If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. [Thanksgiving Day in the City]

[gloriouscurse]

Never had Regina had an abundance to be thankful for. Henry, of course, she was glad every day for him. Under the curse they'd had this holiday together, though it had always been just them, and after it broke the holidays had fallen to the wayside as event after event happened in Storybrooke. Then there was the year spent back in the forest, and though everyone knew what it was, there hadn't been much to celebrate. Or if anyone had, Regina certainly hadn't taken part in the festivities. She'd had nothing but newfound vengeance. In her life before, there was no such thing as 'Thanksgiving' and the last large meal she'd had, the last grand gathering, had been the king's birthday and she couldn't have cared less if she tried.

This year is different. This year there's family and friends of the family and things to celebrate. There's Henry getting to have a holiday with all three of his parents, there's Robin and Roland and a happiness that has managed to settle into Regina's belly and slowly allow her to relax. She hasn't had a terrible dream in weeks, and maybe she's started to let herself believe that this could be how her life is. She finds herself wanting it, the warmth Cora's home never allowed for, the laughter she's denied herself, and so she works hard at it, cooking and baking. Henry's with her in the kitchen in the morning after spending the day before hunting wild turkey with Robin. There are appetizers out by eleven: parmesan and cream cheese pumpkin puffs, deviled eggs and veggies with homemade dip. The wine and drinks are flowing by noon, and at three, dinner is served with traditional fare: turkey and stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, real cranberry sauce and everything in between. She'd urged her guests to bring food they enjoyed too. Dessert is during mid-cleanup and includes Henry's no-bake pumpkin pie, an apple pie, pecan, and sweet potato.

The dull chatter in the room, the occasional laughter and the noise of whatever people watched on television during Thanksgiving all lended itself to make her step back and watch for a moment, eyes suspiciously damp. She's truly thankful, because she never thought she'd have this.

[ooc: Treat as gathering! Lots of mingling and tagging one another.]

Comments

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin flops down onto the couch next to her and lets out a loud, contented sigh. "Hey, whoa, come on, you can't sleep yet!" he says when he sees how comfortable she looks. "Food comas are for after all the guests are gone. Or, so I've heard." He's looking pretty content himself, though, eyes and cheeks warm with some kind of seasonal beer that settles in his belly amidst the — holy shit, amazing — food.

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma lifted her head and smile warmly as Delsin's flopped down next to her, looking as full and happy as she feels. "I'm technically a guest," she pointed out, shifting to plop her head down on Delsin's shoulder and yawning. "In the sense that this is Regina's apartment, anyway. Would it be terrible of me to ask Henry if I can sleep on his bedroom floor? I'm not sure I should drive home this full of food. It's like I'm food-drunk. Is that a thing? It should be."

[infamousdelsin]

"Pretty sure it's a thing," he says. "Even if it's not, it totally is." He rubs her shoulder fondly. "You should so sleep on Henry's floor. Kid adores you, by the way." Just in case she hadn't known that.

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma's smile was immediate and happy; yes, she knew, but she never got tired of hearing it. "Think it's safe to say it's mutual adoration," she said, sighing lightly, her gaze softening as she looked around at the gathering of their motley crew. "I never would've thought this would be a thing. These people, this...weird little family thing going on. I can't even tell you how long it took to get to this point and how many people here used to hate each other."

[infamousdelsin]

He grins and kinda squeezes her a little. "Well, I'm happy for, Em." He really is. She's been a great friend since he's come here, and he wants her to be happy.