Disclaimer: I own no part of Reign.
AN: Gracious. The response to this story is getting me all giddy! So I'm thinking this is a few weeks after the last chapter, and yes, Catherine is actually pregnant. I'm saying she's still in her first trimester here. I WOULD write the Nostradamus/Catherine/Henry scene, but I don't feel confident in writing Nostradamus and I have no clue how they would do Renaissance pregnancy examinations. Sooo…. Everyone ready for some pregnant Catherine? AND WE'RE OFF! Enjoy the read.
"Damn these bloody shoes!"
Ripping her heels off of her feet, Catherine threw the offending footwear across the room. It hit the edge of her desk with an impressive thump. She sighed heavily and put her head in her hands. She loved being pregnant, but she hated being pregnant. She loved that she was carrying a piece of both Henry and herself to love and hold and cherish. She loved that she was bringing new life and hope into the world. She loved the feeling of holding a new babe in her arms after it was all over. She hated being sensitive to smells. She hated not fitting into her clothes. She hated not being able to fit her fat feet into these damn shoes! Looking down at her naked toes, the Queen lifted her skirts and glared. Fat feet. Her ankles would swell soon as well, her belly was growing bigger by the day. Pottering over to the glass, Catherine turned sideways and sighed. Her abdomen wasn't the soft flatness it used to be, it had expanded as their baby grew and as she began to eat for two. She refused to wear corsets at all when she was pregnant, and as such, was able to see the full curvature of her stomach as it was now.
Laying a hand to her belly, she rubbed soft circles across it. Did the baby know he or she was loved? Did the baby know how much she wanted to see him or her? Catherine thought on that. Him or her…a prince or a princess? She would love either. Any child would be a child to love. What would Henry prefer? Probably a boy to rear into another dauphin of France, but he did spoil Elizabeth so. Their daughter had received two dozen sets of shoes as a gift and had exclaimed in her letter how completely happy she was. Catherine had chosen the fabrics of course, but the idea had been Henry's. He may be a distant father, but he was better than some and with the power of a King, no less. Francis had once wanted a circus to perform at his birthday when he was younger, having heard about them when they were visiting Paris. He'd gotten three. With their combined influence, Catherine and Henry were able to give their children anything they could ever dream of. They would do the same for this little one. She smiled then sighed. It would have to be flats today.
The door opened and a servant girl scuttled in. Honestly. Did commoners all move around like mice? Catherine rolled her eyes and waved the girl closer. Scuttle, scuttle, scuttle. The girl inched closer to the formidable Medici and nervously set the breakfast tray on the table. Pouring out the tea for her lady, she passed it to Catherine with shaking hands. It was just fate for the cup to fall. The hot liquid spilled across Catherine's lap, burning her through her clothes. Standing up in a rage, Catherine's hand found its mark across the girl's face, sending the girl sideways. The servant fell to the floor, clutching her aching cheek spouting apologies. She cowered on the rug as a hail storm of Italian wrath was rained down upon her. Relatively new to the castle, the girl had never seen the Queen as angry as she was now. She was crying now, literally crying as she begged forgiveness from the furious whirlwind of a Queen. The girl cringed as Catherine picked up the upended tea cup and threw it down at the girl's hands. Catherine had switched from French to Italian now. This was all sorts of bad. The door slammed open and Henry rushed in. Seeing his incensed wife, he went to her.
"Catherine, darling, what happened?" Henry had eyes only for her as he held her hands in his.
She pulled her hands away to gesture madly about. "QUESTA CAGNA STUPIDA APPENA VERSATO IL TÉ CALDO TUTTO ME!"
"In francese per favore, amore mio." Henry tried to soothe her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Henry, this stupid bitch just spilled hot tea all over me!" Catherine shouted, a bit more calm in his presence.
"WHAT?!" Henry rounded on the girl, picking her up off the ground by the front of her uniform. "DID YOU REALLY JUST SPILL HOT TEA ON MY WIFE?! MY PREGNANT WIFE?!" Henry shook the girl in the air as she cried.
"I'M SORRY, QUEEN CATHERINE! I WAS JUST SO NERVOUS!" She yelped.
