the conversation of Mary traveling to Alabama and the wedding. Francis finally shook their hands before leaving, which felt to Mary like a business deal had just been made over her future, and Marie ushered her daughter to walk him to the door to say goodbye. Reluctantly she did, before she shut the door Francis paused in the doorway " Mary, you know I have always loved you right? I thought you needed a break, that's why I didn't call you while you were away." She could see the sadness and guilt starting to creep into his eyes. A part of her had missed his friendship and she felt bad he thought she doubted his feelings " I thought you were doing the same thing....I am looking forward to rekindling what we had before I left. I miss Alabama in the summer." He brushed her cheek with his thumb and stared into her eyes " I've missed you so much..." He kissed her gently on the lips. At first she was caught off guard but then she found herself returning it. He pulled away with a smile " I'll text you tomorrow afternoon, hopefully you're free for dinner....just us?" She nodded to confirm she would be open "That sounds lovely. I look forward to hearing from you." She stood leaning up against the door a little surprised she reacted the way she did to him. She had been gone so long and yet that felt just like she remembered. The last time they kissed was when they graduated college right before she told him she was leaving. He didn't see her off at the airport, which she assumed was because he was hurt that she chose to leave. It had been their first bad fight that ended in her slamming his car door as she left. He wanted her to stay to be with him and she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. They had apologized to each other over the phone but Mary doubted he really forgave her. Maybe we can go back to where we were... She thought to herself.

The next morning she met Greer at the cafe and told her all about what had happened after she and James left. "Well that is certainly moving quicker than we thought. James assumed that would be a discussion but had we known they were going to spring it on you last night we wouldn't have left you there. I'm so---" "Don't be!" Mary interrupted " He kissed me when he left... It was a little surprising but not unwanted. I think this is good, we have talked about getting married before but it just never felt right. Maybe spending time with him and his family will help?" Mary shrugged looking for assurance from her friend. Greer smiled sweetly " So what's the next step?" Mary returned her smile, " I need a new dress! Francis is taking me out for dinner tonight and if I know him it will require a formal dress." The pair finished breakfast and went straight to shopping. Mary got a text from Francis with the details for dinner, " Oh! I told you so, he made reservations at Le Bernardin at 7pm." She sighed as she sifted through the racks, "How about this one? Blue is his favorite color!" She hurried to the fitting room to try it on. They both agreed this would certainly keep his attention all night.

Greer spent the afternoon helping Mary get ready for her date. Francis pulled up in his red Lamborghini at 6:30pm. Mary came downstairs and Francis found himself at a loss for words, " Oh my God! You look amazing Mary!" Marie smiled in satisfaction of his response. He helped her put on her coat and opened her doors. He was being more gentlemanly than she remembered. He also seemed nervous, I suppose we both are....we haven't been on a date in two years and here we are thinking about marriage in 7 months. The couple arrived at the restaurant and spent the next several hours talking about everything that had happened during her time away. Mary learned what led to their fathers political moves and that Francis was positioned to be the Secretary of State if they win. He has been quite busy while I was away , she thought to herself. Suddenly the conversation had died down and Francis cleared his throat looking a little more nervous " Mary...last night I'm sure came as a shock. I was shocked when they brought it up to me six months ago. I hope you find the arrangement agreeable?" Mary took a sip of her wine and locked eyes with him, she smiled as she spoke " perhaps I wasn't agreeable last night.... until you kissed me anyway." He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her, " Well then...can we make this official?" He took a tiny blue box out of his pocket and slid it across the table to her. She opened it slowly revealing a huge solitaire diamond ring from Tiffany's. " Oh my Francis! '' she was taken back by how big it was, "Mary? I know we have time to make up for it, but if you are willing to give us another chance I will move heaven and earth to make you happy. Will you marry me?" He looked at her with such hopeful eyes. She locked eyes with him and sat silently for a few seconds, it felt like hours but in reality it was only 15 seconds. "yes... I am willing to give us a chance again. We were so happy once, I would like to be that way again." He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her tenderly. "Would you like to go back to my hotel room and continue talking?" she nodded a little unsure of doing so, but on the other hand she just agreed to marry him so what was the issue in going back to his hotel room?

Before they knew it they had drunk two more bottles of wine and it was 3am. She went to stand up and was caught in Francis's arms when she stumbled. "I don't think you are going anywhere tonight....why don't we take this to the bedroom?" He swept her off her feet and carried her to his bed, landing sweet kisses on her face, lips, neck and chest. The next thing she knows he had taken her dress off and is exploring her body with his hands and lips. The next morning she wakes up naked in his bed with his body pressed up against his. "Good morning Mary." He kissed down her neck and shoulders as she rolled over to meet his lips, "Good morning Francis....this has turned out to be quite the homecoming." she smiled sheepishly " I can't imagine my parents are going to be to upset that I missed breakfast with them. After all, they encouraged this." They both laughed and decided to get showered and dressed before he took her home so she could spend time with her family before they left for the summer. He had to leave that afternoon to fly back home to assist in campaign efforts as well as make sure the media surrounding their engagement was put in motion. Mary kissed him goodbye at the terminal " I'll see you in a week!" he kissed her back gently, " Just so you know, once our engagement hits the press it will be all eyes on us. We will have a rough summer ahead of us, are you sure you want this?" Mary kissed him once more and looked deeply into his eyes..." I want to be with you, I think together we can manage this." with that he heard his flight being called and he turned to board the plane. She smiled to herself all the way home as she felt like that girl in college that ran around with him on Friday nights, the thrill of young love had returned to her heart and she enjoyed the feeling.

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Mary spent the week with her family before she flew off to be with Francis and his family. Her plane arrived on a sunny March afternoon, which was a huge contrast to the snow she left in New York. Francis was there to greet her with a kiss, "Oh Mary! I missed you this week!" he picked her up and twirled her around. "I missed you too!" something, or rather someone behind Francis, caught Mary's attention. Francis put her down and looked at the man standing behind them. He was older than Francis, he was very tall and muscular. His hair was brown and shaggy which added to his rugged look, he also had the most striking green-gray eyes she had ever seen. Francis finally introduced her to him, " Mary, you remember my brother Sebastian right?"

She nodded as she tried to recall the last time she had seen him. Sebastian was 4 years older than them so by the time they were in high school he had graduated. He didn't attend college like Francis was required to, instead Sebastian joined the Marines and spent all of his time overseas after that. She stuck her hand out to shake his, "Sebastian, I remember Francis talking about you but I don't think we really officially met each-other. I'm Mary, it's nice to finally meet you, your brother spoke rather highly of his Marine brother throughout high school and college." He took her hand in his and smiled, " Francis has a way of stretching the truth at times, but not when it came to your beauty. Brother! You didn't even come close to describing her accurately, she is far more beautiful than you let on." Mary's cheeks became flushed which just became worse when he kissed the top of her hand, " Mary it's a pleasure to meet you, and my friends call me Bash. I hope you will do the same?". Mary finally found her words again "You are very cheeky, do you flirt with every girl that crosses your path?". Bash winked at her "Absolutely everyone.....". Francis took her hand out of Bash's quickly, "Bash, if you are done trying to woo my fiance can you help locate her luggage?" Mary laughed and slid her arm into Francis's as they walked toward the motorcade his father had sent along with them. She couldn't shake the feeling she had when Bash kissed her hand. And why did he hold it so long? Mary concluded it just caught her off guard and to not think anything of it. The three of them made small talk on the way back to the family's large estate in Mountain Brook.

It was just as she remembered it, the estate was massive and spared no expense when it came to decor and style. Francis's parents were always throwing massive parties for their political friends. Mary remembered coming to a few of them growing up before her family bought a home here and decided to split their time between Manhattan and Mountain Brook. She could see now that this was all in the works long before they knew it. Her parents enrolled her in school here and would shuffle the family back and forth so that Francis and Mary could attend the same schools. As he continued to show her around she noticed that Bash had disappeared when they arrived, "Where did your brother run off too?" she looked around searching for him. "Oh Bash has always enjoyed his freedom. He....well the reason you don't remember him being around is that he lived with his mother in Mobile most of the time." Mary must have looked shocked because Francis chuckled, "He is my father's best kept secret. He had an affair before I was born.....He tried to convince my mother to allow him around the family but she said it would "ruin our dreams to have a bastard around". Father did what he could for Bash but in the end he knew my mother was right." Mary met Francis' eyes "That is so sad...." He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head "You are so truly good Mary. We found ways to have him around without the press suspecting. To them he is my best friend, not my half-brother." She smiled at him "Well at least he has you Francis! I will try to be the same for him then."

Francis sighed as he looked around "I suppose you are tired from traveling. Let me show you to your room, it's right down the hall from mine...." she became flushed again like she had at the airport, sheepishly she kissed him "or..... you could show me your room first and we can catch up from all the time we missed last week?" Eagerly he grabbed her hand and ran down the hallway. Several intimate moments later Francis's bedroom door swung open with his mother standing in the doorway. "FRANCIS!" Catherine surveyed the clothes that were strewn all over the floor and the couple in bed in a rather intimate position, "Well...I certainly didn't expect you to move so quickly. Your father is downstairs and would like to meet your fiance.....preferably with more clothes on please." with that she shut the door quickly and Mary pulled the covers over her head in embarrassment. "Great! I haven't seen your mother since graduation and this is how we met! Good job Mary...." Francis laughed and jumped out of bed to put his clothes on. "Come on now Mary. At least she knows you are willing to make this work." Mary threw a pillow at him and started to gather her composure as well as her clothing.

