Disclaimer: Really? If I really owned this I would be Goddess Supreme and I would be a multi-billionaire producer.

A/N: Thanks for all your great reviews, as you asked here is another chapter. R/R!

"Lies and lies and nothing but lies, it always amazes me how people lie to themselves each week to get by through life. Sell this, life is worth it, all lies made to prevent the death of the people they can make fun of or bully. Sometimes people can't stand to see others happy so they wish instead for their deaths, for a long life so they can be these people's judges and make their lives the living nightmare they have lived in all their lives. Quite pathetic yet these kinds of people, true vampires, persist all over the world, and their breed is so hard to kill"

~True Vampires by Anonymous

Eustace waited until Mary got up so he could get her out of her sight and out of his mind. For the time being she would thread cautiously when it came to their daughter, her unwanted and his little angel of daughter -Anne Elizabeth. He meant every word, she realized. He would die, kill even cheat his own concept of what he had of God and their church for his firstborn. Mary made a mistake when she made her, of all her wrong choices, Anne was her worst. Not only had Annie become a mockery of good name and now stained decency, but she was everyone's beloved including the future King of England.

After Mary left to her private chambers she shared with Philip and their children; Eustace went to his where he waited for his wife and sweetheart Elizabeth to come. It didn't take long. She had a smile on her face so big that Eustace had to crook one eyebrow up and question the reason for said smile.

"Your daughter just earned her first gift from His Future Majesty" she said emphasizing the word 'future'. Eustace realized then, Mary's words about their daughter were true. Annie had enchanted Edward, her uncle and Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. He grew worried, as Mary's words resonated in his head -what if she had been right? What if their child was destined to do the same mistakes like those before her, like Anne of Brittany, or worse like Elizabeth's mother whom he still had not earn her respect, as she was the only thing he still hadn't come to terms of his wife.

"Eustace what's wrong?" Elizabeth's former smile turned to a frown as she saw her husband's concern, clearly plastered in his face after he guessed what his daughter had done.

"Nothing, just nothing" he said nonchalantly.

Elizabeth sighed and went to sit next to him on their bed. Why was it so hard for them still to be honest with each other? And more so when it came to her sister, his first love, Mary?

"It´s Mary isn´t?" She asked when she sat next to him. Chapuys turned his head to her immediately, with a frown.

"No" he said softly "It is not. Mary and her insanity are solved by now"

Elizabeth frowned but said nothing to this "Then what is it?" She insisted.

"It´s Anne" He gave her a small smile. "If you really want to know it´s Anne"

Elizabeth's frown disappeared but it got replaced by another grim expression as she neared him, placing her hand on top of his and feeling the rough marks of his marriage ring, it had rough edges that she guessed where the product of his teeth biting on the hard metal. A custom she wished he would stop doing it, for it hurt his teeth and their symbol of their everlasting, she hoped, love.

"Eustace if this is about her kiss with Edward or the pony he gave her, they are children" She said "It is normal at their age to be so close, nothing bad is happening, I thought it was cute" she said smiling but Eustace's expression kept the same sourness as his eyes, looking down.

"They are indeed just children. They are both pure and innocent. They simply like each other, why then it´s the harm? The problem Elizabeth, is that children grow, and they are not any children. He is the Prince of England. And she is our…" Our daughter he was going to say for he didn´t see Anne as Mary´s daughter anymore.

"They will both grow, maybe even together, and then what? What will happen to them? Especially, what will happen to Anne if she continues so close to Edward? Who knows who or what kind of King Edward will become. What if he is...like his father?

And even if he is not, will I really subject my daughter to live a life of Court with all the intrigues and manipulation where many people" including her mother he thought "want to harm her?"

She brought her hand to his cheek and made him turn to look at her directly in the eye.

"Eustace nothing will happen. I will make sure Annie will never have to suffer, but" she grew deathly serious "we have to accept the fact that she is the legal and recognized daughter of a Duke who has recently turned Count Palatine, and of a former Princess of England in line for the throne after our brother. She is bound to know this life"

"That is not what I envision her. Annie has suffered enough already, and if you know Mary as I do, then you know she is capable of everything to have her precious son in the throne. No one is going to ruin that, not even Annie" He said equally serious.

