The characters from Peter Gunn don't belong to me , they were created by Blake Edwards. I only borrow them.

This is basically fluff, no real plot but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thanksgiving can be an interesting holiday when it involves family.

References are made to The Deadly Proposition S2E25, Vendetta S1E36 and The Maitre D' S3E3

Chapter 1

He was more than a little anxious as he pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. The house was exactly like Edie had said, a fully detached, white frame with a small porch and boxwoods by the front walk. An overgrown maple tree, now empty of its leaves stood by the edge of the driveway. He took a deep breathe ñoting the crisp smell of fall in the air.

"Honey. " Edie's hand grasped his arm. "Its alright. Its just my parents. "

He gave his girl a weak smile and nodded. He liked Mike Hart very much and thankfully the man liked him as well. But Mama! Sometimes he wondered if being chased by a killer down a dark alley wasn't prefable to spending time with Margaret Hart. He let out another sigh.

"Buck up son. "His father teased from the back seat. "You'll make it. "

"Thanks Pop. " he grimaced. "That's easy for you to say, she likes you. "

Sam Gunn let out a hearty laugh as he climbed from the Plymouth. "Of course she does. I'm not dating her daughter!"

He was glad his father was here, thankful how it had worked out. He and Edie had invited the elder Gunn to come see them for the holiday on the same day he had called to invite them to Seattle. The next day Edie's mother had called inviting her for Thanksgiving. "Pete and I would love to come." she had ignored his exclusion but Pop is coming. " Then he must come. " her father had picked up the extension. "We can't wait to see the three of you. "

The front door of the house swung open, Mike coming down the steps with a huge grin on his face. "Welcome everyone!" He shook hands with Pete and Sam before giving his daughter a bear hug. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

"Papa! " Edie tried to sound affronted but just shook her head.

"No sir, not one bit. It was a very nice trip the whole way. "

"Good deal. Sam, good to see you. " the two men shaking hands again. The two fathers had met a few months before and had become fast friends. Mike had joined Sam and his brother Luke on a fishing trip in June, the time cementing their friendship.

"Come on in" Mike slipped his hand inside his daughter's. "Peggy has a pot of beef stew on the stove and cornbread in the oven. We'll worry about your luggage later."

They were greeted at the door by a large yellow dog, who wagged her tail in welcome but cried out with joy when she saw Edie. The woman's smile was wide as she bent to pet her, stroking her silk head. "Macy! " she said in delight. "I missed you. "

Pete had heard many stories of the lab/retriever mix, knowing Edie had found her when she was a hungry, abandoned puppy. He offered the back of his hand to Macy, who licked it.

"I think you passed the test. " Mike teased him. "Come on Macy girl. " he motioned for the dog to go to the kitchen. "I'll bring Edie in. "

Pete took a quick look at the living room as they passed it, noticing an upright grand in the corner and a fire blazing in the fireplace. Margaret Hart was standing at the stove, talking to her sister in law, the spoon dripping when she saw the group come in. "Edie!" She called out, embracing her daughter. 'My baby girl!"

"Its so good to see you Mama. " the blonde kissed her mother's cheek. "I missed you. "

"You look nice. " her mother said giving her a once over. "And I like your hair. "

"Thank you. " she grinned. Mama you remember Sam don't you?"

"Of course! " the woman shook the elder Gunn's hand. "Were happy to have you. "

"Thank you. " he smiled. "You have a lovely home. "

She smiled her thanks, then turned to Pete. "Mr. Gunn." an almost smile on her face. "I'm glad you could come and bring my little girl home. "

"Its my pleasure. " he assured her, wondering for the first time in what he knew would be many for the weekend if this woman would ever like him.

"And I think you've met my brother and sister in law. " she introduced the PI to the couple at the table.

