The treetops are lit a fiery orange, and the ground is littered with leaves as Jack makes his way across the town square towards the schoolyard. His portfolio case is tucked under one arm and his other grips the cane he uses to steady himself. He breathes in deep— the slight chill in the air that fills his lungs buoys his spirit, and the crisp temperature and the rustle of the leaves underfoot has him nostalgic for the Wisconsin autumns of his childhood in the best way. It has always been his favorite time of year— October, his favorite month. Its the time of year when everything starts to get cozy, but the weather is still nice enough to spend time outdoors. He has such fond memories of time spent in the park and by the lake in the fall, and of picking pumpkins and apples with his father and sister. If he closes his eyes, he can almost taste his mother's pies, tarts, and cobblers. She seemed to have something different baking each day this time of year. He can recall the childish thrill of hollowing out a pumpkin to carve a Jack'O'Lantern— taunting his sister with the squishy pumpkin guts. His Pa would tell them spooky stories at night by the fire as they toasted the seeds. Their mother pretended to disapprove, but secretly loved the macabre yarns her husband could spin about graveyard ghosts, and witches in New England where he had grown up, and sometimes she would join in with stories of her own. He remembers the nights spent sneaking around town with his friends and sometimes Julia— pretending to talk to spirits in the cemetery, or playing harmless pranks on the neighbors. October is the month of his birthday— his and Julia's birthday, now only a few days off, and because of that, it had always made the month feel extra exciting— counting down to the 31st— a Halloween birthday had meant that they always had a party. No kid in town would dare miss a Dawson Halloween.

As he makes his way toward the school building, he catches sight of his sister, and wonders fleetingly if her memories of autumn are as fond as his. He watches her in the doorway, waving off some of the students as they depart for he day. Julia had accepted a job at the school at the start of the term, charged with teaching the older pupils, especially in writing and English, and the job seemed to suit her well, making her truly happy. She cares about the students and it shows, and many of the town's parents had expressed their admiration for the new young teacher. It also meant that she is more likely to stay in town— between the job and Miranda, her list of reasons to stay had been starting to outweigh the reasons to leave, and Jack is thrilled. That Josephine is in her class for this new school year, for Jack and Rose, was only an added bonus. It meant that they had even less to worry about when it came to fears of Josephine being teased at school, which had all but stopped since her return after the summer. Jo now had a host of friends in her class, and was less of a target for the bullying she had gotten the previous year. Jack secretly wondered if it also helped that her beauty was starting to become more and more evident to the boys in her class. More than once he had seen some of her male peers vying for her attention, even as she remained apparently aloof.

He watches as Jo appears in the doorway next to Julia, and is held in awe for a moment at how similar they look. Josephine has some of Rose's ginger in her hair, and holds many of Rose's expressions and her regal posture, but there is no denying that she's a Dawson. She has shot up like a weed, and is nearly as tall as his grown sister at the young age of ten. He continues to observe, amused, as William exits behind Jo, waving to Julia before reaching to take Josephine's books. She lets him do so, but Jack can tell from here that she had rolled her eyes. He wonders how long it will be before Josephine catches on, and realizes William's crush.

Catching sight of him, Josephine waves with a smile and he returns it, watching as she rounds the corner with William, likely heading towards home. Josephine had more freedom now than ever, and didn't need her father picking her up from class. Turning back towards the school building, he keeps walking, his original intent having been to find his sister.

"Hey, Jack," she greets him as he draws close, giving him a quick hug as he drops a kiss to her cheek— now his customary greeting since her return. He has made it his endeavor to make sure she knows how much she's wanted here in his life, and he has never been shy about affection toward anyone.

"How are you, Jules?" he asks, as if he had not just seen her at the diner the night before. She eyes him, wondering what he's up to.

"I'm fine. Settling in, I think. The students seem to be liking Frankenstein."

He laughs. "What's next?" he asks, "Wuthering Heights? The Picture of Dorian Grey?" He knows that his sister had always had a penchant for gothic literature.

"Dracula," she replies, deadpan, but then seems to reconsider. "Or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I haven't really decided. We may do a class production of The Crucible next month. If you wanna come watch your daughter be burned at the stake, you're invited." This gets another genuine laugh from Jack.

"Oh Rose would be thrilled if you got Jo acting. She always wanted to be on the stage."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," laughs Julia. "She can be dramatic at times."

"You have no idea," deadpans Jack— and she truly doesn't. The more comfortable Rose gets with Jack over time, the more her playful side has come out. He has been trying to convince her that after the baby has been born and things have settled down that she should audition for a play out in Eau Claire.

"'Tis the season, huh?" he asks, gesturing around. The colorful trees overhanging the school house are complimented by the pumpkins and gourds his sister has propped up by the classroom door, and the autumnal colors she has adopted into her wardrobe. He knows that she loves this time of year as much as he does, for many of the same reasons.

