boo: ...Okay, in case you haven't guessed just from the title, a few of you were right about what happens to the baby. Also, this is a very sad chapter. It was hard to write, and I suspect it will not be a fun one to read either. But it's important to the story, and from here there's much less drama crap until... you know, the end of the story.

Disclaimer: This is also almost the end of your buffer. Get writing!

boo: Yeah, so, making wedding cakes use up a lot of creative brain power...?

Disclaimer: Yeah, good point. boo does not own ToS, don't sue her, there really is no point.

Gone/Graveyard

Anna groaned, shaking her head to try and clear it, her thoughts slowly swimming into focus. Her head was spinning sickeningly, and she felt like she's been kicked in the gut. What had happened? She was at the Ranch? No, that was months ago. She'd been walking with Kratos, laughing about something. They hadn't seen the Desian trap until they were in the middle of it. Kratos had fought them off and... She couldn't remember what came next. She opened her eyes. Kratos was sitting next to her, reading.

"Kratos?" She asked, her voice rasping.

His head snapped up, the book dropping to the floor as his hands closed around one of hers. "Anna! You're awake!" He was smiling. He had such a nice smile...

"What happened?" She asked. "We were attacked...?"

His smile faded. "You... you took a stray arrow and fainted. I brought you to the doctor here in Palmacosta. You've been unconscious for a week..."

"Is the baby okay?" She asked, her free hand touching her stomach. Her, suddenly, too flat stomach. She looked down, registering the lack of swell in her belly. "...Kratos?" She asked, her raspy voice high and tinny in her ears.

"...The arrow hit you in the side." He said after a long pause. "I got you here as soon as I could, but... There was never any chance to save her. She's gone, Anna" Anna couldn't answer, as the tears suddenly welled up in her throat, blocking out any sound. Dimly, through the fog of misery she felt Kratos pull her into an embrace, and she clung to him like a rock in a storm.

"I'll take you to her grave as soon as the doctor says you can go." He told her quietly. "Anna... I'm so sorry..."

Several days later Anna sat before a small grave, a hand mindlessly threading itself through her hair. Kratos stood beside her, undoubtedly feeling awkward. He'd been very good to her since she'd woken up, while she was confined to a bed healing from emergency surgery. He was never far from her side, comforting her when she needed it, giving her space when she asked for it. She'd been doing a lot of thinking. They were going to have a talk soon.

But now she had something else to do.

"I didn't want you." She said quietly to the grave. "I didn't want what your father did to me, and I was... so angry, and afraid, and sad when I found out about you. But I never wanted you to die like this. I was going to give you up, to a family with no children. I wanted you to live, and be happy." She touched the little grave marker sadly. "Rose Irving. Uncle Kratos picked a good name for you."

She stood with Kratos' help. "Rose, we have to leave soon. And I can't bear to come here again, but I just wanted you to know..." She stopped, choking again as tears slipped down her face. "Your mommy loves you Rose. I'm sorry I never even... got to hold you."

She turned away and let Kratos help her out of the graveyard.

boo: Kindly review, and as always, if this chapter gets ten reviews I will update early!