"We certainly have. " Iris Nolan giggled. "Its good to see you again Mr. Gunn. " He kissed her offered hand which set her to giggling again. "Max", the two men shook hands. "

Earlier in the year Pete had helped Edie's cousin Bridgette and her husband in adopting a little girl who had been orphaned after the death of her father; a client of Pete's. Max and Iris had come to visit their new granddaughter and had spent a day with Pete and Edie. Max couldn't help but like Peter Gunn, no matter what his sister said and Iris was infatuated with the private investigator. "He's the most handsome man I ever saw!"

"Everyone sit down. "Mike encouraged , giving the dog a bowl of stew before sitting down himself. "I'm sure every one is hungry. "

Once the food was served the talking began or maybe the talking over the talk was a better way to describe it Pete thought with a ģrin. Having been an only child, meal times in the Gunn house had been pleasant but quite a lot quieter. It took a minute for him to realize Iris was asking him a question, half his brain concentrating on the conversation between Max and his father on deer hunting.

Peg and Edie talked about her trip, Macy quietly begging for pieces of cornbread. It was a nice, cozy kitchen he noticed with a large cabinet filled with antique dishes and several salt and pepper sets. A daisy shaped clock hung over the sink, yellow curtains at the window that were the same cheerful color. A calender from the local bank hung on the wall beside the stove, Thanksgiving day being circled.

Ben called a couple hours ago. " Mike got a word in edgewise. He said they had gotten a late start but should be here around 6:00. "

"I can't wait to see them. " Peg smiled as she got up, taking her plate to the sink.

"Me neither " Edie agreed. "It's been ages since I've seen the girls. " Ben had come to visit her a couple months ago, the outcome of which was something else Pete wasn't sure about. Like his mother, Ben Hart was hard to read.

"Are those your granddaughters?" Sam indicated a picture on top of the counter.

"Yes, that's them. " Peg beamed bringing it over. "That's Emma, she's almost five, Maggie who's two and a half and Lauren who's seven months now. "

"They are beautiful. "

"Thank you. " she smiled. "Grandchildren are a blessing. But I'm sure you know that. " she said in a way that could be serious or not.

Edie opened her mouth to say something but Sam gave her a slight shake of his head. "Oh I don't know. " he sighed. "Gertrude is awfully plain and Ermintrude is bossy, while Zelda is..."

"You mean you really do have?" Mama started.

"No, I'm teasing you. " Sam laughed. . No grandchildren as of yet " the look he gave Pete one that even made Mama chuckle.

"Someday. "

Mike offered for the men to do the dishes but Peg chased them away, saying she and Edie and Iris would tske care of it. "Why don't you show them that clock your building?"

They went out the back door to Mike's workshop, Macy following behind. "He's building a clock?" Edie asked as she ran hot water into the sink.

Her Mother nodded. "Its going to be quite something. He's working on something to make it project the time on the ceiling.

"That's very clever. " Edie put a bowl in the dish drainer. "I'd have it shine right over the bed. That way I could just look up. Pete tends to block the clock out." she said before thinking. Thankfully Mama hadn't seemed to notice.

The three caught up on gossip as they washed, dried and put away the dishes; the two older women telling Edie about her Aunt Cassandra's new beau, "he's 15 years her junior if he's a day " Iris smirked and how their brother Ted was opening a bar in downtown Pittsburgh called The Pitts. "Who would want to go drink in a place with a name like that?" Mama teased.

Iris had a thousand questions for Edie about how opening her own club was going, the blonde anxious to tell her aunt how well the business was and how she'd never be able to do it without Leslie.Everyone in the family had been excited when Edie had told them she wanted to open a club many of them investing in the project.

It's doing much better than I ever thought. It was scary getting everything ready and trying to get all the details just right. And knowing if I couldn't do it I'd be letting down everyone who invested. But its coming along fine so far. "

"Leslie is helping you? I thought he had his own restaurant?" Mama asked confused. "I remember we went there "

"I know you were there a couple of times. It was one of the best in town. But it had a accident and he decided not to rebuild."

"What happened to it?"

"Well, someone had a grudge against Leslie and they blew it up. "

"Holy Mother of God. " Mama crossed herself in a prayer.