She locks up the school room door, and begins to walk with Jack through the square.

"I think I missed autumns here more than I realized," she admits. "So, what brings you out here?" she asks, "Not that I mind the visit. It's just not like you to leave Rose alone at home nowadays."

She's right, of course. Rose is now over eight months along, and very heavily pregnant— now relegated to the house, and mostly sitting down out of an abundance of caution. With the illness early in her pregnancy, both the doctor and Jack agreed that its best at this point if she takes it as easy as possible until the baby is born. Miranda had all but forced her to quit working the previous month, going as far as to hide Rose's apron from her.

"Rose is fine," he shrugs. "Miranda was there when I left, actually. They practically shooed me out the door, told me to collect you for dinner, and they handed me whole lists of things they need us to pick up from the grocer, the hardware store, and the book seller. I think she's getting sick of me fussing over her and just wants me out of the house for the afternoon."

"If Miranda is there I guess that means they want me out of the house too," jokes Julia. Jack rolls his eyes at this. "And I'm sure Rose is happy for the break. You barely let the woman breathe without checking on her!"

Jack's face goes scarlet, and he can't really protest her point. The closer Rose gets to the nine month mark the more anxious Jack gets. He has never witnessed a birth before, and the idea that its possible something could go wrong or that something may happen to either Rose or this baby has him nervous even with the doctor's assurance that everything has been progressing as normal.

Jack and Julia begin walking across the small square, headed towards the small strip of shops across the street from the diner to run their assigned errands.

"Do you think it's a boy, or a girl?" asks Julia.

Jack shrugs. "It's the same thing I told Rose when she asked me. As long is it's a healthy baby, and Rose is alright, I don't care."

"So you truly don't have a preference? Even secretly?" His sister asks him, needling for a real answer only to be disappointed.

"I really don't. Rose says it feels like another girl, but that it also feels different than with Josephine so she can't be sure, whatever that means."

"Do you have any names picked out?" She asks.

Jack smiles to himself. "Yeah, I think we've decided. If it's a girl it'll be Juliette Ruth , and if it's a boy it'll be John Thomas." He and Rose spent a long time discussing names. Rose had suggested Juliette— an homage to Jack's now returned sister, and the french namesake of his mother, and John for Jack's father, Jack's own true first name also being John. The middle names had been all Jack. It had taken Rose a bit to come around to Ruth. The subject of her mother is still a point of contention, but one that Jack had slowly been getting Rose to open up about and possibly consider rekindling a relationship in the future. And Thomas was personal for the both of them, honoring their friend Tommy, who on all accounts had perished aboard Titanic, as he explains to Julia now.

"I think those are lovely names," she tells him. As they reach the storefront, she holds out her hand. "How about you give me the grocery list, and you take the hardware store, and then we'll meet up at the bookseller's?"

Two hours later, and laden with stuff, they set off from the book seller's towards the Dawson household just as the sun begins to set, confident that they've given Rose and Miranda enough of a break from their presence. Not up to walking without his cane while carrying the full load, Jack has borrowed a wheeled cart from the hardware store to take their spoils home in, and so he is trailing the small wagon behind him on the path, now also laden with the books his sister had gotten distracted by and purchased for herself, as well as the two small bundles of autumnal flowers he had picked up for Rose and Josephine— something he had been in the habit of doing pretty regularly since the first time he had done so on the night he met Jo. Rose had expressed to him how much she appreciated having fresh flowers around the house—especially flowers from Jack, and he is more than happy to oblige if only to see the smiles it brings his two women every time.

The pair don't get any indication that they've been ordered out of the house for any reason out of the ordinary until they're within sight of the house. Upon seeing the porch, Jack can't help but bark out a laugh, stopped in his tracks at the sight. Earlier in the month he had gotten Rose and Josephine to carve pumpkins with him, surprised that Rose had never done so as a kid and therefore had never indulged in the craft with Josephine. He had told them all about the traditions his family had had when he was younger, and Rose had listened intently, happy to be learning new things about him. He hadn't expected her to do anything like this, however, and he knows that it's for Julia as well as himself. On the porch sits a whole row of pumpkins, a different letter carved in each to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY across the whole of the front of the house. With an entire weekend between the current day and their birthday, it's a gesture that truly takes Jack by surprised, and he's touched by the effort. He can tell from here that it had taken Rose and Miranda as well as Jo and possibly Will to do all of the carving. He looks to his sister, who has stopped in her tracks as well just in time to see the look of shock on her face turn to a wide grin, and he knows that his expression likely matches hers.

