It's three a.m. when the phone rings. Mary groans and Harry's arms search for her to bring her closer because she's shifted in her sleep and she's not as close to him as he'd like.

She's too tired to fight him and smiles softly as he brings her close to him and rests his head in the crook of her neck. "It'll still be there tomorrow."

Mary hums in return and closes her eyes. She's not awake enough to realize that whoever is calling wouldn't be calling at such an odd hour if there wasn't some sort of emergency. Harry's warm and she's far too comfortable to even want to move to see who's calling.

The room is silent, save for the soft sound of their breathing, and Mary's slipping back into a dream when her phone starts to ring again. A soft groan passes her lips, Harry's arms tighten around her and he mumbles against her skin, "Tomorrow, 's too early."

He's right, it is too early. That's exactly why she decides to answer the phone. No one would be calling her again this late at night if it wasn't important.

Mary turns on her side in his arms and reaches for her phone on the nightstand. She didn't turn the brightness down before they went to bed and the light emanating from the screen nearly blinds her.

She doesn't bother reading the caller ID as she quickly swipes her fingers over the accept call button.

"Hello?"

Harry sits up and rests his weight on his elbow, listening to the conversation as much as he can while still being asleep because he doesn't want Mary to have to stay up longer to tell him.

Almost as soon as she answers, he knows that it isn't good because her free hand lifts to cover her mouth and it looks like she's stopped breathing entirely. Harry places his hand on her shoulder to comfort her on a small level and her hand drops to reach for his instead.

"They don't know how long she has...She...she had a h-heart attack and it's only gotten worse."

Mary's hands start to shake and Harry holds her hand a little tighter. Someone's dying and he's got no idea who, but he's knows that whoever it is they're incredibly important to her.

Her voice is soft and a little shaky as she replies. "No...we were supposed to go and see her tomorrow...she can't go."

Tears are welling in her eyes and her lips are trembling almost as much as her hands. Harry knows who's dying now and he feels terrible, although, he can't compare how he feels to how Mary feels because she's known this woman for her entire life.

"I know. She wanted me to call you to make sure that you came to—that you came to say goodbye. Please come, Mary. It's hard enough without you here now and you know that I hate to admit it, but I need my big sister."

Mary tries to wipe her eyes but stops halfway because it's not going to make any difference. "What—what hospital are you at?"

"Memorial."

"I'll be there soon."

She ends the call and immediately drops the phone onto the mattress. Harry's anticipated her movements before she dropped the phone and he meets her embrace quicker than she expected him too.

Mary clings to him like he's an anchor. She doesn't know what else to do because everything hurts. It's been a long time since she's cried like this and her entire body is shaking. Harry's not saying anything because he knows that it won't matter, someone that she loves is dying and there's nothing that either of them can do about it.

The best he can do is hold her close and let his actions speak for him so he doesn't end up saying something that might upset her further. Her tears coat the thin material of his shirt in only moments and gentle sobs escape her lips. She's trying not to let her grief consume her and that's okay because he knows that she's trying to keep some composure for her daughter's sake. He'll be there for her when she breaks entirely and that's what matters.

Harry lets her cry for a few minutes before he asks softly, "Do you want me to wake Ember?"

Mary shakes her head as she pulls away, "N-no. I have to do that myself. Will you—will you get the car?"

He lifts his hand to caress her cheek and wipe away a few tears, "Sure."

Before she can say anything else, he kisses her. It's sweet and gentle and just what she needs to settle her heart for a moment.

"I love you."

Her lips are still slightly trembling, but she manages to smile softly in return. She wants to say it back, but her mind is still stuck on the fact that her Nana is dying. Harry understands though, he's been through it before and he's not at all offended that she doesn't say it back this time.

His thumb wipes another tear away and he presses a sweet kiss to her forehead. "I'll be outside when you're ready."

Mary nods and remains in her spot for a moment before wiping her eyes and heading into Ember's room. She's still sound asleep and curled up with Miss Elly at her side. Mary wants to smile because she's adorable, but she doesn't have it in her right now because she has to wake her up and tell her that her great grandmother is dying.

