Happy Saturday, everyone! I got the new Pokemon game thanks to my brother, so it may be absorbing all of my time. I've been in a bit of an emotional slump these past few days and that may come off in my writing if there's angsty stuff between the holidays. Apologies in advance for that. Hopefully you lovelies enjoy anyway! ~Shaymie

Lorin's POV

"You don't have to feed me like a child, Al," I sniffled, glaring at Alex as he held a spoonful of soup to my face. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I relented and drank the soup. If I threw up, I was aiming it at him. He smiled and kissed my forehead. I took the next spoonful of soup more willingly. If it made him happy, I guess I could try to eat it. Before I knew it, the entire bowl was gone and I was full for the first time in days.

"Good job, Lo." Alex set the bowl down and grabbed my hand, warming me up slightly. I smiled. I loved getting praised, even if it was just for something as trivial as drinking soup. It made me feel like I wasn't a total mess-up. He kissed my cheek and looked towards the door. "Are you ready for everyone else to come in? Or do you want to go downstairs…?"

"I…" I frowned. I knew it was Thanksgiving, but the thought of being around everyone made me nervous. They would probably just watch me, like they were scared I'd cut myself again. Alex was the only one who didn't treat me any differently. He trusted me to not hurt myself again. When it was his turn to "babysit" me, he didn't just sit there and stare at me. He actually talked to me. I knew everyone was worried about me, but they made me feel like a freak. It would probably worry them more if I didn't at least sit with them. "It's Thanksgiving."

"I know what day it is, Lo. I'm asking if you feel like seeing everyone else right now. It's okay if you don't want to."

"I… I don't want to ruin today for everyone. I don't want them to have to deal with my stupid anxiety or depression or whatever the hell it is." I glared at the pill bottles that were sitting next to the empty bowl. I hated taking them. They made me feel weird. I had been doing perfectly fine without them. I hadn't taken them for the past few days, and somehow Alex hadn't noticed. Hopefully I could keep it up so I could prove that I didn't need them.

"You won't ruin it for them, I promise. They've been wanting to see you for a few days now." I was now regretting not letting anyone come into my room. I hated when Gil or Martha saw that I was sick because then they'd go into Mama Bear mode. I knew if John were here and not in South Carolina with his mother, he'd probably be all over me, making sure that I ate and took my medicine.

"Okay. They… They can come in…" Alex nodded and left the room, turning the lights on as he passed the switch. I flinched slightly at the sudden brightness, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. My migraine was all but gone now, leaving me with just a minor headache. I pulled the blankets down slightly and traced the scars on my arm. I ran a finger over one of the new ones, which was crooked and ugly. I had been shaking, and it messed up the whole thing. At least the other scars were straight, in a row, uniform. They at least looked nice.

I scratched at the new scars and frowned. I didn't mean for them to happen. I just saw myself in the mirror and hated everything about my reflection. I was too chubby, too freckly, too… Too ugly. I broke two mirrors in a week. I was honestly surprised nobody had tried to get rid of all the mirrors in the house after the first incident. It took me cutting myself twice for them to do anything about it. And both times, Alex had been the one to stop me before I managed to cut too deep.

I couldn't get the look on his face out of my head. He had been… scared? Angry? Sad? I couldn't tell. But there had been tears streaming down his face as he fought with me for the glass. I had cut him a bit over the eyebrow in the struggle, but thankfully I hadn't hurt him too bad. I spent the rest of the day apologizing, begging for his forgiveness, praying that he wouldn't break up with me… which only led to a panic attack, and then I had something else to apologize to him for. I didn't think I'd ever be done apologizing.

I pulled the blankets back over my body as I heard footsteps approach. Now wasn't the time to think about that. That was a slip-up. Both times were. It wouldn't happen again. I couldn't let it happen again. No matter how sad I got, no matter how sucky life got, I couldn't do that to Alex and everyone else. I'd force a smile on my face and keep living. I'll… I'll tell my therapist I'm doing okay, even if I'm not. I can't afford to be sad.

Alex walked in first, his plate balanced in his right hand and Dumpling sitting in the hood of his jacket. I watched her nervously, scared that he'd drop her, but for once she was sitting obediently. Martha, George, and Gil followed behind him. I frowned when I saw that Darcy wasn't with them. I would have thought that she'd be able to get time off of work, but I guess not.

George sat down at my desk, Gil plopped down in the old beanbag chair in the corner, and Alex and Martha sat on my bed. I grabbed Dumpling from Alex's hood and kept her from stealing a piece of turkey from someone's plate. I was thankful for the silence. I wouldn't even know what to say. My phone vibrated after about fifteen minutes of peaceful eating. I grabbed it from my bedside table and smiled as I saw that I had a text from Thomas.

Tommy J: Happy Thanksgiving, Lorin! I hope you're feeling better. Me and Jemmy were wondering if we could come by later if you're feeling okay? Our parents are at work and we're bored.

