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

[triskehale]

Derek might have gone a bit overboard with the food. There's a huge spread with two turkeys and giant bowls of sides. There are mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, green bean casserole, and all the staples. The tables are straining under the weight, and Derek has to smile a little. His mother would be proud of the spread he put out, and he hopes everyone likes it.

He had enough help getting everything ready that he had enough time to run to Dimera and take a quick shower and change into something a little nicer. People seem to be enjoying themselves and each other, and that's all that Derek could have asked for. The food is good, the company is better, and for the first time in awhile, Derek feels utterly content.

[Catch Derek before, during, or after dinner!]

[myfavoritedream]

"Wow," I said, cutting him a sideways look as I stepped up beside him. The place was done up, there was a spread like I'd never seen before, and he looked... good.

It was easy to pretend like I was talking about just the food.

I'd put on a shirt with buttons and I was wearing a new pair of jeans, but I hadn't known what to bring, so I brought nothing. It was probably poor etiquette but I didn't think he'd care much.

[memoryisthekey]

Well, shit. So this is what a "real" Thanksgiving looks like.

I am beyond stuffed and for a moment, I wonder if this is how Grif feels all the fucking time. Has to, the way he eats, but that's not really all that important. Looking out over everyone, I mentally note where Thomas and Abel have wandered off to, playing with things that Helen and I brought. Seriously, if feels like we temporarily moved here. I have no idea what we're doing for Christmas, but the boys look happy enough so I call this a win.

Leaning back in my chair, I sip at the cider-something that was put in my hand earlier and just kinda marvel at the whole fucking ruckus. This is how it was supposed to be, right? Family? Shit, man, the Director was really fucked up with his priorities. I mean, I've never been so thankful to be free of his issues as I am right now. If Alison could see me now, she'd... well I imagine there'd be a lot of laughing involved and part of me has this furious ache to know that this was the sort of thing Carolina should have had. Family. Not... whatever the fuck she ended up with after Alison died.

Damn. I actually really miss her right now. I miss all the guys, because they would enjoy the hell out of this. But All I can do is sit back, relax, and hope they haven't gotten themselves blown up without me. Happy holidays, guys, wherever you are.

[Find Church post-meal, relaxing off in a corner and watching everything.]

[shuck_you]

In a way, this was Thomas's first Thanksgiving. He couldn't remember any previous ones so he was treating this as his first. It was a memory that WICKED or anyone else wouldn't be able to take away.

He'd helped cook as much as he could though his form of help had been handing things to various people so they wouldn't have to move around and work too much when they were already doing so much cooking. He'd stayed away from creating his own dish because no one need to be poisoned or wanted anything microwaved.

Afterward, once he was full of more food than he thought humanly possible, he tucked himself onto the couch to rest and work at not falling asleep. He'd heard news programs talk about the tradition of falling asleep after a big dinner and Thomas knew now why that was true.

[Feel free to find Thomas in the kitchen, helping to cook, or afterward trying not to fall asleep]

[puckandpie]

In the end, Derek has to set out a whole separate table just for the pies. I've made sure to arrange them all myself, complete with little upturned labels so no one would have to guess what they might be serving themselves and, I have to say, they at least look good. I can only hope they all taste good, too.

After helping bake and prepare all morning, we'd gotten done in time for me to run home and change. Which is the only reason I'm dressed in my nicest pair of jeans and a seasonally-appropriate red waistcoat instead of my flour-covered apron.

I'm not at all surprised by the number of people who show up, each one of them just as happy as I am to be included in Derek's brood of loved ones. This feels like exactly the perfect event after everything we'd encountered in that nightmare version of Darrow, all of these people collected in one spot to remind Derek just how loved he is. My only hope is he can hold onto this for long enough to at least quiet the terrible voices that continue to linger in his mind.

I can't help sneaking him glances every now and then, happy to see him smiling and laughing nearly every time. This is good for him. This is so, so good.

If the day's festivities leave me a little bit homesick, that's really no one's fault. It's just hard to not imagine my mama's jello salad and Coach's voice screaming at football from the other room, the squeals and pitter-patters of my cousins' feet all around the house. Even if I'm starting to build a solid group of friends here, it's hard not to miss the family I left behind.

It's hard not to consider the fact that I may never see them again.

Luckily, with so many happy faces gathered around the table and the abundance of delicious food, it's easy enough to ignore for awhile.

[Find Bitty at any point during the feast!]