Ember's still a hard sleeper, and it takes a good minute or two of Mary shaking her shoulder and asking her to wake up before she actually opens her eyes.

A yawn takes a hold of her before she can say anything and her small hands lift to rub at her eyes. It's late and she's incredibly tired and confused because it's still dark outside and her mother is asking her to wake up.

"What is it, mommy?"

That's what hurts Mary a little more. She's started to only call her mommy when she knows that something is wrong or when she wants something.

Mary smooths her hair and tries her best to keep the tears at bay for now. Ember's seen her cry far too much in the last few years and she doesn't want to let her see that again right now even though she knows that she'll see her crying in the hospital.

"We have to go to the hospital to see your great grandma."

Ember pulls Miss Elly a little closer, "Why?"

She doesn't understand why they have to go right now, doesn't understand that her mother means that her great grandmother is dying and that her mother has to say goodbye or she'll regret it for the rest of her life.

"Because—because she's leaving and we need to say goodbye before she's already left."

Tears start to pool in her eyes again and Ember doesn't question her further. She's too tired to try and she doesn't want to see her mother cry again.

Mary doesn't make her put on regular clothes because it's late and it's a hospital. It doesn't matter. Ember buries her head in her mother's shoulder as she carries her down the stairs, her eyes closing out of sleepiness. "I love you, mommy."

Mary holds her a little tighter than she needs to, "I love you too, Emmy."

Harry's waiting patiently in the car, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and trying to come up with the right things to say and to do after Mary's Nana passes. He knows that she won't want to talk about it at first and that she's going to cry a lot and he wants to be there for her in the best way that he can.

Ember's pretty much asleep by the time that Mary gets her settled into her booster seat and Mary looks like she's about to break at any moment. He offers his hand across the center console and she accepts without saying a word. The drive is silent and almost smothering.

When they make it to the hospital, they sit in the car for a long moment. Mary's grip on his hand is likely to leave a bruise the longer that they sit there and stare at the building.

Harry runs his thumb over her knuckles lightly, "Sitting here isn't going to make it better, no matter how much we want it too."

He freezes for a moment because that came out a lot harsher than he intended it to. Mary isn't angry though because he's right and she needed to hear it.

"I'm sorry."

Mary shakes her head and offers him a weak smile, "No, I needed to hear it. Thank you."

They sit there for another thirty seconds before Mary decides that it's time to rip the Band-Aid off and get it over with because she's not going to get another chance. Ember's a little more awake once they make it inside, the bright lights make it impossible for her to keep her eyes shut.

Harry's still holding Mary's hand as they walk up to the front desk to find out what room her Nana is in. The nurse doesn't seem too pleased with the hour and it takes her longer than it should to check the system and rattle off a number.

"187E, down the hall and to the right."

Mary starts holding her breath halfway down the hall and the grip that she has on his hand increases with each door that passes. She's trying her hardest not to cry right now, but she knows that she's going to eventually because her Nana has been one of her best friends for as long as she can remember. And now she's dying.

It helps to have Harry there, but it also hurts because she wanted her Nana to meet him at her house and to spend some time getting to know him before she died. Now she has one moment and that's all that she'll ever have.

Claire sees them before they make it to the room and she practically runs down the hall to hug Mary, her eyes filled with tears.

"You made it."

Mary releases a shaky breath as she returns the hug and finally lets go of Harry's hand. "Of course I did."

Harry brings Ember over to her grandparents to cheer them up a tiny bit because he knows that they love her, even if they're still not too fond of him.

Claire hugs Mary for much longer than she needs to and a few tears are falling down Mary's cheeks by the time that she lets her go. "How much longer?"

"Not long."

That's all Mary needs to hear and she's mumbling something about comforting later because she needs to talk to her now. Claire doesn't question her and follows her to the room, only she stays outside with Harry and the rest of her family.

Dorothy wears a faint smile as she sees her granddaughter enter the room. She's been waiting for her since she woke up.

Mary immediately starts crying the moment that she takes her Nana's hand. "Please don't go, Nana."

Her nails are still red and that only seems to make it worse.

