Logan didn't seem to notice the tension between us as he kept babbling on about all the 'soldier' things I told him about. Then finally I think he had enough of us just staring at us an ran off towards the playground.

"He's a really cool kid." I said and thumbed over in the general direction where Logan ran off too, trying to break the awkward tension that fell over us.

"He really is the best. I uhm, heard about your dad, I'm sorry for your loss." Mallory said and finally took her eyes off of mine. Only then did I have a chance to breath. Seeing Mal for the first time in 10 years is about to give me a heart attack. I was hoping I would be able to come home and leave again before she notice I was even here, but that just went right out of the window.

"Thank you. Uhm, I don't really mean to be this person but do you normally let Logan just run around by himself in the playground? He just came right up to me with no fear and started asking me about the army." I said.

"No, he's seven and full of energy all the time, he runs off a lot and he knows to not talk to strangers or leave the playground. I've went over this a few times with him. He just so damn fast, once second he is in front of me and then next he is off to the races somewhere else." Mal said and kept her eyes on her son not the slightest bit offended at my comments.

"That's good. I'm going to head out now, I need to finish my run, I stayed here longer then I thought I would have anyway." I said trying to find an exit to this conversation, fast.

"So you're still in then I'm guessing?" Mal said and pointed to the side of my face. That god damn grenade blast.

"Yup, just hit ten years actually, was going to celebrate it with dad when I got back from deployment" The rest of my sentence died on my lips when I thought that it a little bit more. Dad's gone. My eyes suddenly started to water and I knew I needed to leave, now.

"I gotta go." I said and didn't even wait to hear a response from the girl I used to love before I took off running out of the playground and towards home.

The rest of my run didn't take long. I just push myself harder to get home faster. My normal pace of steady but fast was abandoned and I just pushed myself in an all-out sprint. The tears streaming down my fast made it hard to see some times but I just kept wiping them away and pushed through. I finally made it home and saw moms car in the driveway. I threw open the door when I got to it and slammed it close after myself.

I turned around and slid down the door and put my face in my hands. The last wall I had up was finally braking and I sobbed. I sobbed so hard it felt like I couldn't breath. Everything that I had been holding in since I got the news came out and I couldn't stop it. I ripped my hat off my head and threw it somewhere before putting my head in between my legs to try and help the panic. My dad is gone. The man who did everything in his power to help me succeed in my career even when his own job and reputation was on the line. The man who would always pick me up when I was down. The man who taught me everything I know in being a good soldier, is just gone now.

I don't know how long I was sitting on the floor for when I felt someone wrapped their arms around me and pull me into them, mom. She didn't say anything. She just held me tight to her, like the rock she has always been for this family while dad and I were deployed. Her long fingers combed through my hair after she pulled it out of my bun and as she hummed some lullaby she used to sing to Dominic and I when we were kids. It helped. Slowly but surely, the tears slowed and eventually stopped, only to be replaced by this giant gaping hole in my chest that I don't know how to fill.

"When I got home, we were going to celebrate my 10 years of being in, and now he's gone." I said and rested my forehead against moms shoulder.

"After the funeral, I've made some arrangements to come with you to Fort Bragg to go through his apartment. We also need to meet with his lawyer there to go over his will to see about how wanted to distribute his assists. After everything gets settled the two of us will go out and celebrate not only your ten years of service to this country, but also him and his life." Mom said.

I lifted my head from her shoulder and took a few deep breaths before nodding at her, I couldn't trust my voice right now. We stayed on the floor for another few minutes before I felt okay enough to stand up. I still need to shower as I could now really start to feel the sweat that is caked onto me. Mom nodded and watched me walk up the stairs. I didn't bother going to my room, just straight for the bathroom. The warm water felt great and I tried to not let this mornings meltdown get the best of me.

When I got out of the shower I changed into a plain t-shirt and shorts before I went downstairs. Mom was back in her studio judging from the music coming from the back of the house as I found my hat hanging off the banister. I left it there before going into the kitchen and made myself something for lunch. Once I got everything I wanted, I made mom a grilled cheese sandwich and brought it into the studio for her. Right now it looks like she is working on a mural. The canvas is dark still, it looks like mom is trying to find the right inspiration for this work that she hasn't found yet. I put the plate down on the little side table she has set up and stayed with her for another minute.

"This is supposed to be your father, but I don't know what to paint." Mom said and sighed turning away from the canvas to look at me.

"What about before? When you guys first started seeing each other? Or maybe after right after Dom and I were born." I suggested to her.

"Thanks chicken, go off now, I need to try and finish this for Friday." Mom said and waved me away before picking up one of the triangles of grilled cheese.

