Disclaimer: Not mine...
Usually, Thanksgiving isn't a big deal in the Winchester household. Dean gets a pre-made meal, and it's an excuse to not eat something that isn't fast food. It's also a reason to actually use the dining room table for once.
However, the year that Alyx was eight, Dean was in a rare mood and decided to try cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner by himself. He even decided that it was good idea to invite the family--meaning Missouri, Bobby, Ellen, and Ash--over for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Sam thought he was completely insane, while Alyx wondered if her father was capable of cooking a successful, edible meal, especially since he'd expressly told them both that he did not need their help. Sure, she'd seen him make breakfast, or maybe something simple for dinner, like grilled cheese or spaghetti. But this was Thanksgiving. This was a whole other ordeal. Alyx and Sam doubted that Dean knew the proper procedure for cooking a turkey.
"If it looks questionable," Sam said while he and Alyx were sitting in the living room the previous day, "we'll order pizza or something." he promised.
Alyx laughed, agreeing. "Or Bobby can just bring Atticus," she pointed out. Atticus was Bobby's new chocolate Labrador that he adopted shortly after his old dog was killed. "and he can eat our food under the table."
Sam grimaced. "We don't want to kill Bobby's other dog, Ally." he joked. Alyx went into a fit of hysterics. Having Bobby's dog there was out of the question, then.
On the morning of Thanksgiving, to their utter surprise, Dean was already slaving away in the kitchen when they got downstairs. He claimed that he had been up since before 5:30 making sure that he had everything right. Sam and Alyx were still skeptical; the…interesting smells emanating from the kitchen made them curious.
Missouri arrived first, at about three in the afternoon. She came with a homemade apple pie, as well as a chocolate pudding pie with graham cracker crust especially for Alyx who had a strange aversion to apple pie despite her father's obsession.
"If something goes wrong, at least we'll have these." she whispered with a smirk, handing the chocolate pudding pie over to Alyx to take into the kitchen. Apparently, Missouri didn't have much faith in Dean's cooking skills, either. Alyx took the pie into the kitchen, trying to ignore the different bowls and containers filled with steaming foods…foods that looked unrecognizable. Dean was bent over the turkey, checking it and basting it with juices. Alyx realized, with horror, that he was wearing oven mitts and an apron. Where had he found those?
Something was definitely wrong with the world.
Alyx bounded back into the living room before Dean could ask her how the food looked, or some other dinner-related question. She didn't want to have to lie. And more importantly, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, since he seemed so serious about all this. Instead, Alyx avoided the kitchen altogether, spending the rest of the time before dinner with her uncle and Missouri, waiting for the others to arrive.
Once Bobby's car pulled into the driveway, Alyx leapt for the door, pulling it open to reveal the old hunter with the familiar trucker hat. He was holding a paper bag--almost like a shopping bag--in his hands. The eight-year-old wrapped her short arms around his waist in a hug, which he sort of awkwardly returned. Bobby was never good with showing affection, but he often humored Alyx just for the sake of it.
"What's that?" she asked Bobby as he stepped inside from the brisk, November air. He gave a small wave in greeting to Sam and Missouri. The elder hunter set the paper bag on a table, opening it up for them to see. Inside, there was a bag of chips and a bag cheese puffs, probably from Bobby's own cupboard.
"My contribution to this disastrous idea of you father's." he said to Alyx, who giggled. There was definitely a consensus forming--not in Dean's favor.
Alyx waited, fidgeting, for Ellen and Ash to come. She kept pacing around the room and staring out the window every five minutes to check if they'd pulled up yet. She got excited every time she was able to see Ellen and Ash, since it didn't happen very often. And Ash was like the cool older brother that she never had, so she loved hanging out with him.
When the eight-year-old heard the car park out front, she raced to the door, yanking it open even before they got halfway up the driveway. Ellen came in first, bending down to the girl's level to give her a kiss and a hug. She was carrying a tray of some sort, which she passed over to Sam as they said hello.
"You think this was a bad idea, too?" Sam asked her.
"Of course." she laughed.
Once Ash appeared in the doorway, mullet hairdo and all, Alyx pounced on him immediately. "Hey, kid, how are ya?" he asked, picking her up to give her a tight hug.
"Good!" Alyx said, ecstatic. "How 'bout you?"
"Awesome," he replied, setting her on the ground. They shared a high-five, and then he dug a small, rectangular package from his back jeans pocket. "And I brought playing cards…" he told her. It was tradition for them to play poker whenever they saw each other. Ash had taught her how to play last year; she was getting pretty good at it.
"I'm going to beat you…" Alyx said in a singsong-y voice.
"No way." Ash protested, slumping down into a chair. Alyx climbed up onto his lap.
