A/N: Hello my loves! I have to tell you that I was not expecting so many people to be excited about me resuming this story. Thank you so so so much! I promise I'll do my best and we'll finish what we started 4 years ago. As always, if you want to see something happen, let me know!

Solitude of Love

"Tell him yes. Even if you are dying of fear, even If you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry the rest of your life if you say no." Gabriel García Márquez

Chapter 12

This time was different than the first time they slept together, this time it was rough and fast. The tension between them could be cut with a knife. However, as soon as they got their release the air cleared and a sense of familiarity washed over them. It was as if this had to happen, as if so many years of anger towards each other finally came out, allowing them to move past the hatred they had felt for so long. They thought they had moved on from it when they fell for each other, and in part they had, but there was always a lingering feeling of doubt between them. They both thought that their relationship, despite the clear external obstacles it faced, was too good to be truth and that one day their past would catch up to them. And it did, but instead of driving them apart, as they had always feared it would, it brought them closer to each other, for they both realized that they didn't want to be without the other. In fact, they wanted everything, the blissful happiness that came with just being in each other's presence and the fights and arguments product of their complicated situation, because that meant that they had each other. And that was something neither was willing to lose.

There they were, laying on their backs panting, when Anne turned to face him and said "I am sorry." It had never been easy for her to admit she had been wrong, she used to be too proud for that, but she knew that she had made a mistake with him. He was, after all, her companion and the one who loved her, and she was so focused on Henry that she didn't realize that she and Charles were in this fight together. It was no longer her against her former husband, it was the both of them against him and she told him so "I was so angry with Henry and so trapped by my history with him that I was blind to the fact that I'm not alone anymore."

Charles turned to his side when she finished talking, put a strand of hair that had fallen to her face behind her ear, sighed, and said, "I know. I was angry as well and forgot that none of this has been easy for you." He felt awful after their fight that day because he was jealous and he felt that his fears about Henry always meddling in their relationship were confirmed. But now he realized that he had failed her, he knew how scared she had been of returning to Court and he couldn't even begin to comprehend how difficult it must've been for her to relieve the darkest moments of her life and, instead of understanding her, he made it more difficult for her, so he added "I'm very sorry as well."

Anne smiled sadly at him, grabbed the hand that was still on her cheek, kissed it, and told him "Don't be. You had every right to be upset."

Charles smiled and, in order to lighten the mood, squinted his eyes and faked amusement before telling her "Is Anne Boleyn apologizing? Oh my, this is a first." As he laced his fingers through hers. All he wanted was to see her smile, to make her laugh. At the banquet he noticed how hurt she was and he kicked himself mentally for being the one to make her feel that way, but in his anger he couldn't bring himself to stop, he tried to make her jealous and to hurt her even more, he behaved like a complete idiot. Perhaps that was natural and they had to let it happen to them in order to grow as a couple, after all, this wasn't their first fight and it wouldn't be the last. But as long as they always came back to each other everything would be fine.

Anne laughed before rolling her eyes and telling him "Yes, but do not get used to it." She didn't expect him to start making jokes so soon, she assumed he would stay angry for longer, but then she remembered that he wasn't Henry, and she was eternally grateful for that. It seemed that he, like her, thought that it wasn't worth it to stay mad at each other. And, whereas she kept clashing with Henry and the fights were never-ending, Charles was the calm to her storm, as she was his.

Charles laughed and turned to lay on his back again while Anne rested her head on his chest and started to trace her fingers through it. He caressed her hair softly as he said, "I won't, beautiful."

Anne turned her body so she could face him and, while she rested her chin and arms on his chest, she grinned at him and said "Good." She had felt him relax in her arms and, naturally, she did the same. It was strange, really, how content she felt when she was with him, she had never felt such at ease with anyone before. She thought that after sleeping with each other they were going to end up fighting again, but they didn't, and it was because they didn't want to. What a realization that was, that when you truly cared for someone it was as easy as simply stop arguing and find comfort in the other. She stared into his eyes as she said "I love you."

Charles smiled, ran his hand through her back, and replied "I love you too."

Anne shortened the distance between them to give him a peck but he grabbed the back of her head and deepened the kiss, turning it from sweet to passionate in a matter of seconds. She grinned halfway through, looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes and pressed her body against his. They both smiled and got lost in each other for the second time that night, completely forgetting to talk about their worries regarding Henry's plans.

Jane's day kept on improving. After celebrating her son's birthday with another babe in her belly she retired for bed. What she didn't expect was for Henry to enter her chambers once she had already changed into her nightgown. She looked at him with a puzzled expression and simply said "Majesty? I can't, I'm…" For even though it made her happy that he was there, she couldn't help but worry and think that perhaps he'd had too much to drink and wanted to lay with her as husband and wife.

