thanksgiving is, after all, a word of action [set on 11/26]

[triskehale]

Thanksgivings in the Hale house used to be quite the big deal. Feeding over a dozen werewolves, many of them teenagers was no easy feat. Derek loved all the chaos, and he helped out in the kitchen since he was old enough to stand on a step stool and reach the counter.

The first year after everyone died, he and Laura each got a rotisserie chicken and some biscuits, trying to hang on to some semblance of tradition, but the food tasted like ash. Laura went to bed early, and Derek pretended not to hear her cry. They stopped trying to do anything for the holiday after that.

It's been almost a decade since that disastrous attempt, and a few months ago Derek decided that he wanted to try again. While Laura and the rest of his family will always be the cause of this gnawing ache in his heart, Derek has a new family here in Darrow. He has so many people that matter to him, and care about him. It's more than Derek deserves, or ever thought that he would get, but he's grateful. He's thankful.

So he decides that he's going to do his best to put on a Thanksgiving of his own, and invite his new ragtag sort of pack. His new family.

The invitations go out and on the big day, Derek arrives at Semele's just after dawn. He puts two giant turkeys in the oven and quickly sets up the long table and chairs in the middle of the bar. With each chair he places, Derek marvels over just how many people he has in his life. It's astounding to him, and it's the perfect day to show his gratitude.

And then, all that's left to do is cook. And cook, and cook some more. If he's lucky, he'll have time to go shower and put on something nice before all his guests arrive.


[Hale pack Thanksgiving! Treat this as a gathering post. Tag in, tag around, give thanks! ♥]

Comments

[willnothide]

Kili's heart sinks a bit when Bitty admits to having been subjected to that awful place. What Beth had told him of it had been horrible enough, and he's selfishly relieved that he hadn't been forced to endure it himself. He knows what he would have seen: his brother and uncle, accusing and chastising; his mother and father, disappointed in his failures as an heir of Durin; and perhaps even himself, the part that's still flooded with guilt over the fact that he hadn't been there to save his brother. All his life, Fili had been the one to keep him out of trouble, even if he was right there causing it with him; but that day, on Ravenhill, Kili should have been able to do the same.

There's no need to be in the other Darrow to face the demons inside him, he supposes. He does it enough to himself right here.

Which makes it all the more necessary to shift his focus to things of a brighter nature. For a little while, especially when Fili had been angry with him for keeping his own death a secret, Kili had worried that he wouldn't be able to pull himself from the self-pity and sorrow he'd been feeling. It'd been with the help of his friends that he'd managed to keep his head held high, as a rightful Durin's son should. He doesn't know Bitty very well yet but in troublesome times, Kili thinks it is most helpful to be surrounded by those who mean nothing but the best; and so, if he can help lighten the weight on Bitty's shoulders in any way, he is happy to do it.

"But you were not alone," Kili says gently, reaching out to lay a comforting hand against Bitty's arm, "and I am glad for it. Being safely returned here makes this Thanksgiving celebration all the more important, does it not? Though I must admit, for me, it's more to do with the food than anything else."

[strongerthanevil]

"Do you keep your mind when you are a wolf?" Tauriel asked, knowing that it may be considered rude but since he brought up the subject she could not resist asking him about it. Derek was a good man, so different from the werewolves in her world, that she wanted to know all she could about him.

[notaretriever]

"I might need another week or so to be back to running form, but we should," Luke agrees. He'd been slower to heal this time, slower than he likes, mostly due to the lack of resources he'd had while in the alternate version of Darrow. At this point he more or less feels normal again, but there's still a bit of weight left to put back on and he's tired out easier than he used to be. Another week and he's sure he'll be fine.

"You know, I've spent more time as a wolf in Darrow than I ever did in Manhattan," he says. "There simply wasn't enough room there."

[always_enduphere]

"Yeah, but do they taste green?" Dean counters, helping himself to more pie. He chews with a thoughtful look on his face. "The banana ones aren't as bad," he offers at length, eying Cas all the while to see if he's going to regret that admission. "I like the fruitier ones."

[always_enduphere]

"Terrible?" asks Dean, staring incredulously before he realizes the kid is actually serious. "This is the best cherry pie I've ever had," he says, sitting up straight to deliver this message in all its possible gravitas. "And I have had a lot of pie, and from every corner of the country. This," says Dean, pointing with his fork, "Is the best."

[sciencesaggressively]

Holy shit, best wife ever.

There's pie in his hands now and if he were a little less civilized, he'd just pick it up and eat it because that's how goddamn good it smells. He loves this time of year, everything's dinner and desserts, and Newt isn't sure how anyone could claim there's anything better than that. Well, bonus love of his life and friends around him but come on, dinner and desserts.

