Day 6

It was tradition at that point for Tully to deep-fry the Thanksgiving turkey whenever he was picked to host dinner. He wondered if it was time to do the same with the Christmas goose.

He proposed this idea to the rest of the Rats and Dietrich, eager to hear their opinions.

"Fried goose sounds good. Go for it," Troy said.

"Christmas goose should be cooked slowly in an oven, so it can absorb all the flavor from the herbs and seasonings," Moffitt said. "Absolutely not."

"I've never had fried goose before," Hitch said. "I'll try it."

"Tully has turned deep-frying into an art form. I would like fried goose," Dietrich said.

Moffitt sighed, admitting defeat. Anah patted his head with her tail and gave him a reassuring nuzzle. "At least you are in charge of hot beverages, dear."

"I promise, Moffitt, if you like how I do chicken and turkey, the goose will be no different," Tully said.

"Alright. If there's anyone here whose cooking I trust, it's you, Tully," Moffitt said with a sigh.

"What about my cooking?" Anah asked.

"Of course I trust your cooking, Anah."

"You made it sound like you do not!"

Troy gave Moffitt an icy glare. "Don't you dare make her cry, Moffitt."

"You know what I mean, Troy," Moffitt muttered. He looked at Anah, who was looking away from him. "Oh, don't give me the 'I'm not talking to you' routine. We're all decent chefs here." He glanced at Troy. "Except you."

Troy sighed heavily. "Yes, I'm aware. I can't cook."

"You make good hot chocolate, though," Anah said.

"Can concur." Dietrich raised his hand. "He is not a complete failure in the kitchen."

"Alright, let's not turn this into a 'make fun of Sarge's cooking skills' session," Tully said, holding out his hands. "So, we're in agreement that I'm frying the goose this year?"

"Yes," Dietrich said.

"I'm certainly curious to taste it," Moffitt added.

Tully grinned. "I think you'll like it. Just like with iced tea."

The sheer number of people in the kitchen helping make Christmas dinner was something Tully expected when he went looking for a house after the war, so he made sure the kitchen was as big as it could possibly be, without being too big, of course. Then again, he preferred all the Rats, Dietrich, and Anah in the kitchen at the same time. They were far more cohesive and communicated more often than his blood family. He loved his family, but there were a lot of "kitchen tyrants" that would appear during the holidays.

"Could I have another stick of butter, please?" Anah called, looking up from where she was making biscuits and honey butter.

"Yes, ma'am." Tully placed a wrapped stick of butter in the cobra's waiting tail. "You done with the flour?"

"Yes. Go ahead and take it, dear."

"Hitch, pass me a measuring cup, please," Troy said.

"What size, Sarge?" Hitch asked.

"The big glass one."

"Got it." Hitch handed off the measuring cup. He watched Troy dump a generous amount of heavy cream into the measuring cup for hot chocolate. "Sarge, can I have a small spoon, please?"

"Yep."

"Thanks." Hitch used the spoon to scoop out the contents of a sour cream container into a huge pot of potatoes softening up to be mashed.

Normally, there was only enough room in front of the stove for one person, but when the second person was the extremely skinny Moffitt, space wasn't much of an issue. He was stirring a pot of mulled cider, and looked very focused. A floury Anah slithered across the counter to him. "Hello, dear," she said.

"What do you need, Anah?" Moffitt asked.

"A hug."

"I'm a bit—" Moffitt looked at her. "And you're covered in flour! No! Especially since I'm wearing a dark sweater. Go get cleaned up."

"Hmph." Anah went over to the sink. Cleaning up would have to wait, as Tully was prepping the goose for frying. She then slithered over to Dietrich, who was mixing together gingerbread cake batter. "You know, dear, there will not be any cake for anyone if you keep eating the batter," Anah said.

"Go away," Dietrich grumbled. "I have only had one spoonful."

"We've all watched you make cake before, Dietrich," Hitch said. "That's not going to be the only spoonful."

"I can control myself."

Troy laughed out loud. "Dietrich, if you want to taste something, come here. Tell me if this cocoa needs anything."

"Wait, I would like my hug first," Anah pouted.

"You are not decorating our clothes with flour. Stop asking for a hug," Dietrich said.

Anah gave him a very sad look.

"No! That will not work on me!"

"Anah, you'll get a hug when you rinse off," Moffitt said.

"Tully is using the sink, though," Anah replied.

"I'm just about done," Tully said. "Sarge, I'm gonna need your help getting this thing in the fryer outside." He placed the goose in a huge container of batter.

"Give me two seconds." Troy handed Dietrich a spoon, then stepped aside to let him get a sample of the cocoa.

Dietrich was quiet after drinking the sample. "What did you do this time? I like it."

Troy shrugged. "Added a dash of eggnog."

"You what?"

"Added eggnog."

Dietrich stared at the rest of the cocoa in front of him. "Take this away from me before I drink the whole thing. You… are a genius, Troy."