Henry shushed her before she could finish, took a few steps to close the distance between them, and said "I know, my Queen. I simply want to sleep with my wife by my side." He didn't know exactly why he wanted to do that, after all, he hadn't stopped thinking about Anne since he saw her at Hatfield. However, her presence at Court only complicated things, for he was reminded of her fiery temper, a temper he thought had disappeared when the crown left her head. He had been so wrong. And even though he felt attracted to that side of her, it also reminded him of their last moths together and how frustrated he had been with her and her inability to do as he said, or to simply stop fighting with him. Which is why he had felt a burst of appreciation for Jane when he asked her about Edward's relationship with Anne, and she, unlike her predecessor only had words of kindness. Sometimes that was just what he needed.

Jane smiled shyly at him and, for the first time in the 3 years she had been his wife, took the initiative and gave him a gentle hug, holding him by the waist and burying her head in his chest. Truth to be told, she loved him, she just didn't know how to show it for he was always the one who acted first in their relationship. She had asked Anne for help not only because she was afraid of what would happen to her if she lost his love, but also because she was scared of losing him, the only one she ever truly loved. She couldn't describe the happiness she felt at hearing him say those words. For one night Henry was hers again, as he had been during their first year of marriage. For one night she let herself forget about her fears and decided not to worry about how long would this last.

Henry smiled surprised at her actions, enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. After a few seconds in each other's embrace he guided her to the bed, where he lay on his back so she could rest her head on his chest. She fell asleep almost instantly but, as he caressed her belly, his mind drifted and he found himself thinking of her, of Anne and, of course, of Charles. He was certain that he loved his wife and felt a deep appreciation for her for giving him his Prince of Wales and now possibly a Duke of York, but he couldn't explain what was it about Anne that drew him so much to her. He'd spent 3 years without letting a single thought of her cross his mind but suddenly he saw her once and he couldn't stop thinking about her. If he was honest with himself he'd say that he never really got over they way their relationship ended and seeing her with someone else made him feel a certain way, he just couldn't explain what that feeling was, he only knew he was jealous. He briefly wondered if any of that had to do with the fact that she was in love with Charles of all people, but he found that he was also jealous of her, for Charles had fallen for her, forgetting about him in the process, which would explain the anger he felt towards his best friend. It seemed that the two people he had loved the most just kept on taking things from him, including each other. But now, with Charles going to war, he would take something from them as well.

The following morning Jane woke up as Henry was about to leave her inner chamber, she rubbed her eyes and groggily said "My King?" as she stifled a yawn. She was disappointed that he was leaving so early after having spent the night in his arms.

Henry turned around, walked to her side of the bed and, before kissing her forehead, told her "I'm sorry sweetheart, I have a very important meeting with the Duke of Suffolk today." He'd seen the disappointment in her eyes and, surprisingly, felt he owed her an explanation for not staying with her for breakfast. He wouldn't lie, he was excited about the day ahead and that resulted in him being gentler and more affectionate than usual.

At that, Jane became more alert and sleep left her completely. She sat up on the bed, careful not to let Henry read the anxiety in her face. She knew that the last time Henry talked privately to the Duke they had an argument of sorts, or at least that's what the rumors said, and that was before his meetings with Cromwell started. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Whatever her husband had been planning with his secretary had to do with Charles Brandon and whatever involved him these days also involved Anne. In her state she forgot herself and asked him "Is everything well?" Regretting it the second the words left her mouth, for she saw Henry's expression harden at her question.

The King simply walked back to the door of the Queen's inner chamber and right before leaving told her "What did I say about meddling in my matters madam?" Yes, he was in a good mood, but only as long as people pleased him. And his wife had to remember that what he liked about her was that she didn't pry like her predecessors. He had noticed the way her demeanor changed once he mentioned the meeting and he didn't like it at all. He knew she had been talking to Anne as of late, he had his spies in his wife's household, but he didn't know exactly what they talked about. He decided right then and there to pay more attention to those two. He didn't even let her reply, he simply turned around and left.

Jane sighed and rubbed her face in frustration, he had been so sweet to her and she had to ruin it by bringing up his personal matters, something she knew he hated. But, what else could she do? Ever since that day at Hatfield she knew that all their lives would never be the same, and anything that involved Anne also involved her. As her ladies in waiting approached her to dress her, she told one of them "Please tell the Marquess of Pembroke that I wish to have breakfast with her to talk about our children." She was running out of excuses to summon Anne to her chambers, and she knew that people were starting to talk, but she had to tell her this.

