Preparations
- - - November 14th - - -
"Mr Pennyworth, how is Thanksgiving celebrated at the Wayne household?"
Alfred looked up from the sheets they had been reviewing together, a part of the paper trail left by the disastrous duplication spell earlier that month. Since all Gotham-related League documents fell into Batman's jurisdiction, his Master Bruce would have to sign a number of reports to ensure that the government's anti-supervillan insurance would cover the victims' recompensation claims.
The most heart-breaking files were those pertaining to the boy who had lost his broken hand in the hospital's intensive care unit because his emergency surgery had been interrupted at the worst possible moment. Only the quick response by a seventeen-year-old intern had saved him from bleeding to death.
"Thanksgiving? Right. A very American holiday – people indulge their gluttony at the family table and then succumb to the allures of capitalism in a sales frenzy before they have fully recovered from the feast. Almost like Christmas, just that the order is reversed."
In response to his dark words, Mary stood up to retrieve the tea pot from the nearby counter, then proceeded to refill his cup.
Very sensible girl. He accepted his cuppa gratefully. Alfred had barely slept all weekend. The Bat signal had flashed five times in the previous night, and in between he had been busy securing some additional Wayne Enterprise funding to support the poor hospitalized boy and reward that brave intern girl… He knew Bruce well enough to predict that he would want him to arrange just that, once he had time to review the files himself.
"As you might have guessed, family-centred holidays are a sore subject to Master Bruce", he returned to Mary's question. "For Master Richard's sake, the two of them usually attend some larger charity events on these occasions. Yet this year, the League has scheduled a full member's assembly on Thanksgiving Thursday. Bruce and Richard therefore plan to join a benefice gala hosted by the Amazonian embassy on Sunday instead. Some nature conservation topic, I believe."
He sighed. "We must ask Master Richard what his plans are for the holiday itself. We will most likely spend it here by ourselves. I can show you how to prepare the turkey…"
Mary nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have to come back to you on that, after I made a few more inquiries."
"Artemis, how do you plan to spend Thanksgiving this year?"
"Hah! Sitting in the kitchen with my mom heating up store-bought roast-turkey sandwiches and trying to distract her from the fact that of course my sister didn't show up…" The archer shrugged. "Still better than last year, I suppose. Sportsmaster almost got me killed with a javelin, and I could not call my mother in prison until Friday because the few phone lines they had were occupied all day."
"Kaldur, do you have plans for Thanksgiving Thursday?"
"Thursday in two weeks? No, I don't think so. My King asked him to join him at some-Thanksgiving-related event at the Amazonian embassy on the following Sunday, for the sake of gathering donations for the protection of marine wildlife from plastic pollution. Actually, can you tell me more about this holiday? Is it celebrated everywhere on the surface?"
"Thanksgiving? Why, that's even better than Halloween! My mom makes the best gravy in all of Central City. We usually celebrate at my uncle's place, all seven of us with Jay Garrick, the first Flash, and his wife – they are practically family, you know? Everyone brings a turkey, and aunt Iris is in charge of desserts… Last year, we managed to literally bend the dinner table with the weigh of all the pots and pans. Buckets full of mashed potatoes and stuffing, gallons of cranberry sauce, baskets with bread rolls, green salad, butternut squash, heaps of everything! You'd love it!"
"Oh, Mary, I would love to celebrate thanksgiving here at the cave! We should invite everyone, and make a fancy dinner – do you know how to cook a turkey? Hello, Megan! We could even invite the mentors! My uncle J'onn said he really enjoyed the holiday on Earth. Do you think we could fit everyone into the dining area?"
"I don't think they'll have time, Megan", Conner injected. "Superman told me they have a meeting at the Watchtower." A rare smile tucked at the corners of his mouth. "I think he told me to make sure I didn't feel left out. He usually spends the day with his parents, he said he'd like to introduce us some day…"
"Hey, Mary – I hear you've been asking people about Thanksgiving?"
"Yes... I know everything is going to be quite different for you this year, Tanna. How would you like the day to go?"