Henry continued his tirade. "A NERVOUS WRECK, MORE LIKE! HOW CAN YOU BE SO DAMN CARELESS AROUND A PREGNANT WOMAN?! A PREGNANT QUEEN! THAT'S A PRINCE OR PRINCESS SHE'S CARRYING, YOU IDIOT GIRL!"
"I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" The serving girl cried.
"Henry…"
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" He yelled, face to face with the girl.
"Henry."
He was positively roaring now. "I COULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW, DO YOU KNOW THAT?! I COULD KILL YOU!"
"Henry!" He dropped the girl who landed in a heap on the ground.
Catherine was once more sitting on the couch and holding her head. "What is it, darling? What's wrong?"
"Headache. Stop yelling now, please." She rubbed circles at her temples.
"Of course." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
The girl spoke up from the floor. "Your Majesties…"
Henry stood straight and loomed over the girl. "You will leave. Now. If I see you, hear you, or even catch wind that you have breathed the air of my castle, I will end you. Go."
She scrambled to her feet, having the sense to close the door quietly on her way out. Henry let out an exasperated huff and went to Catherine. She was quiet, and he hated when she was quiet. It meant something was wrong. Her front was completely damp and Henry hoped that she hadn't been severely burned by the tea. Gently taking her hands in his, he pulled her to her feet and began undoing the lacings on her dress. Catherine was too pained to complain at this, but he had no intention of making advances of her in this state. Taking her dress and shift off, Henry closed his eyes to control his body and thoughts as his naked wife was revealed. Instead, he went to the wardrobe and pulled out a nightgown for her. He tenderly pulled on the garment over his wife's head and laced up the neck before guiding her to the bed. Henry lifted his wife up into his arms with ease before laying her back down gently. Catherine opened her mouth, but he silenced her with a sweet kiss.
"Rest now, darling. I'll hear of nothing else."
Henry settled in behind her, a protective hand on his wife's belly where their child grew.
AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Henry's line in Italian was, "In French please, my love." All translations came from Google Translate. Yes, I know it's horrible. To all of my readers who know Italian, my apologies, it was the best I could do! Forgive me? Send in your requests for what you want a pregnant Catherine to go through!
To demedicigirl: Thanks for reviewing! More protective Henry for you :)
To Alex: Hello friend Alex! I'm so glad you're liking the story. Foot rub? Oddly, I didn't think of that. Well done on you.
To Catherine Woods: As per your request, someone got slapped. I wish Catherine would slap people more often. Backhanded, preferably. With rings on. Actually, just Penelope. I still have feelings about that girl. I'm glad you're liking it!
To VervainAndRoses: As an aside, I really dig your username. I hope you still like the voice she has in this chapter? Let me know your thoughts :)
To Maya: I'm so happy you like it! By the way: Did you ever get to read the final chapter of your story? I wasn't sure…
To unnamed visitor: It's one in the morning for me right now, but I after seeing your review, I was like, oh snap. I know which one I'm working on tonight. Then this happened. Thank you so much for your compliments! Oh gracious. I've never been really good when people say nice things, but thank you so much. A boy and a girl? Hmm I kind of like the idea of twins, but we'll see! "Wild love" sounds like something Henry and Catherine would do. I'll try and make that happen for you. I really love the bond that Mary and Catherine have as well. When Mary puts an arm around Catherine after Henry gets hit at the jousting match, lights went off in my head. I feel like Mary is a naturally very protective person when it comes to her friends and family. I don't know how overprotective Mary will play out, but I think it'll be okay. Mmmm, I'm not sure if I'll follow canon that closely when it comes to The Darkness. This was intended to be a fluff piece, but if it develops, I think that's a really good avenue to pursue. Your ideas are most welcome, thank you for taking the time to work those out! Just let me know if you would like to see anything else!
To Beawild: I see Charles as the more perceptive one, yes. I swear, you can see the future. Maybe you should take over Nostradamus' post as Court advisor. This story is SOOOOOO not canon, but I'm going to try and incorporate some elements from the show into the story *cough*KENNA*cough* I would say that Diane is mostly out of the picture, but that'll come at a later date. I'm enjoying messing around with pregnant Catherine, but rest assured, Catherine isn't trying to play Henry's games anymore. She's going to be his only. Sidebar: I cracked up so hard at "a posse of women with loose morals". I love your phrasing.
