"Are you ready for Thanksgiving?!"

Cassie's hands were placed on her hips, and she was excitedly looking down at Elijah. He clapped his hands together and nodded. She held his hand as she helped carry his things out the front of the cabin. John had borrowed Cassie's mother's larger car. There was quite a crowd coming this Thanksgiving, though Cassie was excited for a change in number. She was especially happy to have many of her friends joining her.

Marc was sluggishly walking behind them, complaining about a lack of sleep. Cassie only rolled her eyes, told him to pick up his feet, and got Elijah settled in his carseat while Marc placed their things in the trunk. Lillian and Mitsuki had just strolled out the front door as well with their belongings, both of them sharing the same worn expression as Marc.

Cassie hoped Lillian's interactions with her mother wouldn't be too awkward. Hopefully she, Diana, and Mitsuki would be there to limit the tension a bit. Cassie was surprised Lillian had even agreed to come, though she wasn't surprised Mitsuki was tagging along. She doubted Lillian would have been able to handle a trip on her own.

Cassie crawled into the front of the car, watching as nearly everyone fell asleep as soon as the wheels of the vehicle began to roll away from the cabin. She leaned back, excitedly waiting to see her family again and eat a huge feast.

"How have you been doing?" John asked as he drove onto the road. "We've barely seen you since the mission."

"Good, though there's a lot coming up. I'm glad I get some visitors for Thanksgiving this time around," Cassie stated.

"Your mother was already cooking when I left earlier this morning. I think she's excited to have a big group of people again. It hasn't been the same since..." His voice trailed off. Cassie knew he meant since Cassie joined the spiritkeeper world. She hoped her family could return to society once this was over. She never stopped feeling guilty for limiting her family's freedom.

Things became quiet after that. Cassie found herself dozing a bit, and soon enough, they were rolling back into the suburbs. She glanced excitedly at the autumn trees around the neighborhood and found her heartbeat growing with the sight of some Christmas lights already hanging from houses. It was a shame her favorite time of year had to be plagued by the stress of the rebellion.

"Are we there?" Elijah asked excitedly, bouncing his feet against his carseat.

"Just about," Cassie said as John pulled the car into the driveway of the small house. The others woke slowly and took their time recovering enough from their nap to exit the car. Meanwhile, as soon as Cassie undid Elijah's carseat, he sprang out of the vehicle and ran to the porch, pressing the doorbell no less than a dozen times.

"Is that my favorite boy?" Cassie heard her mother say as the door opened. She turned, watching her mother pick up Elijah excitedly. He giggled in her arms, especially as she planted kisses around his face. Jane Black had already adopted him as a grandson of sorts.

Cassie rolled her eyes as her mother continued smothering Elijah in affection and began carrying luggage to the front door with the others.

"Good to see you, Marc," Jane Black said as he headed up the porch behind Cassie. "So glad you could join us!"

He gave her a polite smile and stepped inside while Lillian and Mitsuki quietly ascended the steps. Cassie watched Jane Black lightly touch Lillian's shoulder.

"I'm glad you came," she said.

"Oh...uh...of course," Lillian murmured as she entered.

"Nice to see you again, Mitsuki," her mother continued, Mitsuki only giving a slight sound of acknowledgment in response.

"Down, down!" Elijah commanded at the sight of Diana coming toward the doorway. Cassie chuckled as she watched his tiny feet scurry toward Cassie's sister.

"How are you doing?" Cassie's mother asked, a look of concern on her face as she stared at Cassie.

"I'm fine. I...I'll talk about things a little later. A quick word though I need you to spread around. Please don't talk about Lillian and Mitsuki's relationship in public. Marc doesn't know, and I don't need Elijah blabbering it either," she said quietly.

"You have my word. I'll let Diana know as well," Jane Black promised.

Cassie grinned and stepped inside, finding nearly everyone already at home. Elijah was excitedly chatting with Diana while Lillian and Mitsuki had already found a place on the couch to sit. Cassie took a seat near Marc and interlaced her fingers with his.

"Are you ready for a good meal tonight?" Cassie's father asked. "The kitchen already smells heavenly."

"Don't touch anything yet," Jane Black warned. "It's not done."

"Do you need help?" Lillian asked quietly from the couch.

