AN: I needed a little fluff in my life, so I decided to write this after a trip to my dentist's office. It's amazing what one can accomplish during a long layover!

Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

Dental hygienists love to talk. This is problematic because many of their patients are unable to speak. One way conversations are often unwelcome, especially if one party was too relaxed from the laughing gas to stay awake. Thus, they talked amongst each other, whether it be the rugby game last night, the latest political scandal, or the state of their social life. The last item on the list inevitably led to gossip.

Everyone in the Grangers' dental office loved a good piece of gossip. The rumors were never meant to be malicious or damaging, but every once in a while something juicy came their way they couldn't help but discuss.

Rumors could be about anything, from their friends' divorces, their own romantic misadventures, or their own latest vacation. One topic which fascinated though was the mysterious Hermione Granger, the woman they hadn't known existed when agreeing to work for the Drs. Grangers.

All of them had been shocked when the Dr. Monica and Dr. Wendell Wilkins called an early morning meeting and announced they were in fact Dr. Muriel and Dr. Wilford Granger. At first, everyone thought they were changing their names. No, Granger had been their previous names, and they had the paperwork to prove it. Then, it was unclear if the Drs. Grangers were running from the law, trying to escape a debt, or were double agents for some government agency. No, none of that was true.

The only answer anyone received was some psychobabble about a condition which caused dissociative fugue. The stress from Britain had brought on a psychological condition which caused them to forget their identities and start anew. Now that they had the proper medical care (which nobody knew they were undergoing), they were ready to resume their former identities.

Oh, and they had a daughter. She was nineteen, and would be visiting from time to time. She had just graduated from a British school top in her class, and was the light of her parents' lives.

The office erupted into rumors. Was this supposed daughter a con artist? Was she responsible for this dissociative fugue? Was she the person her parents were trying to escape from? Was she single or married?

When they met Hermione two weeks after the Drs. Wilkins became the Drs. Granger, all their fears were assuaged. Despite whatever trouble the Grangers had encountered, their daughter was a lovely, kind woman who deserved only the best.

Thus, a few felt guilty when they began taking bets on how long it would take her to break up with her idiot boyfriend, later fiancé, Ron Weasley.

Gladys won the pot at them breaking up at six years and four months. Bridget swore the woman was clairvoyant. She almost always won these pots, and always collected her money with a sparkle in her sapphire blue eyes. When asked how she could predict the length of these relationships, all she did was smile and say, "when you're sixty-five and have been married for forty years, you know who will make it and who will not."

Nobody in the office could've predicted Hermione's marriage to Severus Snape. They hadn't even started a pot on when she'd find a new boyfriend! How responsible was it for her to move onto a new man in a month? She'd been so in love with Ron, yet she was married to another man. What on earth was she thinking?

Better yet, she was pregnant! Was this a shotgun wedding? Did she and her new husband have a chance of surviving if their courtship and wedding was so rushed? Was there any love in their marriage, or would it be only for show?

The Drs. Grangers shared their concerns. The day after they returned from their cruise they came in mumbling under their breaths about Hermione's impatience and needing to wait for the right time to conceive a child. As always they were professional to patients, but behind closed doors the hygienists heard them rant and rail against Hermione's rash decisions. Nobody knew who to feel sorriest for: the Drs. Granger, their daughter for getting herself into such a predicament, or her new husband, the man at the brunt of it all.

Poor man wouldn't know what hit him when he wound up on the wrong side of Wilford's temper. Their first meeting would be one to remember.

The day after the fated first meeting, the Drs. Granger were calmer. Wilford only discussed the matter with Gary. Gary was the one closest to him, which meant he was the first to know the details of any situation.

According to Gary, the first meeting with Severus went well. Sure, Wilford was still afraid Hermione would get her heart broken, but his son-in-law was no idiot, which already made him a step up from Ron. Gary didn't dare tell him she couldn't have done much worse than Ron Weasley.

The fact that his new son-in-law had money didn't hurt. He planned to use it to open some kind of chemical business. What that entailed was vague, but Wilford seemed confident that he could make a go of it.

As time went on Wilford was calmer, until one would swear he liked his son-in-law. Muriel spoke of him in glowing terms, almost as if the fact he was closer to her in age than Hermione wasn't an issue. For a few months, there was an optimistic peace throughout the office.

Then Rose was born.

Muriel and Wilford only had a few pictures of Rose, but each hygienists saw each pone at least ten times. She was a cutie with her mother's hair and her father's smirk.