Elizabeth frowned again "Do you think Mary would really be capable of harming Anne?"

He laughed maniacally. Clearly his wife did not know her sister.

"She told me so" He said.

"She told me that she would...prevent Anne from becoming Queen this if Edward and her continue on growing close"

"At any cost" he added

"What?" Elizabeth yelled shocked. That sister of hers, that good for nothing mare! How dare she threaten her husband and her family! "I will go to her right now and tell her she does not say that about ..."

"Elizabeth stop! You know you can't do anything." He said holding her down.

"Yes I can!"

"If I reveal everything she and Phillip will be put to shame, and Annie would be never known as the bastard´s daughter." He then said more firmly feeling strongly about his conviction to protect Mary for his own interests, his and his daughter's –"No"

"Besides, I´ve already taken care of Mary she won´t do anything"

"How are you so sure? Eustace she is not a person born of reason like you!" She accused, "How certain are you she will do nothing?"

"Because I grabbed her by the throat and told her I would kill her that is why!" He said growing frustrated with his wife.

"What?"

"Eustace" she began amazed "Eustace ... you nearly chocked my sister?"

Eustace looked away and rose from bed staring unbelievingly at Elizabeth. Shouldn't she be happy he had taken care of the problem?

"Sure but not like THAT. Eustace, think, you could have nearly killed her and then she would have denounce you" she raised her voice. "You could have approached her a different way"

"How then? Talk like you do, being the diplomatic Ambassador you knew me be? Beg her?" He asked sarcastically. "Elizabeth, she threatened to kill Annie. I could not even bear to listen to it"

"Did she say I will kill Annie, because from what you said she only meant to ruin her life, and you should not have done that. Regardless of what or who she is, she is my sister Eustace"

"She said she would kill her Elizabeth" He stood "I am not lying. Do you think I enjoyed threatening Mary? The person who once I would have given my life for? The person who is the mother of my child?"

"All I am saying is you should have approached this in a different way."

"It's how people learn Elizabeth! You better than anyone else in this accursed place should know this already!" he said pointing his finger at his stunned wife.

However she remained calm, she acted neurotic with everybody minus Eustace because he always seemed to calm her, as she did the same for him.

"My love, please promise me next time you tell me before you act. I know you love Annie, I love her too like she came from my womb, but we should plan better strategies TOGETHER when confronting my sister. She is cunning like you don't know how Eustace" she warned standing up and holding his hands, driving it to her stomach where she held a new life.

Eustace lowered his gaze at her flat stomach. She was right, he hated to admit they had to be more careful, and he had to be extremely cautious not to add more stress to Elizabeth for he knew what it could cause in a woman during her pregnancy.

He would not bare it if anything happened to his family, ALL of his family.

"Promise me Eustace"

She spoke with a harder tone this time, yet her eyes held a softness that he never saw in another human being save their children.

"I promise" -He said holding her close though if he were to be completely honest he would never regret what happened with Mary. He saw fear in her eyes and he liked it, he liked the idea that she feared him.

1542, September

Hatfield Residence:

The baby boy Elizabeth gave birth to was born on the exact same day and hour as his mother. He was chubbier and heavier than his older brother had been when he'd been born. He was a force not to be reckoned with. When Anthony had been born there had been joy and many cheers on the Hatfield Residence, today they were none. Elizabeth had gone into a hard labor in the middle of the day and for once Eustace was worried because of the duration of it, that she would not make it.

"An albino" was Kat Ashley's first reaction when she delivered her mistress baby after the midwife handed him to her, who handed it to Elizabeth to see after both been cleaned. She voiced her thoughts to Elizabeth with wry amusement, he certainly seemed like a true albino. He was whiter than the paintings of the virgin Mary!

"God forbid Eustace should hear you!" Elizabeth said with equal amusement as she inspected her chubby little boy. "You gave mummy such a hard time little one" Elizabeth told him, not understanding her boy just giggled as babies usually did when they saw a stranger smiling down at them. Their eyes met and the bond between mother and child was formed, whereas with Anthony the bond had been formed with all the people present before and after his birth, including his half-sister Annie.

