When we arrive at my Aunt and Uncle's, I take Linka's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. I keep a hold of her hand as we walk to the front door. My parents are the first ones through the door, followed by Linka and me, and then the other Planeteers. I see Kate and Kristen sitting next to each other on the floor. They look at me, then Linka, then at each other and raise their eyebrows in silent communication. Crap.

"Look who decided to grace us with his presence!" My dad announces to the family as he waves his arms at me.

"Hey, sorry if saving the world interferes with a holiday or two!" I say. "You're welcome, by the way!"

"Oh Jason! We are so happy you could make it this year!" My Gram says as she hugs me and kisses my cheek.

"I'm happy to be here Gram! Let me introduce you to my friends…This is Kwame, Gi, Ma-Ti, and my girlfr-…"

"LINKAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Joey yells as he comes running into the room and hugs Linka.

"…uhh, and Joey's girlfriend, Linka," I finish.

"Hello Joey! Nice to see you again. How are Lady and…what did you end up naming her pup?"

"Champ. It was 'Tramp,' like the movie, but then my parents explained to me what a tramp is and said it wouldn't be appropriate…but considering we saved him from Dr. Blight, I think the name was very appropriate!"

I burst into laughter, I can't help it, but all the "adults" give Joey "the look!" So I try to suppress my laughter. But it is obvious…the kid's a mini me!

"You guys wanna come see Lady and Champ?" Joey asks.

"Maybe after we finish meeting the rest of your family, ok?" Linka says to him. Nice job Babe. Scoring major points there, being nice to the kid, but showing an interest in getting to know the rest of the family. Smooth.

"So...Jason brought home a blonde...there's something new!" My Uncle Donnie says.

"Oh, haha! The funny guy in the corner is Uncle Jeff," I say. "And this beautiful woman is my Gram,"

"But you can either call me Gram, or Paula, because if you say Mrs. Wheeler, you're going to have four other women answer you! Linka dear…I would love it if felt comfortable enough to call me Gram."

Yes! She's in with Gram! Uh oh. Kate and Kristen are sharing a look again. Jealous, no doubt. They don't wanna share Gram and Pap's attention or affection. Even when Joey was born, they were like that, and Joey is Kate's little brother! I love 'em, they're sweethearts once you get to know them, but what Linka said to me in the Geo Cruiser…I'm starting to realize she was right. My cousins are mean girls when they want to be!

"I will call you Gram if that is what you would like me to call you," Linka says.

"Then Gram it is! The sleeping man in the recliner is my husband Bill…or Pap. I can't believe he's sleeping through all of this! I told him to turn on his hearing aides before company arrived!"

"You wanna take over the introduction duties Gram?" I joke.

"Sorry dear, I just didn't know if you remembered everyone since it's been so long!"

"Ooooooooh," the family all says in unison.

"Very funny. Ok, next to Uncle Jeff is his wife, Aunt Robin, and the blonde on the floor over there is their daughter Kristen," I say as I wave at her and smile. She smiles and waves back and then directs a smile and a wave at my friends…well…that's encouraging!

"And over there are Joey's parents, Uncle Donnie, Aunt Julie, and their other kid, Kate is next to Kristen," I once again smile and wave and she returns it and also acknowledges my friends. Ok. This is good. No evil glares.

"So Jay, have you seen Trish since you've been home?" Kristen asks.

Damn it.

"Yeah actually I have. Linka and I have been up here a few times since New Years and hung out with Trish and some friends of hers, and her friends have become our friends. On New Years Eve, you shoulda seen Linka and Trish! Trish got Linka to…"

"Uh Wheeler?!" Linka says as she tugs at my hand and shakes her head.

"What?"

"Shut up," she says through clenched teeth.

"Oh. What I mean to say is…Trish actually played a major roll in getting me and Linka together."

By loosening her up with tequila, but hey, whatever works, right?

"Really? That's so sweet. It's good to know that you two still remained friends. That's a sign of maturity. How is Trish? Your father told me that she had gotten into some trouble," Gram says, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Yeah, but Jas' saved her!" Kate adds.

"I would have saved anyone who was being manipulated by Skumm. It just happened to be a friend…several of my friends actually. I saved a few of them…I just wish I coulda done more to save Frankie," I say sadly.

Linka squeezes my hand and rubs her thumb back and forth across my knuckles.

