Leela and Mr. Small were able to catch an early flight to Vancouver and arrived at around 10:30 in the eight largest city in Canada. As soon as she set foot outside the airport with her trolley bag, Leela closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The snow was falling and the air was chilly, just like she remembered.

"It's good to be back." She declared with a sigh as she opened her eyes. "I hadn't realized how much I missed this."

She heard some whimpering behind her, and when she turned around she had to stifle a chuckle. There was her boyfriend, who had insisted in wearing his everyday clothes instead of dressing warm like she had told him, his arms crossed tightly against him as he trembled and his teeth clattered together.

"Well, I didn't really want to say 'I told you so'…" she said as she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and knelt down to open her bag. "… but it sure was a good thing I saw this coming."

She took out a cushioned winter parka, a pair of gloves and a wool scarf, all very similar to the ones she was wearing, and handed them to him. He slowly took hold of the clothing, still shaking violently.

"Th-th-tha-ank you-ou." he muttered through sharp breaths and dressed himself as Leela hailed a cab.

About half an hour later they arrived at the Winters' residence. It was quaint Victorian styled house in the suburbs which seemed to be really well kept, despite the assumption of being a few decades old. There was a garden adorning the front yard with several species of plants and a vegetable patch here or there. A white picket fence surrounded the whole area, protecting the abode from unwanted visitors.

Mr. Small had finally warmed up, thanks to both the clothes Leela had brought and the fact that the driver had turned up the heating, but it had stopped snowing not long after they had entered the cab. The cold air still felt a bit unpleasant when he got out of the car but it was nothing compared to how he had felt before. As soon as they stopped at the front door, Leela turned back and glared seriously at him.

"Now remember, things might get a little out of hand, so prepare yourself." She advised him as she reached for the doorbell.

"I think I can handle it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?" he shrugged playfully, smirking casually at her.

She raised an eyebrow at him, thinking he was going to regret his words by the end of the day, and pressed the doorbell. As soon as they heard the bell's chime, they also heard some commotion coming from inside.

"MOOOOOM, SOMEONE'S AT THE DOOR!" they heard a female voice shout from the inside.

"COULD YOU PLEASE GET THAT, HONEY?! I'M A LITTLE BUSY AT THE MOMENT!" another female voice shouted in return.

"I'M BUSY TOO! GET VIOLET TO ANSWER THAT!"

"FRANCINE ELAINE WINTERS, YOU GET THAT DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I'M TAKING AWAY ALL YOUR ROCK 'N' ROLL RECORDS!"

"THEY'RE NOT RECORDS, THEY'RE CD'S! AND DON'T CALL ME FRANCINE!"

Leela turned to Mr. Small, giving him a look that screamed 'I told you so' just as they heard a clicking sound and saw the door swing open. In front of them stood a female raccoon who seemed to be in her teen years and didn't look very pleased. Her eyes were a light-amber color and she had black shoulder-length hair with bangs covering her forehead and a purple-dyed strand on each side of her face. She wore a black t-shirt with ripped sleeves and a ripped lower hem, showing off the purple shirt she was wearing underneath, black jeans with one of the knees ripped off and black boots. It was almost scary to look at her too much.

"Hi, Frankie!" Leela squealed as she hugged the girl, who didn't return the hug at all.

"Yeah, hi." She replied, no interest whatsoever in her tone. She pushed Leela away and walked back inside. "MOOOOOM, LEELA AND HER BOYFRIEND ARE HERE!"

They heard some pots clanging from another room and some hurried steps sounding closer and closer by the minute. Not long after another female raccoon appeared at the door, this one looking like she was in her fifties. She was dressed simply in a turtleneck and a long skirt. Her short black hair framed her face just perfectly, making the small glasses she was wearing look very elegant in front of her chestnut-brown eyes. She seemed to be exploding with joy and she pulled Leela into a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh, sweetie, it's been so long!" she exclaimed as she held her tighter. "I've missed so much!"

"Hi mom!" Leela managed to choke out. "I've missed you too."

"Oh honey, let me take a good look at you!" she released her and examined her from head to toe as she held onto her hands. "You're looking a little too skinny. Have you been eating right?"

"Yes."

"Have you been taking your pills?"

"Yes."

"Have you been – "

"Mom, I'm fine!" Leela interrupted her with a chuckle. "You can stop worrying!"

"I know, it's just I barely get to see you at all."

She brought her daughter in for another hug, this time a regular one. As she gently rubbed her back she happened to notice her daughter's plus-one, who was awkwardly standing in the corner and gave her a small smile, which she immediately returned.

"Oh, you must be Steve!" she let go of Leela and vigorously shook his hand. "Leela has told me so much about you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Winters." He said, smiling politely.

"Oh please, Mrs. Winters is my mother-in-law." She seemed to cringe slightly, but recovered instantly. "Call me Rose. Oh, but what are we all doing out here in the cold? Come in, come in!"

She pulled her daughter and her other guest inside and quickly took their coats and other winter attire from them, leading them to the living room. It was a lot warmer inside, being that the heating was on and the fireplace was lit. Frankie was spread across the couch with her headphones on and fiddling with her cell phone. The music she was listening to was so loud it could be heard from across the room.

