Tu Es Ma Lumière

44 - Worries *Modern*

"Nee naw! Nee naw! Nee naw!" James yelled, running into the classroom with an oversized blue puffa jacket around his body and a green dinosaur backpack that was almost bigger than him. The four year old little boy quickly hung up his bag and coat upon the cubby that had his name on it. He gave his classmate a big grin, before sitting down next to the blonde child, their locks completely opposing each other.

His blonde haired teacher rose a perfectly plucked blonde brow, pulling his feet down from his desk and looking to the child. The man's grey suit fitted him perfectly, and he stared at the two children as they talked quietly amongst themselves. James and Jean -the man's own son- chatted, sharing Jean's breakfast. He looked over as the door opened again. In walked a woman older than him. Her face wore a stern baseline, but as she set her dark eyes on the dark haired boy, a kind, motherly smile took over the slightly withered face, a smile that looked completley unusual on such a stern looking woman in blue. Quite like his own mother, the man realised. She held a dinosaur lunch bag in her left hand, black curls swiped up at the back of her head. A dark blue skirt suit combined with matching court heels and a sleek, black faux leather briefcase completed her look, as well as expensive looking jewellery and a face full of makeup, making it more pointed and stern.

"James." the woman said. Francis noted that the woman's voice commanded attention, but it was soft and motherly, also tired. James' head shot up, quickly finishing the grape in his mouth as he looked up at the woman he obviously knew. "You left your lunch bag and your morning snack." she extended the bag to James, the boy stumbling over to the woman.

"Sorry, meme." he stated. 'Meme' bent down and kissed his black curls, before fluffing his silky hair. James' golden eyes sparkled at his grandmother. The older woman smiled at him again.

"It's okay, mon amour." she stated. "Have a good day, and after, we can go see your mommy." she stated kindly, not acknowledging Francis, or his son.

"Mommy?" James asked, his eyes growing. He jumped around like a little Mexican bean. "We can go see mama after school?" he asked again.

"Yes, of course. Now, go to your seat. I'll come to get you after school." the grandmother stated gently. James smiled at her as she left the classroom and he quickly placed his bag in the cubby, along with his backpack and his coat. 

Francis frowned as the young boy sat next to his son again. The two conversed quietly as the eldest of the three got up from his place and went over to the boy. It was very early in the morning, the two boys and their teacher being the only people in the room.

"James?" Francis asked, coming over to kneel to the young boy. The little child smiled at his teacher, who wore a concerned frown on his face.

First, the boy was always dropped to school by his mother. The very same mother Francis was infatuated with for a time, before Olivia came back into his life. Then, the boy would be picked up by his father. It was very rare that little James Stuart would be picked up by his 'meme'. 

It did used to be both parents who did the pick up and drop off, but that was before they got divorced. Since then, Mary and Darnley had gotten their union null and void. Francis had heard from his brother -who was dating one of Mary's friends- and from what the little boy would accidentally let slip, that the divorce had been messy and long. Darnley was a temperamental drunk, so it had shrivelled up Mary's usually outgoing personality into something more dark and mysterious. Often arriving late to gatherings and leaving early, even bringing James to some of them. Soon after this started, Mary had filed for divorce and moved out of their home. That had been around the time that Francis was intrigued by this raven haired beauty, but it had been months since then and not once had he seen the boy's mother. At first, Francis had thought Mary's sudden ghosting was anger at him for breaking off what little courtship they had shared, but that didn't seem right now. First, the boy arrives with his grandmother with his mother apparently at another place, something that never, ever happened. Second, with the child replicating the noise of sirens, perhaps replicating the sounds of police cars or an ambulance, Francis wasn't sure what the little boy had heard, but it couldn't have been good if that was the reaction he had gotten. What was worse perhaps was the boys complete indifference to the noise, finding joy in yelling those words out.

"Yes, Mr. Valois?" he asked him, smiling contently at his teacher.

"Where's your mom?" he asked. It may have been months since Francis had properly seen Mary, but she had always dropped the child off to school and had always picked him up, even if she hadn't talked to Francis.

"I don't know." the little boy stated, throwing his hands up in the air into the 'I don't know' pose. "I heard the nee naw's when they woke me up and then Meme came to pick me up. We're going to see her later, Mr. Valois." he smiled wide at him, babbling out the words to his teacher.

Francis' worry peaked. The child had woken up to hearing sirens, and then was taken away by his grandmother? What on earth could have happened in that house? Things had seemed to settle when Mary had gotten her divorce and moved away from Darnley, they had gotten really bad beforehand.

"Did meme say what had happened to your mom?" Francis asked the boy, eager for details about the woman he had really cared about before Olivia came back into his life. Of course, they were done now -like always- but that didn't mean that he would stop caring for her just like that.

James cocked his head. "She said mommy had and owwie, and had to go to sleep for a little bit. Like me when my tummy hurts, I go to sleep and I feel better."

Okay, now Francis was worried for her. But he gave the child a smile and returned to his desk, whipping out his cell phone. He really had to call Sebastian.

~~

Let a girl know if you guys want a part 2!