Disclaimer: Not mine! All the characters you recognize belong to JE, I'm just playing.

Warnings: While this is an AU story, it has the potential to possibly spoil or mention something from any of the books 1-18.

Author's Note: Please, forgive any inaccuracies. It is fiction, so some things happen the way they do merely to fit my purposes. I hope you enjoy!

You all are incredible. I cannot believe that with just 9 chapters I have 120 reviews. I am so very excited. It feels like a holiday. So…here comes Thanksgiving! Oh, and for the sake of my story…Abuela Rosa speaks English.

Previously:

We finished our ice cream and watched Ghostbusters until it was almost midnight. Les headed back to his and Bobby's apartment and I climbed under the covers after brushing my teeth and washing my face.

As I lay in bed I couldn't help but think how thankful I was that Les and I had worked it out and were going to stay friends. He really was the best guy friend I had ever had. And I was even more thankful that I wasn't going to have to spend Thanksgiving alone.

Ch. 10

The couple of days before Thanksgiving went by much faster than anticipated, and before I knew it I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and getting ready for dinner at Les's Abuela's house. He had told me a little bit about his family and I was really excited to meet them all.

His Uncle Ricardo, or Tio Ricardo as he referred to him, was his mother's younger brother and only sibling, so he had been closest to him and his family since his parents' passing. Les's father had been an only child so as extended family went, he was pretty limited. Les and his uncle are very close, and if he hadn't had his hands full with his own children, Les probably would have moved in with them when his parents passed away. Les spent hours praising his uncle and talking about what a good man he was and how excited he was for him to meet me, especially considering I was now his honorary sister.

His Tia Maria is equally as special in Les's eyes. According to Les she is a very strong willed, beautiful woman who protects her own. She runs her house firm but fair and has enough love for her six kids with more to spare. He told me how Ricardo and Maria were high school sweethearts and they got married right out of high school. Celia followed a year later.

Celia, their oldest, and Les are only a few months apart in age and have a brother/sister relationship even though they are cousins. They fight like siblings, but protect each other fiercely. He did say Celia can be a little on the bossy side, but really, what female doesn't get that way at times?

Carlos followed Celia only 15 months later. When he told me that I think my mouth must have fallen open from the way he laughed at me. I cannot imagine having two children that close together in age. Les said Carlos is his best friend. He even came down and lived with Abuela Rosa for most of high school after he got into a little bit of trouble. Les looked very wistful talking about the relationship he and Carlos have and how he felt more like a brother to him than his own brother, Alejandro, ever did. 'Los, as Les referred to him, moved back up to New Jersey to attend Rutgers just this fall. He mentioned that 'Los was thinking about joining the Army too, but hadn't decided anything officially. He did mention that 'Los was really loving his business classes and that he had even taken a full load including online classes so he could finish early. He said he imagined him owning his own company someday. Apparently, Abuela Rosa really straightened him out.

After Carlos, Maria and Ricardo waited a bit longer to have more children. They have Veronica who is 3 years younger than Carlos, making her 16, Antonio who is a year younger than Veronica and then Angelica (Angie) and Gabriella (Gabby) who are twins and are both 13. I do not envy Maria having three teenage girls in the house. I know how terrible it was with just two. If we had added another to the mix I don't think we would have all made it out alive.

Lester isn't as close with the younger siblings as he is with Celia and Carlos, but they are still close. From the way he has described his family, I found myself quite jealous of the closeness they share. I don't have anyone in my family that I'm that close to, well, except for Grandpa and Grandma Mazur. Aunt Sophia, Dad's sister, only had one child and my Mom was an only child. So except for my sleazy cousin, Vinnie, I've got no one but Saint Valerie. If nothing else, this Thanksgiving will give me a glimpse of what it is like to spend the holidays with a big family.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Les knocked on my dorm room door at 10:30 on the dot. I gave myself one last glance in the mirror by the door, and opened the door to greet him. Never one to disappoint, Les was standing there looking as handsome as ever. Dressed in a pair of black dress slacks that fit tightly in all the right places and a hunter green button-up long sleeve dress shirt. Les looked amazing.

Giving a wolf whistle, Lester said, "Man, Beautiful. You look amazing!"

