Chapter Text
Julia glanced over her appearance in the mirror one last time as she turned to the side to look at her body in profile, her fingers tugging insistently at her swimsuit bottoms.
She had almost tried this specific bikini on one more time before they had left for their weeklong trip to the South of France. But Charlotte had distracted her as she called for her mother from another room, and Julia had thrown the suit in her bag, assuming it would mostly fit the same as it had a few years before when she bought it. She should be about the same size for a bit longer… or so she thought.
She had been very, very wrong though. The top seemed to gape more than she remembered, showing off her abundant cleavage, and the bottoms felt more snug than before, the o-ring holding the black fabric together at the hip was less comfortable than it had been when she had last worn it.
She knew she shouldn’t be surprised. It’s hardly like she and Charlotte had spent much time on beaches, or vacations at all, in her short little life. Maybe that’s why the little girl had been running around like a live wire full of electricity this morning, Julia realized with a little smile. Her daughter had never been anywhere like this before.
She wondered if David had had much success helping Charlotte find her own little bathing suit among the scattered clothes in her room. For such a small child, she sure could be messy.
Taking a deep breath, she shrugged off the insecurities that the bathing suit was bringing to the surface for her. It would be fine for this morning, but this afternoon, she would venture into town to find something more … suitable.
Moving into their bedroom, Julia leaned over, beginning to pack the rest of her things in a beach bag. She had a large hat and a big pair of sunglasses, in addition to a water bottle, sunscreen and book she was sure Charlotte would never let her actually read.
“The princess is ready for her first day at the beach,” David announced as he entered the room, chuckling at their daughter’s antics. “You know, I really can’t decide who she reminds me of more sometimes, you or me, but I think —”
Julia turned to face him and David’s words trailed off.
“I think we’re going to have to tell her, David,” she said with a sigh, her hand coming to rest on her newly bloated stomach with a frown.
“Where did that come from?!” David asked in surprise, crossing to where she stood with her hands on her hips as he eyed her suddenly pronounced baby bump warily.
“I swear,” Julia said, shaking her head. “I woke up this morning and it was there. He hasn’t been this obvious before, has he? And you just didn’t tell me?”
David shook his head quickly.
“No! And trust me, if anyone would know, it would be me!” He reminded her. “You weren’t even showing that much last night, and I had you bent over the —”
Julia held up her hand to stop him.
“David,” she said warningly, her serious look fading as she watched the way his eyes lit up as he took a step back from her, his gaze settling on her stomach again.
He reached for her then, one palm coming to rest on the small of her back while his fingers brushed against the small bump of her midsection. He knew she would get bigger as time went on, that it was really just beginning, but having been overseas for both of Vicky’s pregnancies and not getting to experience watching Julia’s pregnancy with Charlotte, he was suddenly struggling to find the right words.
“I know … we said that we would just see what happened,” he murmured, watching as his fingers brushed slow over the bare skin of her stomach. “But I never thought it actually would…”
His eyes looked up to meet Julia’s, who suddenly felt emotional at his open declaration of dismay. She knew this was as new for him as it was for her, and she offered him a bright smile, her hand coming to rest over his.
“It’s happening, David,” she said softly. “We’re having a baby… I’m having your son.”
She was thoughtful for a moment.
“Four children under the same roof, David,” she said, chuckling at the mental image. “Are we mad for even attempting this?”
David laughed, pulling her into his embrace and squeezing her to him as he kissed her bare shoulder.
“Aye. But there is no one else I would even try to attempt it with,” he assured her. “Let’s look at this week’s vacation with Ella, Charlie and Lotte as our trial run,” he joked, and Julia shook her head.
“Sure, just add a newborn to the mix this time next year… what could go wrong?” She murmured with a smirk as they both began to laugh.
“I seem to recall you saying something like that when I returned to London for the first time to fetch Ella and Charlie,” David reminded her. “And look how well that turned out.”
“Two teenagers and one small newborn are not the same thing, David.”
*******
Julia watched from the doorway of their bedroom as David reached onto the top shelf of the wardrobe, and pulled his overnight bag down. She held back a sigh. She knew he had to go, but she really didn’t want him to leave.