Downstairs Francis introduced her to his father and three younger siblings. "You all remember Mary." Everyone greeted her warmly, Claude most of all " I am happy to finally have a sister that is close to me in age! Lezza is married and gone so I hope to get close to you this summer." the young girl was about 17 and she gave Mary a warm hug, " I would like that very much! I never had a sister until my brother married, I know what having an older sister means. Let's go to breakfast on Sunday and shop so we can get to know each other better." Claude agreed quickly but the joy was interrupted by Catherine asking the three younger siblings to go complete their school assignments before dinner. Once the room had cleared an awkward silence filled the room, Henry (Francis father) sensed the tension and decide to be the first to speak, "Your mother tells me you two are "enthusiastic" about the upcoming wedding.'' Now both of their faces are red. Francis cleared his throat before speaking "Yes father, we have spent some time talking it over and are ready to move forward with the plan." Catherine scoffed a little "Well lets just hope we can hold off certain plans until after the wedding....the last thing your fathers need to cover up is another bastard child." "MOTHER!" Francis grabbed Mary's hand as he scolded her for being so frank. "Francis, you know what this marriage is supposed to be for our family's future and if you can't keep your urges under control we will have to send Mary back to New York." Henry spoke up to try and do some damage control between the three, "Look. We don't care what you two decide to do to make the appearance of the all American love story. Just don't get caught in a compromising position and don't get pregnant." Francis laughed, "That is a rich statement coming from you of all people. Bash was here earlier, but I guess he was smart enough to know you don't want him seen. Have you even seen him since he came home?' He led Mary out of the room and back up to her room.

"I'm sorry this was your greeting from the family. I am ashamed to say the least...if yo--" she landed a kiss on his lips to stop him, "I don't need an apology, not from you anyway. If I would have thought your mother was so bold to just barge into your room I would have suggested mine instead.” The cheeky comment made Francis smile and breathe a little easier. “Dinner will be with the family so why don’t you wash up and rest before we have to face another awkward family gathering.” He kissed her and left her to unpack and prepare for the evening ahead. Mary sat on her bed and sent a text to Greer, “ Well it has been a rocky start. His mother caught us…..”catching up”. Dinner should be interesting.” her sister-in-law replied quickly “Well do your “catching up” when she is gone. Problem solved.” This made Mary laugh. Falling back on her bed she sighed, “ What am I doing? I hope he is not just playing along and truly feels something for me.”  While she had enjoyed reconnecting with him she would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't doubted the feelings he had. She thought of him often while she was gone, he had not given her any indication that he did the same. “What was he doing in the two years I was gone? He really hadn’t said anything about it….” She sat up quickly shaking these thoughts from her head. Deciding a nice hot shower would help settle her nerves, she went into the bathroom and undressed. Emerging an hour later, and feeling refreshed, she went into her room to pick out her outfit for this evening. She just started to drop her towel when her door flew open, “OH MY GOD!” She quickly covered herself back up and stared at Bash who was standing in the doorway just as stunned as she was. “Does no one in this family know how to knock?! What are you doing?!” she yelled in a hushed tone so no one would become aware of the situation. Bash smiled cheekly as he looked her up and down, “This used to be my room before I went to bootcamp ... .I assumed my father would have kept it for me but I guess I assumed too much. Sorry for the intrusion…kind of.” He left with a wink and with Mary as red as a cherry. Well dinner is going to be much more awkward now. She thought to herself as she walked over and locked the door this time.  

The family sat around the dining room table that evening. Henry at the head with Catherine and Francis on either side. Mary sat next to her new fiance with Claude on her other side. The younger two brothers, Charles and Henry, sat next to Catherine and Bash sat on the end. He was positioned such that every time Mary turned to speak to Claude she caught him in the background. He was making it rather hard to focus on the conversation because he kept a small smirk on his face when her eyes met his. “Bash?!” Henry bellowed from the head of the table, it shook him out of his flirtatious game “Yes?”, “Did you not hear a thing I just asked you? Honestly, how was your last tour in Iraq?” Henry was growing impatient with his oldest. “It was like the others I suppose. Full of sun, sand and lacked the beautiful girls on the gulf.” This made his father laugh, “Come now! You are being modest. Your mother told me you came home a hero, with medals and accommodations from your command. That is something you should be proud of.” Mary’s eyes shot back to Bash who was just pushing food around on his plate and breathing heavily now. “I seem to have lost my appetite. Excuse me please.” Bash got up and walked outside before anyone could say anything. Mary watched as he walked out and whispered to Francis, “What was that all about?” Francis shrugged, “He doesn’t talk much about his tours. I just learned not to ask.” Everyone resumed eating like nothing had happened but Mary kept thinking about Bash, “I wonder why he won’t talk about it. Surly Henry is right, his time in the military should be celebrated.” 

After dinner Francis told Mary he had a long standing Friday night tradition with his friends and wouldn’t be back until Saturday evening. He gave her a kiss and jumped into his car leaving her in the driveway all by herself. I’m not going back in there alone, she thought as she started walking around the grounds. She spotted a small pond in the distance and decided to walk that direction; she didn’t notice Bash was already walking along the edge of the water until he said something. “Good evening Mary.” she jumped a little at the sound of his voice, “Oh Bash! You scared me….are you going to make this a habit?”, “I’ll try not to. What brings you out here? Isn’t Francis supposed to be protecting you against Catherine?”. Mary laughed a little. “He said he had a “long standing weekend tradition with his friends and wouldn’t be back until Saturday evening”. I don’t want to face them alone right now so I thought a walk might help kill some time and maybe they will go to bed without me.” Bash looked back at the house and then back at the stunning woman in front of him, Francis is crazy to leave her. If she were my fiance I wouldn’t want to spend a minute away from her…..what are you thinking? She is engaged to your brother and she is beautiful…very beautiful ….. His thoughts trailed off as he saw the moonlight dance across her skin, her dark hair highlighted her big brown eyes. She was dressed in a simple dress that hugged her curves just perfectly and was walking barefoot since her heels kept sinking into the soft ground around the pond. “ Does my brother know about you walking around barefoot in the mud?” She laughed at his playfulness, “I doubt it. It was something I started while I was traveling. It always surprised me how much different the earth felt no matter where I went.” Bash was now intrigued, “Why would you even start such a silly thing?” She turned to face him but continued to walk backwards along the water's edge, “ I suppose I was looking for the feeling of home.”. “You thought you would find New York dirt across the earth somewhere?” Bash almost scoffed at her like she was a silly child. Mary snapped back “No! I meant I was looking for someplace that felt like home. Somewhere I belonged, somewhere I could make roots and be happy. If that is silly to you then—-ahhh!” Just then she tripped over a log that was sticking half on shore half in the water. Bash instinctively reached out and caught her hand pulling her back upright and right into his arms. They were closer than a man and woman should be, at least a woman that was engaged to the man's brother should be. Bash’s hands rested on her waist and her hands were gripped tightly around his arms, I don’t think I have ever felt such muscular arms before…. It must be all the intense military training. I wonder if the rest of his body is like this……no stop…..what I’m I doing!! Mary’s breathing became heavier. Just like at the airport Bash held on to her longer than necessary, “I–I um….” He stammered as he put some space between them and turned to leave, “Wait…Bash!” Mary called out to stop him “ Thank you, I have already had one too many embarrassing moments today. You just saved me from another one. I owe you one.” He turned and smiled a little “You can repay me by going to breakfast with me in the morning. I’ll take you around and show you Mountain Brook if you would like?”. “Breakfast it is then. I’ll see you in the morning.” He nodded slightly and made his way back to the house, what am I getting myself into. I need to think of my brother….but it’s so hard not to think of her, especially after that encounter……

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The next morning Mary got up and dressed for breakfast with Bash. She assumed a more casual breakfast would happen so she settled on jeans and fitted black tee shirt and sneakers. She stepped outside as Bash pulled his truck around and jumped out to get her door, so manners run in the family, she politely accepted his hand especially since his truck sat higher than most. It was a nice truck, newer but not brand new. Very different from Francis's expensive sports car, she had felt out of place in it when he picked her up. Even for New York it was flashy and garnered a lot of attention. “ So, are you one of those classic military guys who spends his whole salary on his truck?” She asked with a small smirk. Never breaking his straight face he replied “No….only half.” Mary rolled her eyes and looked out the window, she must have rolled them loudly because Bash laughed at her reaction. As they left Mountain Brook she became curious about where he was taking her, “ I thought we were having breakfast in town? Why are we leaving Mountain Brook?” He brought the truck to a stop at a red light and looked over at her, their eyes locked as he asked her a question in return, “ Do you trust me?”, “yes” she answered with no hesitation. “Good, then trust that I am taking you to get a real breakfast.” The truck lurched forward has the light turned green.

Why was I so quick to answer him? I don't really know him….. I'm probably the stupidest girl on earth trusting a man I barely know.  Mary was too lost in thought to notice Bash's glances when he had the chance, that was…. unexpected. She didn't even think twice about trusting me. What is it about this woman that interests me so much…. surely she doesn't give a second thought about me, she is in love with my brother after all.

The rest of the ride was pretty silent as the pair struggled to make a comfortable conversion. Soon Mary saw a sign that read Welcome to Plantersville , “ Where are we?” She finally asked. “ This is my hometown, my mother and I lived here when I was a small boy. The diner here has the best pancakes.” Bash's guarded attitude started to lighten up as he pointed out various places he used to hang out and he told her of some of the trouble he got into…” Mrs. Gotherad had never been so angry with me until I smashed her store front window and her cat ran off. I don't blame the poor thing though, if I had to live with her I would have run away at my first chance too.” Mary laughed hard at his stories, “ Sounds like you were quite the trouble maker.” Bash put the truck in park outside the small town diner “Claire's Place”. Hoping out he ran around to get Mary's door, before she knew it his hands were around her waist lowering her out of vehicle, “ What do you mean “was”....who says I'm not still.” His hands lingered on her hips for a split second, this seems to be a habit of his…. Mary thought to herself. Turning a little red Bash reached behind her to grab his leather jacket. “ I hope you're hungry. They only know how to serve a big southern breakfast here.” 

