When I got back to the truck, mom was finishing up a phone call. She just handed me the keys and I started it up. The drive across base wasn't too long or unfamiliar. I've been to dad's office here on Fort Bragg many times before. I think this is the first-time mom has been here in years though. I just pulled into a parking spot when mom got off the phone.

"That was your dads attorney, he works in the same building and is going to let us inside now that we are here." Mom said and I just nodded and killed the truck. We got out of the truck and made our way to the front door of the office building.

Inside the reception area dad's attorney was standing by the reception desk. Turns out I've met him a few times before in passing. Always coming or going from Dads office.

"Good afternoon, you must be Shannon, we just spoke on the phone. I'm Jason Pretoria. I know we've only met in passing before but your dad talked very highly of you Daniella." Jason said and held out his hand. I clenched my jaw and shook it.

"Thank you" I said wishing to get on with things.

"We'll go up to my office first and go over the special instructions Peter left behind and after I'll show you both to Peters office where you wont be disturb. I'll just knock on the door when I'm getting ready to leave for the night to see if you've gone yet. Shall we?" Jason said and pointed towards the elevator bank behind him.

Mom nodded and we followed behind Jason to the elevators. We silently rode up to the sixth floor before the ding was heard and the doors slid back open. I took moms hand in mine as we followed Jason down a long hallway to his office. It was only then did I take off my sunglasses and slipped them into one of my many front pockets. Mom and I turned a lot of heads as we walked inside. I'm sure the news of dads passing has spread around base and I knew that I'll be turning heads for the rest of the week I'll be here.

Jason opened the door to his office for us and we walked in and sat down in front of his desk. He closed the door a few moments later and took his seat while opening the folder he had open on his desk.

"So everything was pretty much straight forward. You guys don't have to do anything with Peters monetary assets. All of Peters bank accounts had predetermined beneficiaries attached to them so once I send over an official death certificate they will liquify the accounts and spread the money accordingly. He did have trusts set up for Daniella and Dominic. His wishes were that his pension, retirement accounts and death benefits be split equally between the two trust. There are rules he put in place to access the trust though. For Dominic, he can only access the funds for any additional schooling, for the purchase of a house or if he encounters financial hardships to which he could prove. If none of those happen, the trust will dispense the funds on his 28th birthday.

"As for you Daniella, the you can access the trust when you either retire from the military or encounter financial hardships to which you could prove, otherwise the trust will dispense the funds on your 30th birthday. There is also a subsection in both trusts that pertains to marriage. If either of you were to get married before these funds were dispensed, the funds were to be placed into an account which only you or Dominic were able to access."

Jason paused and I took a breath as there was a lot to unpack with that opening. I was happy to know Jason was getting right down to it and there weren't any emotions getting involved.

"Am I allowed to know how much in assets the trusts current hold?" I asked.

"Of course. The trust fund accounts are currently going to be receiving a large increase once the money is reallocated from your fathers current accounts. I think with everything factored in I believe they each have about five hundred thousand dollars in them. The accounts will be managed by your fathers financial adviser until they are ready to be accessed and I will give you his information in a little bit." Jason said.

"Did you know?" I asked and turned to look at mom.

"I knew he had made a lot of great investments over the years but no, I didn't know about the figures. Your father and I kept most of our accounts sperate." Mom said.

"As for Peters tangible items, his condo here on base is to be sold whenever you guys are ready. Everything inside excluding any military documents are yours to do with what you please. Same goes for everything in his office. All of his personal effects are yours, but someone will be by tomorrow to remove all confidential material from his office. Even though you do have some security clearance levels Daniella, you are not permitted to read the reports he has in his office." Jason stated.

"What about any firearms found in either his office or his condo?" I asked.

"They are bequeathed to you and only you. If you wish to keep them, you just have to register them in your name. If you choice not to, you can just turn them in to the armory here on base and they will take care of the rest. There are a few other personal bequeaths Peter made in his will. Daniella, he specifically wanted you to have his West Point graduation ring and his second dog tag. Dominic is to receive Peters 1970 Chevy Chevelle. Shannon you are to receive any and all artwork Peter has in the condo and his wedding band."

I sat back in my chair and just sighed. This is how everything is going to go. Dad's gone and we are basically just left with picking apart his things. Everything just feels wrong. Just when I though I was going to get through this without wanting to throw up my breakfast Jason started speaking again.

"There are also letters for each of you from Peter and there is one for a Lieutenant Morgan Alexander." My head snapped up at Jason and my eyes started to water.

"He left Morgan a letter?" Mom asked for me.

"Yes, he also named her as a beneficiary on an account he had. There is also a specific bequeath he left for her, he wanted her to have one of his combat jackets which should be found in his closet." Jason finished.