The three of them had been inseparable since he had accidentally stumbled upon them in the patisserie only one short month ago. David had collected his belongings from the hotel where he had been staying the same day, and brought them all to Julia and Charlotte’s flat. It had quickly become their flat.
She smiled as she noticed his shirts hanging in one side of her wardrobe. They were tucked in next to one of her coats, a true representation of how quickly their lives had merged together. She wrinkled her nose in amusement as she noticed David had not bothered to pack anything into his bag. Instead, he simply shut the door and threw the bag over his left shoulder.
He turned to face her with a smile, winking at her as he caught her staring. “See something you like?” He questioned cheekily as he made his way over to her, reaching out for one of her hands.
She eyed him carefully.
“Always,” she whispered as he leaned in to press his lips to hers. She breathed deeply as he allowed the empty bag to fall to the floor, their kissing quickly becoming more passionate. “I don’t think we have enough time,” she murmured against his mouth as David’s hands wandered under the back of her shirt.
“I guess you’re right,” David groaned as he pulled away from her, giving her lips one last peck as she placed an open palm on his chest.
“I do have one question, however…” she began as she reached out and traced his jawline with one of her fingernails. He hadn’t had time to shave this morning and she loved the feeling of his stubble underneath her hands.
Who was she kidding? She loved everything about him .
“Aye,” he replied, internally cursing that they didn’t have time for what they had come to refer to as ‘Mama and Papa time’ in front of their all too clever daughter.
“You’re taking an empty bag?” Julia questioned as she tapped the bag with one of her toes, watching as it slid across the floor weightlessly.
“I have clothes to bring back,” David answered before he gestured toward her wardrobe with one thumb. “You’re going to need to make more room for me in there.”
Julia narrowed her eyes and frowned.
“Surely,” David began with a smile, “one person doesn’t need all those coats.”
“I like my coats,” Julia answered quickly.
“I prefer you out of them,” David replied with a shrug of his shoulders as he leaned back in to place a soft kiss to Julia’s lips. She smiled against his mouth as she bit down on his bottom lip, as their kiss deepened. He let out a sound of surprise before she sucked his lip into her mouth.
“Papaaaa!” Charlotte yelled from the other room, her voice getting louder, and the two of them moved apart slightly as their daughter joined them. “The doorbell rang,” she announced as she moved to stand between her parents.
Her hands reached for David and he leaned down to lift her into his arms. He pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Thank you, little love,” he answered. “Your Mama was being very distracting.”
Julia stifled a laugh as Charlotte whipped her head backward to stare at her mother with contempt. “Don’t start this again,” she told David as she reached to tickle at one of Charlotte’s feet.
The little girl giggled before she reached out for Julia’s hand and pushed her fingers away from her. Her little face grew serious as she reached out and placed both of her palms on either side of David’s face. “Papa, do you really have to leave?” the little girl questioned sadly. “Mama and I don’t want you to go.”
Julia sucked in a breath at her daughter’s candid honesty, and David smiled softly as his eyes met Julia’s above the little girl’s head. “Aye,” he whispered leaning in to kiss Charlotte once more. “I do,” he responded with a nod, not missing how his daughter’s lip dropped into her chin. He hated the feeling of sadness that look brought him, and Charlotte had become an expert in using it to her advantage. It usually yielded her an extra hour of time before being sent to bed or another scoop of ice cream, much to Julia’s chagrin.
“Mama,” Charlotte paused as she reached out for the comfort of her mother’s embrace and Julia smiled as she took the small girl into her arms. Charlotte buried her head into Julia’s neck and breathed deeply, her fingers gripping the collar of Julia’s shirt tightly.
David stroked Charlotte’s back softly and she turned back to face him. “I promise,” he reassured her. “I am coming back very, very soon.”
Charlotte considered his promise carefully. Her Papa had been very good at doing what he said he would do. She leaned into her Mama and kissed her neck. Her Mama had been the most important person in her life, but her Papa had very quickly moved to the top of her list, as well.
