Author's Note: A ficlet set after She Was Pure Like Snowflake and before the ficlet Sometimes I'm Easily Fooled.

Watch Them Grow

I hear babies cry, and I watch them grow.
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know,
And I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."
~What A Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong

Hiram Berry has a small repertoire of meals that he's very good at preparing, but he's been working on perfecting a few additions to his proverbial wheelhouse ever since he'd officially retired four years ago. Regardless of this fact, he and Leroy still tend to rely heavily on the restaurants near their house in Fairfield more often than not, which is why he's particularly happy for the chance to break out his recipe for eggplant parmigiana to make a nice, family dinner in honor of his daughters who are going to be visiting from Manhattan. Thank God Rachelah is eating cheese again. Those years when she'd gone vegan had been hell on his menu planning, not to mention his wallet.

He'd swung by the grocery store first thing this morning to pick up a few items that he'd needed to complete his recipe and then stopped to buy a nice bottle of zinfandel. He and Leroy had polished off their last one two days ago. He wishes that he'd had more notice that his daughter and daughter-in-law were coming, but it's understandable that they hadn't known for certain that they'd be able to get away between Rachel's schedule and the uncooperative weather. After all, it's been nearly two months since he and Leroy have been able to make it down to Manhattan thanks to the never-ending parade of snowstorms marching across the northeast. He's grateful for the brief reprieve this past week has provided, but since March is coming in like the proverbial lamb, he suspects the winter is going to come back with a roar.

Rachel's current show is dark today, and since the next performance isn't until tomorrow evening, she and Quinn have decided to come for an overnight visit and catch a morning train back. So Hiram had left Leroy at home to finish tidying up the house—it's never quite clean enough for his husband, especially with company coming—and made the drive to the train station alone to pick up the girls. When he arrives, he can see that the train is already there, and a few people are trickling out into the still slushy parking lot, so he forgoes attempting to park and pulls up to the curb instead. It only takes a minute for him to see his bundled-up daughter maneuvering out of the station with one hand clutching her wife's hand and the other dragging a small suitcase behind her.

Hiram throws open his door and slides out of the car, jogging the short distance over to them with a smile, a wave, and a jovial, "Hello, girls."

"Daddy," Rachel responds with a familiar smile curving her lips. She drops her grip on her suitcase and lets go of Quinn's hand to throw her arms around him. "It's so good to see you," she breathes into his shoulder.

"The feeling is entirely mutual." He hugs her tightly, closing his eyes and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. He misses these hugs when he can't have them, and he's so glad that he'd let Leroy convince him that they should retire to Connecticut—it's an easy enough distance to New York City but not too close that he and his husband can't have their own privacy.

"My beautiful girl," he murmurs before releasing Rachel and turning to his daughter-in-law, nearly as happy to see her as he is to see Rachel. "And Quinn, my dear, you're looking as lovely as ever." He reaches for the gloved hand that Rachel had abandoned and holds it between both of his, patting it as he bends slightly to kiss her cheek.

Quinn gives one of his hands a little squeeze, grinning. "So are you, Hiram."

He laughs. "It's my new glasses," he confides with a wink. "Leroy says they make me look ten years younger. Let me get that bag," he insists, moving to claim the handle that Rachel had dropped. "You two go get in the car before you catch pneumonia."

Rachel's eyes widen in mild alarm. "We should do that, yes. We can't take any unnecessary chances with our health."

Hiram chuckles as he grabs their suitcase, well aware of how health conscious his Rachel can be—her voice is her livelihood after all.

Quinn rolls her eyes. "It's not that cold today."

"It's cold enough," Rachel scolds, reaching over to pull the edges of Quinn's coat together more tightly at the collar before reclaiming her hand. "Watch your step, baby. It could be a little slick."

Quinn shakes her head in amusement. "I think I can manage," she drawls, following Rachel to the car.

Hiram pops the trunk and begins maneuvering their bag inside while Rachel opens the passenger door and helps Quinn into the car. He closes the trunk in time to see his daughter crawling into the back seat, and he briskly rubs his hands together as he walks back to the front of the car.

