Part I: Preparations

Emma Swan awoke to the smell of herbs wafting in the air. Not wanting to wake up Emma turned to her side but her eyes opened regardless. The time on her clock read 7 AM exactly. There was no going back to sleep now. Her mind was awake and the smells were strong enough to keep her from going back to her restful sleep.

She walked down stairs in her black pants and gray tank top.

"Oh," said Mary Margaret, "I hope I didn't wake you."

Emma just smiled as she walked over to the coat rack and grabbed her black sweater.

"A little early to start cooking isn't it," Emma said walking over to the counter.

Mary Margaret placed a fresh cup of hot chocolate with cinammon as a given in front of the blonde woman.

"Never too early to start cooking for Thanksgiving," Mary Margaret replied.

Emma stopped midway with the cup halfway to her mouth. She brought it down.

"Thanksgiving," Emma asked as a more rhetorical question.

"Don't tell me you don't know what day it is today?"

"Sure I do," Emma said half truthfully.

The truth was Emma had seen the Thanksgiving year decorations go up and people getting excited for the holiday season. She had felt the change in the air but to her it was just another day. There was nothing special about it. It was just a day of over eating, people getting overly excited for stupid football games and parades that seemed to last for hours and have no real point.

The look on Emma's face didn't go unnoticed by Mary Margaret.

"What is it," Mary Margaret asked.

Emma took a sip. "Nothing," she said a second later. Mary Margaret gave Emma a stern look. Emma knew she had to say something, it was hard not to when Mary Margaret gave a look like that. "It's just… I don't really celebrate the holidays. It's not really my thing." Emma looked into her glass. "With the way things were…there just wasn't much to celebrate."

Mary Margaret stopped what she was doing. "Oh Emma, I am so sorry. I should've talked to you about it. I just…I don't know what I was thinking."

Emma shook her head. "No it's okay and don't let me stop you." Emma looked over the kitchen. "By the way things are set up this probably means more to you than it does to me." Emma looked up at her friend and smiled. "It's fine, really."

Emma started walking toward the stairs. "I'll probably just head to the station and get some work done. I'm sure someone is bound to fry themselves instead of the turkey and from what I know there's bound to be a few drunken idiots today. "

"Do you really have to go in," Mary Margaret asked. "I'm sure the town can survive without the sheriff for one day."

Emma looked at her friend and took pause not knowing what to say. She didn't have to go but it seemed easier than sticking around here when Mary Margaret was clearly in the holiday spirit.

"Now," said Mary Margaret. "I know holidays aren't your thing but I just thought with you living here and things in a fairly good place, at least I would think they are…I thought we could get through the day together."

"I don't…" Emma said trying to think of a way out of this but there clearly wasn't any.

"Please? You don't have to do the cooking."

Emma smiled to herself. "Yeah because I would probably ruin it before we got started."

Mary Margaret smiled back. "So what do you say?"

Emma sighed. She wanted more than anything to escape this festive day but it was hard to say 'no' to Mary Margaret.

Emma looked up. "Okay," she said, "I'll stay."

Mary Margaret smiled and continued back to her task; grateful that despite her friend's lackluster for the Thanksgiving holiday she had convinced her to remain and that Emma made a slight effort.