[always_enduphere]

Sometimes it's strange to be in Semele's after all that's happened. It's the first place Dean worked when he got to Darrow, and if he were in a more introspective mood, he'd be thankful for the turns his life has taken. He might even get pensive about it, but as soon as he makes it to the middle of the bar, the smell of pie hits him full force, and he changes course abruptly for the dessert table.

"Are these for everyone?" Deanasks, because the pies on display here are incredible, and he should know. He's eaten every kind there is in every part of the country, and these - these are top notch. Dean turns and counts the number of people in the room, compares it to the pies, then lifts one right off its stand and carries it to an empty booth.

[myfavoritedream]

"You're looking sharp," I said, dropping into an empty chair beside him, a plate of mashed potatoes and stuffing, with extra gravy, in one hand, and a beer in the other.

"I like this." I gestured vaguely to the waistcoat. I didn't tell him that he looked sort of like a valet.

[myfavoritedream]

Leaning my hip against the booth he'd claimed, I looked at the entire pie on the table and asked, "Are you sharing?"

Judging by the way he looked at it, I could guess the answer was no.

[puckandpie]

Neil drops down into the chair next to mine, his plate full of mashed potatoes and stuffing and I grin wide at him and then glance down at myself at the wave of his hand.

"Thanks," I tell him before nodding at his own button-up shirt. "You look quite nice yourself outside of your typical t-shirt. Almost didn't recognize you."

[puckandpie]

"Well don't you look just stuffed to the gills and utterly happy about it."

I take a careful seat beside him, not wanting to jostle just in case he actually ate a little too much. It can take awhile to digest and the last thing we need is a mass return on the stuffing. There are still people milling around the bar and picking at the food and Derek's deep into a conversation with a guy I only vaguely recognize.

I'd definitely gone a little bit overboard on the pies, but a good half of the spread is gone at least. All-in-all, it seems like a rousing success.

"There'll probably be some leftovers," I tell him as I settle back into the couch. "You know, as something to tide you over until your next pizza."

[godless_son]

Castiel watches the entire thing occur, standing in the corner of the room looking fond and entirely unsurprised.

He attempts to school the fondness as he walks over, shaking his head at his wayward husband. "Really, Dean? Did you even eat dinner? Did you even pretend to eat a vegetable?"

[godless_son]

Castiel knows that Derek understood the choices he had to make in that other place. Castiel also knows Derek's understanding was likely motivated by terrible self esteem and guilt but regardless...

It is the least he can do to contribute a pie and some liquor considering he is certain Dean is likely to make off with the majority of both.

"Hello, Derek. Do you want to exchange declarations of thankfulness, as is custom?" he says, clutching a pecan pie.

[jianhuo]

Derek asked her to bring dessert, and of course, Saffron goes a little overboard. She knows Eric is like to have the pies covered, so she goes with something different for her contribution - mini white chocolate caramel apple lollipops, pumpkin and peanut butter s'mores bars, monkey bread, and pumpkin cheesecake - all made with help from Church and even a little from the boys.

Everything Derek's prepared is delicious, and Saffron normally doesn't overindulge but she thinks tonight she may have made an exception. Dessert is going to have to wait a little while. In the meantime she socializes, mingling among the guests while keeping an eye on the boys and stopping every once in a while to have a moment with her man, handing Keira off to Church or taking her back from him. It's a wonderful evening, and even with everything that's happened this year they still have plenty to be thankful for.

[theduff]

I clean up nice! I always knew I could if I wanted to, and was prepared to do just that before I was rudely kidnapped into another universe. But, considering the fact that this is a holiday spent with friends, I make the attempt to look nice. So I've put on my cleanest pair of dark jeans, found the one deep blue blouse I own, and even cleaned the dust and specks of mud off my boots. (And mom always badgered me to look presentable whenever we had special family dinners. I can't spend Thanksgiving with her, but I guess still feel close to her in this small way.)

I wasn't lying to Bitty when I said I prepared myself for the meal, and I'm so glad I haven't eaten anything but a bag of chips and a chocolate bar all day. It did sort of backfire a bit when I showed up early to lend a hand with setting the table; I swear the smell of all that food nearly turned me into a ravenous Thanksgiving Zombie or soemthing. It was close.

Heaping my plate with a little bit of everything, I dig into everything with gusto, stuffing my face as I listen to the conversations filling up the bar. There are so many people here, more than I thought, and I'm glad Derek has so many friends. Being surrounded by familiar faces and some strangers makes for one less lonely day, and puts my homesickness at bay for the night.