Yet something troubled Bridget about Rose's expression. Yes, her smile was reminiscent of that of her father, and in all the pictures Severus looked upon her with adoration. Yet the infant's eyes were blue.

Light, icy blue.

Like Ron's.

"So, is it true that a baby's eyes darken over time?" Bridget, the receptionist, asked in the break room one afternoon.

"Some do, some don't," Rhonda answered.

"Maybe, Rose's will darken over time." Bridget returned her attention to the photograph. Rose was in her father's arms, gazing up at him as if he was the most important person in the world. He looked down at her as if he was the most precious thing fate had ever given him. Neither seemed aware of the difference in eye color.

"Do you think Severus Snape is really Rose's father?" Bridget asked in a hushed tone.

Rhonda's eyes grew.

"Is there any chance Rose isn't Severus' daughter?" Bridget wondered aloud

"How could you say such a thing?" Rhonda poured her stale coffee into a styrofoam cup, her face pale.

"Well, I've just been looking at this picture," Bridget shifted her eyes to the photo.

"Who hasn't?" Bertha huffed before leaning back on her padded chair, uncaring of her chance to tip in it.

"It's just," Bridget fidgeted. "Some babies look like their mums more than theirs dads, and maybe that's Rose."

"But Hermione married Severus so quickly after she broke up with Ron," Rhonda's heart slowed. "I mean, what if she doesn't know who the father is?"

"That can't be true. Hermione's a nice girl with a good head on her shoulders," Bertha argued. "From everything I know about her, she isn't one to sleep around."

"True," Bridget dug her foot into the carpet. "Nobody's seen Severus' family. Maybe Rose looks like them."

"Yeah," Rhonda answered. "For all we know, both his parents both had blue eyes and he's the odd duck out with black ones."

"Are you sure it's normal for someone with eyes that dark to have a child with eyes that light blue?" Bridget asked.

"Have you seen the way the man dresses?" Bertha chuckled. "Nothing about him is normal."

"Fair enough," Bridget relaxed. "It's all probably just a stupid suspicion anyway."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. We get paid to do a job, not referee the Australian version of Jerry Springer," Bertha stood.

"Who or what is that?" Bridget asked.

"Watch American TV," Bertha grinned. "You'll be very enlightened as to what kinds of people get on there."

Rhonda and Bridget both knew they didn't want to know anything more about Jerry Springer.

The mysterious Severus Snape finally made an appearance a week after Rose's first birthday. Both he and Hermione had insisted that there was nobody more trustworthy with their daughter's teeth than her grandparents. Much to the dental hygienists amusement, the grandparents were nervous about the turn of events. Sure, they treated every patient like family, but neither wanted to make a mistake with the most precious child in their life. What if she grew to hate dental hygiene because her grandparents missed a cavity? What if she drowned in the water being sprayed in her mouth? What if she decided toothpaste was tasty and decided to devour an entire tube?

As cute as the Grangers' unease was, the most fascinating part for their employees was the appearance of Severus Snape in the waiting room.

Bridget was the first to spot him. A few times she blinked, wondering if she was seeing the man before her correctly.

In all the pictures he'd been dressed in black, but to see his outfit in person was another matter. What kind of person wore a frock coat? Who wore a cape? Was he opposed to wearing any form of color? Did his black attire signal he grieving someone, or did he enjoy the ease of a monotonous wardrobe? How long did it take him to button everything?

"I'm here to see the dentist," he glanced down at the babe in his arms. "Or rather, Rose is."

The one year old turned to Bridget and grinned.

"Can you say 'hi' to," Severus glanced at the name tag, "Bridget."

"Ay," she exposed her two new teeth.

"Oh Rose," Bridget cooed. "We're so excited to see you."

"Oh?" She glanced at her dad, eager for some kind of direction.

"Bridget works with your grandparents," he began. "She's going to help your teeth look much better than mine do."

"Oh-ay," she muttered before burying her face into her father' thick robes. "Dada."

"Yes," he rubbed her back. "I will be with you too."

"Okay, I think I have the last of Rose's things," Hermione burst in before smiling. "Hello Bridget."

"Hello Hermione," Bridget returned the expression. "I am thrilled to see you again."

"It's a pleasure to see you all again too," Hermione turned to Severus. "Rose isn't giving you any trouble, is she?"

"Not at all," he rubbed her back. "She's a very well-behaved baby waiting for her grandparents to take care of her."

