Disclaimer: I own no part of Reign
AN: LOOK! LOOK! IT'S ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THIS TIME! HUZZAH! Thank you to unnamed visitor, demedicigirl, and Catherine Woods for this one! *kisses all around* Note: around a few days after the last chapter timeline-wise. Enjoy the read everyone!
As King Henry and Queen Catherine walked down from their thrones, Henry held out his hand to his wife. She smiled fondly at him, her hazel eyes gold in the firelight just as he liked to see them. The evening festivities were marching on, but it was time for the two of them to retire. As Catherine was taking her husband's hand, she suddenly felt very dizzy. Seeing her sway on her feet, Henry took the two steps closer to her in one, wrapping a steadying arm around her shoulders. Catherine shook her head slightly and whispered to Henry that she wished to see Nostradamus as soon as possible. Nodding in understanding, her King led her into the hall and proceeded to then sweep her off her feet. Catherine tried to protest, citing decency and her reputation, but Henry would have none of it. He just settled her in his arms, asking her to kindly put her arms around his neck and shoulders. She did so, quite grudgingly—her husband tried not to smile too widely. Striding off to the Court physician's apartments as if he didn't have his pregnant wife in his arms, Catherine was reminded once again of just how strong her Henry was. Soon enough, Their Majesties arrived at the door of the examination room where Henry kicked open the door. Catherine chastised his force, but Henry just kissed her cheek and laid her out on the cleanest looking cot. Nostradamus appeared from a back room with phials in hand.
"King Henry, Queen Catherine, how may I be of service?" The doctor asked, setting the phials down at a table.
Catherine opened her mouth to say, "I," She stopped then glanced with a hint of worry over at her husband. "Henry, dear, you can wait outside if you want."
"I'd like to be here if it's all the same, Catherine." Henry shrugged and sat beside her.
She cleared her throat. "Alright." The Queen turned her attention to Nostradamus who was stroking his beard absentmindedly. "As I've discussed with you, Nostradamus, I've been getting even more tired than usual lately—more so than with my other pregnancies. Just now in the throne room, I was caught up in a bout of dizziness." Henry turned to her in shock and worry.
"Catherine, why didn't you tell me about this?!" He exclaimed, his voice tight.
"I didn't want to worry you, caro." She covered his knee with a soft hand, rubbing gently to calm him. "I didn't want you fretting over me. France needs its King and you've been giving me so much attention already." Henry's irritation flew out the window at his wife's words.
"Darling, I want to be there for you." He slid his hand over the one at his knee, intertwining their fingers and giving her temple a kiss. "Don't you understand that yet? Catherine, my sweet wife, I wasn't there for any of your other pregnancies, even with Francis' birth." Henry rested his chin on her shoulder to whisper adoringly in her ear. "We've come to love each other as we once did in those first years and I'll damn myself to Hell if I don't show you how much I love you now. I'm not going anywhere, love, I won't ever leave your side ever again. No more secrets, my darling. Will you promise me?" His free arm wrapped around her back to bring her into his chest in as much of an embrace as one can while sitting.
She nodded against him, her voice clear. "I think I can promise that."
"…You Grace, if I may?" The two lovers looked up. Nostradamus. They'd forgotten about him.
Henry cleared his throat as Catherine sat back up. "Oh, Nostradamus, of course."
"My Queen, has the morning sickness abated as of yet?" Her old friend questioned, looking at the sheet of notes he'd made for her pregnancy.
"Yes, it has and thank God for that." She sighed in relief.
"Please, would you stand so that I may measure you?" She did so and Nostradamus wrapped a knotted cord around her middle. "Hmm." He looked back down at his notes.
Henry did not like the sound of that. "What's wrong? Nostradamus, is there something wrong?"
"No, there isn't anything wrong, King Henry." The physician took up a quill and began scratching away on the parchment.
"Then what is it, man?!" Henry remembered why he didn't particularly like his wife's personal advisor.
With one last critical look at the page, Nostradamus said, "I do believe that Queen Catherine is carrying twins."
Silence.
Catherine was the first to come out of shock. "What did you just say?"
"I believe that you're pregnant with twins, Your Grace." He repeated with a definitive nod.
She stood and walked away from the cot. "And what makes you think that?" Henry saw her cross her arms and wondered whatever was the matter.