"Uh, yeah, I'm not the subtle type," he says, though it comes out a little muffled through the bite of pie he's just taken. Glancing around the room, he tries to pick out who he thinks Derek would go for, though it's kind of hard to come to a conclusion when in his mind, Thomas is the obvious choice. Or maybe that's too obvious, who the hell knows? He and Derek aren't really the kind of friends who get super deep and get bro-motional or whatever so Newt has no clue who he's into right now. He is glad, though, that his friend is moving on. The guy deserves to be happy.

Frowning, he looks back at Kate, shrugging his shoulders. "I give up, I don't know who you're talking about. Tell me more, sensei. And if you've already told me before, don't even judge me, okay, I was probably busy trying to lure Jeff with the cat or something."

[always_enduphere]

"Still weird," says Dean with a small laugh. "I can't walk in here without remembering what it was like when I first got here, and being Semele's stockboy was all I could stomach doing."

He eats more of his pie and looks around. It does help, seeing the place decked out for the holiday, and filled with people Dean has somehow made friendships with, despite his own offputting personality. "It looks nice," he adds. "You've done a lot with it."

[sciencesaggressively]

"Only half? Slacking, dude, for real. Aren't werewolves supposed to have like, huge appetites or something? I'm totally willing to make up for that, though, feel free to throw the other half of that bird my way."

He watches with a softening expression as Derek looks around with a contentment in his eyes that Newt isn't really used to seeing. It's not that Derek is doom and gloom all the time or anything, it's just that Newt isn't sure he's ever seen his friend fully happy before. Especially after Stiles had disappeared from the city, Derek seems to have been in a bit of a dark place, which is understandable; but with what Kate's said about him digging someone who digs him, too, Newt just hopes Derek can find some much deserved peace.

Not that he'd say that out loud, that's just not him.

"Anyway, I'm glad you invited us to your shindig," he says, "otherwise we might have had to think about throwing a party to invite some of you people to, and it could've gotten ugly. Mostly because I'd probably taste test most of the meal before putting it out on the table."

[sciencesaggressively]

"It's a pretty big city," Newt reasons, which seems to be truer every month. When Kagura had popped up last year, he'd wondered just how far Darrow could expand before realizing that whoever runs the damn place is probably loaded up with infinite possibilities. It's a little mind-boggling, if he's honest, but most days, he tries not to think of it because if he does, it'll just frustrate him. He doesn't like being uncertain of things, at least not for very long.

"But hey, man, thanks for asking, I'm doing okay. I reached peak mourning around month three after it happened but then we inherited this cat from a friend who disappeared from the city, so that's been interesting. What about you, loving life? Kicking ass, taking names, all that shit?"

[shuck_you]

"Can't I learn the same things by asking people or looking it up on a computer?" Thomas wondered, trying valiantly not to blush. He knew his immediate reaction to being a girl would probably be to scream and hide but after that, he'd...probably scream again. There were some changes that Thomas could handle and others that would send him straight into the nearest room with a lock.

Before they'd been dumped in the Scorch, he'd slept a lot to escape his problems. Maybe he'd give that method a try here too.

"I don't think I'd be a great girl," he decided. "I'd freak out and scream until my neighbors complained."

[triskehale]

"Werewolf metabolism at work," Derek says with a laugh, squeezing Thomas' leg once more before letting go. He puts both hands on his flat stomach and pats it, looking over at Thomas with a sly grin. "I might have put two of them in the back for later, but he made enough for everyone twice over, I'm pretty sure."

[shuck_you]

"How long was he here cooking?" Thomas wondered, sliding further down on the sofa and stretching his legs out in front of him. He was comfortable and full, content to just sit there like a lump the rest of the day.

"He's slept, hasn't he?" Thomas asked, very obviously joking. "Slept in a bed, not the kitchen, right?"

[godless_son]

"I would love to help you find a combination that you find pleasing," Castiel says, fixing Dean with the most earnest gaze in his arsenal as he tries to stealthily slide the pie plate closer to his side.

Dean can rarely be swayed from a pie-centric mission and this is the only weapon Castiel thinks he has that could stand up to pastry.

"Nothing in the world is more important to me than your good health and happiness, Dean."

[myfavoritedream]

"Will in a minute," I nodded, leaning across the table and taking the offered bite, my teeth clinking against his fork before I sat back down in my seat.

"Not bad."

I'd never been that big of a fan of cherry, though.

[triskehale]

"Sure," Derek says with a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "I'll come get her some morning. It'd be fun."

If nothing else, Derek could probably fall back on a career as an excellent dog walker. But he likes Jeff, and she's a good dog, so taking her for a few hours would be no trouble at all.

