Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

The sun was shining and the world was bright with the colors of spring. The grounds smelled of freshly cut grass and fragrant flowers. The air buzzed with the business of pollination. It was early May and exactly the kind of day her husband lived for.

Haruhi stood still amongst the gravestones, her face drained of color and emotion, staring blankly through bloodshot eyes that refused to release tears. She supported her nineteen-month old daughter against her body with one side, and held the hand of her nearly four-year-old son on the other. The boy sniffled soft sobs and wiped away the endless tears for the father he already missed so dearly. An ornate casket covered in white roses encased her beloved Tamaki as he was lowered into the ground.

It was hard for Haruhi not to think about the last time she spoke with him. He was preparing to board his plane - a return flight from Japan. He had been excited at the prospect of meeting someone new in the business-class section of the plane. He had always made new friends easily, new connections during his travels. She and Tamaki had discussed the children and avoided work topics. There was always enough time for business talk when he was back home in France. Even though Haruhi had chosen to practice law for the Suoh Corporation, they both preferred to leave their personal and private lives separate. Private conversations were meant to be personal, reserving work discussion to business hours. Before they ended their last conversation, they each declared "I love you."

The pleasant memory elicited from Haruhi the merest of smiles, but the next memory broke her heart all over again.

A phone call from Yuzuru on her office landline.

"Haruhi, have you seen the news?" She could hear the hitch in his voice. Something was wrong.

"No, I've been a little too busy to turn the TV on today. What's happened?" A sudden knot terror formed in the pit of her stomach. She hastened to the television mounted on the wall of her home office and quickly changed the channel to the local news station.

Flight 98 has disappeared over the Hida Mountains early this morning.

Everything else in the news report was a blur. She disconnected the call from her father-in-law and called Tamaki's cell. It went straight to voicemail. Of course it did, but she didn't know what else to do. She kept vigil of the news for any updates. No follow-up or additional information were reported through the remainder of the afternoon or the evening. She finally resigned to bed after the 1 a.m. broadcast failed to update the situation, but she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, unable to quell her anxiety to get the rest she desperately needed. Every hour or so, she called Tamaki's phone. Still no answer.

The following morning, she turned the news on again. There were no new reports, only those repeating information about the missing plane and the ongoing search, but she remained glued to the screen for hours. During an afternoon news report, she received the news she had been dreading most.

Flight 98 has been discovered. Every effort is being made to recover the vessel and its occupants, but there are no survivors.

Haruhi's world shattered. Tamaki, who had been so full of life and love and embodied everything that was good in the world, was gone. He was her first and only love. He was her husband, lover, colleague, confidante, and father of her children. He had just turned 29 last month. They had so many plans for the future. The tears came suddenly then, and she thought they would never stop.

Tamaki's body had been recovered from the wreckage. She hadn't been allowed to see him, though. In her grief and stupor, his will had quietly been brought to her attention by another Suoh Corp lawyer. The will indicated all the arrangements for his funeral. He wanted an open casket, and to be surrounded by white roses. He wanted to be buried in France, next to his mother who had succumbed to her illness two years prior. He stated that he had spent too much time apart from her while she was alive, and he wanted to be near to her in death. There were some minor bequests, to charities and friends, but nothing that caused any kind of commotion or discord. Though he had been named his father's heir, Tamaki's will did not name a successor. The couple had discussed this at length after the birth of their son, and neither wanted to put that kind of pressure on the child. Tamaki thought he had so much more time to make a different decision and change the will. She let the household staff handle the preparations for the funeral, preferring to stay in her room and let flow the tears that wouldn't stop.

A week after the confirmation, Haruhi stood before her husband's grave, a widow and single mother of two at the age of 28. Tamaki had looked beautiful in his casket today, almost as much as he did when he was alive. A light breeze tousled her hair. She looked around, suddenly irate. Why did today have to be such a gorgeous day? It should be gloomy to match her mood.

After the service, a nanny took the children, Kazuki and Risa, for their lunch. They still didn't understand, not completely. Risa would never know or remember her own father, even though she carried his beloved teddy bear everywhere she went. Kazuki was different, though. Haruhi had been about the same age when her mother had passed. She knew a part of her son knew his father wasn't coming home, but there was little she could do for him in her own devastation.

As the guests filtered out of the cemetery, they offered condolences and then left a barely-responsive Haruhi alone. As she stared at the upturned ground, she fell to her knees and the cascade began once more. She thought she was out of tears, but the well ran deeper still. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she was greeted by Mori, a sympathetic expression adorning his features. He easily raised her to her feet and embraced her without saying a word. She was crying into his hug, but suddenly felt more arms around her.

Haruhi pulled away from Mori to find the other members of her former Host Club surrounding her. When did they arrive? Had they been there the whole time? They were all busy men, most with families of their own. Had they dropped everything to come to France to attend Tamaki's funeral?

"Of course we came, Haru," a tearful Hunny squeaked. "Tama was our friend and so are you."

Haruhi's tears flowed faster as she turned and hugged Hunny, only to be embraced once again by Mori and the twins. Kyoya reached his hand out to hold onto Haruhi's shoulder. They all let her cry.

She didn't know how long they remained in that position, but she wanted them to comfort her forever. It couldn't last though. She heard Kazuki's voice, "Mama! Mama!" Haruhi broke away from her friends as her son ran into her arms.

"Shouldn't you be eating?" Haruhi asked her son, drying her tears and controlling the crack in her voice.

"I did. But I was done and Risa was crying so I ran away from nanny." He still had food smudged on his face, one that looked all too much like his father's - especially his violet-blue eyes.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," she said as she ran her fingers through his brown hair and led him away from the group. Away from his father's grave. She looked back at her friends and wondered how long they would stay.

A/N: Welcome to my very first story! Please read and review. It is greatly appreciated. This will have several chapters.

I have to thank my two betas here. I'm not sure if they have FFN accounts for me to call them out personally, but they know who they are.

4/19/18 Update - At this time, there are 21 chapters of this story posted. For any new readers, I'd like to advise this is a slow burn. The relationships that develop don't happen immediately. My version of Haruhi has a lot of stuff to deal with. She's an adult, now a single mother with a career. She is a flawed human who has changed with her life experience and doesn't always make the best decisions. I do hope you stick with me. So far, this has been a fun ride!