The inspiration of Terra Nova Commander Nathaniel Taylor's New Thanksgiving Day speech was still ringing in their ears as the Shannon family walked slowly home in the moonlight closely together.
"How much this colony has grown to be like those ancient Pilgrims in the once-great country called America. They were thrown out from the Mother Country England, living by core values forgotten and ridiculed by those who ruled the 'civilized world'. The Pilgrims were outcasts. And now so are we. But the difference is this. The Pilgrims were unprepared for life in the wilderness, and nearly perished in the harshness of that new world. We are well-prepared, though all the tools and niceties – some say crutches - of 2149 are gone now, we know how to cope, and are motivated to do so."
Jim and Elisabeth Shannon walked hand-in-hand. Teen children Maddie and Josh thought it was both quaint and embarrassing to see their parents' affection in public. Five year old Zoe grabbed her father's free hand, never to be left out of the action.
They arrived home and prepared for dinner on New Thanksgiving Day. What an appropriate holiday. The Terra Novan citizens had chosen the old holiday and renewed it, to celebrate and give thanks to their total independence from the now truly evil world of 2149.
Things had been horrible, but it was over – the occupation of Terra Nova by the Phoenix Team, the mercenary soldiers for the corrupt year 2149 forces who would pillage this "new world" of prehistoric Earth, and led by Taylor's murdering, traitorous son Lucas. Thanks to the brave actions of Commander Taylor and Jim Shannon, aided by the others, they all had deliberately cut themselves off from the terrible forces that would steal the riches and spoil all the treasures of Terra Nova for their greed.
It was a complete surprise by Jim to go back and destroy the time travel portal at its source in 2149 and thus cause a huge setback to the vile forces aligned against Terra Nova. It was a small price to pay by the Terra Novan citizens to be cut off from the technology, communication, and both human and physical contamination from the dying Earth 85 million years into the future. Taylor and Jim knew that they made some very powerful enemies. But potential future battles would not be for some time, by Jim destroying the only time machine that got them all here.
So much in the past several years – until now - had conspired to grow division and pain among the members of the Shannon family, especially for Jim and Elisabeth – now the Chief of Police and Surgeon General of Terra Nova.
Five years ago the two had defied world government orders for families to only have two children with the intentional birth of their third child Zoe. They lived in secrecy, hiding Zoe, until Jim was arrested and imprisoned for having three children. Imprisonment was a sure death sentence in a world whose air was not fit to breathe without mechanical re-breathers, a luxury not given to prisoners. He got no breaks in his punishment as a career policeman. The authorities were going to make an example of him.
Elisabeth risked everything in her medical career by arranging Jim's prison break, forging credentials for the journey through the portal, and smuggling Zoe with their other teens Josh and Maddie. It had almost not happened.
They got caught immediately – at gun point - as they crossed from 2149 into Terra Nova through the time portal. Had both adults not proven their value to Taylor and the authorities running Terra Nova, they might be prisoners still.
Instead, they were trusted and respected leaders in the community, and a model of how families should be in the new world of Terra Nova.
They and their fellow citizens were now victorious on the side of the original vision Terra Nova: a place to start over with traditional values, and grow a new world and new families, free from the vices and internal and external poisons of the old world.
There was so much for which to be thankful on this night. Elisabeth served a simple dinner. It had none of the traditional American Thanksgiving courses of turkey, dressing, and other delicious traditions. In fact, it was all vegetarian dishes, with succulent fruits and vegetables that were extinct in 2149. Not to mention the fact that the wild turkeys of Cretaceous Era Earth weighed 200 pounds, and had scales and six inch fangs.
The Shannon's all held hands and gave thanks like the original Pilgrims, as Taylor had asked all families to do this night. Not because he compelled them to, but because it was right.
This united and grateful family had not always been so. It had been a family divided, not only because of their transgressions in family size.
Seventeen year old Josh had made so many nearly unforgivable mistakes. He sided time and time again with the "Sixer" revolutionaries that were aligned with the evil forces against Terra Nova, because they promised they would bring his secretly-betrothed Kara to him from 2149 if he would only cooperate and sabotage Taylor's and his father's actions. Josh was further embittered, because he mistakenly thought his father had betrayed the family two years earlier in defending Zoe from being taken away, leaving so much to Josh to carry the weight of the family, and making Josh resentful of pesty Zoe.
The death of his beloved Kara due directly to the conspirators in the battle for Terra Nova brought him back to his family's circle trust and love. He had grown to love his baby sister Zoe, and to reconcile with and truly love and respect his father. He would never be the same, and had become an adult far too early as a result.
Maddie was a beautiful sixteen year old, incredibly smart girl, but was awkward and geeky, and was shunned by her school peers in Chicago before they all went into seclusion. She had resented her mother's over-protection, meddling, and advice. But here in Terra Nova, her intelligence was greatly valued. It saved the colony more than once, but nearly cost her life another time. She loved her family again. She gained the freedom and respect that was never hers in 2149.