"Tommy J?" Alex snorted, reading over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and turned my phone away from him.

"He saved his contact in my phone and I never bothered to change it." I looked over to George and Martha, who were getting up to leave. Alex plucked my phone from my hands and started typing. "Mom, Dad, Thomas and Maddie asked if they could come over. Can they?"

"Of course they can." Martha smiled and left the room after George, telling Alex and Gil to take their plates out of my room. Gil pushed himself up from the beanbag and took both of their plates as he left the room. I took my phone from Alex and sighed when I saw that he had changed Thomas' contact name to Shithead Jefferson, and he had been in the middle of sending a… less than nice text. I narrowed my eyes at him as I changed the contact back and told Thomas to head on over.

"You're a child," I huffed, petting Dumpling on the head. She sniffed my hand and licked it. Alex grinned and started running a hand through my hair, which was honestly a mess. I gestured for him to grab the brush, which he did. I winced as he pulled through a rough knot. I hadn't brushed my hair in a few days now, and I tended to toss and turn in my sleep, so it was completely tangled. Dumpling ran over to Alex and climbed into his lap, her tail wagging rapidly.

"If anything, I'd think you would be the child, Lo. Since you called me Daddy and all." My face flushed, and I suddenly wished my hair was still long so I could hide behind it. I hadn't meant to call him that. It was honestly embarrassing, but he apparently liked it. And I mean, really liked it. He told me the other day that it was a major turn-on for him.

"Can you take me downstairs, Daddy?" I asked, batting my eyelashes and holding my arms out for him to carry me. Alex's hand froze in its movements, a small grin forming on the edges of his mouth. Dumpling barked and ran from the room. I heard the little patter of her feet in the hallway as she dashed downstairs. "What's wrong, Lexy? Dog got your tongue?"

Alex smirked and blew some hair from his face as he picked me up with his good arm, draping me over his shoulder easily. He shoved the brush into his pocket before leaving the room. I giggled as he carried me downstairs and set me down on the couch. I didn't think he would actually carry me, considering his broken arm. I was surprised he had even managed with only one arm to use. He started to brush my hair again as he sat next to me and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Do you even know what you do to me when you call me daddy?" he murmured as he fluffed out my hair. He kissed my neck and cupped one of my breasts over the thick sweater he had made me put on. His breath was warm against my neck. "If you weren't still sick, and Jefferson and Madison weren't on their way over, I'd-"

"Keep it PG, Alexander," Gil sighed as he walked into the living room. "The only good thing about Lorin being sick is that I didn't have to hear you two having sex every night."

"Are you jealous because you can't sleep with Peggy?" I asked with a grin as Alex moved his hand to my lap. I had hoped that one of them would confess their feelings to the other, but nothing had happened since Halloween. What had Peggy even done with my advice, just thrown it out the window? I wanted them to start dating already.

Gil rolled his eyes and went back upstairs. Alex went to the hallway closet and grabbed a few blankets when I started to shiver. I huffed as he wrapped them around me tightly. He was a bit too overprotective. He was acting like I was freezing cold, but I decided to just keep my mouth shut. He was as stubborn as I was, and he'd probably ignore anything I had to say. Besides, I kind of liked being spoiled.

Thomas and Maddie showed up twenty minutes later, covered in snow. Alex complained about how November was way too early for it to be snowing (did he think it only snowed in December like on TV?), but I caught a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. This was probably the first time he had ever seen snow in his life. I had the same reaction when I first moved here.

"How are you feeling, Lorin?" Thomas asked as he shrugged off his jacket and hung it up. He helped Maddie out of his jacket and wrapped an arm around him. Maddie honestly needed the blankets more than I did. I loosened a blanket from my body and held it out to Thomas as he passed me.

"I'm better… Alex made me eat some soup earlier. I wish I could have eaten a nice Thanksgiving dinner instead." I sighed. The chicken soup was amazing, but it was nothing like Martha's classic Thanksgiving dinner. Hopefully I'd be well enough to be able to stomach more than a small bowl of soup before Alex and Gil ate all of the leftovers. "Oh, not that I don't appreciate the soup or anything! I loved it."

"I made it myself. It was my mother's recipe!" Alex grinned proudly. I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know he could cook. I had thought Martha had cooked the soup. Then again, it wasn't really like anything she had made before. It was more meaty, and it tasted a bit more spicy. I had just assumed that she was trying something new.

"Careful, darlin'. Hamilton may be trying to poison you," Thomas chuckled as he wrapped Maddie in the blanket. Alex rolled his eyes and sat next to me. I snuggled into him for warmth. He and Thomas started talking about the Macbeth essay, which was due when we went back to school in a few days. I tried to stay awake, but the steady rumble of Alex's chest as he spoke lulled me to sleep. The last thing I felt before drifting off was a kiss on my forehead.