Hi everyone! Thanks to all of you who left reviews; they mean the world! Hope you enjoy Thanksgiving at the Scott house (because it looks like they won't…)
Karen Scott was a woman on a mission when she woke up promptly at 6:00 am on Thanksgiving morning. She had only ten hours to make a feast for herself, her husband, her brother-in-law, and their five ravenous children. Shutting the alarm off quickly so Dan could sleep in a bit longer, she threw on sweat pants and a worn t-shirt, stepped into her slippers, and headed down to the kitchen.
After two steaming cups of coffee and a quick bowl of cereal, Karen began cooking up a storm. She got the turkey prepped and in the oven before 7:00, and by the time Dan came stumbling in at 8:00 she had begun working on mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and homemade biscuits. Dan offered his help as he sipped his morning coffee, but Karen barely even acknowledged him, telling him that the best thing he could do was to make sure the house looked presentable and keep the boys out of the kitchen.
Dan was about to escape to his study until the boys woke up, but before he could move from the kitchen island, the phone rang. He went to get it, sidestepping Karen as she pushed past him with a pot of boiling potatoes.
"Hello?" Dan said, leaning against the wall with the receiver. "Hey, Keith, what's up?" he said. Karen was preoccupied with her potatoes, but the tone of Dan's voice when he spoke again caused her to turn around and listen.
"You're kidding me," Dan said in a flat voice. "Son of a…no, it's fine. It's not like there's anything we can do about it. Just…bring some extra alcohol, and I'll make sure all the weapons in the house are concealed so we don't do anything irrational. Listen, I know you want to get over here as soon as possible, but give us a few hours, okay? I've got to go through the house and make sure everything is immaculate. Hang in there, bro. Bye."
"What is it?" Karen asked apprehensively as he hung up the phone.
Dan hung up the phone with a decidedly loud "click" and he turned to his wife, his expression a mix of anger, panic, and resignation.
"Keith's doorbell rang about an hour ago," he said grimly. "It was my parents. They're coming for Thanksgiving dinner."
Karen cursed so loudly that Dan looked out the kitchen door anxiously, hoping that neither of the boys had woken up and heard their mother's language. "Why in the hell do they pull this kind of crap, Dan?" Karen demanded. "Would it have killed them to call first?"
"Kar, I don't know," Dan said, sitting back down and running his hands through his hair in frustration. "You know my parents. I'm sure that my mom has been begging my dad for a while, and he finally gave in at the last minute. I'm a little surprised they haven't come sooner; I know they're curious about Nathan."
"Oh my god, Nathan!" Karen exclaimed in panic. "Dan, your father could scare the living daylights out of him! Lucas knows what to expect, but Nathan won't know what hit him. And what if Roy finds out about Nathan's problems with school? He'll completely crush what little self-esteem he has. And…"
"Karen, calm down!" Dan snapped, more sharply than he meant to. "I know what my father is capable of without you making a scene about it!"
Karen's eyes glossed over with frustrated tears, and she threw down the dishtowel she'd been wringing in her hands. She turned away from Dan and leaned up against the counter, struggling not to let the tears fall.
Dan stood up and walked over to his wife, putting his arms around her in a warm embrace. "Honey, try not to worry too much," he said, his voice now gentle and reassuring in spite of his anger at the situation. "I will prepare the boys and make sure the house is spotless. You just worry about getting dinner on the table. If there's one thing in this world my father has never found fault with, it's your cooking," he said with a smile.
Karen gave him a half smile back through her tears, followed by a soft kiss on the lips. "I'll do my best," she promised. "Look after the house, but make your first priority the boys. I've been dreading the day that Nathan meets Roy, and I was hoping we'd have more time to prepare him. Like, say, eight years."
"I know," Dan said understandingly. "But this is the hand we've been dealt, so we're just going to have to make it work." He gave Karen another kiss, then left her to her cooking while he went upstairs.
Lucas was not happy when his father woke him up before 9:00 am on a holiday, and he was even less happy when he heard his grandparents were coming. He liked his Grandma Mae alright-she was always nice to him and she made good cinnamon rolls for breakfast. But Grandpa Roy made him nervous. He was always so gruff, and he could tell that both Keith and Dan became uncomfortable around him.
Dan took the still sleepy Lucas into Nathan's room and woke his youngest son up as gently as possible. If Lucas was unhappy when he heard the news; Nathan was frightened out of his wits. He had no experience with grandparents, and he didn't know what to expect from them. All he knew about Roy and Mae was the story Keith had told him about Dan getting caught egging the house. Nathan thought about all the times he had gotten in trouble since he came to live with his dad, and he prayed that no one would mention anything over dinner, lest Roy decide he needed an extra lesson.
