Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 57th cycle. Now cycle 58!

This is a shift day. There are two updates today.

"The Light That Guides You Home"
Leroy & Hiram; Puck & Nora (AU!Beth) - Hannah & Hailey
Sunshine Girls series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

At no time had the news that their daughter had broken up with her boyfriend brought any joy whatsoever to Leroy and Hiram Berry. How could it, when they saw how heartbroken it left her? They would be there for her, in the days and weeks that followed, as best as they could. She wouldn't talk about it, but they could only imagine any number of reasons would have been behind the separation. No matter what, they would do their part and support their daughter through it.

Months had passed since then, and whether they would address it or not, they could see that all wasn't well. Looking at her, most people would have thought Rachel was fine. But they were her fathers, and so they weren't most people. She was okay, for the most part, but under the surface they could tell there was still a sadness in her, and they could only guess where it came from.

"I think we need to talk to her," Leroy had told Hiram as he pushed their cart down the supermarket aisle.

"I know, and I want to, of course. What kind of parents would we be if we didn't? But…"

"No buts, it's gone on long enough."

"It has," Hiram agreed.

They were coming around into the next aisle when they saw him, or actually when they saw the both of them. There was Noah Puckerman, their daughter's ex-boyfriend, with his and Quinn's little girl Nora, in a seat fixed to his basket. The boy remained with a hand on the basket's handle at all times while he spoke to a clerk who had to be the same age as him.

"Are you sure you don't have any of the banana left?" he was asking.

"Look, I checked already, I went in the back and everything," the clerk boy insisted. "I can give you pear…" he grabbed a jar from one of the shelves.

"Trust me, you do not want to give her pear," Puck shook his head. The clerk left, and Puck leaned on the basket handle, looking at his daughter. "It's alright, we'll go somewhere else, I know banana's your favorite," he told her, and she kicked up her feet. "Yeah, I know," he gave her a smile. He didn't know he was being watched before, but finally he felt the eyes on him and he turned. Of all people, Rachel's fathers were the last he expected, and he didn't look particularly thrilled to see them.

"Hello, Noah," Hiram told him, then, "And hello, Nora," he waved to the baby girl. "Noah and Nora, that's sweet," he remarked.

"Hello," Puck nodded to them. "It's, uh… I didn't know you shopped here." He would have said it was nice to see them, but he didn't want to lie.

"We do, every week," Leroy confirmed, and maybe picking up on the awkward vibe in the air, he wasn't sure what to say, which had ended up in him saying "We haven't seen you since you and Rachel broke up."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were thrilled about that one," Puck couldn't keep from being bitter about it.

"Why would we be thrilled?" Hiram asked.

"You didn't want her with me because I was going to be having a kid. Now we're not together, so you got what you wanted."

"You broke up with her because of that?" Leroy asked.

"No, I didn't, but she did," Puck had gone on, and it wasn't until he saw the look on their faces that he realized… "You didn't know."

"No, we didn't… Oh, that's just… Noah, we really had no idea, and we certainly don't want you to think that we would have forced her to…" Hiram went on, looking so apologetic all of a sudden.

"Forget it, it's fine," he shrugged. "It's in the past, it's done," he told them. He turned back to check on Nora, and he saw how her eyes were locked on the two men standing by his side. "So you've met," he guessed, smiling to his daughter, pulling it back once he turned to the pair of them there.

"Oh, yes, a few times," Leroy nodded. "She's a sweetheart," he turned a smile toward the baby girl, who just smiled at him.

"She is," Puck had to agree, looking to his tiny blonde child.

"And, you know, if you or Quinn ever need anything to…" Hiram had started.

"I can take care of her," Puck promised. "We both can."

"I'm not suggesting otherwise," he assured. "But if you're ever in a jam, you can call us." They had let him go on after that. For a moment he had almost forgotten what he was meant to do, but then he remembered… the banana… He had taken Nora along, finding another store…

X

"Hold on," Hannah had interrupted him, both her and Hailey peering at him from over the kitchen island at their grandfathers' house.

"What is it?" Puck had asked her.

"You said that they helped you and Mom."

"They did," he bowed his head.

"How?" Hannah frowned, and he sighed, but then Hailey raised her hand.

"Did you get in… uh… a jam?" she had recalled the phrase he'd used, and he'd smiled, holding his hand out to Quinn and Finn's daughter. Hailey beamed, reaching out to high-five her uncle.

"Yes, Miss Hudson," he nodded, and once again he had a captive audience. "You know now, after you, and the twins, and then Noah, your dad's getting to be kind of a pro," he looked to Hannah, who grinned with absolute approval. "Back when it was just Nora though, it was different. Sure, I'd taken care of your aunt Sarah before, but that was not even close to being the same. And as much as things could work just fine, there would be times where I still needed help."

THE END/TO BE CONTINUED (NEXT CYCLE)