Disclaimer: I own nothing. In my dreams I do, though.

As Will held Kate securely in his strong arms, the two wept together, thinking of everything that could have been with their precious baby girl.

"And she was going to be our little princess," Kate sniffled and clutched Will's chest. Will rubbed his wife's back soothingly, though truthfully, he needed some condolence as well.

"I know," Those two words were the only things Will could seem to muster since the news had been delivered to him.

Another round of sobs hit Kate as she cried: "I'm not pregnant anymore! We're not pregnant anymore," The reality of her statement gnawed at her soul. She let go of Will and turned on her side, her back facing him. "I need some sleep."

A strange feeling consumed the pit of Will's stomach. He adjusted his position on the bed so he lay beside Kate, his arms wrapped around her.

"Will," Kate's voice was strangled through her tears. "I'd like to be alone right now."

Will's eyebrows crinkled as he wiped away the tears trickling down his cheeks. "What? Why?"

Kate didn't turn around. Her voice was barely a whisper. "I just need to be alone."
Will inhaled shakily. "Kate…"

Kate didn't reply. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was uneven, and her cries were breaking Will's heart.

"Kate, don't shut me out," Will said, wrapping his arm around her small frame once more. Kate shrugged it off and spoke again.

"Will, please."

Will bit his bottom lip and slid off the bed, his posture slumped as he trudged out of the room, taking one final
glance at Kate before he closed the door. Her back was still to him, and he noticed it shake slightly as her sobs continued. Will shut the door and slid to the ground just outside the room, the anguish of the day bearing too large of a weight for him to handle any longer.

And in the middle of his sorrowful tears, his phone rang. He dug into his pant pocket and looked at the number.

"Harry," he breathed, rubbing his free hand over his face. "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you and Kate were going to come over any time soon and see the bedroom. It's almost eleven o'clock, and I'm getting kind of sleepy."

Will's eyes widened, a horrified gasp hitching in his throat. "Oh my God," he whispered. "The room."

Harry was confused. "Uh, yeah. The thing we've been working on all day. Are you-Will?"

Will dropped the phone and covered his mouth with both hands. He rocked himself back and forth, banging the back of his head against the wall repeatedly. He could still hear Harry's voice coming through the speakers of the phone, but he didn't care. He stood up with trembling legs and opened Kate's door, leaving his phone on the ground.

"Kate?" Will walked with determination into the room. Kate poked her head up and shifted so she was sitting up as Will came to her side of the bed and grabbed her face, kissing her forcefully.

Kate gasped as they parted. "What was that for?"

Will stared at her puffy, red eyes while pulling her off the bed and into his arms. He ducked his head into the crook of her shoulder and kissed the side of her neck before leaning back to look her directly in the eye.

"I've seen so many couples break up because of situations like this," Will placed his hands on either side of
Kate's face, locking their gaze. "But not us," He shook his head fervently, his eyes narrowed. "Don't shut me out, Kate. We're in this together, okay?"

Kate's face crumpled as she leaned her face into Will's body. Her cries were muffled as Will stroked the back of her head.

"We're going to make it through this, Kate."

Kate peered up at Will, her eyes watery. Will wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb. "Do you promise?" she asked in a small voice. Will nodded his head confidently before pulling her head under his chin and kissing the top.

"I wouldn't lie to you. I love you."

Kate pulled back so she could caress her husband's face. "I love you too. And I'm sorry."

Will didn't smile. He simply played with his wife's hair and kissed her once more.

"Have you talked to the doctor about this yet?" he asked, his voice returning to its gentle tone. Kate shook her head slowly.

"She said she would explain once I got out of surgery, which was about an hour ago. They were probably giving us privacy."

Will nodded and walked over to the side of the bed, pressing the button to alert a doctor to come into the room.
He returned to Kate in a few seconds, pulling her back into his embrace.

"Everything's going to be alright," he whispered. "We're going to get through this."

A few seconds later, Dr. Kamera walked in. She smiled softly at the image of Kate enclosed in Will's large arms in front of her.

"Oh, hello," Will greeted, letting go of Kate so she could also face Dr. Kamera.

"Hi guys," Dr. Kamera fiddled with her clipboard. "We have some things to discuss. Why don't you two sit on the bed so we can have a chat?"

