Chapter 10

By dawn Spencer woke up in Mary's arms. She smiled to herself at the memory of the night they spent together, but then she remembered what caused Mary to stay with her and her face fell. She inhaled deeply the other woman's scent and snuggled herself closer to her lover's naked body. She looked at her and tried to forget that her parents had died and only to focus on how beautiful Mary looked in the white covers tangled around her body. Mary looked so peaceful in her sleep. Then she slowly batted her eyelashes and opened her eyes. She looked up into Spencer's brown eyes and leaned up to kiss her on the lips.

"Are you feeling better?" Mary asked concerned.

"Yes." Spencer answered smiling a bit. Mary made everything seem not as bad as she thought it was. The fact that she was laying in her bed with this beautiful woman made her heart flutter with joy and the ache be not so unbearable. She thought she could go through it, she really could, as long as she had Mary. But then her mind was invaded by doubts. Mary wasn't hers! Mary would soon be married to the French prince! What would she do when that happened?

"What is it?" Mary asked as she saw Spencer frown.

"Francis." She answered blankly.

"Listen." Mary said and she sat up a bit covering Spencer's face with her hands. "I am here." She told her and looked her into the eyes.

"I am here now. With you. And nothing will change that. We can worry about Francis later but for now just enjoy the moment." Mary told her.

"Mary?" Spencer whispered, her voice almost not audible and very insecure. Mary's heart broke into pieces at that sound.

"Yes Spencer?"

"I know we don't know each other very long, but I feel like I have known you all my life." She admitted.

"Yes, me too." Mary answered.

"I … I think I love you…" Spencer said quietly.

"Oh, Spencer." Mary whispered and Spencer braced herself to be rejected but was utterly surprised as Mary smiled and continued to say: "I love you too."

The two laid in bed for a little while more, but then dressed themselves quickly.

"Last night was very special to me." Mary told spencer taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"It was also special to me." She answered.

"I…I am sorry, but I have to go for a while…" Mary said on the door.

"Yeah… I know. It's alright, I have business to do anyway. Because of the circumstances and… well you know…" Spencer said shrugging a bit.

"But … will I see you later?" Mary asked.

"Yes." Spencer said determined. Then Mary left.

…

Meanwhile the queen was thinking of the best way to get rid of Spencer Hastings. She had to keep that secret a secret and as to not risk anything she decided to do it herself and also get rid of Roland, the only witness to all of her evil plans.

She felt truly guilty for having to kill these two. More than when she had to get rid of other people, but that was because these two people were the ones she had history with.

Though Spencer didn't know anything about her history with the French queen it was there. It was undeniable. Those brown eyes always reminding her of her own story. Tough she never truly got to know the young woman the bond that was between the two of them still made her feel guilty about what she was going to do. Her plan was to catch Spencer while being at a riding trip and simulate an accident or she would feign Spencer's suicide. She hasn't decided yet. The option with the suicide somehow pleased her better than the other one, because like that she would maybe get some time alone with the girl as to tell her everything, while the poison was killing her. And Roland… that would be easy, she would just accuse him of something and then he would be executed, in fact she had already told some guards to get him and get along with the trial.

Catherine started to prepare the poison for Spencer.

It didn't take long to prepare and as soon as she was ready she hurried to Spencer's room with a poisoned cup of tea.

"Hello?" she asked as she entered the bedroom.

She found Spencer sitting on her bed sobbing quietly.

"Oh, hello majesty." She said wiping away her tears.

"Hello, honey." Catherine faked concern. She gave the girl the cup in her hand." Here drink some tea. It will make you feel better." She said.

Somehow now Catherine's heart ached at what she was about to do, but she had no choice. She wouldn't let Francis be heartbroken because of this woman and let her make a fool of her son and she would also stop the risk of her secret being revealed because this girl was still alive.

Spencer took a sip of tea. Now it was too late anyway. Spencer would diem and she couldn't change it anymore, even if she wanted to.

"Thank you, my queen." Spencer said politely and took another sip of it. By now the cup was half empty and she was feeling a little tired.

"Spencer… I have to tell you something about your parents." Catherine began to speak.

Spencer looked up to her curiously.

"What? That they are dead? Well I already know." Spencer said sarcastically with a slight hint of bitterness in her tone.

"No, that wasn't what I wanted to tell you." Catherine continued.

Spencer took another sip of her tea.

By now Catherine was very nervous and close to tears. She didn't know how to speak it out loud and she somehow worried about Spencer's reaction to her revelation, though it was stupid as the girl would die anyway in some minutes. Spencer would only be alive for a nit more than an hour if she was lucky and strong, but Catherine expected her to be just that, strong, very strong.

"I…"she couldn't say it. Tears prickled behind her eyes.

Spencer put away her now empty cup and turned a bit to look better at the queen. She felt very dizzy by now.

"What… what…" Spencer wondered what was going on with her, now even her tongue didn't obey her anymore. The queen shushed her.

"Shh… it' alright." She said in a soothing tone, rather to calm herself down than actually referring to Spencer.

"I…" she cleared her throat. "I came here to tell you the truth about your parents."