I watched as she got up from her chair and started rifling through a box on her desk before I took my leave. When I got back to the table I slowly ate my lunch and downed some water. As I finished up my phone started to buzz on the table and I flipped it over to see Morgan was calling. I've put off talking to long already, I have no choice but to answer now.

"I know you like to go silent when things happen but I've been trying to get in touch with you. Where do you keep your dress ribbons? They aren't on your jacket and I need to be on the plane in a little less then an hour." Morgan said in a rush.

"They are in the shoe box underneath the garment bag in my closet. Hey can you actually do me a favor?" I asked as I heard Morgan pull open my closet door.

"We are going to talk about the place you keep your ribbons later but I got them along with your uniform, I saw everything else in the bag. What else did you need?" Morgan asked.

"Do you have any patches lying around for your unit? I'm going to ask Rob to get a few from mine but I met a kid today and wished I had some extra to give him." I asked.

"We are totally going to talk about the kid thing when I see you in person but yes I can get some. Anything else you need before I leave the house?" Morgan asked.

"No I think that's it. Send me your flight details so I know when to come down to base to come and get you." I said.

"You got it Staff Segreant." Morgan said and hung up the phone. I sighed and shook my head before dialing Roberts number.

"So you did make it home in one piece, a text would have been nice." He said once he answered the phone.

"Sorry, its just been a lot being home again. I know Morgan is getting ready to leave but before you do, can you get me a couple of patches from our unit?" I asked.

"Yea sure, I also wanted to give you a heads up a lot of guys are coming to the funeral. Your dad did a lot of good with the teams and the ones that aren't deployed are coming down to pay there respects." Robert said and I sighed.

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll tell my mom to expect a lot more then we originally thought." I said.

"Any time, I'm going to say bye to my wife and kids now, I'll see you in a few hours." Robert said and hung up.

With the news that both of my best friends are on their way here, I could breath a little easier. With them, I didn't have to hide the Army part of my life. They are the ones who have seen me the most over the last ten years. They know my ins and outs and how I deal with things now. Being home I still feel like I have to walk on egg shells a bit.

I cleaned up my mess from lunch and returned to my room to finish unpacking my duffle bag. Most of this stuff needs to be washed. Once I cleared medical in Turkey, I had only an hour to clean out my room before my flight out of country. So I went down to the wash room and started to unpack my duffle. I really should have done it outside because the amount of sand that came out with my clothes can be turned into a sandcastle. I separated a few things and started the first load of laundry before grabbing a broom and sweeping up the sand. Just as I finished in the mud room I heard the front door shut and some light footsteps approach the back of the house.

I made my way out of the wash room and found Peyton starting to put her stuff down. It looks like she just got home from work, right now she is doing some defense contract work in an office building not far from the house. But she has also taken on a few side projects of helping a group of veterans go into Afghanistan to rescue and recover interpreters. When she looked up she saw me and sent me a smile.

"Early day?" I asked and walked down the hall.

"Yea, I just finished one last package and now I'm off for the next week to be here. Shannon's trying to out run the grief but I know it's going to catch up with her soon. I just want to be here for her when it does." Peyton said.

As the years continued to go by, mom wasn't happy anymore. It looked like she was just going through the motions with my dad. He was barely around to being with when we were little and when he finally did come home, his mind was still overseas. Then finally dad gave mom the divorce papers to set her free. He could see that she wasn't happy anymore but wouldn't be the one to serve the papers herself. It was the most selfless thing he has ever done. Even after their marriage ended, there was nobody else for dad. He loved my mom from afar and watched as she moved on to love another. He tried, but nothing could ever come close to her. That was one thing he taught me during all of our late-night talks in his office on base. If I find someone to love, don't let them go, fight for them and if they ask, leave the army because losing that kind of love won't be worth it.

After the marriage between my parents ended, it took about a year for mom to really be okay again. Peyton and my mom met by chance one day at an art gallery mom was at to support a friend and they hit it off right away. The pair went from talking all night at the art show then left together to go back to Peytons' apartment and continued their conversation. The bond was formed instantly. When mom told me about the women she met, I couldn't help but be excited for her. I was in my freshman year of high school when mom started to date Peyton. Once mom felt comfortable with her relationship and wanted to bring it to the next level she brought Peyton home to meet Dominic and I. Once I was in Peyton's presence, I knew that her and my mom belonged together. The pair dated for 6 months before Peyton moved into the house and were married another 6 months after that. Dominic gave mom away at the wedding while I was her maid of honor.

"I think we both had that moment a little while ago actually." I said and walked closer to her.

