Thanksgiving:

A/N: This is a two shot, and I promise, that is what it will be. I am challenging myself with it. And I know that everyone doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving. In fact, I think the only place in the world celebrating Thanksgiving THIS weekend is us Canadians. So happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! Hah. So obviously the CSIs would not be celebrating Thanksgiving at this time, so it can be November or whenever American thanksgiving is. Let's play pretend. Obviously, since we like fanfiction, we're good at that. Okay.

PS: It's set sometime after season four.

Disclaimer: Own nothing. As always.

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It seemed that for the Miami Dade CSIs, there was not a lot to be thankful for that year. They had all lost so much, been deceived by so many, and endured so many more devastating things than they usually had to endure that year, that they should have been thankful a few months later in January when the particular year was over. But it was Thanksgiving, and what were they to do?

"Hey Calleigh." Eric sat down beside her in the break room.

"Eric, Hi!" She smiled brightly at him. How she was a morning person was beyond him. Ryan seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he looked practically dead sitting on the opposite side of Calleigh on the couch. "Do you two realize what this weekend is?"

"It's not anyone's birthday is it?" Ryan moaned.

"Yes Ryan. It's yours." Eric joked dryly.

"It is?" Ryan played along. "I may be tired, but I still know my own birthday Delko." Ryan rolled his eyes. Eric just shrugged.

"So what is it?" Eric asked.

"As if you don't know." Calleigh rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath about men, forgetfulness and being tired of it all.

"It's Thanksgiving." Natalia piped up from across the room, where she was pouring herself some coffee.

"At least someone knows their holidays." Calleigh narrowed her eyes at Eric, then Ryan.

"Why would I care about Thanksgiving?" Eric asked. "I forget it every year. When we work the job we work, you can hardly argue that there is anything to be thankful for."

"Especially this year." Ryan added.

"It figures that as soon as you two agree on something, you take the opposite side of me." Calleigh sighed. "And I do see your point. I was thinking similar thoughts until last night when I had an epiphany."

"Oh god." Ryan groaned, sitting up straighter on the couch. Eric wasn't sure if he was trying to wake up, or fall asleep. He seemed to be playing limbo in between the two at the moment.

"Though there have been a lot of… unpleasant things happen to us over the past year," Calleigh began.

"Try traumatic. Life scarring…" Eric was about to continue when Calleigh shot him one of her trademark 'I'm trying to be positive here' looks. "Sorry, continue."

"We still have a lot to be thankful for." This time it was a snort from Ryan that interrupted her. He promptly closed his eyes after receiving the look. "We all have jobs we are passionate about doing, and we enjoy coming to work because we're all friends, and we get along. We all get paid and we don't ever have to worry about getting laid off, or put out of work because as long as there are people in the world, there will always be crime. We have so many securities in our life that a lot of people can't say they have," Calleigh continued before Eric cut her off once again.

"Before we listen to the rest of your sermon, could I say something?" He asked, and she nodded. "I think it is a wonderful idea to celebrate Thanksgiving."

"You just said that to make me shut up." She accused.

"No, I think so too." Ryan added, opening one eye.

"Because you're so much more credible." Calleigh remarked sarcastically. "But because that is the second thing you two have agreed on today, despite it being different views on the same topic, I am thankful for you two getting along, so I will skip the sermon if you promise to come to thanksgiving dinner at my house."

"Well…" Eric began.

"Promise?" Calleigh asked.

"Are you cooking?" He asked hesitantly.

"Eric!" She hit him on the arm.

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot.

"I didn't hit you that hard." Calleigh rolled her eyes at his over exaggeration. "But no. I will not be cooking."

"I'll come!" Both Ryan and Eric chorused at once.

"I'm hurt. Truly hurt." Calleigh put a hand over her heart and played sad. She really wasn't offended. They all knew she couldn't cook.

"I'll make it up to you later." Eric called with an overdramatic wink as he headed for the door to the break room.

"You're quite the drama queen today." Calleigh commented with a smirk.

