A/N: 1. I don't own Reign. 2. I don't care about Condé, like, at all. I imagine he's going to return to make life hard for Mary at some point and that's why he's not dead yet. 3. I binge-watched all the episodes with MaryxCondé last night going, "why aren't you dead yet? Why hasn't Francis, Catherine, Narcisse, or necessary plot development killed you yet?" each time Condé was on screen. So due to my lack of attention and the blur of all of those episodes, my timeline may be slightly messed up. Sorry! Rant over, slight OOC for Mary.

His mouth felt hot as they pressed along her collar-bone. His hands felt as though they were everywhere at once. In the brief moment that their eyes met before their lips met again, she felt heat pool low in her belly.

This was the fourth morning of their not-so-clandestine meetings and Louis felt insistent this day. Mary had kept refusing to go where she knew Louis wanted to go. Their meetings had been enjoyable, but something was holding her back.

A nagging voice in her head piped up to remind her that she's a married woman. She'd made a vow to Francis. She was a queen of two nations, both of which needed her. But this was Louis. She loved Louis. He loved her. This should be so simple.

Like it had been with Francis. They had been unable to keep themselves away, using the tunnels and passageways to sneak into bedchambers before they were married. Why was she thinking about Francis at a time like this?

"Mary. Mary." Louis had been saying her name several times now, but while the first few were more moans than words, the last two were clearly meant to get her attention. Louis ran a hand from the crook of her knee up her leg to upper thigh and back down again. "Mary, your head is somewhere else. Talk to me."

Louis, ever the gentleman, wasn't going to force her into anything. As much as he clearly wanted to progress, he knew what she had been through and he certainly had experience with goading a wife from her husband's bed and knew how slow the process could be. However, Mary couldn't tell him that she had been thinking of Francis.

Specifically, how Francis had made her feel so safe on the night of their consummation. All of those people watching, yet he made her focus on him and him alone. Everyone else disappeared. Henry, her ladies, even Bash's presence hadn't dulled he senses when Francis had kissed her that night. She and Louis were alone, with the protection of the king for their affair, yet she didn't feel safe in it.

And then there was the night with the candles. So much of their marriage had been fraught with strife, disagreements, and misunderstandings. But so many days and nights spent in laughter, in discussion about how to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, in enjoying each other's bodies, on horseback just taking comfort in each other's presence. The two worked together very well and everyone knew it. It scared Catherine and Nobles like Narcisse. It seemed to be an inspiration to many of the common people.

What could Louis offer her, truly? What could she offer him? "Mary!" She physically jumped at the intensity of Louis' voice as he disturbed her from her thoughts.

"I'm terribly sorry, Louis. There's so much going on, I just- I can't focus." She gave him a sad smile. Really, she needed to get out of here.

His response was to lean closer and begin to nuzzle her neck. "And here I thought I was so good at distracting women." He let out a low chuckle, "I guess you'll just take extra effort." As he continued his work at her neck, his hand began a slow to slide upward that she was sure was meant to be teasing and tantalizing. It should have thrilled her. It should have sent tingles up her spine.

It made her skin crawl. Suddenly, all she could think of was getting away. It wasn't the all-consuming fear she'd once felt at the touch of a man. It was definitely revulsion at this man in particular touching her in this way. She stalled his hand and shifted her body so that her neck was out of his reach without more severe bodily contortions.

Louis sighed and sat up. "Mary, what's wrong? Is this because of what I told you about Elizabeth?" He eyes sought hers. The desire was fading in favor of concern.

"Elizabeth?" Mary ran a hand through her mussed hair, trying to slog through her thoughts, moving from her need to get out of this room and desperately trying to remember what he had told her of Elizabeth, her cousin.

Louis shifted to cup her cheek, "Mary, I promised you that I would reject her offer. I will not marry the woman who wants to kill the woman I love, even if it would get me my own crown." He leaned in to kiss her lightly. "And anyway, I would be King Consort there, whilst here, I am the consort of the Queen with protection from the King. Pragmatically speaking, there is very little difference between the two positions."

Ignoring Louis' attempt at humor, Mary got up and began piecing her clothing back together. "It's not just Elizabeth, Louis, I promise you. There are many troubles with my realm, both of my realms, actually. They just make it difficult to focus on anything else."

Louis joined her in putting his clothing back on, "Is this about Scotland? We can leave tonight if you wish. We can sail under false names and dressed as commoners until we find a safe port. We can make our way to your mother or to James once there. We can do this, Mary."

Looking at Louis, at the eagerness in his face, she realized she couldn't do this to him. She felt everything that she was supposed to feel for him- love, tenderness, gratitude, trust. But she couldn't get Francis out of her head, which wasn't fair to either of them. She needed to tell him it was over.

He made his way toward her and rested his hand at the small of her back. "Louis- " She cut herself off. If she told him it was over, how would he react? He had risked everything for her. If they had been found, he surely would have been killed. She had offered him her heart, and he had offered his in return. Would this betrayal send him straight to the arms of Elizabeth, her enemy and rival? Could she take that chance? "I'm sorry." It was all she could say that fit what she was feeling. She was sorry for what she knew she had to do. Mary could only hope that he interpreted her apology as being for the disappointing morning. She could feel the tears building in her eyes.

Wrapping his arms around her, Louis did, indeed, seem to think she was apologizing for not being able to go any further in their relationship with him. "It's okay. We have plenty of time to keep trying. You'll get there." He kissed her on the forehead. "You had better exit first and I'll follow in a few moments."

Mary nodded, locked her eyes with his one last time and shuffled out of the chapel.

Turning the corner, her strides increased. She had to find Francis.