"And she's only got one left now. She doesn't know what she's going to do with him, she might have to take him to the shelter. Isn't that sad?" Peter blinked. Up until this point he'd really only been half-listening to Diana, and he had no idea what she wanted him to say.
"Yes?" He said, hoping it was the right answer. She rolled her eyes.
"How much of that did you get?" She asked with a small grin.
"None," Peter admitted.
"That's what I thought," Diana said with mock-exasperation. "Alright, well. My friend's lab had puppies a couple months ago and all of 'em got adopted but one. And if she can't give it away she'll have to take it to the shelter. I wish I could adopt the little guy, but I can't have pets in my apartment."
Peter nodded slowly.
Diana lifted one eyebrow. "Weren't you saying something the other week about Elizabeth wanting a dog?"
"Well... yeah, she had talked about it."
"Why don't you and Elizabeth adopt him?" Diana suggested with a smile. Peter was floored.
"I- no, we can't. If we ever got a dog, it would have to be small. Not a lab. And..."
"It's almost Christmas, Peter. Wouldn't it be a good surprise?" Diana tilted her head to one side. Peter shifted.
"Well..." Peter was quiet as he thought. It would make Elizabeth happy. She was alone so much with him working... And labs were nice, friendly dogs. He continued to mull it over as they worked, and when they finally finished he looked up at Diana.
"Does your friend live close?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," Diana said. "Just a couple blocks away."
"Uh huh. Well... do you think we could drop by?"
"Sure!" Diana said brightly. She seemed happy that Peter was considering it.
Half an hour and a pair of brown puppy eyes later, Peter was grudgingly sold on the idea. He spoke with Diana's friend about picking the puppy up late on Christmas Eve and then went home.
Christmas morning came quickly. More quickly than he would've expected, actually. He was glad he had one good gift planned for her. They opened their few presents and Elizabeth smiled.
"I'm going to go cut the cinnamon rolls," she said, rising. Peter grabbed her hand.
"Wait, I think there's one more present," he told her with a teasing grin.
"What?" Elizabeth gave him a confused look.
"Close your eyes and sit down on the couch," he directed her. After making sure she did so, he went to the bathroom and gently scooped the puppy out of its carrier. He thanked his lucky stars that the lab puppy didn't seem to be the barky type as he walked back into the living room.
"Keep them closed," he said teasingly.
"I am," Elizabeth said, fidgeting curiously. Peter laughed as he leaned closer to her face. The puppy reached out and licked the side of her cheek. Elizabeth's dark eyes flew open, her mouth a surprised 'o' shape.
"A puppy?" Her surprise turned to delight and she took the puppy from him, burying her hands in his soft fur.
"I wanted you to have someone here when I'm not," Peter said sincerely, sitting down next to her. Elizabeth took his hand in hers and kissed it gently, her eyes shining.
"Thank you, Peter. I love you so much."
"I love you, too," he said quietly. There was a moment of silence then Peter asked, "So what are you going to name him?"
Elizabeth laughed lightly. "I'll have to think about it for a while," she said. She let the puppy down. "Keep an eye on him while I get the food ready?"
"Sure," Peter said, feeling happy that she'd liked the surprise. Elizabeth went into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with a plate of cinnamon rolls, two glasses of hot chocolate, and a big smile.
"I have the perfect name," she declared. Peter laughed.
"Let me guess. Rover."
"No," Elizabeth said patiently. She grinned. "Satchmo."
"Hm..." Peter ruffled the dog's fur. "I like it. Well, welcome to the family, Satchmo."