"Is there anything else?" Mom asked.

"That is all I have for you. I do have a key to his office and you guys should have a copy of the key to his condo. I can assume that you can give this letter to Dominic?" Jason said and gave us the letters but still held onto Morgans.

"Yes we will give it to Dom. Can I please take Morgans letter with me?" I asked.

"I need to speak with her about Peters wishes." Jason said holding firm to the letter.

"But she's not coming back, not any time soon. We are getting deployed and she is on a plane right now back to Fort Benning to prepare. Please let me bring this to her." I pleaded, somehow amazed I managed to correct my slip up in front of mom.

"As long as I can speak with her shortly about this then yes, I can give you her letter. Here is my card also, please tell her to give me a call when she has a free moment." Jason said and handed me Morgans letter and his business card I sighed in relief. "Before we move downstairs Daniella, these are for you." All of a sudden Jason was holding out a small manila envelope. I took it from him and pulled open the fastener and turned it over in my hand.

Dads West Point ring and dog tag fell into my palm and it took my breath away. I could only stare at them like they were burning a hole in my hand. I clenched my fist and pulled my sunglasses back over my eyes to hide the tears welling in them.

"Can we go?" I asked and started to stand even before there was an answer.

I needed to get out of this room before I'm not able to control my tears. Mom took the letters from my hands and stood with me as Jason hurried from behind his desk. He lead us out of the office and to the elevator bank were there just so happened to be one stopped on this floor already going down. We got inside with the other men in uniform and nobody said anything. Everyone could feel the tension in the car as we rode down the three flights to the third floor. We left the elevator and walked together to dads office. The gold name plate is still on the door when we got there and Jason unlocked the front door, a door that was always left open when he was here. Once the first door was open I found that Dad secretary Nancy wasn't here which made things easier. Jason unlocked the door to dads actual office then and left us.

Mom went right into dads office but I hung back in the waiting room for a few minutes. Memories came flying back of the first time I was on base after I graduated basic and came to see Dads office. He was so excited to show me off to all of his friends that I graduated from basic. Then again when I graduated from sniper school and later from Ranger school. So many memories of me coming and going from the office when I was stopping on base for more trainings or lay overs while waiting for a flight back to Fort Benning. Then there were early memories when I was little laying out on the floor of the waiting room coloring or when I came in for bring your daughter to work day.

I pulled the sunglasses off my face and finally walked inside dads office. Mom was just looking around the office as I walked inside. My fingers ran along the hard wood of the desk as I came around and sat down in his desk chair. All I could think about was dad lying somewhere in this office cold and unresponsive.

"Do you where it happened?" I asked and mom stopped looking around the office to look at me.

"No, I wasn't told. They just said he suffered a heart attack while at work. They didn't go in detail." Mom said and sat down in one of the chairs I always sat in.

Finally it registered in my brain that I was still holding tightly onto the ring and dog tag so I unclenched my fist and dropped them onto the desk. Next I took my hat off and put it down on the desk as well before putting my head in my hands to try and calm my thoughts.

"What did you mean before when you said Morgan wouldn't be back for a long time?" Mom's voice broke through the fog that tried to settle in my brain.

"We have three more months on our tour mom, it's a long time." I tried to deflect.

"What aren't you telling me?" Mom sighed seeing right through my bullshit.

"Our tour got extended." I answered.

"For how long?" Mom asked and I looked up from my hands.

"There's no return date on our orders." I said looking defeated.

"Were you not going to say anything?" Mom asked sounding upset.

"I was going to wait till later in the week. I didn't want to add this on top of everything going on." I offered.

"I wish you would have told me this morning when you said you were leaving again." Mom said.

"I didn't know when you found me in the bathroom. I didn't finish reading the brief. Once I saw the orders I bolted to the bathroom and didn't finish reading it until Morgan told me to when I stormed outside." I answered.

Before mom could answer there was a knock on the door and my hand reached for a gun at my hip but only came up empty. I shot up from the chair ready to look for a weapon when my eyes landed on who was in the doorway. It was someone in uniform I don't recognize.

"Sorry to bother you Staff Segreant, I just wanted to let you know we left some boxes out here in the waiting room for you to use. When you're finished, we can help you bring them out to your vehicle." The private said.

"Thanks private, you're dismissed." I said and calmed my wild heart beat.

The private left us then and I found a blank piece of paper and a marker on the desk. Quickly I wrote a do not disturb sign and grabbed a piece of tape before walking out to the outer door. I stuck the sign on the door and mostly closed it. I didn't want anybody walking in on us again without at least knocking first. When I returned into dads office, I took one of the boxes the private left for us to use and placed it on top of the desk.