"A drama queen who needs to go pester Valera for DNA results." Eric said with a flourish. "So that I shall do. Would you care to join me Ryan? As you and I are both working the case, we should both go offer ourselves as slaves to Valera to hurry our lab results along."

"As enticing as that sounds, it is way too early for me to leave this couch." Ryan replied.

"Do you know many germs are probably on that couch?" Eric asked, and Ryan seemed to perk up just a bit. "How many people sit there, spill god knows what there, and even touch the couch forgetting to wash their hands after touching funny things in the labs…" By this time, Ryan had leapt off the couch and was not sanitizing his hands, from a bottle that had come from who knows where.

"Let's go." Eric smirked, obviously pleased with himself for manipulating his colleagues OCD ways. Ryan followed him out of the room, obviously wide-awake now. Now it was just Natalia and Calleigh left in the break room, and it was sort of awkward as things always were around the lab when it was just Natalia and anyone.

"So," Calleigh was attempting to start a conversation.

"It's funny to watch how wrapped around your finger Ryan and Eric are." Natalia smiled in a friendly manner. She knew everyone felt awkward around her, so she tried to ease that as much as possible.

"I guess." Calleigh shrugged. She'd never really thought about it before, but now that it was mentioned she supposed she did, in a way. "I guess it's just because for the longest time, the only females around the lab were me and Alexx, and Alexx isn't around that much."

"Yeah." Natalia shrugged. She, from an outside position could see that despite the fact that she had dated both of the men, they were in love with Calleigh. She was just more approachable, more attainable, though she was sure that if either of them were to actually let Calleigh know that they were interested, she wasn't on quite the level of pedestal that they'd placed her. "So are you going to do anything with family for thanksgiving?"

"Nah," Calleigh shrugged. She didn't feel like divulging her complicated, rather tragic family story to Natalia at that point, or holding hostile feelings where there was a lack of knowledge. "My whole family, except for my Dad, are in Louisiana and he's going back there for the week. I can't be bothered travelling. I'd rather just stay here. What about you?"

"Not this year. Things at home aren't exactly… pleasant to go back to right now." Natalia shrugged.

"I know how that feels." Calleigh sympathized. It was at that point that she realized that Natalia had less to be thankful than the rest of them, anyways. She felt badly for sitting there, and making that semi, well sermon, as Eric had called it, about how lucky they were to have the working environment they had, when she didn't have that. "Well, if you aren't doing anything, would you like to come to my house with us for thanksgiving? Since, you know, we're all sort of family around the lab."

"Sure!" Natalia's face lit up at the prospect of finally being accepted into the lab. "I would enjoy that a lot." Calleigh was glad she had asked, despite the fact that she knew Ryan and Eric would not be pleased with her later. That was okay, because as Natalia said, she had them wrapped around her finger.

"Well, we'll have dinner at my place on Saturday night. I know it's typically Sunday night, but well, we like to do things differently. So Saturday it is." Calleigh explained.

"Okay." Natalia nodded. "Who else goes to these things?"

"Well, since it's on Saturday, Alexx will be able to drop by for a bit, Eric and Ryan, as you know, will be there. Horatio usually comes, but this year I don't think my pitch on what we have to be thankful for will work on him. Some of the detectives might pop by, Valera and Dan will probably be around, a variation of other lab techs perhaps." Calleigh explained. "My condo is way too big for my own good, and everyone brings a bit of food, and of course, alcohol. What else makes a real thanksgiving? And I have already ordered a huge turkey from the same place I always do, so we're covered there."

"Sounds like it's a lot of fun." Natalia smiled. "You're sure no one's going to be upset that you've invited me?"

"You're a part of the lab now too. They may have had their… issues with you in the past, but what better time to get over them than thanksgiving?" Calleigh shrugged. She wasn't too worried about how the Natalia factor would go over. She did pitch some rather compelling sermons, if worse came to worse, but Saturday would bring what Saturday would bring.

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A/N: Actually, you know what? Today is Friday. So that can be Friday in the story. Then, this will actually be a … four-chapter story. I changed it. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Thanksgiving. Okay. Review please! Hope you enjoyed it! Bed time for me!