The curtains are drawn for the evening, but there is a warm glow from inside, and he can hear the peel of Jo's laughter as they make their way up the front steps, followed by the bark of Chaplin, alerting everyone inside of their presence. The door pops open and Josephine jumps out excitedly, wrapping her arms around his middle. He's amused to find a black witch's hat perched upon her head, her strawberry curls hanging loose beneath it.

"Happy early birthday, Papa— Aunt Julia!" she says, still hugging him around the middle. He squeezes her back, dropping an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you, pumpkin. I love it. Did you and your mother do this?" he asks, using a more recent nickname for his daughter and trying to peer around Jo and into the house in search of his wife.

Jo nods. "Mama and Miss Miranda and Will."

"It's beautiful, Josephine," says Julia, reaching forward to fix the girl's jaunty hat. "And you make such a pretty little witch."

Jo grins. "Come on! We have a surprise for you!"

She lets go of Jack's waist and grabs his free hand, the cart of groceries now forgotten at the bottom of the steps as both twins follow her inside.

He can hear voices coming from the back of the house near the kitchen, and his anticipation grows, realizing that this is more than just their usual crowd. He catches Julia's eye, and she looks just as apprehensive.

Rounding the corner, there's a jolly shout of surprise, and Jack is frozen in place. The entire room is decorated for the season, with garlands of leaves and paper decorations taped to the walls. Dozens of candles illuminate the room, and even more pumpkins. On the table is a feast— a whole dinner and several pies and tarts. Surprising him the most however are the faces seated around the table— Fabrizio is there, and his wife and children, as well as Molly Brown— and it brings tears to his eyes to see them. He can't help the watery chuckle that escapes his mouth when he sees Rose, seated at he middle of the table, also dressed festively, and holding a cut-out of a pumpkin in front of her incredibly large midsection. She looks very pleased with herself over having pulled off the surprise. Next to her, Miranda is grinning at Jules in much the same way.

Rooted to the spot, it's Fabrizio who breaks the moment, standing and embracing his friend whom he hadn't seen since the spring at Jack and Rose's wedding, and Jack throws his arms around him in a hug.

He wishes Jack a happy birthday before pulling back and looking to the woman on Jack's left who is being greeted with an embrace by Molly.

"Jack how is it now you've found your Rosa and your sister?" He asks, and Jack laughs.

"I'm lucky, Fabri, just like I always said." He waits to catch his sister's attention.

"Julia, this is my best friend, Fabrizio. Fabrizio, this is Julia."

Letting the pair get acquainted, Jack greets Molly with a warm hug before making his way around the table and over to Rose. She turns in her chair to face him, on orders to stand as little as possible for the rest of her pregnancy. The baby had already grown bigger than the doctor had anticipated, and with Rose's prior complicated childbirth, and the illness back in the spring, neither of them want to chance anything.

Jack takes her hand in his, kissing it, before leaning down to kiss her on the lips.

"How in the world did you plan all of this, and set it up in the two hours I was in town?" He asks her, incredulous. "I can't believe you did this. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."

She grins, pulling him into her side in as much of an embrace as she can manage. "I had a lot of help," she tells him. She nods to Miranda, who is now hugging Julia across the table, whispering something to her. Despite Jack and Rose being aware of the nature of their relationship they still have to keep up appearances for anyone else. "Miranda did the cooking at the diner and brought it over. She baked the pies from recipes we found in your mother's cookbook."

Jack looks down the table at the pies, astounded that he would get to taste his Ma's apple and pumpkin recipes again.

"Molly helped with the presents by picking everything up in Eau Claire when she got in on the train, and Fabrizio got here yesterday, and took your car this afternoon to pick up molly and the gifts and pumpkins. The decorations are all Josephine."

"It's incredible," Jack tells her, leaning down to kiss her again. "You're incredible."

"Happy early Birthday, Jack."

He can't help but to shake his head as he looks around. He doesn't remember a time in his adult life when he had been this touched and filled with love for everyone around him.

"I love you, Rose."

He snakes an arm around Josephine who is trying to sneak past him on her way to her seat at the table and pulls her close as well. "And I love you, too, pumpkin," he tells his daughter, kissing her hair. "Thank you."

Josephine hugs him back. "Happy birthday, Papa."

The dinner is delicious and the desserts even better. Afterwards they're all settling in the sitting room by a roaring fire, the radio playing cheery music in the background. Jack, after seeing that Rose was comfortably settled on the couch had been directed by Molly to sit next to her in the middle with his sister on his other side, more than willing to take charge of events in her excitement to dole out birthday presents. Gifts are handed out to each twin in turn— Julia getting several notebooks and journals, a rather fancy fountain pen from Molly, and a delicate silver necklace from Rose, which she puts on right away. Jack receives a nice hat and briefcase from Fabrizio— his friend telling him that it's for trips to the city, which were now happening more and more often. Molly gifts him a sturdy oak easel, which he thinks Josephine is even more excited about than he is, and Miranda has given him a new artist's tool roll for his pencils and sharpeners, this one made of a nice seasoned leather. It's the gifts from Josephine and Rose that really touch his heart, however. Josephine, from her spot by the hearth motions for William to bring something in from the hallway, and he returns with a rather large canvas covered in a cloth. She stands, helping her friend carry it closer to Jack.

