Later that night...

Francis stalked through the castle. He was in no mood to return to the party after his encounter with Mary, which had been both passionate and frustrating in more ways than one. He sighed heavily. Every time he tried to do the right thing, it only made the situation worse. Sending troops to aid Scotland, telling Mary to wed Tomas, taking responsibility for Olivia, then being honest about their kiss. Even his attempt to protect Bash, Mary, and himself from divided loyalties and the worst pain backfired. His doubts ate at his insides. If he couldn't even handle his personal life, how could he have the confidence to rule a kingdom? And was it right to burden another person with his problems? Mary had her own country to think of. Once again, his thoughts returned to Mary, and to her ultimatum.

His wanderings eventually led him to his room, and Francis immediately felt exhausted and ready to collapse into his feather bed. But when he entered, he found it already occupied. Olivia sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.

"Olivia," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He hastily shut the door.

"You promised me a dance, but then you disappeared." she said. "I'm here to collect." Her mouth curved into a coquettish smile.

A moment's hesitation, then Francis rushed to her and pressed his lips against hers until they were lying on his bed. He needed to be with Olivia in order to erase Mary, or make Mary erase him. But although his mind was determined to forget her, his body remembered. When he kissed Olivia, he tasted Mary. When he buried his face in Olivia's hair, he caught the scent of Scottish lavender. When Olivia whispered his name, he heard Mary's voice. His fingertips felt Mary's skin, and his body felt Mary beneath him, the memory of their secret rendezvous by the lake rushing back in vivid detail. With a gasp, Francis pulled away and rolled off of Olivia to the other side of the bed.

"Francis?" Olivia reached out, but he sat straight up before she touched his chest. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up, too, and resting her hand on his shoulder instead.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm not being fair to you, Olivia."

"...You mean to Mary."

"To any of us."

She sighed. "Francis, I told you, I can be whatever you want me to be. A confidante, a comfort. Just tell me what you need." Her hand was rubbing his back. He stayed her arm and looked at her.

"I thought what I needed was an escape. But there is none." The epiphany almost made him want to laugh.

He took her hand. "It was wrong of me to look for it with you." Her brow furrowed. "Olivia, you shouldn't have to live at the mercy of royal whims. You deserve a better life than this."

"What if I don't want a life without you?" she asked with a mixture of stubbornness and sadness.

"Find one. Please. Because you deserve better than me, too." He kissed her forehead. "Forgive me." And he left the bed, the room, and Olivia behind.

Mary stared at the canopy of her bed, her mind mulling over the night's events. She flushed when she recalled the way Francis had held her, kissed her, and touched her. It had taken all of her will power to shove him away. At least she had gotten her point across (she hoped), because she couldn't go on with the way things were. She was tired. Tired of the politics and the complications, of living and dying every time she got closer to, then farther from, Francis. The politics, they had no control over, but their relationship was up to them. Stay apart and make life easier, or stay together and make life harder? She understood it was a difficult decision, but she also understood her own heart. And when Mary knew what she wanted, she fought for it with everything she had. It was up to Francis now.

There was a knock on the door. It was still too early for the party to be over, she mused as she pulled on a dressing gown. She opened the door and was a bit shocked to see the subject of her contemplation standing there, as if she had summoned him with her thoughts.

Francis opened his mouth but stopped short. He had hurried to her room to speak with Mary, but now that he was facing her, words failed him. Instead, he took in her loose, unadorned hair and her plain, white nightgown and robe. "You changed already."

That wasn't at all what Mary had expected him to say, but she replied, "Yes, I-I couldn't relax when I wore that dress."

"Truthfully, neither could I." he muttered. Was it her imagination, or was his face turning pink? He cleared his throat. "I much prefer you like this. As yourself. Just Mary."

She couldn't help but smile just a little at that, but she reminded herself not to be swayed by his gentle blue eyes. She turned stern. "Why have you come here, Francis?"

He swallowed nervously, then said. "I came to apologize. You were right, my 'solution' wasn't working. Trying to deny our feelings doesn't help us deal with them. I was being an idiot."

"A noble idiot." Mary corrected, and they chuckled softly. "I know you meant well."

