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

[cassidyneal]

"I don't think so. I just got here a couple weeks ago. The day before everyone kind of...disappeared," he says for reference.

"But he's definitely well-adjusted for the crap he's gone through in the past three years." Most of which Neal wasn't there for and that burned him a little. He's here now though, and maybe every interaction with the people he's closest to will stop feeling like they're at a wake. Which would ironically probably be his own.

"He likes it here, I'm pretty sure. Only difficult part is navigating three parents."

[exitthewallflower]

"Kids are kind of amazing at that. The bounce back from almost anything so long as they have someone who loves them. Henry's pretty lucky in that regard I guess. He's got more family around than most of us do here in Darrow. I'm a little jealous" And there it is again, that pain at not being able to spend today with Dad. God, I wish it would just go away instead of ambushing me at every turn, but I know it won't. That's not the nature of pain. But I can soldier on, do what I always do and stuff it down until I can feel it later, after Aggie's asleep in a turkey coma.

[cassidyneal]

Neal's jealous too, jealous that this may be his one and only Thanksgiving with his kid. Jealous that Regina got ten before him and Emma gets all of them in the future, and Neal just gets this. But it's more than he had before, so he figures he has to be happy about it.

Still, he smiles a little at Barbara. "I'm pretty sure the regular Darrow experience isn't like Henry's. Our family though, we have a history of always finding one another. No matter where we wind up."

[exitthewallflower]

"Well lucky you." I give him a light punch on the shoulder to cover how envious I am. I really miss Dad right now. Mom, too, if I'm honest. And Dinah, Dick, Bruce and everyone.

"And there is no such thing as a regular Darrow experience, it's always something new. Kind of surprised there's not a flock of homicidal turkeys out for revenge or anything happening right now."

[cassidyneal]

"Yeah, tell me about luck. I'm glad I get to hang around here, spend some time with my kid."

"So, did you get here in the middle of a massive disappearance? 'Cause that's about what happened to me and I'm kind of wondering if it was some type of weird initiation thing that happens to everyone."

[exitthewallflower]

"Oh, God, you arrived during that? I'm so sorry." I can't even imagine how confusing that must have been. I mean, my own arrival was confusing enough, to have it happen in a vacuum like that?

"No, the city was populated when I arrived. Not that I think it's any less confusing with people around."