The pair settled into a small booth in the corner when the waitress brought Bash a coffee and a slice of apple pie “ Hi Bash! I'm afraid I don't know your friend here, what can I get for you darlin?” Mary asked for a cup of coffee as well as she looked over the menu, the waitress continued to talk to Bash like she was very familiar with him, why is she so friendly towards him? Not that I should care…I mean he did say he grew up here. Why do I even care?! Get it together Mary. “Mary!” She snapped back from her thoughts to find the pair staring at her, “ Isobel was asking what you want to eat….do you know what you want?” Bash asked a little amused at catching her off guard. “Oh, well. Bash highly recommends your pancakes so I'll have an order of those please. Oh and extra bacon too!” Bash's eyebrows were raised slightly as she ordered extra bacon, “Aren't all you New Yorkers vegan?” He jested, “Only when someone asks you about it. And that's only to avoid being lectured about eating meat and wearing leather. I'm an extra bacon kind of girl.” She smiled as she added some cream and sugar to her coffee. 

They tried to fill the rest of breakfast with small talk. He asked some questions about her travels and New York and she stayed mainly on the topic of this small town and his current life. She already knew the subject of his military time was a sensitive one so she chose to avoid it all together. Isobel came by with the check and put it on the table. Bash went to reach for it and was met with Mary's hand grabbing his, “No! I'll get it.” Mary tried to protest, “ I told you I owed you, you're not buying my meal.” Bash flipped his hand over so that now he was holding her hand, “ What kind of a southern gentleman allows a lady to buy his meal? Are you trying to get me beat up out in the streets?” Mary's face turned red again, why does he illicit this reaction from me?, “Fine…” she relented pulling her hand away from his. “ I wouldn't know how to drive your truck anyway, I need you healthy to drive me back.” He smiled with satisfaction and handed the money to Isobel as she said goodbye, “By honey! I'll see you at the river party next weekend right?” “ I wouldn't miss it! Bye Isobel.” They were getting ready to head back when Mary asked about his relationship with the waitress, “ She seemed very… friendly….how do you know her?” I must sound stupid! Why should I care? “ She is my cousin on my mother's side. Her father helped us move here and my mother worked at his shop when I was little. She is more like a sister really.” he paused and gave her a puzzled look, “Why do you ask?” she is certainly inquisitive he thought. “Oh..um I just was asking. I should probably know if my future brother-in-law has a special someone he would like to bring to the wedding. You know for the invitations and all.” Mary looked down at her phone and pretended to text someone so she didn't have to meet his eyes. He didn't answer until he pulled up to the stop light, “I don't by the way.” , “You don't what?” Mary replied. Bash sighed a little” I don't have a special someone. But Catherine probably won't want me to be at the wedding. You know family secret and with all the media.”. “ Oh don't be silly! Who else will be the best man? I'm sure Francis will want you there.” 

Another short moment of silence passed between the two when he had another question for her, “Can I show you something? It's not far from here but I think you might like it.” Mary flashed a quick glance and smiled at him “Sure…” she answered. Bash smirked back and turned right towards the Grist State Park. They arrived there shortly and Mary noticed a bit of excitement in Bash as he helped her down. Instead of lingering like he did at the diner he grabbed her hand and led her into a wooded area towards the lake. When they arrived at the spot she saw a rope swing and a small cliff that ended in a deeper part of the lake. “You want to get in?” She looked over at Bash just as he was taking his shirt off, yep..guess that answers my question about his physique. Heaven help me!. He was very muscular and toned, her eyes were drawn to several tattoos he had across his arms, back and chest. She also couldn’t help but notice all the scars on his left side, one of them ran below his belt which caused her to blush, “I'm sorry….what?! What are you doing?”. Bash closed the gap in between them and got so close she could feel the heat coming off of him, “Do. You. Want. To. Get. In?” he asked slower in a mocking tone. “ No….I didn't come prepared to swim.” She had to swallow her breath to keep from saying something she might regret later. “Fine, suit yourself.” He walked over to the edge of the cliff, “ for a girl who brags about her adventures you sure are not very adventurous.” With that he jumped off and Mary let out a gasp “BASH!” running over to the edge to see where he landed he popped up and shook his hair out of his face. “ I knew you were just a typical New York princess!” He yelled from the water, laughing to himself he began to swim back to shore when he heard her yell and hit the water. She came up and heard him laughing, “What was that about being a “typical New York princess”?!”, “I stand corrected.” Mary started swimming around as Bash went back to shore to jump again. When he got back up the hill he saw her shirt, jeans, socks and shoes laying on rocks, oh shit….she is not in much. Sometimes I'm too cheeky for my own good. “Um, Mary? Why are all of your clothes up here?”. He didn't get an answer so he peered over the edge. “Mary?! Ma—ahh” just then he felt her jump on his back and they both tumbled down into the lake. Gasping when they broke the surface he reached for her to tease her a little. “Was that adventurous enough for you?” Mary asked, laughing at her trick. “ I don't know? How do you feel about flying?” He smiled as he picked her up and threw her further into the lake. 

She swam back to him and splashed him, scolding him for throwing her. He caught her wrist and they became close enough to feel each other's breath, Bash caught himself gazing into her eyes and realized what they were doing “ We, uh…we better get you back to Francis. He'll be home later and you smell like…well like you've been in a lake all morning.”. He started swimming back to shore with Mary right behind him. “Stay here and I'll get your clothes.” He called out from shore. She waited for him when she heard a boat coming around the bend, since she was in nothing but her underwear and bra she ducked behind some bushes. Bash heard the same thing and closed his eyes to pray it wasn't who he thought he thought it was. “Bash!” Called a man from the boat, “Who are you out here skinny dipping with now brother?”. Brother! Oh God…it's Francis. Please play it cool Bash! Mary's heart was racing 100 miles per hour. “Don't worry Francis. You'll see her at the wedding.” Bash called back, that actually was pretty smooth, he didn't lie but he didn't shout “ your fiance” either. Mary sighed a breath of relief, but nothing prepared her for what she heard next, “Hey Bash, do me a favor. If you see Mary tell her you saw me at a sports bar and I was hammered. I'll sleep it off and see her Sunday night.” Bash looked down at Mary and their eyes locked, she looked so confused. How am I going to explain this? , “Oh and Olivia says hi! She is below deck getting some drinks. Do you want to come aboard and have a beer?”. Bash didn't waste any time declining the offer and headed back down the hill. “He's gon–” Mary snatched her clothes out of Bash's hand and began to put them back on quickly. “ Mary…I”, “DON'T!” she interrupted, he followed her in silence back to the truck. She yanked on the handle but it was locked. Getting frustrated she turned and wiped the tears from her cheeks,

“Open the door.”

“Mary….let me explain.”

“You knew?! Why didn't you tell me?”

“When was supposed to tell you? Over breakfast?”

“Open the Goddamn door!”

“ No! Mary, why are you mad at me? I didn't know he would be here.”

“Did he ask you to cover for him last night? Is that why you took me almost two hours away? So I wouldn't run into him?”

Bash was going to answer but Mary just turned around and walked away. “ How are you going to get home?” She didn't answer but she heard the truck unlock and it made her stop. “Get your ass in the truck.” he stated. She turned around and got in but refused his help up. The whole trip back to Mountain Brook was done in complete silence. When he pulled up to the house she just sat there looking out the window as he made his way around to open the door. “Aren't you going to get out?” He motioned towards the house. “No….I need a drink.” Bash sighed, “ Mary I don't think that's a good idea. You need a hot shower and rest.” She looked down at him with pleading eyes, why can't I stand my ground with this one…. dammit I can't stand disappointing her. He shut the door and climbed back in the truck, “ Fine…one drink then I'll bring you back. Deal?” She looked over with a small hint of satisfaction, “Deal.”.

Chapter Text

He pulled into a gas station and ran inside, a few minutes later he came out with a six pack and a bottle of whiskey that he handed her, “I'm not taking you to a bar where I can't keep an eye on your consumption.” He stared blankly leaving no room for an argument. Mary didn't say anything, she only nodded. He drove about 10 min outside of town and pulled up in front of an apartment building, it wasn't as nice as the ones she grew up around but it looked clean and safe. “Who lives here?” She asked as she got out of the truck. Bash took the drinks from her and started walking towards the stairs ``Me.”. 

Mary followed him up three flights of stairs and into his apartment wondering the whole time what she was thinking, I shouldn't be here….no he is Francis's brother, he doesn't have feelings for me. This is just a drink amongst friends. Bash shut the door behind her which brought her out of her thoughts. “Make yourself at home.” Mary looked around at the practically spotless home Bash kept. She was a little taken back by how orderly everything was as she followed him into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and tried to hand her a bottle of beer when she took his glass and downed the whole shot, “Easy now! You took your one drink, you're done for the night.” She grabbed the beer and walked past him to the couch. “ No..that was a shot, you didn't put a cap on those.” Bash rolled his eyes and joined her on the sofa. She finished her beer without any words being exchanged between the two. Suddenly a text came through Mary's phone “ I'm sorry. My friends are a bad influence. I love you.” 

Marry threw her phone on the end table and took her third shot of whiskey. “Mary….you need to slow down.” He went to take her glass from her when she broke out into tears. He pulled her into his chest and just let her cry until she pulled away. “Bash? How long has he been seeing her?” She asked not knowing if knowing the truth would make a difference at this point. Bash sighed before he answered “He wrote to me about two years ago saying he had been out partying and he met this girl. He claimed he was heartbroken over his ex and thought he might enjoy this girl's company…..I don't really know the details Mary, I was in the middle of the desert in an active war zone. I didn't pay much attention to my brother's affairs at the time.” She laid her head back down on his chest but her breathing steadily evened out. He started stroking her hair without even thinking about it and before he knew it she was asleep. Well this is not a good look Bash! I probably better figure out a way to get her off of me before she wakes up….I don't really want to though. She is intoxicating…..and intoxicated at 4pm. Yeah let's not give her anymore reasons to hate me tonight. He maneuvered her body around so he could scoop her up and carry her to his room. He laid her in bed and pulled the covers over her. He smiled just looking at her while brushing the wild strands of hair from her face. She is beautiful even when she is sloshed. Bash then went back out to the couch for the night. I can't fall for her. Was his last thought before falling asleep.

