A/N: When MTR Lover messaged me with a plea to finish this story, I flicked through my documents and couldn't believe it's taken me five months to write this chapter. Please, find it in your hearts to forgive me, it's probably not worth the wait. But after having psyched myself up about the three other stories I'm currently working on, I felt you lovely people deserved to have one completed at last. Try to enjoy as much as possible. :S

Silence.

Cornelius opened his eyes, and glanced at his son, who shrugged. He was expecting, if not a polite applause, then at least some rejection or just...something. Looking back out at the mute crowd, he confusedly began walking offstage with Wilbur in tow.

They were stopped as someone in one of the Top Boxes began applauding, the noise echoing around the cavernous room. Everyone's heads turned to get a glimpse at the person, the enormous wave effect quite a sight to see. Cornelius squinted, until a spotlight revealed none other than Grandpa Bud, standing backwards so that the smiley face drawn on the back of his head grinned down maniacally at his adopted son. The rest of the Robinson family quickly joined in, which opened the floodgates of the multitudes.

The two boys stood grinning as they received one of the loudest cheers they had heard the entire night. Cornelius looked on, amused, as Wilbur moved forward and gave a theatrical bow. He had a feeling that Drama would be one of Wilbur's best subjects, for some strange reason. Hang on, Cornelius thought slowly as he scanned the Robinson box. But where's...?

"Cornelius!"

His question was answered as Franny pushed roughly past the security guards and came hurtling onto the stage, launching herself into his arms with tears ruining her make-up. Cornelius actually fell over on impact, making the assembled families laugh as she landed in his lap with a thump. Wilbur smiled, embarrassed, and tugged at his mothers arm as she continued to cry into her husbands collar. Cornelius gently helped her up, and the trio made their slow way off the stage.

"You...Wilbur and hic...a song...Grace-" Franny spluttered wetly. Cornelius kissed the top of her head as they passed back through layers of dark scaffolding.

"Ssh..." He said quietly, and she hiccupped again, and he marvelled at how she could still be so beautiful even with her face all blotchy and red.

"Mum? You OK?" Wilbur asked tentatively, peering at his mothers face as they neared the exit. Franny choked back another sob and flung herself on Wilbur, squeezing the life out of him.

"Oh, Wilbur!"

"Is that a yes?"

Franny rolled her eyes at her son and kissed his nose.

"Mum!"

"You two were so…oh, God," Franny whimpered, and Cornelius wrapped his arms even tighter around her shaking shoulders as his own eyes started to tear up. Wilbur looked rather uncomfortable, and was glad when they stumbled out into the starry night to meet with the rest of the Robinson clan.

"There they are!" Lucile sing-songed loudly, running over to the small family with open arms.

"Golly, that was-"

"WOW, you two!"

"-So amazing-"

"Didn't even know-"

"You must be so proud!"

"That was so sad, I-"

"-You guys can play guitar! Perfectly!"

"-Couldn't stop crying!"

The family continued to rain down their admiration and wonder as the huddled group slowly made their way over to their cars. Wilbur couldn't stop blushing, so he ran ahead to open the car door for his mother. She seemed pretty much incapable of any activity at that moment, and Cornelius almost had to lift her into the car.

"You alright?" He asked her softly, reaching over to buckle her seatbelt. Franny just beamed at him with wet eyes, which he took as a 'yes'. "I love you," Cornelius murmured sentimentally, kissing her sweetly before closing the door with a click. Running around to the driver's seat just as people began to trickle through the stadium doors, he smiled at Wilbur in the backseat. Wilbur flashed him the thumbs-up. Well done, you.

Cornelius gripped his hair tightly, biting down on his lower lip while he sat in the darkness of Grace's bedroom, glasses on the floor beside him. They were of no use, he couldn't see anyway from the blinding tears and darkness. Cornelius wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, choking back the moan threatening to escape his throat. It hurt to be here, but he knew that he needed to confront and get over that hurt to be able to move on.

He was slouched against the wall opposite Grace's crib. Franny had told him she had passed away in her sleep, which only slightly eased the pain he felt building in his head. The pain in his chest, in his throat, ready to burst out his mouth in some form of anguished scream.

The tiny fingers, the blonde curls, the beautiful brown eyes he had first fallen for in Franny. How she would grab his glasses whenever he blew raspberries on her tiny belly, how she would chatter and gurgle nonsensically to Carl, and he would talk back. How she would rearrange her building blocks for half an hour, determined to get it right as he sat and smiled into her frustrated face. How she would curl into the groove his neck when he held her.

His darling girl. Grace Louis Robinson…she was gone.

Cornelius pulled his knees up to his chin, rocking back and forth against the wall as he started to sob. It wasn't fair. It shouldn't have happened. Not to her.

"Cornelius?"

Franny opened the door sightly, the glow from the hallway illuminating the tall figure huddled on the floor. She slipped in, closing the door again and feeling her way over to her miserable husband. "Ssh, it's OK," she muttered, holding him the way he had done earlier that night, after the concert. He looked up at her, his normally blue eyes red.

"No, It's not. We could have stopped it, prevented it from happening-"

"Cornelius…it did happen. There's nothing we could have done…she's dead," Franny mumbled into his ear. She had already been through this grieving process about five times before the boys even got out of the lab. Cornelius was shaking his head furiously.

