Sorry I haven't updated in forever- lack of inspiration, maybe. Hope this is alright!

"Diana?" Dan asked, opening the door to their little house and putting his briefcase down. "Di? I need to talk to you."

"Dan!" a voice from the kitchen said, sounding alarmingly happy and wonderful. Confused, he made to go find her, before his wife emerged, fully made-up and dressed neatly and prettily, her hair clean and combed, an apron around her waist. "Hi, dear," she said, kissing him and taking his hand. "How was work?"

"Fine..." he said, thoroughly puzzled. This morning she had been blue as ever. The night before they had argued over whether or not to put some of the pictures of Gabe away and off the refrigerator. He had said they should, she had argued, and there were some scratches on his arms and a few broken glasses to prove it. 'We can't forget our son!' she had yelled. But here she was, perfect and beautiful. "How are you?"

"Wonderful. Feeling like I could conquer the world!" she yelled, turning on the spot. "I'm making dinner; it should be ready soon. Just sit down and wait-"

"Di, I wanted to talk to you." He had an idea; it had been churning in his head for a few weeks, and today he'd decided to talk to Diana about it. There couldn't have been more perfect of an opportunity if he'd asked for one.

"Sure, sweetie..."

She seemed distracted.

"Di-" he reached for her hand, pulling her down into a chair and kissing her. "You're in a good mood today."

"I'm feeling great, Dan- I feel like I'm going to make it through. I know it's already been eight months, but I'm really starting to get a handle on it. Maybe I, um... won't need that stuff anymore."

Dan raised his eyebrows.

"Not now- I mean, soon, maybe. If there's more days like this."

He nodded. "More days like this..."

"So you said you had something to say?"

"Yes," he took her hand again. "Di, I feel like we need something to distract us from all this grief. You seem to be getting better, and I know I've started to go through days without crying anymore. But this waiting isn't enough- we both need something to take our minds off of him."

"Like what?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "A vacation? Because I really don't think that's going to-"

"No. Something... permanent. To maybe fill this hole," he rested his hand against his heart. "And keep us busy."

"How busy?" she asked, looking suspicious.

"Busy enough not to... uh, sleep through the nights again. And maybe we'd have to paint a few rooms..."

"Dan. Clarify, now."

He swallowed- he certainly didn't want her to get angry with him again, or even be offended. But it was the best idea he'd had so far, and it would just have to work. "I think we should have another baby."

Diana just blinked, her face completely blank.

"Don't you see, Di? It's exactly what we need! Not to replace him- we could never, never do that. But we'll have something to take care of again, some one to love. Someone more important than ourselves- and we can do it, Di, I have faith in us. It'll be good. Think of it- a beautiful little baby..." Please agree... I need this, Diana. Not for you, for me. For us.

A huge smile broke out on her face. "Dan, you're... wonderful. And exactly right!" Throwing her arms around him, she kissed him full on the mouth.

I won't question it, he thought. But maybe this time... well, I'll do it right.

Six Weeks Later

Things had been going well, so far! Diana had been wonderful every day, cooking dinner, smiling, taking care of herself... Dan no longer feared what he would find when he got home from work. At six-thirty, he pulled into the driveway and cut the engine of the car, whistling to himself and hopping up the steps.

"Di?" he called. "I'm home!"

There was only silence.

"Di?" he asked, setting his keys on the table near the door. "Di?"

Still no reply. She's got to be here, he thought. She's always home when I get home from work...

A thumping noise came from upstairs, and his heart leaped a bit as he ascended the stairs. There was a light on in the bathroom, and the door was ajar. Carefully, he pushed it open to reveal his wife sitting on floor, the tile littered with pregnancy tests and bits of paper. She did not look up when he came in.

"Diana?" he asked, getting down on his knees and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Love- Diana- what's wrong."

Her eyes just started blankly as he tried to shake this out of her.

"Diana?"

"Dan, I'm pregnant."

He didn't know what to say. Why did she look upset? Wasn't this what they wanted? Didn't she say that this was a brilliant idea...? Hadn't she...? This couldn't be happening again!

"Diana- that's great!" he smiled, trying to get her to smile back. But she just shook her head.

"No."

"Yes, Di- it's wonderful! Isn't this what you wanted?"

All at once, her eyes seemed to burn as she stared him straight in the face. "No! This is what you wanted!"

He sat back. "Diana- I thought this would help-"

"It's all about making you forget, isn't it, Dan? Maybe I don't want to forget it! We can't all be numb like you! I don't want another child!"

"Diana, I know you'll love this child as much as- as much as you loved... him."

"Gabe, Dan. Gabe. We can't do this! Don't you remember?! He died. Gabriel- our little Gabe- don't you remember him? Gabe-"

"Stop!" Dan yelled, throwing up a hand to block her face from view. "Please... stop."

"He died because of us, Dan. Our child. And you want to have another one? You'll trust yourself- you'll trust me- to have another child?"

"Yes, Diana. I believe we can do it."

"Well then. You're a fool."

He nodded. "That may be the case. But I'd rather have hope than have lost it all."

She didn't speak for a moment. "I can't have this baby."

"Yes, you can. And you will," he stood up. "And you'll love our child, I promise."

She looked up at him, looking doubtful. "Really?"

"I promise. Everything will be ok." He held out a hand, helping her up to her feet. "I'll make it all ok."

We're going to have this baby. I won't mess it up this time. I know we can do it- the first time... well, that wasn't really our fault, was it? This time, we'll take care of everything ourselves. Di will get better. I'll help her.

Because that is what I have to do.

That night after Dan fell asleep, Diana lay awake thinking with her hand on her stomach. There was a tiny being in there now, she knew. Someone small and defenseless, who she had to care of. Why couldn't she? What was wrong with her, that she didn't want her own child?

But every time she shut her eyes to imagine this baby, she only thought of her little blond angel. The one she couldn't have.

"Mommy?" she suddenly heard in the dark, a whisper at once familiar and completely new.

"What's that?" she whispered, her heart pounding. "Who's there?"

"Mommy, it's me."

Then all the sudden she saw him. Her little boy, sitting on the end of her bed.

"Mommy, I couldn't sleep."

He was different. He wasn't the baby she had lost- he was older, a little. About... well, eight months older. He was bigger, but he was the same somehow. None of that mattered, though. He was here.

Tears filled her eyes. "Sweetheart, come here," she said, opening her arms to this miracle. Who had said he had died? He was right here. I knew he'd find a way to come back to me, she thought.

Dan was wrong. 'He' hadn't died. Gabe was right here.

His tiny body climbed into his mother's lap, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I missed you, mommy," he said.

"Oh, darling, I missed you too... I missed you so much. Don't ever leave me again," she pleaded, holding him tighter as her tears escaped.

"I won't mommy. I promise."

I can't wait to tell Dan, she thought. She was thought of waking him, but then she thought better of it. Gabe was hers. She had thought Dan understood, but it's clear he never had. He didn't have the same love for him that she held; otherwise Gabe would have returned to him, too.

Maybe this would stay her secret. At least for awhile.

She had Gabe. Maybe, if they had this child, it would all be alright, and Dan could love Gabe again. They could all be a family, and she would do something right, for once.

That will never happen to me again, she thought.

"I love you," she whispered, but heard nothing back.

He must be asleep, she thought.