A/N: I'm going to keep this short in the beginning not, but there's going to be an annoying sappy A/N at the bottom, so I'll just say, hope you enjoy!

It's been nearly a month since the night they took out the vampires, and for once, Eleanor doesn't feel so jumpy anymore. Things have finally calmed down a little, barring school of course. Eleanor has spent most days over at the Sands' house, studying, working on projects, and generally procrastinating.

Tonight, though will be different.

Eleanor sat in her last period class, eagerly watching the clock, ignoring her teacher. It's pretty standard material, stuff she's already learned. Finally, the bell rang, and she hurriedly packed away her things.

Rich hurried after Eleanor, grinning eagerly.

"So, I'm dropping you off at your place first?" she asked him.

"Nah, just stopping by," he clarified. "Rob and I were in charge of the cake."

"Thanksgiving cake," Eleanor scoffs. "There's a first for everything, I guess."

"Dude," Rich says somberly. "It's a tradition. And besides, it's the friendsgiving cake."

Eleanor laughed, nodding. They made their way into the parking lot, where the rest of their group had already gathered. Rob was sitting cross-legged on the hood of her car, pouring over the contents of one of Hunter's uncle's file. Natalie sat beside him, trying the keep the papers organized as Rob threw them around. She perked up when she saw the pair, smiling brightly at Rich in particular.

Eleanor hid her smirk. She'd never played matchmaker before, but she couldn't wait to try. Speaking of…

"Hey, E," Eleanor flushed as Hunter hurried over, looping an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hey, yourself," she said, leaning up to kiss him back.

"Gross!" Rob cried in mock-disgust. "Get a room."

"Don't pretend you aren't living vicariously through me," Hunter teased, grinning wide. Rob rolled his eyes, flipping Hunter the bird before going back to his notes.

"Are we going to just hang out in the parking lot all night, or…?" Eleanor gestured to the car, quirking an eyebrow.

Natalie hopped off gracefully, sliding effortlessly into the passenger seat. Rob stumbled off, tripping a little in his haste to keep all the papers intact.

"Yo!" Hunter whined, frowning at Natalie, who grinned up at him cheekily.

"Best friend privileges trump boyfriend privileges," she said. Hunter conceded, slipping into the back. Eleanor shot him a private smile in the rearview mirror. Instantly, his annoyance melted and his signature cherubic smile came back in full force.

Natalie was quick to hook her phone up, blasting her newest playlist. Rich lit up, leaning up to the front to eagerly talk about the music.

"So, when does Jordan and her boyfriend get in?" Rob asked distractedly.

"They're getting in at four, but I think my dad already left to get them," Hunter explained. Rob nodded, not bothering to look up.

"What's so interesting?" Eleanor asked, gesturing to the file he propped up on his knee. They pulled up to the boys' house. Rich hurried in, leaving the front door wide open. Eleanor shook her head at his eagerness. Friendsgiving cake. Honestly.

"Ensuring the bloodline," Rob answered, head whipping up. He gave Eleanor a wicked smile and she blushed instantly. Hunter smacked him, cheeks darkening. His mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile.

"Even if they were 'ensuring the bloodline', you'd be the last to know, dude," Natalie said. Eleanor sputtered wildly and Hunter didn't fair much better. His eyes flashed gold and Rob shut up instantly. In the front seat, Natalie scoffed.

Thankfully, they were saved by Rich, who made his way to back to the car, arms laden with a heavy looking cake box.

The drive back was thankfully less awkward, though Rob did waggle his eyebrows an obscene amount. The Sands' house was deserted when they got back, and the group took up the task of prepping for dinner.

Feeding a group of teenagers and college kids was one thing, but when that group included werewolf and an ex-werewolf, they tended to need a lot more food than normal. Eleanor chopped veggies and tossed them into a pan full of butter and herbs, Natalie rolled up crescent rolls, and the boys worked on the enormous turkey. A B-grade monster flick played on in the living room, adding to the cacophony of noise.

Finally, Mr. Sands and Jordan returned. Everyone rushed to greet her, wrapping her in tight hugs. Jordan's boyfriend, a shy Romanian boy, hung back, smiling awkwardly before Jordan pulled him into the fray, introducing each of them.

"This is Eleanor," Jordan said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "She's Hunter's girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you," Goran said in his lilting accent. Eleanor smiled at him, welcoming him in warmly.