"I don't know. Usually, my dad and I spend the whole holidays together, preparing all the dishes our own way – Dad makes butternut squash risotto, and there would be bruschetta instead of bread roles, and tiramisu for desert… We'd stay at home on Black Friday, watching the movies my mom used to love, and then give a joint magic stage show at one of those benefice things on Saturday or Sunday. But this year... Nabu promised they'd return from fixing his tower in time, but then they'll have to go to that stupid League assembly, right?"
"Robin, about Thanksgiving…"
"Yeah. I've heard you've been asking around, Mary. Don't worry about me, okay? I actually like spending the evening with Alfred, watching The Gray Ghost on TV... If I wanted more company, I could always join Wally at that huge family feast of his – he invited me last year, it was fun, but it's not really my thing, you know?"
"I know, Robin. Now listen, I need some brotherly advice to plan this right. Megan and Zatanna want a celebration, but don't have any family to spend the evening with. Conner and Kaldur are neutral, while Wally and Artemis – and you, from what you just said – have family plans for the night.
My idea is to get everyone together at the cave on Thursday morning. We can prepare some food together, ensure Tanna doesn't feel too alone, make it a group thing. Those who have to leave in the evening can go, and in Artemis' and your case take parts of the meal with you – it will save Alfred a lot of work, and you still get to enjoy the full dinner at home. How does that sound?"
Robin nodded slowly, considering her plan. "That sounds pretty good, actually. You know, though, from my experience, the more effort it takes to plan a civil get-together like this, the more likely it becomes that the event is interrupted by an emergency alert that has all of us storming out for some kind of end-of-the-world mission..."
"Yeah… Well, we'll just have to risk it, right?"
"In short, you don't have worry about turkey sandwiches this year, mom", Artemis finished.
Her mother was practically glowing with delight. "That sounds like a wonderful plan, Arty. Do you think your sister will be able to make it?"
"This is not your city."
Red Arrow had raised his bow before she finished the second word. By the third, he fired at the source of her voice, his eyes still adjusting to the darkness outside.
"So impulsive. I like that in a man."
Finally able to make out her figure, he felt his throat tighten.
The black-haired assassin had stepped out of a dark ally only six feet away, twirling his arrow leisurely between her fingers. The yellow light from the institute's windows behind him illuminated her white Cheshire mask, the painted grin shining brightly. Her silky green costume clung to her curves, and he had to stop his eyes from wandering to the stripe of tanned skin exposed between her shorts and her knee-high black boots.
"It's not your city either, any more", he growled.
Jade Nguyen might have been born in Gotham, yet since joining the League of Shadows in her teens, she'd not been known to return here often.
"Oh, you read my file! Should I be flattered?"
She was side-stepping him while she talked. Red Arrow repositioned himself, keeping his body between her and the doors of the Gotham branch of STAR Labs he had just exited.
"Are you guarding that building? That's a dog's job, honey."
He clenched his teeth. There was nothing left to guard. He had figured it out too late – the reason for all those attacks on STAR Labs institutes across the country. Who ever caused them had been after a rare piece of an ancient starfish creature from Atlantis, brought to the surface after that attack on Poseidonis over two months ago. And now it was gone, stolen during that duplication disaster.
"What, no bark, not even a growl?" She was still stepping closer. "Shouldn't you be chasing your cat, like a good boy?"
"What do you want, Cheshire?" He lowered his bow, she was already far too close for ranged weapons. His fingers felt for the baton strapped to his side.
"Would you believe that I was just here to talk to you?" Her sultry voice whispered. She bent towards him, her mask almost touching his ear. "I have news to deliver, my dear Broken Arrow..."
Author's note:
A very domestic interlude. Yet as you all know, the best laid plans of mice and women oft go astray...
Once again, a thousand thanks to the faithful dimensionholder for all of her reviews - it makes me extremely happy to hear that you're enjoying the story! (Can't promise a wedding scene but I love the idea... And no, the Zatara situation is not actually resolved yet, I've got another idea up my sleeve for Nabu...)
I'll be posting a second chapter again today as a thanks to all reviewers!