Give thanks, bitches.

[Finnick Radke]

Finn felt uncomfortable being in the house until a little girl was coming up to Bee and latching herself to her. Finn smiled and looked to Bee. He remembered her talking about the child on the way here, and thought he should introduce himself. If anything, he could sit with the kids at their table verses his own age group. He could relate better to simple minds like theirs. Besides, the topics that he knew would be discussed at dinner were sure to be gloomy and sad. He hated sad things.

"This is really nice." Finn said, trying to lighten their moods. He knew that Bee wanted him here and he was going to try and have a good time and stop thinking about his mom and Parker. This was Bee's time and he was sure that Parker was fine. His mom probably made him dinner, brought it and was spending her night up with him so he wasn't alone. Yeah, she was there to take care of him too. Who ever said all the weight had to be placed on him? no one.

"Bee?" Finn asked, taking her hand. "I'm nervous.." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't met her dad yet, or any of her family apart from Esme and Lorelai {who Parker was probably missing right about now}. He laughed at himself finally mustering up the energy to say that, but he was! It was nerve racking because he wanted to make a good impression on her family because he cared for her a lot. That's why he took the time to actually put an outfit together and look nice for her and hers verses just throwing something on. "I mean, like.. really nervous." He continued, biting his lip.

[Esme Russel]

Esme hadn't really been expecting anyone to bring anything under these circumstances so she was obviously fully prepared to cook everything herself. She actually had made three different kinds of cranberry sauce from scratch but it was still a nice gesture for Kat to bring a can.. She personally preferred the stuff from a can anyway but that was more than likely because it was what her family use to have so it reminded her of simpler times. "Awe Kat.. you shouldn't have." She giggled as she took the can and opened it up into a nice bowl - she always put her's in the freezer so it would be cold by the time that everyone ate. Ain't nobody got time for warm cranberry sauce! "Have you seen how precious that my daughter looks today? I mean really... I had got her this adorable little dress with a cartoon turkey on it and then she puked.. all over it."

It really wasn't a tragedy though, it just meant that Cici got to wear a fancy summer-y dress and Ariel would more than likely get the hand me down from this year if she was the correct size. See, that was going to be the good part about having children so close in age! Ariel was going to be able to wear all of the cute things that Cici had either never worn or only fit in once. "Cici, no baby." Her attention had to go from Kat and her cooking to her daughter when she saw how dangerously close that she was to taking a sip from her grandfather's open beer can on the ground. "Dad..." She was about to say something to him about it when he started staring at Keisha.

This wasn't going to end well.

Why couldn't her father be like Mark's dad? He was awesome and perfect in every way! Or Gene, Sam and Tammy's dad! She knew that it was asking a lot of him to not hit on her friends but she was really hoping that he wouldn't this time. Why did she still believe that he could change? She really didn't know anymore. He'd been flirting with her friends since she was about thirteen years old and she met Isabel Mason.

Yeah, he was a complete and total pig whenever he saw Isabel even though she was clearly too young for him. Esme had lost out on a lot of things because her father couldn't keep his mouth shut. It wasn't fair and she didn't think that it was decent parenting but what could she do? She was his seventeen year old daughter who made the mistake of burdening him with two infants to pay for. She didn't have any room to talk to anyone about morals.

So, she was just going to apologize profusely to both Keisha and Mark so they knew not to judge her too harshly for his words. She knew that she deserved some of the blame because he was her father but she hoped that they would be gentle and put her pregnancy hormones into consideration first. You know who wasn't taking her extreme pregnancy hormones into consideration? Dallas James Kennedy! Surprising them and coming anyway was actually quite sweet but it brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't explain why but she was really crying over seeing him which he was probably use to. "Dallas!"

She didn't mean to grab onto him like she did or start crying on him because she knew that he had to still be sore but she couldn't help it! She had honestly tried and clearly failed miserably. She only sobbed all over him for about two and a half minutes before she pulled away to get him and Kat each a big bowl of gravy. It was her current pregnancy craving so she figured that it had to make everyone as happy as it did her. She didn't even see the point in having anything else with it! Why would you want to taint perfection? She literally just grabbed two huge bowls and filled them to the very top with gravy. She was going to give them ladles instead of spoons but she really didn't have enough of those to share.

