A/N: A few quick answers to reviews: To the Fan Reader wondering about the dynamic in the new fetus Emison fic...it's AU, so their personalities aren't fully based on how they were in the PLL-verse in high school. Both Alison and Emily have strong personalities in my story. IrishViking20: I made up the thing about the lilies in the last one-shot. I just thought that their baby's name would have some significance to their relationship.

I also got a question about whether I'm still considering posting the Epilogue and Alternate ending to "Still Waters Run Deep". I am. I'm just shadow-boxing with myself about editing them both.

Prompt: Could you do a drabble were Alison has a miscarriage please?

Warning: Please note that the subject material for this is heavy and it is not something I take lightly. It hits very close to home. The loss of an infant is a delicate thing that has an impact on that baby's family's lives forever. This is an extremely sensitive subject that widely affects parents everywhere. Any time I am writing something this raw and real I worry about the impact it might have on readers.

Much like my 9-11 oneshot I had to really consider whether or not this was something I wanted to put out there, because the last thing I want to do is peel open healing wounds of anyone who has dealt with this. However, with last month having been Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month I am also aware that this is a subject that is considered worth talking about. Every single baby that has been lost is WORTH remembering.

That being said, I do urge anyone who is sensitive about it to proceed with caution.

Every experience is different, and I only hope that I was able to write this particular scenario with Alison and Emily respectfully and in a tactful way. To anyone who has experienced the loss of a baby, know that my heart is with you. Always.

Note that it's a lengthy prompt. I did not want to rush this one.

Loss

Three words changed Emily DiLaurentis-Fields' life and the life of her entire family. Three words.

"Something is wrong."

Alison had been feeling off all day. Emily had taken the day off to care for her. Alison's first pregnancy had been somewhat difficult, but it was a breeze compared to her second one.

She'd felt nauseated and crampy all morning. Emily thought they should go to the doctor, but Alison insisted she just needed to rest. She was tired, nothing more. And while Emily conceded to Alison's wishes, she still felt a strange uneasiness needling the back of her brain.

Emily could feel it. It was the same twisted feeling she'd felt in the pit of her stomach the day her dad had died. Something was wrong.

There was something off about Alison, and it worried her. She'd practically spent the entire day hovering over her and pacing so much that she was wearing a hole in the carpet.

Alison was worried about how jittery she was. But she was so focused on Emily that she didn't realize that her own body was trying to tell her something. A sensation, a warning. It's like the Earth had slowed on its axis and the clouds were drifting down around her…and her family. The family she was expecting. But she shook it off, her attention focused more on wondering why the hell Emily was acting like the world was crashing down around them.

She didn't know that very soon, it was going to come crashing down.

An hour later when Alison felt the first spasm of pain she knew her morning sickness was something more.

She called out for Emily, but Emily couldn't hear her over the sound of the microwave downstairs in the kitchen. She was heating up Alison's tea for her and making her some soup for dinner.

Alison felt an odd pressure against her stomach and suddenly, she felt like she had to pee. So she sat up against the edge of the bed and put her swollen feet against the ground.

She glanced over her baby bump at her toes. It dawned on her how strange it was that she was already retaining so much water when she was only halfway into her pregnancy.

When she was pregnant with the twins she'd made it to almost the eighth month before her feet and ankles had started swelling. But that had been twelve years ago.

Maybe her body had changed, she rationalized.

She felt another tight spasm in her pelvis and then another stab of pain. She huffed as she got to her feet. She thought she felt movement inside of her belly, but it wasn't a motion she was used to. It wasn't a kick or the twists and turns of the baby trying to settle.

Something was wrong.

She tried to push the worst thoughts out of her head. The last ultrasound two weeks ago had been fine. Her son was fine. Three nights ago he'd been kicking up a storm. Lily and Grace had taken turns putting their hand on her belly and marveling at their little brother's strength. Lily said she thought he was going to be a ninja. Grace was convinced he was going to be a kicker for the NFL.

Alison stood up, feeling a liquid leaking into her pants. She clenched her thighs together to try and hold her urine until she could get to the bathroom.

She was halfway to the adjoining bathroom when something tightened roughly in her pelvis. The pain was so intense that she fell forward, grasping at the side of the dresser. She cried out and started huffing out unsteady breaths. She groaned.

"Alison?" She heard Emily's concerned voice behind her.

