A/N: May 18, 2017. My little brother graduated high school. This chapter is dedicated to him. I love you to Las Vegas and back, Bubby and I am SO proud of how hard you worked and of how smart you are. Never forget that.

I am still at a loss for words to describe the feeling I got when I saw him walk across that stage in his cap and gown; it's crazy.

Enjoy!

The toddler in his lap jumps as the arena fills with music. Rick chuckles and hugs her close.

"It's okay, baby," he whispers into her hair.

They fill an entire row, their family: him, Kate, his mom, her dad, her Aunt Theresa, Max, Alexis, and their kids including the two year old currently jamming her butt bone into his thigh, Lanie, Esposito and their kids, and Ryan, Jenny and their son Kieran (Grace wanted to come, but she was still taking college finals)

The administration and dignitaries present at the ceremony finish filling in and take their seats on the stage. Mr. Stone, the principal, goes to the podium, adjusts the microphone and tells them to stand up to welcome the graduating class.

A second later, the band hits the first notes of the graduation march and the senior class begins walking in through the two tunnels on either side of the band set up in the back of the arena. The crowd cheers for the students, dressed in green and gold caps and gowns (girls in gold, boys in green), as they walk down the aisle and find their seats.

"Look! There they are!" McKenna shouts, pointing out her aunts and uncles. The quints are separated on both sides of the aisle, three and three (because there happens to be another girl in their class with the last name 'Castle'), and all five of them have cords around their necks for the various clubs and activities they were involved in.

And the audience keeps cheering even after the graduates are told to sit down. The choir, Miyana, Finn, and Liam included, sings the national anthem, and a handful of people give speeches.

Then, Miyana's best friend, Corrine, gets up to give her Salutatorian speech. She reads a letter her fourth-grade teacher made her class write to themselves to read when they graduated high school. She explains that her nine-year-old idea of growing up was not exactly what she really is going through, but the one thing that was the same was the hope and happiness she had at both time periods. Corinne finishes by telling her class to never stop dreaming, like their nine-year-old self's, and to look for the "bubbles and pink, sparkly ponies" in every situation.

Once Corinne finishes, and the cheering dies down, the choir once again gets up and sings to their class. It's a song from the musical 'Matilda' called "When I Grow Up", and it brings more than a few tears to the eyes on everyone in the room.

The superintendent of the school district gets up and gives a speech next, imparting some last advice to the senior class like "Always tell your girlfriend she looks good in that shirt" and "if you want a car, ask for a pony first."

During his speech, the band kids went back to get ready to play one last song together, Finn and Liam among them. The Castle family in the audience records the song on video, finding their two kids: Liam with his glittering saxophone around his neck, and Finn behind her xylophone, their faces lit up, enjoying every second. The last note hits, and Mrs. Matzke holds them there an extra few seconds, not wanting it to end. This performance would be her last as she was retiring, and it was hard on her as well as the students and parents who had grown to love her very much. Finally, she lets her hands drop; the song ends and the crowd applauds for them.

After the band finishes, and the class is presented by their principal and accepted by the Board of Education, the moment they had been waiting for for so long finally arrived.

Each row of students, divided between the two side of the long aisle, walked to either side of the stage, go their picture taken holding the cover for their diplomas, and waited for their name to be called.

It started with "Alyssa Anne Adams", cheers from her family came from somewhere in the audience, and continued, bouncing from one side to the other as each kid's name was read aloud.

"Graduating with Honors: Natalie Joy Bennett."

The quints row got closer and closer; the excitement and pure emotion of their family was building to its climax, and when "Amanda Louise Castle" was called, it started to bubble. Pictures were being snapped of their kids, and more than one video, from multiple angles, was being recorded.

"Graduating with Honors: Austin Michael Castle."They cheered for him, probably the loudest section in the arena. Their smart baby boy, with the love of science, who had accepted an athletic scholarship to Duke University in the fall. He was tall and long-limbed and smiling so wide as he walked across the stage and shook hands with the people he was supposed to, even stopping to hug the teacher at the end of his row when he went to sit back down. A kind soul, always with a childish grin on his face (much like his dad).

"Graduating with Honors: Danielle James Castle." More cheers; even louder this time. The oldest, the leader; the loose canon of their family, always ready with a sarcastic quip or a line that makes the jaws of everyone around her to drop to the floor. Obviously just as smart as her brother, her skills in the classroom as well as on the cheer mat earned her a scholarship to the University of Southern California in the fall.

