Troy awoke to the comforting sensation of Shauna snuggled up against him with her arm draped over his chest. The comfort didn't last for long, as he heard the sound of someone running up the stairs, yelling in a happy voice, "It's Thanksgiving, Mr. Troy! It's Thanksgiving!"

Shauna groaned. "Sam, why'd we let them stay for the night?"

"I forget," Troy muttered. "Maybe if we lay still enough, he won't see us."

"Jules Michael Moffitt, get back down here right now and stop waking everybody up!" Moffitt shouted.

"Little too late for that," Shauna said.

The door flew open and Jules came running in, climbing on the bed and shaking Troy. "Happy Thanksgiving! Wake up, Mr. Troy!"

"Five more minutes, kid," Troy moaned.

"But we gotta make the turkey and the potatoes and all that. Miss Anah's going to make all the pies." Jules shook him again.

"Jules, go back to your parents." Shauna glared at him. "It's too early for this."

Moffitt stormed into the room. "Oh, you're in big trouble, Jules, get over here. Troy, I'm so sorry about this."

"It's fine. I was kind of awake anyway," Troy said.

"I wasn't," Shauna muttered.

Jules hopped off the bed. "When's Mr. Dietrich going to be here?"

"I don't know," Moffitt said. "Why can't you sleep like the rest of us?"

"Don't you miss having that kind of energy?" Troy asked, grinning.

"In a way, I do. Still—"

They heard the front door open, followed by Tully saying, "Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving!"

Jules was already tearing off down the stairs. "Mr. Tully!" He jumped into Tully's arms.

"Hey, there, Jules!" Tully lifted the boy up. "How are you?"

"I just woke up Mr. Troy. Dad's cranky."

"Your dad's always cranky."

"I am not!" Moffitt shouted down the stairs.

"Did you bring Mr. Dietrich?" Jules asked.

"We sure did," Tully said with a grin before setting Jules down. He looked past his family and Hitch's to see Dietrich standing with Esther's hand in his. Dietrich appeared to be asleep standing up, and Esther poked him.

"Hans, wake up," she said.

"I am awake. Mostly," Dietrich mumbled. "Put me back in bed, please."

"Which one of you decided coming early was a good idea?" Moffitt asked.

Tully and Hitch looked at each other, then Tully raised his hand. "Me. Was it not a good idea?"

"It was a terrible idea. I'm actually going to have coffee this morning."

Tully's eyes widened. "Oh, then it was a bad idea."

"I want coffee," Dietrich moaned.

"Moffitt, I already have your tea steeping, dear!" Anah called from the kitchen.

"I'll have both!" Moffitt said.

"Oh, alright. Anything to make you happy."

Once the door was closed and everyone's coats were off, Jules ran up to Dietrich, who was still trying to wake up. "Do you need something, Jules?" Dietrich asked.

"No. I just came to say good morning and happy Thanksgiving."

"Ah. It will be a good morning when I have a cup of coffee."

"What makes coffee so special, Mr. Dietrich?"

Dietrich smirked a little when Moffitt turned to face him, a rather displeased look in his gray eyes. "Well, coffee is… quite magical. It helps you wake up. It smells wonderful, and tastes wonderful if you make it properly. It is not nearly as delicate as tea, in my own personal experiences with it."

"When can I have coffee?"

Moffitt glared at Dietrich. "Stop it."

Dietrich ignored him. "You can try coffee when you are a little older, Jules."

"He can try decaf," Troy said. "That way he's not bouncing off the walls."

"He bounces off the bloody walls without coffee. It won't make a difference," Moffitt said. "And you are not helping, Troy."

"Who said I was helping?" Troy walked up to Anah as she was preparing the coffee, and tapped her head. "Hi."

"Good morning, Troy," Anah said. "What do you want?"

"Oh, just making sure you're not putting salt in my coffee."

"It is Thanksgiving, dear. I am not going to mess with you today."

Troy still eyed her with suspicion as he stepped back. "Alright. I'm trusting you."

Anah smirked at him, but her smile became warmer when Esther stood in the kitchen door. "Good morning, Esther. How are you today?"

"I am well, Anah. Thank you for asking," Esther replied, weakly smiling.

"Did you sleep alright?"

"Not the greatest, but not the worst, either."

"Go sit and I will make you some tea, dear." Anah waited until Esther left the kitchen before turning to Troy. "Could you get me another mug?"

