The service was long over. Words had been said at great length, tears shed by nearly all. Memories had been recounted, prayers had been offered. One by one the mourners had left, voicing their expected condolences before extending their silent farewells to the freshly disturbed earth, most without another sparing glance. Their grief was sincere, yet one that they would relatively soon overcome. Each minute signaled another departure until all that remained were four shattered souls of a once vibrant family.

Life had dealt them a fair amount of misfortune over the years, and yet, the makeshift family had withstood each trial. But this time…well, this time life had done more than merely deal out a lousy hand. This time life had brought them to the brink, cruelly shoving them to their knees, making them beg for mercy. They were on their own now, in every sense. Three of them had just stumbled into the beginnings of adulthood while the fourth had barely made his entrance into the world. This wasn't how things were supposed to be for them. Families were not supposed to be torn asunder, children were not supposed to raise children. They were supposed to be together, all of them, enjoying the happy longevity they had fought for and more than rightly earned. That's what they deserved, not this—never this.

Ever so hesitantly, one of them broke away and haltingly made her way towards the two headstones. The young blonde fumbled a bit as she closed the distance between where they had maintained vigil and the disturbed earth before her. The early morning's showers had saturated the ground, and with each step her modest heels sank into the soft earth. Each step felt leaden, and the distance endless while in reality it was barely a few feet. Everything was still, silent, as if the world was waiting with baited breath for some unknown to come. Even the darkened sky was holding back its threatening downpour.

Finally, her journey ended and she was standing at their final resting places. Tired eyes centered on the site before her; and as her gaze remained fixated on the two graves, a twinge of feeling manifested. Its appearance took the young woman by surprise, and her breath caught in her chest. She had been entirely numb for days, and now her body had finally begun to feel something again. But with each passing second, the feelings intensified, incessantly assaulting her frayed psyche until she could no longer handle it. The stronghold she had maintained throughout the entire ordeal finally came crashing down around her. Sobs wracked her already weak and exhausted body. The black skies opened up and joined in her sorrow, letting loose their own tears. Desperately she clung to the two headstones, knuckles white and nails broken as she dug into their surface with an iron strength. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably—to a degree from the cold, but predominately from the crippling anguish her soul felt.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder and a soft voice call to her.

"Rose…"

Though she could hear her name being uttered, Rose couldn't yet break completely free from the grief clouding her mind.

"Rose…," the familiar voice beckoned again, this time a bit more strongly. "Rose, you need to get up off the ground, love. You're soaked to the bone."

Somehow those words fully reached her, and Rose blinked a few times, skittering her gaze around her as she made out her surroundings. It was only then that she realized that her weakened body had crumpled under the emotional onslaught and literally brought her to her knees. She was clinging desperately to them, her knuckles white and hands trembling from both emotion and the cold rain pelting relentlessly against her skin. The temperature continued its slow descent, but the bitter cold went unnoticed. Rose glanced at the hand that was still resting on her shoulder, then back to the headstones.

"This is real, isn't it, Martha? Th-… They…" The words stuck on her tongue and she swallowed roughly. "They're really gone... aren't they?"

The words hung heavily in the air, the harshness of their reality undeniable. Releasing a soft, weary breath, Martha knelt down beside Rose, choosing to be soaked as well rather than leave her side. Without a word, Martha let the umbrella fall from her hand as she pulled Rose into a strong, comforting embrace. Rose relinquished her hold on the two graves, her hands falling flaccidly to her sides as she allowed herself to be held. After a few moments, she lifted her arms and reciprocated before pulling back and softly laying her head on Martha's shoulder.

"What do we do now, Mar? I can barely process this…I just…" she released a defeated breath, "I just dunno…"

"Well…" Martha sighed, "first, we go home. And then… well, I guess then we take it minute by minute to start."

"I'm just so... so lost," Rose whispered, a fresh wave of tears cascading from her eyes.

Feeling a rush of grief and fear of her own, Martha released a shuddering breath as tears fell from her eyes. She briefly tightened the embrace, dropping a kiss to her crown.

"Me too, love. Me too. But we… we've been through absolute hell before, Rose, and we've fought through it. An' I know w-…" Tears strangled her words, and Martha had to close her eyes and take a ragged breath. She so desperately wanted to give into her grief and let the tears fall; but in that moment, Martha knew that Rose needed her to be a source strength.

Taking another breath, Martha continued, "I know we feel broken and confused, but we have each other. And we will make it through this, right?"

When no response came, Martha gently squeezed Rose's arm.

"Right?"

Rose gave a faint nod of her head, and Martha smiled softly. "Thatta girl. Now… c'mon. Tony was starting to get fussy before I came over here, and Mickey… well, if we stay here any longer, the poor guy will go outta his mind worrying 'bout us."

They got to their feet, and Rose turned in the Martha's arms and grasped her in another fierce hug, seeking warmth and solace once more. Breaking away, Rose took one last pained glance at the graves, and with a final silent goodbye, Rose and Martha walked arm in arm to the waiting car.