Dan sat both of the boys down and explained to them that they needed to be on their best behavior for their grandparents. There was to be no rough-housing, no name-calling or slang language, and they must be respectful to all of the adults present. Nathan and Lucas both nodded their consent, but Nathan looked like a deer caught in the headlights as Dan talked to them, so Dan gave him an extra hug before sending them to go eat breakfast.
Later that morning, Lucas was straightening up the living room, while Nathan was using a rag and furniture polish and all of the woodwork. "Lucas?" Nathan asked. "Are you scared of Grandpa Roy?"
"Yeah, kinda," Lucas answered honestly. "I think he used to be in the army or something, and he's always ordering people around, even Dad and Uncle Keith. I think even they're kinda scared of him."
"Do you think he's gonna hate me?" Nathan asked quietly.
"I don't think so," Lucas said uncertainly. "I mean, he doesn't really hate any of us. Mom says he loves us, but he doesn't know how to show it. He doesn't even hate Peyton, though, and she's always mouthing off to him."
"Maybe I'll hide behind her all night," Nathan said, only half kidding. Lucas nodded his agreement, and the two brothers continued to clean, neither of them feeling much of the holiday spirit.
By 2:00, the house was completely pristine, and the members of the Scott family weren't looking so bad themselves. Dan had put on a shirt and tie with some khakis, and Nathan and Lucas were dressed almost identically to their father. Karen did allow Dan to watch over the turkey for fifteen minutes while she went and changed into a dress, but she shooed him away the second she was back downstairs. Dan waited anxiously with the boys in the living room, and all three of them jumped when the doorbell rang.
"Okay guys, here goes nothing," Dan said, putting his hands on the boys' shoulders as he led them to the door. He was trying to reassure them with his touch, but if he was honest with himself, he was also trying to give himself some support as he walked the last mile. He took a deep breath, and opened the door.
"Mom!" he said, giving his mother a smile and a hug as she bustled into the house. "What a surprise!"
"Oh Danny," Mae said, giving her youngest son an affectionate squeeze. "It's been too long, sweetheart. I missed you!"
"I missed you too, Mom," Dan said sincerely. And he had, but he had to force himself to keep smiling as he faced the man standing behind her. "Dad," he said cordially, sticking out his hand.
"Dan," Roy said, shaking his son's hand firmly. "You're looking good. Staying in shape?"
"Doing my best," Dan said, trying not to grin as Keith subtly showed him the large bottle of whiskey he had brought behind their father's back. "Mom, Dad, there's someone I think you should meet," he said, bringing Nathan forward and placing his hands on his shoulders. "This is your grandson, Nathan Lee Scott."
"Nathan," Mae said warmly, bending down and giving him a tight embrace. "It is so good to meet you. I'm Grandma Mae."
"Hi," Nathan said shyly, relaxing a little bit as Mae gave him a genuine smile. He quickly tensed again, however, when he looked up at the burly looking man standing next to her. "Hello, sir," he said quietly, forcing himself to meet Roy's appraising gaze.
"Nathan," Roy said, not unkindly, but certainly lacking the affection of his wife. "It's good to meet you, son."
Lucas could see that Nathan was nervous, and he decided to intervene on his brother's behalf. "Dad, is it okay if we all go play upstairs?" he asked politely, after he had given Mae a hug.
Dan started to answer, but Roy cut him off. "Now, I think your grandmother and I should get to know Nathan a little bit before he goes running off," Roy said with finality. "Why don't you come in the living room, young man, and tell us all about yourself?"
Nathan looked like he was about to pee his pants, but this time Haley came to his rescue. Stepping out from behind her grandparents, she took Nathan's hand in her own. "I'll come with you," she said softly, giving him a smile. Nathan looked so relieved that Dan half expected him to take Haley in his arms and kiss her full on the mouth.
"As much as I love to talk, I think I'll go with Lucas," Brooke said, eager to get away from all the tension in the room. Peyton didn't say anything, but between having to wear a dress and being stuck with her grandparents, she was looking downright murderous, and she quickly followed Lucas and Brooke out of the room.
As soon as they were up the stairs and out of earshot, Brooke threw her arms around Lucas. "Thank you so much," she said gratefully. "This morning has been terrible! Grandpa Roy never even smiles and he told Daddy three times that he looked like he was out of shape. I think Daddy snuck a shot of whiskey after the third time," she confided.
"I wish he'd given me a shot of whiskey," Peyton grumbled. "Grandpa told me to sit up straight twice on the car ride over here, and Grandma kept fixing my dress and trying to put a bow in my hair. I almost kicked her in the shins, but Dad would have whipped my butt."
"Poor Nathan," Lucas said, looking worriedly back towards the stairs. "At least Haley's with him. She's got a lot of guts for being the youngest."
Unfortunately, back downstairs in the living room, Haley wasn't able to do much except hold Nathan's hand tightly as Roy drilled him about basketball and school.