"Yeah, sure." Troy opened a cabinet, taking a mug out.

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you don't want help?"

"Are you offering to help?"

"Well… yeah."

Anah wrapped her tail around Troy's hand. "Alright. You can serve everyone when the drinks are ready."

"Thanks. I don't want you to feel like you're doing everything."

"Oh, I know that I am not. Besides, it is going to get quite chaotic in here within a couple of hours, and I am enjoying the tranquility." She smiled up at Troy. "I know I say it every year, but I am very grateful to have all of you in my life now."

"And we're grateful to have you, too. Most of the time."

Anah's smile faded. "I… have to remind myself that I will be around long after you and the others are gone, and I want to treasure every second. To be honest, I love reflecting every year, but… it does remind me that there will come a time where I will not have this anymore."

"Does it bother you?"

"Sometimes. It is not something that I am ready for."

Troy stroked the back of Anah's head. "You're going to have us for a long time, and then you'll have all of our kids."

Anah nodded a little. "Except… you." She sounded choked up. "I wish… I could have done something to help."

"There wasn't anything that could be done. It just wasn't meant to be."

Moffitt entered the kitchen. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, um…" Troy motioned to Moffitt so that they could talk in private. "We just got talking and she told me that reflecting every year reminds her that… she's going to outlive all of us, and that the rest of you have kids, but I don't."

"That's a bit beyond your control," Moffitt said.

"I know. I just don't want to leave her with nothing to remember me by."

Moffitt glanced over in Anah's direction. "It sounds like she's let this get to her. We still have a long time before we need to worry about things like this."

"Yeah." Troy sighed. "Never thought I'd be worried about how a snake is going to feel after I die."

"I worried about that for a while," Moffitt said, grinning a little. "I stopped when Jules was born, because I knew he would have Anah his entire life, and he'll give her to his children, and… oh, dear." His grin quickly faded.

"What?"

"Troy, I am not ready to start thinking about becoming a grandfather."

"That is many, many years down the line. Don't start thinking about it."

"I'm a thinking man, Troy. If it comes to my mind, I must think about it."

"Well, sometimes it's nice to, you know, not think."

Anah looked over at them. "You are quite the expert in not thinking, Troy."

"Anah, that was mean," Moffitt said. "Apologize."

"Am I wrong, though?"

"Look, sometimes, I don't always think about something before I do it," Troy said. "Sometimes. I've gotten better about that."

"Fine," Anah sighed. "I apologize."

"Apology accepted, though that's not the worst you've ever said about me."

"And what is the worst?"

"How about all the times you've called me a donkey? And to add that little cherry on top, you got me a donkey Christmas ornament as a wedding present."

"I saw it and could not resist."

Moffitt sighed. "Yes, I remember you begging me to get it when we were shopping for presents."

"You didn't stop her?" Troy gave Moffitt a disappointed look.

"No. It was her gift, so I didn't want to argue."

Anah poured two cups of coffee. "These are yours, dears."

"Thank you, Anah," Moffitt said. He took one, and handed the second to Troy.

Once the coffee and tea had been handed out, the group enjoyed a light breakfast before the chaos began to make Thanksgiving dinner. Anah was in her own corner making the pies. Shauna was taking care of the turkey. Jules was watching Vanora make the potatoes. Tully and Mabel worked together on side dishes—made, of course, with some Kentucky flair and fried to perfection. Hitch and Molly were helping out Anah by peeling and cutting apples, while a rather hungry-looking Dietrich stood by and tried snitching an apple slice or two. Moffitt snuck up on his wife for a hug, though he was promptly yelled at by Shauna for being a distraction.

"Yes, a very handsome and cuddly distraction," Vanora said. "Jack, go find something to do."

"But I am doing something," Moffitt replied.

"Go entertain the children. You're making dinner take longer to do."

"You can help stop Dietrich from eating all the damn apples," Hitch said, slapping Dietrich's hand. "Go on, shoo! Find something else to eat."

"Hans, are you trying to spoil your appetite?" Esther asked from the living room.

"No," Dietrich said.

"Maybe breakfast was a little too light," Moffitt said. "Troy, do you have anything that could satiate him for now?"

"I've got—" Troy was interrupted by a little hand tugging his sleeve, and looked down to see Carolyn smiling up at him. She held her arms out to be picked up, and Troy obliged. "Hi, there, sweetie. You need something?"

