Disclaimer: If I was running Reign, Megan/Catherine would be getting a lot more screen time than she is right now. Just saying.

AN: As promised over Twitter, here's jealous Henry for you, Issi! Twitter is crazy, people. Also: trying a spin on my usual writing technique. Enjoy the read!

Settled at her desk with her quill in hand, the Queen of France signed off with a flourish. The nib of the quill scratching against the fine texture of the paper was satisfying at the end of such a long day. It was so quiet in her rooms at this time, and for that she was thankful. Catherine lived such a hectic life, she needed these few silent hours to recuperate from everything that Court threw her way. She wasn't made completely of stone, a woman needed some time to herself. Smiling at that thought, her bubble of content was thoroughly disturbed by her door being opened suddenly. Yanked with the audacity that only a king such as he could possess, Henry strutted through the doorway to see a smile slipping off of his wife's face. Unusual. Catherine didn't smile anymore. Suddenly suspicious, he looked her over with a critical eye. Pearl crown atop her head with its matching necklace around her neck, for Catherine, she was dressed rather simply. He harrumphed to himself before coming closer. Her hazel eyes looking up at him through long lashes, her expression questioned him, but today she withheld her tongue. Stepping up to the desk, he observed his wife fold the paper before her neatly in half, her eyes only leaving his for a moment. Why would she…

"Catherine."

"Henry."

Sauntering over to the desk, he hopped up on the edge. "What do you have there?"

"Nothing that would interest you." His wife responded curtly, covering her inkwell and shuffling her papers together neatly.

"I am interested. Who's been writing to you?" Henry was keeping his tone light in the hopes that she'd tell him.

"No one, this is a reply." Such an evasive woman.

Maybe if he just asked… "Really? To whom?"

"Why the sudden interest in my correspondence?" Up went the brow as she put away her writing materials.

Why was he interested? "You were smiling." That's the truth, but you sound like an idiot.

"Is that a crime now?" She responded with a lofty air. "Pardon the boys for their crimes. I don't want Charles making friends with whatever is living in the dungeons." This wasn't the conversation she'd thought she'd be having with him today.

"I'm just asking, Catherine."

"My smiling doesn't seem to correlate to your interest in whom I write to." What was he really here for?

"Usually when one smiles, it's because one is happy. Are you happy? Does the person you write to make you happy? Who is it? I would ask if it was a friend, but you don't have any. A cousin perhaps? A niece? Or maybe you've finally caved and gotten yourself a lover?" He was asking in jest, but…did she?

Turning to him and lifting her chin in challenge she countered, "What does it matter if I have?"

Control your anger, Henry. "I just want to know that you're being taken care of, that's all."

"I'm so sure of your sincerity, dear." It was so easy for her to read him, especially when his eyes tell his story so well.

"So, who is it?" He didn't want to know, but he had to.

Catherine rolled her eyes as she moved around the room. "Just because you flaunt your whores in front of me doesn't mean I'd do the same to you." Not that I have a lover to flaunt anyway.

"Are you ashamed of your choice in lover? Interesting. I just have to know who it is now. Come on, I'll only judge a little." He teased, trying to rile her up enough to get her to yell the truth out at him.

"No, Henry." The years had taught her many things, one of them being how to handle her husband.

"What did you write to this lover of yours?" Her silence only tripled his need to tease her and pry out the information. Imitating her voice in an annoyingly high pitch he swooned, "Oh, my love, how desperately I crave your touch! If only you were here, I would—what would you do, actually?"

"Throw them into bed and have a frenzied afternoon of the most raucous sort."

He barked out a laugh. "My favorite. Can I watch?" And kill the bastard that has the gall to touch you?

She sighed. "Get out, Henry." I can't deal with your games today.

"Have I got you all hot and bothered thinking about your lover now?" Not that I'm jealous.

"Leave me alone, would you?" Honestly, Henry, you're such a child.

"I could stand in for your lover." Henry offered, coming up behind her, his fingertips grazing over the nape of her neck. "Maybe we could put a blindfold on you and pretend I'm the one you want. Does that appeal to you? I think I like the idea of you with your eyes covered, so really, it could benefit us both." He couldn't think of his Catherine being pleased by someone other than himself. Choose me instead.

Shrugging him off, Catherine stepped away to gain distance and take a breath. "If I did have a lover, wouldn't that mean that I wanted away from you? Why would I want you to substitute for the one I'm replacing you with?"

His anger was starting to seep through. "Do they satisfy you better than I do?" The King's voice was a growl.

Make him angry and he'll leave. "Would I keep them around if they didn't?"

Backing her against the wall, he placed his hands on either side of her head. "What does he do to you, Catherine?" Tell me so I can out do him.

"Henry…"

Lowering his lips to her cheek, he mumbled against her skin, "What do you do with him? Tell me truly."

"Leave. I refuse to talk to you about this." There wasn't anything to speak of, she didn't even have someone in her life.

"You don't need a lover, Catherine. Let me convince you why." She lifted a hand to stop his kiss.