She wasn't surprised when Mark and Keisha came walking over and asked what her father's deal was. "I'm really sorry, Kesiha.. He's been hitting on my friends since I was thirteen years old and I just didn't think that he would still be doing it." She didn't know how to make them feel better so she just poured them each a bowl of gravy with a spoon. "Are you guys okay? I really am so sorry.. Is there anything I can do to help?"

[kat]

Kat was surprised to see Dallas here. He'd said he wasn't going to be able to get out of the hospital for this, but somehow he was here and she didn't even care what he had to do. He was here and now she knew that this was going to be so much easier.
She let Esme get to him first, and then just gave him a kiss on the cheek, not wanting to hurt him, before helping him over to a chair. It was so nice to see him. She was sure she'd have to get through tonight alone, but now he was here and she knew she was going to be okay.

"I don't want to know how, or why, but I'm glad you're here," She said with a smile. She was so glad that they'd made up, even if it had taken him getting hurt for it to happen. They still had things to work out, but they were going to make it through for the baby. The baby who was fluttering around him her belly, just like he did whenever Dallas was around. Sometimes just when she thought about him. Maybe it was because her heart sped up a million miles an hour, but baby seemed to always know when daddy was around. She couldn't wait for him to be able to feel her moving.
Kat was sure it was a girl. She hadn't been able to tell yet, but her next midwife appointment was in a few weeks, and they said they should be able to tell then. She couldn't wait. She wanted to have a perfect baby girl like Cici or Ramona.
She ran one hand over her belly and held his with the other hand. She wished Gin was here. Gin would come up and say I knew you'd get back together, before giving them both kisses on the cheek and prancing off to light up someone else's day. She sighed and gave Dallas's hand a squeeze. This wasn't easy for him either. He and Gin were friends, just as she was friends with her. This really couldn't be easy for anyone. Gin wasn't the only person lost that day...

Kat laughed a little when Esme brought them over giant bowls of gravy. "Um...thanks, Es, but I'm not really into...mashed potato soup."
Mark and Keisha were in the kitchen now, talking about Mr. Reynolds, who she'd yet to meet. "What's up with Esme's dad?" She asked Dallas, looking at the man in the living room. He didn't look so bad. At least her dad wasn't dead. He was supporting Esme and her family. Kat was always worrying about making rent, paying for gas, buying groceries, car insurance, new pregnancy clothes, getting ready for baby...She would kill to not have to constantly stress over money.

[Dallas Kennedy]

Dallas never knew how to take Esme and her train of emotions so he just let her do her thing and wrapped her up in a one armed hug. God this cast was hard to get used to, plus the fact that he couldn't really lift his arm anyway because of his stupid collarbone. The pressure from Esme's body wasn't too bad but still, the boy was relieved when she let go of him. That was about the time Kat came up and kissed his cheek. As he sat next to her at the table, he laughed, "I should break my shit more often. I get all the ladieees." Dallas stuck his tongue out at Kat to let her know that he was only joking.

He leaned in towards Kat and supported his weight on his good elbow. His face suddenly serious and his tone kind, he knew this was harder for Kat than what she would ever admit. "I didn't want you to have to go through this alone.." He curled his fingers around her hand so she knew he understood some of what she was going through. The last three days had been difficult for him because he was stuck in the barrier of a hospital with no car, no where to go, hardly any privacy, and nothing more than his cell phone to keep him connected. He had tried to keep his mind on other things besides the deaths and now that he was actually letting the thoughts roll around, it pained him more than anything the accident did.

"I -" He was cut off by Esme placing a large bowl of gravy in front of him. "Esme?" He sighed, "This is why we're friends." He nodded, hastily grabbing the spoon and dipping it into the bowl. "It's good, Kat, you're missing out." Dallas laughed, thankful for the distraction. As he happily, well practically drank, his gravy, he turned his head to where he heard Esme's father and Kat asking about him. He pressed his lips together before speaking. "Willy? Shit, I haven't talked to him in forever. We used to be cool or whatever, now? I dunno." Dallas leaned back into Kat so no one else could hear. "I know he has a thing for hot underage girls." He pulled back, "He doesn't mean anything by it, I'm sure. However, I'd bust this cast over the top of his head if he said anything to you. Only I can do that."

