As the broadcast ended, everyone stretched. "Well, it's been one for the books," Lex commented. Everyone nodded in agreement on their way out.

"Have a great Thanksgiving," Ethan said to everyone as hugs were given.

"Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything," Tom whispered into his hug with Lex.

"Will do," she said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Once the door closed, Evelyn and Gary entered the area. "I'm taking it the broadcast went well?" Evelyn asked. Lex nodded with a smile.

"Don't worry yourselves. I'm going to be working on getting dinner ready. It's nothing super big and I'll be done in like six hours. Flynn will be getting here at around this time," Lex said, heading to the kitchen where Hannah had a book she hadn't turned a page of in the past ten minutes. "What's happening, Banana?"

"Can I help? I just need something to do for the next three hours. After those three hours, I have a viable excuse to be alone," Hannah said. Lex smiled.

"All you had to do was ask," she said, showing Hannah how to peel potatoes. Ethan was in the living room, figuring out his finances, in between TA-ing and tutoring.

"So this can go to Bailey's food and then our lunches. So then this can go into working on night school additional costs and that gives ten for the cell phone fund," Ethan mumbled. He didn't notice that Evelyn and Gary had entered the room and heard Ethan do all his budgeting.

"You're good with numbers," Gary said, breaking the silence. Ethan looked up from his laptop.

"I guess you could say that," Ethan said humbly. Lex heard that.

"Ethan, don't put yourself down. We've been over this! You're a fucking math whiz!" Lex called from the kitchen. Ethan rolled his eyes.

"What Lex said," he added.

"Well, not to overstep my boundaries, do you know if you could help with some budgeting and finances for my office? I'm doing it now, but I could pick up a bit more work if someone else did it. It takes a really long time for me," Gary said. Ethan looked shocked, but quickly covered it.

"Well, I could maybe do it in an hour, but I still need to figure out my schedule. I spend most of my free time tutoring or taking Banana to social events. And then I have grading. Can I get back to you in a week?" Ethan asked. Gary nodded.

"Of course," he said.

The rest of the day was filled with awkward conversations and forced laughs. It all immediately relaxed when Flynn came. Ethan gratefully hugged his family friend, who was a father figure.

"How have you been, Ethan?" Flynn asked.

"It's been. How have you been?" Ethan asked earnestly in reply.

"It's taken some getting used to, but normal. I heard you're tutoring and teaching," Flynn said. Ethan nodded as Hannah approached the pair. "Well, if it isn't Hannah Banana."

Hannah giggled as Flynn picked her up in a hug. "You've grown," he noted.

"It appears I have," Hannah laughed in response. The trio headed to the dining room, where Evelyn and Gary were.

"Ms. Foster, Gary, this is my Uncle Flynn," Ethan said, introducing the adults. They eased into a silence, Flynn catching up with both Hannah and Ethan.

"Hi!" Lex exclaimed as she came downstairs. She wrapped Flynn in a tight hug.

"Lex, it's so good to see how well you've recovered. Ethan told me about January," Flynn said. Lex groaned and covered her face.

"Wow, thanks. Those memories were almost entirely gone," she said. A few seconds passed. "Well, have you met Bailey?"

"Can't say I have," Flynn said. At the mention of her name, Bailey's footsteps could be heard thumping down the stairs until she ran to Lex.

"Yes, I know you don't know him," Lex cooed to Bailey, who sniffed Flynn suspiciously. After growing excited, Bailey sat down with a quick gesture from Lex. Bailey's tale wagged as Flynn pet her.

"She is so cute," Flynn said as Lex sat down in the general area, double-checking her cell phone timer for the turkey.

"I'm biased," Lex smiled, "But she's entirely certified as a therapy dog now. Mom, do you want to spend some time with her?"

Evelyn looked up from her lap. "I'd be honored," she replied as Lex walked Bailey over.

"Good girl. Sit and stay. Good girl," Lex said, leaving Bailey in front of Evelyn, who pet Bailey like there was no tomorrow. A comfortable silence settled over the room until Lex's turkey timer went off. "Oh! That's the turkey. I'll be right back."

Lex left the room. After a quick debating glance, Ethan and Flynn joined her. Hannah decided four people was a large enough number to be suspicious, so she started to pet Bailey. This eased Hannah's anxiety.

Meanwhile, Lex had grabbed some oven mitts and checked the turkey's temperature. Perfect. She brought it out and set it on top of her stove (which was off). "Are you doing okay?" Ethan asked Lex, placing a hand on her shoulder. He hadn't expected her eyes to be as shiny as they were. She gave him a morose glance as she turned off the oven and closed it.

"H-he called," Lex whispered, her voice shaking every so slightly. Ethan wordlessly hugged her. "He somehow knew Mom was with us and he figured if I could support us, her, and her new guy, I could give him a loan. He's in serious gambling debt and is being detained. There are four days until he's arrested."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to fuck off," Lex said, as she shared a small grin with Ethan.

