A/N: As promised, here is the new chapter. Thank you to Robin4, Lizairy Cullen, princessElizabethtudor, Guest, and OlicityxSkyeWard for all of the reviews on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this new chapter and I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors, Showtime does.

...

December 24th, 1537

Jane had excused herself from the Christmas revels, stating that she felt ill.

In truth, she did but in more ways than one; it sickened her a great deal to be forced to once again watch as Anne's children were doted upon by the king and anyone who did not wish to awaken Henry's wrath showed them deference as the true princes and princess. Meanwhile poor Princess Mary was still being held at arms length by her father.

But Jane also had noticed she had missed her courses, had felt ill in the mornings but then perfectly well in the afternoon and evening. She also had developed a special fondness for quail. So much so that she desired the meat above any other delicacy available. That could only mean one thing...

"My lady stepmother."

Jane smiled as she recognized the voice and when she turned, there stood Mary, clad in the lovely gown of burgundy silk with gold sleeves that Jane had had made for her before Christmas so that she could wear it for the holiday revels. The girl's hair was pulled back by a wreath of holly and a finely wrought diamond and ruby necklace, another gift from Jane, adorned her neck.

Mary looked hesitant, but Jane had insisted that she address her by the title as she had no intention of usurping the place in the girl's heart that surely would always belong to her beloved mother, but she wanted to be a friend to her new stepdaughter and it was her most earnest desire that the girl who had suffered so much, and continued to do so, be entitled to as much happiness as she was able to give her. And despite her brother's wishes, she would continue to try to mend the broken bond between the true princess and her father.

"I...beg your pardon...Your Majesty," Mary curtsied and looked down demurely but also nervously.

"Sweet Mary," she took the girl's hands and squeezed gently and smiled reassuringly. "You may address me that way, as I told you previously."

"Yes, Your...yes...m-my lady stepmother," Mary permitted herself a weak smile as Jane kissed her cheek, setting her mind at ease.

Jane smiled but absently rubbed her stomach, her smile lessening but only for a moment.

Mary looked concerned.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Jane smiled once and placed a hand on Mary's shoulder.

"I am quite well," she said, her tone laced with joy. "It appears this Christmastide I have received the most wonderful gift..."

Her young stepdaughter pondered this for a moment before the girl's merry blue eyes widened.

"My lady is it true?" She gasped softly.

Jane nodded.

"I shall tell His Majesty in due time," she said, to which Mary nodded, her expression one of delight.

Since Katherine had passed before her father married Jane, Mary had no trouble seeing her father's marriage as true and valid.

Even if it hurt to know he had moved on from her mother, Mary was realistic enough to know that even if the Great Matter had never come to pass, if her father had never met Anne Boleyn, if Katherine had died first then Henry would, as king, been expected to marry again and provide England with heirs.

When he had met Jane, during his false marriage to Anne, in truth he had been a widower, free to marry again.

And so, whether it was a boy or a girl taking form in Jane's womb now, they would be hailed as a prince or princess, a fact that Mary herself had mixed feelings about.

She would not begrudge her little half-brother or sister their title as they would be born of a marriage between the king and his queen. But unlike Mary, this prince or princess would not likely be robbed of his or her rights like their elder half-sister. And that knowledge stung, even if she had known that would be the case for some time now.

Nevertheless, if the baby was a boy, Mary would not begrudge him his place in the succession as he was, unlike his elder half-sister Elizabeth and the twins, he would be legitimate and of course would be ahead of Mary even if she hadn't been barred from the line of succession purely by virtue of his sex. It would have been no different than if any of Katherine's sons had survived, Mary knew this and accepted it. And besides, her new stepmother had been far kinder than her previous one ever was.

...

Harry and Geoffrey's first year of life had brought Henry untold amounts of joy. His twins sons' first birthday mere months ago was now succeeded by their second Christmas, each milestone providing more assurance to Henry that his boys were strong and healthy, just like their father.

A part of him still, and he felt always would, miss his darling Anne, whom he actually found himself wishing once was still here by his side, preparing for the Yuletide celebrations and of course showing the court and common people alike that their royal family was united and happy.

But at the same time, Henry found that he was pleased with Jane. She was sweet, amiable, her only flaw was her lack of a pregnancy despite all of the king's attentions. But for now he would let that be. He would deal with it in time.

"Papa!"

The king was pulled out of his thoughts as his daughter, the Princess Elizabeth, greeted him with a curtsy and a kiss on the cheek.

Henry smiled and pulled the four-year-old into his arms.

"Happy Christmas, sweetheart," he murmured into her ear.

"Happy Christmas," Elizabeth giggled before snuggling against her father's chest.

