Mike exhales slowly, looking around his dinner table. AJ sits across from him, Sara and George lined up on one side of the table with Monroe and Madison. Morrison, Taya, Heath and Maryse take up the rest of the free spots at the table, and he smiles at them as they all take their turns moving around the table, serving themselves and the children.

George makes a face at the turkey, looking like he's about to protest loudly, when AJ takes away the biggest slice of it and adds a little extra mashed potatoes to his pile instead, his face immediately clearing as he stares hungrily at the buttery potatoes waiting for his spoon.

Once everyone's settled and eating, John clears his throat. "So, how's everyone doing up in Pennsylvania?" This is directed at AJ, woh looks up from her plate and smiles.

"They're doing great," she says. "Alicia's been sending me lots of pictures of the twins. Once we finish here, I can show everyone."

"Perfect," Taya says, smiling as AJ nudges Sara, a gentle encouragement to make her continue eating.

Mike allows the voices of his friends and family wash over him as he chews on turkey and stuffing, lost in thought. In a few days, he'll be flying out for Raw, where he'll have to face off with Lumis, and hopefully start to put this entire mess behind him. He's not sure how it'll shake out, if he has any true chance in hell of walking out in one piece after everything he's done- and had done to him- the last few months.

AJ notices, of course she does, and rests a hand on his shoulder. "You ok, Mike?" she asks softly, Heath and Morrison disrupting the table enough that no one really notices their whispered conversation.

"Yeah," he says. "Just thinking about Monday."

She nods, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "It's going to be ok," she murmurs against his skin. Pulling back to look him in the eye, she smiles. "I promise. One way or another, we'll get through this. Alright?" When he nods at her, she smiles. "Now come on, focus on your friends and family. We don't care about Lumis, we just want to spend time with you."

"Ok," he agrees with a faint laugh. "Sounds good to me." He looks around the table at the other. "Sara." When his daughter looks up at him, he winks at her. "Eat your cranberry sauce, I know how much you like it."

She stares down at her plate for a moment, then looks back up at him. "Alright, Daddy," she says with a small smile.

Mike gives her space to work on that while he looks across at were Heath and Morrison are bickering about... something. "What are you two doing over there?" he asks, pointing a fork at them.

"I'm showin' him this video," Heath explains, holding his phone up. "I swear it's that parkour mess he likes so much, but he insists it ain't."

"The guy barely has his balance, he's running into walls, not over things. I swear you found an attempt at recreating a Costello and Abbott skit," John sighs, rolling his eyes.

Mike chuckles, somehow unsurprised by this. "Well, debate it later, guys. Your food's getting cold."

John looks down at the food sitting on his plate, then over to Heath, who shrugs. "Yeah, alright, papa Mike," he says teasingly, Heath putting his phone away so the two of them can pick their forks back up and resume eating.

Mike rolls his eyes. "Please, if you two were my child, you'd have much better manners. Look at these two." He motions happily to George and Sara, who are diligently working through their plates.

"Oh, please," Heath says. "They're good mannered kids 'cause AJ is a good influence on everyone."

Mike gapes at him while AJ giggles into her fist. "I like him," she says. "You picked a good one, Maryse."

Maryse laughs and leans in to kiss her husband. "I definitely know that," she says fondly, stroking his jaw before turning back to her food.

Mike gapes around the table, feeling betrayed. "Wow," he finally says when no one leaps to his defense. "Wow, betrayed by everyone on Thanksgiving, no less. Santa will catch word of this next month."

"What, are you going to resume being Santa's Little Helper?" John asks with a grin, which only makes Mike sputter and gasp even louder.

"I'll get you back for this," he promises, half-formed ideas already floating around in his skull. "I'll get all of you."