Eustace was finally allowed entrance, he wanted to be with Elizabeth holding her hand like when their first son was born but since they had been in the spotlight (since Mary's recent child had been seen as another failure in the King's eyes who expected another grandson by her) all eyes were turned on them. Henry had retrieved the physicians he sent to Mary moments before she gave birth to another girl –whom she named in honor of her mother –Katherine- to Hatfield where they would watch over Elizabeth day and night. It was suffocating for her, she could not do everything without being watched, she felt like a giant barge and she wanted nothing more than to enjoy nature's pure air but the physicians refused her to go out unaccompanied. Even Eustace was forbidden to attend her in the last days of her pregnancy. It was frustrating, but it was a small price to pay, Elizabeth now saw, for being back into her father and the powerful noble families –mainly protestants like her- good graces.

Eustace entered with his daughter and son trailing behind their father to meet their new baby brother. Anthony was delighted, at last he would have a playmate! In spite of being three years apart he and Annie had a stronger bond than she ever had with her birth twin and half sibling, Henry. But there were times when Anthony wanted a little brother, so he could be the older brother and teach him as Annie taught him, how to spar and play boy games you would normally see boys playing. Half of the games he wanted to play his mother told him not to with Annie because she was a girl. It surprised him that his mother was like this when she considered herself a staunchly reformer, but then he began to realize the more and more they took him and Annie to court to see their uncle, that she was not the staunchly reformer she wanted her supporters to believe. She believed the stories the bible told, she held all their truths to be self-evidence that some men were better than others and not all were created equal, given that God had predestined some for greatness and others for evil. Eustace did not share her beliefs, but one only needed to read Calvin and Luther and compare their writings to Mary to see these new philosophers spoke the truth.

"Hello" Annie introduced herself to her new brother. The baby did not pay attention to her or his other family members. He was fixated on his mother whose eyes he shared, Boleyn eyes –Eustace thought.

Annie spoke again as did her brother Anthony when they received no reply but a small spit from the little baby. "Hello baby"

"Annie he is not deaf" Elizabeth said cautiously and Annie and Anthony grew annoyed they were being ignored by their baby brother who was taking all the attention from their mother and driving it to him. Eustace admired the little boy, he had been blessed by Anthony, he was his spitting image as this little one was Bess. But there was something different in this little one, his skin was not pale or white like Bess or his but olive and a little tanned like he had been left in the sun for so long. It almost reminded him of the woman he and many others along with him, condemned to death, Anne Boleyn, his late mother in law. Elizabeth confirmed it by saying "She looks like my mother" and nuzzled him closer to her bosom.

The baby giggled seeing his mother do so, every little gesture she did the boy imitated. A true Boleyn through and through and in spite Eustace's initial reservations of having a Boleyn look alike in their family, he felt his heart stolen by this odd boy whose eyes were centered entirely on his mother's. They bore the same eye color but the shape of his eyes, thankfully Eustace noticed, were like the Chapuys members.

"What do you want to name him?" Elizabeth turned to her husband, it was usually Annie or somebody else that named their children. Anthony got his name when Annie insisted on a name that started with her first letter, or else she would call him Apollo forever, something that Annie still insisted when she heard her Aunt was pregnant again. The girl would not leave that topic, for her Apollo was the only name fit for any cousin.

And true to her word, Anne chimed screaming "Apollo" The baby started to whimper trying to drive the sound of his unknown sibling. Eustace rolled his eyes and looked hard at his daughter, "English name Annie" he said tiredly. Anthony smirked, his sister was the same, stubborn as a mule. His mother would never tell Annie, but she had told Anthony in full confidence that Annie reminded her of her namesake, her mother, his grandmother, the infamous queen Anne Boleyn whose story had become legend. Looking better at his sister's rebellious glare she threw at her father, changing it quickly to a look of placidity he saw the similarities. Two girls related by long gone ancestors but not directly, were born in relative commoner families, and both were frowned upon by society and worked so hard to accept themselves, however unlike his grandmother, he -Anthony, would never let any harm come to his sister. They would have to plunge a dagger through his chest first. His parents rarely talked but when they did about Annie, he heard about the many threats her own mother did to her when she was little. He wondered how could a woman think such foul things about her own child? And why had Annie never mentioned it to him? Wasn't he supposed to be her confidant?