"Oh," Rose muttered before grabbing onto a button on Severus' coat. "Muma, Mis-er ake?"

"Yes, we'll give you Mr. Snake when we sit down," Severus turned to Hermione. "You may want to check her in given that it's been a few years since I've seen the inside of a dental clinic."

"That can change today," Hermione noted. "We can get you an appointment sometime if you'd like."

"Yes have an opening at three if you're interested," Bridget cut in.

His face was paler than it had been when he entered. "I would love to oblige, but I am getting an infected toenail removed at that time."

Hermione jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. He frowned, though there was no malice in the expression. She continued to look at him as she continued, "He'll be back to see everyone when he's feeling more up to it."

"Okay," Bridget drawled, eying the couple.

"Anyway," Hermione's pleasant expression returned. "What paperwork do I need to fill out in order to get Rose checked in?"

As Bridget walked her through the steps, she shot glances at Severus playing with Rose. It was an odd sight indeed to see a man dressed in black speaking so soothingly to a child. One would swear under that black exterior there was a tender heart.

What a baffling man.

"Oh that voice," Bertha swooned. "I could listen to him talk for hours."

"He did have a pleasant voice," Bridget admitted as she sat across the table from the other woman. "Especially when he was talking to Rose. He knows how to calm her."

"He's adorable with her, even if he'll never admit it," Bertha gushed.

"I'm not sure I like the stringy hair look on most people," Rhonda smiled, "but damn does he make it work."

"Yes, but he looks old," Gary chimed in. "Old enough to be Hermione's father.

"He's nineteen years older than her," Bridget answered. "At least that's what Wilford said."

"Yeah, but he's aged like fine wine," Bertha replied.

"Don't get any ideas. Severus and Hermione make a wonderful couple," Gladys poured herself some coffee. "I can tell they're going to make it."

"So you wouldn't advise us to open a pool for how long their marriage will last?" Gary asked.

"Let's just say if I'm going to lose five dollars, I'd rather do it on something which gives me a bit of pleasure."

"Damn," Bertha sighed. "Hermione better treat him right. If she does, then I don't mind scooping him up."

"He's a good father," Bridget noted. "He and Rose were pretending to cook something in the waiting room along with her toy snake."

"What were they cooking?" Rhonda asked.

"I have no clue," Bridget's eyes gleamed. "But it was adorable to hear him talk so softly to Rose. It's clear he loves her, even if they don't have the same eye color."

"It's clear he loves his wife too," Gary noted. "He's already got another bun in her oven."

"She doesn't seem too upset about it either," Rhonda answered.

"Well it's official," Wilford announced as he entered the room. "Rose is off to a wonderful start for perfect dental hygiene."

"She is?" Rhonda asked.

"Yes," Muriel walked in after Wilford. "She didn't raise a fuss when we examined her."

"At least not after Severus got her to calm down," Wilford replied.

"How did he do that?" Bridget asked.

"He sang," Muriel answered.

"He sings too?" Bertha asked.

"Yes," Gary replied. "And his voice was quite lovely. It's low and smooth, like fine satin."

"Lord almighty" Bertha threw up her hands. "Why are all the good ones all taken?"

Wilford and Muriel couldn't help but laugh.

The next time Severus graced the office was at Rose's second appointment as a two year old. From the circles under Hermione's eyes and the way Severus yawned, it was clear the time zone change had not been kind to them. This seemed to have little impact on their children, which exacerbated their fatigue. The poor dears were being run ragged by their two toddlers, who had just noticed the busy beads in the middle of the room.

"These are mine, Victor," Rose grabbed them and balanced them on her lap, along with her toy snake.

"No!" Victor cried before grabbing at a bar and pulling it towards him. "Mine!"

"No, I saw it first," Rose argued above her mother's attempts to update her medical information.

"Mine!" Victor screeched.

"It's mine," Severus took the busy beads from Rose's grasp.

"Yes Dad," Rose answered in a soft voice.

"Yea, Dad," Victor answered

"If I set it on the ground where you both can reach it, do you two promise to play with it in a way that does not disrupt others?" Severus asked.

"Yes," Rose answered.

Victor nodded with enthusiasm.

"Okay," he placed it on the ground. "If I hear more screaming and fighting, I am going to take it and give it to Bridget to play with."

The children gasped and turned to the receptionist.

Bridget kept her eyes on Hermione, but was unable to hide her smirk. Most days, she did not play the role of potential villain. Everyone said she had such a lovely, friendly face. It was odd to see two children stare at her with horror.