10pm Saturday night

Mary stirred when she heard something that sounded like someone fighting. She looked around to see where she was and realized she was in his bed….. I'm alone though. Shit what time is it. She went to reach for her phone when she heard the noise again but this time it sounded like someone calling “ medic, homer stay with me. Nova stay!” The voice was getting louder, as she got to the bedroom door it dawned on her who it was. “Bash?” She called walking towards the living room, “Bash…. SEBASTIAN?!” all she felt next was his hands around her as he pinned her to the floor. She laid there struggling under his bare chest and she yelled his name one more time “BASH IT'S ME…. IT'S MARY!” he finally woke up and realized what he had done. He was in shock at the look of fear on her face when he rolled off of her and backed away sweaty and out of breath, “I'm….I…Mary I'm sorry it's…umm, hard to explain right now.” She stood up unsure about what her next move should be. He ran his finger through his hair and grabbed his shoes, “I need to go on a run…running helps.” She didn't know what caused her to offer but she felt compelled to make sure he was alright. “Do you want me to go with you?” Mary you should be running, you do know he just attacked you right? “No! You need to get a cab and go back home. You can't trust me.” He slammed the door and went for his run. 

An hour had passed before he made it back around to his apartment, well she certainly got to see your good side tonight. She'll never trust you again. He thought when he reached his door and heard what sounded like movement coming from inside. She left so fast she didn't lock the door and now I'm being robbed…. great. Cautiously he opened the door and made his way inside. Looking around for any sign of an intruder all he saw were her shoes by the front door, a little further in and in the dining room table was some hot tea, water, snacks and aspirin. What the hell? Bash looked up to the kitchen doorway and saw the prettiest pair of brown eyes looking directly at him. “Bash? I ummm…I read that hot tea can help calm symptoms of PTSD and I thought you might be thirsty since you didn't take water….” Bash crossed the room as she was talking and cut her off with a passionate kiss. Oh he tastes as good as he looks. She surprised both of them when she returned his kiss by parting her lips and inviting him to deepen it. Bash picked her up and put her against the wall in the hallway while never breaking their kiss. After several minutes of kissing and letting their hands roam all over their bodies, he pulled back only to catch a glimpse of her engagement ring out of the corner of his eye. Bash sighed and put her down, “We should get you back to the estate….” Mary was left speechless in the hallway, what…how can he go from 60 to 0 so quickly. She slipped her shoes on and followed him out the door to the street where he had already hailed a cab for her. He opened the door and motioned for her to get in. Mary stood there looking confused, “Why do you want me to leave? Why don't you drive me back, I don't want to take a cab….” “Just get in the car Mary! I'm not safe for you to be around. Please go back to the estate….go back to Francis.” Mary's eyes dropped to the ground as she got into the cab. He watched her until she was out of sight and then he went back inside. 

Back inside he rounded the corner of the kitchen and found his “Life after War: How to get through PTSD” book was open with his list laying beside it:

“ Things to do:                      Things to avoid:

Go for a run                         Heavy Drinking 

Drink hot tea                        Being around people 

Take three aspirin                Stressful situations “

Hot showers

Talk to a fellow Military Friend (can't)

Oh Mary….what have I done. 

Mary arrived back at the estate around midnight. She snuck in unnoticed, to her bedroom. She changed for bed and slid in-between the sheets but she couldn't get the feeling of Bash's touch and lips out of her mind. My God he is intoxicating….he was so warm under my fingers. I thought Francis's touch was what love felt like…..not that Bash loves me or Francis apparently. What is her name, oh yeah Olivia, what is he doing with her? She recalled Bash's letter and instantly got angry. He called me his “ex”, I told him I would wait for him. That I just wanted to travel before my life was going to be dictated to me. I can't believe he dated other women while I was gone. 

Her mind wandered back to Bash's kindness throughout the evening and the memory of his outburst came flooding back. When he left her to go on a run she noticed all the pictures on his bookshelf. Some were family, friends and his buddies from the Marines. She noticed a dog in one with “Nova” on its vest. Bash had his arm around her and she was licking his face. She came across another picture with Bash standing in front of a Humvee with 5 other men. She picked up the frame and felt paper stuck to the back of it.

Mary gasped when she read the news article that was tapped to the frame:

“Local Marine Named War Hero,

A soldier from Plantersville AL, Sergeant Sebastian Poitier (27), was awarded the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor on Tuesday. Sergeant Poitier's Humvee was hit during an attack on their convoy in the Iraqi desert in June of 2023. All five of his men in the Humvee died during the shoot out. The sergeant was taken hostage for two weeks before he escaped and returned to his commander with valuable information on the movements of the enemy troops. The president said during his pinning ceremony “Many have not come home from war, but thanks to the brave efforts of this young man many won't have to go in the first place.” Sergeant Poitier did not attend his ceremony in person due to healing from his wounds in a New York hospital.

The five men from his unit were honored during the ceremony as well:

Mark Homer (18), Liam Keller (27), Greg Stout (30), Alec Sheaffer (35) and Frank Haggard (23). His dog, Nova, is also honored for her service in defending her trainer until her last breath.”

She began to cry thinking about all he has been through and the indifference his father had shown him during dinner on Friday night. The only feeling she had was one of coldness, I miss his warmth….I feel so empty now. What is going on? It must be that I am trying to get back at Francis by trying to get with his brother…. I'm sure when Francis gets back I'll be back to normal. Besides, my family is counting on me to make this work. But why do I feel so cold? A text came through “ I'm sorry about tonight…”

Chapter Text

Francis met Mary and Claude in the driveway when they returned from their shopping trip. They both jumped out without a word being said to Francis. Mary walked by and into the house, he noticed she didn't even tell his sister goodbye. “What is her problem? Did you say something to upset her?” He grabbed the young girl by the arm. “Me! No, we actually had a great time until she saw you waiting on us. She said she felt trapped here when you left this weekend.” He let out a small chuckle, “Don't worry I know what will cheer her up! I'll take care of it at dinner.” 

5pm and Mary heard a familiar engine coming up the driveway. She peeks out of the window and catches a glimpse of him getting out of the truck, her heart rate picks up as she thinks about the awkward night ahead of them. She decides to face it bravely and get it over with. Time to get dressed and face the music. She was growing frustrated with finding her clothes, the staff had taken the liberty of putting her things away and she had no idea where anything was. Opening drawer after drawer she came across a pair of jogging pants and tennis shoes in the bottom one…. those aren't mine? She remembered Bash walking in on her last week “this used to be my room…” was he coming in to grab his running clothes that night? She finishes getting ready and heads downstairs.

Claude is sitting at the end of the table beside her little brothers looking upset. “Claude you had Mary's attention all day, Bash hasn't seen her since Friday and he really didn't even get to talk to her. Let him sit next to us tonight.” Mary's eyes widened has she saw her seat was right in between Francis and Bash. Oh dear God….how much worse can it get? Everyone took their seats and conversation bounced around the table. When Francis and their father started to engage in political talk Bash took this chance to speak to Mary in hushed tones:

“ Mary.. I'm so–”

“ Yes I got your message “

“ Well I wanted you to hear it from me.”

“ No need to talk about it, let's just forget it even happened….”

Bash was silent for a minute, Mary dropped her hand to grab her napkin but instead it was captured by Bash's hand.

She turned to look at Bash but was caught off guard by Francis, “Mary?! Did you hear what I said?”, Bash jerked his hand away quickly and Mary stumbled to recover with Francis “ No I'm sorry I was trying to listen to the boy's conversation. What did you say?” Francis scoffed a little “ I was telling you I'm taking you to Paris this week to get away before the whole world knows about our engagement.” Mary was a little taken back, “Oh Paris is lovely!” a look of triumph came across his face. “I was thinking we could do our proposal again so that the media can be there and get some great photos from their social media.” she went to respond but realized that was not a comment directed towards her but rather his father. Mary, feeling a little degraded in front of the whole family, turned back to Bash who was now standing at the bar getting a whiskey. 

Henry and Francis finished up their schemes for the couple's second engagement when Henry's attention turned towards Bash. “ And how is our resident war hero doing these days? Are you ready to join in on your fathers campaign trail? It's got to be better than working in that mechanics shop in Plantersville.” Henry and Francis laughed at the thought of it all. “I'm getting along just fine. I prefer cars and motorcycles over people…..they talk back less.”. Henry, now not amused with his eldest, raised his voice slightly, “The people want to see their hero, not read a ten sentence paragraph about him and how he didn't even show up to receive his great honor! Not even one mention of your father in the whole thing…but the damn dog and 5 dead men were praised!” “FATHER! That's not fair to Bash, he has grown up not being allowed to be a part of this family but now that it is convenient and political you want him by your side?” Francis stood to challenge his father. “If Bash had died I would be a gold star parent and I wouldn't need you two to flaunt around being “Americas sweethearts”. You two better not screw this up for us.”

Francis turned around only to see both his brother and fiance were missing from the table. Bash had run to the bathroom to try and catch his breath. Mary ran upstairs and changed into some running clothes and grabbed the clothes from the bottom drawer. Bash jumped when the bathroom door swung open, “ Here.” Mary shoved the clothes into his hands, “Those are yours right? Put them on and let's go.” A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom only to have Mary grab his hand and lead him out the side door. Once they were outside Mary took off towards the pond leaving Bash to stand there confused, what is she doing? He took chase and thought he would ask her when he caught up to her. It took longer than he expected to catch her but when he did they were on the opposite side of the pond out of sight of anyone. “Mary! Stop…wait…” he called out to her. “Bash you ran for over an hour last night? You can't be done already!” He closed the gap in between them and cupped her face in his hands, “Mary why are we running?

“I thought running helped?”

“Helps with what?”

“Your PTSD episodes…didn't you have one at dinner with your father?”

“No…”

“Why were you drinking and breathing heavily then?”

“Because I….” Don't want you to run off with my brother! Because I think I'm in love with you! Because that is what the thought of losing you does to me! His heart was screaming at him.

