A/N: This chapter will be depressing and I might cry while I write it. You all know what's coming! Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, and please leave some more for this!
"It's Anne" said Kitty, checking the text alert on her phone, "She'll be over with Beth in a minute"
"I can't believe she's really going" Kate sighed, taping closed a box of Jane's clothes. She was going to get the FedEx man to take her things over to Henry's in the morning.
"We will miss her" Anna agreed solemnly, "Now we have lost her and Catherine, and Mary and Beth, for that man"
"I don't know why Jane did it, though" Kitty frowned, looking tearful, "I thought Jane was our friend"
"Me too" Kate replied, almost angrily.
Anna got up to answer the door at Anne's rather aggressive knock. She had a massive suitcase and three holdalls in the hallway with her, and Beth was clinging to her hand. She beamed toothily at Anna, who smiled and led her inside.
"Here, Kit, help me with this crap" Anne demanded. Her cousin scuttled out to help her, and the shut the door behind them. A moment was spent in complete silence, all of them staring at one another with teary eyes.
"I need to go to the chemists round the corner to pick up a drink and a sandwich for the flight. I can't stand airplane food" they were all surprised to see Anne's gulp, "So I'll say goodbye now, and then when I get back I'll ring the buzzer, and you can send Beth down to meet me. I don't like long goodbyes"
"Wow, Anne, you almost sounded human" Kate teased lightly, a wry grin on her face. Anne grinned too.
"Yeah, well, emotions come and go" she retorted ruefully. They all laughed feebly. Kitty suddenly dashed towards her cousin and flung her arms around her neck.
"Bye, Anne!" she wailed, snot and mascara running down her face, "You're the best cousin ever!"
Anne laughed, "Thanks, Kit. I'll send you some nice Italian lingerie for your Francis to enjoy, when I get a chance to shop"
"Oh, I'm not with Francis anymore. But I still want the underwear" Kitty agreed hurriedly. Anne hugged her.
"I'll miss your stupidity, you slut" she said fondly. Kitty moved away to wipe off the remains of her running make-up, taking Beth away from Anna so that she could say goodbye.
"I know you despair of me sometimes, Anne" said Anna in her slightly halting accent, "But I hope you will still miss me"
"Of course, you daft mare" Anne hugged Anna tightly, "I promise I'll send you pictures of Beth. I know how much you love kids"
"Thank you" Anna smiled, a few tears sparkling as they fell over her ruddy cheeks.
"And I'm going to send you some proper clothes!" Anne laughed as she squeezed Kate tight, "I'm sick of the sight of your jeans"
"You're not going to see them anymore though, are you?" Kate reminded her, "I'll miss you too, Anne"
"And I'll miss you" Anne kissed Kate's cheek and moved away from them all, "Now, I'm going to go. I won't be long. I'll get the doorman to take care of my cases, and send Beth down as soon as I buzz you, okay?"
"Okay" they chorused. All of them tried to smile as Anne departed, for little Beth's sake, but they couldn't quite manage it. Beth looked at them.
"Why sad?" she asked in her sweet, childish way.
Kate cuddled her, "We're going to miss you and your mummy very much. But you'll have a good time in Italy, and you must say hello to your Uncle George from all of us"
"Yes, your lovely Uncle George" Anna agreed, slightly dreamily. They had always thought that George was really very good looking.
Beth nodded, "Okay. Any sweets?"
"She knows us well" said Kitty, showing her first ever sign of affection towards the little girl, grabbing a lollipop from the jar by the sink, "There you go, sweetie"
Beth beamed again and sucked her lollipop. They settled her down on the sofa with the jar, switching the TV to the Tweenies.
"I'm really going to miss her" Anna sighed, "And Anne"
"I know" Kate sighed too, "I know"
Anne plugged in her iPod headphones as she walked and tried to forget about the painful goodbyes she had just said to her friends. She tried to forget about the screaming match she had had with Henry before she left, and the divorce papers she had signed. She tried to forget that now Beth would never get to be the boss of Tudor Communications. She tried to forget that she would not see Mary grow old, or her children grow up.
"Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin, Like a house of cards, One blow from caving in... Cause baby you're a firework, Come on show 'em what your worth, Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!", As you shoot across the sky-y-y..." Anne sang quietely as she walked towards the chemist.
She took the shortcut down the alley that led to the chemists – it was dark with no streetlamps, but that had never bothered her before.
She shivered - it was cold, and she felt a little odd. She turned the music up louder.
She didn't hear the footsteps behind her.
She didn't see the shadow creeping up the walls.
She didn't spot the glint of the knife.
She saw it all too late.
The knife made a clean cut over her long, swan-like neck, sending the pearls from her favourite necklace scattering and bouncing down the alley.
The knife severed her voice – her scream was cut short.
She choked on her own blood.
Her dark eyes froze, her lips moved without sound.
Anne's heart stopped beating.
The man with the knife ran away.
"Excuse me, is this apartment 2215 of The Towers?"
Kate didn't recognise the voice. She pressed the phone closer to her ear. Anna and Kitty watched her anxiously, darting worried glances at Elizabeth.
Anne had been gone for over an hour.
"Yes. Who is this?" Kate asked, a little shrilly.
"Ma'am, this is the police. We have some unfortunate news for you"
"You do?" Kate's voice trembled.
"This is the residence of Mrs Anne Tudor, or Miss Anne Boleyn?"
"Yes. Sir, please explain"
Anna's doughy face had paled. Kitty was frozen in shock. Beth giggled at the TV.
"I am afraid to report that your flatmate Miss Boleyn has been found dead very near to your home"
They were all speechless for a moment. Kitty started to cry.
"D-dead?" Kate stammered, "Sir, are you sure?"
"We would appreciate it if you could come to the crime scene at once. There is an alleyway opposite your local chemists. We need you to identify the body"
"O- of course" Kate whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks, "We'll be right there"
She hung up. All of them turned to Beth. She had noticed their distress and was peering over the arm of the chair at them. She tugged on the sleeve of Anna's jumper.
"Where Mummy?" she asked plaintively, "Where Mummy gone?"
A/N: Sorry!