❝ I T ' S  O K A Y ❞

"Addilyn Rogers, is that you?" A deep voice booms across the cemetery, causing the girl's head to snap up so quickly it nearly gives her whiplash. "Well, I'll be damned."

Addilyn wipes away her tears and pushes herself to her feet, squinting against the sunlight as the stranger walks towards her.

He wore a freshly pressed, wrinkle free, uniform - not unlike the one her brother and father wear - and appeared to be in his late forties. His buzzcut gleamed under the bright sun and she couldn't help but to feel a wave of nostalgia as she tried to figure out who he was.

"I never thought I'd see you again." He comes to a stop a few feet in front of her, his broad grin slipping as he takes in her crumpled features. "Oh, Addi."

She gasps, a wave of memories hitting her as she places a name with the familiar face.

Standing before her was none other than her father's best friend, David Nelson - or Uncle Dave, as she and Carson once affectionately called him. The man used to play as big of a role in her life as her father does. He'd be around for every birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and any holiday he could think of, even crazy ones such as National Donut Day.

"Uncle Dave."

The tears begin to fall once again and Addilyn all but collapses into his open arms, welcoming the warm embrace as she sobs into his shoulder.

"Easy there, kiddo," he sighs, holding her tight. "Everything is alright."

"N-no it's not," she confides, nose sniffling and tears soaking her hair and David's shirt. "I m-messed up. And I m-miss Dad and y-you and my life is just a b-big mess."

David sighs as Addilyn continues to weep, crying so hard he's unable to make out anything she's saying. The girl eventually manages to calm her uncontrollable crying and she quietens down, expecting some sort of fatherly advice.

"I did not miss several years of your life just so you could ruin my shirt the first I saw you again."

"W-what?" Addilyn pulls away, her tears coming to a halt as she stares up at him in confusion.

"You heard me." He grins, playfully poking her cheek. "Where's that crazy smile I've missed?"

From her Yukon, Mr. Quackington presses his beak through the crack in the window and quacks adamantly, cutting her off before she can even reply. He didn't know the strange man standing too close to his owner and, from the tears on her face, he assumed David was hurting her.

David looks around bewilderedly, searching for the source of the sudden noise in the otherwise quiet cemetery. Addilyn can't help but to giggle, causing the Sargeant to brush off the quacking noises as he glances down at her again with a smile of his own.

"I knew you had a smile in you," he chuckles. "Come on, there's a lot of people that'll love to see you."

"Okay," she quickly agrees, pushing all of the doubts and worries out of her mind for the time being. "But, there's someone I want you to meet first."

Addilyn dashes back to her Yukon, a small smile on her face as she opens the passenger door. Mr. Quackington immediately leaps into her palm, making sure she's okay.

As David appears directly behind her, the small bird honks, flapping his wings menacingly and snapping his beak as he reaches a hand out to touch it.

"Hey, it's okay, I promise," the girl coos, readjusting the fedora he nearly smacked off in his frenzy. "Mr. Quackington, meet Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave, meet Mr. Quackington.

****

Walking through the Army base made Addilyn feel more at home than she had in ages. Up until moving in with her aunt and uncle a few years ago, it was places such as this one she spent all her time around.

And, fortunately, most of the people her father had been stationed with over the course of her life we're currently stationed at the Arlington base. While no one even recognized her until David reintroduced her as 'Kaleb's kid', being around all the men and women in uniform was enough to comfort her.

Addilyn and Mr. Quackington sit by themselves at a table in the middle of the rather large cafeteria. David was whisked away by Sergeant Pane immediately after getting her adjusted, having his own duties to attend to tatter than just looking after his best friend's kid.

Mr. Quackington stands protectively next to the girl's arm, giving anyone that tried to talk to her such an evil glare, it could rival Aurora's.

She was too lost in her mind to notice, though. With David no longer distracting her with his constant chatter of what he'd been doing over the years, her thoughts of a particular blond were free to run wild.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the base, a particular blond was sprinting towards a familiar Yukon while a feisty brunette distracted the people at the gates.

"Addi!" Corbyn breathes excitedly, throwing open the driver's door, only to frown when all that's there is her phone.

"Excuse me, young man!" A deep voice demands, causing him to whirl around. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I-i'm sorry, sir," he stammers out, scratching the back of his head nervously as he struggles to catch his breath. "I'm just looking for someone."

"Let me guess," the large man frowns, keeping his expression stern. "Addilyn Rogers?"

The teen's face lights up at the name, immediately giving him all the answers he needed.

"Follow this long line of buildings and go into the very last one," David sighs, letting a grin tug at the edge of his lips. "She doesn't realize it, but she's waiting on you."

Corbyn utters a quick thanks before taking off once again, his heart thudding in his chest.

Addi, his Addi, was only a few buildings away.

After booking a flight to Washington DC merely three hours ago, he was closer to Addilyn than he had been in seven days. All he wanted was to be able to hug her again and never let go.

The people he passed didn't spare him a second glance, beyond used to similar scenes playing out every time someone particularly young joined their ranks.

Having literally ran himself ragged, Corbyn was at the point of collapsing as he stumbles up a set of stairs and into a crowded cafeteria. Almost instantaneously, his gaze lands on a gorgeous girl with jet black hair.

And next to her, a handsome boy no older than him, wearing a freshly pressed uniform, has his arm thrown around her and a flirtatious grin on his face as he leans in too close for Corbyn's liking.