A/n: I admit it freely, this fic exists just so I could write Professor Stein cooing over grandchildren. Pure fluff and I regret none of it. Beta-read by the awesome helloyesimhere! And they are not mine... except for the little ones. Constructive criticism always welcomed.


Martin Stein cooed over the tiny bundled figures in the crib. "How are my two little future Nobel Prize winners? You are going to make such an incredible impact on the scientific community when you are grown. It's inevitable, given who your parents, and if I may be so bold, grandparents are. Why, inheriting my genetics alone... Well, you may even put my own accomplishments to shame. But to tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind in the slightest if that became the case. I would feel just as proud as if your achievements were my own. Prouder, even." He chuckled softly, amazed at how content he could feel at the thought of his work overshadowed by his grandchildren's future accomplishments.

"So, is your idea of a bedtime story still adventures in science with Faraday and Tesla, and how you expect similar achievements from them?"

Professor Stein turned, startled a bit by the intrusion. His daughter Lily stood in the doorway to the nursery, smirking at her father's idea of baby talk. "How can we not expect greatness from them?" Martin protested, gesturing towards his twin grandchildren. "They have both you and Raymond to thank for their DNA, and you, of course, inherited my brilliance..."

Lily's daughter stirred, fussing as she woke, and Lily walked over to pick her up so that she wouldn't disturb her brother's sleep, placing the infant in a flustered Martin's arms. "Just enjoy your grandbabies for now. Let's let them plan their own futures when they're ready, okay?"

"But we must nurture their budding genius early on! I mean, between yours and Raymond's contribution to their genetic code, their intellect must be astounding!"

"And all I want is to see them happy, no matter what their I.Q." Lily stroked a gentle finger across the baby's cheek.

Martin had to smile at the tiny girl's toothless grin. "To think how close I came to missing out on moments like this..." he murmured.

Lily stared at him, eyes wide with concern. "Dad?"

"I was so self-absorbed back before you were even thought of, so caught up in my own bright future... I'd forget your mother had become a part of it." Stein shook his head ruefully. "Thankfully I had an older and... wiser... me to help set me straight back then. I can't even imagine how I ever lived through a future without this. You—the twins—all of this has become such a vital part of my life that I'd never have known I'd missed, if time hadn't intervened."

Lily kissed her father on the cheek. "Well, you have it now, Dad. Just focus on that." She turned and smiled to see her husband at the doorway. As she walked over to join him, she glanced back at her father to add with a laugh, "And stop putting college applications beside their changing table. They haven't even made it to preschool yet!"

"You can never start too early!"