"For a woman who is only six months along by our calculations, you've the measurements of a woman much farther along. Along with that observation, the severe morning sickness when you had it, and the fatigue you speak of, I think it's safe to conclude that you'll be having a pair of babies soon." Catherine spun to glare daggers.
"Did you know before that I would be having twins?" Her tone was beyond furious.
Nostradamus began, "I did have my suspicions, but…"
She cut him off, walking purposefully up to him with her voice rising. "And you couldn't have told me this before, could you? You couldn't have informed me that I was carrying twins before so that I'd have more time to prepare? Even with your Sight, you couldn't tell me that I'd be giving birth to twins at my age?"
"I wanted to be certain, Your Grace…" Henry intervened, and Nostradamus sent his King a grateful glance.
"Yes, thank you, Nostradamus. If you will give the Queen and I a moment?" Henry cut in.
"King Henry, Queen Catherine." The physician left for his personal quarters to give his rulers some space.
Henry went to his wife. "Catherine, darling, what's wrong? Aren't you excited? Two babies, Catherine! Two!" He reached for her shoulder, but she stepped away.
"Don't touch me, Henry." He didn't like the way she sounded.
"Catherine?" He tried once more, worried.
She shook her head and turned her back to him. "I don't want to talk just now. Just…leave me. I need to think."
"You've a really thick head, did you know that?" Henry chuckled.
"Excuse me?" She glanced at him over her shoulder.
"I just told you I won't leave you." Henry wrapped his arms around her from behind, his hands coming to rest where their children were sleeping. "Tell me why you're upset."
She sighed, knowing she was beaten. "I'm having twins, Henry. Twins at my age—do you know how dangerous it is to have twins? Do you know?"
"No…" He answered truthfully.
Catherine tilted her head back to rest against his shoulder. "Very, Henry. Even with one child, it's dangerous, but two at the same time? What should happen if…if the babies…if I…" She'd begun shaking by the end and Henry turned her around to hold her properly against him.
"Nothing will happen to you or our beautiful babies, darling." He ran a comforting hand over her back, quieting her nerves. "I won't let it. We'll ask Nostradamus what the best course of action should be and we'll take it from there. One step at a time, and this time, I'll be there right alongside you. What was that?!" He cried, looking down at Catherine's belly between them.
She sniffed and smiled happily up at him before placing his hand on the spot. "The babies kicking."
"Well now, I do think we've got rather strong children then, don't we, darling?" He rubbed the spot and ran his free hand over the rest of her, trying to see if he could feel another kick.
Catherine nodded as she watched her husband feel the children for the first time. "I suppose we do."
"They must take after their mother."
AN: Ahhhhhhhhhhh, Henry. You're my King. By my maths, Catherine should be around thirty eight by this time in the show, and I thought it was relevant that she should be worried about having twins because pregnancies apparently do get harder with age and…Renaissance. Explanation enough to be worried, I mean…Lola in that shack with those—tools? AUGH, NO THANK YOU. No worries, everybody, the babies will be alright, but…JUST LETTING YOU KNOW, AS ALWAYS, THERE'S GONNA BE DEVIATION FROM HISTORY, SO PLEASE JUST GO WITH IT AND I HOPE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE BABIES JUST AS MUCH AS OUR FAVORITE ROYAL FAMILY WILL WHEN THE BABIES DO COME!
To demedicigirl: HUZZAH! I finally got that chapter up for you! Haha, glad you liked it sweetie :) Wait. To be honest with you, there's one more M chapter lined up, but it'll come later. I hope you liked this chapter!
To Maya: I was a bit speechless writing it, so…hahaha ;) I understand you completely. Let me know what you thought of this chapter?
To Catherine Woods: Well…by this point, yall know what the baby will be, but only Issi knows what the sex of the babies will be (SHOUTOUT TO OUR GIRL, ISSI!) You'll love them though, I promise.
To smacked lover 22: Oh, thank goodness. You've put my paranoia at ease. Thank you for reviewing as always, I can breathe again. Henry is kind of adorable, isn't he? I reread his reaction to her pregnancy today and I kinda just swooned over my own work because he's so friggin cute! …then of course he's attentive and wonderful and *sigh* hahahha, I wasn't sure how everyone would respond to her dream/fantasy, but yay! Thank you :)
Some cute times ahead with the family, look forward to that. HAHAHA, Mary hearing the news that it's gonna be twins…I'm cracking up super hard right now.