“Will you bring me a present from London?” she questioned as she wriggled out of Julia’s arms and down to the floor.
David smirked at her as she stared up at him, blinking her bright blue eyes charmingly. He leaned down and picked up his bag, handing it to his daughter. “As long as you carry this downstairs for me,” he explained as Charlotte jumped from side to side on her toes. “Thank you,” he added as Charlotte disappeared from the bedroom and he and Julia heard her thunder down the stairs toward the front door.
“Mama!” Charlotte yelled from the bottom of the stairs. “I cannot open the door.”
Julia sighed as she tilted her head toward the sound of her daughter’s voice. “We’d better go and help her,” she explained. “Or she will be climbing on the furniture again,” she added as she started to leave the room.
David laughed as he followed closely behind Julia. “Charlotte,” he warned as the two of them found their daughter precariously balanced on a chair, reaching for the lock at the top of the door.
“Sorry,” Charlotte mumbled under her breath as she jumped down from her place atop the chair as David leaned over the top of her head and opened the door.
The little girl raced into the street and toward the waiting cab, carrying David’s large, empty bag in her small arms.
David followed and helped Charlotte place the bag into the backseat of the cab. Julia watched as David leaned down and kissed her again as Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. “Come back soon, please, Papa,” she announced loudly before she was then distracted by a dog walker and five dogs of differing shapes and sizes wandering past her.
“Chien Mama, chien!” she exclaimed, her eyes never leaving the animals as the dog walker continued down the street.
Julia smiled at her daughter wistfully as David returned to stand beside her. He reached out for one of her hands and squeezed tightly. “I’m coming back,” he whispered as he leaned into her neck, kissing underneath her earlobe.
“I know,” Julia gulped, trying to hold back her overwhelming emotions. She knew this was not like the last time the two of them had been separated, but still she couldn’t help the nerves that had taken up residence in her stomach since he had decided to return to London for a short time to make arrangements for his move to France.
David nudged her with one of his shoulders and she turned her head to look at him, giving him a sad smile. “You don’t wobble,” he reassured her, and she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face at his teasing.
“I know,” she replied as she squeezed his hand in hers tightly as she tilted her head and stared at him. “I’ll just miss you,” she admitted softly.
“I love you,” he whispered with a nod. “I will call you from St. Pancras,” he reminded her as he leaned in to kiss her once more.
“I love you, too,” she echoed as Charlotte returned to stand beside her parents.
The little girl reached up for her mother once more, tugging on the hem of her shirt. Julia leaned down and hoisted her daughter into her arms, making a noise of disdain at how quickly her daughter was growing. Charlotte wiggled carefully as she clambered to make herself comfortable, resting on Julia’s hip.
“Baisers, Papa,” Charlotte reminded her father as he leaned in to kiss her tiny cheek. “You will call Mama every day,” she instructed, nodding her head quickly and making her chestnut curls bounce.
“Every day. Promise,” David said quickly as he heard the driver of the cab cough loudly. He squeezed Julia’s hand again and then kissed her one last time before he turned to the cab and climbed into the backseat.
Julia and Charlotte both waved and watched as the cab disappeared down the Parisian street. Julia couldn’t help the heavy sigh that escaped her lips. Charlotte turned to look at her mother, and stroked her cheek gently. “Mama?” she asked. “May we go to the park today?”
Julia smiled and squeezed her daughter tightly in her arms. “Yes, my little love,” she answered. “But first you need to clean up the mess you and your Papa left in the kitchen when you made breakfast this morning.”
Charlotte turned her head backwards to look to where her father had departed. She sighed loudly before she pouted slightly. “He should’ve helped!”
Julia shook her head with a slight grin as she placed Charlotte back onto the ground watching as the little girl started to race inside and up the stairs. Julia took one last look out toward where David had disappeared, just as her phone beeped in her back pocket. Opening the message, she smiled. I love you.
No, this was not going to be like their last separation at all.
*****
Julia stood in her kitchen sipping her tea slowly. She was enjoying her last few moments of solitude before Charlotte was due to wake up. When it was just the two of them for all those years, these few moments alone before dawn were the time where she allowed herself to remember who she used to be and the life she once led.
