Happy Thanksgiving guys! Here's another one for you. It's a little different but I hope you like it anyway. And I hope that even if you don't celebrate this holiday, you set aside some time today to be thankful. Even if this year hasn't been all that you wanted thus far, I'm sure you can all find something to be grateful for. Like, for example, I'm really grateful for you guys and your amazing support, so thank you! To my beautiful baby, happy thanksgiving my love. You are one of the things I'm very grateful for this year and that's putting it lightly.

Summary: Exhausted beyond reason, Rose isn't so sure she wants to do thanksgiving. But when you've got an amazing husband like Dimitri and family and friends unlike no other, things have a way of turning around. Mainly just a lot of fluff.

I don't own VA

Can We Skip Thanksgiving This Year?

"Baba, she's fine," I said for what felt like the millionth time.

"Rose what part of dhampirs don't get sick don't you understand?" He retorted and I groaned. This conversation was going nowhere fast. Trying to convince my dad that my 14 month old baby really was fine was like trying to convince a cat to jump into water.

"She's a baby old man and it's been cold." I said.

"Which is exactly why you should come out here. You know I can get the jet to you in a matter of hours." I rolled my eyes and sighed fully aware that I couldn't really blame him. Ever since Dimitri and I had moved to court and my parents had gotten back together, we'd all done thanksgiving at my dad's place. The only problem with that was, it was in Turkey. I was pretty sure that Ibrahim Mazur was the only person in that entire country who celebrated thanksgiving.

"Dad you know Lissa can't fly right now." I said softly. Not only was my best friend the queen of the moroi world, but she was also carrying Christian's baby and was just days from her due date.

"So we'll send them back some food." I groaned. My father was as stubborn and as hard-headed as I was if not more.

"I'm sorry, dad." I said. "We're not coming. I'm tired and aside from Layyah being sick I don't know if bringing Ivan on a plain halfway around the world is a good idea." Something in my voice must have finally gotten to him, because at last he sighed and relented. I groaned as I hung up and ran my fingers through my hair just as the front door opened and Dimitri walked in.

"Hey baby." He said walking over and wrapping me up in his arms.

"Hi," I said softly and leant against his chest. His arms tightened around me as he gently pressed a kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes and snuggled into his hold, letting the familiar smell of him wash over me.

"How's Layyah doing?" He asked and I sighed a bit turning around in his arms so I could wrap mine around him and lay my head against his chest.

"She's a little better I just got her down for a nap," I said. "I also just got off the phone with my dad."

"Oh no how did that go?" He asked, one of his hands softly running through my hair the other gently massaging my neck and shoulders. I didn't realize it in that moment, but Dimitri always knew just what I needed to help me calm down. He was always so gentle with me, which was probably why he had such a calming effect on me.

"He kept trying to convince me that it would all get better if we went to his place. He said he would have the jet ready for us in a matter of hours if we wanted, but you know my dad. He can deny me nothing." Dimitri chuckled at that, his hands still working the tension out of my muscles. I groaned softly and leaned into his hands making him chuckle again.

"But I mean I can't help but feel bad, you know? This has been tradition it feels wrong to break it now." I felt his lips press against my cheek, felt him smile as his massaging turned deeper and I relaxed further into his arms. "But I'm just so tired."

"Of course you are baby," He said. "You did just have a baby, you know."

"I know." I said. Ivan was only 2 weeks old. Like his sister, he was a healthy baby and had been almost 7 pounds upon delivery and perfect in every way. Like Layyah had, so to had Ivan stolen our hearts from the second he was born, but he was still a baby. That meant little to no sleep at night because I had to be up every 2 hours for feedings. It meant changing diapers and soothing his cries and trying to get him to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Everyone kept telling me that I needed to take care of myself too. They all said I should nap when he was napping, but I also had his sister to contend with. Right now she was asleep, but Layyah was always on the go. She wanted to be a part of everything whether I was cooking or giving Ivan his bath, she was always there and always eager to help. But when he was asleep, I tried to get in some snuggle time with her too. Most times, that ended up with us on the floor having a tea party with her dolls while some Disney movie played on screen or cuddled up with a book. Yes, my little girl had inherited her father's love for books though thankfully right now it was princesses and magic faeries that held her attention.

"Can we skip Thanksgiving this year?" I asked Dimitri grinning lazily up at him. At some point, he'd taken off my shirt and laid me on the couch, those skilled hands of his continuing to work its magic on my body.

"Whatever you want, baby," He said and kissed me gently. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, completely at peace for the first time in a while. I could've just stayed there forever, but reality came in the form of Ivan's cries.

"I'll get him," Dimitri said. "You just relax." I nodded knowing he was probably just hungry. A couple minutes later, Dimitri brought him to me and confirmed my thoughts. Little did I know that while I nursed Ivan, my amazing husband wasn't done helping me relax.

"Is he done?" Dimitri asked. I nodded and he took the baby from my arms. I pouted and whined a little making Dimitri laugh.

"Tell mama you want to hang out with daddy right baby?" He cooed to our son making him smile. I giggled softly as I watched Dimitri with the baby. He was always so good with our kids, I would forever be grateful that I was able to give him a family.

"I ran you a bath," He said to me. "Go get in the tub and relax. I'll handle things around here." I wanted to argue, but with the baby fed and Layyah asleep, I could come up with nothing. So, I did as he asked and must have been really tired because I fell asleep in the tub.

When I woke up next, I was in bed and the house was quiet. I sat up panic flaring up. It was also dark outside, morning for vampires. I was certain that I'd missed Ivan's cries because this house was never ever quiet, but then as I looked around, the panic disappeared and a smile slid onto my face. Dimitri was asleep next to me, Ivan on his chest sleeping peacefully. I leaned over to kiss Dimitri on the forehead just because he'd somehow managed to give me what I had been craving. A good few hours of decent sleep, but the second I did, Ivan's eyes fluttered. I grinned, thinking it was true that babies could smell their mother's milk. Carefully so I didn't wake Dimitri, I picked Ivan up and cradled him in my arms letting him latch on.

"Come on love bug," I said softly when he was done. "Let's get you changed and check on your sister."

I was in the middle of making breakfast when I got a panicked phone call from Christian. Apparently, thanksgiving really was canceled this year, because Lissa was in labor and if the swearing I was hearing from her was anything to go by, she had been for a while. I told Christian to relax and keep her calm and promised to drop by the hospital.

Hours later, sitting in a hospital room with my best friend, her husband, their new baby and my own husband, I realized that I did have a lot to be grateful for. And when Lissa got the all clear to go from the doctors thanks to some spirit healing from Adrian and Sonya, we were in for another surprise. The second we made it to Lissa and Christian's house, the smell of amazing food hit us.

"Happy thanksgiving, little girl." I grinned and hugged my dad as mom and the Belikov women gathered around us.

"I should've known," I said simply. He grinned and kissed my cheek and then the next couple minutes were a blur of hugs and Russian and love. Apparently, my dad didn't know how to take no for an answer. When you said no to Abe, it meant let's take her no and turn it into something amazing. In this case, it turned out to be Thanksgiving dinner, and as conversation and laughter flowed around the table which was piled high with more food than I knew what to do with, there was no keeping the grin off my face. I guess there was no getting rid of this holiday after all. And truth be told, surrounded by my family and friends who had become family too, I couldn't believe I'd ever considered skipping this.

Well, guys? Let me know what you're thinking! And again, happy thanksgiving everyone! I'll be back with holiday one shots! Review if you want them!

XXX

Roza