I want to thank those of you who left a review after the last chapter! You guys are awesome :) This next chapter is the longest one yet and has three flashbacks so brace yourself for both sad and happy moments! Please leave a review at the end to let me know what you thought. Enjoy!

The day of the wake had arrived. Barbara, Arizona, Callie, and the kids showed up at the funeral home just a few minutes before Matt, Kate, and their sons. As they walked into the building, Sofia felt her stomach rumble and came to the startling realization that she hadn't eaten one scrap of food all morning and now it was the afternoon. She had no idea when she would be able to eat. It was going to be a long day. They were led into the visitation room. Their family had been given an hour for private viewing before guests were allowed to start coming. Arizona stopped dead in her tracks the moment she turned the corner into the room and spotted her father's open casket on the other end. The rest of the world was gone and it was just her, standing there and gazing across the room at the lifeless figure of her father. Her dad, the man who had raised her, the man she held the most respect and adoration for, was gone. It had never felt more real than in that moment. He was never coming back. She was fatherless.

Callie's gentle hand touched Arizona's back, reminder her that she was there, that she wanted to comfort her and support her as best she could. Arizona's gaze swung to Callie and she gave her a grateful smile. Taking Callie's hand, she stepped into the room.

Matt and his gang walked in, joining the rest of the family. It was very quiet and somber in the room. Sofia stood in the very back of the room, not ready to approach the casket yet. She noticed her cousins were doing the same. Adam, looking uncomfortable in his button-down shirt and tie, came and stood next to her.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" He asked. Sofia sent him a questioning stare.

"What's there to be nervous about?" She wanted to know.

"Pall bearing! Carrying the coffin!" He whispered frantically. It was obvious he had been thinking about this a lot. Sofia shook her head.

"Why are you scared of that?" She asked.

"I don't want to drop it! I know there are six of us, but it happens! I've seen videos of it on the internet."

"Adam, that's not going to happen." Sofia reassured him, but could tell he still wasn't at ease about this. The conversation stopped there and both teens fell silent.

Sofia watched her grandmother slowly move toward her grandfather's casket. The old woman was shaking when she finally stood in front of her deceased husband. It was a heartbreaking sight as Barbara silently broke down and tenderly touched the Colonel's arm. Matt came alongside his mother and put an arm around her for support. The two stood solemnly, wiping tears from their eyes and looking down at the well-loved face of Colonel Daniel Robbins. After some time, Barbara turned away and reached for the box of tissues that was a few feet from the casket. "Danny," She called to her grandson. She dug through her purse and pulled out her keys. "Will you do me a favor? Go to my car and grab the boxes in the truck. Bring them in here, please."

Danny obliged and returned a few minutes later with two small boxes. Inside were picture frames and stacks of photos. Barbara busied herself with setting them up around the room, getting it ready for when others would come.

"Let me help, Mom." Arizona gently urged. Barbara handed her a stack of photos.

"That board over there is magnetic. There are magnets next to it. You can put up these pictures on the board."

Arizona made her way across the room and Callie joined her. "Ok…" Arizona murmured as she flipped through the photos. "This one should go up. And this one." She began to give certain pictures to Callie. She held up one and looked at it for a while. It was one she had always been fond of, but hadn't seen in a while. In the photo was her father, relaxing in a hammock with three mischievous children squeezed in around him. It was taken during the brief period that the family was stationed in Florida. The Colonel, who had always secretly wanted to have a hammock, went out and bought one two weeks after they had moved in and set it up between two perfectly spaced trees. He had been lounging in it for the first time when the kids had bombarded him. Arizona was seven at the time, Matt had been five, and Timothy was ten. Just seconds after their mom had snapped the photo, their father had hollered at them to all get off before they broke it. They had laughed and scurried away.