"As you should. Need any help?" Ethan asked. Lex shook her head.

"Try and make a five minute conversation and bring Banana," she responded. Ethan smiled and left the room as Flynn wordlessly gave Lex a long and comforting hug. "Thanks."

Flynn pulled back. "You've become quite the young woman, Lex. I'm really proud of you," he said, leaving the room with a smile while Hannah came. Lex took a deep breath.

"Do you want to help me with the table?" Lex asked. Hannah eagerly nodded. "Okay, so I have the plates and dishes, but I need you to do the silverware, which I know you can do. I'll work on getting the food out."

"You got it, Lexi," Hannah grinned. Five minutes later, the table was picture-perfect and Lex called everyone into the room. Bailey took the chance to eat her food and then lay down in a dog bed close to the table.

"Lex, sweetie this is amazing," Evelyn said, as Lex told everyone to just choose wherever they wanted to sit. The table was round, which Lex had always loved.

"Thanks, Mom," Lex said, sitting next to Hannah on one side and Ethan on the other. Next to Ethan was Flynn, then Gary, then Evelyn, and then Hannah, the whole cycle starting over again. Flynn looked at Lex with questioning eyes and she nodded. He'd always given the pre-meal toast.

"So, Happy Thanksgiving. I know this past year has been one for the books, in between last Black Friday and everything since then. Lex, Ethan, and Hannah have suffered so much, but they've rebuilt so strongly and I'm so proud of you guys. Also, Evelyn, Lex told me a little bit of what you accomplished this past year and I am in awe. Gary, I have no idea about what you went through, but I'm pretty sure you had a lot of different wills to go through, which couldn't have been easy. As for me, I'm just happy that I've been able to be along for the ride. It means so much that you guys are letting me keep coming. So, before I ramble, let's all be especially grateful and eat all this food that I can't believe Lex did today," Flynn said. Everyone cheered and started serving themselves.

"Okay, but I can't take all the credit. Hannah Banana learned to make mashed potatoes today and she absolutely killed it!" Lex exclaimed. Hannah blushed.

After a few hours, everyone had fallen into an easy conversation. It was peaceful and Lex couldn't even begin to fathom that this day had been a nightmare for so long, but here she was, eating Thanksgiving dinner with her mom and Gary Goldstein. She never imagined that would happen, not even if the world was ending.

When the adults were talking about who knows what, Ethan leaned over to whisper something to Lex. He gestured to Hannah, who was trying so hard to stay awake. "I think it's time for her to sleep. Poor girl's exhausted," Ethan said. Lex nodded.

"I'll get her to bed, can you keep a conversation going?" Lex asked, which earned her a quick nod from Ethan. Lex got out of her chair and took a step bringing her closer to her younger sister. "Banana, do you want to sleep?"

Hannah nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Okay, do you want to say goodnight?" Lex asked. Hannah shook her head. "Let's go. Don't worry, it'll all be okay. I'm coming with you."

It took Hannah five minutes to get ready for bed. Lex was perched on the side of Hannah's bed. "Are you good to go, Banana? Or do you need anything else?"

"I'm good. Goodnight, Lexi," Hannah said.

"Goodnight, Banana," Lex replied, dropping a quick kiss on Hannah's forehead before turning off the lights and closing the door. Lex returned to the table, where she was relieved to find Ethan engaging everyone in a conversation about Bailey, which was surprising.

"Lex, is it true that Bailey is a fully certified therapy dog?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes, she's been certified for about a month. I was able to get her certification at work, which was really helpful. She is amazing," Lex said with a smile.

"I'm really proud of you. Lexi, you're a full-ass adult and Hannah is growing up as a wonderful young girl. And Ethan," Evelyn said. Ethan sat up straighter. "I know when I first met you, I wasn't kind to you. Thanks for taking care of my daughters. And what you've done is impressive."

"I have to agree. You guys have been like the children I never had. I've been seeing you guys grow up and I'm so proud," Flynn added. Lex fanned her face to keep from crying.

"And I want to add-you don't have to respond- did your father contact you?" Evelyn asked, as Lex nodded, keeping her face stoic. "What did he ask and what did he say?"

"Um, yeah. He's in gambling debt and somehow found out how much supporting I'm doing and wanted me to give him money since he's being detained and will be arrested soon. I told him to fuck off and blocked his number," Lex said. She let out a small smile.

"That's my girl!" Evelyn exclaimed, giving Lex a high-five.

At the end of the day, Lex went over her own gratitude list. She was grateful for her friends that had offered help and gave it whenever Lex needed it. She was grateful for her job and for Bailey. Lex was grateful for Ethan and Hannah. And to her surprise, Lex was grateful for her family: Evelyn, Flynn, and even Gary somehow. It had been a crazy year, but Lex knew that she wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

WC: 1927

Disclaimer: I only own the plot line, Bailey, Flynn, and Evelyn.

Here's a bonus chapter because I wasn't satisfied with how I finished this, so I hope you enjoyed this!

Signing off for now,

Luna :D