Chapter Nine

"Oui…Mattie is my son."

Those five words pierced your heart, widening your orbs. Somehow that….that simple confession shocked you: shell-shocked your entire nervous system. Your brain fumbled for a reply, but all you could do was gawk at the man. "Y…y…you," you finally managed, "Y-You're his father?!"

"Shhh…not so loud, mon Cherie." The Frenchman chided. "You don't want Arthur to hear you." He cut off your stammering by continuing, "Oui….Matthew is my son."

"_!" Arthur called from inside the living room. No doubt a spilled drink or some accident had happened. You grimaced, replying "Coming!"

"Do not be upset at him, mademoiselle. I…I will be leaving town in three days. Here-" He snatched a pen from the countertop and grabbed your thumb, writing his number on there. "Call me. We will talk."

"_!"

"I'm coming, Arthur!" You huffed, mouthing a thank you to the Frenchman. "Until we meet again." You smiled and left to please your master's pleas.

~~~/\~~~~

You rocked the sleeping Matthew nestled in your arms, marveling at how adorable the now three year old was. Your slender fingers stroked his sleeping head as you slowly rocked back and forth. "I hope you had a good birthday, Mattie. It….I'm glad you got to have it." You lovingly grazed your lips against the sleeping toddler's head and sighed, glancing around the room. There remained one present on the table that Mattie hadn't opened yet, the one from Alfred.

You smiled and continued your soothing motions, thinking only about the Frenchman's confession. How is it possible that he's Matthew's father? Then…who is his mother? Who does this sweetheart really belong to?

Raising your thumb, you squinted at the numbers inscribed on it, forcing them to memory. "I'll call him tomorrow…" you murmured softly, returning your gaze to your sleeping child. "I'll find out the truth."

~~~/\~~~

The next day, Alfred bounced into his bedroom where his brother was playing with a set of blocks. Matthew had just managed to finish stacking them in a straight column before his brother skidded to a halt in front of him, almost knocking it down. "You didn't open my surprise, Mattie!"

The younger brother's eyes widened slightly, mouth puckered in a "O" from surprise. "S…Surp-prise?" He whispered, wondering what it was.

Alfred nodded mischievously and handed the boy his present. "It was supposed to be for Nana, but her birthday is a long time from now, so you can have it!" The innocent child nodded his thanks and accepted the gift, cautiously tapping the pretty red bow. His three-year old fingers traced the words on the note, not able to understand what they meant. But that didn't matter. With a slight smile, he tugged at the red satin material until it slid off of the white box. His grubby fingers pried open the lid and squealed in surprise as a large frog jumped out of it. Alfred laughed while Matthew screamed, running onto his bed where he'd be safe. Al's frog started jumping up and down while you and Arthur ran upstairs.

"ALFRED! GRAB THAT HIDEOUS THING AT ONCE!" Arthur ordered, scrambling to catch it. Matthew sobbed into your shoulder as you rubbed his back, worry etched on your face. You weren't afraid of frogs, you…ah…just had…a strong dislike of them…yeah that's it! Cautiously, you scooted backwards until you were just outside of the room, safe but still there in case things took a turn for the worse.

"Come back, Mr. Frenchie!" Alfred sang, diving at the frog. "I'll save you!"

"Alfred! Snatch him! Hurry!"

"N-Nana!" Matthew wailed, clinging to your blouse as his terrified tears trickled down onto your blouse, staining the white floral pattern. Sighing, you clutched him tightly, fingers snaking in his hair as you tried to soothe his fears as well as your own.

Arthur and Alfred struggled several more minutes frantically trying to catch the illusive frog, and eventually they captured it. With a disgusted expression, Arthur carried the amphibian outside but just as he was about to drop it on the ground, Alfred sprang forward and grabbed it. "No Mr. Arthur, no! It's Mattie's froggie! He hasta keep it! Don't throw Mr. Frenchy outside! He Mattie's froggie! It's his birthday present!"

The shaggy-haired blonde paused at the incredulous speech the boy uttered and quizzically looked at him, raising a brow. "You gave Matthew a frog for his birthday?!"

"Yeah-huh!" He answered proudly. "Nana said to give him a present, and I gave him his froggie."

Mr. Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, I don't think Mattie can keep this frog, Al. He didn't seem to like it too much."

"But I gave it to him!" He pleaded, fisting Kirkland's shirt. "You can't throw away Mr. Frenchy! He's Mattie's froggie!"

Groaning, the master mumbled to himself and sighed. The bright, saddening blue eyes along with the pleading expression completely distracted the Brit from making a proper decision. He's already learning how to beg…. "_! Do you have a moment? I need your advice."

You entered the room, still clutching a frightened Matthew. "Yes-OH MY WORD! " You spluttered, shocked to see the frog was still indoors. "Why isn't that thing outside?!"