Mary's eyes desperately searched his face for an answer, preferably one that ended with him asking her not to go to Paris.

“Because I can't stand all the political talk at the table. That's all Mary.”

He stepped back from her and ran back towards the house leaving Mary behind this time. Her eyes filled with tears as soon as his absences had sunk in. She walked back into her room to find Francis asleep in her bed. She moaned a little and undressed to lay beside him. Francis stirred a little and hugged her from behind “ There you are. Are you excited about our trip?” “ Mhm.” Was all she could reply. “Good! I'm going to treat you like the princess you are!”. Mary rolled her eyes so hard she thought they might strain her muscles. In the morning they loaded up in Francis's Lamborghini and headed off to the airport. 11 hours later their flight lands in Paris.

The first day was spent sleeping off the jet lag. The second day Francis wanted to go shopping for Mary to have the perfect outfit for their engagement redo on the French beach. Mary was mostly annoyed she even had to do this, “ Francis…what was wrong with our first engagement? This all feels silly to me.” Francis was growing ever frustrated with her “Mary for the hundredth time…it will play better with the younger voters. Please stop asking about it and do as you are asked.” He then started typing quickly on his phone, “um..excuse me Mary something just came up and I need to meet with a foreign delegate about backing my father's campaign.” He left before she could even respond. Now being left alone in the middle of Paris she didn't know what else to do but text Bash, what do I even say? I was right that he doesn't love me, I was just convenient to erase his pain. She closed out his message and dialed Greer instead, “Mary? Are you okay?” Mary began to sob as she told her about what Francis had done on this trip. “He loves you, we all saw it when he was here! You're just getting cold feet. October is a long way away, relax.” Mary didn't see him until Thursday afternoon when they were to shoot their “engagement”, he walked in looking happy and gave her a little kiss on the cheek (they hadn't been intimate at all since landing in Paris). “Alright! Here you need to take that ring off so I put your new one on. Why aren't you wearing shoes? Stop being silly and slip your heels back on.” Mary pulled her hand back “Francis…this ring isn't even a month old yet. It's ridiculous to buy another. And I'm not wearing heels on the beach!” He sighed, acting bothered that he had to explain it to her. “You are set to be the most popular woman in America right now. It's important to keep up with current styles and last I looked, being a barefoot hobo wasn't the look we were going for….and this particular jeweler donated $2million to fathers campaign and is expecting a brand shout-out when we do interviews.” 

“This is ridiculous!” Mary walked away from Francis leaving him speechless. “Okay fine…have it your way, bring in the double! We will just shoot it from the backside….” The double?! I'm sorry what?! She looked back to see this slender blonde walk over to Francis in an identical dress. The photographer then fastened a dark wig on her and then did their shoot. Mary jumped on the next plane to New York. This time she was only met by her mother, no smiles, no support, just scowling and a long lecture on the way home. Mary tried to explain everything to her parents, while leaving the parts about Bash out, but they wouldn't relent. “Darling this is politics! Sometimes we have to put on our best faces and smile for the world to see.” Marie sat beside her daughter “ Francis will be here soon, and tomorrow you will interview with good morning America and then go back to Mountain Brook.”

An interview….. about how my fiance brought his mistress to be a body double for our fake engagement…. “Mother. Father…I want to back out of this!”. James stood up from his chair” Mary, it's too late for that!” He laid the paper down in front of her and she was horrified to see the front page headline, “New York Princess to Wed Future Secretary of State” the story went on about how they have been in love since grade school and how nothing has ever been able to match the passion they have and the love that they possess. The article also mentions their families and how bonded they are because of these two American Sweethearts.

“That exact headline is all over the front of every paper in America this morning.” Her father grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes, “You will go through with this or our family will suffer greatly because of your childish fantasy of romance.” Tears formed in her eyes but she was determined not to let them see that they got to her. The next morning Francis met her at the news station with an overly sweet coffee and a vegan bagel “Here, this is my apology to you for acting like a twit in Paris.” He gave her a kiss on the lips and escorted her into the studio. The interview went great! Francis did most of the talking, only letting Mary talk about her plans for dress shopping and decorations.” She felt so sick to her stomach afterwards but it was nice to see Francis being more attentive to her, even though he did mess up her coffee and breakfast order.

They rushed to the airport and flew back to Alabama. Mary was glad to be back and fearful at what awaited them. As soon as they left the terminal camera flashes were everywhere, Francis played into it by dipping her and landing a kiss on her lips for the world to see. They made several key stops to highlight campaign donors' businesses before heading back to the estate. As they walked inside Mary froze at the site of Bash standing in the foyer not real sure what to do, their eyes locked and she froze. He was holding today's newspaper that had their kiss outside of the studio on the front “True love swept thru NYC” was the headline. I wasn't sure he would be here….why is looking at me like I ripped his heart out? “Brother! I have brought love to Alabama it seems.” Bash broke his stance and shifted to embrace Francis. “ Paris was amazing! And so was she, if you know what I mean.” It took all of his willpower not to knock his brother on his ass right there. Instead he faked a smile “It's good to have you back Francis.” Francis left to talk to Henry about their next move leaving Mary and Bash in the foyer alone.

“Mary..I trust you had fun on your trip.”

“ Yes, Paris was lovely. It was good to see my family in New York too.”

“Ah yes..the King and Queen of New York.”

“Bash.. I--I”

“Oh and I'm glad to see you're upholding your vegan friend's request with your breakfast choices. I didn't take you to be a pushover, but I guess if they gave me…what did your dad get? Oh yes $1.5 million dollars I…still wouldn't sell out to be someone I'm not.”

Mary was now growing angry that he wouldn't listen. “You are just like Francis…and your father for that matter!” She grabbed a set of keys off the table and sped out of the driveway.

No one heard from her all day, Francis began to worry that someone had taken her for ransom money. He and Henry spent the night listing all the possible suspects with the police. One officer ran into the room to inform them they had found Francis' car, “Oh thank goodness!” Bash rolled around slowly to stare at his brother, “They didn't say Mary was with the car….” Francis looked at the officer “Well? Was she with it?” , “No sir, the car was empty. Aside from a dress…I'm assuming it's hers?”. Bash interrupted, clearly annoyed that no one is asking the right questions, “Where did you find it?” “Down near Plantersville, but there is a river party going on down there and we have officers looking.” 

“See Bash…have faith…where did he go?” The whole family looked around dumbfounded. He slipped out so quickly.

Chapter Text

Two hours later Bash parked his truck outside of Grist State Park. He spent a few minutes just sitting there looking at the gathering on the shore, there were several bonfires along the beach, music, dancing, people floating on the lake and on down the river. What am I going to do if I find her? Why am I the one that's here, shouldn't my brother be here instead? He jumped out and decided he would figure that out if he found her. People were happy to see him, they greeted him warmly and offered him drinks. He relented and took a beer as he scanned the beach when a friendly voice came out of nowhere, “Cousin! I thought you weren't going to make it.” Isobel came and hugged him tightly. “Sorry I'm late. We had a family problem that kept me from leaving.” He tried not to tip her off that he was looking for someone. But Isobel was always keen on these types of things, “It wouldn't have had anything to do with the pretty girl you took to breakfast would it?” she smiled in satisfaction as he snapped his eyes to focus on hers. “She stopped by the diner and asked how to get here, I just gave her a ride and some more suitable clothes for the occasion.” He followed her pointed finger and saw Mary laughing with a group of girls from the town. She was dressed in tight jeans, a white tank top and a baseball cap. Her normally long flowing locks were tightly pulled back into a ponytail and in true Mary fashion she was barefoot. He sighed loudly in relief to finally know she was safe, “Thank you Isobel! She looks like she is enjoying herself….I think I'll just let her be for a little bit.” His cousin always liked to challenge him on his innermost thoughts and of course this was an opportunity she wasn't going to miss out on, “Typical Bash…..I suppose you will need a few more of those beers before you gain the courage to ask her to dance.” She pressed another bottle into his hand and rolled her eyes, “Honestly! All of those brave things you did and you can't ask a girl out…I'll never understand you!” Bash laughed as his cousin walked away leaving him there to watch her from a distance. He sent Francis a quick text “I found her. She is safe…just needs some time. I'll make sure she gets back.”

Isobel had introduced Mary to a small group of girls from the town. Kenna, Lola and Aylee welcomed her into their group and had a million questions about life in New York and all her travels. They knew who she was and who she was engaged to but that didn't seem to intimidate them, she felt just like a normal girl again. The group of girls were pointing out their romantic interests to her when Kenna noticed Bash keeping an eye on them, “Oh no ladies….. someone has drawn the eye of the local heartthrob! Mary I don't think he has taken his eyes off of you for the past 30 min.” Mary's cheeks became red, “Do I even turn around?! I can't date anyone…. I'm getting married in a few months.” Aylee added “Well one dance is not dating Mary. Your intent is to have a good time tonight, not to find a lover. If he comes over then you should dance with him.” All the girls laughed while nodding when Lola gave her opinion, “Just be careful….you said the press has been following you. And he is a notorious flirt. I just don't want to see you get hurt.” Mary became very grateful for her new friends and made plans to get together with them at the estate later that week. She finally found some people to connect with! 

Just then Mary felt a tap on her shoulder, “Excuse me but I have been distracted by you all night.” Mary turned to meet the new voice, “Hello, I'm Mary.” She introduced herself. “I'm Thomas. Let's go dance!” He grabbed her by the hand and swung her out on the dance floor before she could respond. Bash watched them carefully as he sipped on his beer. He was so distracted he didn't notice the three women approaching him, “Are you going to save her?” Kenna spoke out first, “He has a terrible reputation with women around here.” Bash's expression never changed. “No…she can handle herself.” he informed her. “Oh very gallant of you Bash. But just so you know there is a rumor that he beat his last girlfriend because she didn't want to sleep with him.” Lola added that little bit of information before the girls left. Bash watched them as they walked away and then turned his attention back to where Mary had been dancing. Shit!! Where did they go? I shouldn't have looked away! Bash set his bottle down and started walking around looking for her just as it started raining. He made his way down to the shore when he heard some noises coming from the woods. They were hushed tones until he got closer, “What are you trying to do?” “Come on, I just want to full around!” “No…stop!” Bash heard Mary scream which spurred him into action. 

