So, I wrote this chapter yesterday and edited it today, which is why it's a day late. Sorry! I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Thank for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!

Thanksgiving

"Tell me again about this strange tradition your world has," Killian said, watching as his wife pulled a pie out of the oven.

"It's to celebrate everything you're thankful for," Emma explained, setting the dessert on the counter with a clang! and kicking the oven closed. She yanked the oven mitts off her hands and dropped them on the counter. "A long time ago, and I mean a long time ago, way before you were even born, at least I think, there was a dinner between the Pilgrims and Native Americans."

Killian raised his eyebrows, leaning on the counter by the sink. "What are 'Pilgrims?'"

Emma shrugged. "A group of religious people. I'm not entirely sure. It's been a long time since fourth grade. Ask Henry. He's smart." Her eyes blew wide and she yanked the oven back open. "Crap. The pecan pie wasn't supposed to be in this long."

Killian chuckled and pushed himself off the granite. "Would you like assistance, love?"

She waved him off as she grabbed the pie. "Not with this. Make sure Henry's ready to go. We gotta leave soon or we'll be late."

"Your specialty," he teased.

Emma sent him a playful glare.

Killian grinned and headed upstairs. With the Final Battle a few months behind them and no new villains appearing, the three of them—Emma, Henry, and him—had fallen into a routine. A routine Killian loved. However, apparently the last two months of the year didn't have any schedules. Emma was always going on about all the holiday events her mother wanted to do and how they would do them. Henry couldn't stop fretting over getting Violet the perfect Christmas present, though it was still a month a way. David had started stringing something called Christmas lights all over the farm, saying they had to be ready for Thanksgiving night when he would plug them in and amaze them all with his skills.

Emma, it seemed, wasn't the biggest fan of holidays. She'd confessed this to him a few weeks ago after she saw a Christmas tree set up at the store and didn't give it a second glance while he'd stared at it for a whole minute in awe. However, she was making the most of the holidays now because she didn't know how long their peace would last. She seemed determined to do what she could to make these special traditions unforgettable, just as her mother was, which confused Killian. Emma was never one for elaborate parties or decorations. He wouldn't deny her of it if it was what she truly desired, but Killian couldn't help think there was a reason for it that she wasn't telling him.

"Henry, are you ready to go?" He knocked gently on his stepson's door before pushing it open.

"Yeah!" Henry jumped up from his bed, setting the book he was reading on his nightstand. "Are the pies done?"

"Aye, though I think your mother may have burnt one."

"Of course she did." He laughed and grabbed his jacket. "Let's go!"

David and Snow's home, though purchased only two months ago, was unpacked and decorated as though they had lived there for ages. Emma had told him that was highly unusual, but not for her parents. She still had boxes that needed to be unpacked in their attic apparently. Killian made a mental note of that.

"You're here!" Snow gasped when she opened the door, as though it was a surprise. "And on time!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You sound like Killian. I'm not late all the time."

Killian and Snow shared a look, which had Emma elbowing him in the side.

"Apologies Swan. You are never late."

Again, her eyes went skyward. "Can we come in Mom? It's freezing out here."

The dining table was decorated in the most elaborate way Killian had seen. A brown, checkered table cloth was spread across it. Little pumpkins and leaves ran down the middle, as if for decoration. Who in their right mind put leaves on their table?

"They're plastic," Emma whispered to him when she caught him staring. "It's normal here."

"I'm glad you didn't put leaves on our table."

She snorted. "Yeah, that'll probably be different next year. Mom said our house was way too plain. She's giving us decorations."

"We can always burn them."

"Okay!" Snow said, grabbing everyone's attention. Henry looked up from where he was playing with Neal on the floor. "David and Regina said dinner's ready, so sit!"

"Finally," Emma mumbled. "I'm starving."

As they loaded their plates up with all sorts of food, Killian looked around the table and smiled. When he had met Emma all those years ago, he never imagined that she would change his life in such a way. Because of her, he had the largest family he'd ever had. His True Love was his wife, he loved his stepson as if he was his own, and he had friends he could count on. David and Snow had become people he trusted almost as much as he trusted Emma. Regina and him had grown "less likely to kill each other on sight," as Emma liked to put it. Zelena, though distant from all except Regina, her daughter, and Henry, had even become somewhat of an acquaintance.

"You gonna eat?" Emma asked, gesturing to his untouched food with her fork. Killian saw that half of her mashed potatoes were already gone.

"Aye." He kissed her head. "I love you."

A soft smile appeared on her face. "I love you, too."

"I'm telling you, Hook, there is no way the king's navy you were in could have beat mine and Snow's navy," David said. "Our navy was huge. Even Regina was afraid of it!"

"I could have blown your entire Navy to smithereens with a wave of my hand." Regina turned her hand in the air, as if showing them an example.