Alison glanced over her shoulder and saw Emily holding a tray with a bowl of soup and a mug of hot herbal tea. Emily saw the look of pain contorted on Alison's face. She immediately put the tray down on top of the small armoire by the door.

"Ali? What is it?"

Alison cried out, shrieked, in pain. Emily was by her side in an instant.

"Emily, something is wrong." She cried.

Something is wrong.

The words terrified them both.

Alison reached down into her pants because she'd felt a warm wetness pooling in her underwear. It was too early for her to go into labor, so she knew it wasn't her water breaking. But she also knew at this point it wasn't urine either.

When she pulled her fingers out covered in blood her face blanched. She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and doubled over. Alison looked at Emily, tears filling her eyes. When was the last time she'd felt their son moving? He'd been still most of the day. He hadn't been active at all yesterday either.

"I can't feel him moving anymore." She suddenly felt panicky.

More blood was soaking through her clothing. Alison moaned, grabbing Emily's arm for support. She tugged at the hem of her maternity pants, desperately trying to pull them down, because she knew…she knew what was happening. And she wasn't going to let it happen.

"Baby, you should sit down…"

But Alison was too frantic to hear her. She moved her pants down, almost falling over in the process. She cried in frustration when another wave of pain hit her and she had to stop moving because the movement made it worse.

"Hey, take it easy." Emily put her hand on top of Alison's, helping her steady herself as they worked her pants and underwear down to take a look. Her thighs were soaked in blood. It was dripping down her legs. She started to sink to the ground on her knees. Emily caught her before she hit the floor.

"Emily, I don't feel right." Alison's head started sagging on her shoulders.

"Hey, Alison, look at me." Emily put her free hand on Alison's cheek.

But Alison couldn't focus. Another sharp pain rocked her body and she screamed out in pain.

"Oh, God. It hurts." She cried, squeezing Emily's arm so tight that her fingernails dug into her skin, drawing blood. It was worse than labor pains. Because at least with the labor pains she'd had with Lily and Grace she knew she'd get to see the light in their eyes when they were born. "It's too early. This can't happen yet…" Another stabbing pain. Another cry. "Emily!"

"Ali, you're going to be okay. Just…"

"He's in distress." Alison cried. "I can feel it." She groaned. "Em…" She weakly raised her head to look at her wife. "Promise me if it comes down to me or him you'll choose him."

Nineteen weeks was almost five months. Micro-preemies could make it. Against all odds. And she knew her son was strong. There had to be a way. He had to survive. She couldn't be losing him. She'd done everything right. It wasn't fair. It couldn't happen.

"Hey, it's not going to come to that." Emily tried to stay calm.

Please God, don't let it come to that. Emily wasn't sure she could make that call if it did.

Alison saw stars. Her vision started to fade.

"Alison, hold on."

Another bolt of pain. Another agonized scream. Followed by silence. Chill-inducing, heart-stopping silence. Alison slunk down into Emily's body, her large belly pushing her into an awkward position. Emily moved her around until she was behind Alison, propping her up, trying to rouse her.

"Mom?" A timid voice whimpered from the doorway.

When Emily looked up she saw Grace staring at the blood pooling on the floor. She looked like she was ready to pass out…or throw up.

"Grace, I need you to call 911." Emily shifted so she was kneeling behind her wife, getting ready to pick her up.

Grace, her normally wildly disobedient brat of a child did exactly as she was told, probably for the first time in her life. She couldn't find her phone so she ran into Lily's room in a panic.

"Something is wrong with mom." Grace had tears in her eyes. "I think it's the baby. We need to call an ambulance, but I can't find my fucking phone." She growled in frustration.

"What?" Lily scrambled off of her bed, knocking her math book and several sheets of paper on to the floor.

She grabbed her phone and quickly called 911. The second the operator answered Lily nervously spouted out,

"Our mom is pregnant and something is wrong and we need help."

"What if he dies? Or mom?" Grace started to hyperventilate. "What if they both die?"

"Hey, calm down, Grace." Lily tried to comfort her.

Lily split her focus between Grace and the 911 operator as they both ran down the hallway towards their mothers' room.

Emily slid one of her arms underneath Alison's knees and her other arm underneath Alison's shoulders, pulling her off of the ground. Alison's head lolled on her shoulders, her eyes weakly opening up. She looked up at Emily, a pitiful expression in her eyes.