"Now, are you going to be good?" Severus asked.

"Yes," they answered together.

Severus placed the toy on the ground, allowing the children to play with it until Bertha called their names.

"I've never seen such two well-behaved children," Rhonda gushed. "They were so quiet in the waiting room. You wouldn't have even known they were there."

"That's because Severus was going to take away their toys and give them to me if they continued to misbehave," Bridget answered.

"You don't think he really would've done it, do you?" Gary took a sip of coffee from his white tooth shaped mug.

"I was hoping he wouldn't," Bridget poured herself some coffee. "I would have trouble saying no to them for too long. It was difficult enough for them to be afraid of me taking it."

"Oh yes, big scary Bridget," Bertha chuckled. "Terror of toddlers everywhere."

"I hate seeing children upset," Bridget replied. "Besides, I can't be upset with them for wanting to play. Busy beads are fun."

"I'll admit to playing with them when nobody is watching," Gary replied.

"Really?" Rhonda asked.

He nodded. "It's great stress relief."

"Indeed it is," Gladys sat beside Bertha at the table. "I've been known to indulge a time or two."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rhonda hummed.

"Honestly, Severus could've used those beads himself today," Bertha noted.

"Well he did say they were his," Bridget replied.

"True, he should've taken ownership of them," Gary laughed.

"I'm being serious. There's something odd about the way he behaved," the gleam in Bertha's eyes lessened.

"Oh so now he isn't Mr. Perfect."

"Oh, he's still that, but he's not Mr. Perfect Teeth."

"This we know."

"Yes, but it's odd. Hermione and the kids got dental checkups, but he didn't."

"So?" Gary shrugged. "He must see someone else as his dentist."

"Isn't that a little like cheating on the family?" Rhonda asked.

"Would you want your in-laws to have their fingers in your mouth?"

"Point taken." Gladys took a sip of her coffee

"His children asked him why he wasn't seeing the dentist, and he gave them some story about not having time today," Bertha continued. "When Wilford told him they could make time, Severus muttered something about not wanting to trouble anyone and excused himself to the loo. It took him a few minutes to come back. When it got brought up again, he changed the subject to what Rose wanted for dinner."

"Huh, wonder what that was all about?" Gary took a sip of coffee.

"I don't know," Bertha answered before her lips curled up. "He was fine otherwise. The man could read the phonebook to me and I'd listen all day. Between the way he was with calming his children down and that voice, ooh he's great!"

"Someone has a crush!" Gary sang.

"Eh he's taken," she flicked her wrist. "Hermione would be an idiot to let him go, and she knows it. Then there's the way he looks at her. He's not leaving her anytime soon."

"He looks at her like she's worthy of love," Gladys cut in. "Much more than that other man did."

"Yeah, Severus is a real upgrade from uh," Rhonda blinked. "What was the other guy's name again?"

"I don't remember," Bridget bit her bottom lip. "I think it was Rupert."

"No," Rhonda drawled. "I want to say it was Bob, but that isn't right."

"I just called him the ginger jerk," Bertha added.

"Around kids you did anyway," Gary answered. "At the bar, your names tended to be more descriptive."

"I did think of some creative ones, didn't I?"

"The woeful wombat was pretty good."

Everyone in the office burst out laughing.

"What's going on in here?" Wilford opened the door.

"Nothing," they gave him the most innocent expressions they could. "We were just talking about Bertha's knack for interesting nicknames."

"Ooh I'd say my favorite, but my grandkids may return any moment for a bite of lunch," Muriel answered.

"How are their teeth?" Bridget asked.

"Healthy as always," she answered.

"Yep, just like Hermione, they're going to have the healthiest teeth in Britain," Wilford gushed.

"No doubt you'll play a huge role in that," Bridget answered.

"We'll try anyway," he grinned. "We will most certainly try."

"Daddy?"

Bridget looked out over the waiting room. Her employers' eight year old granddaughter was sitting beside Severus, a book in one hand, and Mr. Snake in the other. While Hermione filled out the dental forms, her husband held a journal in his hand.

"Why don't you ever go to the dentist?" She asked.

"I do go," he answered.

"When?"

"When you're asleep."

"Every time?"

"Yes," he shifted his eyes to the children across the room. Victor had a large red car he rolled along the floor. Beside him, his one year old sister, Violet, clapped and attempted to stand. When she failed, she scowled in a way identical to that of her father.

"Who's your dentist?" Rose continued.

