Disclaimer: I neither own Reign, nor profit from this story.

Henry was on his way to Catherine's rooms.

It was late and he was tired, but she had scared her ladies badly enough they felt the need to seek him out at this late hour.

He had returned from the three day hunt but because of the hour had planned to spend the night in his own rooms so as not to disturb his wife. But after hearing the frantic tone of his petitioner he decided to change his plans.

They also briefly informed him of what had happened to Charles, but all they seemed to know was that he fell and injured himself and then came down with a fever. He could see no real connection between his injuries and her apparent reaction. especially one so severe. Charles was fine and resting comfortably and all of the other children were also resting peacefully.

He also found out that once Nostradamus was certain that Charles was indeed on the mend he sent Catherine away, citing that she needed a proper night's sleep and threatening to have her drugged and carried back to her rooms if she didn't comply. She was visibly exhausted and even after finding out that her fears were for naught she still looked like death warmed over from all the worry.

This might not make her happy, but surely should not result in this kind of a reaction.

Henry knew that Nostradamus walked a fine line of truth and honesty with his wife, which he admired. There were few that could even approach that line, never mind walk it and the seer did so with impressive finesse.

Her ladies had told him that she was out on the balcony in only her nightgown and dressing gown in the frigid night air, and she wouldn't come in.

When she finally was in eyesight, Henry took a moment to observe her.

For all her bluster and grandeur during the day, he knew that there were times that even she became as if a small scared child. He could see her shivering from here and when he reached out to try and coax her in she was as cold as ice.

"Catherine," he hedged as he gently tugged at her arm.

Nothing.

Fully taking hold of her arm and reaching out for her other Henry turned her around and saw the tear streaks that lined her face. Her eyes far away she barely registered his presence. He half pulled, half carried her inside now suitably worried.

Not knowing what else to do he brought her over to the fire and set her on the chaise which was set near enough that the heat could reach her easily.

Leaving her momentarily he searched for a blanket to wrap her in and when he finally reached her again her eyes had drifted to the fire, still unseeing.

Once she was wrapped in the warm folds he tried again to rouse her but was still unsuccessful. The only thing that changed was that she now had some fresh tear streaks down her cheeks.

Sighing, Henry knelt in front of her, not knowing what else to do.

"Catherine, what…"

"Just leave me be Henry," her hoarse voice croaked out.

"Catherine I…at least let me help you into bed, you are in no state to be alone and upright at the moment and you've scared all of your ladies away."

Biting her lip and looking away Catherine refused to answer him at all.

Well that wasn't a no…

Waiting a few more moments to see if she would say anything or even react at all, he decided he probably wouldn't get one. He rose and scooped her up like a child, blanket and all and brought her over to the bed.

He placed her down where the covers had already been turned and tucked her in. Turning to leave, he was surprised when he had shot out weakly to stop him,

"Henry, don't go…"

He was already in his nightwear, and it wasn't as if this was the first night he'd spent here recently.

Nodding his head, he moved around the bed, toed off his slippers, and carefully climbed in. He made sure there was enough space to not make her uncomfortable, but that he'd be there if she wanted him.

He had finally settled and thought that Catherine had fallen asleep as well when she rolled over and grabbed Henry's shoulders like a lifeline, pulling him to her.

She felt like she was drowning.

Fusing her lips to his she tried instead to drown herself in him. To chase away the fear and worry, the feeling of loss and abandonment that was trying to consume her. Her kisses were demanding, were all consuming and it took a minute for Henry to find his bearing.

Confused by her sudden movement, he tried to leverage some space between them but she was relentless.

Eventually he rolled them over and held her down, "Catherine, what is it? Tell me what is going on?"

Clawing at his chest to try to pull him back down, her movements went from determined, to frantic, to weak and listless as the tears were set free once again and she was gasping for breath in between each sob.

Turning her head away she tried to hide from his questioning eyes, his caring curious eyes that would demand an answer she was not ready to give, was not sure she could.

Instead she tried to curl into herself and block him out completely.

