Couple

Nightwing stretched, suddenly awake from slumber by someone's tears. He knew it could only be one person, considering she was the only one in the room with him.

He listened to her soft cries, watching as she wiped at her face. Her head was tucked into the pillows, the back of her head facing him.

She was on her side as she continued crying, her hands tucking her hair behind her ear.

His face softened at the sight, still not used to it. She had been crying for days. Only at night.

She didn't like showing weakness in public, or during the day. But at night, he often found her cradling the picture in her hands, her small form crumpling as she stared down at it.

Nightwing scooted closer towards her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

She flinched at this, but then she turned her head slightly, her voice raw and broken.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Richard."

He smiled, wiping my away some of the tests that had been on her face.

"I don't mind, Rae."

She smiled weakly, her hands clenching the photo she currently had. It was black and white, typical, and the small form in the picture made her tears flow faster.

"When will this pain go away?" She asked, turning her head and body around to face him, the picture firmly in her grip as she looked up at him.

He sighed gently, looking up at the ceiling above them as he thought of what to say.

"I don't think it ever will, Rachel. I think it might become more of an ache someday, but never really go away."

A silent tear escaped her eye, her body shivering as she kept reliving the day. It had been such a happy day for them, and then just like that, it turned into a tragedy.

She let him take the picture from her, his own eyes locked onto it. He felt his heart plummet as he looked from the photo to Raven.

She bit her lip, her eyes now red and eyelashes wet from the constant crying. She looked around the room, noticing the small pair of shoes she had gotten, now sitting on the top shelf of their open closet.

He placed the picture back into her hands, and Raven hugged it to her sweater-clad chest.

She looked into his eyes, his heart breaking a little at her words and voice as she spoke to him.

"I just.....I just wanted a baby...."

She broke down, and he sat up, his back against the headboard as he held her while she sobbed.

She gripped his shirt, her eyes closed against his chest. She let the tears flow freely, letting the picture fall between them.

"And all I got was a corpse." She whispered, inhaling deeply to try to calm her nerves.

"A corpse, Richard. It's not fair."

He felt tears stinging at his own eyes as he recalled the last few months. She had gotten pregnant, and they had done everything right, so careful because of who they were.

A week ago, she was rushed to the hospital after her water broke. She and Nightwing had been so excited, so ready.But then, the worst happened.

The baby was stillborn.

The cord had wrapped around the baby girl's neck and killed her. The doctors couldn't save her.

Raven hadn't cried in the hospital, nor did she shed a tear on the ride home. It was while they were sleeping that night when she burst into tears, having gone to reach for her stomach and realizing there was nothing there.

Nightwing had tried to comfort her, but that just resulted in him crying as well. They were a devastated couple.

"You're right Rae, it's not fair."

He rubbed her back, his eyes scanning the room for the baby onesie peeking out of their top dresser.

He spotted it and looked away quickly, a tear rolling down his cheek as he did so.

"Rachel?"

She stopped crying for a minute, looking up at him and swallowing harshly.

"Yes?"

He smiled lightly, keeping her close to him as he gave her a question to answer.

"Do you still want a baby?"

She bit her lip to keep from crying, closing her eyes and speaking, her voice soft and small compared to his own.

"Of course I do."

He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, then picked up the picture of the sonogram, placing it in the nightstand drawer next to him and kissing her nose softly.

"Then let's try again."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she removed herself from his chest, sitting up and looking at him closely.

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course I do, Rachel."

She hugged him, glancing at the photograph over his shoulder and closing the drawer with her powers, holding him tightly.

Her mind raced as she began thinking about pregnancy all over again. But one thought kept nagging at her mercilessly.

Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck, and her voice was muffled slightly, but he still heard her.

"Richard?"

"Mhm?"

"I'm scared."

He sighed against her, holding her tightly, as if he would lose her, too.

"So am I, Rae. But I won't stop trying until we have our child."

He kissed her ear, looking out the window next to their closet and smiling at the many stars.

"We're going to have our little Rhiannon." He whispered, keeping his eyes on the shooting star that was now passing.

Raven nodded, hugging him tighter and speaking just as quietly as he had.

"Or our little Rhys."

He smiled at this. She was thinking about boy names now, too.

"Or our little Rhys. Either way, we're having a baby."

She looked him in the eyes, a smile now apparent on her tear-stained face. He smiled back at her, his fingers drawing patterns on her back.

"Or two?"

His maskless blue eyes widened this time, and she laughed, and he reveled in the sound of it.

He hadn't heard that sound in a week. That beautiful sound that made him shiver.

He raised a brow, feeling her hands in his semi-long hair.

"You want two now?"

"Maybe."

He chuckled, wiping away one last year from her face before speaking into the air.

"Then I guess it's gonna be Rhiannon and Rhys."