The morning light started creeping into their window illuminating Anne's naked figure, yellow rays making their way down her hair to her lower back, where the rest of her body stayed hidden by the covers. She lay on her chest, peacefully sleeping as Charles observed her and took in every single detail, while he thought to himself how lucky he was to have her in his bed. Not only was she absolutely beautiful, she was also the perfect fit for him at this stage of his life. Suddenly, he found himself picturing the rest of his days with her by his side and he felt his chest fill with joy at the thought. He wished he had met her before Henry did, but he also knew that, if that had been the case, they wouldn't have had the relationship they have now. For all that happened had to happen in order for them to be who they were. He was taken back to one particular conversation they had about one year after he started going to Pembroke.

It was a hot summer morning and they were walking around the gardens of her palace talking about the Court. She had never asked him to tell her about what was going on in Whitehall, she didn't particularly want to know, but he did it one time and it became part of their routine. That way whey didn't only talk about art, music, or politics, but also about trivial matters such as who was getting married to who and who hated who.

"Oh, and Lady Margery Horsman is getting married, but I ignore to whom." Said Charles as he finished telling her the latest gossip.

As she inspected some bushes, Anne replied "She was one of my ladies in waiting." She turned to look at him and continued "She used to say she never wanted to get married. She seemed very adamant about it."

Charles seemed puzzled as he said "Well, I suppose she was too young at the time to really know what she wanted."

Anne shrugged and, with the wisdom of someone who has lived through what they're talking about, said "Maybe, or maybe she's being pushed by her family to follow a path she's had no choice in." As she kept on walking.

Charles stayed still in his spot, for he noticed that her eyes had just revealed to him that that had been her case. Yes, he knew that her family had wanted her to get married to Henry, but he had never thought to what extent had that been their decision and not hers. He had resented her for the longest time for destroying Katherine and Mary's lives by pursuing a married man, all the while ignoring that maybe she hadn't had a choice. As he tried to catch up to her, he said "But you loved him." Still in disbelief at her silent confession.

Anne let out a laugh as she continued to walk, before replying "Not at first." Then she stopped and waited for him, and when he was next to her again, she told him "And to be perfectly honest with you, I believe my downfall began the second I fell for him."

Charles was stunned into silence. It was only after they finished their walk and sat to have some food that he asked her "Do you regret it? Loving him?"

After giving it some thought, Anne replied "No. One must never regret having been fortunate enough to feel something as beautiful as love, for it ignites an array of other feelings that make you feel as alive as the day you were born."

It was in that moment that he realized that she had just described what he was feeling for her.

2 years later and he felt the exact same way, even more so, if that was even possible. And he couldn't be more thankful for that, he finally understood why she didn't have any regrets. He was brought out of his thoughts by her opening her eyes and asking "What are you doing?" with a sleepy smile on her face as soon as she realized that he had been staring at her.

He ran his fingers through her long hair and said "Admiring God's greatest work of art."

She giggled at his antics and wittily said "I don't see a mirror here."

He laughed wholeheartedly at her comeback and, with a glint in his eyes, leaned in to kiss her.

They stayed in bed talking until they decided that it was better for her to leave. They agreed that they already had enough problems to deal with to also have people talking about her sleeping in his bedchambers. They weren't going to hide their friendship, but it would probably be better to keep people guessing about the real status of their relationship until things with Henry got better. It was better to deal with him without everyone else taking sides and entering the game to somehow profit off of it. The only bad thing about her leaving so early was that she missed the King's groom who made his way to Charles' door to let him know their sovereign requested his presence in his office by midmorning. But she would soon find out about Henry's idea, for when she arrived at her chambers a lady in waiting told her that the Queen wished to have breakfast with her.

As she made her way to the Queen's apartments, Anne couldn't help but think how strange it was that Jane requested her presence so early in the day, and for breakfast no less, perhaps she knew something important. It wasn't lost on her, however, that she was spending a lot of time with her former rival and she wasn't particularly despising it. Seymour was actually not as bad as she had previously thought and, as she entered her chambers, she thought that maybe in another lifetime they could've even been friends. As soon as she was inside, she noticed that Jane had gotten rid of most of her ladies in waiting, the only ones there were her sisters and Elizabeth Jerningham, her most trusted ladies. A feeling of uneasiness set in her stomach, this couldn't be good. She bowed her head and said "Your Majesty."

Jane gave her an honest smile and said "Your Grace, please sit." As she did the same.

The ladies in waiting started to serve the food and, as soon as they finished and retired to a corner of the room, Anne said "Thank you for inviting me for breakfast. But I have to ask, is there a reason why I'm here?" She wanted to know as soon as possible whatever it was that Jane had to tell her, she was done with pleasantries and, although she maintained her good manners, she couldn't completely mask her anxiety. A puzzled expression took over her features and she didn't even touch her food as she waited for Jane to speak.

