"Richard, who is it, dear?" his mother called out. When he didn't answer right away, both parents came to the door as well, and were surprised to see a pretty girl standing on the porch with a package while she and their son just stared at each other. "It's cold out there, please come in." his mother said to Tifa, who was too stunned to refuse…the man who apparently worshipped his bad boy image above all else was spending the holidays with an older couple and wearing a hideous Christmas sweater and fake plushie antlers on his head?
"Are you…Jillian and Patrick Sinclair?" Tifa asked them as she shivered to be out of the cold, reading the name on the package again.
"Yes, that's us." Patrick replied as he took the package she held out to him. "Richard, take the young woman's coat please."
"Oh no, I have to get back home." Tifa said as she looked around at the homey scene. Decorations everywhere, a fire roaring in the fireplace, Christmas music playing…and why were they calling him Richard?
"Nonsense." Jillian said. "The storm's getting worse, it won't be safe to go anywhere. Would you like some eggnog?" she offered, wanting to find out more about this girl that her son was so surprised to see. "Richard, your father already asked you to take the young lady's coat, didn't he?"
"Yes, mom." Reno mumbled and held out his hand towards Tifa. "You wanna give me that?"
"Richard! We taught you better manners than that." Jillian frowned. "Do you still think you're too big for a spanking?"
"Yes, mom." Reno repeated and slunk closer to Tifa to help her take her coat off.
"Richard?" Tifa asked him quietly. "These are your parents?"
"Yeah, I was raised by the Cleavers, what of it?" he replied sulkily. "And don't you dare call me that…I'm Reno!"
Just then Patrick returned with a glass of eggnog and gestured for Tifa to take a place by the fire. Her desire to return home was supplanted by the welcome chance to make Reno squirm, since he obviously didn't want her here, and to satisfy her hidden curiosity about him. "When do you think the storm will end?" she asked his parents.
"Oh, not any time soon. And dinner will be ready in a little bit, why don't you eat with us?" Jillian suggested.
Tifa smiled warmly as she saw the dark look on Reno's face. "I wouldn't want to impose, but since I guess I'm stranded here until the storm is over I might as well. Let me just call home and tell them I won't be back for a while." She went over to where her winter coat was hanging up and dug through the pocket looking for her phone. "Do you have a landline phone I could use? I don't seem to have any cell phone service out here."
"Of course, it's right there." Patrick pointed to an old rotary phone installed on the wall.
"Thank you." Tifa went over and had to remember how to use the antique, but got through to Barret's cell. "Hi, um, I'm getting snowed in here at my delivery address, I won't be home til the storm's over I guess."
"Are you okay there?" was his first concern.
"Yes, I'm fine, they're nice people who invited me to share their Christmas dinner with them. Well, actually I'm more than fine now…I'll tell you why later. You'll love it as much as I am." Tifa's smile was beyond smug.
"Okay." Barret was wondering what she could possibly be talking about, but he had another concern now. "How am I supposed to serve Marlene and Denzel dinner? That puppy is too hyper. And this Santa suit itches!"
"Everything's already in the oven, and the kids can take of Turkey." Tifa had Marlene name the puppy, and she had settled on one that would be a reminder of who gave them him, and that he was kind of a holiday puppy. "They also know how to put everything on the table. Just tell them they can't open their presents til after dinner, and I want you to record everything so I can watch it when I get back." Tifa told him, ignoring his complaint about the Santa suit. "Hold the phone out where they can hear it."
"Okay." Barret's voice was quieter but she could still hear it.
"Merry Christmas you two and behave yourselves with Santa!" Tifa loudly said into the phone before hanging up.
"You have children?" Patrick asked casually, as they all couldn't help overhear her when she raised her voice.
"Oh, sort of. I adopted them." Tifa explained. "I don't have any of my own yet."
"Maybe that's about to change." Jillian said, having spotted something on the floor near the coats and went to pick it up. "Is this yours?"
"Uh…" Tifa paled as she recognized the pregnancy test she had picked up from the drugstore on her way here.