"Happy Birthday, Papa," she tells him with a rather apprehensive smile. "This is for you and Mama. I hope you like it."

Jack looks to Rose, who appears surprised to be included in his gift, and she gives him a slight shrug, letting him know that Josephine had kept this surprise from her as well. Reaching a hand forward, he pulls the cloth aside to reveal the painting underneath, and in that moment he can't help the tears spring to his eyes at the sight. Josephine had captured Jack and Rose perfectly on the canvas. It showed the two of them enjoying a moment to themselves out on the porch of the Dawson house, Jack's arms around Rose from behind and chin on her shoulder as they gaze off into the sunset above the trees. Painted from life, it must have been started in the summer when the trees were full and green and Rose's pregnancy had not yet been showing. The sky is rendered in beautiful blush tones around them, and the way she has captured the love and admiration in their eyes is amazing. Dropping the cloth to the ground, he reaches forward and pulls Josephine down into a hug, telling her just how amazing the gift is. He knows that this painting is something he'll cherish forever. Next to him, Rose has gripped his leg in her astonishment, and he can hear her give a small sniffle of emotion before pulling her daughter into an embrace of her own, and no one is surprised by the heightened emotions from Rose. Her pregnancy hormones this time around had been causing her to tear up and get sentimental over the tiniest things— something that was alarming to Jack the first time he had found her crying over Josephine outgrowing a pair of shoes and therefore 'growing up too fast,' but he had quickly become used to the dramatics.

"Are we sure its you who's been drawing for those magazines, Jack?" intones Molly from across the room, and he can't help but laugh.

"I dunno, Molly. Josephine may have me out of a job before too long." He squeezes her hand again before letting her go settle by the fire, taking up Rose's hand again in his as he sets the canvas against the coffee table. Fabrizio has brought a violin with him and is getting ready to play, and a bottle of bootleg whiskey had been procured by Molly from somewhere and was now being mixed by Miranda into some Coca-cola for the not-pregnant adults.

It's later that night when Rose gives him her gift, after everyone has settled in to sleep— all of them opting to stay after all of the excitement and enough alcohol to have had Jack and Julia on their feet trying to teach Josephine and William to dance a reel.

Rose is already settled on her side of the bed when Jack enters the room from the bathroom, his hair damp from a quick shower to sober up a little before bed. He can feel her gaze on him as he crosses the room, and he leans across the bed as he climbs in next to her, kissing her tenderly, his hand going to her pregnant belly out of habit.

"Happy early birthday, Jack," she tells him pulls away, lifting a small rectangular box from where she had been hiding it under the covers in her lap. "I was going to wait until Monday for your actual birthday, but I'm just too excited to give this to you."

He sits up, taking the box gingerly, his eyes meeting hers in silent question.

"Open it," she tells him, amused at his hesitant politeness. He is ever the gentleman.

"Rose." She can tell from his tone of voice that he's shocked. In actuality he's near speechless. Inside the small box sits a wrist watch, the face of which is nearly identical to the one his father had carried all his childhood with its fascinating silver scrollwork— the one which sits right on top of Jack's bedside table in a place of honor.

"This— how did you?" He's at a loss for words again. Taking the watch from the box she flips it over, showing him an engraving she had gotten added to the back above the maker's artisan etching:"Make it count," and his eyes get misty all over again.

"Well, I picked up the pocket watch one day to check the time and noticed the clock maker's stamp on the back, and I recognized it" she explains. "— It's a very famous clock maker based out of New England. My father had a similar pocket watch when I was a girl. I wrote out to get a catalog, and luckily he had a perfectly matching design available. I know it's silly, but when you're away I just want you to have something to remind you of me, and I know you would never buy yourself something like this. You deserve to have nice things, Jack."

He lets her fasten it on his wrist, admiring it in the light from the bedside lamp.

"I never think if anything but you when I'm away," he tells her. "You and Josephine, and this baby we'll be meeting soon. You three are my everything. I feel spoiled tonight," he tells her. "It's the best birthday I have had since I was a child. Thank you." Seeing the satisfaction on her face for having pulled off such a successful surprise warms him and he claims her lips again before turning off the light and settling agains the pillows, pulling her close. After all of the excitement of the evening, sleep comes easily.