Carolyn didn't say anything, and simply put her arms around Troy's neck.

"Okay. Just a hug, then?" Troy turned and opened the cabinet when he heard Anah hissing at Dietrich. "Hey, Dietrich, if you feel the need to snack, have… uh…" He took a bag of hard pretzels from behind the cereal boxes and tossed them to Dietrich. "This."

"Thank you," Hitch said when Dietrich walked away.

Carolyn whispered in Troy's ear. "Uncle Troy?"

"What?" Troy asked.

"Could you convince Santa Claus to give me a snake this year?"

"You want a snake for Christmas?"

"Yes. Daddy doesn't want me to have a snake."

"Oh? Why doesn't Daddy want you to have a snake?"

"He simply said 'no.'"

Troy glanced at Hitch. "Maybe Santa will convince your dad to let you have one. You think you can take care of one?"

"Yes."

"You one hundred percent sure? You gotta make sure you feed it and clean its enclosure and all that."

"Yes."

"What kind of snake do you want? And don't say a cobra."

"A ball python."

"Alright. Maybe Santa will get you that this year. Have you been good?"

"Yes, Uncle Troy."

"You're not picking on your brother?"

"No."

"You're listening to your mom and dad?"

"Yes."

"You're being nice to the other kids?"

"Yes."

"Okay. You know Santa will find out the truth, right?"

Carolyn nodded. "I've been very good this year."

"If you say so." Troy looked at Hitch again. "Wanna go see Uncle Moffitt?"

"Yes."

Troy went over to where Moffitt was making himself another cup of tea. "Someone wants to see you," he said.

"Oh? Hello, Carolyn," Moffitt cooed when Troy put her in his arms.

"I'm going to talk with Hitch for a moment," Troy said. "Christmas business."

"Ah. I see." Moffitt adjusted his grip on Carolyn before giving Troy a thumbs-up.

"Thanks." Troy headed back across the kitchen to where Hitch was handing a freshly-peeled apple to Molly for cutting.

"Last one, Anah," Hitch said. "Need anything else?"

"No, I have everything now. Thank you for the help, dear."

"No problem." Hitch set the peeler by the sink, and turned to Troy. "Whaddaya need, Sarge?"

"Carolyn wants a ball python for Christmas? Is that right?" Troy asked.

Hitch sighed. "Is she trying to convince you to let her have one?"

"Yeah."

"It's not happening. Not yet. I've talked about it several times with Molly and we both think Carolyn's still a bit too young before she can have a pet of any kind."

"This isn't about the copperhead incident this past summer?"

"It kind of is."

"Have you talked to Anah about talking to your daughter about approaching snakes?"

"I've thought about it. She might listen to Anah. Still don't know why she looks up to Anah. Or calls her 'auntie.'"

Troy thought back to his earlier conversation with Anah about how she wanted to treasure her time with them. "I know it's… odd, but Anah is as part of this family as anyone else here. Carolyn accepted that without having to think about it. I imagine in the books she reads, there're talking animals, right?"

"Yeah."

"She doesn't have to just imagine it. She gets to interact with a real talking animal, and that means the world to her."

Hitch nodded. "Makes sense."

"And that also means the world to Anah."

Hitch looked confused for a moment, until Troy summarized his conversation with Anah. "That's an awful thing to be thinking about," he said.

"I know. It's bad enough for us, but imagine how bad it is for Anah. The time she's going to get with us is very short to the time she had to spend in that temple."

"At least she doesn't have to go back there."

"Yeah, but do you get my point?"

"I do, Sarge."

Troy thought for a moment. "Maybe Carolyn's not ready for a pet snake of her own, but what about letting Anah stay with you for a few weeks?"

"Don't we have to talk to Moffitt about that?"

"Yeah. You've got time to think about it, though."

The two looked over at where Moffitt was stirring his tea while Carolyn's head was on his shoulder and her legs wrapped around his waist.

"I think he misses when Jules was that little," Troy said, smirking.

Hitch grinned as well, then headed over to get his daughter back. Troy had to hold back a laugh when Hitch said, "You have your own kid, Moffitt, this one's mine."

Another couple of hours went by before dinner was ready. There was no order of seating—everyone could sit next to whoever they wanted. Before the turkey was carved, Anah led the group in saying grace from her usual place on Moffitt's shoulders. Then she assisted in getting the food passed around with her telekinesis. Once everyone had taken what they wanted, Anah called out to Troy, "Is it time for the annual thankfulness speeches?"