"Thanks Les, you don't look too bad yourself."

I was dressed in a pair of winter white dress slacks and a navy blue sweater that fit tight, but not too tight, and went down over my butt. I paired it with a pair of navy blue pumps. My hair, which was being extremely cooperative today, fell in large curls down to my shoulders. I reached over to the dresser and grabbed the bouquet of flowers I had picked up for Les's Abuela and we headed out the door.

As if it were timed perfectly, we pulled up to a little old house exactly at 11. The house was a two-story house with white siding, situated at the end of a cul-de-sac in a cozy subdivision. Parked out front was a van with New Jersey tags. I guess Lester's family had arrived already. As if on cue, the front door opened and a beautiful young woman stepped out on to the porch. Based on the descriptions Les had given me before, it must be Celia. As soon as Les was out of the Jeep, Celia was down the stairs and leaping into his arms. With a tight squeeze, Lester said, "It's so good to see you, Ceels. Man I've missed you."

As he sat her down, she noticed me and gave me a quizzical look before turning her attention back to Lester. Picking up on her desire for an introduction, Lester said, "Celia, this is my good friend Stephanie. Steph this is my favorite cousin, Celia."

"Nice to meet you," I said extending my hand.

Apparently not shy, Celia pulled me into a hug and said, "Stephanie it is so great to meet you. Lester has told me so much about you."

"Nothing bad, I hope," I said.

"Nothing bad at all. He told me all about your sass and great spirit and that he thought the two of us would get along very well."

"I'm sure we will," I said as Celia lead us into the house. As soon as we walked into the living room the room went quiet. I gave a quick glance around and noticed that everyone must have been in there except Ricardo, Maria, Abuela Rosa and Carlos.

"Hey everybody, this is Steph. Steph, this is everybody." Les introduced us. I gave a smile and a finger wave to the group.

Les grabbed my hand and said, "Let's go find Tio Ricardo and Tia Maria, Beautiful. I'm sure they are dying to meet you. And I know Abuela Rosa is around here somewhere."

We entered the kitchen and found Lester's aunt and uncle wrapped in an embrace and sharing a kiss. In all my 19 years, I had never seen my mother and father kiss like that. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but I could feel the electricity in the room. Lester cleared his throat and his aunt and uncle separated like two teenagers caught by an adult and gave a laugh and hauled Lester into a group hug. I couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sight they made.

Once their hug was over, Lester introduced me to them. I started to call his Tio Ricardo, Mr. and he immediately corrected me and said, "Call me Ricardo, hija (daughter). Lester tells me you are like family to him, which makes you family to us."

"And I'm Maria, darling girl," Lester's aunt said. I felt slightly overwhelmed by the warmth Les's family was showing me and I had to blink quickly to avoid tears spilling.

"Tio Ricardo, where is Abuela?" Les asked.

"Ahh, she and Carlos are out for a walk. You know how she is with him, she has to make sure he is still on the straight and narrow."

"I'm surprised she left the kitchen. I know how particular she is about basting the turkey every 30 minutes," Lester said with a laugh.

"Well, I promised to look after her turkey, but I'm afraid your uncle distracted me," Maria said. "Thank you for the reminder. I better get to basting before I ruin the meal. Stephanie, do you cook?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "If I were this close to the stove back home, my mother would have a heart attack," I said. "I can chop for a salad and stir if I'm the only one around and it is either that or letting it burn to the bottom of the pan. But other than that, I'm not much help."

"I'm sure you underestimate your abilities, dear," Maria said. "Come here, I will teach you how to baste a turkey."

I felt panic setting in. "Oh, I would hate to ruin dinner," I said backing out of the kitchen.

"Nonsense child, I'll be right here showing you how to do it. Nothing will be ruined." Maria said in what had to have been the most comforting voice I had ever heard.

Les and his uncle left the kitchen and Maria and I set out to baste the turkey. It was a much easier process than I had expected, and before I knew it, it was over. Maria and I chatted over the various pots in the kitchen, giving them all a stir and making sure everything was on track for the 1 p.m. lunchtime. Judging by the smells, I could only imagine how delicious everything was going to taste.