"Emily…"

"Just hang on. We're going to get you to the hospital." Emily started walking out of their room towards the hallway. "Everything is okay, Ali. I've got you."

"We called 911," Lily said, her hands trembling, the phone still in her hand.

The call was still connected. Emily could hear the operator trying to say something, but her focus was on getting Alison safely down the steps. When she got downstairs, she gently laid Alison down against the couch.

Alison groggily opened her eyes, looking at her. She started to cry. Emily wiped away her tears. Neither one of them had the words to express the pain they felt.

They heard a stifled sniffle behind them and when Emily looked over her shoulder she saw her twelve year old twins. They looked like terrified toddlers.

"I accidentally hung up on 911." Lily whimpered.

"It's going to be okay girls." Emily reached out to take the phone.

But she didn't call 911 back. Instead, she called her best friend. Because she knew the girls needed to be looked after. She didn't want them at the hospital. She didn't want their memories of this to be any worse than they already were. She didn't want them to sit in stiff waiting room chairs in a hallway that reeked of disinfectant, rubbing alcohol, and death.

Hanna had picked up after one ring. She and Emily had been texting all day about how Alison wasn't feeling well. So when Hanna answered, she felt a tense ball in the pit of her stomach telling her something was wrong.

"Em, is everything okay?"

"No." Emily didn't realize how much she was shaking until she heard the sound of her voice. "I'm going to the hospital with Alison. Can you come over and sit with the girls?"

"I'll be there in five minutes." Three if she ran the stop signs and red lights, which she absolutely planned on doing.

She hung up and bolted for her car just as the ambulance was pulling into the DiLaurentis-Fields' driveway. The girls saw the flashing lights. There was a moment of panic from the twins. Grace started to cry. Lily was calm, but shaky. She grabbed her mom's arm gently.

"Mom, we want to go with you." Lily had tears in her eyes.

"I know, baby. But you and Grace need to stay here. It's for the best. Your Aunt Hanna will take care of you. And I'm going to take care of your mom."

"What about the baby?" Grace questioned. "Will you take care of him, too?"

"Oh, sweetie." Emily reached out to brush Grace's tears away. She didn't know how to explain what was going on to them, not without breaking down. "Look, whatever happens, we'll get through it together."

"Is he going to die?" Grace asked.

"Grace!" Lily hissed, almost in a panic, like the question was going to jinx the situation, like their little brother's fate was in their hands and that if they thought only good thoughts nothing bad would happen to him.

"I don't know what's going to happen. But I promise you we'll let you know something as soon as we know. Now, you be good for your Aunt Hanna."

The girls didn't argue.

Hanna got there just as they were loading Alison into the ambulance.

"The girls are inside." Emily blinked in shock when she saw Hanna rushing towards her.

"Hey, I'll take care of them. You just take care of Ali."

Emily nodded. She didn't realize she was crying. Hanna reached up, brushing her thumbs against her best friend's cheek.

"I can't believe this is happening." Emily's body shook with sobs.

"Just breathe, Emily. Ali needs you right now."

That's all Emily needed to hear to get ahold of herself. She hugged Hanna before she climbed into the ambulance with her wife. Emily waited until they were on the road, then she called her mother in tears, telling her what was going on.

Alison was in and out the whole way to the hospital. She was bleeding a lot and she was dizzy from the pain and the blood loss. The shock had hit her hard. But she was fully aware of her surroundings when they were wheeling her into the emergency room. The pain of the contractions was more intense than the ones she'd had with Lily and Grace. Or perhaps she was just in a weaker state.

She looked around the room. The lights felt so bright. The air felt cold. There were people in scrubs running all around. The only thing that brought her any comfort was seeing Emily by her side. She had squeezed her hand so much that Emily had lost feeling in her fingers.

Alison felt a cool gel oozing on to her belly, but unlike when they'd gotten their sonograms there was no tittering excitement in the room. The doctor frowned at the ultrasound image. Alison was somewhat cognizant of the doctor talking to them, telling them their worst fears.

Yet despite knowing what she knew, Alison still fought the urge to push. Because it was too early. And what if the doctors were wrong? What if their son was okay? What if they were missing something? What if there was something more that could be done?

"Alison, we need you to push." The doctor urged.