"Please make yourself at home. I believe you've met Leela's sister, Frankie." She gestured towards the teenager, who just nodded them off. "I'll go tell Violet you're here. She's been dying to see you! Excuse me."

As Rose Winters left the room and headed upstairs, the couple was left alone with Frankie, who didn't seem to care at all about their presence, which made Mr. Small feel a little uncomfortable. She was mainly focused on her music and her cell.

"Is she always like this?" he asked Leela, who seemed to be just looking around.

"Ever since I can remember." She replied. "Just wait until you meet my other sister. She's been my best friend ever since we were kids. She's crazy about me."

"How crazy?"

Suddenly they heard an extremely loud high-pitched squeal coming from the upper floor, so intense it almost gave Mr. Small a heart attack. As he breathed to recover from the scare, Leela couldn't help but laugh.

"Does that answer your question?"

He didn't have time to reply, for before he knew it another female raccoon swooped in and held Leela in an almost unbearable hug. Unlike most of her relatives, she had long darkish-red hair that reached her lower back. She wore glasses like her mother, but these were thicker and bigger, covering most of her face. She was wearing a small teal wool coat over a white shirt, knee shorts and sandals, almost like she was disregarding the season they were in. As she held onto the lemur, who had returned the hug, they both started hopping in place and giggling.

"I can't believe you're finally here!" the raccoon squealed. "It's been like forever!"

"I know! I've missed you so much!" Leela squeaked in return before releasing her from her grasp and turning her around. "Violet, this is Steve." She gestured towards Mr. Small. "Steve, this is my sister Violet, my best friend."

"Hi there!" he greeted her with a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise!" Violet gasped. "I've heard so much about you." She turned to Leela and moved towards her ear. "You were right, he is cute!"

"Sush!" she whispered playfully, lightly elbowing her in the ribs and making her giggle. "So where's dad?"

"He's upstairs in his study working on a case."

"On Thanksgiving?" Leela asked, indignation clearly audible in her voice.

"Well, you know dad. Rain or shine, if he has an important case in his hands, David Winters won't rest until it's solved. That's what makes him such a great lawyer."

"Well, could you go get him so I can introduce Steve to him? I bet he can't wait to meet him." Said Leela, noticing from the corner of her eye that her boyfriend was nervously loosening his shirt collar.

"Sure! Then I gotta go back to the kitchen. Mom's got her hands a bit too full and needs all the help she can get." she ran out of the room and up the stairs, leaving the two alone in the living room once more.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour of the house." Said Leela as she dragged Steve to the next room.

"So your sister's nice." He commented as they entered the dining room. "Well, at least one of them." He chuckled.

"Well, there's never a dull moment with them, that's for sure. I mean, it's not easy having three siblings, even if we're not blood related, but in the end you realize all you have to do is – DUCK!"

Before he could even think twice, Steve was pulled onto the floor, where he and Leela laid on their stomachs as a couple of ketchup packets flew through over their heads and landed on the other room. The source of their bombardment was an elderly fox who was waving his cane angrily at no one in particular.

"You damn Viet Congs!" he yelled at a wall as he threw some more ketchup packets at it. "You'll never take me alive!"

"Who is that?" Steve inquired as he stared at the septuagenarian, a bit fearful.

"That's my grandfather, Lieutenant Frank Bush. We call him 'Pops' amongst ourselves." She explained as she chuckled at his behavior. "He led some troops in Vietnam, and ever since he had a stroke two years ago he thinks he's there again. My grandmother died just a couple of months before his stroke and now he lives in a senior home, but we get him out on special occasions. He's a barrel of laughs!"

"He seems a bit emotionally unstable."

"You just have to know how to talk to him. Observe." She pushed herself up and stood up straight, taking her hand to her forehead in a salute. "Private L. Winters, reporting for duty, sir!"

"Oh, there you are!" her grandfather turned around and walked up to her. "At ease, Private. Any news from the front?"

"Sir, yes sir! I have found a new recruit, sir!"

"Terrific! We need all the help we can get to defeat that hideous creature over there." He pointed his cane at a potted plant in the corner of the room, shaking a fist at it. "You're laughing now, but you won't be when I turn you into mulch!"

Leela hurriedly gestured towards Steve to join her and he quickly got up and stood straight next to her.

"Sir, this is, hum… General Small!" she pushed him towards her grandfather. "He's volunteered to be our back-up."

Frank looked at this 'volunteer' suspiciously, in a way that sent shivers down his spine. He eyed him from head to toe and slowly circled him like a lion inspecting his prey. After he stopped back in front him and looked him in the eye, the poor cloud man was starting to sweat.

"Oh, I see what your deal is…" the old fox poked his cane on Steve's chest menacingly. "You're one of those lily-livered tree huggers, aren't ya? I've seen your kind before. You're of no use to me or my men!" he turned back to his granddaughter. "Take this nature lover out of my sight!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Leela said right before she started pushing him out of the room.

"And get a haircut, you hippie!" they heard him shout back at them.

"Don't mind him, he does this every time." Leela chuckled as she finished shoving Steve back into the living room. "You should see how he treat's April's husband. This one time he actually made him drop and give him fifty pushups!"