Two more rounds of stirring and one more round of basting later, and Lester's Abuela joined us in the kitchen. She came up to me immediately and pulled me into a tight hug. "It is so wonderful to finally meet you, hermosa niña (beautiful child). My Lester has told me so much about the beautiful girl who has become his best friend."

"He is my best friend too," I said shyly. "And he has told me all about you as well," I said. "I'm so honored that you have welcomed me into your home for the holidays."

"You are welcome any time, niña (child). And thank you for the beautiful flowers. Lester said they were from you."

"Thank you and you're welcome," I said with a smile.

"My Lester is out back with his primo (cousin), and I know he would like to introduce you. Why don't you go on outside and join them. Maria and I can handle things from here."

I nodded and headed toward the back door. There was a deck with steps that led down to a large back yard. When I stepped outside, I literally could not believe my eyes. There stood the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my life. I thought Les was gorgeous, but his cousin…pure perfection. He stood about two, maybe three, inches shorter than Les, but his skin was a shade darker, a beautiful mocha latte color, which just served to accent his long dark hair that landed at his shoulders and his piercing brown eyes. I stood frozen on the top step of the deck taking in his beauty. It was obvious he worked out, as he seemed even more physically fit than Lester. In fact, it didn't look like there was an ounce of fat on him. I was so entranced by this Adonis standing next to Lester, that I missed the first step as I headed down to meet him, and stumbled head over heels down the rest landing flat on my back on the ground below.

Lester and Carlos rushed over to make sure I was okay, and all I could do was close my eyes and wish I were invisible. When I opened my eyes, my breath caught at the sight of the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

"Well, you aren't invisible, Beautiful but are you okay?" Les asked extending his hand to help me up.

I could feel the redness of my face. "Yeah. You know me, I like to make an entrance," I said trying to make light of the fact that I just fell down the stairs.

Carlos gave me a slight smile at that and I couldn't help but wonder if he was silently laughing because he thought I had a sense of humor or because I just fell down the stairs.

Lester pulled me to my feet and turned toward Carlos with his arm around my shoulders and said, "'Los, this is my best friend, Stephanie. Steph, this is my other best friend and cousin, Carlos."

I reached my hand out and said, "Nice to meet you."

As Carlos took my hand I felt a slight jolt of electricity that shot through my hand and then traveled throughout my body. I noticed Carlos's eyes widen slightly as if he felt it too and then with a slight nod he gave me a one-word answer, "Babe".

Lester looked between us as Carlos and I stood, practically frozen, staring into each other eyes. Then with a slight squeeze to my shoulders, Lester broke the moment by saying, "Carlos and I were just talking about playing a game of one-on-one before dinner. You don't mind, do you Beautiful?"

I must have given Lester a look that screamed he was crazy considering they were both dressed in what one might call their "Sunday Best" and I couldn't imagine Abuela Rosa being happy with them coming to the dinner table sweaty and a mess if jeans weren't okay.

"I have extra clothes in my room upstairs that we can change into. It is still an hour before dinner, and I feel the need to work up an appetite," Lester said as if it were an answer to my unspoken question.

"I don't mind. I can chat with Celia up on the porch. That is if the steps don't come out and attack me again," I replied.

With a chuckle from Carlos and Lester, we all headed back up the stairs to the deck. I stood outside waiting, taking a moment to calm my hormones. I could certainly think of another way to work up an appetite with Carlos and playing basketball wasn't it.

Celia joined me a short time later and we sat talking as Carlos and Lester proceeded to the back of Rosa's property where the basketball hoop stood surrounded by a concrete square.

Celia and I were laughing at some of the antics she was describing to me about Lester and Carlos as younger boys when Maria came outside to let us know dinner was ready. I hadn't even noticed that Carlos and Lester were no longer outside.

We washed up and headed to the dining room. Celia and I were the last two to walk in and there were only two seats left around the crowded table. One was between Ricardo and Carlos and the other between Carlos and Lester. Celia quickly claimed the seat between her father and younger brother, leaving me to squeeze in between Carlos and Lester.