He tried to turn her in his direction but she resolutely refused. He could overpower her but that rarely ended well. Instead he flopped down next to her and began rubbing circles on her back. Eventually her shoulders started to shake as she desperately tried to repress the inner turmoil that was breaking through her otherwise impenetrable defenses.

He wanted so badly to help her though whatever was haunting her but she was so unpredictable like this that he couldn't even begin to guess what might work.

He called her name once, continuing to rub her back and prayed for the best.

It worked.

Catherine rolled over and buried her face in his chest as she continued to sob. Angry, broken, heart wrenching tears.

Henry put his arms around her as best as he could and held her to his chest.

Still unsure of what he should do, he decided that the best thing he could do at this point was just to be there for her.

Eventually exhausting herself she escaped into the shadows of a restless sleep.

There was a good chance she would either wake up again tonight or would be especially prickly tomorrow morning, but there was little he could do about it at this moment.

She would tell him when she was ready, and not until.

His strong, beloved Catherine.

-/-/-/-

As he had predicted just a few hours later Catherine was restless again, though she was far from conscious.

Tossing and turning in increasingly more violent intervals, her movements woke him, but her mumbling was what worried him.

Catherine had several types of nightmares that she endured. When they…separated, at least in the moments when he wasn't mad at her, it was during these moments that he regretted most not being by her side.

Some were from her childhood, though he had yet to get a fully satisfactory answer as for why. Others were for periods during their rule that he knew she deeply regretted. And several were for incidents that happened with him or the children, including those whom they had lost.

Tonight she seemed to be cycling through several, if her words were any indication which was probably the reason for the physical distress as well. If the nightmares were weaving themselves to further create one collective dream he couldn't even imagine how she would handle it. Then again, he was already in awe at what she managed to handle any of these in the first place.

He tried calling out to her at first. Using her formal French name first, then the Italian variation of it. When neither worked he tried various pet names he had given her over the years.

Nothing.

Next he tried soothing gestures on whatever part of her body was nearest him and not flailing.

This worked to a degree and began to calm her until her nightmare took another turn and her movements became worse again. Wonderful, he would likely have to physically restrain her to draw her out of this one.

Extraditing himself from the covers and doing his best to do the same for her he began calling out to her again before attempting to touch her at all.

"Catherine. Catherine if you can hear me it's Henry, I'm right here. Catherine you are having a nightmare and I need to bring you out of it. If you can hear me I'm going to come closer now and try to snap you out of it. Catherine…Catherine."

When he still received no response he carefully climbed over her legs until he was able to position himself on either side of her and close his own around hers, wrapping them around her legs completely and linking them underneath so that she could be moved but was essentially immobilized

This made the rest of her movements even more violent, but for the most part less dangerous.

Next he reached up to grab her arms and hugged them to her side, rolling them on their side once he was sure enough of his grip.

Once on their side Henry just held her, using calming words to try and help her find her way back and never once letting go. He still had to be careful of where her head might be dodging and jerking, but he had managed to line her face up with his chest so there was little damage to be done.

Eventually her breathing became heavier and her movements calmed. When she buried her face in his chest and remained there, he knew she had won…if one could call it that.

When he was certain she was fully stayed in consciousness he began to release his tight grip and instead cradled her to himself. He had continued speaking to her, and though the frequency slowed, it never fully stopped.

"Catherine I know I am probably the last person you want to speak to right now, but I also know it always helped you when you would share with me, even just a shred of what you were seeing, and each time it has only made my awe of you grow. You are the strongest, most courageous woman I know and hope that you have enough faith in me left to permit yourself even this."

Shaking her head into his chest she tried to curl into herself again but he wouldn't let her.

As she became more insistent and again started to move in the direction of hysterics, he rolled them both over so she was on her back, pinning her hands above her head and began to shower her lips with kisses. First lightly, and then longer and more heated.

He knew better than to kiss her anywhere else. One particularly unfortunate time he had actually sent her back into a waking nightmare. The tears began again at that and as her gasps turned back into sobs Henry rolled off of her and drew her to his side, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

When she finally calmed again, he asked her once more what had caused such restlessness in her dreams, to which she answered with a question of her own.

"Henry, why are you here?"