"Genius." Troy grinned. "Never thought I'd see the day where you'd call me a genius."

"Let me taste this." Moffitt got a spoon of his own. He, too, was stunned into silence. "That might be the best bloody cocoa I've ever had. Who knew eggnog would go wonderfully in hot chocolate."

"I never thought the two should even go together," Dietrich said.

"And I came up with that not even ten minutes ago," Troy replied. "I'm glad you all like it."

"This probably means no one will drink my cider, then," Moffitt said, sadly.

"We'll drink your cider, Moffitt, don't worry." Troy playfully clapped Moffitt's shoulder. "Besides, Anah will get mad if we don't." He covered the cocoa before going over to Tully. "Okay, let's fry up this goose."

They dressed warmly, as it was snowing lightly outside. Tully already had a fryer set up with heated oil inside. He dredged the goose in a mix of flour and seasonings before tying a piece of twine tightly around it. "Alright, Sarge. I need you hold up the bottom of the goose with a spatula, and we'll lower it in the fryer at the same time."

"Just say the word. You're the expert." Troy remained focused on the goose as he and Tully slowly placed it in the fryer.

"Perfect. Thanks." Tully set a timer, then sat on a cold lawn chair nearby. He felt his yard was prettiest in the summer, but wintertime made it look nice as well. A tiny smirk tugged at the edges of his lips when he looked at his snow-covered grill. "Maybe next time, we'll do Christmas barbeque."

"Something simple? Yeah. That'd be nice." Troy took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. "You mind?"

"No, go ahead."

"Thanks."

Tully was quiet for a moment, watching Troy light up a cigarette. "Mind if I say something, Sarge?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"I've only hosted you all a few times for Christmas over the years, but I'm glad that nobody fights or gets into arguments."

Troy's smile faded. "Having problems with your family?"

"I wouldn't say 'problems.' It's just sometimes holidays can get a little more stressful than they need to be, especially with so many people. There're positives and negatives to coming from a really big family, but having just the five of you over for a special dinner is always nice. That and Christmas isn't really the same anymore without my grandparents."

"I… understand that completely. Still, we're not perfect. You know that."

"I do, but it seems when you put the six of us together in a kitchen, things run smoothly. Doesn't feel like somebody's gonna get mad because of people bumping into them. Nobody's drinking heavily. Nobody's arguing about anything."

Troy gave Tully a concerned look after taking his cigarette out of his mouth. "Did something happen last year?"

"Last year, Mabel offered to help out with making dinner when we went over to Mama's, like we usually do. She's never helped out before, because there're typically way too many people in that tiny kitchen. She wanted to do something other than sit and talk with everyone. That's fine. I wasn't going to stop her. Well, newcomers in the kitchen get scrutinized pretty heavily. Mabel's not used to making large meals for lots of people. Keeping up was a bit of a challenge, but she was up to it. One of my aunts gave her a bit of a hard time. I went in to check on Mabel, saw she was in an argument. I went up to my aunt after hearing some of the things she said about Mabel, and said, 'Nobody talks about my wife that way. Back off.' Sure, that was rude, but I wasn't about to sit there and let anybody tell Mabel that she's not good in the kitchen."

"She's a wonderful cook. I don't know why anyone would complain."

"She's not used to having to contend with so many people. I get that. That wasn't the only thing, though. My siblings and cousins brought their kids and some of them were… kinda wild, to put it lightly. I'd never let Eleanor and Auri jump on furniture. I know Hitch would never let Zach and Carolyn run like lunatics in a kitchen full of people. I know Moffitt would never let Jules bother people who clearly don't want to be bothered. Stuff like that." Tully sighed a little, glad he was getting this off his chest. He could tell from Troy's expression that his former sergeant was listening.

"So a bunch of stuff just went wrong all at once," Troy said.

"Yeah. I hope it doesn't sound like I don't love anyone in my family. I get that Christmastime can be stressful, but I like to make sure it's not. Not only that, apart from Mabel, I don't really have anyone to talk to. As in, really talk to, like I can with all of you. The small talk gets old. I'd rather be listening to you talking about guns or horses or Greek traditions. Or Moffitt talking about the desert and horses and tea and all the trips he took with his dad. Hitch, talking about his mom's trips to the Amazon or his time at Wake Forest. Dietrich—seeing him smile when he's talking about Christmas with his aunt and uncle is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Talking with Anah about any little problem always helps, and I usually learn something in the process."

"It actually feels special, having us around."

"Yeah."

"I mean, if you don't mind me asking… you're still welcome with your family, right?"

"Yeah. There were apologies and no hard feelings in regards to what happened with Mabel."

"That's good. I'm… glad you and Hitch and Moffitt have good relations with your blood families."

Tully nodded a little. "Honestly, it sounds like your grandparents and Dietrich's aunt and uncle would've been great to meet."

"They would have. No doubt about that."

Tully stood when the timer went off. "Alright, let's get that goose out."