Once we were all seated, Maria led us all in a prayer of thanks for the food and then everyone began to fill their plates and dig in. I couldn't believe the food. I thought my mother put out a nice spread on the holidays, but it didn't even hold a candle to the table full of food before me.

The gorgeous turkey, which had been carved by Ricardo, sat in the middle of the table surrounded by bowls of the most delicious smelling side dishes. I still had no idea what half of it was, but I knew that I was starving and I couldn't wait to taste a little of everything.

Minutes later my plate was filled and I started to dig in. It took Lester clearing his throat for me to realize the table was silent and everyone was staring at me. I looked around the table and then down at myself to make sure I hadn't spilled when Lester let out a chuckle and said, "You must really like the food, Beautiful."

I gave him a puzzled look and he continued saying, "I haven't heard noises like that since," and he was immediately silenced by the smack to the back of his head by his Abuela.

I gave a sheepish smile and a mumbled, "Sorry".

Maria gave me a warm smile and said, "Don't apologize dear. It is wonderful to see someone enjoy our cooking so much."

In what I'm sure was an attempt to take the attention off of me, Ricardo spoke up and said, "Okay everyone, it is time to go around the table and say what you are thankful for."

My family never did this, the only conversation at the dinner table was usually my mother giving me a hard time or praising Valerie for being just like her. I listened to everyone expressing thanks for various things, good grades on a test, a good review at a job, everyone being together this year, the fact that it is almost Christmas, and just when I thought everyone was finished, their eyes turned to me.

I almost chocked on my bite of turkey and weakly asked, "Me?"

Les gave me a nod and a nudge and I was at a loss for what to say. I cleared my throat and decided to speak from my heart. "I'm thankful to have found such an amazing friend in Lester. He has become my best friend and my brother in so many ways. Even though I'm many miles from home, I feel like I have a family here in Miami. And I couldn't be more thankful for that." I cleared my throat again and continued. "I'm also very thankful for all of you. Not many people would welcome someone they have never met into their home and treat them like they belong there. You have treated me like a member of your family since I walked in the door. Thank you so much."

Maria gave me a warm smile, Ricardo said, "Of course dear. Any sister of Lester's is family to us", Rosa was smiling brightly, Lester gave me an elbow nudge and then Carlos took my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. I instantly felt that jolt of electricity again and I couldn't help but smile.

Conversations returned to normal and we all continued eating. Carlos didn't let go of my hand and I found myself slightly distracted, but thankfully still able to continue eating my dinner. Lester was telling a story of a recent softball game we played in together when Veronica shouted out, "I knew it! I thought that was you!"

Glances went from Veronica to me and I had no idea what was going on.

"I didn't put it together when Lester just introduced you as Steph, but you're Stephanie Plum, right? The Stephanie Plum?"

I had no idea where she could have known me from, so I simply nodded, unable to form words.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I can't wait to tell Sasha that I had Thanksgiving dinner with Stephanie Plum!" Veronica was bouncing in her seat, practically shouting and wearing a smile that nearly split her face in half.

"How do you know Steph, Roni?" Lester asked.

"She is the girl I told you about last spring. The one who totally creamed us at State, throwing the no-hitter and hitting a triple and a home run against our best pitcher," Veronica stated excitedly.

I blushed slightly. It was true, I had done really well at the State softball tournament last year, but I had no idea that Veronica was on one of the opposing teams.

"I'm from Newark Catholic. We played Trenton High in the finals last year. You guys whooped us so bad, it made us look like the Bad News Bears. We were undefeated until we played you. You're amazing!" Veronica stated emphatically.

"Thanks," I replied shyly. "I just had a really good game."

"No way. I was on the bench and there were scouts in the stands. They said you were the best they had seen in a long time and couldn't believe you didn't want to play college ball."

Now I was shocked. What did she mean? "What do you mean I didn't want to play college ball?" I asked, totally confused.

"Yeah. I was sitting on the bench and I heard three scouts from different colleges talking. They had each apparently offered you a full ride to play for them, but said you turned them down."

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. They had to have been talking about someone else. No one offered me anything. I would have loved to play in college."

Now Veronica looked confused. "I'm positive. They were talking about you. Are you sure you didn't get an offer somewhere?"

I had a sick feeling in my stomach. She wouldn't? Would she?