"Hey Joey, why don't you show us your dogs now…if that is ok?" Gi suggests.

"Can we Mom? Or is it time for dinner?" Joey asks.

"That's fine. We still have an hour before dinner will be ready…but don't monopolize too much of Jason and his friends' time. I'm sure Jason would like to visit with the rest of the family too," Aunt Julie says.

"Yeah, she's right Joey. Why don't you take the others out to see Lady and Champ and I'll be out in a few minutes," I say. "I wanna catch up with Kate and Kristen."

"Ok cool. Come on guys!" Joey says as he grabs Linka's other hand and starts leading her away.

She looks at me with a questioning look in her eyes.

"It's ok Babe. I'll catch up," I say as I release her hand, put my hand on the back of her head, and pull her towards me for a kiss. Public displays of affection aren't something I'd normally do in the past with other girls I'd bring around to meet the family…not even Trish. But Linka's different. I can't help myself. I love her and I want everyone to know!

Once Linka and the others have left, I look over at Kristen and Kate,

"You two. Kitchen. NOW."

They stand up and walk past me towards the kitchen, I start to follow them when my mom pulls me aside.

"Jason, be nice to your cousins," she says.

"I will be. As soon as I make it clear that they need to be nice to Linka."

"They didn't do anything," she says.

"They brought up Trish with the intention of trying to make it awkward for Linka…fortunately, Linka and Trish are cool with each other."

"Just don't do anything to make dinner awkward between you three. You've always been so close."

"I know. Which is why I want them to like Linka, but they've already got their minds made up that they're not going to give her a chance."

When I get to the kitchen, Kristen and Kate are leaning against the counter with their arms folded.

"I can't believe I was actually looking forward to introducing Linka to my family," I yell.

"Jay, you know this is our…thing…we always give your girlfriends a hard time," Kate says.

"Yeah, we just wanna make sure they can handle the heat…if not, they're not good enough for you…obviously it's worked in the past…how many losers have we gotten rid of?" Kristen asks Kate.

"Probably at least 4 or 5," she answers.

"WRONG! You've gotten rid of ZERO!!! I've gotten rid of 4 or 5. You know why?" It's a rhetorical question, but I pause anyways. "Because I didn't want to be with them…not because I thought you didn't like them. Well guess what, it's time for both of you to GROW THE HELL UP. Linka's not going anywhere, so you better make an attempt to get to know her before you go judging her and deciding you don't like her. I love you guys, but if she feels uncomfortable coming around the family because of you two…you'll never see me again for any holidays because I'll be spending them with her."

"Oh c'mon Jas'. Don't you think you're being a little dramatic over your latest 'flavor of the month'?" Kristen asks.

"No, I don't. I've been crazy about this one since I was 16. She's not just another girlfriend…she's THE girlfriend. She's the one."

They both roll their eyes and chuckle.

"What? Look, if this is about Trish…I know you guys liked her. I know you became friends, but that didn't have to stop just because me and her didn't work out. You could've still stayed in touch. As a matter of fact, she told me to tell you guys hi, and I told her she should give you call and hang out sometime. She said she'd do that and she'd take you clubbing."

"We didn't think it would be right to stay friends with her. We didn't think you'd like us hanging out with your ex. We stopped talking to her out of a sense of loyalty to you!" Kate says.

"Well you didn't have to do that," I say.

"It's not like she even tried to stay in touch anyways. After you two broke up, she never made any attempts to keep in touch," Kristen adds.

"You know why? For the same stupid reasons you guys had. She didn't think it'd be right. I wouldn't have cared…why can't you guys take a lesson from Joey? He's had a chance to get to know Linka and he thinks she's great!"

"He's 13 years old. He thinks anything with boobs is great!" Kate says.

"You know what…Never mind. Whatever. Just do me a favor, if you don't have anything nice to say to Linka, just don't say anything at all…but if you care about me as a cousin…as a surrogate big brother…you'll accept her as part of our family because one of these days, she will officially be one of us."

I leave them with that thought and I go outside to meet up with Joey and the others. I walk up behind Linka, put my arms around her waist, kiss her cheek, and rest my head on her shoulder.

"Look how big the pup has gotten! And Lady…I hardly recognized her. She is at a healthy weight now and looks like a completely different dog!"

"Yeah. She looks good," I say inattentively.

"Are you ok?" Linka asks as she turns her head to look at me.