Jane sighed, there was no use in prolonging it anymore, so she said "This morning my husband left my chambers very early. I thought that he would have breakfast with me, but he told me that he had a very important meeting with the Duke of Suffolk and had to get ready for it."

Anne felt a lump form in her throat, Charles hadn't told her anything about said meeting, which probably meant that he didn't even know about it. She had been right all along, Henry had been planning something related to her and Charles, but what? She turned to look at Jane and asked her the same thing "Did he tell you what the meeting was about?"

Jane shook her head and, with disappointment written all over her face, answered "No. I asked him, but…" As she shrugged.

Anne grunted in response and held her chin in her hand, her eyes lost and unfocused, as she thought about the possible reasons for that meeting, saying out loud "What is he planning?" Not expecting Elizabeth Jerningham to cough and get closer to them with a jug of ale.

The lady had been listening in to their conversation and decided that, even though she wasn't supposed to approach them, it was probably for the best if she did. So, as she filled their goblets, she said "My ladies, I beg your pardon, but I think I have some information that might be useful to you." Anne and Jane looked at her expectantly and she continued "Yesterday, at the banquet, I overheard Secretary Cromwell telling Baron Seymour that England will be going to war and the Duke of Suffolk will be leading the troops."

All color drained from Anne's face as she whispered "No." She put a hand on her forehead and said "No, no, no. This can't be it." Still not making sense of what she had just heard. She had imagined anything but this. She thought Henry wasn't going to be stupid enough to go to war with the rebels, especially not after their conversation about it. If they hadn't done anything that would require a response like this, they would feel threatened and would attack with all they had. To send Charles to face them and give the first blow would be like sending him to a pack of wolves. She stood up in a rush and made her way out of Jane's chambers ignoring her calls, she had to find them.

It surprised Charles to hear that the King wanted to meet with him, after all, their last private conversation had resulted in an argument. However, given that he had told him he wanted to marry Anne, perhaps he was going to banish him from Court, like he always did when he was angry with his best friend and subject. What he was not expecting was for him to tell him that their spies had heard the rebels talking about attacking London, so he would send troops to end them and he would be the one to lead them. Mere days prior they had decided not to go to war just yet, the only thing that had changed since had been their personal matters, Charles couldn't help but think that the King was punishing him. So, he asked him the first question that came to his mind "Why wasn't this discussed with the Privy Council?" His jaw clenched and his hands in a fist in his lap.

Henry sat back in his chair, extremely relaxed for someone who was talking about war, and said "We couldn't risk rumors spreading, Charles. You're the only one who knows about this." It wasn't a lie. Cromwell had told him that they had to be discreet about this whole matter and he agreed. What he didn't tell the Duke was that he chose him not so much for his skills in the art of war, but because he wanted him out of his sights, and Anne's.

Charles wasn't buying it, but it wasn't wise to accuse Henry of anything. If he could go as far as doing this, God knows what else he was capable of. He tried to calm himself down and nodded before saying "I will hold a meeting with the Lords of the Royal Army to devise a plan of action and report back to you." As he stood up from his seat, he couldn't stand one more second near Henry.

Henry smiled, everything was going according to the plan. Charles would leave Court in a matter of days and they would crush the rebellion. He'd get Anne to himself and those who dared to rise against him would pay the consequences. However, before he could say anything to Charles, Anne barged through the door of his office completely ignoring his guards' warnings. To say that him, and Charles, were shocked was an understatement.

She was so angry that she didn't even know what she was doing, much less if it was wise. She entered Henry's office, face red and nose flaring, ready to lash out at him when she noticed Charles was there as well. They exchanged looks and he put a hand on her arm to calm her as he said "Anne." He knew she knew, he could read her perfectly, and he understood but he also knew that yelling at Henry wasn't a good idea. It would only get them in more trouble.

Anne understood Charles' intentions and shut her mouth before saying something she'd regret. She calmed down but, with venom in her voice and unshed tears in her eyes, turned to Henry and said "You're making a mistake." Before leaving.

As he saw Charles follow Anne frantically yelling for her to wait for him, without so much as a glance in his direction, Henry felt his chest close up. The two people he had loved the most had just turned their backs on him. He too could read Anne, he too knew that she knew what he was doing. And, as her words resounded in his head, he couldn't help but feel that they held a much deeper meaning than the one she originally intended.

A/N: Let's recap.

- Man, this chapter was tough to write. I suppose it was because I spent many years without even thinking about this story and I had to get back in the mood for it.

- Anne and Charles reconciled but things just got more difficult for them. But don't worry, you'll see more of them in the next chapter.

- We saw another side of the relationship between Jane and Henry, I want to make all the pairings as three dimensional as possible. So, there's that.

- In the following chapters we'll see more action and other characters will have a more important role.

Thank you so much for reading! Any feedback is appreciated.