Now, since David had returned to her life, these moments of solitude didn’t seem so maudlin. In the almost two weeks that he had been back in London, the two of them had spoken each morning. Sometimes he would call her, other times she would call him. Some of the phone calls had included Ella and Charlie and one call had even involved Vicky. Once the three of them had gotten over the initial shock of Julia being alive and also having hidden herself and a child away for so long, the conversation had flowed easily. Julia had to admit she had been terribly nervous about the whole situation. But her daily calls from London had been very reassuring. They had reminded her that the most important thing was that they had each other back in their lives, and all the additional adventures (and chaos!) that three children and a blended family was to behold.
Most of the time the call would end with Charlotte excitedly regaling David with tales of what she and Julia had been up to, and reminding David not to forget her presents. Julia grimaced as she turned to look at the glittering mess Charlotte had made last night. The little girl had been determined to make a sign for her father and siblings before she had gone to bed. Julia had needed to bathe Charlotte three times to remove the glitter from her hair and underneath her fingernails.
Glitter was not Julia’s favorite thing. She had managed to keep Charlotte away from it so far, and as Julia moved to stare at her glitter-covered floor, she knew why. David had been the one to bring glitter into the Bourgeon home, when he and Charlotte had taken a ‘Papa and Charlotte’ day, which had ended with the two of them in an arts and crafts store. Charlotte had (unfortunately) discovered glitter for the first time that day.
Leaving her tea on the counter, Julia sighed as she searched her kitchen cupboard for something to put Charlotte’s glittering piece of artwork in. She finally settled on a large paper bag that had been previously used to carry bread home from the market. She carefully opened the bag and was about to slide the sign into the bag when she heard the sound of Charlotte’s footsteps approaching.
“Mama!” Charlotte exclaimed as she entered the kitchen, her bare feet padding the wooden floor loudly. “You need to be careful!” She reminded her, rubbing at her eyes sleepily as she blinked a few times.
Julia smiled as she turned to face her daughter. She opened her arms wide and the little girl launched herself into her embrace, kissing her sloppily. “Bonjour, mon petit amour,” Julia whispered in Charlotte’s ear as she lifted her up and into her arms.
“Bonjour, Mama,” Charlotte giggled. “My sign is very pretty, right, Mama?”
Julia nodded. “Your Papa will love it!” Julia reassured her.
“Look at all the glitter on the floor, Mama,” Charlotte said with a little giggle, pointing down at the floorboards and the layer of yellow sparkles.
“You are going to need a very large broom to clean all of that up,” Julia reminded Charlotte as she leaned in to kiss her daughter’s cheek.
“But Mama,” Charlotte protested. “I am Charlotte, not Cinderella!”
Julia couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. Charlotte tilted her head then and looked toward where Julia’s phone was charging by the kettle. “Papa is not on the phone today?”
Julia shook her head.
“He had to leave early this morning, remember? We were sleeping as he was leaving London.”
“And Ella and Charlie are coming, too?”
“Yes, little Lotte,” Julia answered. “Ella and Charlie will be with your Papa,” she added as she lowered Charlotte back down to her feet and the little girl scampered to her place at the table.
“May I please have toast this morning?” Charlotte questioned as she began to trace patterns on the table with one of her fingers.
Julia nodded. “Of course,” she answered as she moved towards the kitchen counter and lowered two slices of bread into the toaster.
“Mama?” Charlotte questioned. “How long until Papa is here?”
Julia raised her head to check the time on the kitchen wall. “He will be on the train now,” she explained. “They will arrive in just a little over an hour.”
“An hour?” Charlotte exclaimed with a frown. “That is a very long time!”
Julia stopped for a moment as the toast popped up from the toaster, and she buttered the bread and then added a thin layer of jam before placing it down in front of Charlotte. She leaned down to play with one of Charlotte’s curls as her daughter tilted her head to look up at her. “How would you like to go to the station and meet your Papa at his train?”
The question was asked cautiously, and before Julia could stop herself.
She watched as Charlotte’s bright blue eyes beamed. “I would love that, Mama!” she cried and she quickly began to eat her breakfast as fast as she could.
