Restless. Completely restless. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, he surrendered. Although Cora was angry, he couldn't fall asleep without her by his side.

He crept to the diving door and, after gathering courage, opened it slowly but resolutely.

"Cora?" He called tentatively into the dark. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but when they did he studied his wife's sleeping form in her, or rather what had now become their, bed.

He moved into the room and closed the door silently behind him. Folding himself neatly within the covers, he let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. Sleep was finally within reach. But soon, it had fluttered away from him once again.

"Do you think she's right?"

Robert opened his eyes to the soft sound of Cora's voice.

He turned his head to her. The whites of her eyes glistened in the moonlight.

"What?"

"Do you think I should see the doctor? The one in London." The question was whispered, defeated, and sad. The weight of it heavy on his heart.

He rolled to his side and faced her. He didn't answer for a time. He couldn't. The fear in her voice matched his own and the words wouldn't form in his throat without the crack of doubt. The despair in the air was palpable and suffocating. He could feel the hope that she so ardently wore was now completely stripped away from her, and it was unsettling.

"Only if you want," he managed. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to say he would as well. After all, it shouldn't take young couples over a year to conceive. They shouldn't have had fourteen months of disappointment. Not when they had been trying. Really and truly trying. Desperately trying.

He heard her push out a breath and watched as she rolled onto her back. Her chest rose and fell. "I feel so useless."

He picked up his head and stared at her. He was incredulous. "What?"

She shook her head as she stared at the canopy of their bed. "What use am I to you? You would have done better with a nice English girl."

The emotion came to him at once. He had no time to check himself. He sat up suddenly, and glared down at her. "Stop. Do not say that. Don't ever say that again. Do you understand me?"

The look on her face was shock first and foremost. Pure shock from the harshness of his voice. And then he saw the tears.

"Oh, Robert."

He leaned down over her and then atop of her, kissing her over and over.

"No," she pulled away. "I can't think about babies right now…please…"

He shook his head against her. "This isn't about babies."

She stilled and furrowed her brows.

He continued in a deep and steady voice. "I want to make love to you. Let me." The desire dripped from his words.

She pulled in several breaths before he saw her nod. She moaned against his mouth as his lips met hers again and she opened her legs to him. In a blur, they were soon skin to skin, sweaty and moving slowly, but ardently, against one another. Neither spoke, the only sounds made were the breaths and moans and sweet gasps in the heated darkness.

He caught her gaze as he moved within her and it excited him. With quickening movements he stared into her eyes, the blue of them warm with pleasure. When she whimpered with a trembling lip, her hands pulling him closer, her eyes still locked with his, he knew he couldn't resist anymore.

"I love you. I love you." He growled against her neck as he spilled inside of her, her soft legs wrapped around his middle.

"Oh Robert, my love," was her reply, the earlier despair completely evaporated from her voice and replaced by the fire within her heart.