"I could use some. Do you girls want to help?" she asked, seemingly surprised Lillian would ask such a question. Cassie guessed Lillian was missing helping Cherie make the normal Thanksgiving dinner she was used to. Cassie watched Lillian grasp onto Mitsuki's arm and drag her along to the kitchen until they had altogether disappeared.

"Who's the other girl with Lillian?" Cassie's grandmother asked curiously.

"Oh, one of our friends," Cassie stated, crossing her legs together.

"She's very pretty," her grandmother continued.

Cassie cleared her throat and leaned back against the couch, extending her arms forward as Elijah climbed up into them.

"When we eat pie?" he asked.

Marc chuckled at this comment. "Not for a while."

"We can play some games in the meantime," Cassie suggested.

While the others lounged on the couch to watch football, Cassie and Diana played with Elijah on the floor, trying to keep him as best preoccupied as they could. Cassie could hear quiet conversation in the kitchen from her mother and Lillian, which calmed her some. She originally feared this night would end in disaster.

"I'm surprised Lillian came," Diana admitted quietly as they played.

"Me too. I'm glad she did though. I didn't expect her to try to interact with Mom though," Cassie admitted.

"Well, let's hope we have a good meal without too much drama," Diana said.

An hour or two later, the scent of food lingering down all the hallways meant Thanksgiving dinner was ready. Cassie took a seat in between Marc and Elijah, staring at the mouthwatering food in front of her.

"Thanks for the help, girls," Jane Black said as Lillian and Mitsuki finished setting plates on the table.

Food was passed around, and soon, Cassie was diving into the food on her plate. The others were quiet for a few moments as they let their silence compliment the dinner.

"What's next for all of you?" Cassie's father asked curiously, his mouth full of turkeys.

All four of the spiritkeepers at the table went quiet.

"Something not good, I bet with that kind of silence," Diana mumbled.

"We-we're planning our largest and most important operation shortly after New Year's," Cassie said quietly.

Jane Black raised an eyebrow. "Is this dangerous?"

"I don't want to worry you..."

"It's dangerous," Lillian stated bluntly. "I don't want Cassie lying to you to save your feelings. We'll be seriously endangering ourselves. But we're going to try to keep Cassie safe. This next mission means we might have freedom again."

Cassie closed her mouth, not expecting Lillian to speak up so quickly. She supposed Lillian could get away with sharing such thoughts since she didn't have as much of an emotional connection to the rest of Cassie's family.

"Is that true?" Cassie's grandfather asked.

Cassie slowly nodded. "Yes, but...but like Lillian said, if this goes well, everything will be better again. Diana can go to school, and Mom and Dad, you can work again. We don't have to live in this tiny safe house or secluded area. And...and Marc and I can get married."

"Have you picked your bridesmaids yet?" Diana interrupted, forcibly coughing a little.

Cassie rolled her eyes and picked up her fork again, feeling her cheeks grow warm at the thought of her future marriage. She had grown used to the engagement ring on her finger, but it felt like it had just been placed on her finger again for the first time again.

"It's going to be a highly strategic operation," Marc added. "We won't be going into this blindly. Everything we've done has been leading up to this."

"You'll give us updates, won't you?" Cassie's mother asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't leave all of you in the dark. Things will be okay," Cassie promised, though she herself doubted those words. Everyone claimed they would keep her safe, that she was who they needed to keep alive, but Cassie knew she was in the most danger being the only human-spirit.

The conversation became a bit more pleasant after that, with Cassie and her family reminiscing on the past and them continually asking about the wedding with every pause in the conversation. Cassie was thankful for pie as the questions died down soon after that.

"It's about time we get you to bed," she told Elijah as he finished licking his plate of pumpkin pie clean.

"I not tired," he argued.

"Bedtime," Cassie commanded. "We're all going to go to bed soon, right?" Collective nods came from the others in an attempt to sway the child.

"Okay. I little tired," Elijah reasoned.

Cassie grinned and grasped onto his hand as he stepped down from his chair.

"You don't need to help with dishes," her mother told Cassie as she began walking from the kitchen. "Just get some rest."

"Are you sure?" Cassie asked. She had no problem helping with the Thanksgiving chores. In fact, she didn't mind doing anything with her family, as long as it meant being able to spend more time with them. She wasn't sure how many moments they had left together.

"I can handle it," Jane Black answered.

"Well, okay," Cassie agreed, heading down the hall as she issued Elijah off to bed.