Reaching forward he grabbed Thomas by the back of the shirt and through him off of Mary and into a tree. “Bash?....I” tears started forming in her eyes, “Are you okay? Mary, are you okay?” She nodded and Bash turned his attention back to the shaken assailant. Lighting and thunder had started to fill the sky and it rained harder. Thomas swung at Bash but missed, Bash laughed “My turn…” one swift swing and Thomas was on the ground with a bloody face. Mary stood in the background shocked by Bash's reaction, how did he find me? She opened her mouth to speak when suddenly she found herself pulled into Bash's chest. He was holding on tight and kissing the top of her head, slowly he pulled back and cupped her face, “Are you sure you are okay?” All she could do was nod. Bash took her hand and led her back towards the party that had now dispersed because of the rain. Reaching the edge of the shore Mary ripped her hand away and stalled in her steps. 

Bash paused but didn't turn to meet her gaze. “Why are you here?” She asked. No answer came, “Bash!” She yelled demanding an answer. When he turned their eyes locked and it was like the whole world stopped turning. They were both standing on the shore soaked to the bone, the rain caused Bash's shirt to cling to every muscle tightly, Mary felt her breath hitch- You've seen him shirtless before….what is your problem?

Mary's white tank was now see through, leaving little to the imagination of the shape of her body. Her hat had been knocked off during the scuffle with Thomas and her hair was now down and dripping down her back, Bash's expression hardened when he turned to look at her, “Does it matter? I was coming anyway, remember…” She shook her head, not accepting his answer, “No! How did you find me in the woods?” She pressed harder hoping he would tell her he came looking for her. He walked over to her only to grab her hand and silently walk her to his truck. 

He went back to town and stopped by the mechanics shop he worked at, “Come on, there are some towels in here you can dry off with.” He lowered her out of the truck like he had at the diner except he didn't linger, the loss of his playfulness hurt her. They went inside where Bash rifled through the cabinet for some towels, “Here…try to dry off.” Mary began to dry her hair as she looked around the shop, she surveyed all the way around and landed back on Bash who was now shirtless looking through a locker for another shirt. Her heart rate picked up… why am I fighting this so hard? Francis has Olivia….why can't I have what I want? She decided right there that her happiness was worth the risk of upsetting a few people she didn't really even care about. 

Without another second passing Mary turned Bash around against the lockers and took his lips into her own. This kiss reminded them of the night Bash came back from his run. It was urgent, passionate and full of all the desire they had been holding back. Bash responded in kind, but softly. He let his hands roam up and down her torso, over her breast and into her hair. Gasping for air Mary pulled back and looked deeper into his eyes. He saw a hunger in them that he wanted to satiate and so he began to lift her shirt over her head. A few minutes later they were making love on his desk. Mary had been with Francis before but she felt different about it with Bash. He was taking his time, pleasuring her, not just himself and he acted like he never wanted it to end. She enjoyed being caressed and fawned over, this isn't sex…..he is making love to me….he …. Her thoughts trailed off as they both reached their climax. She was sitting on his desk with him standing, nestled between her legs. He was just holding her against his bare chest while he stroked her hair and landed light kisses into her hair. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders pulling him in tighter. He chuckled which made her lift her head to see his eyes, “What’s so funny?” He kissed her gently on the lips and smiled, “It's going to be hard to get any work done here now…. I'll just be thinking about this.” she returned his kiss “ Good! I want to consume your every thought.” he brushed the loose strands of hair from her face, “Mary, you've been doing that for a while now.”

Her phone rang loudly and it shocked them out of their sweet moment. Mary sighed, “That will be Francis….”, Bash took a step back from her and started putting his clothes back on. She answered the phone, 

“Hello?.... Francis?” 

“Mary….where are you?” whispered Francis

“I'm at a friend's…Isobel's I met her at a party.”

“Oh…….are you coming back tonight?”

“Francis, why are you whispering? No I'm wasted, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

Bash smirked at what he heard… well I wonder where she is hoping to stay tonight? He came up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the sides of her neck softly. She fought hard not to giggle while still talking to Francis. 

Francis finally responded to her “ I am here waiting for you….” Mary heard the faint sounds of a woman's voice in the background. “I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow evening.” He hung up abruptly.

After gathering up her clothing and re-dressing she fell into Bash's arms with a big sigh, “Do you mind taking me back to your apartment tonight?” He grinned from ear to ear, “ I would love nothing more….”

Chapter Text

The sunrise peaked through the window panes just enough to cause Mary to stir. She picked her head up slightly to take in her surroundings and much to her delight she was met with Bash’s smiling face looking at her from the other side of the bed. “Good morning beautiful..” Bash sat up on his elbow to hover over her face and landed a soft kiss on her lips, inhaling deeply he brushed her stray hairs away from her face, “This is a view that I could get used to.” Mary blushed at his adoring words and stroked his cheek with her thumb, “I don’t think I have ever slept so peacefully in my life….I think I may need to sleep in your arms every night from now on.” A sly grin spread across his face as he thought of a cheeky reply, “Well my love…. I would assume making love three times in one night would tire anyone out.” Now she was smiling uncontrollably as she thought about their activities last night. “Would you like some breakfast?” He changed the subject while he got up to throw on his running shorts. “I would, but can i shower first?”, “You shower….and I’ll make breakfast.” kissing her once more before he left the room. He is perfect….I can’t see myself being any happier than I am right now at this moment. No, wait..I could be if I married him. Sadness fell over her as her brain reminded her heart of their situation. She stumbled to the shower and tried to wash that out of her mind so she could just live in this moment with him right now.

Appearing in the kitchen in one of Bash’s t-shirts she saw he had made her a plate with eggs, toast & extra bacon, If only I had some coff…. “Here you go Mary. Coffee with half a sugar and two creams.” He just got even more perfect! Mary’s mouth hung open, “Bash? How do you possibly remember how I take my coffee?” He grinned “When you love someone you take care to notice the things they like.” He kissed her cheek and went to grab the paper from his doorstep.

Mary was left shocked at his statement… Did he just say he loved me? It felt like an eternity for him to come back but when he did his attitude had changed. He dropped the paper on the counter and walked into his bedroom, she heard some ruffling around and he came out a few seconds later dressed. 

“You need to get dressed…” 

“Bash? What are yo…”

“Mary, we can’t do this. I have to get you back to the estate. We are already going to catch hell for this.”

Mary didn’t move from her seat as she was still so stunned by his sudden shift in demeanor.

“One second ago you said that you loved me and now you are kicking me out? Bash, what is going on?”

He looked defeated as he grabbed the paper from the counter and showed her this morning's headline and picture. 

“New York Princess Looking For A New Prince?

NY Senator's daughter, Mary Stuart, has been engaged to future Secretary of State, Francis Valois, for less than a month and is already seeking the charm of another southern gentleman. Taken at a party in Plantsville AL, the pair were seen in love's sweet embrace when the crowd thinned out due to the rain. Sources have confirmed that the couple left the party in a black Ford F-250 and stopped at Isabel's Garage for several hours before leaving to go to Brookside Apartments outside of Mountain Brook. The identity of the mystery lover is not yet known but we will update this story as it progresses.”

The picture was from the woods right after Bash had punched Thomas. Mary started to panic, “no, no, no, no! How did this happen?! How did they get that picture?”. Bash unfolded the paper and pointed at the writer of the article, “Story and photos submitted by Thomas Cordona”  

Tears filled her eyes as she got dressed and pulled on her shoes. I don’t want this to end…I just got him, I know this is not going to end well for us if we go back.” She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Bash standing in the doorway, “Are you ready?” Mary’s eyes snapped up to him, “no…can we just ru- - ” “NO!”  He let out a deep sigh as if he was begging her not to say what they both were thinking, “Let’s just get this over with.” He tossed a motorcycle helmet next to her on the bed and grabbed his keys.

Bash’s quick thinking led to them avoiding the sea of paparazzi that were hovering around his truck. They drove right past them on his motorcycle and headed towards the estate. Mary held on tight to his waist the whole way there, her heart fell into her stomach when she saw five figures standing on the front steps of the grand estate. Shit!!! My parents flew in….that was quicker than I thought. So now we have Francis, his parents and my parents to contend with. What have I gotten him into….what are we going to do? He took their helmets off and helped her off the bike, he nodded to her as if to signal he had everything under control. She squeezed his hand and mouthed “I trust you” to him which made him hold his head a little higher. Henry started to speak when Bash interrupted him, “Father I need to talk to you….alone.” he walked past all five of them  without another word and never let go of Mary’s hand. She blushed at his confidence and willingness to stand up for her. “Claude! Can you please take Mary….anywhere but here and don’t leave her side no matter what?” his little sister nodded a little unsure of what she was supposed to do but then she remembered their other guests that had arrived with Mary’s parents. “ Your brother and sister-in-law are upstairs, I’m sure they would love to see you.” Bash took one last lingering look into her eyes before he went into the study to face their parents and Francis.

Hours had passed by, Bash had not come to find her. Greer tried to reassure her “Mary, if what you say is true I can’t imagine your parents would not see your side of things.” Mary let out a hardy laugh, “You don’t know them as well as you think you do. They made it quite clear I shouldn’t do anything to cause scandalous rumors to start. And now I have put the man I love under fire for it…..” Her ears perked up at the sound of a motorcycle starting up, running to the window her eyes began to burn as he drove away at an alarming rate of speed. “Oh Mary!” Greer’s eyes widened as she went to hug her friend only to be pushed away when Mary fell to the floor in tears. The door on the guest room flew open and the girls saw Francis standing before them, “You need to come downstairs. Our parents want to talk to you.” He didn’t offer any warmth, no emotions at all. She felt cold all of a sudden as she made her way to the study downstairs. She was glared at from all angles as she entered the room, five against one….how lovely. She inhaled deeply to prepare for what was to come. “Mary” James was the first to speak, “We know adjusting to this sudden marriage is not easy. However you can not be throwing yourself at random men when you are the center of public scrutiny.” Mary laughed, “ “Random Men”.....father I would hardly call Sebastain a random man. Francis introduced us..” “This is not what I intended to happen by introducing you to my brother?” Francis lost his temper and slammed his fist into the door frame. 