"It was awful yes but everything worked out all right. Pete and Lt. Jacoby found the guy and its all been taken care off. "

"I don't see how you can be so calm about it? People just don't go around trying to blow other people up. See why I dont like you being there?" Mama grabbed the spoons, wiping them with force.

"Mama. " Edie's voice was quiet as she reached out a soapy hand to touch her mother's arm. "Don't worry, everything's okay.

"This time maybe but what about next time? What if you're in the wrong place at the right time? You were shot once, it could happen again. What if Mr. Gunn can't save you? Of course I'm going to worry. I worry about you being there all the time and this doesn't help. And didn't you say the reason you opened this place was because Mother's burned down?"

"Well yes. But. " the blonde threw a look of help to her aunt.

The front door opened just then, Macy running into the kitchen ahead of the men, Edie glad for the distraction as the dog ran to her.

"You should definitely copyright that. " Sam was saying as the men came in.

Mike laughed and started to answer, the look on his wife's face causing him to pause.

"You ladies have fun talking about us?" He smiled, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. She grasped his hand for a second then turned back to the dishes. "Why are your ears burning?"

He looked around at the other two women for a clue, then gave Mama a smile. "Funny. We thought maybe we'd bring in the bags and get everyone settled before Ben and Lisa get here. "

Yes, that's a good idea. They will go in Ben's room of course and the girls in the guest room. The crib is already in there isn't it? And of course Edie will go in her room. "

There was an awkward silence that lasted several minutes, Iris finally breaking it. "I thought that Mr. Gunn was going to be in Edie's room and that Edie and Pete were going to take our spare room. We talked about it for quite a while last night. "

Peg gave her sister-in-law a withering look and shook her head. "We did discuss it yes, but I've decided this is how it will be. Edie will be here in her own room And if you two don't mind. " she addressed the Gunns, "both of you can stay with Max and Iris. They have a spare room and a pull out couch. "

"No, we don't mind at all, do we son?" Sam asked Pete. "Not the first time we've bunked together "

"Absolutely not. "Pete nodded. "It will be fine. "

"Good. " her voice saying everything was settled. "Why don't you take the luggage where it needs to. Iris and I are. going to finish these dishes."

PPP

"Everything okay with Mama?" Pete asked his love as they shuffled through a smattering of leaves, enjoying the sound. She looked a little off when we came in. " After helping with some preparations for the next day, they had all decided to take a rest, Edie showing Pete around the neighborhood where she had grown up. After going past the church and school she had directed him to Carnegie Park, a nice section of land reserved for picnic tables, swings, slides, teeter totters, tennis courts and sand boxes. "Ben and I used to spend a lot of time here when we were kids. June and I would bring our dolls and play under these trees. " The thought made Pete smile.

"We were just talking and gossiping as women are want to do. " she grinned. When Aunt Iris asked about the club. I told her it was behind my expectations and how wonderful Leslie was and then Mama asked about his restaurant and I told her what happened and she went into a speech about that it was things like that that made her wish I wasn't there and why she worried about me all the time. "

"She should know by now that I won't let anything happen to you. " he sighed as they sat down on a bench.

"Of course she does, but I am her daughter. I'd feel the same way. "

"I would too. " he agreed. "Which is why when we get around to our six kids I've decided they should all be boys. "

Edie laughed, caressing his cheek with her hand. "I'm afraid that's not up to you Gunn. "

"Okay we'll keep the girls locked up. "

"Crazy man. "

They returned back to the house walking quietly up the stairs as they heard Papa assuring Mama with the same words Pete had spoken to Edie half an hour before. "We just have to believe God will keep her safe and know that Pete won't let anything happen to her "

Quietly shutting the door of her bedroom, Edie hugged the PI close, laying a kiss on his mouth "Thank you." she said simply .

"I'm not sure what I did but if I get a reward like that I hope I do it often!"

"Did you know you're the first guy I ever snuck into my room?"

"That must make me very special. "

"You have no idea!"