"No." Alison cried weakly.

"Ali…" She heard Emily's shaky voice.

"No!" She hissed angrily at her wife.

She was mad at Emily, because why wasn't she fighting this? Why wasn't she screaming at the doctors to do something? Why was she so quick to believe the worst? Why wasn't she stopping this? She knew it was irrational, but she didn't care. Because…

No. Alison couldn't accept it. She refused to believe this could actually be happening. Just days ago their little bug had been kicking up a storm. Just two weeks ago they were watching him swirl around in his 3D sonogram. He looked like he was deep in thought, leaning on his knuckles as if he had a very serious matter on his mind: like what was better? Hot Fries or Curly Fries? The real life questions their genius son would ask.

She broke down in tears. Of pain. Of exhaustion. Of anger. Of fear.

"Emily, I don't want to. Please don't let them make me do this. I want to go home." She begged.

Hearing the words ripped Emily's heart to shreds. What was worse than losing their son was watching the pain on Alison's face as she tried to come to terms with it, of seeing Alison try to bargain with the inevitable. Emily felt helpless. Because all she wanted to do was swoop in and save her. To stop this from happening. But she couldn't. She was angry at herself. Angry for not being more insistent, for not doing something more.

"Please, can we go home?" Alison cried.

Because if they went home none of this would happen. She would be fine. Their son would be fine.

"I know you're scared. And I know you're hurting. But I'm right here, honey." Emily put her other hand over their joined fingers, cupping Alison's hand in hers. "I'm right here and I'm not going to let you do this alone."

"Tell me this isn't real." Alison whimpered.

"I can't do that." Emily's voice came out as a trembling cry.

Alison's body was contracting and pulsating and she felt like screaming, because her brain and her heart were in a battle to the death with one another. Her brain told her the truth. She'd heard what was said to her, but she couldn't mentally process it. She couldn't comprehend it, because her heart was telling her not to give up. Her heart told her that maybe there was still hope.

It was a nightmare. It had to be. Some angry inner demon playing on an expectant mother's worst fear. She shut her eyes tightly, begging to wake up, begging for the dream to end.

Another wave of contractions hit her and she shot up in the bed and screamed. She saw the doctor sitting between her knees, her feet still in the stirrups. She was still here. She was still in her nightmare, in this hospital room with all these somber faces.

Still, she refused to push. She turned to Emily crying,

"This isn't real." She repeated. "This is a nightmare."

"Ali…"

But she shut Emily out. She closed her eyes, images of the pregnancy flashing through her mind. The countless fertility treatments they'd done. The joy on their faces when the pregnancy test came back positive. Listening to his little heartbeat for the first time. Telling the twins. Telling their friends. Coming up with his name. Planning everything about what they'd do after he was born.

"I'm having a nightmare. I want to wake up. Emily, tell me to wake up."

Emily lowered her head, trying to hold in her tears, trying to hold it together for her wife. Her heart was thrumming so fast she felt dizzy. She was vaguely aware of a nurse asking her if she was okay. She brushed her off, telling her she was fine. Though, for a few seconds she thought she was going to pass out.

But she forced herself to ignore her own pain and focus on Alison. She moved in closer to her wife. She placed a firm, yet delicate kiss against Alison's sweaty temple. She could actually taste her wife's pain on her lips.

"Baby, we're losing him. I'm so sorry, but we're losing him." Emily said it out loud. She needed to hear it just as much as Alison, because it was real. Whether they wanted it to be or not, it was real.

"We…we're not. It's just…he's going to be okay."

"Alison, listen to me. If you don't do what the doctors say we could lose you, too. The girls and I could lose you." She glanced at the machines monitoring Alison. She knew they were dangerously close to an emergency situation with Alison. "I know you don't want to…" She didn't want her to. Emily wanted to wake up from this nightmare, too. "But I can't lose you, too, Ali. I can't…"

Alison saw the desperation in Emily's face. And she knew she had no choice but to do as the doctor told her. He counted slowly, coaching her through as if it were a completely normal labor.

She had flashes to when the girls were born, her memories of that day full of brightness and happiness compared to the dark and dreary clouds looming in the hospital today. She wasn't sure what was being ripped apart more: her birth canal or her heart. She pushed, panted, and cried. And Emily was by her side the entire time.

"One more push…" The doctor had his hands up in between her legs.