"This isn't necessary." She was about to come clean about her lack of lover before he interrupted her.

"Oh, I think it is." There was something in the tone of his voice that had changed.

"Excuse me?" He sounds…wistful? Is that the word?

His brown eyes were staring straight through to her soul as he said, "I'll be so good to you, you just don't know it yet."

"Henry, stop." Slipping out from between him and the wall, she made for the door. I don't need this. Not again.

"No, you stop." Catching her hand in his he stopped her, but went no further to touch her. "I want you to be mine and only mine."

"We're married, I can't belong to anyone other than you."

"Perhaps that's true, but you're spending your time with others. I don't want that. Give yourself to me." Why won't she look at me?

Her voice was soft s she answered him. "I will if you will."

"What?" He wasn't quite sure what she was saying.

"You have your toys, the women you flirt with and dance with and bring to your chambers." Raising her gaze to his, she stunned him with the gold of her eyes. "You have Diane who you treat more like a wife than you do me. Do you really expect me to fall into your arms, fawning over you like one of your whores? I don't think so." Wrenching her hand out of his, she fixed him with a hard stare.

"Catherine, you are my wife and…"

"And you haven't treated me as such for a very, very long time." Her words cut through him like a wintry blast. "Are you in the mood for sex? Is that what this is? Take your clothes off and let's get this over with." Going to her bed, she sat upon her silk covers before bending down to rip off her shoes.

"Why do you always turn away my affections?"

"Affections?" Catherine gave a huff, throwing her high heel down with a loud clap. "You have no affection for me. Don't make yourself believe that you do because you don't." You did it often enough in the past and I can't be crushed by you again.

"You don't know my mind!"

"Oh, I do." Her sad smile wrenched at his heart. "I know every little thing about you. What you think, what you'd do—and I know that your heart isn't in our relationship anymore. Just go."

Is she joking? "It would be if yours was!"

"Leave." Her walls were going up, for once he could see it. He needed to get to her before she closed herself to him once more.

"You've pushed me away from you for as long as I can remember. Have you no feeling for me at all? It used to be that we were mad for one another, or is that just the passing of time making me think that you loved me once?" He needed to know where they stood.

Eyes angry, her voice controlled in the most dangerous of ways, she replied evenly. "You don't know what love is."

"Neither do you."

There was a pause in time before Catherine stood from the bed, her eyes averted. "I can't even look at you." Knowing she was about to try and leave, he caught her by the shoulders and held her to him.

"Look at me, Catherine. Look at me!" This ends today. "Stop turning yourself away and look at me for once in your life!"

"And what am I supposed to be seeing?"

"A man who wants to love you and be loved by you."

Pushing herself out of his hold, she gave him a disbelieving look. "From my estimation, you're being loved rather well without me." Don't get my hopes up, Henry.

"I've had women left, right and center, I've had servant girls and women with the bluest of blood in their veins, but no one, not any of them have come close to how I felt—how I feel about you." His voice had gone soft and loving and she had to still her heart against the onslaught of emotions his tone evoked in her chest.

"And I'm supposed to believe that after all this time, you want to be with me exclusively? To turn away from your many diversions and finally be my husband again? Do you even know how?" To her surprise, he shook his head no.

The defeat in his voice nearly broke her heart as he stepped away and sat on the edge of her bed, one that was supposed to be shared by the two of them. "You can choose to believe it or not, but it's the truth. I want to try again, but you have a lover now, and…I realize that I've driven you straight into his arms." Let go of your bloody pride and just tell her. "I fight with you and yell at you and have humiliated you in front of France, how could you not want to find solace in the arms of another? When we married, I was supposed to be your haven and it shames me to think that I've broken that vow countless times over. I was supposed to protect you from all harm, to be the one you could turn to, but I wasn't. I hurt you. I was selfish and cruel and didn't listen to you when you needed me most." Taking in a breath he stilled his mind for what he'd say next. "I won't take action against this lover of yours, I will promise you that. As long as he makes you happy and keeps you safe, that's all I can ask for.

Standing, he reached forward and moved a stray lock of her copper curls away from her beautiful face. "If I get to see you smile again, even if I'm not the one making you smile, that's enough for me. Take as many lovers as you'd like, Catherine. I'll keep my promise and won't bring harm to any of them, but if you ever need help putting them in their place, you let me know. I won't have you treated badly, not anymore." Not after everything I've done to you. "I want you to be happy. You above all others deserve a happiness of your own. You've endured more than any person should. For myself, the only arms I could ever long for are yours. I've come to know that no one could compare to you and if…if you ever find yourself wanting to see me again, you know where to find me. Be happy, my darling." Gathering a silent Catherine in his arms, he whispered into her hair, "I hope this won't be goodbye."

AN: WELL. That was a lot different than I thought it would be. Gracious. Are you alright? I'm not. Shoutout to my girls: Issi, Stacey and Angel for helping me out on this and bearing through my sneak peeks on the Twitters. I hope it made sense? I kinda just let it flow out without much construction so I hope it's not too terrible. Tell me? I hope you liked it…