The couple sat down on the hospital bed, Kate clutching the whole right side of Will's body. Will inhaled shakily, ready to hear what he didn't want to find out.

"Will, Kate," Dr. Kamera fidgeted with her pencil as she chewed her bottom lip. "There's really no way to say this right…but, your baby just died. There was no reason, no disease, she just died," She frowned as she watched Kate's eyes fill up with tears. "I'm so sorry, to both of you. I know how traumatic this is. It's very rare that this happens in a pregnancy, but it's not unheard of."

Kate chocked back a sob as she buried her face into Will's shoulder. "This isn't fair," she mumbled. "It's not fair at all."

Will kissed her forehead as Dr. Kamera bent down and rubbed her knee.

"I know it seems horrible right now, sweetie," Dr. Kamera said softly. "Because it is horrible. But I promise you, everything gets better."

Will stayed silent, consoling his weeping wife. Dr. Kamera stood back up and nodded to Will as she exited the room.

"I want to go home," Kate sighed and wiped her tears, leaving Will's side to grab her things. A sad frown crossed Will's lips as he followed Kate out of the room, keeping a guiding hand glued to the small of her back. As they left the hospital, Kate's cell phone rang. She sighed tiredly, as if she had just been walking in the desert without water for five days.

"What do you want, Harry?" she answered, sniffling. Will wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder and held her close as they came up to the car.

"Well hello there Mrs. Sunshine," Harry chirped on the other line. "Will left me on the other line on his phone, and I called him back like twenty times, but he never answered. Anyways, we have a surprise for you at Kensington Palace."

Kate's jaw locked as she climbed into the car and narrowed her eyes at Will from the passenger seat. "What surprise?" she spoke into the phone. Will widened his eyes at Kate's words. He snatched the phone out of her hand and pressed it up to his ear fervently.

"Not now, Harry."

"Aw come on, man. Why not? We worked so hard on it!"

Will bit his tongue. "Not now, Harry," he repeated slowly, his voice shockingly threatening. He immediately hung up the phone and stuck it in his pocket, not allowing Kate to have access to it.

Kate stared at her husband incredulously. He avoided eye contact as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the road. The silence in the car wasn't the usual comfortable quietness the couple had become accustomed to over their eight year span of being together. It was harsh, tense, and could be cut with a knife. Kate clicked her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes never leaving Will's nervous ones.

"Okay, I'll bite. What surprise, Will?" The question came out more as a demand. Will's eyes didn't waver.

"Will."

"Nothing," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Don't worry about it."

Kate inhaled through her nose, her breath shaking. Her eyelids filled with tears as she uncrossed her arms and clutched her stomach. "Please, Will," she whispered, her demanding voice replaced with a desperate, soft one.
Will was swayed by Kate's instant change in mood.

"Fine. I'll take you over to Kensington Palace so you can see."

Kate didn't respond, but instead rested her head on the window beside herself and watched reality speed by her. It was hard to comprehend that earlier that day she was five months pregnant.

"It's about time you guys showed up!" Harry slapped Will's back and patted Kate's shoulder as the couple stepped through the grand doors to Kensington Palace. "The construction workers went home, but I stayed because I know how important…whoa, are you guys okay?"

Harry's small lips curved downwards as his eyes darted between Will and Kate. Their cheeks were red, their eyes were puffy, and their posture was slumped. Most notably and obviously, they were keeping a constant distance from each other, with no physical contact. Harry knew something was up. When neither of them responded to his question, he repeated himself.

"Guys, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Will gave Harry a strained, threatening look, which scared Harry enough to shut him up for the time being.

"Let's get this over with," Will muttered, gesturing for Kate to follow him up the stairs. When the three royals reached the top floor and were standing outside the room, Will's heart started racing.

"We shouldn't do this," he said weakly, looking at Kate through nervous, wide eyes. Kate shook her head.

"I'm going in."

Will leaned his forehead against the hallway wall as Kate opened the door with shaking hands and walked in. Harry stayed with Will outside, a horrible feeling forming deep in his core as he watched tears stream down his brother's face.

"You lost her, didn't you?" Harry whispered, placing his arm around Will's shoulder. Will didn't reply, but nodded his head slowly enough so Harry could try to fathom the deep sorrow he was experiencing. His jaw dropped as he yelped exasperatedly.