"How is school going?" Derek asks, propping his head up on his hand as he looks at her. He feels like he's too out of touch with all of his friends, and he needs to rectify that.

[triskehale]

"I understood very little of that, but telling someone to eat their protein sounds a bit like a come on," Derek says with a laugh, reaching over the bar to grab his leather jacket. It looks like it's freezing outside, with frost creeping across the windows, so Derek comes over to place his jacket over Bitty's shoulders and give them a squeeze. He leans in close to his ear with a grin. "And you were the one who declared themselves pack."

Derek would never abuse his power as alpha, never again anyway, but it's fun to tease. He grabs the bags and reaches over to open the door, ushering Bitty out into the chill. "Come on, you'll get to sleep soon enough."

[triskehale]

"He's been at it a few days, but as far as I know that was in shifts," Derek says after a laugh. "But he showed up just after I did this morning."

Derek watches as Thomas stretches out and then follows suit, knocking their boots together. It's something they always seem to find themselves doing, and Derek nudges his toe against Thomas' ankle as he nestles back into the overstuffed cushions. "We have to get up sometimes, you know."

[triskehale]

"I've done my best," Derek admits, looking around the bar. He's made small, gradual changes to try and make the place a little more welcoming without changing the heart of it.

"You've come a long way too," Derek says, looking up at Dean as he gathers some more pie onto his fork. "Come in for a beer sometime, on the house."

[triskehale]

"I hadn't realized," Derek said with a frown, looking Luke up and down like he'll see some visible injury. "I was pretty bad for the first few days, but I basically spent them sleeping and eating and I was fine after that."

He chuckles softly and shakes his head a bit, thinking back on his own time in Manhattan. "Yeah, I do remember that. I spent a lot of time running around Central Park in the middle of the night. You see a whole lot, doing that."

After a moment, he reaches out and claps his hand down on Luke's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "When you're all good, then. You'll have to pencil me in. It really has been too long."

[triskehale]

"I do," Derek tells her, taking no offense to the question. He'd rather that she ask than assume the worst. "My instincts are a bit stronger, but I don't do anything in that form that I wouldn't do in this one."

He laughs a little, and shakes his head. "Well, except for hunt, maybe."

[triskehale]

"Oh, that's just round one," Derek says with a laugh. "I'll eat you under the table at least three times over, just wait."

The look on Newt's face gets a little sappy, and Derek raises an eyebrow as he waits to see what he'll say. The anyway is a bit telling, and Derek smiles a bit as he reaches out to squeeze Newt's shoulder. "Wouldn't have been a party without you, man. Glad you could make it."

[shuck_you]

"Yeah, I know," Thomas said, sighing and tilting his head back so he could stare up at the ceiling. He knew he'd have to get up and take himself back home where he'd promptly fall into bed and sleep until the sun rose in the morning.

"But, does it have to be right now?" he asked, shaking his head. "I don't think so."

[puckandpie]

My eyes widen at the realization that Kate's mom had been suffering since college. I can't help but wonder what caused it and how scared she must've been to realize she was blacking out, missing points in her life she couldn't remember. Again, it's nothing I can really imagine considering I've never felt anything like it. How does a person even begin to cope with something like that?

"This is... my gosh, this is fascinating," I tell her and as soon as the words are out, I cringe. "Sorry, that sounds so rude! I'm just. I can't imagine how... how anything. How are brains can be capable of something like that. Does she... I mean, is your mom happy? I bet she's sure happy to have had you around at the very least. Goodness, can you imagine going through something like that all on your own?"

[puckandpie]

Kili reaches out to rest a hand on my arm and I feel some of the anxiety quiet a little as I let out a breath. Trying for a smile, I shake my head. "I wasn't alone, no. And I can't think of anyone better to be with down there than Derek. Except maybe you," I add with a grin. "I mean, you're a warrior, right? I bet you would've helped protect me. And I promise I'd have repaid you with neverending baked goods for the trouble."

In truth, I'd be more than happy to do that anyway. As nice as Kili's been already, I'm more than excited to supply him with as many pies and cupcakes as he could ever want. Plus, with Derek hiring me on at Semele's full time, I'm going to be baking almost non-stop and he won't be able to sell all of it, probably. I'd hate to see any of it go to waste.

[puckandpie]

"Oh, my goodness, really?"

I feel myself sway a little, all the blood in my body rushing to my face and I drop down into the booth across from him. Dean Winchester is complimenting my pie. Mine. I am not at all prepared to process this.

"You're not pullin' my leg, are you?" I ask him, my heart still fluttering in my chest. "Or just tryin' to be nice. Because you really don't need to be! I won't be insulted if you think it could use some work, I promise."