This was meant to be Henry's drabble in my Once drabble series, but it morphed into this instead. :)
Thanksgiving With The Family
"Can you please pass the potatoes, Grandma?"
"Of course, Henry," Snow answered, handing over the requested dish. "Try some of Regina's lasagna, it's very good."
"Made just the way you like it." Regina interjected with a smile at her son.
"These cranberry pastries, who baked them?" Neal asked interestedly.
"They are bloody heavenly." Hook sighed in contentment, helping himself to his fourth turnover.
"Emma and I did." Charming said, nodding at his daughter from across the table. "Despite living in a castle, I can cook and still do occasionally." He finished with a grin.
Emma groaned in remembrance of the long day in the kitchen. "I never knew how hard bits of dough and fruit are to make."
"Well, they taste good." Belle assured her. "I was never much good at cooking myself; just reading about it doesn't always help."
"Amen, sister."
"Yes, you are all lucky you don't have to eat her cooking." Rumple teased.
"Hey, at least I didn't make the smoke alarm go off." Belle retorted, smiling up into his face.
"Annoying little devils… Why do you think we eat out all the time?" He asked the group at large.
"All it takes is common sense, logic, and a bit of cooking knowledge." Regina commented, serving herself some green bean casserole.
"Something not very many of us appear to have." Hook added jokingly, surveying the well-stocked table with a practiced eye.
"Well, thanks for having us over." Neal said to the resident prince and princess.
"We're glad you all could make it." Snow rejoined warmly.
"I have to admit, this is the first Thanksgiving in a long time I've truly enjoyed." Regina remarked sincerely.
"Same here." Emma agreed wholeheartedly.
Henry stood up, milk glass in hand. "Can I have your attention, please?" He asked as everyone's eyes turned toward him.
He cleared his throat before continuing. "I know you all have a lot of history, but at the end of the day, we're all family. I just wanted to thank you for putting aside your differences and coming here today. I'm so thankful I have you, and I love you all. This has been the best Thanksgiving ever, a toast to family!" He finished with a big classic Henry smile.
"To family!" Everyone cheered, until someone called out, "Group hug!"
The dinner culminated in eight various adults, each with immensely different backgrounds, crowding around the boy that had brought them together.
Henry woke up with a gasp, glancing down at his covers and pajamas before settling back in bed with a sigh. It had only been a dream. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling fan as he mulled over the fictional family meal.
They could work together, if they tried, and as Mary Margaret said, 'There is always hope.' Henry smiled and turned over on his side as he drifted back to sleep. It had been a dream, but a good one nonetheless.