"Oh, yeah," Troy said. "Who led last year?"

"I did," Tully replied.

"So, it's Hitch's turn this year."

"Aw, Sarge, I don't want to go first," Hitch said.

"You're going first," Troy said, giving him a look.

"Alright, but I hate making speeches."

"You tell us that every year," Tully said.

"And I'll tell you again next year." Hitch picked up his wineglass and stood up. "Just like last year and the year before, I'm thankful for all of you. We're not all related by blood, but that doesn't matter. We're still all willing to set our lives down to help each other out, which is also why I'd like to say I'm grateful for the invention of the telephone. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to call any of you when I needed help with something, or just to talk to any of you about, well, anything." He looked down at Carolyn. "Or to help out with an injured copperhead." He then looked over at Dietrich. "Or to talk about how to care for a baby, which we're all looking forward to welcoming into this family next year." He finished his speech and sat down, letting Molly go next.

Troy listened attentively as everyone listed what they were grateful for, but his grin faded when they got to Anah. She was quiet for a moment, suddenly looking uncomfortable with everyone looking at her. "You okay?" Troy asked.

"Could… Could I be skipped this year?" Anah replied.

"You've never asked to be skipped." Moffitt gave her a concerned look.

"Yeah. What's going on, Anah?" Tully asked.

"I…" Anah sighed. She was looking around at the others, catching their gazes. "I… do not think I have ever told any of you how much I love you. You are truly beautiful as a family, and it is not something I ever expected to see when I was waiting in that temple. I was told that good things were in store for me, but at the time, I did not know just how good it would be. I have been with you for close to twenty years now, and they have been twenty years well spent."

Tully grinned. "Should we make a new rule that says you can't be making the rest of us tear up? You got Sarge a little misty-eyed, there, Anah."

"I'm not misty-eyed," Troy said.

Anah finally smiled again. "No, I think we should all say one thing that will get Troy to cry."

"That is the third time I have ever seen Troy cry," Dietrich said.

"We don't need to be keeping a tally for it," Troy muttered. "Eat your dinner."

Dietrich smirked before reaching over to tousle Troy's hair, earning him an icy blue-eyed glare. "You have done that to me countless times. It is only fair."

"Now revenge is going to be swift and unrelenting," Shauna said. "You're cute when you're flustered, Sam."

The kids all started giggling when Troy rubbed Dietrich's hair the wrong way.

"Don't laugh!" Moffitt said. "It encourages them."

"Laugh more," Anah whispered.

Dinner continued with plenty of laughter, not all of it aimed at Troy and Dietrich's behavior. There were funny stories shared and heartwarming stories shared, and Troy was glad to see Anah finally in a happier mood while talking, laughing, and listening to the others.

The kids somehow still had energy after dinner and were begging Tully and Hitch to take them outside to play football, despite it being so cold. Moffitt offered to help with the dishes and putting the food away. Anah asked, "Is anyone ready for dessert? I have several pies waiting in the fridge, and there is ice cream."

"Give it a few hours, Anah," Dietrich said.

"Yeah, let us get some room back first," Troy added.

"If you're bored, you can help us clean up," Moffitt said.

"I was going to do that anyway," Anah replied. She gave Moffitt a stunned look when he rinsed out his mug and put another tea bag in. "You are seriously having more tea? I saw how much you ate."

"There's always room for tea."

"Save it for later, goodness, dear."

"Oh, alright."

The house was a little quieter with most of the kids, along with Hitch and Tully outside. Troy noticed Jules hadn't gone out with them, and was instead hopping onto the couch with Dietrich.

"Jules, I am very full. Please be gentle," Dietrich said when Jules was next to him. "Why are you not outside with the other children?"

"I wanted to stay here," Jules replied. "Keep you company."

Dietrich sighed. "Alright."

Jules was quiet for a moment, then said softly, "Miss Anah seemed really sad, sort of like you. She's almost never sad. Only when something's wrong with Dad." He looked up at Dietrich. "Is Dad okay?"

"Your father is alright. I have no idea what was going on with Anah." Dietrich glanced at Troy. "Do you know?"

"Yeah, but it's not something we can discuss in front of him," Troy said.

"Tell me later. I am a bit stuck at the moment."

Troy decided to change the topic. "Do you know what you want for Christmas this year, Jules?"