"Yeah. Fine," I say as I snap out of it, kneel down, and call the dogs over to see me. I rub their bellies and scratch each of them behind the ears.

"Should we go in now?" Joey asks.

"Yeah…let's go watch some football," I say as I take Linka's hand and lead her inside.

The other Planeteers all ask if there is anything they can do to help, but are told to just sit down and relax. Kristen and Kate wouldn't even look at me when Linka and I walked into the room. Probably too ashamed, as they should be. Once everyone but Linka and I have taken a seat, there is only one spot left on the couch.

"Go ahead, I am going to see if I can help your mother, aunts, and Gram in the kitchen," Linka says.

"No Babe, they said they have it under control. Stay with me."

"There are no more seats left. At least let me go offer to help!"

A few minutes later, she's walking out of the kitchen.

"Told you so!" I said.

"I would have stayed, but Gram gave me a choice…if I help, I do not get to see any more baby pictures!"

"I'm not gonna let you see them anyways!" I say as I grab her by the waist and pull her down to sit on my lap.

"Hey Jay, I bet you a drumstick that the Lions lose by more than 20 points!" Joey says.

"No idiot in their right mind would take that bet, Kid! That's a given. And you can have the drumstick…I'm more of a thigh man these days," I emphasize my point by running my hand from Linka's knee up to her thigh…which of course earns me a smack and a,

"WHEELER!"

"Unless we are on the beach and Linka is in a bikini…then he is more of a breast man!" Gi jokes.

"GI!!!" Linka gasps, then reaches over and smacks Gi's arm, while everyone else bursts into laughter. I'm speechless. I wanna laugh, but I know it'll get me in trouble.

"Sorry Linka…it was right there and I couldn't resist!" Gi apologizes.

Pap FINALLY wakes up at the commotion.

"Huh? What's going on? Who's that…and that? And that? What the hell?"

"Hey Pap! Nice of you to finally join us," I say.

"Jason? When did you get here?" he asks as he takes out his hearing aides and adjusts the volume.

"About an hour ago. Pap, these are my friend's Ma-Ti, Gi, and Kwame." He has a lost look on his face. "But I'm sure they won't mind if you just refer to them as 'Hey you' like you do everyone else! And this is my girlfriend, Linka."

"Blonde…there's a shocker!" He laughs. I just roll my eyes.

"It is nice to meet you," Linka says to him.

"Yeah, you too…where you from?"

"Russia."

"I knew a guy from Russia once. Couple o' guys actually. Met 'em in the war. Good guys…couldn't understand a damn thing they said though. Your accent is much nicer though."

"Umm, thank you…?"

"So Jason, how'd you end up with a pretty girl like that?" Pap asks.

"Don't know Pap. We live on an island and her choices are limited…I expressed more interest in her than Kwame or Ma-Ti. I got lucky I guess!"

"So what was all the commotion about earlier?" Pap asks.

"Jason was just telling us which of Linka's body parts are his favorite!" Joey laughs.

"JOSEPH!!!" Uncle Jeff scolds.

"Sorry. I mean what parts of the turkey he likes!" Joey backtracks.

I put my lips against Linka's ear and whisper,

"Never mind Babe. I don't have favorite parts…I like all of you."

She jams her elbow backwards and into my ribs and I retaliate by digging my fingers into her sides to tickle her. Is anyone watching us? I don't care. Right now, no one else exists in the world except me and the gorgeous girl in my lap whose giggling is the most wonderful sound I've ever heard.

Dinner is served. We sit around the table and admire the spread.

"Everything looks and smells great," Kwame says.

"Yes, thank you again for letting us be a part of your family's celebration," Ma-Ti says to Gram.

"I'm so happy you all could join us!" Gram says. "Jason, will you lead us in saying Grace?"

"Sure Gram."

Once I finish the prayer, everyone digs in.

"We have a tradition here where every year during dinner, we go around and say a few things that we are thankful for. So if you kids wanna think of a few things, feel free to share once your turn comes around," Pap says to my friends.

It cycles around the table and is now Linka's turn.

"Well, like the other Planeteers have said, I am thankful for your hospitality, and also thankful for the opportunity to meet you and get to know you. So, thank you for making us feel welcome and like family. But more than anything, I am thankful for Wheeler…err, Jason. In the 11 months that we have been together, he has made me happier than I ever thought possible. He has made every holiday that we have spent together so special and I have learned so many new traditions. But it is not the holidays that I am most thankful for…it is every day in between," she says with a smile as she reaches under the table and takes my hand.

