Hi! Here I am with chapter 2, I really have to thank you for all the reviews I received for the first chapter! I'm glad you liked the first chapter and I hope you'll aslo like this! See you at the end of the chapter!^^

2. In this tug of war you'll always win

Now there's gravel in our voices
glass is shattered from the fight

The Ball was finally over, but for Catherine the night that was going to come wouldn't have been a time of craved rest and comfort; on the contrary, alone in her bed even that night, like every night, she would have done nothing but think and cry. She reached her chambers and closed for a moment her eyes, thinking again about all the events just happened: it was hard to hold the tears until the moment of pure darkness when nobody could have seen them.

"His Majesty, the King!" said Lady Jane, entering the room, unable to hold her excitement.

The other ladies exchanged a surprised look and then all of them stared at their mistress, waiting for her orders. It had been at least two minutes before the Queen finally found the words; there wasn't astonishment or happiness on her face, just an expression that seemed indecipherable and which was just the mirror of the thoughts in her mind. She wasn't in fact understanding anything at all, that's the truth; she had to repeat the words in her mind to try to give them a sense, even if after all, that sudden visit of the King didn't have a sense. Maybe she had fallen asleep and she was just dreaming, maybe he was there just for a quick news or a free argument. And then there was that thin and fragile hope which was suggesting her that… Maybe Charles Brandon was right.

"Let him in" she finally said with a nod, trying to keep calm.

Lady Jane moved aside and the King entered the room with an indecipherable expression as well. Even though there was about ten people, the room fell suddenly silent, everyone stared at the King and the Queen who were staring at each other.

"Go out!" Henry suddenly yelled, not looking away from his wife, while the ladies, fighting between fear and curiosity, were forced to leave that promising scene.

But Henry wasn't there to spectacle, for that night there had been enough of that.

"Husband, what do I owe this pleasure for?" Catherine asked when they were left alone, covering the rumor of the door that was closing behind the last lady.

She tried to hold a smile that, despite everything, the only sight of the man she loved gave to her, and didn't dare to make a single step towards him, because she knew. It had been enough only a look to understand the feelings inside him that pushed him to make her that visit: his expression wasn't indecipherable at all, quite the contrary he seemed betrayed, angry, hurt. She knew that.

In this tug of war, you'll always win
even when I'm right

"This isn't a courtesy visit" he clarified gritting his teeth and closing the eyes to try to calm the irrational anger that was taking more and more control over him.

"I didn't expect it" the Queen said, letting a bitter smile appear on her lips.

Henry stared at her in silence and his hard look softened seeing the tears in her eyes; they were hidden of course, but they were there. He could see them. Suddenly, he shook his head, trying to send away any kind of remorse: in front of her, he always felt lower, as a perfect butterfly she was the one to make him feel a worm with a simple look, but it wouldn't have happened that night. That was the night when the worm felt like accusing of something the butterfly.

"Save this useless irony, since as far as I see you are not so sad after all…" he replied harshly.

"What? I don't understand…" she said surprised, frowning.

"Of course, you don't understand. But I bet you understand the Duke of Suffolks' words perfectly instead…" he interrupted her in the same tone, with an absolutely joyless smile.

"We were just dancing…" she noted, even more surprised. When she had thought she could cause some jealousy to her husband, she didn't really believe that, and of course she couldn't have guessed a similar reaction.

"Do you know his reputation, don't you?" he asked rhetorically, interrupting her again and staring at her "You are my wife!" he exclaimed then, moving some steps towards her and taking her shoulderds.

Catherine widened her eyes and got lost in her husband's blue ones. It was a while since she had seen them so bright, it was a while since she had seen them sparkling such a way for her.

'Cause you feed me fables from your hand
with violent words and empty threats

"Of course, I am your wife, Henry" she assured him, raising slowly a hand and touching his face "You don't have to worry, I haven't lovers unlike you… I love you" she said then honestly, without any trace of accuse in her voice.

But he heard that accuse. In the end, she made him feel a worm, anyway. And she was still a butterfly, the same beautiful butterfly that made him fall in love so many years before.

"That's not the point!" he said, pushing away her hands, but without leaving them "I… I love you too" he admitted then naturally, maybe not even really realizing what he was saying.

It should have been a surprise for her to hear those words after so much time, and yet for both of them in that moment it appeared normal and simple. Because love after all is a simple thing. In a few moments as a magic their lips met in a kiss and the enchantment was going to leave them like that: a kiss wasn't enough, both of them needed something else, more, they needed to meet up again each other. And they met up again that night between lost kisses and eternal love that was mixing with renewed desire. That night in the darkness, Catherine didn't fall asleep crying, but hold in the arms of the one who surely was the man of her life and she asked for nothing else but to be the woman of his.

What that night would have meant? She wasn't thinking about down, that night was her down, but she would have thought about it, because the real down arrived very soon. And to quote Bible, for Henry there was "Nihil novum sub sole".

She fell asleep this way, between sweet whispered words she had been waiting for so long, but she woke up some hours after with the only ones she would have never wanted to hear.

"It was a mistake, Catherine. It mustn't happen again"

…And it's sick that all these battles
are what keeps me satisfied

What do you think? They made a very big step...Yeah, I know, he also ruined everything... Don't kill me! LoL What will happen now? Will Henry still think about divorce? I really would like to know your opinion! :)