Arizona smiled at the sight of the beaming faces in the photo, tracing her fingers along Timothy's young face. Even her dad had one of those rare smiles that went all the way to his eyes. She held it up to the board and pinned it with a magnet. She moved onto the next photo, which was of her father with Matt's three sons. It looked like it had been taken at some family get-together in the last few years. She handed it to Callie to put up. Photo after photo evoked bittersweet sentiment from Arizona. Her parents with her at her wedding, her father sitting proudly with his seven grandkids surrounding him, her father in downtown Seattle with her four kids, and the memories went on and on. Callie was pinning a photo of her in-laws to the board when she looked over to find Arizona clutching a photo of her with her father. Tears were streaming down her face. Callie instinctively pulled her wife of seventeen years into her arms.

"He was so supportive." She murmured after a while. "He was always so supportive of me, of being a lesbian, of becoming a doctor, of getting married, of having kids…" She rambled while Callie held her close. "He loves his grandkids so much." Her composure broke and a sob escaped her throat. "Loved." She corrected with a pang of sadness. "He loved them all so much."

"He loved you, too, Babe." Callie told her, wishing she could do something to shield Arizona from this unbearable pain. Arizona buried her head in Callie's shoulder and released her pent-up emotions of the day. As Callie was comforting her better half, she saw Sierra draw near the casket. Sierra was a little terrified. This was her first major brush with death and she's never been to a wake before. It was unnerving how alive her grandfather looked to her. As if at any moment, he could open his eyes and glance right at her. Sierra felt a shiver go down her spine.

"Hello, Sweetheart."

Sierra almost jumped. Clear as a bell, she could hear his voice. He always called her 'sweetheart'. She knew she had imagined it, but it didn't stop her from wishing he really was with her, alive and well. "I miss you, Grandpa…" She whispered. Tears began to cloud her vision and she turned away, only to find Sofia coming toward her. Without saying a word, Sofia wrapped her arms around Sierra and the two sisters clung to each other. Callie was watching and, despite the circumstances, found her heart warmed by the gesture. Sofia and Sierra had been bickering before they came to Chicago and were avoiding each other for days, but in their moments of grieving, they put their differences aside and came together, the way a family should in times of suffering.

One of the workers from the funeral home came in with a big flower arrangement and set in on a stand.
"Those are beautiful. Who are they from?" Barbara wanted to know. Arizona was already reaching for the card. She smiled slightly when she read the names. "Mark, Lexie, and Natalie Sloan."

"That was very nice of them." Barbara commented softly. Arizona studied her face.

"Mom, why don't you sit and rest? Others will be coming soon and you won't have too much opportunity after that." Arizona led her mother to a seat and sat down next to her.

In their own time, everyone had taken the time to pay respects to Colonel Robbins. Sofia noticed Josh stop in front of his grandpa and take something from his pocket. It was a small medal, one of many that he had earned in his time in the army. He slipped it into his grandfather's coat pocket. After a moment, he spun around and walked away, heading to the back of the room. Sofia felt the urge to follow him and acted on it. He had his hand in his pocket again, only this time she saw him pull out a small flask.

"Do you go anywhere without scotch?" She teased him.

"Nope." He responded in between sips. "Don't let those guys from the funeral home see me. We're not supposed to have drinks of any sort in this room."

The light-hearted joking lasted only a few minutes before Sofia turned to her oldest cousin and spoke earnestly. "You made him very proud."

Josh was startled by her sudden words. Sofia managed a small smile. He had always been the big brother she never had. She had always looked up to him and saw him as a hero, even before he joined the army. "I know that Grandpa loved all of us, but there was a very special bond between you two. The two military men. I've never seen him so full of pride than when you became a second lieutenant."

Josh took another swig and found himself thinking back to that day. It had been about six months ago.