Mr. Sands' girlfriend came by a little later, carrying a tote bag full of pies. She might not know about the family's nocturnal proclivities, but she knew how teenagers ate.

Soon enough, the entire group was squashed together at the dinner table, raucous and joyful. Everyone cracked jokes and Eleanor was so happy, she felt like her heart might burst. She ate until she literally couldn't, polishing down two plates of food and more slices of pie and cake than she'd like to admit.

Finally, the night was winding down, with the kids sprawled all over the living room. They were filling Goran in what happened last month, while he and Jordan told tales of their adventures in LA.

"We have dealt with vampires, harpies, ghouls, and witches so far," Goran told them, eyes bright from the wine he and Jordan had been sharing. "I am sorry I could not come to help, but my scholarship, it depends on the grades and I couldn't miss any class."

"You guys can come help the nest time something supernatural happens," Rob assured them.

"There better not be a next time," Hunter injected quickly. "Maybe we can come to LA and help out there! I'd love to meet some of these creatures up close."

The boys agreed eagerly, all talking over one another about what monsters they'd like to meet, and how they'd deal with them. Eleanor was silent, and shot a look at Natalie. Natalie shook her head, sighing.

"I think I'm over supernatural drama," she said. Surprisingly, Jordan agreed with her.

"I love LA, and I love school, but honestly, I'd rather focus on soccer right now," she said. "My scholarship depends on it."

"We can at least come to your games, right?" Hunter asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Jordan narrowed her own, lips twitching like she was trying to hide a smile.

"Only if you guys behave!" she told him, earning a laugh from everyone. Mr. Sands poked his head into the living room, Jackie in tow.

"Jackie has to head out early tomorrow morning, so I'm going to see her off. Not too late, alright? We still have to head up to Nana's in the morning." Hunter and Jordan nodded, assuring they'd wrap it up soon.

"Yo, our parents are picking us up," Rob said, waving his phone at Rich. "We're doing a double on Thursday and their both out of town."

"A double?" Eleanor asked.

"Lunch with Rob's family and dinner with mine," Rich explained. "We'll see you guys later. Happy thanksgiving!"

"Happy thanksgiving," everyone chorused back. Natalie pulled herself to her feet, looking between Eleanor and Hunter with a smirk.

"Hey, Jordan, could I get a ride?" she asked. "I have a feeling mine's going to take a while." Eleanor flushed and Hunter ducked his head, but she could tell he was smiling. Jordan laughed, nodding and pulling Goran with her.

"Sure," she said easily. "Let's give the love birds a little time."

"Shut up," Hunter muttered, grinning. "See you later, Nat."

"Bye!" she called out, following Jordan. "Make good choices!"

"Geez they're annoying," Hunter muttered. Still, he crossed the room in an instant, wrapping Eleanor up in his arms. "Hey."

"Hey," Eleanor echoed, pressing in a little closer. Hunter leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Eleanor couldn't her smile, returning the kiss in earnest.

"So, ensuring the werewolf bloodline, huh?" Eleanor teased when they broke apart. Hunter promptly when red, stepping back in his embarrassment.

"I knew I shouldn't have given him any of my files," he muttered, ducking his head so his hair went in his eyes.

"Just kidding," Eleanor said softly, stepping back into his space. Hunter looked a little sheepish, so she resolved to kiss the expression off his face.

The kiss went on and on, and all that mattered in the world was Hunter, warm and solid against her. Happiness threatened to overflow out of her. He might have his fault but she loved him. The realization hit her like a brick and she gasped, breaking the kiss.

"E," Hunter murmured softly, pressing his forehead against hers. "I, uh, want to tell you something."

"Yeah?" she asked breathlessly. He cleared his throat carefully, looking at her with clear, confident eyes. Eleanor was a little caught up in them, watching as they flickered between green and gold.

"I love you," he said, and for a moment, Eleanor wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "You don't have to say it back, obviously, but I thought you should know—"

"I love you, too," Eleanor said quickly. "Like, so much."

"Jesus," Hunter said softly, smiling widely. "God, me too—"

"Yeah—"

They kissed again, but Eleanor couldn't tell who instigated it. This was different, better or more passionate, electric. She couldn't have asked for anything better.

A/N: Thank you so much to those who stuck around from start to finish and to those who jumped in at any point along our journey! Your comments kept me going and inspired me to finish! This is one of two stories I've actually finished so I'm really proud and happy to share it! Let me know what you thought!