"That's beautiful!" my mom says. "I know I already had my turn, but I'd like to add to mine. I am thankful that my son found such wonderful, thoughtful girl. As a mother, it's all we can ever hope for our children, that they will find happiness and love. I'm so glad Jason has you Linka."

"Thank you," Linka says shyly.

"Ok, my turn!" I say. "Thanks for the food. Thanks for my family. Thanks for my friends. That's what I say every year. This year, I can change it up a little…I'm thankful for love. I finally know what it feels like to be in love and to be loved."

I turn to face Linka so I can look her in the eye and then continue,

"Linka, you have made me so happy. More than I could have ever imagined, so thank you. This year has flown by. And you know what, you're right. It's not just the holidays that are special…it's the other days. When we don't need a reason to be happy. When there's no holiday or special occasion to celebrate, I still feel like buying you gifts for no reason, like when I bring you flowers, just so I can see you smile. Every dinner we have together is romantic; we don't need candle light or a fancy restaurant. I could be eatin' a burger and fries, but as long as I'm sharing those fries with you, and looking into your eyes, that meal will taste better than anything a gourmet chef could cook up. I wanna start dancing every time I hold you in my arms, not just when I hear our song playing. I don't need it to be the 4th of July to see fireworks…I see them every time we kiss. Everyday is my birthday because everyday, you make me feel more alive than I ever did before we were together. I love you…, and I know you know that…, and I know that our friends know it…but today, I'm thankful that now my family knows it. And I hope they see how happy you make me."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Joey look over at Kate and Kristen, who look at each other, smile, and then look down at their plates.

I can't remember at what point Linka's eyes started to well up, nor do I remember at what point those tears started to fall. But she's smiling through those tears so I know they're happy tears. And I don't know when tears started falling from my own eyes, but they are. I know it's not appropriate to do it at the dinner table, but I can't help myself, I lean forward and kiss her, brushing her tears away with my thumbs.

"I love you Yankee," she says softly as she pulls away slightly. "And I am also thankful that your family now knows it. I want them to know that nothing matters to me more than you do."

She once again closes the distance between us as we kiss.

When I pull back, she's smiling the most beautiful smile and her eyes are sparkling so much, I can see my own reflection.

"And I'm thankful for the way you look at me, for your smile, and I'm thankful that I'm the one that puts that smile on your beautiful face, and that that smile is directed at me," I add.

I sit back in my chair and look up at the other guests. Ma, Gram, Aunt Robin, Aunt Julie, Kate, Kristen, and Gi are all wiping away tears. Joey is happily chowing down on a drumstick, Kwame and Ma-Ti are smiling happily, while Dad, Pap, Uncle Jeff, and Uncle Donnie are shaking their heads at me.

"What?" I ask innocently.

"Do you have any idea how bad you just made the rest of us men look?!" Uncle Donnie says with a chuckle.

The rest of the dinner goes on as usual. Everyone is engaged in their own groups of conversation. And then the moment I'd been hoping for happens…

"So Linka, what power does your ring have?" Kristen asks.

"Wind."

"So you just say the word and point? And wind comes out?" Kate asks.

"Something like that. I have to concentrate."

"Can you control it?" Kristen asks.

"Da. Depending on how hard I concentrate…I can make it be like a tornado, or just a small gust."

"That's pretty cool. I bet it took alot of getting used to," Kate says.

"It took a few weeks. It was about a year before I think I knew everything that the ring was capable of doing."

I put my hand on Linka's knee and squeeze. This is great!

"So you are both around Wheeler's age? Are you in college or have you finished already?" Linka asks them.

...And so that's how the rest of the night went. I let Kristen and Kate get to know Linka while I talked to Joey about how his hockey team was doing and if he was getting much playing time.

When it was time to go, Gi, Kwame, and Ma-Ti said their goodbyes and then went out to the Geo Cruiser to do the pre-flight check while my parents, Linka, and I finished saying goodbye to my family. I hug everyone and they all tell me how great Linka is…duh.

"Goodbye Linka…it was nice to meet you," Kristen says.

"Yeah, maybe we'll see you again on Christmas?" Kate asks.