"Nobody you'd know." Severus watched as Violet gave up on standing and crawled to the car. It was large enough that she shouldn't choke on it, but parental supervision was advisable.

"Why don't you see Grandpa and Grandma? They're good dentists. They keep my teeth healthy," Rose replied.

"Indeed they do," he answered. "That's why you should always do what they say. Your teeth will be much healthier that way."

"What if they told me to eat cement?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would they tell you to eat cement?"

"I don't know," she giggled. "But you told me to do whatever they said."

"Now you are being silly." He chuckled.

"I know," she answered. "But you should see Grandma and Grandpa at the dentist's office sometime. They're really good."

"I know, that's why they're your dentists." Severus watched Violet stand and take a few wobbly steps forward. "They're very good."

"If they are, then why won't you see them?"

Violet began losing her footing. Before she could take a tumble, Severus left his chair and grabbed her.

"I'm sorry," Victor began. "I thought she was going to you and wouldn't fall."

"There is no need to apologize," Severus scooped up Violet. "It is not your job to control your sisters."

Severus said something else to his son, but Bridget did not catch it. Rather, her attention was on Hermione, who had completed the last of Violet's first appointment forms and needed to know the next step for signing in.

"He really tried the whole, 'I see the dentist when you're sleeping' trick?" Gladys laughed.

"I know," Bridget joined in. "Turns out he's no more creative than most other parents of patients who come into the office."

"Did he act like that was a novel concept like every other parent who comes up with it does?" Gary took a sip of coffee from his blue mug.

"At least he had the grace to appear somewhat sheepish about the whole thing," Bridget answered.

"There's some self-awareness then," Bertha noted.

"True," Gladys answered. "It is odd to marry a woman whose parents are dentists if you fear teeth cleanings though."

"It's odd to marry a woman a month after she broke up with another man, but he did it anyway," Rhonda noted.

"True," Gladys examined the stain on her cup left by her pink lipstick.

"Maybe Hermione lied to him," Bridget noted. "She may have told him her parents were doctors, and by the time he realized what kind of doctors they were, he was too in love with her to ask for a divorce."

"Sounds like the plot to one of those soap operas you enjoy watching so much," Bertha snorted.

"It would be an interesting one," Bridget argued.

"More interesting than the brain swap storyline they did last year anyway."

"Hey, that brain swap storyline was actually moving," Gary cut in. "First, it derailed Leo and Michaela's love story, and she had to learn to fall in love with him even though he was in the body of a woman and…" Gary's eyes darted around the room. Then he shook his head. "I need to get a hobby during my lunch breaks."

Bertha and Rhonda burst out laughing while Bridget out a hand over Gary's shoulder. The receptionist whispered, "It's okay. Nobody has to understand but us."

"What does Severus do anyway?" Bertha asked.

"I think he's a chemist of some sort," Gladys replied.

"Where does he work?" Rhonda asked.

"He owns his own company selling health care products," Bridget answered.

"And his business has made him very wealthy," Bertha lowered her voice. "Wealthier than he was when he received that inheritance."

"Too bad he hasn't paid anyone to overcome his fears of the dentist," Bridget replied.

"I'd help him overcome his fears," Bertha's lips curled upwards.

"Yes, and give him a new one," Rhonda answered. "Namely the way his wife would behave if she knew girls who were swooning over him were sticking their hands in his mouth."

"Ooh true," Bertha squirmed. "She is not the kind of woman one would want to cross."

"No," Bridget answered. "She may not be Severus, but she has a look that can reel their kids in just as well as his can."

"Yet those have to be the happiest three children I've ever seen," Gary gushed. "I mean little Violet is already walking!"

"She'll be a real runner when she's older," Rhonda chuckled.

"And quite the biter," Gary answered. "She was not interested in letting anyone stick their teeth into her mouth, and she let everyone know it."

"But she cooperated when Severus told her to focus on him, and after she saw her older siblings were doing it without issue," Bertha replied.

"They're a very sweet family," Gladys answered.

"Well once again, my grandchildren have the cleanest, healthiest teeth in Britain!" Wilford announced as he entered the break room.

"And Violet said, 'Gramma!" Muriel gushed.

"Aw!" The dental employees swooned.

"She's going to be quite the talker once she gets the vocabulary," Wilford answered.

"Indeed she is," Muriel embraced him. "Indeed she is."

