Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with a Chance. Or the song Promise of a Lifetime. Or So Random!...ugh, the things I do for fanfiction.

Alright guys, I'm in the midst of updating both of my multichapters, but I wanted to write this one shot tonight for a very special reason: I'm dedicating it to my grandfather. For anyone who reads Blacklisted (thank you so much!), I told you that he passed away about two weeks ago. To me, he was everything, and he was the best hero anyone could ask for. I wanted to show my respects with my writing, so this is for him. I love you, Opa. You'll be in our hearts forever, and may your memory be eternal (it's something the preacher said, and I think it is about him going to Heaven. I'm not trying to be preachy, guys, so please don't take it that way.) I'm just saying goodbye in the best way I know how. Okay, here we go.

Eternity Starts Today

The brunette girl dropped to her knees, tears swirling and mixing the shades of brown in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks in little crystal waves. She wasn't sure exactly why she was crying; it had been so long, and she should be okay by now. She should know, without a doubt, he was watching over her. And yet, even with all of these reassurances, she still missed him more than one heart can comprehend.

Looking up to the sky, Sonny wiped at her eyes. He wouldn't want her to cry. She just wanted to know why he had to leave, and crying wouldn't get her the answer she longed for, the answer she desired. She just needed a sign.

Peacefully, the comedian closed her eyes, lying down on the soft grass and just listening to it blow around, caressing every inch of her worn and shaky body. It was like a hug from him, the man she missed so much. The only man who had always loved her; ever since the day she was born. The man she was proud to call her father.

Thinking of him burned a hole through her heart, one that left a sting too painful to endure without allowing a small sob to escape her trembling lips. A whisper in the wind shushed her gently, and she nodded, slowly lifting herself into a cross-legged sitting position. "I miss you, Daddy."

The words were soft, almost silent, but they were spoken with such heartbreak and emotion they cut through the silent air, blowing around carelessly in the wind. It had been so long since she had truly spoken to him, since she had let him know how she felt, to this day, about his absence.

It had taken her an endless amount of time to come to terms with his death, and she still didn't fully comprehend that he was gone. It was all so surreal, as if at any moment he would wrap his arms around her lovingly and promise to always be there as her protector. Now he was her guardian angel, with her and so far away at the same time. She had always known he was too good to be kept on Earth for a full lifetime.

Somehow, though, she couldn't accept that it was his time to leave. She didn't want to spend another day without his words of assurance to be her guide, but she knew she must. If she didn't keep herself in one piece, how would she be able to do the same for others? How could she keep from disappointing her father if she wasn't pure and real and very much alive? It was a dismal fate, but fate is what it is, and you can't change it.

Taking a deep breath, Sonny looked at the stars, searching urgently for a sign. She saw shapes, but they were merely memories of the past, and not what she had been hoping to find. She begged silently for one symbol or token of her father, anything to prove he was with her. "Please."

One simple soft cry, one admittance of weakness. But that was all she had truly needed to utter, anyway. The wind blew around lightly, a small chuckle echoing throughout the air. It explained everything she needed to know with just the laughter reverberating of the trees, twinkling in the breeze.

She knew he would always be there, and he could protect her more easily now. He would be her guide, her voice of reason. He would never forget her, just as she would never forget him. He was the best person she had ever known, and she was beyond lucky to have known him – to be his daughter was a gift, a blessing.

She knew he had left to do something greater, because Earth couldn't keep him any longer. He was out there, far away, but he could hear everything so much clearer, and he was still there; there to help his broken little daughter. He was there to keep her safe and steady and to be there when she needed him, even now – especially now, when everything was so clear to him, as if life were in surround sound and the voice of his daughter were the channel clearest in picture, sound, and emotion.

If he had even slightly doubted Sonny was strong enough to make it on her own, he would have held steadfast to his beating heart. He wouldn't have ever let go of her. But he had been assured by the knowledge that his daughter had been the one to teach him what angels were, and so he had left her – a clear conscience, no trace of worry embedded in his mind. His daughter had always been the strongest person he knew – the picture of what perfect was, even when times grew difficult and burdens were nearly impossible to bear.

Sonny closed her eyes, soaking everything in – nothing made sense, and the world was spinning. But it was him, she was sure of it. He father would always be there if she needed him – he'd be there even if and when she didn't.

There were so many different forms love appeared in; for instance, she loved Chad with every fiber of her being – he kept her heart beating and made it stutter in rhythm at the same time – and someday vowed to tell him so. She loved Lucy because of the way the girl was always there to help everyone, because of the way they were best friends. Finally, she loved her dad the way a child never let go of their baby blanket, or the way a bad dream is kissed away by your mother even when she's exhausted. It was love in the form of safety, of protection. It shone as the love of a father to his daughter.

Smiling softly, Sonny laid back down. The love of family ran deep in the blood of the world – it coursed through veins endlessly. In fact, it was a strong bond – one that can never be broken, even by the hand of death. And to the teary, promising brunette, it would always be the strongest love of all.

I know you're always there

To hear my every prayer inside the

Promise of a lifetime…
~Promise of a Lifetime – Kutless

Technically speaking, the song I added at the bottom is a religious song, but it's what I used to motivate me to write this – it spoke to me, and it reminded me of my grandfather. Anyway, thank you all for reading this, and I hope ever issue or struggle you face is worked out quickly, with no bumps on the way. SMILES!

LOL