For no cause he said to his father that the child should be named Henry because he was abnormally big, earning a death glare from his father. "What? I am just saying, look he is too big" He stated pointing his finger at the babe's little mouth that was open and only giggles came from it.

Elizabeth loved to have a giggling baby for once, with Anthony it was always silence and rarely did he chuckle except when he was with Annie or Eustace, but this child? This child was entirely hers.

"Anthony you better behave or I will take the king's present from the stables" That did it for the young boy whose eyes widened at the threat. His pony was the best present he received from his grandfather, it was a signal he was the favorite and not his arrogant cousin Henry who the only thing he was good at was showing off and of course throwing glares at his twin.

"No" he came up with a fake smile "see I am good"

Eustace and Bess chuckled and Annie rolled her eyes. "So what do you want to call him?" Asked Bess again. "We can't have him be baby again" She said arching her eyebrows, looking seriously at Eustace.

Eustace thought hard until he found no name that could suit him, no English name and gazing down at the child he figured that for once he would let his wife name him. If it was a Boleyn name or Tudor name it did not matter, this child would be just as loved as their firstborn. More if he had Bess' charm which he already figured he did by the way he smiled.

"Why don't you name him?"

Bess lifted an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I am serious Elizabeth, you should name him, I can think of no better person than you"

Bess smiled at the compliment and returned her focus to the giggling infant. She had a name in mind, one she wanted to use for another child born of them after Anthony, initially it was going to be her eldest son's second name but at the time the wounds of her mother and the guilt of Eustace were too fresh on their minds to suggest it, now that they healed she was free at last to honor her mother's family.

"George, his name shall be George"

Eustace cringed at the name, feeling the memories of his late mother in law come back but when the child who held the Tudor and Boleyn charm turned to him and gave his father a wide smile, he smiled back and nodded to his wife. "George Chapuys, I like it" he said. So it was chosen so it will be, George Chapuys was welcomed to the world by all his loving family.

1543, January 13th

Hatfield Residence:

Katherine Parr wiped the tears from her face. They were asking her to send her boy on a perilous journey to Russia from where he might never return. It was unfair, after her husband died she thought that they would not bother her again for her little boy. Her husband had known she never craved for power or any of the glory that was bestowed on the Czars' heirs. Katherine Parr was a woman who believed as the old Wycliff two centuries ago in the teachings of the bible, she didn't like being affiliated with any religion or sect of any kind. She read Luther and Calvin because they were very devoted men as true realists who realized that man kind's spirit had to be set free in order to reach the kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of heaven Luther said was within each soul and nothing the corrupt establishments said could ever change that. She didn't like the Romanov church or the church of Paul as was called in the Eastern Europe. It was the same as far as she knew like the Catholic Church with saints, idolatry and other features reminiscent of the pagans that once persecuted the true Christians who died for their faith so they could be received into a heaven were all souls were regarded as equal. The way the church used the Virgin Mary, Katherine thought it demeaned women, made them ashamed of their bodies for nobody, absolutely nobody could ever reach the goal of giving birth to another Christ while virgin. It was outrageous! And the Orthodox church was no different, while less corrupt it still clung to pagan customs of the local peoples who once believed in heathen gods and turned their idols to saints.

The old Bizantine Empire reverberated in each of the idols of that pagan church, and she wasn't sure she wanted her son Alexei raised among men who would pose a danger to his mind and his soul. She was open minded and wrote extensively about everyone exercising freedom of religion, but to a certain extent. Other people would want freedom to do whatever they pleased and sometimes freedom angered the lord, on this point she agreed with both pagan churches, but she had to keep her head down for the King Henry VIII, counseled by many reformers including his personal physician Dr. Butts, as he was, still clung to orthodoxy and anyone caught with radical ideas that smelled of Lutheranism would be burned at the stake, or killed in more painful ways. Katherine had a benevolent mistress whose pen helped her write many of her works, and even offered to translate a Latin copy of it when Edward became King. The young Prince's health had improved and his tutors many of which Katherine Parr and her mistress knew, were strong Calvinists and reformers, they promised her that soon as the Prince took his father's throne, he would see to it that her books were published. She was glad for the people needed to know the truth, they needed to free themselves of the corruption and blasphemy of the old church, they needed God's light and she saw her books as small incentives to guide them to a true living.