"So Nathan, what position do you play?" Roy asked, his words coming out fast and sharp like miniature torpedoes.
"Um, nothing yet," Nathan said awkwardly. "I mean, I've never played on an organized team before. I started Junior League last week, but we've just done drills so far."
"Hm," Roy grunted, obviously displeased. "Well, you'll have to work extra hard to catch up with the other boys. There's no room for slackers in the sport of basketball, not if you want to succeed."
"Nathan is an excellent player," Dan interrupted, placing a comforting hand on Nathan's shoulder. "He's one of the best ball handlers I've ever seen for his age. I've been dropping hints to his coach to make him the point guard. With Lucas at shooting guard, I think they'll be even more famous than their Dad was back in his day."
"I suppose there's a chance of that, so long as neither of them drops out of college," Roy said pointedly. "Let's hope they have their priorities in line." Dan felt his temper flare at his father's not so subtle jab regarding Dan's decision to drop out of school to marry Karen and raise Lucas. He wanted to fight back, but he didn't think Nathan had picked up on the insinuation, so he left it alone for the time being.
"Speaking of school, how are your grades, Nathan?" Roy asked, sounding more like a police investigator than a grandfather.
"Roy, please don't interrogate the boy," Mae said, albeit not very forcefully.
"Mae, I am asking a perfectly legitimate question," Roy argued. "Nathan?"
"Well, I haven't gotten my report card yet," Nathan stammered. "But I guess it will be okay. I mean…"
"You guess?" Roy demanded. "Well, son, you better figure it out pretty damn soon. Keith never made good grades, and look what happened to him. Fixing up cars in his spare time-God knows he never would have amounted to anything had Dan not partnered with him in business."
Keith was in the kitchen helping Karen, something Dan was immensely grateful for in that moment, as he did not hear what Roy said. But Haley was not immune to her grandfather's digs at her father, and Nathan felt her hand go limp in his as she sank back into the couch and tried not to cry.
Dan saw the look on his youngest niece's face, and he was about to instruct Nathan and Haley to go upstairs when Karen came into the living room. "Thanksgiving dinner is served!" she announced, her smile faltering a bit as she saw Haley's woeful face and Nathan's bewildered eyes.
"Great!" Dan said, trying to mask his relief at the pronouncement. "Why don't you all head into the dining room? I'll go grab the other kids from upstairs."
The Scott family began dinner with a prayer, and for a while everyone was occupied with passing around and serving the potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, biscuits, and sweet potato casserole. Dan sat at the head of the table and carved the turkey, whispering to Nathan and Haley that they could have the wishbone later. Brooke and Lucas almost got into an argument over who got the last drumstick, but a warning look from Keith silenced them both before Roy could notice that they were fighting.
Everyone tucked in to their full plates, and for a brief moment, Dan, Karen, and Keith believed that the dinner might go off without a major catastrophe. Ornery as Roy was, he did love Karen's cooking, and he was keeping to himself as he consumed his portion of the feast. Unfortunately, Mae ate like a bird, and before long she made a statement that caused the afternoon to take a turn for the worse.
"Nathan," she said, putting her fork down beside her plate. "It must be so difficult for you this Thanksgiving without your mother. I can't imagine losing the only family you've ever known. You must be a very brave little boy."
Nathan looked at her with wide eyes and swallowed the bite of turkey in his mouth, feeling it grate the back of his suddenly dry throat like sandpaper. "I'm alright," he said softly, lowering his gaze back to his plate. "I mean…I have more family now."
"And we're glad you do," Karen said sincerely, rubbing his back comfortingly.
"We all are," Brooke chimed in. "We love having Nathan around. It's nice because Lucas isn't the only boy anymore. And since Haley's been helping Nathan with school, we've been able to come stay with Aunt Karen and Uncle Dan a lot more than usual."
Roy's head snapped up from his plate. "Haley's been helping Nathan with school?" he asked suspiciously, setting his knife and fork down. "Nathan, aren't you a year older than Haley?"
"They're in the same class, Roy," Karen explained, a hint of an edge coming through in her voice.
"Then they should be equals in the classroom," Roy said with a glare, fixing his steel blue eyes on Nathan. "Thought you said you were doing alright in school?"
"I…I am," Nathan stuttered, looking at his mother with pleading eyes. "I mean, I am now…I was having trouble…and…"
"And what?" Roy barked, sensing that the boy was holding something back.
"Oh, for God's sake," Peyton snapped, throwing her napkin down on the table in irritation. "He cheated on a math test, okay? He didn't understand it, and he didn't want to disappoint anyone. But now Haley's helping him and he's doing much better. Now will you stop bullying him already?"
"Peyton!" Keith admonished sharply, not wanting her to be next in the line of fire. But it was too late, as Roy leaned across the table to look his oldest granddaughter in the eye.