"I can't." Alison cried. Not physically. Not emotionally. She just couldn't. She couldn't bring her son into this world just to lose him.

"Baby, you have to." Emily squeezed her hand, her eyes full of tears. She pressed her forehead against Alison's temple, lightly kissing the top of her jaw. "You have to."

Alison felt one final contraction and she yelped. She took a breath and looked at Emily for support, her big brown eyes telling her what she'd been saying all along: I'm here. She squeezed Emily's hand and let out a sob as she bore down.

There were no cries of joy from the mothers. There was no crying coming from the tiny little soul that was in the doctor's hands. The room was silent. And the silence was the loudest noise in the world.

Alison fell back against the bed, breathless sobs rocking her body. Emily pushed up as close as she could get to her, crawling against the side of the bed just so she could hold her. It was almost an effortless movement, a natural reaction to be there for her. Alison gripped her shirt tightly in her fingers, twisting the fabric as her tears soaked her clothing. Emily soothingly stroked the back of her head.

Their moment was broken up by the sounds of shuffling at the foot of the bed. The doctor cleared his throat. When they looked at him they saw a tiny bundled cloth in his hand and they knew their son was wrapped inside of it.

"Would you like to see your son?" His voice was soft, delicate. It almost sounded broken, despite the fact that he'd probably had to do this thousands of times before.

Alison couldn't bring herself to look, but Emily couldn't look away. She moved forward to see her baby. He was tiny. So small that he could fit in the palm of the doctor's hand. His brownish-red skin was thin and she could see his microscopic little threadlike veins that had once been coursing with life underneath his paper-thin skin. His eyes were closed, not fully developed yet. His arms were the size of Emily's pinky finger.

His little hands and feet were tiny, probably no bigger than the size of a dime. He had all ten fingers and all ten toes. His hands, hands that would never reach out for his mommies, were curled against his chest. His tiny feet – feet that would never touch the ground, feel the grass between his toes, feel the sand on the beach – were crossed at the ankles. He looked like a little doll that had been preserved in a shining coat of wax.

He looked beautiful to her. She felt her emotions bubbling to the surface, but she still refused to break down. Not in front of her wife. She had to be strong for Alison.

"Would you like to hold him?" The doctor offered.

Emily felt Alison shift, her curiosity getting the better of her. Emily looked at the exhausted blonde. Alison looked back at her and nodded silently, tears still streaming down her face.

They took turns holding him, telling him how much they loved him and how perfect he was. They spoke to him, they sang to him, they kissed his tiny fragile little body. They laid in the bed together for what felt like the longest time before a nurse came in, offering to take him so they could make molds of his handprint and footprint for them.

She took their tiny little boy from them, turning to offer to bring him right back with a cooling system for him so they could spend as much time with him as they wanted. But Alison told Emily she couldn't say goodbye to him again, so they told their son they loved him one final time before he was taken out of their lives for the last time.

When the nurse walked out Alison started to cry again. Emily pulled her close as she wept. The keening wails that echoed throughout the room didn't sound human. It was the primal cries that only came with the loss of a child. Emily held her, rocking her as she cried.

The thoughts going through Alison's mind were the loudest things she'd ever heard. What had happened? Why them? How long ago had it happened? When had it happened? Could they have done something more? If they had come to the hospital this morning like Emily had wanted would he still be alive? Or had it happened days ago and she'd just been carrying on as normal?

And the loudest question of all…

"Was…was it me? Did I do something wrong?" Alison sniffled.

"Oh, honey…" Emily reached out, stroking her cheek. "Baby, no."

"Then why did this happen? What happened to our little boy?"

Emily didn't have an answer, and it killed her. All she could do was hold her and be there for her.

They slowly let their friends and family know. Hanna made several phone calls for them, and then per their request, brought the twins to the hospital so they could be there with them when they got the news. Both girls sobbed and cried until they had no tears left to cry. They took the loss of their little brother incredibly hard.

They had a few visitors in the hospital, but for the most part their friends didn't want to overwhelm them, so they sent cards and flowers and all of their love. People didn't talk much about miscarriages. They didn't know how, and that was okay. Because it was better to hear a generic "I love you" than for someone to say the wrong thing. Sometimes the best thing to do was say nothing, and to act out of love instead.