Never before had Severus and Rose come on their own. Granted, most fourteen year olds did not want their entire family taking them to the dentist's office. Still, Hermione handled every other dental appointment, a fact which became clear when Severus received the paperwork. He stared at the papers as if they'd been written in a foreign language. When he sat down, he leaned over and asked Rose for a few of the answers. She'd mutter her replies before staring at the ground, her body curled as much as it could be.

Once the paperwork was finished, Severus handed it to Bridget. Then, he returned to Rose, who appeared to be holding back tears.

"How angry do you think Grandma and Grandpa are going to be?" She asked in a soft, shaky voice.

"Why would they be angry?" Severus asked.

"I may have a cavity," a tear fell. "They always bragged I had the best teeth in Britain, and said I took care of myself."

"And you took excellent care of your teeth." Severus rubbed her back. "You brush and floss more than either of your siblings do."

"But I didn't always floss at school, and I eat a lot of chocolate, maybe too much," she swallowed. "Then there was the fact that I ate those jellybeans with you. Then I bought you more, so you may get cavities too."

"I don't have any cavities."

"How do you know? You never go to the dentist."

"True," he exhaled. "Which was not setting the best example for you or your siblings."

"Do your teeth ever hurt?" She asked.

"They used to when I was little."

"Did you ever see someone about them?"

"No."

"No?"

"No, I did not visit a dentist until I was an adult."

Rose sat up straighter.

"May I make a confession?" He asked.

She nodded.

"I have not seen a dentist in almost three decades, in large part due to my own stubbornness and pride," he began.

"Why?" She leaned closer to him.

"Growing up, my parents little money for food and utilities, much less for adequate dental care. This meant problems which could've been corrected went unacknowledged. It was a fact the Marauders were all too quick to draw to my attention."

"Those bloody arses," Rose snarled.

Severus gave her a look which reminded her this was a place frequented by families. She muttered a, "sorry."

"As I was saying," he cleared his throat. "I became very self-conscious about my teeth. Even when I could afford dental care, I often felt judged for the bad state they were in. Thus when I could afford to see the dentist, I got the problems corrected which needed tending to, then never returned."

"So you never went with us because you're afraid of Grandma and Grandpa judging you."

"Yes, I feared their judgment, just as you do."

She swallowed and nodded.

"But neither of us have anything to fear. Your grandparents love you, and for some reason, they tolerate me." He put an arm around her.

"They love you because you're so good to us," Rose leaned into his chest.

"Yes, and they understand cavities happen to the best of us," he replied. "They won't judge you anymore than they judge me."

"Does that mean you'll schedule an appointment?"

He stared at her.

"If I go in to get a filling, will you go into them to receive dental care?" Rose asked. "I promise to go with you if you do."

"For you." He squeezed her. "I will go in order to make you feel better, though there is no pressure to go with me, especially if it interferes with your schoolwork."

"Maybe, but you and Mum never let me go to the dentist alone. It's only fair to do the same with you."

"Only a daughter as special as you would believe that." He hugged her, a gesture she returned.

Three weeks later, the dental hygienists waited with bated breath for their latest patient's prognosis. Though none said it aloud, they envied Bertha for receiving the honor of being the one to work on Severus. Over the years, they'd all grown to care for the Drs. Grangers' family, even if nobody could ever get a straight answer on where they could buy Severus' health products.

The door opened, reveling a much too happy Bertha and their employers.

"Well, for someone who hasn't been to a dentist in three decades, my son-in-law's teeth weren't terrible," Wilford announced.

"They weren't?" Rhonda asked.

"Nope," Bertha grinned. "He was a model patient. He didn't even need the gas to calm down."

"All he needed was his daughter reminding him that her filling didn't hurt that much," Muriel answered.

"So when will we see him next?" Bridget asked.

"In three weeks," Wilford answered. "He is going to get a few fillings, and Rose has agreed to go with him for support."

"She is going to see a totally different side of her father if he decides to use the gas," Gary smirked.

"We all will," Wilford answered.

"No we won't," Muriel answered. "We'll see a side of him he usually only shows his family, one in which he is relaxed and doing what is best for himself and those around him."

"That does sound like Severus," Wilford admitted.

"Indeed it does," Gladys replied with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

The years passed, and the Drs. Granger found people to take over their practice. The retirement party was one filled with bittersweet joy. Everyone was sad to see them leave, but all were excited for the new directions their lives would take.

People came and went from the Grangers' office, but one thing which remained were the lifelong friendships and love which had built over the years.

In the end, a reason to smile was worth just as much, if not more, than the healthiest teeth in the world.