"Happy Turkey Day!" Jesse said brightly. "Looking sharp Becs".
"Come on in weirdo".
Jesse and Mikaela followed her into the house, grinning cheesily.
"Jesse, come and watch the parade!" Henry called brightly.
(The little boy had taken to avoiding Beca after the initial headphone incident, but Jesse was his best friend.)
Jesse took a seat beside Beca on the floor, Henry climbing into his lap.
"Jesse?" Hailey said from the couch, where Aubrey was tying her hair into pigtails. "Have you been to the parade?"
"I have, I used to live in New York. Mikaela and I have both been a few times".
"I want to go. Bree said that one day we can go. Wanna come?"
"Sure", Jesse chuckled.
"Are you gonna come too Becs?" Hailey questioned.
(Her sister's innocence made Beca smile. She wasn't completely sure if she got the extent of their feud, or chose to ignore it.)
"Maybe", Beca shrugged, and Hailey beamed.
"Beca?" Henry said carefully. "What's your favourite balloon?"
"Clifford", Beca answered easily. Whilst she changed her mind regularly, Clifford remained a favourite. She and Adam argued about it regularly- it was a Thanksgiving tradition, like the parade.
They sat in a comfortable silence, the occasional squeal of excitement from Hailey, Henry and Mikaela.
"There's Santa!" Hailey hollered.
Santa on the screen reminded Beca of her conversation with her mother. She had yet to call her back, or even tell her if she had spoken to Will, but Beca was hopeful. If she had her way, she'd be spending Thanksgiving in Portland too, but that might push her father over the edge.
Once the parade was over, Caroline and Barry arrived (bearing desserts, much to Jesse's delight- he found turkey and the trimmings took up room that could be filled with dessert).
They took seats around the Mitchells' large dining room table, Jesse sliding into a seat beside Beca.
(If Sheila made them hold hands whilst giving thanks, Beca wasn't going to cry.)
As Barry gave thanks (they didn't hold hands) and Will carved the turkey, Jesse passed the pot of potatoes to Beca.
"This looks great Mrs Mitchell", Mikaela said with a bright smile, as Aubrey passed a bowl of steamed vegetables.
"Thank you- Mikaela, sweetheart, you can call me Sheila".
"How's school going, Aubrey?" Barry questioned, as he helped Hailey pour gravy onto her plate. "Caroline and I saw your performance, girls, you went really well!"
"Thank you. School is going well". And she proceeded to launch into a spiel about how college applications and the Bellas were keeping her busy.
Somewhere in the middle of her rambling, Beca tuned out.
But the words 'Christmas' and 'riff-off' caught her attention. She swallowed audibly (Jesse turning to her in concern), before pointing her fork and a piece of carrot at her stepsister in a panic.
"What did you say?"
"The Christmas riff-off", Aubrey said patiently. "It's just an idea that Chloe and I have been playing around with".
(Beca couldn't get in trouble is she hadn't heard about it. Not even Aubrey could be that cruel.)
"That sounds fun", Aubrey said brightly, and Beca stared down at her plate.
"Maybe", she mumbled.
(Beca knew that Chloe and Aubrey would be all for dressing up. Santa hats, reindeer antlers and goddam Rudolf noses- and knowing Fat Amy the way she did, the Australian would insist on dressing up as Santa Claus himself.)
Aubrey broke into a grin, despite the unsure look on Beca's face.
"That sounds wonderful", Caroline said brightly.
"Can I come and watch?" Henry questioned. "I wanna be a Treblemaker one day Jesse, so I wanna come and watch!"
"I don't know buddy, you'll have to ask your mum and Dad", Jesse said.
"We'll see, Henry", Will said.
And then conversation turned to Sheila's pregnancy and Beca turned to her mashed potatoes.
Beca didn't like to admit it, but Barden holidays were incredible, solely for Sheila's chocolate pie. The stepmonster was a freaking domestic goddess, and Beca hated it.