"Graduating with Honors: Finn Elizabeth Castle." Even more cheers for their baby girl crossing the stage with her walker. It was a long road through school for that girl; overcoming so much in her short life. Finn, funnily enough, was a great combination of all of her siblings: kind, smart, sarcastic, witty, creative, with her own dash of personality that can only be described as uniquely, Finn. Her love of cooking was enough to get her into the American Culinary Institute.

"Liam Roy Castle," The loudest cheers of all for their boy. High School was a hard time for Liam, and at one point it looked as though he might not graduate. But he worked hard and was able to walk across the stage with his siblings and friends. Liam was moody, with a dry sense of humor. He was pessimistic and always thought the worst was going to happen. To this day, his parents joke that Liam is really the Milk Man's child as he was so different from the rest of his family. Liam's plans after high school were to take a gap year and work and figure out what he was going to do with his life. Maybe something to do with photography.

"Graduating with Honors: Miyana Cyan Castle." One last round of cheers for their girl. Creative, smart, silly, kind; Mia was a budding Triple Threat who truly spent the vast majority of her waking hours not at school at some sort of theater class or rehearsal or dance or singing lesson or taking classes at her Grandmother's acting school or helping out with younger kids at said acting school. Miyana would be attending her mom's Alma Mater: New York University in their Theater Department hoping to major in Music Education and be involved in Musical Theater as well.

Rick looks to his wife and sees her wiping tears from her eyes. She's laughing and crying at the same time; not sure what to feel so she feels it all at once. He takes her hand and squeezes it.

"They did it," he tells her, leaning close.

She kisses him, grabbing onto his face, smiling so wide when she pulls back. "They did it." And it's the only thing they can say to sum up thirteen years of school for their kids.

Their group settles down as more kids are called. But they cheer again when "Saccone Giada DeCarlo" is called. And once again when "Graduating with Honors: Jackson Marcel Gomez" is called. And once last time when "Corinne Leanne Brookfield" is called as one of the last names.

There are a few more speeches and then, Mr. Stone asks the entire graduating class to stand. "Alright, let's do this just how we practiced, okay?" He asks them. "Seniors: as your last act as Grizzlies, I want you to move your tassels from the right to the left side of your caps, signifying you are now, officially, graduates of Terence Winter High School!"

The audience goes absolutely nuts! Cheers and whistles and thunderous applause fill the room and the graduates on the floor and smiling and crying and hugging each other and slapping fives.

Their principal releases them, and the band plays as they file out of the room.

And that it's; the ceremony is over. Their kids have graduated.

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"Keep looking, Chy!" Castle says to the toddler now seated on his shoulders for a better vantage point of the crowd. They were all doing the same thing: looking for their kids and trying to make it out of the parking lot in a timely manner.

"I looking, Grandpa!" Chyler shouts to him. "Look! Mimi! Bubby! Over here!"

And sure enough, Miyana and Austin appear with envelopes in their hands and giant smiles on their faces. They get bombarded with hugs from all of their family and Chyler gets passed from her grandfather's shoulders into her Uncle Austin's arms, where she is promptly hung upside down by her ankles. The other three join their group after a while and more hugs ensue as well as multiple pictures; a select few even capture a rare actual smile out of Liam (who has perfected the half-smirk so well)

Once every has been collected, they all head back to cars, stopping for hug and pictures with friends, and get into the long line to exit the parking lot.

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After changing out of nice clothes and into something more comfortable, the family all head out for dinner at one of the Quintuplets favorite places, where they stuff their faces so full of amazingly delicious food, there is no room for dessert.

Back at home, after their dinner has had time to settle, they cut into the cake: marble cake (the kids favorite), white frosted with green and gold trim, with "Congratulations Danielle, Liam, Miyana, Austin, and Finn" written on it is neat cursive, and spend time talking and laughing and enjoying themselves.

There are envelopes full of cards and fat checks waiting for them from their family, as well as brand new laptop computers that their Great Aunt Theresa had surprised them with. Needless to say, her gift was the highlight of that moment and elicited more than a few excited shrieks and squeals from the kids.

The night ends where it usually does: on the couch in the living room, multiple conversations going on at once, lots of laughter; it's warm, and happy, and right.