For most young men and women about to finish their fourth year of college, the graduation ceremony is what everyone makes a big deal about. Unless, of course, they were graduating from West Point. For Josh, the only thing that got him through those four grueling years was knowing at the end of it all, his family would be there for his commissioning ceremony. He had finally made it. Sitting in his chair, watching his friends get sworn in as second lieutenants of the United States Army, he felt a whirlwind of emotions. His dad and mom were sitting a few rows behind him, looking prouder than ever. He was glad to see that Danny and Adam had taken the time to put on suits for a change. His Aunt Arizona and Aunt Callie had flown out with his cousins for the occasion as well. Sitting on the end of the row were his grandparents. Although he was certainly pleased to have everyone there, Josh was especially grateful to have his grandpa in attendance.

Before he knew it, it was his turn. He stood and made his way to the front. Following him up there, Colonel Robbins stood and faced his grandson. This was it. Both raised their right hand.

"I, state your full name." Colonel Robbins began.

"I, Joshua Timothy Robbins."

"Having been appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Army…"

The entire moment seemed so surreal. His grandfather continued to administer the oath to him and when they finished, when Josh was officially sworn in, came another moment he had been looking forward to. He and his grandfather saluted each other. It was immediately following the salute that a smile peaked through the Colonel's stern expression and he took a step forward to embrace his grandson. "Good work, Joshua."

"Thank you, Sir."

"That was my moment with Grandpa." Josh admitted to Sofia. She nodded, knowing just how important that day was to him. "In the face of all of this," he waved his hand, gesturing around the visitation room. "I'm glad that I at least had that moment with him before he died." He took a final sip from his flask and pushed it back into his pocket.

"You made him very proud, too." He continued. "And I'm not just saying that. You really did. I remember when you were born and we first heard about how you were delivered early. I was really young at the time so I didn't fully understand the risks that preemies face, but I remember how scared everyone was." He paused and smiled at Sofia. "You pulled through. Against all odds, you pulled through. Grandpa always talked about that, about how strong you are and all you've overcome. You made him proud, too."

Sofia was caught off guard by what her cousin shared. In the past few days, the subject of whether or not she had made her grandfather proud had been on her mind almost constantly. It was comforting to hear Josh say what he had. He seemed to sense what was going on inside her head and he put an arm around her shoulders.

The family's hour of privacy had ended and the first few mourners began to arrive. There weren't a lot of people that the grandkids recognized. Barbara, on the other hand, was being greeted one after another by friends or acquaintances of the Colonel as a steady stream of visitors began to flow in through the doors. Arizona and Matt welcomed those that they knew and introduced themselves to the people that they didn't. Adam and Holden had found chairs to make themselves comfortable in while strangers swarmed around the room. Some occasionally stopped and introduced themselves to the boys, offering their condolences or saying how much they had respected the Colonel.

"I'm starving. What time is it?" Holden asked Adam.

"It's only four. We still have five more hours left."

Holden groaned. "I'm going to die of hunger!"

"You know there is food in the other room, right?" Adam said with a laugh. Holden sat up in his chair.

"Where?" He demanded.

"Follow me." Adam led Holden into the kitchen area where they found Sofia and Harper with platefuls of snacks.

"There's nothing too substantial." Sofia informed them when they entered. "Some chips and dip, these little sub sandwiches, and a veggie tray."

"I don't care." Holden grabbed a plate and began to fill it. "I haven't eaten anything all day."

"Me either! Holden, you forgot to eat, too?" Sofia exclaimed.

"Yep. I don't know how that happened. I guess since this morning was just such a rush to get ready."

Adam glanced from Sofia to Holden and shook his head again mockingly. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Sofia rolled her eyes.

"Hey guys, did you know that this soda machine if free?" Harper pressed a button and a can of soda dropped down to the bottom. She picked it up and opened it.

"Nice!" Adam raced over a grabbed on for himself.

"Harper, exactly how many cans of soda have you had today?" Sofia asked, remembering that Harper had been drinking one when she first entered.

"This is my third." The ten year old informed her older sister. "Probably not my last, either."

"Harper!" Sofia was astounded. "That is so bad for you!"