A short time later, Julia stood outside the main entrance of Gare du Nord. The station was bustling with commuters and Julia held tight to Charlotte’s fingers in hers nervously. She adjusted her beret with one hand and then raised the collar of her trench coat around her neck. It was a rare event for her to be in such a location with so many people and she tried desperately to hide her discomfort from Charlotte.
The two of them had hailed a cab just outside their flat after they had eaten their breakfast, and dressed much faster than normal. As the cab had driven them toward the station, Julia wondered if she was doing the right thing in being so brazenly out in the open. But when Charlotte had said how long an hour was, Julia realised that she, too, wanted to see David as soon as possible.
“Mama?” Charlotte questioned as she gently pulled on the belt of Julia’s coat. “I cannot see Papa,” she added in confusion as she balanced precariously on her tiptoes, trying to see over the tall people around her.
Julia smiled and squeezed Charlotte’s hand. “We need to go this way,” she explained as the two of them dodged a family with five suitcases. “Your Papa will be here very soon.”
Charlotte stood at the end of the platform and waited patiently, looking for any sign of David. Julia kept sneaking glances around at the passers-by. She was always on edge when she and Charlotte were out in public places. Such was the life she had signed up for when she disappeared and claimed to have succumbed to her injuries obtained at St. Matthews College, all those years ago.
So far, no one had taken a second glance in her direction. She and Charlotte had simply slipped into the crowd of people without notice. She turned her head to the side as she checked behind her once again, relieved nothing seemed untoward. A young woman stood beside her and Charlotte and as Julia moved her gaze back to the platform, the blonde smiled at her politely.
Julia gave her a small nod and held her breath as she waited to see if she was recognised. But none came and Julia allowed her breathing to return to normal. Perhaps it was not so dangerous for her to be out in public places any longer and as she had explained to David, perhaps the world really had forgotten about her by now.
“Papa is here!” Charlotte announced excitedly as Julia squinted to see if she could see as far as Charlotte appeared to be able to. Her daughter tugged at her coat with more force than before as Julia caught her first sight of the Eurostar beginning to shunt into the platform.
“Elle est excitée,” the woman beside Julia commented and Julia nodded happily, offering the stranger a genuine smile. For the first time in a long time, Julia felt comfortable being out of her comfort zone.
“Lotte,” Julia said quietly as she leaned down to whisper in her daughter’s ear. “You need to be patient and remember there are lots of people getting off this train. It could be a few moments still before you see your Papa, okay?”
“Okay, Mama. I will do my best,” she promised, nodding, as she held tightly to her sign in one of her small hands.
The two of them watched as the train came to a stop and the doors opened. Julia squeezed Charlotte’s fingers in hers as the arriving guests met with their friends and family on the platform. Julia sensed Charlotte’s impatience, or perhaps it was the other way around and Charlotte sensed her mother’s, as they shuffled along the banister separating them from the platform.
Julia was sure she felt her heart skip a beat in her chest as she first noticed the Budd children step from the train and onto the platform. Ella was first; she appeared to be far older than she had in their video calls. Her long hair was tied in a bun on her head and she dragged a suitcase from the carriage. Julia saw her groan audibly as the bag landed with a thud. Charlie appeared next, his dark hair sticking up at odd angles. He only carried a small backpack, slung over one of his shoulders and he jumped from the carriage, landing next to Ella’s suitcase with a laugh. He saw Julia first and nudged his sister’s side and the three of them smiled at one another from across the station.
Julia watched as their attention moved quickly to Charlotte and the two older children waved at their half-sister. Julia held back the tears she had begun to feel prickling at the back of her eyes. She had had no idea how David’s children would take to the idea of a new little sister and felt relieved that, so far, the two of them seemed happy. Julia felt Charlotte cling to her side and she moved her attention to look at her daughter. She ruffled her curls and smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay, Charlotte,” she whispered as she began to hold her arms out for Charlotte to climb into.