"But you didn't!" David defended. "Because you were afraid."

Regina rolled her eyes and turned to her sister.

"With Liam and I captaining, we would have beaten everyone of your ships by ourselves," Killian protested. "Even then, we had the Jolly Roger."

David scoffed. "One ship against hundreds? We would have blown you out of the water."

"We would have sunk your ships. Right, Swan?"

Emma froze, halfway through chewing a bite of pumpkin pie. "Hmm?"

"Tell your father that I, Captain Hook, could have destroyed his navy."

"No, Emma, tell Captain Hook that my navy would have destroyed him in the blink of an eye."

Emma swallowed her food. She'd been listening to their conversation in amusement for the past ten minutes, but she hadn't expected to be asked for her opinion.

"Well, uh," she began, "Killian is a pretty great captain."

"See, Dave?" Kilian gestured to her. "I'm right."

"But you technically weren't Captain Hook when you were in the navy," Emma continued, cringing slightly at her words.

"Ha!" David shouted. "How do you feel, Hook, knowing your wife thinks I could have beat you?"

"You didn't let me finish!" Emma interceded. "Being Captain Hook didn't make Killian a good captain. Him and the Jolly Roger make a pretty good team. He out ran your curse, remember?"

David's face fell. "Well—"

"And if Regina didn't see your navy as much of a threat then…." She shrugged. "Maybe Killain could have destroyed it."

Killian looked at David in triumph. "How do you feel knowing your daughter thinks I could beat you, Dave?"

"She doesn't know anything about our Royal Navy," he muttered.

"Grandpa would have totally beaten you, Killian," Henry said. "There is no way you could have won with one ship."

Killian's mouth dropped.

"This is why you're my favorite grandson!" David beamed at Henry. "I see you get your intelligence from me, not your mom. Must have skipped a generation."

"Hey!" Emma gasped.

Snow stifled a laugh. Emma narrowed her eyes. Her mother had stayed unusually quiet in this conversation.

"What do you think, Mom?" she asked, folding her arms on the table. "Between your navy and Killian, who would win?"

Snow jumped, her eyes darting to Emma. "W-what?"

"You heard me."

"I, uh…." She glanced at David nervously, smiling slightly.

David's eyebrows furrowed. "Answer the question, Snow."

"Why? It's such a trivial thing—"

"Answer the question," Regina chimed in. Even Zelena looked up from the baby in her arms.

"I think we need more whipped cream!" Snow jumped to her feet. "I'll go grab some from the kitchen—"

"Oh, my gosh," David interrupted. "You agree with Emma and Hook. Why?"

Snow stilled. "Um, well, we didn't have that big of a navy. Our ships were old and falling apart. If we were challenged, we probably would have lost."

"Ha!" Killian stood. "How do you feel, David, knowing your wife thinks I would beat you?"

"I don't understand," David said, ignoring Killian. "You think Killian and his brother would beat us with one ship? Even if our fleets were falling apart—"

"We didn't have fleets, David." Snow sat down, apparently deciding that there was no need to pretend anymore. "We were unprepared for battle at sea."

"But that doesn't mean—"

"Just give up, Dad." Emma stuffed a bite of pie in her mouth. "You lost."

He stared at her in disbelief a moment longer before collapsing against his chair.

"It's time!" Snow squealed as she entered the living room, lowering herself into the seat next to David, who held Neal in his lap.

Emma groaned, dropping her head to Killian's shoulder. "Mom, can't we just skip this part? It's so…well, I don't know, but I don't want to do it."

"You sound like a child." Snow barely addressed Emma's comment and moved on, "I'll start. I am thankful that we finally got a holiday that was peaceful while not being cursed. David, your turn."

He exhaled. "Well, I'm thankful for the amazing dinner Regina and I cooked up tonight. Oh, and the pies Emma and Hook brought. Top notch, guys."

"Emma did all the hard work," Killian said, squeezing her hand.

"Only because you refused to use the electric mixer."

"I will not use that devil machine again."

Emma laughed and kissed his cheek. "That's why you have me."

"Regina's turn!" Snow declared.

"Oh." Regina blinked. "Um, I guess I'm thankful that we didn't have to have this dinner at my house. I don't want all those dishes in my sink."

Before anyone could respond, Snow sang, "Zelena's turn!"

The witch, who stood next to Regina's chair, rocking her daughter to sleep, smiled at the baby in her arms. "I'm thankful for Robin."

Emma couldn't help but smile at the sight. Zelena had wronged her many times, but she'd also proved her loyalty to Regina countless times.

"Henry."

He leaned his head back on the couch, eyes on the ceiling. "Um, I'm thankful for books. They're pretty great."

"Killian!"