“We agreed to a civil conversation, Francis..” James reminded him. 

“Civil….umm. Civil would have been achieved before she became my brother's whore!” 

“That’s enough!” Henry interjected, “Now we will clean up this mess, I know the owner of the paper. We will say that Mary was drunk and that Bash was stalking her until he saw his opportunity to take advantage of her.”

“NO!” Mary protested 

Marie stepped forward and grabbed her daughter's hand, “This has to be done dear. We already filed a restraining order against him. He is not to be within 100 miles of you or he will be prosecuted on stalking and menacing charges. That’s why he left.” 

Mary drowned out everything else that was being said around her. The five of them were all talking but none of it made sense to her; We will never see eachother again…..I can’t… I….I never told him that I loved him. Tears were staining her cheeks when she felt Francis grip her shoulder. “I think that is the wisest course of action, don’t you Mary?”..... “Mary!”

She looked at the faces staring back at her as her mother tried to reiterate what had just been said, “We are moving the wedding up to July 27th. You and Francis will go on the campaign trail with us so we can assure the public that you two are America’s Sweethearts.”

While everyone else started leaking the “new information” to the press Mary pulled out her phone and texted Bash, “you have a plan to rescue me from this right? I can’t live like this….I love you. ~M” To her horror when she hit send she heard a phone buzz in Francis’s pocket, he bent down over the chair “Mhm…that’s interesting.” Mary’s eyes widened at the sight of Bash’s phone in front of her with a message from “my girl” on the screen, “I think you can safely assume he won’t be getting that message. Did you think we didn’t think about you two communicating?” 

That night Mary snuck out and went to Bash’s apartment, she knocked so loudly one of the neighbors came out to see what was going on. “He moved out this afternoon sweetheart. He must have been in some trouble because he grabbed very little and left on his motorcycle.” What!? He must have gone to Plantersville…. She got back into her car and drove straight to the auto shop…. Damnit! All the doors are locked and the lights are out. She texted Isobel to see if he was with her, “Is Bash with you? I’m worried about him and I can’t find him…” Isobel took so long to respond Mary thought she must have been writing a novel on all that had happened. “Where are you?” was all that was sent back. Mary told her to meet her at the diner. 20 minutes later Isobel pulls up, her face looks heavy and sad, like she doesn’t want to be there, “Darlin….he is gone.” Mary shook her head not wanting to believe what she heard. “No, he wouldn’t just leave me…he told me everything would be okay.” Isobel hugged her tightly, “He did stop by to say he was leaving, but he wouldn’t tell me where. Only that he “Loves her too much to make her suffer” I don’t know what that means exactly but coming from him I know not to question his judgment. If he truly believed this was the only way….then it is.”

Mary went back to the estate after she finally accepted that she wasn’t going to find him tonight. She crept back in the house thinking she was in the clear when a voice came out of the shadows and startled her “Where have you been?” Marie’s voice was devoid of any motherly affection. “Mother, you scared me!” Mary caught her breath, “I went out looking for him, I needed to explain…” “Mary! This has to stop! You are going to be married in 21 weeks, your father has put our entire livelihood on this chance for you. Now tomorrow we are going to gather your friends, Claude and Catherine, and go dress shopping. You will exude the joy of a blushing bride or so help me we will make that boy's life a living hell, do I make myself clear?” Mary only nodded at her mother’s threat, “Good! Now go get some sleep dear, by tomorrow morning we will have put this all behind us.” Marie left Mary on the staircase that night, she had never felt so alone in her entire life as she did in that moment. 

Morning came and with it the new headline “Ex Marine Stalks The Future Mrs. Secretary of State” Everyone at the breakfast table was fawning over the article when Mary joined for breakfast. “Henry, read it to Mary…” Catherine suggested as if he would be reading her a funny joke from the comics section:

“ Former Marine and Medal of Honor recipient, Sebastian Poitier, was striped of his accommodations and rank this morning upon the news of a restraining order being placed between him and Mary Stuart, future wife to Francis Valois, Secretary of State hopeful, after images surfaced of him taking advantage of Ms. Stuart at a party on Saturday night in Plantersville AL . Sources confirm that Poitiers had been following Ms. Stuart that evening as several party goers recall him “standing in the distance watching her”. The family of Ms. Stuart is thankful she returned home unharmed, in light of this event Francis notes that “He thought he lost the love of his life last night…I won’t let her slip through my fingers again.” Ms. Stuart was so shaken by Poitier’s barbarism that she urged the Valois family to move their wedding date up to July 27th, “I almost lost my chance of happiness and I realized I can’t live another day without being his wife.” 

The twin ticket families are happy to announce the happy couple will be married on July 27th in Mobile AL. Mary will take her wedding party out today for dress shopping and wedding planning fun!”  

Everyone clapped at the triumph of the article, all accept Mary, Greer, her brother James and Claude. Claude may have been young but she saw the way they looked at each other last night, she knew she wanted a man to look at her that way someday, and she knew she never saw that in Francis’s eyes when he looked at Mary.

Chapter Text

June 15th- 6 weeks until the wedding

The headlines had been full of nothing but adoration for Mary and Francis. The whole country fell in love with the couple and treated their upcoming wedding as being on par with the Royal English weddings. Everytime they left the estate or a hotel there was a sea of cameras and reporters shouting questions at them. Mary decided after 4 weeks of hearing nothing about Bash that ,for her own sanity, she best come to grips with her future. At first she would get sick to her stomach at the thought of pretending to be in love with Francis, now she just finds herself feeling like it’s self preservation at this point. He is not mean to her like he was those first few weeks after Bash left, he just plays the role of excited fiance when they are out in public. In private he doesn’t ask her for anything, instead he takes to Olivia’s company which is fine with Mary, she found comfort in knowing the last person she made love to was Bash. This is week 14 of being on the campaign trail for the couple, New York City was excited to hear that their “Princess” would be here to attend the Mayor’s Fundraiser Gala. They weren’t the only stars coming but you would have thought they were with all the buzz in the streets.

“America’s Royal Couple Coming to NYC” , Senator Baldwin scoffed as he read the headline to his motorcade Security team, “Can you imagine your love life being on display for the entire world to see?” Three of the four bodyguards laughed and made suggestive remarks about how they couldn’t wait to see how much detail they will get about the honeymoon. One guard didn’t find the line of conversation amusing, Baldwin remembered Bash’s history with the aforementioned couple and quickly changed the subject to going over the security detail for the upcoming gala. Before the Senator exited the limo he asked Bash for a moment alone, “Son, I hired you because despite what the newspapers said I still believe you are every bit the Marine you came home as. Steel yourself against this, it will all be a faint memory before you know it.” Bash hesitated before speaking, “Can I speak directly sir?”Baldwin nodded for him to continue, “I don’t know what I’m going to do if I see her this evening…in a room full of 1000’s of people I know my chances are slim, but I don’t know if I will have the resolve to walk away a second time.”

Baldwin sat back into his chair and thought for a minute before speaking, “I’ll tell you this one thing. If anything happens tonight and you have to choose between saving me or saving her…I better be a deadman then. I’m I clear?”....”Yes sir.” with that they exited the limo and entered the venue.

Camera flashes bombarded them as soon as they left the vehicle, Mary looked stunning in a long, tight fitting formal dress. It was emerald green with a low back and a rather revealing neckline; she also had a slit up to the top of her thigh on the right side. Francis had showered her with new diamonds and was enjoying showing off his prize of a fiance. They entered the venue and were greeted by all manner of government officials and foreign dignitaries. Francis left her almost as soon as they entered to go drink brandy and smoke cigars on the roof with the other aspiring young men. Mary headed straight to the bar with the other wives to start their night of forgetting who they’re married to. “Mary darling, trust us.. These kinds of events get easier. The more expensive the meal the better the wine is at the bar.” All the wives laughed together and ordered their drinks, Mary, feeling a little like shocking people, ordered a whiskey on the rocks. She knocked it back and ordered another one quickly, the other wives were whispering amongst themselves as she walked away to find her seat for dinner. Francis joined her a few minutes later, “Really! Mary…..a refined politician's wife doesn’t slam back whiskey at these events. Could you at least try not to make me look like a fool?” Mary laughed as she caught him seeking out his next girl to keep him company this evening. “My dear, you don’t need my help in that area. You look like a fool all too naturally.” Before he could respond their dinner companions arrived, one of which being Senator Baldwin and his wife, Emily. 

Dinner was served, boasting was done and plenty of alcohol was served. Mary had two more shots of whiskey and then ordered a bottle of beer, Francis rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything to her. A few minutes later a cup of coffee was put in front of Mary, “I’m sorry sir….I didn’t order this?” She waved to her server to come back. He bent down so only she could hear, “Miss I was told by your security personnel to give it to you…with half a sugar and two creams…he also said to tell you “Easy Now”.” Mary was a little shaken, a small part because she and Francis didn't have security detail. A larger part because she only knew one person who knew how she took her coffee. “Don’t point ....but can you nod in the direction of the man who told you to do this?” He nodded in the direction behind Baldwin's head and she thanked him sweetly. Nervously she turned back to the table and sipped on her coffee. Now completely unaware of anything being talked about at the table she wrestled with what the waiter passed on. Oh my God! What should I do? If I look up and he is there I won’t be able to contain myself….I already feel like crying, I have to look, if I don’t I will regret it the rest of my life. Steele yourself Stuart! 