"She can't be dead, she can't be, two months isn't life at all, she didn't do anything wrong…she shouldn't be gone," he said mournfully into Franny's neck. She ran her fingers over his back, trying to offer some kind of comfort. She knew it wouldn't help, but it stopped his sadness from turning into rage. For now.

"Our baby," Cornelius whispered, twisting his finger's through Franny's hair. She couldn't help the small whimper that left her mouth, gripping her best friend tightly. Her adjusted eyes flickered over the room around them, left exactly as it had been that horrible day. The scattered toys, the books and miniature clothes, the empty cot. The perfect, happy scene so tainted with sorrow that she could barely stand to sit with her husband amongst the remnants of their tiny girl.

"This...will take time. It's so damn hard to accept the facts...it's in the past, now. You have to keep moving forward, no matter how much we both want to go back."

Cornelius looked up with wide eyes. "The past...maybe...I can go back-"

"That's not going to help, Lewis, and you know it." Franny held him firmly against her, not allowing him to move. He bunched his hands in the fabric of her gown, resisting the urge to hit something.

"We have to do something!" He growled, refusing to submit to the horrible reality he was sitting in. Franny shook her head, rocking him gently, whispering soothing noises both of them desperately needed to hear. They stayed like that until Cornelius' heavy breathing quietened to a normal rate.

"Come to bed," Franny murmured, tugging Cornelius' arm. He got up slowly, still shaky and cold. He looked once more around him, and forced his legs to take him over to the cot. He stared down at Grace's hand-made blanket, his tears run dry. Reaching down to feel the soft fabric, he closed his eyes tightly and exhaled. I love you, he thought to the heavens, and a single tear leaked from his eyes, running down past his shaking lips. He bowed his head in almost a prayer, gripping the wooden frame of the cot. I love you so much.

Cornelius sat at his desk in the study, feet propped up and pen tapping against the hard wood as he gazed at the photo frame opposite him. In it, Franny was standing with his arms around her, Wilbur in the foreground holding Grace. They were all beaming out at him, and Cornelius was trying to contemplate a time after Grace's death when he had been that happy. He had been reflecting for almost an hour now.

Someone knocked on the door, and he called out for them to enter. It was Wilbur.

"Dad?"

He stopped clicking his pen. "Yeah?"

"Guitar practice in twenty minutes, don't forget." Wilbur had been doing lessons ever since their performance a month ago, and it amazed Cornelius how fast a learner he was.

"I won't. What song are you doing now?"

"Uhm…its like a highly modernised version of Pachelbel's Canon. Doesn't sound so lame anymore."

Cornelius smiled. "I'm sure."

"Seeya soon! Don't forget please, write a note or something." And he sprinted away. Cornelius never really understood why Wilbur felt the need to run everywhere. He resumed his tapping, looking around for a boring book he could read. Opening his desk draw, he picked up and flicked open his copy on Physics 101. Wilbur had received it through school, and Cornelius was trying to disprove as many statements made as possible. Just for fun.

"Cornelius? Got a minute?" Franny asked from the doorway, resplendent in a new blue dress she'd bought. He nodded, putting the book down as he smiled at her. She walked over gracefully, and nudged his feet off the tabletop.

"I was just thinking…I never really thanked you enough for singing that song. Little Wonders, it meant so much to me, and you boys doing it made the night so much more special…I just wanted you to know," She said tenderly, gripping his hand.

"Least we could do," he replied softly, reaching up to brush a stray hair from her face. She smiled, and leant down to kiss him. She loved the fact that their marriage was still so strong, after more than twenty years since their wedding.

"Feel free to thank me like this anytime, anywhere," He grinned against her mouth. She rolled her eyes, sliding off the desk. She was about to leave, hovering in the doorframe, when she decided something. Franny didn't move from her spot as Cornelius continued reading. She closed the door for a small amount of privacy, and he immediately looked up, searching her face as she twisted her wedding band around her finger.

"There's something else I have to tell you, Lewis."

Lewis? He thought blankly. Franny only called him Lewis in very intimate situations, or when he'd done something extremely stupid. This, he deduced, didn't fit much into either category. So what could have happened, which merited the use of his orphan name?

Franny smiled tentatively, stepping forward again so she could sit down deftly on his scattered papers. He reached out to hold her hand, and she looked down at their entwined fingers.

"This isn't about Grace, is it?" He asked softly. She shook her head.

"No. Well, kind of. Not really. But in some ways-"

"Franny, spit it out."

"Sorry." She sighed, and closed her eyes. After a brief moment, she opened them and smiled serenely at Cornelius.

"I'm pregnant."

THE END. FINALLY. -bows to a very scattered applause-

Thankyou for reading, my fantastic friends. It is my pleasure. If you enjoyed this story, go to my author page to check out the others Im currently inscribing. The writing isn't as bad, because I've had a tonne of practice since this one. If you loved Pregnant, review. If you didn't, review. If you don't really care, review. I'll try to return the favor ;) If you're really unhappy with the ending, I can write an epilougue...you'll have to give me the ideas, otherwise I won't have a clue as to how it goes. All praise goes to MTR Lover for kicking my butt back into action. Until next time, sayonara sweethearts! xx