"You're beautiful, you know that?"

Taylor looked up at Ratchet, her eyes gazing into his calm teal ones. The two of them were cuddled up on the couch, Taylor sitting on her husband's lap and Ratchet has his hands folded on hers. The baby was asleep in his room, and most of the lights were off. The two of them had been flipping through shows aimlessly, neither of them having said a word until now.

Taylor turned her head back around and leaned back on him, resting her hands on his. "Oh, really?" she said quietly with a small smile. It didn't reach her eyes, and Ratchet could see that.

He took the remote and shut the TV off before looking over to his wife again. "Wonderfully. Why do you think I married you?" he replied in a lower voice. He took her hand and squeezed it.

Taylor could tell he knew something was up, but tried to pretend he didn't. "Well, because you're great like that." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on his shoulder.

Ratchet frowned, a sure sign that he wasn't going to simply let this slide. "You're an amazing person, sweetspark, and because of that I always want to make sure you're happy." He paused, squeezing her hand again a little bit and leaning his head on hers. "So tell me what's wrong."

She sighed, knowing she couldn't hide it now. Her head rolling over to lean on his a little more, she answered. "It's.. just been a long day. I was barely able to get anything done, mostly because I'm still recovering."

He nodded a little, and she could feel his spark sink a little. "I know. It's been hard for you to come back from something like that. But you're doing well, and just because you're a little behind doesn't mean you can't do it."

She swallowed, trying not to let herself choke up. "I could have died, Ratchet. The baby could have died. He's okay now, but the whole experience... it makes me wonder if we'll be okay," she whispered, biting her lip. As she spoke, she kept her eyes closed.

The medic pulled back from her to look her over seriously. She seemed slouched, tired and upset. He had known that she had been feeling down about something, but he had thought she would be able to handle it on her own. Sometimes he forget that she was still so fragile. How could he have let this slide? He sighed a little sadly, one hand intertwining his fingers with hers, while the other turned her head to face him.

"Taylor," he said softly. "Taylor, open your eyes and look at me."

The silver haired woman sighed as well, a little shakily. Her blue eyes finally fluttered open, staring into his. Immediately, she felt tears rise, and she felt guilty for saying something like that to him. Before she could apologize, he pressed his lips against hers, promptly keeping her quiet. She didn't act as surprised as she would have a few years ago, but she had not been expecting it, that was for certain. He held onto her for a few minutes, letting her relax a little before letting go.

He stared at her, running his hand down her face. "I understand why you would feel that way. And I'm not upset at you for doing so. It's okay." He pressed his forehead against hers, smiling a little at her. "But you always tell me that we got married knowing that there would be more difficulties because of the way we are, and that we will overcome them together. Don't start to doubt that now, okay?" He kissed her on the forehead this time, resting his chin on top of her head while gently rubbing his thumb over her hand.

For a moment, she was quiet, letting the words settle in. Finally, she let out a shuddering sigh, nodding her head and burying her face into his chest. She didn't want to shove her fears onto him sometimes, but he was here for her. Even as they grew older and overcame some of their past troubles, there always was something that the other could comfort them from. She quietly let tears soak into his shirt while gripping his hand tightly. He only continued to rest his chin on her head, letting her just stay with him. Occasionally, he kissed the top of her head or squeezed her tighter into the hug. After a little bit, he began rubbing circles over her back to calm her.

After they had relaxed, sitting there for maybe twenty to thirty minutes, they heard their son start to wail from the other room. Taylor finally pulled herself away from his chest, glancing down the hall where he was supposed to be sleeping. The sound of her child crying somehow made her feel even better, and she chuckled a little bit as she turned back to face him.

"Why don't we go face that together, too," she said softly, planting a kiss on his cheek before getting up.

He smiled fondly, still holding her hand as he stood up. He kissed her on the cheek, too, and it was as if they were playing a silly game of who could kiss the other last. "Of course, beautiful."

Taylor felt a small bit of heat rise to her cheeks as they began walking towards the nursery. "I'm not that beautiful," she muttered with a silly grin.

"Don't after arguing with me, dear."

Hope you liked it, @_silent_rage_