Plus, there was Reynolds. Handsome, kind Corporal Mark Reynolds to whom she had just confessed her love as did he to her...
Tiny Zoe had been a challenge to her parents and siblings, despite Jim and Elisabeth wanting and loving her. She never understood that her very existence had been considered wrong, and therefore was a target of the population control police. So she fussed and whined with all the restrictions and privacy placed on her by her parents just so she could continue to live. Maddie and Josh often resented her because of what they weren't allowed to do as a result of protecting the baby.
Not so now. Zoe had blossomed as a child with some very adult thoughts and an outgoing personality that everyone loved. Her acting début as Taylor in front of all the citizens of Terra Nova for their school class play about the origins of Terra Nova was priceless and cute.
After giving thanks, Jim had some words as the patriarch.
"Zoe," said her father Jim, "You, young woman, are sure all grown up. You were quite the survivalist out there in the deep forest after we escaped the Phoenix Team, and I will never forget how you comforted Commander Taylor."
"He was really sad, Daddy. Miz 'Wash' got killed by bad people. He needed a hug. He loved her. I could tell," said Zoe sadly.
"'Love you, daddy," she bounced over and hugged her father's neck.
Jim was just about to wax eloquent to the family about the rest of their children's blessings. He didn't notice the rolling eyes of everyone in the family, who always knew their dad's speeches rambled on forever - even those well-intentioned ones like tonight. Mercifully for the family, there was a knock at the door.
It was Reynolds, looking embarrassed and sheepish when Jim answered the door. Jim intimidated him as his superior officer.
"Oh, hi, Reynolds. What can I do for you tonight?" Jim smirked, as if he didn't know.
"Um, sir, there's a concert on the square tonight, and I wondered if Maddie could..."
"Of course I can! Dad, I wanna go. All my friends at school are in the band or going to watch. Pleeeease?"
"Um, OK. But don't be late!" stammered Jim.
Jim Shannon was always putty in the hands of his daughter, who was so much like Elisabeth. Elisabeth scoffed at how easily Maddie manipulated her father.
"And Reynolds..."said Jim.
"Yes sir."
"Both of you keep to the public areas. You understand me, soldier?"
"Yes sir."
Maddie gripped her boyfriend's arm harder, knowing full well that after the concert they would disappear for awhile behind their favorite tree at the deserted back edge of the colony.
"So now, for the rest of us..."
Another knock at the door occurred.
Jim, perturbed now, slammed his fist on the kitchen table, stormed to the door, yanked it open, and spit out the words, "What do you want?"
It was Skye. She was shocked by the angry greeting, and jumped back.
Skye had befriended Josh the minute they arrived in Terra Nova, and tried her best to be Josh's friend. She, too, had gotten into much trouble, making the wrong decisions while being blackmailed to help the conspirators as a spy against Terra Nova. Skye knew she could maybe be more to Josh now. Josh had recently buried Kara's necklace, and her memory with it.
Jim lamented, "Oh, sorry Skye. Um. Let me guess – you need Josh for the concert."
"Yes! He's talked to you about it?" she bubbled.
Elisabeth gave Jim a "don't scold" look to her husband, as Jim shot an annoyed glance at his son, who gave his father a stupid grin back and shrugged.
"Yeah, he sorta did. You two go have fun."
He shot an evil eye to Josh and muttered, "But not too much fun..."
"Yes dad," he whispered, shocked that his dad had caught on to the fact that in Skye there just may be life after Kara.
Reduced now to his youngest child and his wife, Jim sighed and suggested, "Zoe, how about a nice game with your Mommy and me?"
Zoe yawned and stretched, "Maybe tomorrow Daddy, I'm tired. Mommy, will you read me a bedtime story?"
Elisabeth smiled and winked at Jim, and led their sleepy daughter to her bedroom.
Jim Shannon sat and sighed alone, knowing all too well this night that his young family growing up. In all of his life, he never expected to be old enough to have grown, adult children. He always though they would be little and cute. At least one still was...for a little while.
Elisabeth emerged from Zoe's bedroom and sat very closely to her husband, and slipped her arm around him and put her hand into his gently.
Jim observed, "Nights like this let me know we are all OK again, despite all the interruptions. There are so many new – but wonderful - people unexpectedly in our lives and our children's lives. When they were little we could keep control. Now..."
"They're getting all grown up, Jim. We didn't raise them to keep them." Elisabeth mused.
"Makes me feel how much we are growing old." Jim observed.
She smiled, her eyes glistened as she fixed her gaze on her husband of so many years, and she tightened her grip on him.
Jim offered an introspective thought, "But at least we are growing old together and no less in...!"
Elisabeth caught him mid-sentence with a deep kiss, they got up still kissing and hugging, and went to the bedroom. Jim slid the chamber door closed and locked it.