"I don't have a choice, Marigold. Don't cry for me, I'm finally going to see my husband again and you, my dear, you have so much to smile about."

A soft laugh passes Mary's lips because of course she would say that. Dorothy's never really been one for niceties and that still hasn't changed, not even on her deathbed.

"I still don't want you to go."

Dorothy gives her hand a gentle squeeze, "I know. But I'm old and there's not much for me to do here anymore." Mary's still crying and she decides to change the subject, "Did you bring him with you? The man that you write pages and pages about in every letter?"

Mary nods, a smile of her own gracing her lips even through the tears. "Yes, he's with Ember in the hall. I'm sorry that you didn't get to meet him sooner." I'm sorry that I wasted my time with Alec instead of being happy.

"Why is he not in here with you?"

She laughs again, "Because he wants to be respectful and give me a moment with you alone before he says his first hello and the last goodbye."

Dorothy gives her a look that prompts her to let go of her hand and open the door for Harry and Ember to come in. Everyone else has already seen her and said their goodbyes, so it doesn't bother anyone.

Harry wears a soft smile as he carries Ember in on his shoulder. She's still sleepy and he knows that she can't see her great grandmother very well if she stands on the ground because she's a little short for her age.

He's not really sure what to say because they weren't supposed to meet this way and he's struggling to find words while Dorothy smiles.

"I'm sorry that we have to meet this way. Mary's told me a lot about you in her letters."

Harry blushes and Ember grins because she knows that her great grandmother likes him. "I'm sure that she has. She's told me a lot about you too. I'm sorry that I didn't come to meet you sooner."

She waves him off with her hand, "Nonsense, you're adults and I know that you're busy, especially with little Miss Ember."

He smiles and Ember takes the moment to ask, "Where are you going grandma?"

Dorothy smiles softly as she takes her small hand in hers, "I'm going to see your great-grandpa, sweetheart."

Ember pouts and her eyes start to water as she realizes what her mother meant when she said that her great grandmother was leaving and they had to say goodbye. "But why?"

"Because it's my time to go. I'll still be with you though. In here," She pokes Ember's head lightly, "And in here," she moves her finger to point where Ember's heart rests.

Harry knows that she wants to hug her grandmother and he lets her go so that she can do exactly that. Mary's still crying and Harry pulls her in for another hug while Ember is preoccupied.

He mumbles close to her ear, "She'll be there for you too, you know."

Mary holds him for a moment before she lets him go and Ember manages to somehow clamber back into his arms. Dorothy motions for Harry to come closer because she's got something to say to him that she doesn't want Marigold to hear.

Harry does as he's asked, careful not to squish Ember as he leans over the railing.

"Take care of her heart. Don't let her push you away because she's afraid. You love her and you treat her better than her terrible excuse for an ex-husband ever did. I promise not to haunt you if you do that."

He can hear the smile in her voice and he laughs softly as he stands up straight and nods to let her know that he will. "I will."

Marigold's not stupid, she knows how her Nana is and she knows that she's just told him something about maintaining their relationship, but she's not in a mood to ask him what she said and it's between them anyway.

She leans in for one last hug before she says goodbye and lets her mother spend time with her mother. "I love you, Nana."

"I love you too, Marigold. Don't let fear control you and don't you dare cry at my funeral."

Mary nods quickly and takes Harry's hand. She can't say anything else without sobbing and she's said her second to last goodbye. The last goodbye is saved for the funeral when they cover her in flowers and lower her into the earth with her husband.

The three of them leave the room and Mary's mother and father take their place. Ember takes the chair next to her Aunt Claire and Mary turns her back to the room. She can't bear to watch as the machine flat lines and her Nana passes.

Harry pulls her in for another tight hug and she clings to him like she's a child. Her fists twist in the fabric of his shirt as she cries her heart out. Choked sobs pass her lips every now and then and her body trembles with each exhale. Harry holds her as close as he can and whispers that he loves her and that it's okay.

Mary cries for three days. It's not constant either, she'll be fine for an hour or two and then something with spark a memory and the tears return. Ember didn't really know her great grandmother very well so she isn't too upset, but seeing her mother upset makes her upset and she ends up lending her Miss Elly for a few nights.