"Oh my…oh my God," Harry chewed his bottom lip as he tried to contain his own tears that had suddenly sprung, stinging his eyes. "Will, I'm sosorry."

Will cursed under his breath and didn't bother replying to his brother. He pounded the wall once with his fist before storming into the room. Kate was sitting on the chair beside the crib, holding the teddy bear that had been placed in the crib. Will stopped in his tracks as he watched his wife's tears pour down her face. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the doorframe, banging it repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He made his way to Kate, trying to avoid looking at the photos and the crib and the changing table – anything that reminded him of Diana.

Kate stood up and practically fell into Will's arms, her wobbling knees offering her no support. Her arms snaked around his biceps and she clutched onto him desperately, her salty tears soaking his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Will squeezed his wife and brought her as close to him as physically possible. "I shouldn't have done this, Kate."

Kate shook her head, her face still buried in Will's arm. "Don't…don't be sorry," she choked out, her words muffled and shaky. "You had no way of knowing."

Will shrugged and kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to go home?"

Kate nodded, staying silent. The couple walked out of the room, Kate still clutching the teddy bear, and found Harry sitting on the floor, his face expressionless.

"I just…I can't believe it," Harry whispered. Will patted his brother's shoulder, exchanging a look of despair with him before walking Kate out of the palace and into their car. The drive home was silent, thoughts of everything they had been through flooding their weak minds. Kate was no longer crying. She kept the teddy bear close to her and leaned her head against the window of the car until they had reached home. When they stepped into their house, she immediately went upstairs and into bed. Immersing herself in the enormity of the bed sheets, Kate closed her eyes and prayed that when she woke up, life would be normal again.

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Kate, sweetheart," Will poked his head into their bedroom, their home phone in his hand. "You've got a ton of calls. You don't need to answer them of course."

Kate lifted her head from its resting place on the pillow and shook her head. "Not now."

Will nodded solemnly and stepped fully into the room, climbing onto the bed beside her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged them gently.

"I made pancakes," He rested his head in the crook of her neck and kissed her jaw line. "They're not burnt, I promise."

Forcing a small chuckle, Kate twisted so she was facing Will. "Thanks, but I'm not very hungry."

Will sighed. "Kate, it's been three weeks. You've barely eaten anything," He placed one hand on her cheek. "I worry about you."

Kate's lips formed a stern line. "I'm fine."

Will dropped his hand from her face and rolled off the bed. "Okay, you're fine," he lifted his hands up and dropped them. "I'm going out."

"Fine."

Will pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched his wife pull the sheets over her body and close her eyes. It wasn't so much anger that had encompassed him in the past two weeks, but immense worry. Kate wasn't responding to anything. The first two weeks after being home she cried a lot. They both had. But then, in the third week, something inside of her seemed to have snapped. The tears abruptly stopped and were replaced with blank stares and cold shoulders. She had become completely numb to everything – even William. Nothing he could say or do would make her leave their bed.

"Fine."

"Will, hi!"

Will stepped into Pippa's front door, his hands clasped and his eyes narrowed – as if he was in a permanent state of deep thought. Pippa raised her eyebrows at Will's contrasting mood. "Are you okay?"

Will shook his head and sat down on one of the steps of her staircase. Pippa closed her door and sat down beside him. She touched his knee and furrowed her brow. "What's wrong, Will?"

Will clicked his tongue and stared at the patterned rug on the floor in front of him.

"Kate."

Pippa sighed. "She's still not better? I mean, I don't expect her to make a miraculous change and be perfectly fine tomorrow, but it's been three weeks now. Losing a baby is a tragic thing, but this is unusual for Kate," Pippa placed her elbows on the step behind her and leaned back. "Has she gotten out of bed at all?"

"No," Will rubbed his face. "I've run out of things to say to her. She won't eat, she won't smile, she won't do anything," He chewed his bottom lip, worry lines carving his forehead. "I'm so worried for her. I've tried being gentle with her, but it doesn't work. I don't want to be harsh...I never want to be harsh with her."

