A/N: Awe, dang, I'm two days late. But don't blame me! My mom took my computer away. After it just got fixed. I mean, are you kidding me? But anyway, this is the sequel to my Halloween story, like it says in the summary, so if you haven't read that, then read it before you read this.
Disclaimer: I don't own The 39 Clues.
Thanksgiving at Jonah's
Amy wanted to just collapse into her bed and sleep for centuries. This wasn't the first time she'd wanted to do this, but today's longings seemed more pronounced, now that Fiske had told her to contact their relatives again.
She trudged up the stairs to the Command Center, where she could talk to them all at once and get it over with quickly. It wasn't as easy as telling them one at a time, but whatever was faster worked for her.
Her hand was hovering over the button that immediately contacted their closest allies when Dan burst through the door.
"Don't you dare press that button!"
And then he lunged.
Dan tackled his sister to the floor and they both went sprawling. "Ouch!" Amy hissed. She rubbed her shoulder as they both stood up. "Dan, what was that for?"
Dan grinned evilly. "You will never have the chance to invite them, sister-san. I will not deal with those annoyances we call cousins again!" he said in a weird voice.
Amy rolled her eyes. "Yeah? Okay, I'll just ask Uncle Fiske to do it, then. I know you don't have the heart to knock him to the floor like you did to me."
Dan frowned. "I never thought of that. All right then, carry on. Just don't complain to me when those people storm the house. This holiday isn't nearly as fun as Halloween was." He walked out of the room.
Amy sighed and pressed the button. She didn't necessarily want the former clue-hunters to come over, either. But, she knew she had to, being the Madrigal she was. Getting them to 'bond' was one of her top priorities, according to Fiske.
A mixture of voices filled the room.
"Wassup, yo, I'm at a photo shoot!"
"You do realize time zones are different in London?"
"Ham! How do you work this thing?"
"Hi, Amy!"
"Hey, everybody," Amy said. "Fiske – "
"Let me guess. Fiske wants us all to fly over to your mansion to celebrate the American tradition of Thanksgiving and bond," Ian guessed.
"Actually, yes. Thank you for saving me the explanation," Amy said.
"Dad, it's just a web-cam," Hamilton said from somewhere far away. The Holts' designated computer screen was showing the ceiling, not the family.
A huge hand covered the screen. "Here, let me fix it…oh, hey Amy."
"Hi, Hamilton. Did you hear?"
"Yeah, I heard. Go to the mansion. Eat Nellie's awesome food. Bond. Leave."
"That's basically it."
"Whoa, whoa, how come we're going to your place again?" Jonah asked. "No one's even seen my house yet!"
"Do you think we want to see your house?" Ian said.
"Who doesn't?" Jonah replied.
"Dude, yes!" Madison shouted from somewhere else. "I can tell my friends I've been to California! They'd be so jealous!"
"That is, if we're even going to Jonah's house?" Reagan retorted.
Amy's expression brightened as she saw an opening. "Is that okay with you, Jonah?"
Jonah looked appalled that she would ask such a question. "Absolutely! Thanksgiving's my favorite holiday. Plus, it looks to me like you guys need a break. We've always held parties and reunions at your place."
Amy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."
"No prob."
"All right, is that all you wanted to tell me? If you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep," Ian said. His screen went black. Soon, the others had followed suit, until Amy was standing alone.
She smiled. This time, she wouldn't be the one to clean up after everybody. It was a nice feeling.
~~~Oh, the squiggles~~~
The flight to LAX was a long and boring one. The limousine Jonah had sent for them was the longest Amy had ever seen, and rode smoothly down the streets. They pulled up a long paved driveway that led up to a three-story brick mansion with floor to ceiling windows in the back and double doors in the front. A giant pool was clearly seen in back. Dan whooped. "Diving board!" he exclaimed.
The walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. There was no answer.
Amy pressed the button for a second time. Again, no one came to greet them.
Dan's expression turned serious. He forcefully pushed the door open and walked in. "Jonah? Where are you?"
"Dudes! Kitchen emergency! I need back-up, stat!" came a call from the kitchen.
"On my way!" Nellie said immediately. She ran towards the smell of something burning.
Everyone stood in the foyer. "What do we do?" asked Reagan.
Her twin shrugged. "Beats me. I don't know about you people, but I'm going swimming."
"Swimming? In November?" Natalie scoffed. "I hope you freeze."
"It's always hot in Cali, beauty queen," Madison retorted. "Besides, if we've taken on Mount Everest, I think we'll be fine in Beverly Hills."
Jonah finally walked up to them. "My peeps!" He held his arms out and hugged a few people before leading them all upstairs. "The second floor is the girls' rooms. Third is the guys'. You can pick your own. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go help Nellie."