Harry's there for her every moment that he can be and he even takes a sick day to make sure that she's alright. A lot has happened in the last few months and he doesn't want her to fall back into a depression.

The funeral comes a lot faster than either of them anticipated and Mary's holding up a lot better than she thought that she would. It's hard to see all of the flowers and all of her relatives, but Nana told her not to cry and she's going to try her best not to.

She holds up until she gets halfway through her speech. She gives Harry a look and he returns a soft smile and a gentle nod to let her know that it's okay to cry.

Tears start to blur her vision and she crumples the paper on the stand. She doesn't need it and she never did.

"If Nana was here right now, she'd tell me to stop crying and put a smile on because she's in a better place." A gentle laugh falls from her lips as she wipes her eyes, "She was never one for tears, hated them actually. But she's right. We're here to put her to rest and to remember her as she was, not as some corpse in a casket."

"Sorry, that was a little rough. What I mean is that we should be grateful for the time that we spent with her and remember her with smiles and fond memories instead of tears and grief. Nana was one of my best friends and, while she would adore the flowers, she'd love the smiles a hell of a lot more. She was a kind woman with a good heart and a bit of a bite to her speech and I hope that everyone here will take that with them for the rest of their lives and remember to smile, because you've got so much more to live for. Thank you."

Mary leaves the small stand in tears and Harry meets her when she's halfway to her seat, pulling her close and telling her that her Nana would have loved to hear that and that it's okay. She calms down after a few moments and the tears slow as they take their seats.

Just having him there helps her so much and the fact that he lets her bruise and batter his hand is incredibly wonderful. He's there for her when she's not sure if she can be there for herself and that means everything to her.

She holds his hand until everyone trickles out and Claire asks if she can watch Ember for a while. Claire knows that she wants to stick around for a little while longer and that Ember will get bored just staring at flowers and cement headstones.

Dorothy was old fashioned and insisted to be buried with an actual headstone and not a plaque and her husband was the same. Marigold loved that about her.

She grants Claire permission to watch Ember for a while and then leads Harry to an oak tree a few feet away from where her Nana will be buried. They sit beneath the full branches, on the cold soil and twisted roots that didn't exactly make it under the surface.

A gentle sigh passes her lips as she leans her head on his shoulder and fusses with his fingers. "I don't think I want to cry anymore."

Harry smiles, "Why's that?"

Mary shrugs, "I hate it and she's happy. Nana wasn't happy after my grandfather died, they knew each other since they were five and they went through wars and poverty together. When he left her side for good, that sparkle that was always in her eyes dimmed and she kind of secluded herself for a long time. She'd want me to smile and she's right, I shouldn't spend all of my time crying over someone who's gone because I do have a lot to live for." She stops fussing with his fingers and settles with linking them together. "I wish she would have told me that sooner."

They sit in silence for a moment before she laughs softly, "She hated Alec, you know. But she'd never tell me so. I knew it from the first time that I brought him to meet her. She loved me far too much to tell me he was bad for me, she wanted me to learn on my own and she didn't want to make me feel like my family did. Like my happiness didn't matter."

A real smile finally graces her lips, "She liked you before she even met you. I sent her a few pictures the first time that I mentioned you and she absolutely adored them. Said that she'd never seen me so happy, even with my bastard ex-husband."

This time she stays silent for a minute or so before Harry says something. "I know. She pretty much told me that in the hospital. Told me to love you and not to let you push me away because you're afraid. She actually threatened to haunt me if I let you leave so, please don't leave. From what I've heard, I'm not quite sure I can handle that. The woman might just murder me herself, ghost or not."

Mary laughs and lightly shoves his shoulder, "She would not! She'd just scold you and keep you up constantly."

A gentle breeze rustles the branches and sends the fallen leaves scattering. Mary smiles and leans a little closer to him, "You don't have to worry about me pushing you away though. There are some things that scare me, but not enough to make me want to leave you." She laughs brightly, "I don't think Ember would ever forgive me if I made you leave."

Harry laughs with her, "Looks like I'll be here forever then."

Mary lifts her head and kisses his cheek, "Forever it is."