Hey guys! This is my first story so please comment! I could really use the feedback! Thanks! :)

When Julie woke up, there was no sunlight streaming through the window. A low overhang of grey clouds shrouded the bright blue sky and hid the sun. A light but nevertheless cold breeze whipped through the trees outside.

"Fits the day perfectly." Julie thought as she climbed slowly out of bed and went through the motions of getting ready for the day. She brushed her teeth and tied her hair back, pulling on her mom's old smile sweatshirt, her favorite, and her comfiest pair of sweatpants. Today was not the day to be stylish or done up. She was just trying to be comfortable.

It wasn't even six in the morning, yet Julie had no doubt that her dad was already up and about, mostly likely in the studio. Carlos too, probably. She still could barely wrap her head around the fact that it had been a year.

It had been 365 days since her mom had died.

They had spent a whole year without her.

Julie took her time down the stairs, making each step as slow as possible. She turned towards the kitchen to grab something to eat before school, only to find it already occupied. Reggie's head was halfway in the fridge, searching for anything good he could find. Alex was neatly spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread with another covered in jelly sitting on the counter. And Luke . . . Luke all over the place, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet, tapping his fingers on the counters, shelves, cupboards, Alex's head, really anything he could find, hopping onto and off of the island. It seemed like he was waiting for something. And Julie found out what it was as soon as she stepped into the room.

The moment she made her presence known, Luke stopped all his chaos and dropped down from the counter to walk towards her, pulling her into an embrace without saying a single word. She let out a soft sigh and sank into his arms, letting herself give into his comfort and warmth. She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head against his chest, trying to focus on the miraculous beating of his heart. "It's been a year." Her words came out muffed.

Luke simply nodded and kissed the top of her head. She pulled away from him and felt Reggie place a gentle hand on her shoulder. Alex reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Julie let out a choked laugh even as she felt tears well up behind her eyes. "God, I -" She cut herself off with another laugh that sounded more like a sob. "I was over this! I thought I was over this! It's been a year. I should be over this!"

Luke gave her a sad smile and tugged a strand of her hair that had come loose behind her ear. "No matter how long it's been, though, it doesn't get any easier, does it?" His hand tucked under her chin and tilted her face towards his. She glanced up at him and she could've been looking into a mirror. The look on his face seemed to spell out exactly what she felt. Then she realized . . . these were the guys who had gone through nearly the same thing she had. They had been on the other side of things but they knew she felt. They could relate.

Julie opened and closed her mouth, swallowing and then trying again, but no words came out. Luke nodded at her slightly and whispered, "Think you can sing how you're feeling?"

She let out a small breath and began, "Sometimes I think I'm falling down. I wanna cry. I'm calling out, for one more try, to feel alive." Her voice was no more than a whisper and it cut out right then. She was crying hard now and there was nothing that could hold her back. "When does it stop hurting? Why is it always so hard?" Luke hugged her again and let her tears soak his shoulder. "Don't know if I'll make it cause I'm falling under."

"Then close your eyes and feel my chest beating like thunder." He tweaked the words ever so slightly but she listened to what the words said and it managed to calm her just a bit. When she finally composed herself, she looked up at him, face still tearstained.

His thumb came up to brush away the wetness under her eye and she heard Alex speak next to her. "Julie, one thing I've learned is that grief is always there. No matter where you are, it's always with you in some form or another. It can take a long time to get over, and even then, the smallest thing could bring it back. Sometimes, you just . . . have to learn to live with your grief and find other ways you can get closure." He lifted their intertwined fingers to his lips. "If you ever need to talk or anything about this stuff, I get it and I'm here for you. You're like the little sister and best friend I never had."

"Hey!" Reggie called out from behind her.

Julie smiled at him and Alex beamed back. "Just find things that make you happy."

She glanced at all of them. "My dad and brother make me happy. Flynn makes me happy. Music makes me happy. Our music makes me happy. You guys make me happy. You guys make me so happy. I love you guys so much."

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" Reggie cooed before pulling them into a group hug, not unlike the one they'd shared after the Orpheum.

"Thanks." She whispered.

Luke grinned. "Anytime, boss."

Julie gave each of them a kiss on the cheek before heading out to the studio, where, as predicted, her dad and brother already were. They were sitting side by side on the piano bench, Carlos's head rested on his dad's shoulder.

Julie rapped on the door and walked in, sitting on the other side of her dad. His arm went around her shoulders and she snuggled into his side, enjoying the comfort. "Morning, Papi."

"Good morning, Mija. How are you feeling?"

She reached across her dad to give her brother's hand a quick squeeze before saying, "Not awesome. But the guys helped a little, so I'm not totally miserable."

"Your brother and I were talking and he - doesn't really seem up for school today."

"I get that. How are you doing, Papi?"

Her dad nodded and offered her a wan smile. "It's hard without Rose, but hey, I've still got you guys, right? So I was thinking -"

"FRIENDS MOVIE MARATHON?" Reggie called from the other side of the doors. Julie laughed and waved them in. All three huddled around the piano, not wanting to be too close or too far.

"That's exactly what I was going to say, Reggie. Why don't we all get into our PJs and collapse on the couch with some ginger ale for a FRIENDS binge party?"

"I'm game. What about you, Carlos?" She asked her brother.

"You had me at PJs."