Henry took in the little girl's appearance; her eyes still looked so like her mother's but all of her other features were of him. She was a true Tudor princess with her soft hair, now a striking red-gold, held back by a circlet of holly, and her dress a deep shade of emerald-green over a gold damask petticoat and a lovely gold necklace set with delicate emeralds about her neck.

Henry was sure that had Anne lived, she would be just as pleased to see the vision standing before him now.

Little Harry and Geoffrey were then brought to him so that he could show the people their princes, the boys for whom he and the realm had waited so long. Normally the king would have worried about the risk of contagion afflicting his boys, but he was sure that this time it would be alright as there had been no noted outbreaks at courts as of late. Though he had heard there had been one or two in Windsor and so found himself wondering if he should consider another location for the twins' new household.

At the age of a year old, the princes were not old enough to be breached for another five years and so when they were brought to him, Harry was clad in a gown of crimson satin trimmed with embroidery of gold. Geoffrey wore a nearly identical gown of emerald-green trimmed with embroidery of silver, albeit less embellished than his brother's clothing.

"Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Henry, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, Prince Geoffrey, Duke of York, and Princess Elizabeth!" The herald called out.

The courtiers applauded as the children reached their father.

"My children have arrived!" He announced to the court as the princes were placed in his lap.

"The queen!" The herald called out as the music began, signaling the arrival of Jane.

Jane's golden hair was held in place by a circlet of holly and she wore a simple but lovely gown of russet silk and a pale green satin petticoat, and a simple ruby necklace with matching earrings.

"Madam," Henry greeted her without standing due to the children in his arms.

"Your Majesty," Jane curtsied prettily, as did Mary before the pair took their seats.

A part of Mary couldn't help but open her heart as she laid eyes upon her brothers. Much as she hated to admit it, Harry was her father's spitting image and Geoffrey, while he favored the woman Mary could never bring herself to love, it could not be denied that he was a beautiful boy as well.

She once again reminded herself that they were not to blame for their mother's offenses. She vowed then and there to love them as she had loved Elizabeth, even if she never could bring herself to refer to them by their pretended titles.

"Would you like to hold Harry?" Elizabeth asked her when she saw Mary gazing at the boy, not realizing that she had spoken loudly enough to capture Henry's attention.

Henry turned and glanced at his eldest daughter, his expression unreadable. Perhaps he was worried that she might attempt to harm the child if he allowed her to hold him. If so, Mary wished she could allay her father's fears. But any attempt to reassure him may only increase his paranoia that she would and it hurt that he believed her to be capable of such a thing.

But then most surprisingly, the king smiled and nodded, helping to gently hand Mary the gurgling Harry, who squirmed slightly but did not fuss as Mary cradled him in her arms, gently supporting his head while Geoffrey remained nestled in Henry's.

"Joyeux Noël, Votre Majesté", little Elizabeth murmured to her father.

"Merci, ma petit," Henry replied before turning to face the court and announcing loudly "Je suis en famillie!"

Once again the court erupted in applause and cheers at the sight before them.

Jane and Mary smiled at Henry and then at each other. Henry smiled before noticing the way a certain gaze seemed to shift between his wife and daughter.

"Are you ladies conspiring something?" He asked.

"I have a gift for Your Majesty," Jane said softly. "Something I hope with all my heart will make you very happy."

"Oh?" Henry looked intrigued.

"I seemed to have developed a fondness for quail," Jane spoke, hoping her husband would detect the hint.

Henry nodded absentmindedly before his eyes widened slightly.

"A special fondness?" He questioned.

Jane nodded.

"I find I desire quail above all else," she said.

Henry looked at her stomach.

"My darling..." he whispered, the people around him all seeming to disappear. "Are you...?"

"I am," Jane answered, unshed tears of joy in her pale blue eyes.

The king let out a hearty laugh and leaned back into his seat, little Geoffrey still in his arms and seemingly oblivious to his father's outburst.

"A truly wonderful gift!" Henry all but cheered.

...

...

Well, here we are, folks. The pregnancy that Jane has been waiting for. But should the baby be the future Prince Edward or should she have a girl first? I'll let you lovely readers decide that one. But choose carefully and the next update will be out either tomorrow as a Christmas Day gift for you all or December 31st. Until then, everyone. I again wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Also, reviews make great Christmas presents, as well as belated birthday presents, as my birthday was last night ;)

And for those who are curious as to why I had Jane craving quail rather than quail's eggs, I have read several articles that concluded that in history Jane Seymour had a craving for quail meat not eggs and as a result, King Henry ordered it brought from Calais as quail was out of season in England.