"Yes, I am."
"No, I think you're going down, kid. I've got more than a few years of experience on ya." he pointed out.
Alyx frowned. "But I've been playing for a whole year!" she exclaimed. Ash chuckled.
"Yeah, well, get back to me in a decade or so. Maybe when you're eighteen you'll beat me. Then, I'll even play ya for money."
"Really?" Alyx asked, intrigued.
"Yep. Start savin' up now."
Just then, Dean entered the living room; he was no longer wearing an apron and oven mitts. He cleared his throat loudly. "Dinner's ready." he announced. None of them had realized that Dean had been setting the table in the dining room while they were all talking. The food, the plates, the glasses, and the silverware were laid out already.
The group of them shared glances, then made their way into the dining room hesitantly. Alyx sat in between Missouri and Sam, with Bobby and Ellen at opposite ends of the table, and Dean and Ash on the other side. They looked at each other for a moment, then at the assortment of food spread out on the table. There was a bowl of corn that seemed to be overcooked, a giant bowl of very lumpy mashed potatoes, two containers of gravy, a plate containing cranberry sauce that was still shaped like the can it had come in, a basket of crescent-shaped rolls, and one very burnt turkey.
"Dig in." Dean encouraged. The adults started to pass around bowls and plates, scooping up food and placing it on each other's plates while making random conversation. As soon as everyone had all the food that they wanted (which wasn't very much), they started to reluctantly pick at it, making it look like they were eating. Dean was the only one who was genuinely eating the meal; the others were simply going through the motions, hoping the elder Winchester wouldn't notice.
"It's very…nice, Dean." Bobby stated, trying to humor him.
"Thanks." Dean replied, smiling proudly.
Alyx was pretending to be distracted, wishing that Bobby had brought Atticus along. It would make things more entertaining. Ash was thinking along the same lines. Seeing Alyx's expression, he called her name. Her head snapped up, lips forming a large grin when she saw Ash poking at the blob of jell-O-like cranberry sauce with his fork. She tried to stifle her laughter, but it wasn't working out so well.
When Dean finally saw what Ash was up to, he smacked him in the back of the head. "Hey, didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?"
"You shouldn't be the one to talk." Sam muttered sarcastically, referring to his brother's rather horrid eating habits. Dean ignored the comment.
"I wasn't going to eat it." Ash told Dean.
"Why not? It's perfectly fine." Dean complained.
"No offense, but it looks…" Ash trailed off.
"What?" Dean prompted.
"Well, it looks like something out of a horror movie. Like it could suddenly start growing into this giant blob of terror and smother us…or take over the house or whatever. I feel like I could hunt the thing. It's just not…right." he jiggled the plate for emphasis, making the jelly flop in different directions. Dean stared at him, at a loss for words. Alyx giggled, trying to imagine an enormous blob with sharp teeth invading the house. That would make an interesting hunt…
"What?" he asked, puzzled at his friend's wild imagination. Alyx burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, which got worse when Ash dug his hand into the blob, scooping up a handful and flinging it at the eight-year-old. It hit her in the face, but she kept laughing while the others turned their attention to Dean, worried.
"Hey!" Dean yelled. Ash ignored him, throwing the last of the cranberry jelly in Sam's direction, hitting him in the chest. Sam looked down, shocked, then everyone--except Dean--went into hysterics. Alyx got on her knees on the chair, picking up some mashed potatoes, which she threw at Ash's head. "Alyx! Don't!" Dean shouted.
"Oh, c'mon, Dean. At least the food's good for something." Ash said.
That remark didn't sit well with Dean. The elder Winchester, out of impulse, took the small bowl of corn off the table and dumped it over Ash's head. Ash jumped up from his chair, pushing the hot bits of corn off him, shooting a glare at Dean.
Ellen, Bobby, and Missouri watched, ducking out of the way, as random amounts of their Thanksgiving meal was thrown back and forth across the table. Food was flying everywhere; splattering the floor, the walls, the chairs. Not even the three of them were exactly safe, since they ended up with small stains of food on them. Dean, Sam, Ash and Alyx on the other hand, they were covered. Their clothes were completely ruined, and there were a fair amount of mashed potatoes smushed into Alyx's hair.
When it was all over, they had a good laugh. They cleaned up the mess, wiped off their clothes as best as they could, and sat down in the living room still hilariously recalling the events of the past half hour.
"I'm hungry." Alyx announced after awhile. The adults realized that none of them had actually eaten.
So, they spent the rest of the night playing poker while eating Missouri's pies, Bobby's junk food, and the brownies Ellen had brought with her, as well as the crescent rolls, which was the only food that they could salvage from their dinner.
Next year, they'd definitely stick to the pre-cooked meals.