After closing his door and turning up the heat, he pulls away from the curb and starts the journey home. "Did you girls have a good trip up?" he asks conversationally.

"We did," Quinn answers at the same time Rachel complains, "The train was a little on the chilly side."

"It was fine," Quinn contradicts.

"It could have been warmer," Rachel grumbles, crossing her arms. "I might just have to write a strongly worded letter to the MTA about the importance of climate control on their trains."

"You're not writing a letter," Quinn objects calmly.

Rachel shrugs. "We'll see about that."

Quinn ignores her, turning to Hiram with a smile. "Thank you for picking us up."

Hiram grins. "It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to get the extra twenty minutes with my two favorite ladies in the world."

They engage in some small talk on the way back to the house. Hiram knows that any really important subjects would only have to be rehashed once they get home to Leroy, so the expected mutual comments about the weather lead into Hiram telling them about the last storm and their crazy neighbor who'd climbed up onto his roof to shovel off the snow. Honestly, the man is lucky he hadn't broken his neck, but he'd certainly provided Hiram and Leroy with an hour of free entertainment as they'd watched him slip and slide and curse at the sky.

It's hardly a surprise to see his smiling husband already outside when he pulls into their driveway. "I hope you girls are prepared to be fussed over for the next twenty-four hours," Hiram warns them.

Quinn laughs. "He's hardly any worse than Rachel."

"Hey," Rachel protests lightly, leaning forward between the seats to address her wife. "You love it when I fuss."

"Occasionally," Quinn concedes, but the wide smile on her face makes it clear that she's teasing.

Rachel sticks her tongue out at Quinn before she leans back and throws open her car door to greet her dad, and Hiram hears the joyful, "Baby girl!" before Rachel is even out of the car.

Leroy wraps their daughter into a giant bear hug, nearly lifting her off the ground as Hiram and Quinn both exit the car.

"Oh, my darling, I've missed you so!" Leroy exclaims.

"I've missed you too, Dad," Rachel laughs.

Leroy releases her, leaning back to look her over with sharp eyes. "You look tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?" he questions.

Rachel rolls her eyes. "Yes, Dad."

He humphs. "I don't believe you. Quinn?" he calls out, addressing his daughter-in-law in a stern tone. "Are you making sure my baby girl gets at least eight hours of sleep a night?"

Quinn bites back a smile. "I do make sure she's in bed for at least that amount of time every night, yes."

Hiram barks out a laugh as he tugs the suitcase out of the trunk. "I'm sure you do, my dear." He's just not sure that Rachel is actually sleeping in that bed.

Leroy frowns at him. "Hush you." He smiles at Quinn, opening his arms. "Come here and give me a hug, gorgeous." Quinn does as she's told, receiving an equally fierce bear hug from Leroy.

"Dad, don't crush her," Rachel demands, immediately gravitating to Quinn's side as if she's afraid her father's enthusiastic greeting might actually break her wife.

Hiram frowns thoughtfully, and he notices his husband do the same thing as he releases Quinn, looking her over in much the same way he did Rachel before he smiles widely. "You seem sturdy enough to me. Maybe a little pink cheeked from this cold weather but very huggable." And then he hugs her again, though not quite as exuberantly, and presses a kiss to her cheek. "It's so very good to see you," he murmurs before releasing her. "Let's get you both inside and warmed up."

"Yes, please," Rachel agrees, hooking her arm with Quinn's as they follow Leroy into the house.

Hiram sets their suitcase by the landing of the stairs while Leroy collects the girls' coats and hangs them in the closet. "Go on into the living room and make yourselves at home," he urges.

Rachel leads Quinn down the short hallway before she stops, cocking her head as she gazes around the room in question. "Did you redecorate?"

"I only rearranged a few pieces of furniture," Leroy informs her as he comes up behind her.

Hiram chuckles from his husband's side. "And bought a new chair, two lamps, and a coffee table."

"We needed them," Leroy defends as he glides into the room and takes a seat on his new chair. "And they were on sale."

"The new arrangement gives the room a certain elegance," Quinn compliments, sitting gracefully on the sofa across from Leroy.

"Thank you, Quinn. I knew I liked you for a reason."

