This line just came into my head and I thought it would make an interesting oneshot. Sorry if they're a bit out of character and I'm in the process of reading the book so this is based mostly on the BBC miniseries. I hope you like it.

Margaret was sat in shock, the cold body of her stillborn child held close to her. John sat down slowly next to her, careful not to disturb her. Wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder, he let her burrow her face into his chest, feeling the heart wrenching sobs before he heard them. He looked down at the still, silent face of his son, hesitantly reaching out to stroke his cool cheek.

He felt his wife's weight shift as her head moved to look upwards. She was staring straight at him, looking him straight in the eye. But her eyes were haunted, the beautiful crystal clear blue was clouded over with tears. Gently he wiped her cheek.

A horrible silence had hovered since they had found out their son was stillborn, looking at his wife's tearstained face, John wasn't going to be the one to break it.

'He's dead John.' Margaret's voice was barely a whisper. John could say nothing. He could only watch as Margaret pulled the cold, dead body of her baby close to her chest, her head bent over as the tears spilled freely.

John just sat, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles had been drained of blood. He'd known hardship, he'd suffered, he'd seen death before, knew stillbirths happened. But why to him? Why to Margaret? What great sin had they committed that their son should never live? His head filled with questions as slowly the tears of frustration, anger and heartbreak began to fall. He wiped them away quickly, tears would not bring him back, or help Margaret.

Someone entered the room but neither John nor Margaret noticed.

'We'd best take the body away.'

The voice of authority loomed over but Margaret shook her head and held him ever closer.

'No, please…. no….'

A voice in Margarets head repeated the words she had spoken to Bessie:
'If I ever have a son, I'll not hold on to him as she does.'

'No,' thought Margaret as the baby was lifted from her arms, 'I'll hold on tighter.'

Reviews are always nice and I do have a couple of ideas that could spin off this if I feel like it should be turned into a full story...