Harper shrugged her shoulders carelessly.

"I don't want to be around her when she hits her caffeinated sugar high!" Holden said in a joking manner, but he was half-serious. Harper glared at her brother.

Callie entered just then and glanced over the food options. "Is this all we have?"

"Yep." Adam sighed. "That's it."

Callie began to grab a few things. "Harper, you're coming with me." She announced.

"Why? Where are we going?" Harper whined.

"I need you to walk in front of me while I sneak this food into the room for your mom. I can't get her to leave the room and she needs to eat."

"I know it's not allowed and all, but do you really think you would get in trouble if you got caught?" Sofia wanted to know. "I mean, this is a wake. How mean would they be to a person who's grieving?"

"I don't want to find out." Callie replied. "Come on, Harper. Go make sure the coast is clear."

"Fine." Harper dragged herself out of her chair and went a few feet in front of her mother.

"I gotta say, I love how our family is breaking all the rules." Sofia laughed. Adam smiled in agreement.

"We should head back in." Sofia advised after everyone had polished off their plate of food. The three of them left together and entered the visitation room. It was still packed, although with a whole new group of people. Holden and Adam made their way back to their spots. Holden studied those around him. Some of the faces were familiar, some were not, but all of them were brokenhearted. His eyes finally settled on the face of his grandfather, barely visible from across the room. He had been Holden's role model in life, a man to look up to and strive to be like. His grandfather had always taken a special interest in him. Holden liked to think it was because his grandfather sympathized with how hard it was to grow up with two moms and three sisters.

"Mom, what's going on? Where are we going?" Holden asked eagerly. Arizona smiled at her son.

"It's a surprise! I can't tell you."

Holden sighed. He was getting nowhere with her. She had pulled him out of school two class periods early and hadn't told him much besides 'get in the car'. It was his thirteenth birthday, but he didn't think anything too big was going to happen. They already had plans for a party the coming Saturday.

Holden was aware of the route they were taking and began to wonder just what the surprise might be. They were almost to the driveway of their house.

"Home? We're going home?" He asked.

"Hush. You'll find out soon enough."

Holden spotted the unfamiliar car in their driveway. "Whose car is that?"

"Enough questions!" Arizona exclaimed with a smile. "Come on. Just go inside." They got out of the car and Arizona made Holden enter the house first.

"Hello?" Holden called out.

"There's the birthday boy!" a voice called from the living room. Holden was shocked to find the Colonel in his home.

"Grandpa! What are you doing here?"

"I came to take my grandson to a ball game for his birthday."

Holden's jaw dropped to the floor. "No way! Really?" He couldn't contain his excitement. Arizona laughed and told him to go get ready.

"Are you coming, too, Mom?" He asked, hoping she couldn't tell that he was hoping she'd say no.

"No! I've got surgeries to get to. I was only supposed to pick you up from school and bring you here, so now that my job is done, I'm heading back to the hospital."

Holden turned back to his grandpa and grinned, realizing that this was his first time doing something with just his grandfather.

"Be good. Have fun." Arizona kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday!" She vanished out the back door.

Within minutes, Holden and the Colonel were headed to the baseball game in the rental car. Holden had never been to a baseball game, let alone a Seattle Mariners game. Neither of his moms were big sport fanatics. He really wasn't either, but that didn't mean he wasn't looking forward to some quality male bonding time with his grandfather. The game was exciting and fun. They got hot dogs to start with, but also helped themselves to giant pretzels later on in the game. They laughed and talked and cheered on the Mariners. As they drove home at the end of the night, Holden turned to his grandpa with a huge grin on his face.

"Thank you so much, Grandpa! This was the best birthday ever!"

"It's not over yet." The Colonel stated in his matter-of-fact voice. Holden raised his eyebrows. "I'm still hungry. How about we grab a bite to eat somewhere? Birthday boy's choice." Holden didn't think his smile could get any bigger, but it did.