I wanted to clear out dads office today so that later this week, we can go through the condo. Taking another look around the room, mom and I can definitely get it done tonight. But one look at moms face and I knew she was still upset with me for keeping the length of my tour a secret.

"You have ever right to be upset about it because I am too, but this is me trying to keep it together, I promise we can talk about it later but for now, can we just get through dads office?" I sighed.

Mom only nodded and stood from her seat. Together we spent the afternoon looking through dads office and collecting all of his personal items. Plenty of framed photos, dad with friends, Dominic and I, ones of the four of us before mom and dad got divorced. Proudly on his desk, right in the middle of it so he would see it every day, was a photo of mom and dad from their wedding. Mom was looking in the other direction laughing at something that must have happened off camera while dads gaze was firmly on her. There were a few times I've walked into his office unannounced and found him talking to this photo and it made me pause and sit down with the frame in my hand.

Even though their marriage ended, he knew there would be no other person for him other then mom. I do remember him trying to go out on a few dates here and there after the divorce was finalized but they never panned out so he stopped trying. He was still firmly committed to mom, even though he knew he would never be able to have her again.

When mom saw that I stopped packing things up she came around to see what I saw looking at. I didn't have the heart to pull the photo away and she saw it. Mom ran her hand through my hair and pulled me into her side.

"Where did you find this?" Mom asked.

"On his desk. He always kept this picture there. He would talk to you some times when he needed to think things through." I said and let mom take the photo from my hands.

"I really hope you know how much I loved your father." Mom said, her voice catching at the end of the sentence.

"I do know. I know how much you tried to stay with him, how much you wanted to stay with him but he let this job get in the way." I said and wrapped my arm around moms waist.

Neither of us said anything for a little while as we let the moment wash over us. It took us a while to get up and get moving again. Mom left the photo of her and dad proudly on display as we continued to pack up the office. Various awards and certificates were packed up in a different box with my scratchy handwriting labeling the side of it. One of the other boxes we made up was for service patches and photos of dad with various teams he helped and served with over the years. One photo in particular caught my eye. It was of dad with Ryan's unit. I left that frame towards the top of the boxes as I wanted to bring that picture with me when I leave.

The sun set by the time mom and I finished up getting everything in boxes. We were both just sitting in the chairs in front of dads desk taking in the mostly empty office when there was a knock on the door. I sighed and turned my head before yelling enter. The door opened and I watched Jason walk inside, each step hesitant like he doesn't know if he should have even knocked in the first place.

"I just wanted to let you ladies know I'm heading out for the evening. If you have some stuff ready, I have a few guys that can start loading your truck." Jason said.

"That would be very kind, thank you Jason. We are just going to stay in here for a little bit longer, if that's alright." Mom said.

"Of course, take all the time you like. Daniella knows her way out of the building. There is someone here who would like to see you both if you're up to it." Jason said.

"Sure, you can send them in when they're ready." Mom said and stood from her seat while I stayed seated.

The private who knocked on the door before enter with another private. They had a cart with them and were able to stack all of the boxes onto the cart so they were able to make one trip. Mom told them the make and model of the truck before they left with Jason. It took another few seconds before a women entered the office and I sighed. It's Nancy Peterson, dad's secretary.

The women has been dads secretary for the past 11 years. He told me she was the best secretary he ever had and did everything he could to keep her around. Their was a brief time when I thought that maybe her and dad would try dating but that never happened. He was so committed to keeping her as a secretary that he would never push outside the realm of friendship. I think another reason why they worked so well together is that Nancy is a civilian and isn't afraid to stand up to dad. She never took his shit and when she did, she was never afraid to give it right back to him. It always put a smile on my face to watch them go back and forth.

Her expression was full with sorrow. I don't know how much mom would know about Nancy so I stood up and walked to meet her where her desk is. She opened her mouth to say something to me but I didn't let her. I just pulled her into a hug and held her close to me. I don't remember if I saw her at wake or funeral but she was most likely there.

"I'm so sorry" Nancy said on the verge of tears.

"It's okay" I said and tried to will away my own tears.

"I was in a meeting with in a meeting with General Karako and it ran late... When I came back into the office Peter was just sitting in his desk chair. I didn't know something was wrong until I told him I was leaving for the night and he didn't answer. He always answers. So I went to check on him and and" Nancy broke off into a sob and couldn't hold back my own sob.

The hole in my chest was back two-fold and I didn't know what to do. Nancy was able to pull herself together after a little while but I couldn't. That's when I felt a hand on my back and I just crumbled. Mom caught my dead weight and we both just sank to the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around my body as I came undone again.

a/n: kind of short, but needed to know what else Peter left behind. so now we know what happened to Peter and where. song on the side is This is me trying by TS. at this point I should just get her to sponsor this work. Will Dani be able to catch a break?