A/N: written for danseurofelsa on Tumblr as part of the Speakeasy Holiday Stash. Inspired by worn-whorehouse-stairs' amazing Richard headcanon.
Richard put the last of the dishes away and made his way towards the merry banter echoing from the salon. He paused just short of the archway, feeling contented and taking in the sights before him.
His bride sat perched on the davenport, smiling in amusement at Tommy and Paul who were engaged in an intense game of checkers on the floor in front of the tree. Hubert, meanwhile, was resting comfortably in the wingback next to the fireplace, his belly full from the feast. In latter days, the Harrows dined on roast goose at Christmas—one of his mother's specialties. However, with this year being the first for both pairs of newlyweds, his brother-in-law splurged and treated them to prime rib. As difficult as it was for him to eat, he had to admit that it was delicious.
He heard Emma's soft footsteps on the stairwell to his right and turned to greet her. She squeezed his shoulder warmly and they entered the room together.
"Finally got her down?" Julia inquired lightly.
Emma bore the weary eyes of new motherhood, but smiled nonetheless. She sat down in the chair across from her husband and lifted her teacup from the table between them.
"Maybe one of these days I'll get to it while it's still warm," she suggested wryly.
"I win again!" bellowed Tommy.
He had Jimmy's smile and Angela's eyes, and when he proudly looked up at Richard it was almost like they were there too.
"Third time in a row," Paul shrugged.
"Impressive," he nodded.
The boy beamed with delight looking from him to Julia. "May I have some hot chocolate?"
"Sure," she replied without hesitation. She started to rise but her father stopped her.
"I'll fix it for him. You've been on your feet all day."
"Thanks Dad."
"C'mon Sport," the older man winked.
The pair went off to the kitchen, and Julia angled herself towards her husband.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Harrow," she cooed softly.
"To you as well. Mrs. Harrow."
"Did you get everything that you wanted?"
Everything.
Oh…so this is what it's like.
And in that fleeting moment he recalled how Jimmy hadn't realized that until it was too late, which made it all the more bittersweet.
"Yes," he finally answered her.
They were interrupted by a knock on the front door.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Julia pondered aloud.
"Did your folks forget something?" Emma asked.
But her spouse only shook his head.
"Can't see why they'd come all the way back when I'm gonna see Pa tomorrow anyway."
Another knock, louder this time.
"Don't you think you should answer it?" Julia asked, eyeing him nervously.
He felt his shoulders tense up as he stood. He thought they were safe now. That it was over. He opened the door three quarters, unsure as to who might be on the other side and praying it wasn't Gillian.
But there was no one there. The full moon reflected off the snow, lighting the yard but the only thing he saw was the snowman that he and Tommy made earlier that day. He poked his head out, turning it from side to side, yet still there was nothing.
"Look down!" giggled a voice sounding like Tommy's. He couldn't see the boy, but did as he was told.
There, at his feet, sat a puppy- complete with a large red satin ribbon around his neck. He looked up at Richard helplessly as if to ask that the bow be removed that instant. He bent down to inspect him closer.
"Well?" Tommy called.
"Yeah Richard…it's freezing out here!"
Paul revealed himself from behind one of the front peony bushes while Tommy bounded up the stairs, scooped up the dog and headed inside leaving a bewildered Richard on the porch.
"You're letting the cold air in," Emma prodded gently harkening her twin back inside with Paul just behind him.
"What have we here?" Julia grinned mischievously, joining her adopted son on the floor and motioning for Richard to join them.
"A beagle," Richard said matter-of-factly. The pup's ears were so long that they almost touched his massive white front paws. "He may grow to be a big one, too."
"Here," Tommy gleefully thrust the animal into his arms.
The puppy wrinkled his nose before proceeding to give him a sloppy lick on his right cheek.
"Puppy breath," his wife teased him, playfully holding her nose.
It was still sinking in. They were all in on it.
"How…When did you…"
"—Picked him up from my folks yesterday when I got the roast beef," Hubert explained.
"What are you going to name him, Richard?" Emma inquired.
"Chance," Tommy answered for him, rubbing the puppy on its freckled tummy and earning a semi-stern glance from Julia.
"We were going to let Richard name him, remember?"
"Chance," Richard repeated slowly. "Second chance."
"You like him?" Julia beamed.
Richard nodded.
"Good," she continued slyly. "You have eight months to house-break him."
"Shouldn't take. That long," he explained, scratching Chance between his ears.
That was when the time frame dawned on him and he looked up at his wife for confirmation.
"Yes," she acknowledged, happy tears in her eyes and a hand across her abdomen.
He pulled Julia close to him that night, spooning her and their unborn child protectively.
He awoke with a start, his heart racing. He looked to his wife's side of the bed but she wasn't there. He was holding his breath when Emma appeared in the doorway a few seconds later.
"Richard, it's time," she explained gently.
Hours passed one after the other. Night turned to day turned to dusk when, at last, his sister came to get him.
"You have a son," she hugged him tightly. "Oh Richard, he's beautiful!"
Emma led him up the stairs to the third floor where an exhausted Julia was already nursing.
Her curls were saturated, her pale complexion glistening. He stood beside the bed, unsure of what to do next. Emma took charge as usual, pulling over a chair for him. He sank into it, dumbfolded, unable to take his eyes off his wife.
"A junior?" she offered.
No, he thought. A junior meant a nickname. He'd never understood the derivative Dick, and Rich only sounded pleasant when coming from Jimmy.
"No," he shook his head.
She was crestfallen so he reached for her hand. Julia met his eye, trying her best to keep the tears at bay.
"Frederick," he said resolutely. "Frederick James."