"Maybe. I do not know what our plans are yet for Christmas…but hopefully we will see you both again soon. Perhaps if you are not doing anything over summer break, you can come down to Hope Island for a vacation!"

"That'd be awesome!" Kristen says.

"Yeah definitely!" Kate adds.

"Can I come too?!" Joey asks.

"NO!" Kristen and Kate say.

"Don't listen to them, of course you can come buddy!" I say as I put him in a playful head lock. "I'll even come get you in the Geo Cruiser and let you take the wheel for a while!"

Linka is saying goodbye to my grandparents when Kristen and Kate pull me aside.

"We're sorry Jas'. You were right. We should have given her a chance. She's really nice," Kristen admits.

"Yeah. And it's obvious that you are both in love. We're glad you're happy. You two make such a cute couple. You're perfect together. I really do hope you guys come up more often to visit," Kate says.

"We will. And thank you for getting to know her…but the good news is, she's the last one you'll ever have to get to know. From now on, you can concentrate on scaring away all of Joey's girlfriends!"

I give each of my cousins a big hug before leaving.

When we get back to my parents' place, everyone heads straight to bed. Must be the turkey making us tired. Something about turkey puts me to sleep. For real…it's been scientifically proven. There's something in it that makes you tired.

"So what did you think of Thanksgiving Babe?" I ask, as we get dressed for bed.

"I think that I gained eight pounds!" she says as she pulls up her shirt to reveal her still perfectly flat stomach.

I kneel in front of her, place my hands on her hips to hold her steady, and begin placing kisses on her abdomen.

She laughs as I tickle her then asks,

"Did you get enough to eat?"

"Yeah. I'm about as stuffed as that poor turkey we just devoured! But I think I still have room for a leg…maybe a thigh…definitely some breast," I say as I run my hand over the body parts that coincide with the turkey pieces.

"I thought you were tired…"

"Yeah, but you know I can't go to sleep when I'm hungry."

I wrap my arms around the back of her legs and lift her up so that my face stays level with her stomach.

"Wheeler! Put me down!"

Once I get her close to the bed, I drop her on the mattress. "If you insist!"

I climb over top of her and sit, straddling her legs.

"So what'd you think of my family?" I ask.

"I thought they were great. I was a little unsure about your cousins at first, but in time, things got better once the ice was broken."

"Yeah, they all really liked you too," I say.

"Those things you said at dinner…that was so sweet. I cannot even begin to describe how that made me feel. For you to say stuff like that when we are alone is one thing, but for you to say it in front of so many people…I never doubted how you felt about me, but for you to let everyone know…to say it in front of your family…it meant alot."

"I meant every word. And I know I shouldn't wait to say those sort of things, and I want you to know, that I wasn't just saying it because it's Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for you every day. You've made my life so much better than I ever imagined it could be, considering my sucky childhood. As far as I'm concerned, that wasn't even my life. That was some other guy. I didn't start living until I met you."

She sits up, kisses me, and after a few moments of that, she continues,

"I am thankful for your determination and for not giving up on me and for making me realize that this is ok. We can be teammates and we can be friends and we can be more than friends…we can love each other and it does not negatively affect the team. It makes us stronger. And I am thankful for those sweet, soft, pouty lips that do such wonderful things."

We kiss some more and things start to heat up. I gently push her backwards so she is laying down, brace myself above her, and say,

"Wonderful things, eh? Just you wait! You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

"BOZHE MOY!!! WHEELER!!!" she gasps.

"Is this ok...? I'll stop…"

"Nyet. Do not stop. Do not ever stop!"

"Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday!" I say with a devilish grin.

"Me too, Yankee…me too."

The End!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!! Even if you don't celebrate it, I'm thankful for all the readers and reviewers!

Tryptophan is the thing in turkey that makes us tired after a big Turkey dinner in case you didn't know…But I think the holiday drowsiness has less to do with the amounts of turkey consumed and more to do with the alcohol! Or maybe that's just me!

And thanks to Kate and Kristen for giving me a great plot device! When I was writing, I felt bad for them, because I know how mad we all get at characters who make life hard for Wheeler and Linka! I hadn't intended on making those two out to be "mean" but I didn't want them to be one dimensional "filler" characters. I wanted them to have meaning and purpose! So I made them a little mean, but then they redeemed themselves and proved that they are great people...just like I'm sure the real Kate and Kristen are!