"But Nana! It's Mattie's froggie!" Alfred whined, tugging on your shirt. "I gave him his present!"

Arthur left the room momentarily to place the frog into his original home and then returned. "_, it seems that Alfred gave that frog to Matthew for his birthday…under your orders."

Quizzically, an eyebrow rose. "I did not tell him to give his brother a frog!"

"You said give Mattie a present for his birthday! I did, Nana! You can't throw away Mr. Frenchy!" He retorted, throwing up his arms dramatically.

At the words Mr. Frenchy, your mind traveled back to the blonde visitor from the birthday party. His confession rang in your ears, the color draining from your face at the recollection. You were supposed to call him today! How am I going to sneak out of the house?! Arthur has a meeting scheduled today, which means I have to watch them! What now?!

"_?" Arthur's voice snapped your mind back to the present. "Hmm? Oh…ah….I tell you what, Al. We'll make a deal. If you are a good boy allllll day today, I'll let you and Matthew keep Mr. Frenchy…all right?" Relieved that you weren't disposing his gift, the older boy grinned and hugged your legs. "Thanks Nana!"

"You're welcome, love. Now, go brush your hair while I make a phone call, okay?" Gently you lowered the three-year old onto the floor. "You too, Mattie. I'll come back and get you, all right?"

"'Kay Nana!" The boys sang (well….Al did at least) as they ran upstairs (once again…at least Al did). You bit your lip and turned to look at Arthur. The awkward tension still hadn't left the atmosphere at all….especially when he was within close proximity to you. Feeling pressed to say something, your eyes diverted from his handsome face as you fumbled for something to say. Gulping, you managed to gasp out "So….ah…g-good luck….w-with your meeting…"

"Ah….thank you…I hopefully will. Though I wouldn't count on it. What are you going to do today?" His hunter-green eyes were gazing at you with an unreadable expression. What's going on in his head? You wondered.

"Ah…I..well, I thought I'd take the boys….um….shoe shopping. Alfred's feet are growing, and I think it'd be best to by dress shoes for next year. Matthew as well, though he needs some new tennis shoes." You replied, grateful that your mind was sort of functioning.

"Very well then. Good luck then." Arthur replied, coughing awkwardly. "Well then…I should be going…"

"Yes yes, you should." Your face heated slightly at the strange atmosphere. "I need to make that phone call….so excuse me."

"Ah yes….good bye, _."

Blushing, you nodded your goodbyes and hurriedly walked into the kitchen to dial the number inscribed on your thumb.

~~~/\~~~

"Yes, yes I'll meet you there. Very well. Are you sure you don't mind the boys tagging along? Thank you. Yes, that works out, turns out he has a meeting, so this is perfect! I'll meet you by the square like we agreed. Yes, well good bye. Thanks. Bye." You hung the phone back on the hook and sighed in relief.

"Who was you talking to Nana?" Al asked, munching on a cookie he had miraculously snagged from the cookie jar.

"It's 'Who were you talking to', baby. I was talking to a friend of mine. We're going to go talk with him after lunch, okay? Where would you like to go for lunch?"

"MCDONALDS!" Alfred giggled through his full mouth. Matthew, who also had snatched a cookie from the jar, munched on his quietly as he sat on the counter with Kuma, feeding him half of the cookie. You rolled your eyes but agreed. "All right. Let's go to the car then!"

~~~/\~~~

"How much longer?!" The four-year old grumbled, pressing his nose to the glass. "I wanna eat now!"

"Just hold on sweetheart, be patient. We'll get there soon enough." You chided from the driver seat. Once more you rolled your eyes and gazed at the road, meditating on how the meeting with Francis was going to go. What is he going to say? What am I going to say?! Needless to say, you were curious about Matthew's past, though you weren't entirely certain if this was the right thing: going behind Arthur's back to discover information about one of his own sons. If he wasn't already letting me go, I'd so be fired for this…you thought with a sigh.

Matthew sucked on his thumb as his blue orbs looked outside the window, gazing at the trees that whizzed by with his faithful friend, Kumajiro; content as could be. The blonde-haired boy was lost in his own world as the car drove towards McDonald's. Maple leaves, wind, toys, bears, and Nana floated around in his mind, paying no attention to anything that was happening. With a small smile (he does have his thumb in his mouth), he continued to stare out the window, ignoring everyone and everything.

"Hurry Nana!" His impatient brother whined louder. "I'm hungry!"

"We're two minutes away. Can you wait that long?" You huffed, starting to get irritated by the older boy's constant questions. "I'll get you two burgers this time, okay?"