Sometimes just being there was enough. So that's what their friends did. They loved them. A hand squeeze here. A hug there. A warm meal, or four. A realistic "I'm sorry. This fucking sucks. I love you," compliments of Hanna.

When they got home Emily busied herself taking care of Alison and the girls. The days went by in a haze. They had to go through something that they never in their wildest dreams thought they'd have to go through: picking out a tiny casket for their baby and planning a service for his burial.

The service was beautiful, a bittersweet testament to the impact the little boy had made upon their lives and the lives of their friends and family.

Emily managed to hold it together, throughout the service and the following days. She was Alison's rock. It was only when she was sorting through the nursery with Hanna one day when the girls were at school and Alison was asleep that she felt the feelings of grief consuming her.

She came across a little onesie her son would never get to wear. It was the one they'd picked out to bring him home from the hospital in. Of course, he'd been way too small for it at birth, so they'd buried him in something different.

"Em, I found some of Lily's and Grace's old baby toys. Do you want me to…"

When she turned around she saw Emily sinking down against the crib with the onesie in her hands, clutching it like a lifeline. Tears were streaming down her face. She started taking sharp harsh breaths. She couldn't breathe.

"Oh, Em…" Her best friend quickly crawled beside her and engulfed her in a hug.

Truth be told, it was a relief for Hanna to see her finally letting go. The girls had been worried that she'd been holding everything inside. She'd showed very little emotion at the hospital and at the service. They knew she was trying to keep it together for her wife, but they also knew it was in her nature to internalize until it nearly killed her. They knew that it was only a matter of time before it consumed her. Hanna was thankful she was there when it happened.

"Han…" She held the onesie near her face, imagining him wearing it, imagining what he'd look like in it, what he'd smell like…

"I know." Hanna replied soothingly. "I know, Em."

"He's gone." She choked.

Hanna knew there wasn't anything she could say to make it any better, so she just held her and let her cry. They stayed in their embrace for several minutes.

They heard a shuffling noise. When they looked up they saw Alison standing at the door. She walked towards them, slowly, almost ghost-like.

Emily dropped the onesie in surprise and wiped her cheeks, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She didn't want her wife to see her like this. She didn't want to worsen her grief.

"Ali, I…"

"Emily, it's okay." Alison felt her eyes filling with tears. She leaned down next to her wife, putting her palm against her damp cheek.

Hanna moved back, letting them have their space. She pulled the onesie off of the floor and stood up.

"You're supposed to be in bed resting," Emily said, her nose completely stuffed up from her crying jag.

"I want you with me." Alison felt a tear slip down her face.

She knew Emily needed her just as much as she needed Emily. Emily needed to grieve, too. Alison was aware that the brunette had yet to face her own feelings because she was too busy trying to protect hers. She knew Emily needed to rest, too.

"You can't hold it in forever, Em." Alison wiped away some of Emily's tears. "Come on." She held out her hand.

Emily didn't resist. Her entire body was aching with a pain that was more than physical. She followed Alison into their room. They crawled into the bed, Alison reaching out to wrap her arms around her wife. And for the first time, they cried, they grieved together.

In the following days and weeks they leaned on one another more than they ever had in the past. The pain never went away, but it got easier to manage with time. Losing a baby was very much like losing a part of one's soul. Their son had taken a piece of both of them with him.

There wasn't a day that went by that they didn't think of him. Of the birthdays he would never celebrate. Of the adventures he would never get to have. Of the goodnight kisses he'd never experience. They wondered what his first words would have been, what his laugh would have sounded like, and if he would have had a favorite bedtime story.

They often thought about things like how much he would have loved his big sisters or what his first day of school would have been like. Who he would have befriended. What he would have learned. How he would have changed society. Every time they saw a child exploring the playground, learning how to ride a bike, or taking their first steps they thought of him.

As a reminder of the impact he had on those around him they had the mold of his little hands and feet in a small casing on their mantle, along with a small golden plate with his name.

Samuel Wayne Fields
"It is the smallest souls that leave behind everlasting love. Forever in our hearts."

And those hearts were broken, but Alison and Emily wouldn't have their hearts be shattered for anything less. The heavy grief they had for him was because of the insurmountable amount of love they felt for him. That love was what they tried to hold on to. He was gone, but the imprint he had left on their hearts would last forever. They held that little boy in their hearts every second of every day.

And they always would.