The whole house smelled heavenly when Tully and Troy entered the kitchen with the freshly fried goose in hand. Moffitt was ladling the cider into a serving bowl. Anah was doing the same with the cocoa. The cake was out of the oven and Dietrich was spreading a generous amount of cream cheese frosting over it, without, of course, neglecting the chance to sample some of the frosting himself. Hitch stirring a frying pan of brussels sprouts and bacon, drenched in balsamic vinaigrette. The potatoes were already in a serving dish, covered on the table, along with the biscuits and honey butter.

"Hello, dears," Anah said. "What a lovely-looking goose."

"I take back what I initially said in regards to fried goose," Moffitt added. "That smells wonderful." His face flushed red with embarrassment when his stomach growled loudly.

"We'll sit down in a few minutes," Tully said, grinning a little. "Hang in there." He set the goose on the counter, and started cutting the meat from the bones. The steam rising from goose only added to the deliciously sweet and savory smells that enveloped the house.

"My stomach is getting a little talkative, too. Can't wait to try this." Troy got a serving platter out for Tully.

Anah slithered up to a cabinet door, and opened it with her tail. "Who wants marshmallows in their cocoa?"

"I think the better question is, who doesn't want marshmallows in their cocoa!" Hitch said with a laugh. "And I think Dietrich just wants marshmallows, period."

"I have been very well-behaved today!" Dietrich snapped.

"The frosting on your face says otherwise," Troy said.

"I had one spoonful!"

"Yes, a rather messy spoonful," Moffitt said.

"I watched you, dear. You had two." Anah took out a bag of marshmallows. "Troy, catch!" She swung the bag with her tail, and tossed it in Troy's direction.

"Hey—" Troy managed to grab the bag before it knocked his hat off. "Little more warning next time, Anah."

"Sorry."

"Anah, what have I told you about throwing things at people?" Moffitt asked.

"To not to."

"Exactly." Moffitt set the mulled cider on the table.

Anah slithered back over to the counter by the stove, taking a look at the brussels sprouts and bacon that Hitch had made. "Might I make a suggestion, dear?"

"Sure," Hitch said.

"Add a bit of rosemary."

Within minutes, rosemary-accented brussels sprouts had been placed on the table, next to the goose, potatoes, biscuits, and hot drinks. Anah was finally given her hug by Moffitt, and took her place around his shoulders.

The goose was an instant hit, and even Tully was impressed with how it came out. "What do you all think? Fry the goose every time I host?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Moffitt said. "I might have seconds!"

"Good. You need it," Anah said.

Hitch waited until he swallowed the huge bite of food in his mouth. "Write down the recipe. I plan on giving this to Mom."

"I have had many roast geese over the years," Dietrich said. "This beats all of them."

"Thanks." Tully looked at the table, remaining humble as ever despite all the compliments. "What do you think, Sarge?"

Troy couldn't respond as his mouth was full, but he gave Tully a thumbs-up.

"The real question now is whose drink was better," Moffitt said, smirking. "My cider or Troy's cocoa."

"Come on, they're both good," Tully sighed. "Don't make this a contest."

"Alright, alright."

"I will admit, this is the best mulled cider I've ever had," Troy said.

"If you think that's good, try my mother's mulled cider if you ever come over to Cambridge for Christmas. She's the one who taught me how to make it, after all."

"Maybe I will."

It was getting close to sundown when everything was cleaned up. Tully knew dinner had been a complete success when Moffitt, who normally wouldn't eat much during any sort of feast, was sprawled out on the couch in the living room with a drowsy look on his face. He smiled when Tully entered the room. "I am proper stuffed, Tully. Thank you for having us over."

"No problem. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Even Dietrich is full," Hitch said, motioning to where Dietrich had collapsed in a recliner. "Didn't think that was possible."

"Try not to speak too soon, Hitch," Dietrich said with a slight grin. "I have not forgotten about dessert."

"Even though you already had half of it while making it?" Moffitt asked.

"I did not have half of it. I had a couple of spoonfuls of batter and frosting and that was it."

Troy came into the living room, and looked first at Dietrich's contented form in the chair. He then turned to Hitch and Tully. "You know, if this was Christmas of a few years ago, I'd tell you two, 'mission accomplished.'"

"I think Dietrich's learned that food tastes good," Tully said. "Nothing beats good ol'-fashioned home cooking, especially with good people to share it with."

"That is wonderful advice to take to heart." Anah put the last of the clean dishes in the drying rack, then crawled over a hand towel to dry herself off. She slithered out to the living room, and climbed up to the couch in order to snuggle on Moffitt's chest.

Troy draped a blanket over the two of them. Anah poked her head out from under the blanket, and let out a very happy sigh when Moffitt began petting her. Troy smirked before saying, "Never thought a snake could look so blissed out."

"This is her favorite place to be," Moffitt said. "This is all she wants."

"I think that's all any of us wants for Christmas," Tully said. "To be with the people we love in a place we can call home."