"Yes, sir! Do you like Italian food?"

"Love it."

"Ok, there's this one restaurant we sometimes go to…"

Holden pushed the memory away when he started to feel tears prick his eyes. He took a deep breath and collected himself, hoping Adam hadn't noticed his emotions playing out across his face. He was determined to stay strong, to not shed one tear in public. The Colonel was the strongest, most honorable man he had ever known. The least he could do was put on a brave face and stay strong for him. His eyes rested once more on the still face of his grandfather, his only real paternal figure in his life. Who would be his role model now?

The amount of people was dwindling the later it got. Matt ordered a pizza around 7 o'clock for everyone, which was a welcome break from greeting the masses. They ate in shifts and then mustered up whatever energy they had left for the final two hours. It was almost 9 o'clock and only a few people were left. Harper had pushed three chairs together and was stretched out on them with an arm covering her eyes from the light. Sofia and Sierra sat next to each other complaining about the heels they were wearing and how badly their feet hurt from standing all day. Matt and Arizona wouldn't leave their mother's side, while Callie and Kate wouldn't leave their spouse's. The four grandsons stood in the back of the room talking amongst themselves. Adam brought up his fear of dropping the casket and found that he was alone in that fear. Josh and Danny shook their head and told him he was overreacting.

"We could always have Sierra or Harper step in if you are too scared." Danny teased. "I'm sure they'll do just as fine a job."

Adam glared at his older brother. "Shut up."

"Calm down, you two." Josh ordered.

The last person left and finally it was just the family again.

"Come on, kiddos." Callie called to her four. "Get your coats on and let's head out." Harper slowly got up and went for her coat, followed by Sofia and Sierra, who were walking awkwardly to make the blisters hurt less. Holden said goodbye to his cousins and joined his siblings. They all exited the building and piled into one of their grandma's cars that they were borrowing for the week. It was a quiet trip back to Barbara's home. When they arrived, Arizona told all of the kids to start getting ready for bed immediately because tomorrow would be a long day and they needed plenty of sleep.

"Mom, can you help me undo my hair?" Sierra asked cautiously. Arizona hadn't been oblivious to the fact that Sierra hated to ask her to do anything in the past week. Sierra was the sweetheart of the family and wouldn't dare try to add even the slightest bit of stress to her already emotionally drained mother.

"Of course, Honey." Arizona told her, hoping that she could show Sierra it was ok to ask something of her. She dropped tiredly into the nearest chair. "Come sit in front of me and I'll take your braids out." Sierra obliged and Arizona began to undo her long, silky, black hair. Sierra, who always thought that having her hair played with was comforting, began to zone out, fiddling aimlessly with the necklace she wore. As she did, the memory of how she got the necklace suddenly came to mind. "Grandpa…" She whispered.

"What, Sweetie?" Arizona asked, unable to understand the comment she thought was directed to her.

"Nothing." Sierra spoke a little louder. Her face flushed red with the realization she had talked out loud without meaning to.

"Sierra?"

Curled up on the couch, the seven-year-old ignored the call from her grandpa. The Colonel, however, was not one to be ignored. "Sierra, what's wrong? Why aren't you outside playing with your brother and sisters?"

Sierra used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears and sat up. "They don't want me to play with them." She said with a shaky voice.

The Colonel sighed and sat down next to her. "Now, what makes you think that?" He asked her.

"They ditched me. They always do that. It's funny to them, but it's not funny to me." Of course, her siblings usually only pulled this stunt when their parents were out of town. This, unfortunately for Sierra, was one of those times. Callie and Arizona were taking a vacation to the Dominican Republic and had arranged for Arizona's parents to stay in Seattle with the kids while they were gone. Sierra turned tearful brown eyes to her wise and caring grandfather, looking for some sort of comfort or answer to her problem.

