I can't believe this is happening. Not to him. It just can't! It shouldn't!

I mean, I understand that these things happen. All the time really. Guinea pigs don't last all that long, but Prince wasn't most Guinea pigs! He was mine and I love him and he can't possibly be gone!

Yet, here he lays in my open palms. His tiny little paws curl under his body and his eyes are closed. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was asleep. So peaceful.

Another wave of tears washes over me. I've since given up on trying to wipe them away with tissues after running out of the half-filled box we keep beside the bed. The tears travel freely down my face to plop into little puddles around Prince, some dropping onto his still frame and matting his fur.

I hear the front door swing open and the sounds of someone walking around on the wooden floor. "Y/N! I'm back!" Spencer calls from the living room. I can't find it in myself to tear my gaze away from Prince, on the off chance he will pop back to life as if he were showing me a new trick he learned all by himself.

"Baby?" Spencer asks from the doorway to our bedroom. "What's wrong? You usually jump me the moment I walk in the door," he says with a small chuckle. I continue to stare at the unmoving form in my hands, feeling the tingling in my eyes that tell me new tears are ready to fall. Spencer's mismatched-socks appear under my hands. "Y/N?"

Something inside me snaps and the floodgates open for the fifth time tonight. I clutch Prince to my chest just as Spencer pulls me into his lap. I cry and shake in his arms, letting him rock me side to side and running his soft hands down my arms. "I know, sweetie," he murmurs over and over.

After I'd finally calmed down, Spencer empties the bedside table and balances Prince's cage on the little wooden stand. "You can sleep on my side of the bed tonight so you can stay beside him, but we should put him back in his cage so he doesn't get squished when we sleep," Spencer murmurs, gently pulling my hands from my chest. I nod and place Prince down by the side closest to the bed. Spencer helps me into my pajamas since I'm too tired and sad to do it myself. He holds me close to his chest all night long, running his fingers through my hair and down my arms.

"It's gonna be okay, Y/N," he whispers into the darkness.

"I miss him already…"

"I know, sweetie. I'm sure he misses you, too."

I glance up at Spencer. "You really think so?"

"Of course. He's watching over you right now," Spencer says with a kiss to my forehead.

I look up towards the ceiling, knowing full well that he was only saying these things to make me happy. Yet, a surge of love fills my stomach, warming my heart for a brief moment at the thought of Prince watching us from the sky, his whiskers quivering in the wind.

"Thank you Prince…" I whisper under my breath. Spencer squeezes me close and I feel the tiniest bit better, knowing he's there for me. He knows just how much Prince means to me and that there will always be a special place in my heart for him. My little Prince is irreplaceable and my sweet boyfriend understands.