[Mark Daniels]

When Keisha assured Mark that this was really none of his fault, he felt better. He had warned her and despite that what she was wearing was enough to dissimulate her body, William still found a way to hit on her. Keisha had a gift!

When Esme began apologizing he started to feel bad. It was also not her fault and she was sweet enough to bring them — gravy? He glanced down to the bowl before looking to Esme and saying, "Thank you." Although he wasn't quite sure what the pure bowl of gravy was for. He reckoned it was an apology gesture?

Mark looked to Keisha who was probably just as confused but he simply continued smiling before raising an eyebrow, "Is this all for us?" he thought it was way too much gravy for his stomach to handle, alone. "It's okay, Esme. I mean, it's not really your fault." he shrugged and shook his head before looking down to the gravy once more.

"Tomorrow morning we're having a breakfast get together." Mark told her, it was generally an excuse to invite people over and eat the food that was still left over but if Miranda felt that there wasn't going to be enough for everyone she'd start making more. "You and your siblings are welcome to come over. My 'rents would be really happy to see you." he smiled and nodded. Renata liked touching and staring at Esme's hair, it was so bright and red and different from most folks she could remember.

[Beatrice Reynolds]

Beatrice really wanted nothing more than to make Finn feel completely at home here but she wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do or say. She'd rarely brought boys to meet her family like this! Her father was always so judgmental that she tried to avoid the introductions as much as possible. How was she going to explain his often harsh comments regarding her and her sisters? Finn probably wouldn't care as much about him being mean to Esme, Annabel or Lorelai because he didn't really know them but she didn't know if he would try and be all prince charming about the insults aimed at her.

"Esme really outdid herself this time, didn't she?" It wasn't surprising, really, her younger sister always did everything like this and she appreciated the normalcy of it all. She would be heartbroken if she had walked into this house and not smelled the pies baking in the oven or if she hadn't seen the extreme unnecessary Thanksgiving decorations. This year was going to be hard enough as it was and she found herself clinging to the parts of her life that were remaining the same. She knew that she could count on Annabel to have something knitted for everyone, she counted on that.

"Are you Bee's husband?" Prudence's innocent question was actually quite out of the blue but Bee briefly appreciated the distraction from her own thoughts. She just wished that she knew how to answer that without offending Finn or making him feel even more uncomfortable. Prudence was only three so it was hard to be angry with her for having absolutely no filter or apparently knowledge of when to stop talking. "Are you my new uncle?"

She reached into the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a still wrapped up Hershey's kiss which she handed happily to Finn. She looked so darn proud of herself for sharing that Beatrice really hoped that Finn would happily accept the chocolate even if he had no plans of eating it himself. She was also really hoping that he wasn't going to take what Prudence asked too seriously... It wasn't like she had anything to do with it!

[Deleted]

Lorelai was almost hypnotized by the adorable baby in her sister's arms. It was just that she had only met little Weston once and she hadn't really gotten to hold him much. That would be changing now though since Annabel had moved her little family back to New York from Utah.. Thank God for her husband getting a job offer down here! "Lorelai, do you want to hold Weston later on when he wakes up?" Annabel smiled openly at the excited look on her youngest sister's face, "I'll have Jake bring him to you in a little while." She pecked her sister on the cheek once more before going to go and mingle with her father and husband. She couldn't leave them alone for too long because William had a bad habit of saying shitty things to him like last Christmas when he told him that 'being a doctor isn't a real job and only sissy little gay boys do it'.

"Martin, are you hungry? I bet that Esme probably has a buffet of things to choose from so I can't imagine that there won't be at least something that you like." She squeezed one of his hands just to assure him that she was there if he needed her or wanted to leave for whatever reason. "I can get you a soda or give you a tour? I'm sure that Esme wouldn't mind if I showed you around." She just wanted Martin to feel comfortable because she was hoping to spend many more nights here with him like this. Maybe she would marry him one day.

Forever was such a long time but she could honestly see herself happily spending it with someone like Martin. Who wouldn't be honored to spend every single minute of the day with him? He was this source of joy in her life that she just couldn't explain.