But her son, he was already too much of a reformer and besides, he was a good friend of Anne and Anthony. Why would he ever want to leave? Her late husband's family had promised the dukedom would pass on to another or be returned to the old Czar after he died. And years had passed since his death, why had the Romanovs suddenly had interest for her boy? She had written back to them stating she would not be having her son be a puppet or manipulated, and that he would not be a good Duke or heir anyways given he was educated in the new English church -she left it unsaid for she was afraid her letters might be opened by the king's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell- he would be a poor faithful follower of their religion and a bad example for the people anyways. When her husband first came to England, he had been but a duke's son, an ambassador with no claim to his father's money or dukedom, her husband Lord Latymer had died and she had been left a widow, young, for the first time with no children and hardly any lands to sustain herself. At the time her mother victim of the plague as the rest of her family had left her very little of their lands. Henry VIII confiscated most of them since her late husband's family and her own had been staunchly Catholics, he had no idea of course to suspect her of "heresy" so she was left practically landless. Henry had been convinced by Cromwell that the best course of action to take against isolation was to establish a commercial route or alliance with some of the countries to the far east. The King did not trust the Turks, he hated them more than Charles did and then Cromwell and the new Chancellor Audley suggested Russia. It taken Henry long to convince but he finally agreed. It was then that her second husband came, he was not very handsome and he was of short stature, with hair as black as night and eyes as blue as the sky. An odd combination but it was more than his fair complexion and his fair skin that caught her eye. It was the way he carried himself in the dance floor, how he knew English so well that you could barely tell he was a foreigner except for his looks. She had caught his eye as well and after many dwellings she had accepted his proposal of marriage, he assured her being the last son he would never inherit so after writing to his master he wanted an early retirement and receiving a small fortune from his father he exchanged to pounds, they settled on one of her small houses she had left. The birth of their son while a blessing had come as a huge blow when a year later they received a letter with terrible news saying his family had been killed in battle, and the small nephews and cousins of Alexei were dead as well and the family he had left chose him to be the new Duke as he was the remaining son. It was something he didn't want, and Kate didn't either, but finally ambition won and they were forced to be separated. It was the hardest decision she ever had to make, but she would not trade the peaceful life in the countryside for a life of intrigue and ambition which was what her late husband chose. After their marriage had been dissolved, he died later and she didn't worry for he promised Alexei could live a normal life with her, but now all of that had changed.

The family didn't care for her response and kept pressuring her to send the child back to where he belonged or else -they threatened to dissolved the union between England and Russia and leave England with only Charles V -who was likely to be Henry's next ally as war was brewing in Italy over territories disputed with France again- to support them, and you could never trust Spain.

Eventually after Henry sent one of his men, Sir Richard Rich to convince her to hand in the boy to his family, she gave up.

"No, I don't want to leave you mother" Alex as he preferred to be called by his friends and loved ones, argued when his mother helped him pack his things. There was a carriage waiting for him outside that was ready to take him to port.

It was the hardest thing Katherine had to do, leave Alex. Alexei, her husband would not agree with this either, but for the sake of her country and his politics came first. She knelt in front of her ten year old son and when he leaned she whispered softly in his ear so Sir Rich would not hear "Always remember who you are" she pointed a finger to his chest "you are your father's son, but you carry true English blood in you too. You are a good and faithful Christian never forget that, as you must never forget that even the apostles had to keep their heads down and pretend before the pagan armies to survive."

"But I don't want to pretend"

"You must" she emphasized "you will be taken to a place with many servants, you will see many things and hear many things but you must always watch your back, don't trust anyone Alex, anyone who pretends to be your friend will be the first person who will betray you. You must learn to distinguish friends from allies, people you dislike from enemies."

Alex nodded "Will I see you again?"

She offered a weak smile, this was so hard. "Of course, we will see each other again but now go and never look back." When he refused to stand up as she, she repeated "We will see each other again, I swear" And with that he knew her words were true, for his mother seldom swore and when she did it was something she never failed in her promises.

Katherine put her hand on the window watching as the carriage drove off with Sir Rich and her son. One small to get him towards his destiny, one small white lie. They would see each other again, but not in this life.