"I did. I wanted to save us from future disaster. So I turned to someone else so I could keep my distance from you." Mary lowered her eyes, but he saw the hurt in them. He held her hand until she looked back up at him. "But it didn't work. Every moment I was with Olivia, I thought of you, Mary, and it felt like a betrayal, not just to you, but to myself. I realized I can't stay away from you. Not when you're always with me. Here." He placed her hand over his heart and smiled at her. "No escape."

Mary suddenly felt breathless. "Does that mean you choose to be with me?" Her face lit up with hope, but Francis' darkened.

"I..I'm not sure."

Her heart plummeted once again. "I don't understand."

"I do want to be with you, but after seeing you tonight..." he trailed off.

Her irritation was evident when she said, "If you're talking about Bash-"

"I'm not. I believe you." he assured her. "I can't say the same for my brother, but I trust you. It's not about other men."

"Then what?" she asked, exasperated. "Tell me." She squeezed his hand.

"I saw you, laughing and having a good time. Carefree." He looked down at their joined hands. "Happier without me."

She shook her head. "Francis, you make me happy."

"Do I?" He looked at her, anguish in his eyes. "It seems the only thing I've given you is tears."

"That's not true." Mary cupped his face in her hand. "You've given me more joy in one kiss than I ever thought possible. And I would trade all the laughter from all the parties in France for a few tears with you." He gave a small, reluctant smile. "You've given me a home, and for someone who hasn't seen her own country in years, who always felt like an outsider, that means the world to me."

Francis turned his head to kiss her palm. "I'm willing to face anything, all the complexities and hardships, for the chance to be with you." he told her. "But are you sure about this, Mary? Because there's no doubt that staying apart would save us many headaches and much heartache. Being together won't be easy."

"Nothing worth fighting for ever is." She shifted closer and kissed him.

It was sweet and pure and warm, like Mary. After warring with himself for so long, Francis felt his whole being relax as he kissed her. He combed his fingers through her hair, and his senses were filled with lavender, silky skin, and the perfect way she fit in his arms. The reality was so much better than the fantasy.

"Mary," he murmured against her lips, and she shivered. She loved the way he said her name and the way he made her feel. There was a sense of belonging and safety. It wasn't that she needed to lose herself in him to feel happy, strong, or complete. She could be all those things without him. But when she was with Francis, Mary felt them even more.

Enthralled with her slow, sensuous kiss, it took a minute for Francis to realize that they were inching further into her room...and perilously close to her bed. He broke away. "I can't. I have to go." he said quickly.

"What?" Her eyes showed some alarm. Was he running away from her again?

"No, I mean-" He took a breath. "I am fully committed to being with you, Mary. If you'll have me." She laughed softly and nodded. "I just can't be with you..here..." He glanced shyly toward the bed.

"Oh." she said and blushed even more. "But I will see you tomorrow?" she asked tentatively.

"Most definitely." he promised. Then, "We can make this work."

"You mean we can rule our countries and our hearts together? Yes, I believe we can."

They smiled affectionately. Hand in hand, they walked to the door, and with one last kiss, they bid each other good night.

That night, Mary and Francis fell into a peaceful sleep, eager to wake up to a new day and a new start together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N 1: This, like the show, is a piece of historical fiction/fantasy. I tried to avoid being anachronistic, but I do little research on the historical figures/places. I do not own Reign or its characters. Please review if you like or dislike. Thanks!

A/N 2: I didn't want to revisit old themes, but I couldn't finish the story without going over Olivia and another Frary reunion, so sorry about the rehash? (I've run out of ways for Frary to express their feelings. XD;) Also, sorry if the change in time and tone in Ch.2 was jarring (too late to switch it with Ch.1). Well, hope you like the conclusion. Thanks for the follows, favs, and reviews!

A/N 3: Dedicated to chrisrose. Thanks for the stimulating discussion and inspiration!

A/N 4: Don't forget to vote for Reign for Favorite New TV Drama at the People's Choice Awards! Vote at the PCA site, FB, app, or tweet "Reign #newtvdrama #PeoplesChoice". Let's show the power of Royals! Update: Yay! Reign won! Congratulations to Reign and its creators, cast, crew, and crazy Royals! 8D