The boys all ran up to the third floor. Down on the second floor, it was a stampede as everyone ran to find the room they liked. Amy passed a room with maroon walls and wood floors. One wall was completely taken up by a bookshelf. A black leather couch sat under the arched window opposite the door. A big four-poster bed stuck out of the last wall. She declared it her room and shut the door.
~~~AND more squiggles~~~
Everyone seemed to want to go swimming. Even though it was mid-November, the weather outside was nice and warm. A gentle breeze blew around them. Besides, the swimming pool was heated. Convenient for parties in the fall, such as that day.
"Cannonball!" Dan screamed. He ran to the edge of the pool in his black swim trunks and tucked his knees to his chest, making a huge splash as he landed. Everyone was soaked already.
"Daniel!" Natalie yelled.
"What?" he replied, wiping his eyes of the chlorine water. "You're in a swim suit. That's what they're made for."
"Yes, but I didn't want to get wet! I was going to work on my tan! There aren't many opportunities for that in London," Natalie shot back.
Dan shook his head and laughed. "Wow. What a waste of swimsuit material."
Amy looked around and saw Ian standing near the water's edge. Immediately, something formed in her mind that she knew he would hate her for, yet would be hilarious anyway. She gave him a shove and sent him tumbling head-first into the deep end.
He came up spluttering. "What was that for?" he yelled.
The others were laughing, even Natalie. Amy just smiled. "Now we're even," was all she said.
Realization dawned in his eyes. "Are you still mad about me flipping your raft over when we all went to that lake over the summer?"
"I wouldn't say I'm mad. But yes, that's what I'm talking about." She laughed along with the others. Then Hamilton had a brilliant idea.
"Everybody jump in!" he yelled.
They all made it more interesting by jumping in Ian's direction. He went under the surface just as everyone was about to land on him. He opened his eyes underwater, feeling the sting of the chemicals. Everyone had resurfaced except for two: Amy and Hamilton. They shared a high-five, which looked like it was in slow motion from the water. Then they swam up, and he followed.
Some raced each other from one end of the pool to the other, some just treaded water and talked about random things. At one point, Ian swam underwater and found Amy. He grabbed her arm and pulled her under. She was confused at first, but as soon as she got her bearings, she sent him a glare, which was met by his white smile.
After a while, Nellie came outside. She put her fingers to her mouth and whistled, getting their attention. "Dinner's ready. Dry off before you come inside," she said as she dropped a stack of towels on a chair.
~~~SQUIGGLES~~~
It was your average, classic, Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, no one, not even the Kabras, could hide their awe as everyone enjoyed Nellie's amazing cooking. Everyone complimented her, which she obviously enjoyed.
"Hey, I helped!" Jonah said.
"Jonah," Nellie said, amused. "You have a little jealousy…right there." She pretended to point at a spot on his face, and everybody laughed. Jonah pouted in his seat at the dining table.
You could tell when everyone was finished. Everyone sat back in their chairs in finality, except for the Holts, who were still going strong. "You guys go ahead and leave," Hamilton said through a mouthful of food. "We'll finish it all eventually."
As everyone started leaving, he added, "Tell me when the football game starts!"
"I'm not watching some sweaty men tackle each other," Natalie announced with a wrinkle of her nose. "It's barbaric."
Dan's mouth dropped open. "I'd better never hear those words come out of your mouth again."
Natalie leaned closer to him, a defiant gleam in her eyes. "Football. Is. Stupid."
Dan glared at her. "You will regret those words."
Natalie saw what he was about to do before he did it and took off at a run, Dan hot on her heels. When they ran outside, Sinead said, "Raise your hand if you think they like each other."
No hands were left down.
~~~Squiggles, squiggles, everywhere~~~
A few more nights passed. Everyone was having fun. Hamilton and Sinead weren't fighting nearly as much as they usually did, Ned and Ted had revealed their plans for the fastest helicopter ever built, and Dan and Natalie had settled their football dispute with the compromise of 'agree to disagree'. Then, Ian and Natalie announced they had to leave early.
"Are you sure you guys can't stay for one more night?" Amy asked.
"Sorry, love, but we have to go," Ian replied. She huffed at the nickname, but said nothing. She knew her protests wouldn't faze him.
"But no one else is leaving," Sinead said, backing her up.
"Our branch has called us in for a mission in Siberia," Ian explained. "Someone hacked a stronghold's security system. We're supposed to track them down."
Amy sighed. "All right. Be safe." Ian and Natalie walked out the front door to the awaiting limo.
"Actually, we have to leave, too," Hamilton said from behind them. "Dad doesn't want us to miss the next game."
"I guess we all should leave, then, since everybody else is," Nellie suggested.
Amy nodded. "Bye, guys."
The three of them slept the entire flight home.
The ending was probably rushed, but I'm on a time crunch. I have more stories to update. I'll see you all at Christmas! :D
~Callie~
P.S. I can't wait till Christmas!