Emily leaned over and grabbed Mary's hand, “Dear, I’m right here. Look but don’t react. Squeeze my hand if you need to but do not let Francis catch on to what is going on.” Mary smiled at her friend and slowly looked up behind Senator Baldwin. Their eyes locked instantly. She felt flushed and hot, for a minute she thought she might pass out. She squeezed Emily’s hand and swallowed hard. This is too much….he is even more handsome than I remember. I might come undone if I look any longer. Bash was finding it hard not to run to her, She is so beautiful..sigh this was a mistake. I should have stayed in the shadows. Is she holding a smile back? Mary Stuart…are you trying to steal yourself? I can’t….I have to test that now.  When Francis looked away Bash took his chance and flashed Mary a smirk and a quick wink, DAMN IT! “EXcuse me!” Mary stood up, “Is everything alright my dear?” Francis stood to steady her. “Yes, I just remembered that I had promised Emily that I would introduce her to some of our young deleget wives. Please excuse us!” Emily stood and left with Mary to the powder room. 

“My dear you are shaking!” Emily held her young friend's shoulders. “I can’t breathe….I wasn’t prepared….I never thought I would see him again.” Mary let a few tears trail down her cheeks. “Would you like to talk to him?” Emily smiled a little at Mary. “ I don’t know if my heart could take it, Emily. I- - -” “Would always regret not taking this opportunity. I’ll tell him to meet you in the waiter's hallway in 5 minutes. I’ll cover for you for as long as you need.” Mary gave her a hug and thanked her over and over for doing this. Mary patted her eyes dry and made her way to the hallway between the kitchen and the dinning room. It was the longest 5 minutes of her life and she couldn’t help but to pace the floor. “I knew you were just a typical New York princess!” a voice came from the end of the hallway and Mary paused her pacing. Her heart rate picked up until she thought it would burst out of her chest. “Although I had to laugh watching you shoot your whiskey tonight…I thought “yep…there she is. My adventurous girl” Bash closed the distance as Mary just stared into his eyes and smiled until he finally took her in his arms and kissed her just like he did the morning everything fell apart. “Bash….I never thought I would see you again.” Mary ran her hands through his hair and across his cheeks. “Mary, let’s find a more private place shall we?” She nodded and he took her hand as he led her up to the 15th floor of the hotel. Kissing each other in the doorway as Bash struggled to get the door open, he finally picked Mary up and carried her through the door and into his room. They frantically undressed each other as the kissing became more desperate and passionate. After an hour of lovemaking and laying together Mary sat up with the sheets wrapped around her loosely when Bash noticed small tears beginning to stain the sheets. “Mary….”, she wiped her tears away quickly, “I suppose we have been gone long enough, poor Emily must almost be out of excuses for me, and Francis will be wanting to leave soon.” Never making eye contact with him she slid her dress back on and went to the mirror to attempt to fix her hair. Bash grabbed her hands and made her stop fussing with her pins and just held her kissing her neck and the tops of her shoulders. She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, she sobbed into his chest, “I feel like my heart is shattering all over again, I don’t think I can do this a second time…” Bash pulled away from her and sighed as he finished getting dressed. Mary needed answers:

“Why didn’t you just run away with me? I would have followed you anywhere! I thought that what we hav…” 

“What we had was a dream that we knew wouldn’t come true. You chose him over and over and over again. Even the night I left you stayed…Tonight! You are getting ready to go back to him right now…..Mary I’m not going to choose for you.”  

“WHAT?! I went looking for you, I spent months trying to find you and you were gone….”

“I waited for you beside the lake all night. When I saw the headline the next day I knew you had chosen Francis and his comfortable lifestyle over me.”

“I didn’t write that! I NEVER said any of those things.”

Bash shook his head, “And yet here you are, in New York City, on his arm….Mary I can’t…I thought seeing you again would bring me closer. Maybe even the nightmares would stop again, but I think this just made things worse.”

“Bash, you don’t mean that! You…”

“Good luck on your upcoming wedding, I’m sure it will be the talk of the town…..goodbye Mary.’

He left her there, again…. I knew this was a mistake. I should have just walked away and not looked up.

She joined the table 20 minutes later, Francis watching her the whole time “Where were you? You missed dad’s whole speech.” Mary shot Bash a look that could sear through your very soul, “I’m sure it’s like all the other ones he gives….the man lacks originality.” Several people at the table tried to hold in their laughs with little success. Francis grabbed her arm and led her away from the table, “What is wrong with you? Did you drink the whole time you were missing?” Mary rolled her eyes at him as he led them out of the gala. Baldwin nodded toward Bash to come closer, “My boy go grab the car please.”....Bash paused, “Sir, with all due respect, I’m not a bell boy.” Baldwin turned to look him in the eyes. “True….you're just a damn fool. Go get the car.”

Bash went outside and saw Francis and Mary arguing on the sidewalk:

“Mary, what do you want?!”

“It’s a little late to pretend to care about what I want isn’t it? I could have used your kind and caring nature 15 weeks ago when I watched the only man who has ever truly loved me walk away.” 

“Oh please! Must we talk about him….again….this is a weekly argument at this point!”

“No…. I’m done arguing with you.” she slides her ring off, “Here, I’m sure Olivia would love to add this to her collection.” Mary walks down the busy streets of Manhattan when Francis calls out to her. “Mary…..where are you going?” “HOME!” she yells without looking back.

Chapter Text

Bash sat in the airport terminal a 6 months after the gala with two one way tickets, one ticket to Alabama and one ticket to California. Senator Baldwin gave him the choice between finding Mary or continuing his detail duty with him. “The choice is yours son…..but if I could give a word of advice….she is a once in a lifetime chance. I'll be voted out and you'll be babysitting some else in a few years.” Bash smirked as he remembered his words, if only I knew for sure that she was waiting for me in Plantersville. I can't even call her to see. The night Mary walked away from Francis she left her phone on the hood of his car. No one knew for sure where she ran off too. He tried calling the diner to see if Isobel was at work, maybe she knows something. The phone rang twice then someone picked up, “Claire’s Diner, this is Mary are you ordering pickup today?.....Hello? Hello?”, Bash hung up.

Mary sat the phone down with a puzzled look, “Or don't talk to me…” she went back to finishing up her tables and clocked out for the weekend. “Isobel? Anything?” She asked as she hung her apron up, “No honey…I haven't heard from him yet. I have a good feeling about this weekend though.” Mary chuckled, “You tell me that every weekend…maybe I really messed up things this time.” Isobel slapped the counter which made Mary jump, “Stop! He loves you, he told you he did. My cousin is not a liar.” Mary appreciated her confidence but she really started to doubt that he would be back. The Saturday paper came just as Mary clocked out, the headline read “New Princess Found For Secretary of State”

Mary held the paper up for Isobel to read, “Yuck! She can have him….at least you know he didn't love you.” Mary slid the paper across the counter and sighed “ I'll see you later. Have a good weekend.” She walked back to her apartment deep in thought. Mary, Mary, Mary….what a mess you made. At least I finally found a place that feels like home. Even though everything reminds me of Bash. Not even realizing it she stopped in front of the mechanics shop. Yup…thanks world for yet another reminder of how happy I could have been. 

The next morning Isobel was opening the diner, over in a window booth she saw a familiar brown haired man. Smiling, she rushed to the booth. “Hi stranger. Coffee and apple pie?” Bash jumped up and hugged his cousin, “Have I really been gone so long? Please, I'm dying for home food!” She quickly got his normal order ready and brought it over to him. She went to leave and he grabbed her wrist:

“Cousin? Is there anything you would like to share with me?”

“Nope….”

“No new gossip? No secrets?”

“Not that I can think of?”

He searched her eyes for a few minutes….

“What?” She began to get flustered

“You're lying about something….I can tell”

“What would I possibly lie about?”

“A new employee perhaps…..”

“Oh yes! We hired a new line cook, Chad, he asked me out las- - -”

“I'm not interested in “Chad”......how about a new waitress named “Mary”? Ring any bells?”

A devilish smile crept across her face, “Lots of women have the name Mary.”

She walked away from his booth to the counter, “BUT! If you are really curious it's her weekend off. She normally disappears for most of the afternoon over by Grist State Park.”

Bash stood up and dropped $20 bill on the table and ran out the door. 

Mary did the same routine she had done for the past 6 months on her days off. Get up, out on a pretty sundress, grab a quick bite, pack a little lunch and head to the lake. She laid her shoes on the hood of her car before walking the shoreline. Bash sat across the street watching her blissfully, My God! She is more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Mary had traded her upscale life of glitz and glam for a more simple one, of course being completely cut off and disowned helped that transition. In truth she found she enjoyed this lifestyle much more than her previous one. Bash's heart rate began to pickup when she ducked into the woods towards the spot where they went swimming, I guess it's now or never….I hope she doesn't hate me. He inhaled deeply as he jumped out of his truck.

Quietly he followed the path to the cliff so he wouldn't scare her, he heard her talking out loud to herself and paused just to hear what she was talking about.

Mary was laying on her stomach, across a blanket, just at the edge of the cliff:

“ …..wherever you are I sincerely hope you are happy. I hope you have found someone to build a beautiful life with and that you live with no regrets…..I have enough for the both of us…..”

Is she talking to….me? How could she ever think I would love another?

“ First and foremost I don't think I ever told you how much I love you…..I needed to tell you but I was afraid to admit it, mostly because I knew I couldn't be with you without causing trouble within my family. Turns out I should have just been with you, now I'm cut off from them and you…ironic isn't it?!” Mary laughed at the ridiculousness of her life right now. “ You should know that I found home here in Plantersville, turns out though everything reminds me of you…I should have just let go and loved you, I don't know what to do….”

Bash stepped closer to her and began to answer her, “Well for starters Mary, you could come over here and let me kiss you…” Mary flipped over faster than should be physically possible, her eyes were filled with tears as she locked eyes with his, “Bash!” he came over to her and wrapped her up in his arms, meeting her lips with his. Mary pulled away breathlessly, “Bash….I love you.” He smiled at her, kissing her repeatedly, “ I love you too Mary.”