The queen paused a moment to look at Spencer, who now had problems with sitting up straight. She struggled to not fall down of the bed and the queen helped her laying her down gently. Spencer knew that something was wrong. She couldn't possibly be sick from one moment to the other. Something was wrong with her, and she suspected it had something to do with the tea the queen had given her. Spencer looked at her fearfully and attempted to say something. She wanted to know what she had done to her.

"Wh…wh…" she couldn't even form a word. Spencer was terrified and tears started to form in her eyes. She looked up into the queen's face and also saw one lonely tear fall from her cheek.

"Don't fight it honey." She whispered smiling sadly. "It will be over before you know it." She reassured and inched closer to the girl. She caressed her hair slowly.

"What I came here for, was to tell you that your parents…" she coughed " … your parents weren't your real parents."

Spencer's eyes opened in slight shock at this.

"The two of them were friends of mine when I was younger… and well actually I am you mother."

Spencer looked at her not being able to answer to that.

"I was pregnant before I met the king. Nobody knew… because you weren't a child of love and I didn't tell anyone about what had happened to me. That I was ruined by some stranger in the forest." The queen visibly tried to hold back more tears from falling but she didn't succeed.

"It wasn't visible for some time, but as I started to show my pregnancy I moved in with your parents. They kept me well hidden for the rest of my pregnancy and the deal was that when you were born they would keep you as they weren't able to produce children of their own."

Spencer looked horrified at the queen.

"It was so hard for me to give you up, but I had no other choice."

The queen took a shaky breath.

"I couldn't see you grow up, I couldn't witness your joyful moments. You were my only girl and I was your mother. You were the only family I had… and I had to abandon you, but it was for the best. It was the best for both of us, I need you to understand that, Spencer." She smiled a bit as she spoke out loud the name.

"You know… at least they gave you the name I chose for you." She said.

Spencer felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. She wanted to scream, wanted to run away, she wanted to get away as fast as she could, but she couldn't move an inch. She was trapped and the only person she wanted to see right now was Mary. Tears streamed down her face, this couldn't be happening, if the queen really was her mother, she was just being killed by her own mother.

"Shh…" Catherine tried to calm her as she saw the look of horror on her face. "I…I am so sorry for having abandoned you… and I am so sorry that it has to end like this."

She was quiet for a second.

"But I have to protect Francis, if he knew what you and Mary did… it would destroy him. And I have to protect myself, if this was to come out everything would be taken away from me." She explained.

"I am truly sorry, you have to believe me." She sobbed. "But you know… I couldn't be with you while you lived… now I can be with you while you die… you don't have go alone through this at least." Catherine reassured her giving her a kiss at the top of her head.

Spencer's breathing became more and more slowly and irregular. Catherine knew it wouldn't take much longer before Spencer would die.

The door swung open and Mary came in.

Catherine was surprised by this. How dare she disturb this moment she had with her daughter, Yes she was dying and it was her fault but still it was the only moment she had with her and she didn't want Mary to ruin it. She looked at her angrily and sad at the same time. Mary immediately understood that something was wrong and rushed to Spencer. She sat beside her and looked her in the eyes.

Spencer smiled at this, at least Mary would be there.

It made it so much easier. She didn't want to leave Mary just yet, but she knew there was no avoiding it. It was already too late, she would die and there was nothing anybody could do for her. She felt her heart clench in hurt and her breath coming out in fast batches.

Mary looked at her fearful.

"What did you do?" she screamed angrily at Catherine. But Catherine didn't answer she just stood there looking at her dying daughter with tears in her eyes and her heart falling to pieces.

Mary's eyes filled up with tears as she noticed Spencer's breath hitching and coming irregular. She clutched Spencer's hand and leaned forward to kiss her knuckles lovingly.

"I love you so much." She told her desperately.

Spencer's lips moved silently, like she was trying to say anything. Mary inched closer to her dying lover.

"I love you…" she heard Spencer whisper with all her remaining energy.

Mary desperately moved forward to press her lips one last time against Spencer's.

Then she felt the other girls hand relax in hers and her mouth too.

Mary broke away from the kiss looking horrified at Spencer.

She flung her arms around the other brunette and whispered her name a couple of times into her ear only to not getting an answer.

Spencer wouldn't answer anymore. Mary wouldn't see her smile anymore. She would never hear the other girl's laugh again and she would never be kissed by her again. Spencer's voice would be forever silenced from now on and she would never hear her say to her that she loved her.

She was dead.

That was it, it was over.

The girl Mary once loved so much even if it was for a short time, she would never be able to look into her eyes anymore or caress her smooth perfect skin.

Her once so beautiful and animated lover would rest forever under the earth. Mary couldn't bare the thought of the worms corroding her beautiful body and her lying in the dark all alone. It completely broke her heart.

"I love you Spencer." She still whispered into her dead lover's ear. Though she knew Spencer couldn't hear her anymore she couldn't stop and had the feeling not having told the other woman often enough while she was still alive.

Mary was sad and angry. Her young love had been taken from her. The only person who had managed to make her happy in ways no one else was able to do so had been taken from her. Mary couldn't help but hold onto the brunette and rocking her softly in her arms, like she was rocking her to sleep.

Catherine was standing a few inches away from the pair crying herself.

And that was how they were found.

Mary holding the dead Spencer in her arms and crying silently because of the loss of her first love while Catherine was standing a little bit apart crying over the loss of her daughter, who she had just killed.

The end.