"Can I get you girls anything to drink?" Hiram asks before he sits. "Wine? Coffee?"

Rachel shakes her head, fidgeting noticeably in her seat next to Quinn. "No, thank you, Daddy."

"Quinn?"

"None for her either," Rachel answers distractedly.

"I know you're a little bit psychic, honey, but I didn't think that extended to mindreading."

Rachel blushes, dropping her eyes to the carpet, and Quinn chuckles. "It normally doesn't, but I'm fine. Thank you, Hiram."

"So what have you girls been up to?" Leroy asks, leaning forward in his chair with an eager grin. "Any exciting news to share?"

Quinn's eyebrow inches up and she glances at Rachel, whose eyes are wide. "Quinn finished her book!" she blurts out. "Just last week actually." She darts her eyes over to her wife and smiles. "Why don't you tell them about it, baby?"

Quinn's lips turn down into a frown for a few seconds before she sighs and turns her attention back to Hiram and Leroy, smiling apologetically. "I don't want to bore you…"

Leroy waves a dismissive hand. "Oh, honey, you won't. I love spoilers. Tell us as much as you'd like about…whatever you'd like. We have all day."

Hiram sinks down into his own chair as Quinn begins to give them a synopsis of her newest literary masterpiece, but his eyes keep darting to his daughter, who's chewing on her lower lip and twisting her wedding rings around her finger in a nervous habit that he recognizes from her childhood. He wonders what she has to be nervous about.

"It sounds fabulous," Leroy comments once Quinn has finished talking. "I can't wait to get my advanced copy."

Quinn chuckles. "I'll have one sent as soon as it's ready. It'll be a few months though."

"Oh, I'm sure those months will just fly right by," Leroy assures her with an eager grin before he glances at Rachel. "So, baby girl, you're being awfully quiet over there. Do you have anything to contribute to the conversation?" he prompts.

"Oh…um…well," Rachel stammers, looking over at Quinn. Hiram witnesses a silent conversation take place between them that's all raised eyebrows and tilted heads before Rachel reaches over to take Quinn's hand, taking a few deep breaths. "We actually do have some news."

An excited, "Oh," falls from Leroy's lips as he practically bounces in his chair, pressing his hands over his heart. Hiram has the distinct feeling that he's missing something important.

Quinn smiles encouragingly at Rachel, who responds with her own soft smile before she announces, "We're having a baby."

"I knew it!" Leroy crows. "The moment you arrived, I just knew you were going to make us granddaddies."

"You did not," Hiram challenges. He couldn't have. The girls hadn't even mentioned the possibility that they might be thinking about starting a family right now! Hiram absolutely does not want to admit that his husband might have picked up on something that he himself had failed to.

"I certainly did, Hiram," Leroy insists, gesturing to his daughter-in-law. "Why, just look at Quinn. She's absolutely glowing." And Hiram has to admit that his husband isn't wrong. Quinn looks positively radiant right now. "Oh, I'm so happy!" Leroy coos, standing up and reaching for Quinn with suspiciously glistening eyes. "Come here, my darling girl."

Quinn takes Leroy's outstretched hand, her own eyes glistening, and lets him pull her up and into a hug. "Oh, you're both going to be such a wonderful mothers," he says through his tears.

"Thank you," Quinn whispers, obviously touched.

Rachel is gazing at them with a mixture of pride and wonder—and maybe a trace of the nervous energy that Hiram had noticed earlier. "And you," Leroy breathes, loosening his hold on Quinn only to reach for Rachel. "My baby girl is having a baby of her own."

"Well, technically Quinn is having the baby," Rachel points out as she's enveloped in another bear hug by Leroy.

"Semantics," Leroy scoffs.

Quinn wipes away a happy tear from her cheek, chuckling. "More than you know."

"That's an unusually cryptic statement," Hiram notes, having stood from his chair and made his way to Quinn's side to get a turn at hugging the mother of his first grandchild. He wraps an arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze, and his heart swells with tenderness when Quinn turns and tucks herself into his chest in a loose embrace.

"Oh, stop being so contrary, Hiram," Leroy chastises. "This is a happy occasion. Why aren't you dancing around the room in celebration?"

