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Title: Perish in the Name of Passion

Summary: Shallow sorrows and shallow loves live on. The loves and sorrows that are great are destroyed by their own plenitude, Oscar Wilde. Henry had spared Anne from beheading. But on the last day, he had unknowingly let go of two lives. It will be six years later that they are reunited, but have their feelings changed enough to give them a second chance at love?

Prologue:

It was the beginning.

This was what she always thought whenever she looked at him. And in moments like these, when he was lying in his sleep, caught up in whatever dream he might be having, she could not help but feel her heart warm up at the innocence he was radiating, which was so unlike him.

It was unlike the behavior he displayed during the days. There were no childish tantrums, no unwanted and angry disputes or pouts whenever he did not get what he wanted. One could never imagine how bad his temper was by looking at this sleeping face.

It was so entirely different from what she was used to in her life, or to be more exact, in her previous life before everything changed. Before he changed everything. He was different.

And she was grateful for that.

Anne smiled and bent down, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. It was a quick and soft peck, yet her lips quivered from excitement, her heart had never felt such contentment. She loved the feelings he was giving, or rather, on bestowing her, that bordered on perfection.

The more she watched him in her sleep the more she could not help but feel herself drift into her own dreams as well and her thoughts went back to the day, every piece of what she now knew and appreciated as her heaven.

"I have one last request." she said to him. He merely looked at her from his seat, casting her nothing more but a glare, Anne imagined that he was thinking of all sort of tales of how wicked she was.

"What is it?" he asked her suspiciously.

"It is the same as last time."

"Do you care to elaborate your position, my lady? For there are so many requests and demands coming out of your mouth that my mind fails to remember each."

"Do not play with me, Henry! You know exactly, what I am speaking of," she put her hands on the table. Seconds passed as they looked into each other's eyes without either making a sound. "There is only one thing which is dear to me," she whispered.

"Really? There are a lot of things that come to my mind when I think about what you might seek. Wealth, power, men-"

"Do not mistake your own desires for mine." she said harshly, slamming her hand down on the table that separated them from each other. Anne waited for the time to pass before speaking again, for she could barely restrain herself from shouting, let alone using physical force on him.

"I want Elizabeth." Her voice grew softer, almost vulnerable. This was probably the first time she ever, on her own accord, displayed all of her emotions to him. She had always been careful of how she carried herself, always making sure that she appeared strong and fierce in public, but now she was making an exception. This time, she would lay everything on the line, for she knew, holding on a strong appearance would do no one any good. It would rather be counterproductive.

Their eyes had been locked since this conversation had began. She waited nervously for his answer, hoping, despite knowing that hope would be in all likelihood in vain, that he would show her mercy during the last seconds of their marriage, something he had failed or perhaps forgotten along their matrimony. Finally, he stood up, her gaze still holding his.

"No." he simply answered and departed from the room, leaving Anne all by herself. She was not quite sure how long she took to understand the meaning of his word, but when she finally did she bolted out as well, intending to find him and make another attempt of changing his mind.

She ran to his chamber, having gained the knowledge of how his mind worked during the years they have spent together, especially after discussions such as these. And indeed, her assumption was correct as she first heard his quickened steps echoing through the halls, his back turned to her.

"Henry, listen to me." she knew that he heard her and that he was merely ignoring her. Despite his attempts, she did not give up. She continued on and somehow she ended up in his bedroom. It was weird, she mused in the back of her mind, for she had once been a regular visitor, if not inhabitant of this room and yet, after so long, it had become so strange to her. Not to mention the dark memory of the last time she had visited this room which made her shudder.

"Why are you being so cruel?" she asked him. He had yet to acknowledge her presence, keeping his back to her. "Henry, you are not deaf yet, so please, the least you can do is to look me into the eyes and give me a proper answer. Until then, you have to bear with me", she threatened. As it seemed her threat finally landed on fertile soil. He turned to the window, but at least she was not talking to his back only anymore.

"You have mentioned that you wanted to start your life anew. You said you wanted nothing to do with this anymore." he touched the cool glass, tracing it with his fingers only to suddenly ball his hand to a fist, his knuckles turning white.

"Then why do you want to take Elizabeth?" He demanded, his hand still clinched, his jaw as well.

"Why do you care?" she scoffed. "It is not like you spend much time with her either. All you do is let her be taught and raised by some ladies you hire. I have agreed for her to be raised that way when I was the Queen, but things have changed and so does my resolve." Perhaps she was going about it the wrong way. Perhaps it was time for different attempt.

"I love her." she said simply.

He was still unmoved by her words.

"I love her more than anything else, she is the most precious and most dearest of everything I have. I have no ties with this place anymore, but Elizabeth..." She was the only pure thing in her life, she finished silently, but she doubted that this was something he wanted to hear anyway. He did not care, therefore it would change nothing it she said it anyway.

Anne slowly went up to him.

"In my life, I had never known so much love, never knew I was capable of so much love, until I had her. Nothing would matter, if she is not with me." She touched his arm. "Give me her. I will treat her well." Perhaps better than the other ladies, she thought bitterly, for the only thing they would fawn about would surely be the children by that woman.

"Please." She whispered "What do I have to do to persuade you?"

"What would you do?"

"I would do anything."

And before she could process what was happening, she felt her lips sealed with soft warmth. It pressed, no, pushed against her lips, with a ferocity and passion she had once deemed to be lost between them.

Questions shot through her mind like thunders. What was happening? Was it real? What should she do now? Within seconds, she made up her mind. She closed everything, her mind and her eyes and in return opened her lips, letting him inside, one last time. But only because she had no other choice, she told herself. There would be no way for her to willingly return his kiss, she was not a weak woman, who had fallen so much in love with a man that she was not capable of sticking to her own choice and upholding her pride when it became difficult.

Anne told herself, it would be the last time she would feel his lips upon her. It would be the last time, she felt his passion, for that was all their relationship had ever been, and the all-consuming fire that burned the two of them. It would be the last time she felt his hands move across her skin, caressing her with such tenderness that it had once fooled her into believing an illusion of love, and his lips drawing kisses that made her melt inside and at the same time left her hot and craving for more. And it would be the last time she would enjoy all of these things.

This she promised herself, silently in her mind, while she was crying out his name.

It was the end.

But that is how it is; the end is always the beginning. Anne smiled tenderly. When she had once looked back to this memory with contempt and bitterness, she could now only smile and sigh. She had always thought that foolishness was below her and even though everything she ever did and shared with Henry was nothing but foolish, it had at the same time given her the best thing she had in life.

She reached her hand out, drawing small circles on his cheek. She was still awed by the softness that met her finger when she touched him. So, it was not necessary to search for his softness beneath his hotheadedness, she concluded.

Anne giggled, living the moment to the fullest.

However her amusement was short-lived, as she suddenly heard him stir. Quickly, she withdrew her hand from him, hoping that she had not woken him. When he did not give any signs of having woken up, she let out a relieved breath. He needed his sleep, especially after a tiring day like today had been, and she would feel horrible if she deprived this of him. Perhaps it was better for her to get up and leave, before she really woke him up.

As she stood over him, she could not help but lean down once again and place a goodnight kiss, this time on his forehead and a little bit longer and a little bit stronger than the previous one.

"Good night, my little Darien." she whispered.