Over the years, I've grown to love Peyton as a bonus mom. I wasn't expecting her, but I was glad to have her in my life, and also because she made my mom so happy.

"You're going to get tired of this sentence really quick, but how are you feeling?" Peyton asked and pulled me into her side.

"A little better now. My friends are getting onto a flight that will be here shortly so I need to leave and pick them up from the base. Why don't you see how she is doing? She is in the studio working on something for dads funeral." I said.

"I will, and if you need anything that you might not want to ask your mom, I'm always here okay?" Peyton said as I pulled away from her.

"Thanks mom" I said. Peyton bit her lip and nodded at me before walking down the hall. It's not often that I call Peyton mom but I felt like moment called for it.

I checked the time on my phone before going upstairs to grab a few things and walked back downstairs. When I had everything I walked over to the studio door and looked inside. Mom has paint smeared across her cheek and all along her hands as Peyton is forcing her to eat the rest of the grilled cheese sandwich I made her earlier.

"I'm heading out now, I'll be back in a little while with my friends. I also started some laundry if you go in there wondering what is going on." I said and pointed towards the washroom.

"Sure thing chicken, we'll be here." Mom said and gave me a wave with her paint covered hand. I gave Peyton a look and she just snickered before forcing my mom to take another bite of the sandwich as I took my leave.

When I got outside I found the truck Dominic dropped off for me. Its a sleek lifted black Chevy Silverado. I smiled and unlocked the door before hopping inside. The inside is gorgeous and it looked like it's barely been used. I started up the engine and heard it roar to power. I needed to thank Dominic later. I left the truck running while I went to the garage and found one of the coolers we had. After making sure the inside was somewhat clean, I put it inside the back of the cab and hopped into the truck. I pulled out of the driveway and just started driving around my old neighborhood and took it in. It been about four years since I've really spent more then a day or two here, so it was nice to just get to drive around and take everything in.

Seeing as I still had a lot of time to kill, I drove to the grocery store and walked inside. It looks like this place hasn't been updated since I left 10 years ago. I just grabbed a cart and started to make my way up and down the isles. Since I'm going to be here for at least a week, I wanted to get some things I liked to have in the house so I don't eat mom and Peyton out of house and home. I also wanted to pick up some meat to cook tonight for dinner when my friends get in.

As I made my way through the store, I saw a few people I went to high school with and I just tried to tuck my head lower. The last thing I needed right now was to run into another old classmate of mine. My conversation with Mallory still fresh on my brain as I grabbed some steaks and hamburgers for dinner tonight. As I shook my head to clear the thoughts away, I could hear a ringing start in my ears and I knew that my concussion is still lingering in the background. I kept my eyes closed for a few seconds and when I opened them I was happy to see nothing blurry. I thought that was my cue to finish my shopping as I grabbed a few cases of beer before heading towards the register.

With a last-minute grab of a bag of ice, I walked over to the self check out and started to scan everything. It took a few minutes to get everything scanned as I had to wait for a cashier to ring up the beer. But once everything was paid for I made my way out to the truck and loaded up the cold items into the cooler with the ice before putting everything else in the back seat. After everything was inside the truck, I pulled out of the parking lot and just started to make my way towards the base.

I know the flight will be on time and I don't want to be late getting my friends. They will never let me live it down. The drive to base took about 45 minutes with all the traffic and it took another 15 minutes at the gate before my security clearance would grant me entry. As I pulled into the parking lot I could hear the roar of the engine coming in for a landing and watched as a large military plane land on the airstrip.

Once it landed it took a few minutes to drive to it's parking spot and another couple of minutes before the back hatch of the plane to open up. I could see Morgan's almost black hair from here as she ran out of the plane. Robert wasn't to far behind her carrying what looked like were all of her bags. I drove the Chevy onto the tarmac and met them half way. They were both a little surprised to see me on the tarmac but didn't say anything as they threw their bags into the bed of the truck. The garment bags were placed inside the back of the cab and Robert hopped in beside them while Morgan claimed the passenger seat.

"So, how was the flight?" I asked them as I drove off the tarmac and then off the base entirely.

"Don't start Dani." Morgan grumbled as I heard Rob snicker from the back seat. It's good to have them by my side again.

a/n: all aboard the angst train. so I changed Logan's name once, and I can't even tell you how many time's I changed Mallory's name, it still doesn't really even feel right, but I'm hoping by the time I post this I don't change it again.

I haven't changed Mallory's name even though I was tempted to changed it again to Elizabeth.

Song on the side is July by Noah Cyrus. listen to the lyrics and it might give you a bit of insight to Dani and Mallory's relationship before I give you guys the low down about what happened between the two.