"Really?! Okay Nana!" He happily agreed, grinning so broadly it looked like his face would crack.

~~~/\~~~

Once you three had safely arrived at Al's favorite place, you let them loose in the play land area and stood in line to order their food. As soon as you had paid, you stepped aside so the next person could order.

"Bon jour ma Cherie." A French voice called out as a finger tapped your shoulder.

You nearly screamed, slinging your purse upwards in an attempt to hit the Frenchman square on the head. "Oh my…j…j-just don't do that…." You gasped, trying to restart your heart.

Thankfully, Francis ducked in time before any damage could be done. "Not so hard, _ you could have broken my nose!" He chuckled, stepping in front of you to grab your order. "Where are the boys?"

"Ah…..r-right….They're in the PlayPlace, so we can talk without Al trying to attack you. Oh thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled. Careful not to drop the tray, he extended his elbow for you to take. "This way, mademoiselle."

"Oh…" you blushed slightly, not accustomed to the romantic manners. "Of course…" Shyly, your hand peeped out from the crook of his elbow as he escorted you to your seat. "Wait a minute….why are you here? We agreed to meet at the square, not at McDonald's."

He laid out the food and looked at you with bright blue eyes, as if trying to discern something. "Oh, ah….well, I was browsing across the street and saw you three enter. I thought I would join you, is that all right?"

"I….I suppose….though they can't see you. I don't want Alfred to attack you again. So, you're going to have to be careful." You warned, opening straws. "In fact, I need to get the-"

He interrupted your sentence with, "_, tell me about Arthur."

"A-Arthur?" You repeated, the hand that was clutching the straw paused mid-air "We're supposed to be here to talk about Matthew!"

"I know, but humor me. Tell me about Arthur." He prompted, propping up his chin with an arm. "I haven't heard much about him. I….want to know if he is the same."

Flushing, you took a large gulp of water and nodded. After swallowing, you started with, "He…ah….he's my boss….umm….he's a good boss, he loves the boys…."

Francis nodded slowly, attention fully channeled towards you. "How does he treat you?"

"Just fine…" your voice trailed off, eyes diverting from his polite stare.

A spark of interest popped from his eyes. "Ah….so that's it. You love him, non?"

His direct question startled you. Hastily you shook your head as your cheeks blazed. "N-No! N-No! N-Nothing of the kind! N-No! N-No no not at a-all! He's my employer! Th-there's no room for l-love in work…"

"He rejected you didn't he…." The Frenchman continued his unusual staring. "The idiot….any man would want you to be theirs….so why didn't he?"

Your cheeks flamed as you stammered, "A-Ah….I…um….n-no, it's not like that! H-honest! J-just u-uh…d-don't…ah…for-forget it…" you dipped your head and started to develop a sudden interest in the table design.

"Do not be that way, come now, I'll stop." Francis whispered. "I just find it unforgivable that that rude Englishman doesn't find himself attracted to you." His hand tapped yours. "Now, tell me about you."

You frowned and glanced at him. "Why me? I wasn't the subject we agreed to talk about. Matthew is."

"Oui, but I don't know you that well. I want to know more about you. What are you like?" He casually replied. "I want to know who is taking care of my child."

"Oh…v-very well then…um…my name is _ _, I love my two charges, Alfred and Matthew, and I'm under the employment of Arthur. I'm pretty much a nana, mother figure, maid, and sort of-" Your eyelids drooped lower, "….a sister….I suppose to Arthur."

~~~/\~~~ Her sorrowful expression was as painful as thousand needles being injected into his arm. He understood the ache from rejection, and his heart went out to her. Out of all the people she had to fall in love with….Arthur, he knew from childhood, was not the smoothest at relationships. In fact, Arthur was what would call a tsundere, which pretty much meant grouchy. He was never satisfied, and always blamed Francis for everything that went wrong in his life. Yes, perhaps I did take his lover, but….he still shouldn't blame me for everything. If I hadn't, he and _ would never have met.

With a nod, his hand reached out to _'s. "I understand. Now, I'm sure you want to know about Matthew."

"Oh yes, I do," she responded but pointed to the food. "But, Al won't be pleased if his burger is cold. I tell you what. Umm….after this, we're going back to the manor. Why don't you follow us in your car, and while I get the boys to take their naps, you can stay in the kitchen until I come back. Will that work?" _ offered, eyes shining with sympathy.

"Oui, that will be perfect. I...I will go take a stroll, and by the time I return, you should be done. Hmmm?" Thank you, _. I'll get to see my boy one more time. Francis thought gratefully. Although he had made some mistakes along the way, he deeply cared for the smaller boy under Arthur's care. Matthew….although he didn't seem like it at the time, was now all the Frenchman thought about. He had been in a reflective mood, mind often drifting towards the past:….to Her…..to Matthew….to Arthur….to his childhood. He refrained a sigh, thinking, I hope Matthew….has a good….has a good childhood. Uncle Francis loves you, Matthew. I hope you're safe.