"I want my own horse," Jules said.

"Santa already talked about that with your dad. Not happening yet."

"Aww. I thought Santa didn't have to talk with Dad."

"No, he does. What else do you want?"

"I don't know."

"Well, that's a first." Troy thought for a few seconds, unsure of how to proceed. "You just want to sit here with Dietrich for now?"

Jules nodded.

"Okay."

"Do you not want anything for Christmas this year?" Dietrich asked.

Jules shrugged. "I want you and Miss Anah to be happy."

"Trust me, I am happy." Dietrich went quiet for a few heartbeats. "I was once kicked out of my parents' home on Christmas Eve, back during the war. I know Troy and the others will not do that."

"Should you really be telling him that, Dietrich?" Troy asked.

"Why were you kicked out?" Jules asked.

Dietrich didn't look sure who to answer first. He sighed. "One does not always understand how blessed they are until they lose it. I doubt you would ever take what you have for granted, Jules, but… when I was growing up, I was not nearly as fortunate as you. I… had strong disagreements with my family, which ultimately led to me being cut out."

"On Christmas?"

"Yes. On Christmas."

Troy knew there was more that Dietrich was leaving out. He knew that was Christmas of 1943, after Dietrich had been moved to the Atlantic Wall, and after his aunt's passing. He was questioned why he was still only a captain after three years, and whether or not the rumors of his repeat failures in North Africa were true. It culminated into an argument, and there was jeering that Dietrich no longer had his aunt to go to. He was left completely alone. The Rats had no clue what was going on. Aside from Major Tausemann, who was in Cologne with his own family, Dietrich was truly alone. On Christmas of all days.

"That's so sad," Jules said. "Why was your family so awful to you?"

"I was perceived as a failure," Dietrich replied.

"Not anymore," Troy said.

"No. Not anymore." Dietrich looked back at Jules. "Do you remember what I told you last month about how the little things in life make me happy?"

"Yeah," Jules said with a nod.

"Seeing you and the others getting excited for Christmas morning is one of those things, and I am sure Anah enjoys seeing that, too."

"She does. Christmas is her favorite time of year."

"Because she gets to make a mess of everyone's kitchens?" Troy asked.

"No!" Jules laughed. "But she does enjoy baking for everyone."

"Yeah, it takes me until Easter to finish all the cookies she sends." Troy sat on the couch's armrest, looking out the window at the others playing football. "I'm glad she enjoys it, though."

"Miss Anah once said her purpose is to make us all happy," Jules said.

Troy exchanged a look with Dietrich, knowing full well what Anah's original purpose was. Reluctantly, Troy said, "Jules, can I have a moment with Dietrich, please? Grown-up stuff."

"Okay." Jules got off the couch, and jogged into the kitchen to see what his parents were doing.

"So, what is going on with Anah?" Dietrich asked.

"Earlier, she told me that she started thinking about the fact that… she's going to be here long after we're gone."

"It is difficult to think about at times, but that is… that is the truth. I still think it is ridiculous at times that she was granted a second chance because of me."

"I mean, we know why now, but still… why? Why her?"

"It was a chance at freedom for her. Freedom, redemption, something."

"Redemption. Like you."

"Perhaps love as well. Moffitt has discussed with me how Anah's previous master treated her as a tool."

"It still seems… really random."

"A lot of things seem completely random. I would say all of us being together is something that should never have happened. Not logically. And yet it did."

Troy nodded. "It sure did."

"I do not think it is worth pondering the 'why' anymore. We have all been given a good thing. I have a family, and so does Anah. Regardless of the why, I think it is best we spend more time enjoying it, and less time worrying about when it is over. Besides, there are plenty of things still yet to look forward to. The kids are growing up. Mine will be born in the coming summer. And within a month, it will be Christmas."

"Yeah. I'm not getting Jules nothing, though." Troy lowered his voice. "Moffitt's been talking with the farm where he got Snowstripe. They're looking at having a young horse for Jules by the time he's thirteen."

"In the same lineage?"

"Yep. That's something to look forward to."

"Indeed."

"Moffitt also said he's planning on giving Jules something special for his tenth birthday. He won't say what it is, though, only that it's something that belongs to him."

"It is not the cobra pendant, is it?"

"I don't think so. There's no way Moffitt's ready to part with that yet."

"Fair point. I guess we will have to wait and see."