"I think you're doing enough dancing for the both of us," he comments dryly. "But Leroy is right," he admits softly, gazing down at Quinn with affection. "You certainly are glowing, my dear." He presses a kiss to her forehead in the same gentle way he so often does with Rachel. His mind is already spinning with the realization that he'll soon have a tiny baby to hold and love and spoil rotten—if he can ever get him or her away from Leroy

"I think it's just happiness," Quinn muses.

"It's so much more than that," Rachel murmurs, gazing lovingly at Quinn as she extracts herself from Leroy's embrace. "Quinn has never been more beautiful than she is right now."

Quinn sniffles in Hiram's arms as a fresh tear of happiness spills over her cheek. "Oh, Rach," she whispers, reaching for Rachel's hand.

Hiram gives Quinn another gentle squeeze as he lets her go. "I certainly can't disagree. And you," he drawls, sliding a hand over Rachel's back and pulling her into his side, even as she keeps hold of Quinn's hand, "are a very sneaky daughter," he brushes a kiss across her temple, "not telling us that you were even thinking about starting a family."

"Well, we…we didn't want to get anyone's hopes up in case it...it didn't work out," Rachel admits.

"Perfectly understandable," Leroy dismisses with a smile. "Sit down, sit down," he urges Quinn, stepping to her side and taking her free arm. "You should be off your feet and resting."

Quinn laughs, shaking her head. "I'm fine, Leroy. It's still fairly early." But she does release Rachel's hand and allow him to guide her back down onto the sofa where he joins her, clasping her hand between his.

"He's going to be like this for the next six months, isn't he?" Rachel asks Hiram with an indulgent grin.

"Oh, undoubtedly. Six months, you say?" Hiram echoes. He's very good at math, so he realizes quickly that they'd probably waited to tell them the happy news until they'd made it safely through the first trimester. He won't claim that he isn't a little disappointed that they hadn't confided in their fathers sooner, but he certainly understands why they'd wanted to be cautious.

"The baby is due August 29th," Quinn confirms.

"That's a very good date," Leroy gushes. "The incomparable Ingrid Bergman was born on that day."

"And Richard Attenborough," Hiram adds. Leroy sends him a very judgy look. "What? He's a fine actor," he defends.

Leroy shakes his head. "Maybe if you discount those awful dinosaur movies."

Hiram frowns. "I liked those movies."

Leroy shrugs. "Well, I suppose that one actor was kind of cute. The one with the glasses…"

Hiram huffs, pushing up his own glasses with his thumb. "So, what did you mean earlier?" he asks Quinn, bringing the subject back around to more important matters. "About the semantics?"

Quinn smiles beatifically, gazing up at Rachel. "Go on and tell them."

Rachel runs her tongue across her lips, looking a little nervous again. "Well, Dad, Daddy, you see…Quinn wanted…that is, we," she corrects a bit awkwardly, "decided to use my egg. So, while Quinn is the one who is experiencing all the joys of pregnancy, the baby is biologically mine," she reveals, much to Hiram's surprise and delight.

Leroy squeals, bouncing on the sofa and pulling Quinn into another hug. "Oh…oh Hiram…! Did you hear that?"

"I'm standing right here," Hiram quips, amused at his husband's antics.

"Oh, my girls," Leroy coos, reaching for Rachel's hand. "I'm going to cry. Hiram, be a dear and go and fetch the box of Kleenex."

Hiram shakes his head, but he has to admit that he's feeling a little moisture gather in his own eyes. He tightens his hold around Rachel's waist and rests his cheek against her head, already imagining another beautiful little version of her running around, singing and dancing and exploring everything with wide-eyed wonder and unrelenting curiosity. "My little girl is having a baby," he breathes. He can still remember holding Rachel in his arms when she'd been only hours old—the years have flown past with alarming speed, collecting memories and milestones like coins from a fountain.

It hits him all at once that his family is continuing on with a new generation. In six months, God willing, there will be a new person in this world for him to love and cherish, and he'll get to watch his daughter and her beautiful wife become the most amazing parents. His world is about to get just a little bit brighter, and it truly is a wonderful thing.