But she couldn't hate that pie.
"I thought Mum's pumpkin pie was good", Jesse said with a grin, bringing a plate towards Beca. "You're awfully quiet".
"Just trying to digest a month's worth of food". She accepted the second piece of pie (her Bellas costume was not going to thank her).
"Mum!" Mikaela said suddenly, setting down her plate. "Can I go and get our Charlie Brown DVD?"
(She knew that Jesse's love of movies had to be hereditary. There was no other way.)
"Of course", Will said easily, and Barry tossed the key to his daughter.
"I think it's in Jesse's room".
"Peanuts, really?" Beca looked at him, her face a mixture of disgust and amusement.
"We've got all the holiday specials", Jesse reported. "I'm awesome like that. I'm making you watch Merry Christmas Charlie Brown with me. And the Grinch".
(The thought of being in Portland for Christmas made her insides knot. She wanted to go to Maine and despite being a movication, it sounded kind of fun. Jesse was as passionate about his movies as she was about her music.)
"Nerd", she said after a pause, her eyes sparkling.
"Weirdo", he shot back, an ear to ear grin on his face.
"I CANNOT believe you fell asleep", Jesse complained, stretching out his legs in front of him. "Seriously, Becs, it's like half an hour. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving only goes for thirty minutes and you fell asleep".
(Beca did feel slightly bad about that. she had intended on falling asleep- especially not with her head on his shoulder. That was unfortunate.)
(Beca hadn't missed the daggers Aubrey had been shooting her.)
"I really liked it Jesse", Hailey said sincerely, lifting herself out of her child-sized Cinderella couch. "Is there a Christmas one?"
Jesse was honestly shocked that the Mitchell children hadn't seen the Peanuts holiday specials. Beca, understandably (movie hating fool) but poor Hailey and Henry.
(Jesse made note to tell his parents exactly what the twins would want for Christmas.)
"There is a Christmas one", Jesse nodded, and she hopped up onto his lap (slightly shoving Beca out of the way, much to her sister's annoyance).
"Can we watch it?"
Aubrey laughed. "Hailey, sweetie, Thanksgiving isn't even over yet".
"Tomorrow, then?" Henry shrugged. "Mikaela?"
"I don't know, maybe!" Mikaela shrugged. "Maybe closer to Christmas".
"Okay", he said quietly.
The Swanson stayed well into the afternoon, before the leftovers were divided up and they parted separate ways.
"Happy Thanksgiving, weirdo", Jesse said gently, as Beca lingered in the front doorway.
"Happy Thanksgiving, nerd". And she grinned softly at him.
(Aubrey saw their exchange. She had to pull Beca aside and remind her of the oath once more.)
"Beca", Will called from the living room later that night, as Beca padded towards the stairs, pyjamas clad and clutching a mug of tea.
"Yeah?"
"I spoke to your mother the other day".
Beca's shoulders slumped, because she knew that voice. That was the voice that was going to make her stay in Georgia for Christmas. "Yeah?"
"She told me that you've asked to go to Portland for Christmas". He waited for her response and when she nodded, he continued. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She shrugged.
"Sheila and I are so happy that you're in Barden with us", he said gently. "But we both understand how much you miss Portland".
(Beca hadn't realised how much Portland meant to her until she left.)
'You can go to Portland for Christmas", Will concluded. "But Sheila and I would like very much that you're home in Barden for New Year's".
She nodded. "That's fair".
"But Becs?"
"Next time, please ask me yourself".
"Okay", she almost whispered.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Beca".
"Happy Thanksgiving Dad".
(He was breaking down her walls. Slowly but surely- he had to be careful with what he said. The smallest thing could send her into total shutdown mode.)
Coming home for Christmas!
Beca's face lit up when Adam's reply came through.
Baby sis is coming home! Too quiet without you Becs
Her home in Portland was far from quiet, but it was home.