Pippa frowned and stood up. "That might be the push she needs though, Will. When you two broke up, she cried for a week in bed," Pippa gestured with her tiny hands. "Kind of like this situation right now. And like you, I babied her through the first week. I consoled her; I told her everything would be all right. But by the second week, I was sick of her being so miserable all the time," She shrugged. "I told her to snap out of it and get her butt into some nightclubs," Pippa chuckled as Will playfully covered his ears. "Sorry. That's not the point. The moral of the story is that Kate needed some tough love. Yeah, it sucked being harsh towards her, but she got better faster because of it."

Will slumped his shoulders and rested his face between his palms. "Yeah. I just can't imagine being harsh towards her under this circumstance. Giving her tough love after a break up seems acceptable, but this is a life she lost. A life we lost," Will felt the threatening lump rise in his throat. "I can't be stern or mean," He stood up and walked towards the door. "I don't know, I'll think of something. Thanks, Pippa."

A sympathetic smile crossed Pippa's lips as she opened the door for Will. "Let me know if she gets any better."
Will nodded. "I will."

"Try watching The Proposal with her," Harry said, a small smile playing on his lips. "She loves that movie; it'll snap her out of whatever funk she's in for sure."

Will shook his head and grunted frustratedly. "Harry, this is serious. This isn't some 'funk' or 'phase'. I'm concerned that Kate might be slipping into depression," Will shuddered. "I don't want that to happen."

Harry sighed and grabbed his rugby ball. He fell onto his bed and tossed it up in the air, his mind contemplating. "I don't know, man. You know Kate better than anyone else in the world. Something will come to you."

Will rubbed his eyes. "I hope so. I can't take this motionless, expressionless version of Kate anymore. I love her with all my heart, and she's making me so worried. I would rather she cried or she got angry, it would show at least someemotion."

Harry caught the rugby ball and abruptly stood up, a grin on his face. "Wait. I have an idea."

She heard the faint sound of Will's keys jostling after he had opened the front door on the main floor. Kate lifted her body up with her weak arms and ran a hand through her hair. It had been another long day of absolutely nothing. The darkness inside her soul had her trapped; a sadness Kate had never felt before had encompassed her in the past few weeks. Wherever she looked, she saw her baby. She couldn't cry anymore though: she had gone into a phase of numbness. What frightened her was that she might never leave this state of frozen, senselessness. Her apathetic mind told her nothing could ever help her move on from the tragic sorrow she felt. Not her parents comforting words, not her siblings' heartfelt condolences, and not even William's unfailing love.
That is, until she heard Will's footsteps come closer to the bedroom and a song she had been all too familiar with play from the speakers of their vintage boom box.

"Oh my," Kate gasped as Will walked in the room, the boom box in one hand and a vase of white lilies grasped in his other hand. The song brought her all the way back to 2007 – a lifetime ago. She stayed silent, absorbing the words until the chorus came up.

Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it
I just want you back for good
Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it
You'll be right and understood
I want you back for good

Tears of deep emotion trickled down Kate's cheeks as the song continued playing. Will pressed back a smile of relief. She was crying. She was showing emotion.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the song distant to her now as Will pulled her out of the bed and into his arms. Her tears were hot and fervently rushed down her cheeks."I'm so sorry for shutting you out and I'm so sorry for being so mean and for-"

Will chuckled and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay," He cradled her face in his hands and stared directly into her watery eyes. "I love you, and I miss you. I know how hard this has been on you, but please, don't shut me out. We promised in the hospital this wouldn't happen."

Kate's bottom lip quivered as she nodded "I know."

"Like the song says, I want you back, Kate. I want the old you back," Will kissed her forehead tenderly before continuing. "It's okay to be sad, to be angry. Hell, I'm still both of those. But we need to face these emotions together," He brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and smiled lovingly. "I want you back, Kate."

"This time, I promise I won't shut you out anymore," she whispered through her tears. "I love you."
And for the first time in weeks, Kate smiled back at Will. In that instant, all of his fears went away. He broke out into a wider grin and pulled her tightly into his arms. "Oh, I missed that smile! That beautiful, beautiful smile."

Kate's smile grew as she leaned her face into Will's shoulder and took in his familiar scent. Everything was coming back to her. The darkness left her in a sudden sweeping motion as quickly as it had come onto her. No, she wasn't cured. No, she still wasn't back to complete normal. But finally, she saw light at the end of the dark tunnel that had once confined her.

She was back for good.