Charlotte considered her mother’s offer of her embrace and was about to accept when the pair of them caught sight of David at the same time. He appeared in the middle of Ella and Charlie as his suitcase landed with an even louder sound than Ella’s had, and Julia beamed happily.
Charlotte let go of her mother immediately and hurtled toward David. “Papa!” she squealed as loudly as she could, discarding her glitter covered sign on the ground and running as fast as her little legs would carry her to David’s embrace.
David crouched down as he spotted the bundle of curls headed his way. He opened his arms and laughed as Charlotte leaped into his arms. He lifted her from the ground, spinning her around in a circle. He kissed her tiny cheek as she threw her arms around his neck. “Papa!” she cried. “You came back! I missed you!” she added as she nuzzled into the space between his neck and chest. “Mama missed you too,” she added quietly as Julia came over to join them all.
Julia felt her stomach flip as David reached for one of her hands, interlocking their fingers as he squeezed tightly, leaning forward as he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to lean into him and kiss him until they were both breathless, but she had decided that was not the best way for her to be introduced to Ella and Charlie in person for the first time.
Still holding tight to David’s hand, she turned to face the two teenagers and smiled at them both warmly. “Hello,” she began as she released David’s fingers from hers. “Welcome to Paris you two.”
“Thank you,” Ella replied politely. “We’re happy to be here,” she said with a pause before she moved to look at Charlotte, who David had just placed back on the ground. “It is lovely to meet you both in person,” Ella added as Charlotte timidly moved to hide behind Julia’s legs shyly.
Julia reached out for Ella’s hand and squeezed tightly. She wanted to throw her arms around the teenager, something Julia Montague would never have even considered five years ago. Julia leaned down and placed her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, gently encouraging her to approach her siblings.
“Do you have a bear?” Charlie asked Charlotte from his position next to Ella. He leaned down as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small hat, adorned with the Union Jack. “Dad,” he began as he gestured towards a smiling David, “told me you had a bear, but he doesn’t have a hat! Ella and I --”
“Mr. Bear,” Charlotte said with a small smile as she took one step closer to Charlie. She stared at him quizzically. “His name is Mr. Bear,” she added. “But he stayed at home sleeping. He does not have a hat. You are right,” she answered shly.
“He does now!” Charlie exclaimed and Julia found herself holding back a laugh. It seemed as if Charlotte and Charlie shared the same exuberance for life, something they must have both inherited from their father.
Julia encouraged Charlotte to take another step closer to Charlie. “Merci,” she said with a smile as she held out an open palm as Charlie placed the hat in her hands. “Mr. Bear will love a hat, won’t he, Mama?” she questioned as she turned back to look at Julia.
Julia nodded proudly and Charlotte entangled herself from behind her mother’s legs and moved closer to her siblings. “Do you have any bears in those bags?” she questioned curiously as she eyed Ella and Charlie’s luggage carefully.
Charlie shook his head and laughed. “I only have clothes,” he answered. “But I have no idea what Ella packed,” he teased his older sister as he held his hand out towards Charlotte.
Ella ignored her brother and rolled her eyes as she leaned down to hook her suitcase in one hand and then held out the other toward Charlotte as well.
Charlotte took one glance back at her Mama and Papa, and both Julia and David nodded at her encouragingly. She tucked the new hat for Mr. Bear in her pocket carefully, and then placed each of her hands in one of her siblings’ hands.
The three of them began to head for the exit of the platform together, the two older Budds being careful to keep a close hold of Charlotte’s tiny hands.
Julia breathed a happy sigh as she turned to look at David. He smiled at her and leaned in to press his lips to hers for the first time in nearly two weeks.
“I missed you too,” he whispered into her embrace as one of his hands moved to grab possessively at her hip, pulling her close to him as he kissed her again.
“I’m still not dreaming am I?” Julia questioned in between kisses.
David shook his head as he moved to kiss at her neck. “Feels pretty real to me,” he reassured her as he reached to close his fingers in hers again.
“Mama!” Charlotte called as she turned her head back to look for her parents. She shook her head as she rolled her eyes conspiratorially, leaning toward her new siblings.
“Mama and Papa,” she began with a groan. “They do a lot of kissing.”