"I'm sure that if someone offered for me to play softball for them, the offer wasn't made directly to me. I'm sorry, will you excuse me?" I asked as I dropped Carlos's hand, quickly stood up and went outside to the front porch. I couldn't decide if I was going to throw up, scream or pass out. All I knew for certain was that I needed some air, and I needed it quickly.

About 10 minutes passed when I heard someone step out the back door and approach me. I felt a slight tingle on the back of my neck, I reached my hand up to touch my neck and turned my head to see Carlos standing there.

"Hi," I said, turning back to face the street that I had been staring at for the last 10 minutes while my mind raced.

"Hey. You okay, Babe?" He asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I'm having a really hard time grasping what your sister was saying in there."

He didn't say anything, he just moved closer to me, sending a shiver down my spine when I felt his breath on the back of my neck. I took a step back into his body and felt myself start to relax into him when the door flew open and I jumped away.

"Hey Beautiful," Les said. "You okay? You've been gone a while and I was starting to get worried."

"I'm fine, Les. Thanks. But I could really use some dessert."

That got a chuckle from Lester and Carlos as Les stepped closer, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and led me back inside.

The table had been cleaned off and a variety of desserts now filled it. Maria explained the two dishes I didn't recognize. One was a caramel flan and the other was a pumpkin flan, both looking equally appetizing. There was also a traditional pumpkin pie, pecan pie and an apple pie. It took a while to decide but I finally chose the caramel flan and a piece of pumpkin pie. I could tell I was moaning over my dessert when I noticed both Lester and Carlos shifting in their seats. I tried desperately to stop, but I think a few more might have escaped before I was finished.

After dinner, we watched football and then played card games and an almost violent game of spoons, before it was time for Les and I to head back toward campus. Abuela Rosa's house was big, but not big enough for everyone to sleep comfortably, so Carlos decided to join Lester at his apartment. As we were leaving, Maria invited me to come back the next day for breakfast and to help decorate for Christmas. It was a family tradition to decorate after Thanksgiving. I graciously accepted and with a big hug from Maria, Ricardo and Abuela Rosa, we headed out.

I let Carlos have shotgun and climbed into the back of the jeep for the 30-minute drive back to campus. As we were nearing the dorms Lester spoke up. "Okay, Beautiful. We'll pick you up at 9 tomorrow so we can get to Abuela's house for a late breakfast. How about after we finish decorating we head over to the park and play a game or two of softball?"

I felt a flash of anger before I made myself calm down. "Sure, Les. Sounds great."

We pulled up in front of the dorms around 10 p.m., and Carlos got out to make it easier for me to get out from the back seat. As soon as I got out, Carlos placed his hand on the small of my back sending warmth throughout my body. He then shut the jeep door and said to Les, "I'm going to walk her up. I'll be right back down."

With a leery look and a nod from Les, we headed inside. Carlos took my hand as the doors on the elevator closed and I found myself wishing it would break down. Unfortunately, it kept going and before I knew it the door was opening on the seventh floor.

I stepped off first and Carlos followed with his hand back on the small of my back as we headed to the end of the hallway. When we reached my door, I pulled my keys out of my purse and said, "This is it" as I unlocked the door.

I turned to tell him thank you for walking me up, but as I lifted my head to look at him, his face quickly moved down and his lips caught mine. It had to have been the hottest, most toe curling kiss in the history of all kisses. We kissed for what could have been hours or only moments and we pulled away both slightly breathless.

Carlos leaned in again and whispered, "See you tomorrow, Babe. Sweet dreams," as he tucked a curl behind my ear. I had no words and simply nodded as he turned and walked back down the hallway. 'Holy cow, Happy Thanksgiving,' I thought as I put my fingers to my still tingling lips and headed inside to get ready for bed. I'm not sure what that kiss was about, but I can only hope there might be a repeat tomorrow.

TBC…

Author's Note: So. Thoughts? Was Thanksgiving to your liking? What would you like to see for the day after Thanksgiving? Maybe a little "Under the Mistletoe" moment? I was also thinking of starting it with Carlos's POV from Thanksgiving. What do you think? Please let me know.

Amy