Only My Characters are mine, and well the story idea...the rest belongs to Murphy, so...

This might move kinda slowly...bear with me...

Three Months Later...

Hiram Berry sat at the breakfast nook wringing his hands and worrying his bottom lip. He resisted the urge to run into the living room and pull his daughter into his lap. He wanted to comfort her, but knew that there was nothing he could say to alleviate her pain. She had asked to be left alone and for the past few days he'd allowed her her space, but he didn't think he could contain himself much longer; it was physically hurting him to see his baby in so much pain.

Just as he was about to rise from his seat again the backdoor closed and in sauntered the tall frame of his husband, Leroy followed by the running feet of their grandson, Maxwell.

"Granddaddy, Granddad taught me how to hit a fastball!" The boy smiled crookedly leaning against the kitchen island. In complete opposite to his mother he was tall for his age, standing about two inches taller than most the other kids in his old class. Leroy lovingly ruffled the tight curls of the boy's fauxhawk and peered pass Hiram to the huddled figure laying on their couch.

"Max, do us a favor and go put the bat and glove away and wash up for dinner." Leroy smiled down at the mocha-skinned boy and patted him on the shoulder.

Max looked back into the living room and smiled tightly before following his granddad's gentle command. Hiram knew the situation was difficult for the youngster too, and he figured that right now with Rachel's withdrawn behavior it was probably like losing both his mothers at once. It wasn't that he blamed Rachel; he didn't know what it was to lose one's partner and he didn't want to find out, but he needed her to see that there were people here that still needed her.

"Hiram..." Leroy said warningly crossing his large arms.

"Don't Hiram me, how long are we going to allow her to waste away?"

"You can't rush her, baby, I know you're worried, I am too, but she needs time."

Hiram pushed a tan hand through his thinning brown hair. "What about Max? He needs her..."

Leroy sighed, not knowing how to proceed. He loved Rachel like she was his own (despite their efforts at anonymity they both were pretty sure that she wasn't; she looked entirely too much like Hiram's sister to be a coincidence). He'd loved Dawn, she was beautiful and talented and doted adoringly on his daughter and their child. She was everything he'd wanted for Rachel to find in love and she'd been taken away far too quickly. He imagined that even though Dawn's parents refused to be a part of her life after her marriage to Rachel they were the only ones who could possibly understand even a modicum of her pain. He wanted to give her time to heal even if her distance pained them all, but he understood where his husband's hesitance to leave things as they were came from, part of him agreed. Part of him wanted to shake their daughter and send her upstairs to comfort her son.

"I don't know what to do, this is new territory to me just like it is to you. Maybe it's not the right thing to do, but after Max goes to bed I'm talking to her whether she likes it or not and you can join me or not." Hiram harrumphed and rose from his seat leaving his husband to ponder his next move alone, neither one aware that they're entire exchange had been watched.

After dinner, in which Rachel again did not join them, Hiram crept slowly into the darkened living room and settled down next to his daughter's half-covered head. He ran shaky fingers through her thick mane trying to think of how to begin.

"I heard you and Dad arguing..." Rachel's hoarse voice broke their silence. "...You never argue. I'm sorry..."

"Oh, Rach, it's nothing to worry about. I'm...We're just worried about you..."

"I know and I don't mean to be a burden, it just hurts so much..."Her voice cracked at the end and Hiram struggled to pull her closer to him.

"I know it does, baby, but your not the only one hurting, what about Max, he's hurting too no matter how he acts on the outside..."

"I'm a horrible mother...Dawn would be so ashamed...she was always better with him than me, always knew exactly what to say."

"You're not a horrible mother!" Hiram gently admonished. "You're just a little lost right now, we're all here to help you, but we can't help you if just lock-down on us."

"I'm sorry Daddy...I'll try harder..." She leans up and kissed the side of his cheek.

"Well, let's take the first step and get you into your bed..." Hiram rose slowly and helped her unsteadily to her feet.

So...thanx for all the reviews and the favs/alerts...that's just wow!

Ink