"Well, at least he's making sure everybody stays fit then." He laughed.

"I see you've met Lieutenant 'Pops' Bush."

They both turned around in time to see a male raccoon standing behind, his arms crossed against his chest and a small comprehensive smile across his face. His simple attire consisted in a royal-blue sweater vest over a plain white dress shirt and black trousers. His black hair was neatly combed, giving the impression that he was someone who clearly paid attention to detail.

"Daddy!" Leela squealed in glee as she launched herself into his arms.

"How's my special little girl?" he asked tenderly as he held her close.

"Getting older by the minute." She giggled as she released her father and walked back to Steve, holding his hand. "Dad, this is Steve. Remember, I've told you about him?"

"Ah yes, your previous boss and current boyfriend." He extended his hand for him to shake. "David Winters, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, sir." Steve took his hand and shook it as he smiled at the raccoon.

"I've heard wonderful things about you. The way you took care of Leela in her time of need, how you offered her a job…" he narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are your intentions towards my daughter?"

As he stared him down, the cloud man felt his throat suddenly dry up and his stomach do a summersault as his previous nerves and anxiety returned at full force. He also couldn't help but notice that David shared the same eye color as his wife.

"Dad, come on!" Leela stepped between the two men to stop their staring contest. "Now's not the time."

"You're right, you're right!" her father lifted his hands in front of him in a placating manner. "Today is about family and having a nice peaceful dinner." He smiled down at his daughter, who smiled back. "I'd better go back to working on my case. I want to get it ready before we sit down to eat."

He walked past the couple, stealing a threatening glance towards his daughter's companion before exiting the room. Steve couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh when he was gone.

"He does that all the time." Leela stated as she gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "I guess being a lawyer just helps you grow paranoid."

"Feels like he was staring through my very soul." Said Steve, trembling slightly.

"Yeah, that's his signature move. He just stares at the convicts on the stand until they ultimately fess up. He used to do it with us when we were kids. It's really scary!" suddenly they heard the doorbell ring. "I better get that. Everyone else is busy and Frankie just doesn't seem to care at all about it."

Steve could see the teenager nod absentmindedly from the corner of his eye as they headed towards the entrance. Leela turned the lock and started to pull the door open, but before she could even open it enough to catch a glance of who was behind it, it was abruptly pushed open from the other side and Leela had to quickly take a step back so she wouldn't get hit with it.

"I told you, you either get hold of the gourmet caterer we used last time, or we might as well cancel the entire thing!" a female raccoon barked into her cell phone as she entered without caring who was there, dragging her trolley bag behind her. She was wearing a royal-blue pant suit with a white shirt and the tallest pair of black stiletto heels anyone had ever seen. Her long black hair fell down her back, and her eyes were the signature Winters chestnut brown. When she finally realized there were other people in the room she let out an exasperated sigh. "Anyway, I'll call you back later. I'm at my parents' for Thanksgiving." She hung up and put on a rather intimidating smile as she looked at Leela, who was frowning at her. "Well well, if it isn't Little Miss I'm-Too-Good-To-Stay-In-My-Home-Country."

"April." Leela stated simply and she kept scowling at the new arrival.

"And this must be Steve!" she added as she noticed the cloud man, who was feeling a bit uncomfortable about her. "Look at that, you actually do exist!" she turned back to her stepsister with another evil smirk. "Someone's really upping her standards!"

"Gee, thanks." Leela commented drily before attempting to smile at her. "How's Evan?"

"Oh, terrific! His dealership is really getting the recognition it deserves ever since that annoying kid everyone in the media is talking about bought a car there!" she let out a few fake chuckles before rudely shoving her bag's handle into Leela's hands and heading towards the kitchen. "Take my things upstairs, will you? I'm going to say 'hi' to mom."

Steve could almost feel Leela's blood boil with anger as she grinded her teeth together and tried to break the handle apart. He placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.

"Are you going to be OK?" he asked as he caressed her arm.

"Sure… fine…" she muttered, taking a few deep breaths. "I'll survive... just like I always do."

"Violet, hi! Say, is your face getting smaller or are your glasses getting thicker?" they heard April ask from the kitchen in a bitter sarcastic way. Leela sighed in annoyance.

"It's going to be a long night…"

AUTHOR'S NOTE (PLEASE READ)

Finally, the second chapter is up! Honestly, how do you think I did? I think it was… something.

Anyway, that's Leela's family. They really put the "fun" in "dysfunctional", don't they? xD

For those who want to know, I will tell you the age of each family member, starting from the oldest:

1. Lieutenant Frank "Pops" Bush: 75

2. David Winters: 53

3. Rose Winters (née Bush): 52

4. April Winters: 30

5. Violet Winters: 20

6. Francine "Frankie" Elaine Winters: 16

Also April's an event planner. I will write some more information about Frankie and Violet in the next chapter.

And yes, Rose's maiden name is Bush. Get it, Rose Bush? Sorry, I just had to. x'D

By the way, can anyone guess who "that annoying kid everyone in the media is talking about" is? Post your theories in the reviews and I'll tell you if you're right. x)