Sammi's World

A Season For Thanks

It was about a week after the flooding, but still about a week from Thanksgiving. The boys and I had not decided yet what we were going to do for Thanksgiving. The year before, we had my dad and Marissa join us, and it was a really great day. This year, however, it looked like it was just going to be the three of us. That is, until I received a phone call from my dad one day, asking if we'd like to join them this year. "Marissa has been bugging me to invite you guys to come visit for months now," Dad said. "What better day to all be together than Thanksgiving?" "Is it just going to be the five of us again?" I asked, hoping he would say no. "Unfortunately, yes," he said. "Both your brother and your sister had other plans, but I did attempt to reach out to them." "It's understandable," I told him. "Let me run it by the boys and see what they say." "See what we say about what?" Dean asked. I was unaware that the boys had returned from their little shopping trip. "Dad and Marissa would like us to join them for Thanksgiving dinner this year," I told them. "We don't have any other plans," Sam reminded me. "I think a little road trip sounds like fun." "As long as there is pie, I'm in," Dean said. I'm guessing Dad heard him because he laughed and said, "Let Dean know there will be plenty of pie." "Dad said there will be plenty of pie," I said. "Awesome," Dean replied. "So that's a yes then?" Dad asked. "That's definitely a yes," I told him. "Great," he said. "I'll let Marissa know and we'll see you in about a week. You have the address, right?" "I sure do," I told him. "We'll see you then. Love you." "Love you too, baby girl," Dad said, then hung up the phone. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but as much as I enjoy cooking, I'm a little relieved that I don't have to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year," I told the boys. "Everyone deserves a night off from cooking occasionally," Sam said. "I love cooking too, but the nights when we get take out are some of the best nights." "Hasn't Marissa been wanting us to come visit for a nice dinner since last Thanksgiving anyway?" Dean asked. "Yes," I answered. "But with the year we've had, it just wasn't in the cards." "We have had some pretty crazy incidents this year," Sam agreed. "True," Dean said, "but we also have so much to be thankful for, too. Like, for instance, the fact that the three of us are still alive." "Don't forget my dad, too," I said. "He got really lucky that you were there with him when that Wendigo attacked him, Dean." "What about you, princess?" Dean replied. "You would have died if that lady at the party hadn't recognized you were having an allergic reaction." "I can't believe we never got her name," I said. "I really would have liked to thank her myself." "And dare I say Sam has a lot to be thankful for, too?" Dean asked. "He didn't have any accidents this year," I said. "No, he did not," Dean agreed, "but he should be thankful a million times over that you are the sweetheart that you are." At first, I didn't understand what Dean was hinting at, so I looked over at Sam with a little bit of confusion in my eyes. He didn't say a word, just motioned with his hand like he was drinking and that's all it took for me to remember the incident that I tried so hard to forget. "Oh, right," I said. "I didn't mean to stir up any bad memories," Dean insisted. "That night hurt me almost as much as it hurt you." "I know you weren't trying to upset me," I told him. "It's alright." "And what are you thankful for, Dean?" Sam asked. "Do not say pie, because we already know that." "I am thankful for the fact that we have been able to keep this vacation going as long as we have," Dean said. "I love being a hunter, but I never realized just how much we were missing out on until now. And I'm thankful that you two love birds finally set a date to make your love official." "I'll second that one," I said with a smile. "I'm also thankful that my relationships with my family members are going so well." "You expected them to be bad?" Sam looked confused. "No," I told him. "But you see how long it took for me to define my relationship with you. I guess I just figured it would take me time to open up to my own family, too." "That makes sense," Dean said. "Since I'm sure we'll have to have this same conversation with Dad and Marissa, how about we find something else to talk about?" I suggested. "You mean like dinner?" Sam said. "Is it that time already??" I looked at the clock. "I guess it's true what they say about time flying when you're having fun." "If you don't want to cook tonight, we can go out for dinner," Dean suggested. "Are you craving diner food or fast food?" I asked. "I just want a hamburger," Dean said. "So wherever you two want to go is fine with me." "I'm actually feeling like breakfast for dinner," I admitted. "That sounds good," Sam said. "A stack of pancakes with a side of eggs and bacon." "Diner it is then," Dean said. We made our way out to the car, hopped in, and headed into town.