She reached a hand up to gently stroke the side of his face ever so affectionately. "I am really happy you're here." She just hoped that he didn't feel like the kiss she planted on his beautiful lips was too much.

[Cooper Reynolds]

Cooper wasn't okay. He wasn't even a little tiny bit okay with the fact that his lesbian best friend was dead because of two bastards with guns. He wanted to strangle them.. he wanted to do things to them that he never thought that he would want to do to another person. It was bad enough for them to take the innocent lives of others but then to pussy out and take their own was just horrible. Didn't they realize the families would never truly get justice for their lost loved ones? He was holding it together though for Lydia and his sisters who he knew would need him right now. He knew Esme in particular was going to need him sooner or later especially since he didn't see Jon in attendance but he chose not to ask her in fear that maybe their marriage was going to end up making her yet another sad statistic... Jonathan wouldn't leave her at a time like this, right? Maybe he was working.. Yeah, working was what he was going to assume until he heard otherwise which he prayed would never happen.

He could feel Lydia clinging to him like they were one person and it reminded him that he really needed to be strong. Who was going to comfort her if he was turning into a hysterical mess every five seconds? "Honey bunches... I'm fine." He glanced over to Beatrice and Finn and he couldn't help but smile. They were living proof that things could go on, right? Sometimes the only consistent thing in life is change and he really hoped that Finn was something that didn't fit that. He had appreciated the obvious connection between Beatrice and Bo but he knew from the beginning that they wouldn't last long. She needed someone to keep her grounded.. someone well like Finn. "Are you okay though? I mean... we can leave if you aren't." He missed being this kind of a guy.

His recent reputation had been that he was a jerk, a guy who didn't care about anyone and a sex addict but he wanted to change. Lydia deserved someone like the old Cooper who treated people with respect and wrote silly non-rhyming poems and drew pictures. His attention was soon caught by all of the decorations in the room.. How had he not noticed that when they walked in? He felt a pang in his chest when he thought about how very proud Gin would be of this whole thing. Hell, if she was alive then she probably would have suggested it to bring everyone together. "I miss her." He mumbled under his breath as he tightened his grip on Lydia.

The fact that Genevieve was gone forever still hadn't fully sank in yet and maybe that was for the best.

[Finnick Radke]

Finn couldn't help but smile at the tiny child in front of them and her questions. How was he supposed to answer something like that without confusing anyone? He seriously thought about his response before he answered, finally deciding on something that just seemed perfect. "Well, no, I'm not, but can I tell you a secret?" He said as he bent down to the girl's level and leaned into whisper in her ear.

"I'm in love your Aunt Bee but I haven't told her yet. You're the first one to know but you should tell her our secret." Finn pulled back, taking the chocolate and standing back up. "Can you do that for me, Prudence?" He asked, hoping she would comply. He was nervous about it, but what was there to lose?

He'd actually thought about it a lot lately, love. It felt right when he said it in the mirror to himself, I love you or Bee, I'm in love with you. Finn just wasn't sure how or when to tell her and this seemed like it could work in his favor even though it didn't help with his nerves at all, but if she knew, maybe she would feel a little better given the circumstances.

[Keisha George]

Keisha sighed leaned against the counter. “I’m sorry, Esme; I sounded like I was attacking you. And you’re fine. It’s not your fault. I just thought there was some sort of underlying psychological condition that could be forgiven.” She rolled her eyes, not at Esme, but at how gross William was; he reminded her of that creepy uncle who stared at your tits for far too long, or who might have slapped your butt as you walked by. She didn’t have one herself, but she knew they were out there.

Keisha wasn’t quite sure what to do with the gravy that Esme gave her. Did she give that to her on purpose, or was she just flustered? She said “thank you” anyway, but she’d never been handed a bowl of straight gravy. Keisha loved gravy, but nobody ever seemed to approve of just eating a bowl of gravy.
She wanted to go back into the living room to meet the rest of Esme’s family, but William had the magical power to give her a headache after five seconds of conversation. She’d ask Mark to leave, but she really didn’t want to take him away like a bitch. 'Life is just difficult,' she thought.