"I see." The Colonel answered slowly. Sierra could tell it was because he was thinking. "Well, it just so happens that I was about to run a few errands and perhaps treat myself to some ice cream with whoever might be joining me. Since you are the only one around, how about coming with me for the day?" He asked with a smile. Sierra ginned back at him and nodded her head vigorously. The Colonel laughed.

"Alright. Then let's get going. Put your shoes on, Sweetheart."

Sierra scurried off to do as her grandfather requested. In a matter of minutes, the two climbed in the car and headed into downtown Seattle. The Colonel had really only needed to pick up a few groceries, but it was turned into an adventure for Sierra's sake. As the two of them sat on a bench enjoying their ice cream cones, Sierra pointed across the street to a familiar store.

"My mommies take me there sometimes to shop. It's a fun store." She shared with her grandpa. The Colonel's eyes followed Sierra finger and then glanced back at her.

"Do you want to go there now?" He asked. Sierra's eyes grew big in disbelief.

"Can we?" She begged.

"Of course we can." The Colonel answered in his steady, business-like tone. "Just as soon as you finish your ice cream."

Gobbling up her cone as fast as she could, Sierra finished and grabbed the Colonel's hand. "Come on, let's go!"

Across the street they went, to a small boutique for little girls. Sierra, very much a girly-girl, excitedly browsed the items from clothing to jewelry to accessories. When she had seen just about everything, she turned to her grandfather. "This was fun, Grandpa." She said with a sweet smile. "Thanks for taking me with you."

"We're not done!" He exclaimed. Sierra's brows furrowed in confusion.

"We're not?" She asked.

"No. You still have to pick out something special to take home." He informed her, as if this was something she should know. Sierra's face lit up.

"I already know what I want!" She told him, racing off the next minute, only to return with a piece of jewelry. It was a sliver necklace with a flower-shaped pendant. Simple, yet beautiful. The Colonel smiled. "Excellent choice, Sierra."

He purchased the necklace for her and the pair headed back to Sierra's home where her grandmother was waiting.

"I thought you were only picking up a few things from the store?" Barbara asked in such a way that told her husband she knew what he had been up to.

"What can I say? We got a little distracted." He replied, giving a discrete wink to Sierra, causing her to giggle. Barbara gave the Colonel a look of mock rebuke.

"Sierra, go outside and tell the rest of the kids to come in for dinner." Barbara told her granddaughter. Sierra ran to the back door and hollered for Sofia, Holden, and Harper to come inside. As they entered the house behind her, Sierra turned to her grandmother.

"I'm not sure how hungry I'll be. Grandpa and I ate ice cream just a little while ago." Sierra informed Barbara. She caught the jealous glances of her siblings and shot her grandpa a victorious smile. He gave her a slight nod, letting her know her timing had been perfect.

"Ok, all done." Arizona announced, running her hand over Sierra's now smooth hair.

"Thanks, Mommy." She murmured. Arizona reached forward and wrapped her arms around her middle daughter.

"I love you, Sierra Danielle." Arizona whispered, pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek.

"Love you, too, Mom." Sierra leaned back into her mother's embrace. They stayed like that for a while in comfortable silence.

"Hey, Mom?" Sierra spoke up.

"What?"

"I really like my name." Sierra announced. Arizona cocked one eyebrow.

"Ok… glad to hear it, kiddo." She responded, slightly confused by the random subject.

"I just wanted to let you know. I'm glad I'm named Sierra Danielle, after Grandpa Daniel." Arizona's heart swelled. These kids of hers really were something else.

"Well, I'm glad that you are so pleased." She squeezed Sierra just a little bit tighter. "Ok, bedtime." She announced. "We'll be getting up early tomorrow. It'll be a very long, tiring day." Sierra nodded and stood, saying goodnight to Arizona and finding her way to the room she was sharing with Harper and Sofia. Tomorrow would be long and sad and hard, but as her mama had already explained to her earlier in the week, the funeral was part of a natural step of grieving.

Reviews, please! What did you think?