A/N: Short update this time, the next one will be longer!

"Another last-minute meeting." Ally grumbles as she sinks into a chair. "You'd think we're welcoming the Queen or something."

"Huh." Andy, settled at the front of the room, cocks his head in her direction. "I don't remember seeing you in here yesterday, Nevasky."

"Yeah, that's because I was working. Futzing around with the Christmas party doesn't get me a paycheck, you know."

"And yet, most of us were able to spare five minutes to come down."

In an effort to keep the gathering from sliding into a bickering match, Sharon intervenes. "With any luck, this will be our last emergency get-together."

Alex drums a little rhythm on the table. "Oh, ho ho ho! Does that mean Christmas is saved?"

"Yes," she smiles. With most of the chairs filled and the topic already spilled, she starts the meeting. "I think most everyone is here, and I don't want to take up much of your lunch hour, so I'll lead off with the good news: we have a new site for the party." She catches Andy's eye as Alex lets out a short whoop over a chorus of claps and celebratory noise. After a moment, she adds, "So don't worry about any leads you might've kicked off last night. We'll be in the gym at Mount Carmel School, up in Silver Lake."

On the far side of the table, Dawn raises her hand. "But what about the fliers and the tickets we've already handed out?"

Sharon spent a borderline inappropriate amount of time at the copier this morning for the purpose of heading off this question. She pushes a sheaf of paper in Dawn's direction. "It's not perfect, but there are some inserts for the tickets and new address blocks to tape on the fliers. That'll go a long way toward solving the problem, and word of mouth should handle the rest."

Melissa, another member of the ticket team, leans forward to meet Dawn's skeptical frown. "And I'll talk to the FOP about putting up a sign on the 12th, in case anyone shows up there on the night of the party."

"That's a great idea, Melissa," Sharon says. "We have plenty of time to spread the news. I think it'll all work out."

After swiping one of the ticket insert sheets, Adam asks, "How is this gonna affect the bottom line?"

"It won't. The rental fee is actually less than we would've paid to the FOP. But." Sharon rolls her shoulders back, bracing for pushback on the second price for their last-minute arrangement. "The bad news…" She squints toward the far wall, reconsidering her phrasing, "Well, not exactly bad. The, let's say, additional news is that we've been asked to provide some extra hands at the parish's Thanksgiving meal service for the needy."

A beat of silence leaves her hopeful. But a more realistic reaction trails it, a rumble of low voices and whispers growing into full-voiced comments.

"As in on Thanksgiving?"

"I'm not even going to be here."

"That means a drive into the city on a holiday."

"I'll be on duty."

Holding up her palms, Sharon says, "I know it's a busy time of year for everyone, and with this being on a holiday many of us won't be available. But the service group at the church is expecting a large turnout for the meal this year and they're short on help. If just a handful of us can pitch in, even if it's only for an hour or two, it's something."

This mitigation does little to quiet the room. Several crossed arms and piercing glares appear across the table.

On a shake of his head, Andy stands. "Hey, you all should know this is coming from me." He ignores Sharon's lifted brow as he adds, "I'm the one who agreed to the conditions."

Ally's mouth drops open. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, with Rambert flubbing the FOP reservation, we had to find a new site for the party. The principal at Mount Carmel is an old friend of mine, so…"

"So now we're supposed to drop our Thanksgiving plans, on top of everything else we're doing?"

"No, you're not supposed to drop anything, Nevasky—"

"Ah," Sharon's palm finds Andy's arm for a blink as she steps forward, recapturing the meeting. The gesture works to quiet him. "I know it's unexpected, and it's short notice. But it is for a good cause, and it does help us get our party venue." With a nod toward Ally, she adds, "And it isn't required, for anyone."

"Okay, then," Ally stands, "are we good to go?"

"Sure," Sharon says. Her heart sinks as most of the group moves to follow Ally's lead, albeit at a slower pace. Over the scrape of chairs along linoleum, she half-yells, "For anyone who can join us on Thanksgiving, I have the details up here."

Rod and Julie grab a flier on their way out, though they stop short of committing. Pete, ever the team player, promises to show up in the evening for clean-up. Otherwise, the stack of papers with directions to Mount Carmel remain untouched.

Andy releases a long breath before gritting, "That went well."

Sharon meets this with a sidelong look. "I can't order them to show up." At his mirroring stare, she adds, "Let me talk to Brad. He lives in Silver Lake, so do several people on the 5k committee. I'm sure some of them could come."

He stuffs his hands in his pockets, watching Rowles and Sawyer disappear through the door. "I just hope we can get Jay the help he needs to make this dinner happen."