Emma craned her neck to look at him. She'd been a little afraid for him. She knew he knew all about her mother's elaborate traditions and that she often got sucked into them. Heck, she'd helped her mother come up with some of those traditions this year, but Killian didn't need to know that. She worried he might be overwhelmed, but he didn't seem that way. She supposed he could handle anything after spending so long on an island with a group of teenagers.

When his eyes met hers, butterflies erupted in her stomach. How he managed to do that every time he looked at her was beyond her comprehension.

"I am incredibly grateful for Emma." His voice was soft. Emma would be surprised if anyone else could hear him. "She changed me, gave me something to live for. Because of her, I have the life I've always wanted: A beautiful wife, a wonderful stepson,"—he turned his head to Henry and then to the David and Snow—"friends who help me all the time,"—his head turned toward Regina and Zelena—"and the knowledge that even the people who have seen you at your most evil can forgive you. Most of all, though,"—his eyes moved back to Emma's—"I'm grateful for her never ending goodness and trust." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I love you Swan."

Emma's eyes glistened with unshed tears. She should have known he would have some speech prepared. Then, she remembered he hadn't known they would do this. He'd come up with it all on the spot. "I love you, too, pirate."

He beamed. "It's your turn, love."

She breathed out a laugh and looked at her legs, wiping her eyes. "I don't think I can top that, but I'm thankful for everyone here. My parents, who always loved me. Regina, who's become a friend. Zelena, who's made sacrifices to save us all. Henry, who always reminds me to have hope. Neal, who never fails to bring a smile to my face. And Killian, who knows me better than anyone." She grinned. "How was that?"

Killian chuckled. "I say you topped me."

"If he doesn't get the lights plugged in soon, I'm going inside." Emma rubbed her gloved hands together. "It's freezing."

Killian wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as she slid her arms around his waist. "Is this a normal tradition in this world? Standing outside in the cold to wait for lights?"

"I don't actually know. I think it might just be something my parents came up with. None of my foster homes did it. Henry and I didn't do it in that year in New York."

"But we lived in an apartment," Henry said.

Emma pulled one of her arms away from Killian to grab Henry's hand. "Did you and Regina do this?"

He shook his head. "No, Marco always put our lights up on December first."

"Well," Killian said, "it appears your parents have started a new tradition."

Emma smiled up at him.

"He's about to do it!" Snow appeared from behind the large farm house, running toward her family who stood several yards away from the front door. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Henry bounced on his feet. Emma loved that he still had a child-like wonder in his eyes.

"Three!" David's voice came from the side of the house. "Two…one!"

The house lit up. Gasps left them all, even Regina and Zelena. Strings of white lights lined the windows and railings. The trees surrounding the area were wrapping in red and green lights. The walkway was outlined with red and white lights. A light up wreath hung from the top of the porch. Emma couldn't help but stare at it in awe. Her parents had done that all by themselves?

"Awesome!" Henry shouted.

Emma looked at him, a soft smile appearing on her face. It amazed her that even after everything Henry had been through, he still enjoyed things regular kids enjoyed.

"Aye," Killian whispered. "It's remarkable."

Emma's eyes shifted to his face. He stared at the house, looking both bewildered and in awe at the same time. Emma turned his head toward her and stood on her toes, kissing him softly.

"I love you," she breathed as she pulled away.

His smile was as soft as her voice. "I love you, too."

She rested her head on his shoulder, stepping closer to him. He dropped a kiss to her head.

"So, how was your first Thanksgiving?"

Killian looked up from his book as Emma plopped down on the bed. "It was rather good, I'd say." He set his book on his nightstand when Emma cuddled into his side.

"Yeah? It wasn't too much?"

"Of course not. I was worried it might be too much for you."

She shrugged. "Not really. Thinking about the dinner before we got there was a little. When I was growing up, if I was ever lucky enough to be in a foster home that could afford a Thanksgiving meal, it was usually full of arguments."

"Well, other than your father's crazy idea that I wouldn't be able to beat him, there were no arguments."

Her chest vibrated with a soft laugh. "Yeah. I'm glad we did it."

"Me, too." He paused before saying, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You're not usually on board with all your mother's crazy plans and traditions. However, the past few weeks, it seems like you have been. Is there a reason?"

The question was so random that Emma almost laughed, but she should have known he'd caught onto her strange behavior. "It's been so peaceful, right? I just…I figured something bad would happen while we were happy and everything. So, I wanted to make everything…special, I guess. A villain could appear at any moment. I don't want to waste a second of our first Thanksgiving together, our first Christmas together. You know?"

He pulled back enough to look at her. "I understand, love."

She grinned. "Of course you do. Now, let's go to sleep. All that food made me tired."

"Aye." He chuckled. "Agreed."

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it! I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter! Sorry if there were any mistakes. I really wanted to get it up before tomorrow!