[theduff]

"Turkey coma?" I ask Thomas as I approach him. It feels like it's been ages since I showed up a little early to help out with setting up. My stomach is happily stuffed, but I still have a few very small slices of the different pies on a plate. I pick at them as I walk around, stopping here and there to talk to friends or even say hello to someone new.

[likeahero]

After a few weeks of mostly keeping to himself, Oliver feels a little strange being around so many people. He knows some faces, however, which puts him at ease for most of the night. He can't remember the last time he'd been at a holiday dinner so casual and comfortable. Sitting at the full table with Felicity by his side, Oliver wonders if this is what a real family dinner is supposed to be; noisy, close, and nothing like the overly formal affairs that were Queen dinner parties.

Once it seems the majority of the dinner is wrapping up, Oliver is glad to see his sweet potato and marshmallow dish (prepared by himself after Felicity managed to somehow ruin the first attempt) is mostly gone. He clears a bit of space on the bar itself for a few wine glasses and opens up the red wine and apple cider they brought along, pouring a glass of the red for himself.

[shuck_you]

"You make pizza sound like such a terrible thing," Thomas said, glancing over and shaking his head. "It's got meat, vegetables and dairy products. It's a well balanced meal that just happens to be topped with things that maybe I shouldn't eat all the time."

It had been a good meal, though. Thomas didn't remember ever seeing as much food as he had and he felt both grateful and selfish all at once. He couldn't stop thinking about his friends in the Scorch, maybe starving, maybe dead while he ate enough food for all of them.

"It was all good," he complimented. "All of it. I've never seen so much food."

[shuck_you]

"If that's a real thing that happens, I think I'm pretty shucking close to it, yeah," Thomas sighed, patting his stomach and smiling over at her.

"Hopefully I don't end up drooling all over the place if I fall asleep," he added, shaking his head. "How about you? You get your fill?"

[everyonetakes]

She's here and she totally didn't take Derek's suggestion seriously that she bring something other than some cookies that she bought from the store because she knows better. And she knows he knows better. Kate is good at a lot of things, but definitely not cooking or baking or anything to do with food besides eating it.

It's really nice. It doesn't make her miss her family any less, which is pretty much her permanent state of being on days like today, but it's still really nice and she's glad to be here. She's glad Derek invited her and if she's planning on meddling a little, trying to figure out what's going on with him and this Eric guy, then that's totally her own business.

[puckandpie]

"Well, Derek wanted to make sure there'd be more than enough for everyone and I think he succeeded," I tell him, smiling at him fondly for the pizza comment. It's just a tease even if I do actually worry about malnutrition for him a little bit. I know he has plenty of people looking after him at least so it's not likely he'll die beneath a pile of empty, greasy boxes.

I nudge his elbow lightly, still smiling. "By the way, Derek told me you're gonna start working at Semele's soon. That's exciting!"

[shuck_you]

"It's something," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was excited to start working but he was also worried. It'd be his first real job experience and it was doing something that he had no previous training doing. The Glade hadn't been big on customer service and food had been a first come, first serve thing.

"We'll see how exciting it is when I dump something on a person's head and they get mad," Thomas joked though he was actually concerned about that happening. He wasn't afraid of confrontation but he knew it wouldn't really be good in a job like this.

[triskehale]

"At least no one will go hungry," Derek says with a small huff of laughter. He reaches out to wrap his arm around Neil from the side, squeezing briefly before letting go. "I'm used to Thanksgiving with a dozen or so werewolves."

He looks over at Neil with a smile, trying to focus on his new family instead of the one that isn't here. "I'm glad you could make it."

[puckandpie]

"Goodness, I hope that doesn't happen," I say with a laugh. "Both for your sake and that hypothetical person's head. I think Derek said something about you just bussing and running to start with. That should at least mean the chances of dumping food on people isn't as great."

Reaching over, I give his leg a firm pat. "You'll be fine, I know. I'm excited we'll get to work together, too! I can show you some stuff in the kitchen if you'd like."

[always_enduphere]

Dean looks up, a touch of fight in his eyes before he sees that Neil is teasing. Probably - he draws the pie a little closer to himself just in case. "Seems like there's plenty," he says, holding his breath and counting to ten before he can manage to offer, "I'll share if I have to."

[always_enduphere]

"I don't have to eat vegetables on holidays," Dean replies, sinking further into the booth as if to shield his pie. He grabs a quite mouthful before Castiel can get any closer. "And I rode in a car all the way here with a tofu turducken, I've paid my dues."