"You better watch your tone, young lady," he growled. "I know your Daddy probably doesn't raise you to have the best manners, but you will be respectful to me."
"My Dad raises me just fine," Peyton said hotly. "He raises me to stand up for people when they're down, he raises me to respect people who deserve it, and he raises me better than you raised him, you nasty ogre!"
Roy leapt to his feet and started around the table toward Peyton, a look in his eyes that both his sons and his wife recognized. Keith jumped up and started to head him off, but Dan was closer, and he quickly stood and stopped Roy with a hand to his shoulder.
"Back off, Dad," he said quietly.
"That kid is a brat who needs to be taught to respect her elders," Roy said furiously, pointing an indignant finger in Peyton's direction. "And apparently your new son needs to be taught not to be a cheat and a liar!"
"Unless you're interested in finding out better ways to parent than your authoritative methods, it is absolutely no business of yours how we raise our children," Keith said in a hard voice, making his way around the table and standing by Dan, lest Roy try to make another move towards the kids. "Peyton and Nathan are both good kids. So are all of the others, and Dan, Karen and I are good parents. We're not perfect, but we're a damn sight better than you ever were!"
"Don't you talk to me that way, boy!" Roy roared, taking a menacing step towards Keith.
"Roy, please!" Mae begged.
"Hush, Mae!" he ordered. "I am still their father!"
"Not anymore, you're not," Dan said, his chilly words striking Roy dumb for a moment. "Until you can learn to treat us and our families with respect, you are not welcome in my house. My son is not a cheat or a liar, and my niece is not a brat. And even if they were, they don't deserve to be called such in their own homes."
"It was one thing to belittle and abuse us," Keith added frostily, gaining momentum as he saw Roy take a faltering step backwards. ""We had no one to protect us, since Mom was and still is too weak to stand up to you. But our kids have someone to protect them, and I swear I will kill you before you ever get the chance to hurt one of them. Consider yourself no longer welcome in my house anymore, either."
Roy gave his sons a cold, appraising look. There had been many times over the years when Dan and Keith had backed down under that steely glare, but this time, together, they both held fast.
"Come on, Mae," Roy said shortly. "We're leaving." Without another word, he exited the dining room.
Mae, her eyes filled with tears, looked around the room in disbelief. Her eyes passed over her granddaughters, her grandsons, her daughter-in-law, and finally, her two sons. She looked at Dan and Keith pleadingly, a tear slipping down her cheek as she struggled to find the words she wanted to say.
"Mae!" Roy yelled from the foyer. Mae blinked, and without another word, she quietly left the room and followed her husband.
The front door slammed a few seconds afterwards, leaving a stunned and silent family in its wake. Nathan had started crying as soon as Roy had called him a cheat, and Karen lifted him in her lap as Mae had left. Lucas got up and came over to his mom and brother once the door slammed. Brooke went over to her father and wrapped him in a ferocious hug, which he returned silently. Haley, seeing that Dan was looking sad, quietly got up and gave him a gentle hug. Dan picked her up without a word and held her close.
Finally, Peyton, who had been slouched over in chair with a defiant look on her face ever since arguing with Roy, broke the silence. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you," she said irritably, "but this Thanksgiving I'm thankful that Dad and Uncle Dan finally grew a pair and kicked that jerk out."
All heads in the room whirled around to face her in shock. Keith was so dumbfounded; he didn't even know what to say to her, when all of a sudden a muffled laugh pierced the awkward quiet in the room.
"Sorry," Karen said, covering her mouth with her hand. "It's just…I was thinking the same thing," she admitted sheepishly.
Brooke giggled, which set Lucas off, and before long, the entire room was laughing in spite of themselves. Dan went over and hugged his wife, giving Nathan a tender kiss and a warm smile, which Nathan happily returned. Keith pulled Peyton out of her seat and yanked her into a warm bear hug.
"You can be an absolute monster sometimes, you know that?" he said, giving her a mock spank on her bottom. "But I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."
"I know," Peyton said, looking up at Keith and giving him the first smile she'd flashed all day.
"Alright," Karen said, lifting Nathan out of her lap. "As much as I'm enjoying our little Walton's reenactment, this food is getting cold, and I didn't get a chance to eat much before World War Three commenced. So everyone sit down, or no pumpkin pie for dessert!"
Everyone hurried to their seats, and before long, the Roy incident was forgotten as the eight members of the Scott family celebrated Thanksgiving in peace.
Yuck, I don't think I'll ever write Roy again-talk about douchey. But I love the rest of the Scott family-they're so cute! Coming up next: Here comes Santa Claus! It's Christmastime in the Scott house! Don't worry, no irritable relatives will be showing up for this holiday. Everything should go off without a hitch, although I'm sure the boys will manage to do something irritating during the celebration. Thanks for reading!