A/N: Hello again, everyone! The chapter starts on the week of Thanksgiving.

This week was going to be a good week for Spencer. One, he'll be in Las Vegas longer (meaning he'll be seeing more of his mother at Bennington). Still, Élise and the kids would be coming for the Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately, Opal won't be joining them and will just be staying with Maeve and Bobby, while Rose will be heading back to the East Coast to see her family for the holiday.

Spencer spent the entire morning at Barnes & Noble, reading and buying books on Alzheimer's and dementia. Already noon, he sat in the great room, rereading one of the books he purchased, when he heard a rustling at the front door.

William bustled into the foyer, lugging three large recyclable tote bags from WinCo Foods and Whole Foods. "Oof!" he said, using his foot to close the door.

Spencer closed his book (he had already finished it) and took two of the bags from his father's arms. They walked into the kitchen together, heaved the bags onto the island, and helped unpack. "How was your morning?" he asked.

William wiped his forehead. "I got some good stuff that was on sale and everything needed for Élise and the kids." Spencer smiled to himself. "So what time are they arriving?" he asked again.

Spencer glanced at his silver watch again and did a flight calculator in his head. "Séraphine and Isaac got out of school earlier, like about noon, and when I last heard from Élise, they got on their flight thirty-five minutes after, so about two hours and twenty minutes until their flight lands."

"Well, it's a good thing I bought lots of food," William chuckled as he put away the organic peanut butter and jelly jar. He tucked on his button-down shirt and sighed. Now, the conversation topic took a U-turn. So…how have you and Élise decided to tell the kids about your mom?"

Spencer scratched his nose bridge. "Well, uh…we decided to tell them before we take them to her either later today before dinner or tomorrow. And Élise found an episode of Arthur to help them better understand. I watched it, and it was quite good."

William holds a bag of whole-grain pasta in midair. "What do you think I should make some spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight? I also bought some garlic rolls, and I found a recipe for a salad I think Élise will enjoy."

Spencer shrugged his shoulders. "Okay."

"Mommy, are we going to see Daddy soon?" asked Séraphine, squishing in her leather seat of one of the DOJ's Boeing planes with the flight captain just announcing that they landed in Las Vegas.

"Mmm-hmm, very soon," Élise had Alexander on her lap and Isaac beside her on the right, watching one of her security agents grab luggage bags from the overhead compartment. She smirked to herself—there was a surprise in store for the kids. "And we're going to see Grandma Diana and Grandpa Will while we're here, too."

Séraphine gasped. "Ooh! And Auntie Ethel?"

Élise muffled a snicker to herself while steadily getting up from her flight seat and cradling Alexander with one arm. "Yes, even her and Uncle Gordon and your cousins."

"Are we gonna stay with Grandpa Will?" Isaac asked with Élise unbuckling his plane seat.

Élise sighed after thanking the agent for getting the luggage for her. "Uh-huh." Soon, the hatch opened, and everyone started disembarking the plane—from one of the agents in front of the kids and Élise and her other agent behind them—climbed down the sturdy staircase. It was not-so-surprisingly cool and warm (like mid-sixties to seventies) in Las Vegas, but Élise loosened her short Burberry Heritage trench coat.

"DADDDDY! GRANDPA WILL!" Séraphine and Isaac shrieked and flapped their tiny hands, waving when they saw their father and paternal grandfather standing by the black Suburban while the agents loaded the luggage in the back.

Spencer and William squatted to their size, hugging and kissing the top of their heads. "Hey, kiddies."

Élise still held Alexander in her arms and waited for Spencer to give her a liplock, which he soon did. "Nice to see you in person again, babe."

"Same here, beautiful," said Spencer before he coaxed Alexander from her arms and kissed his cheek, making him giggle. "Hey, little boy. Have you been good to your Mommy and siblings while I was away?" he kissed him again after the six-month-old giggled and gurgled.

Now back at William's place, Spencer and Élise settled the kids down in the guest room before he offered to fix them lunch, and they wanted to help. William updated the room with a king-sized bed and pushed back some furnishings to make enough space for Alexander to play and sleep in the portable travel-sized crib.

"Spence, babe," Élise said, holding a bottle of lotion in her hand. Élise kicked off her Tommy Hilfiger flip-flops and wiggled her feet. "Foot massage, please?"

Spencer left Alexander to play with his teething toys and sat on the edge of the enormous bed. Élise sighed heavily as she gave Spencer the lotion and squeezed. "I am so tired. Physically, mentally, and emotionally."

"Tell me about it," Spencer muttered in agreement, shaking the bottle. He exhaled. Lise, I'm so glad this child is going to be our last because honestly, after this news about my mom…" he stopped to plant his palm on his face. It wore me out.

"I couldn't imagine what you must've been feeling," Élise whispered.

Spencer squeezed lotion onto his palm and started massaging her pedicured feet. "I was a big ball of mixed emotions."

"Look, babe, the one thing is that despite her losing her memory, she's still your mother, and you'll always be her son."

Spencer shook his head. "I know."

The afternoon transitioned into the evening. The Las Vegas sky was a brilliant, flashing color sky of fiery red and yellow to violet and blue. William's house smelled consolingly of tomato, garlic, and, surprisingly, chocolate. Élise, with Alexander, Séraphine, and Isaac, were already seated. Spencer carried ceramic bowls of pasta and salad and placed them in the center of the table, along with the basket of garlic bread and a small chocolate cake.

William and Spencer sat at each end of the table, the latter next to Élise and the youngest son. They said grace with their eyes closed and heads down. After grace, the adults passed around the kids' plates. They kept eyeballing each other, and Spencer cleared his throat.

"So, kids… there's something we want to tell you about. It's about Grandma Diana," he took a sigh. "She's…been having trouble remembering things lately."

William added, "Mmm-hmm. The doctors said that her memory is starting to go."

Séraphine is given her dinner plate. "Really?"

"Why?" asked Isaac openly after he's given his.

Élise tried to put this conversation in words they could understand while trying to feed Alexander puree chicken. "See, when you get to be your grandma's age, they start to forget things, but sometimes…they get a disease that makes it harder for them even to remember."

Séraphine lifted her shoulders. "Why does it happen?"

Spencer and Élise let out a smallish sniffle while William whispered, trying not to cry in front of the kids. "Sometimes, that's how it is, Fee," he coughed to clear his throat. "When you get older, your body changes. But she's gonna be fine, okay?"

After breakfast, as promised, Spencer and Élise took the children to see Diana at Bennington. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by passing nurses, doctors, and other scrub uniform employees. When they got to a corner and saw Dr. Norman standing by the archway, Spencer caught his attention. "Spencer! Élise!" He held his hand out, and they both shook it. "And this is little Séraphine, Isaac, and Alexander, no?"

"Uh-huh…" Séraphine and Isaac bobbled their heads.

Spencer whispered in hush tones, hoping the children wouldn't hear him. "How's my mother?"

"She's good," Dr. Norman answered truthfully. "She hasn't misplaced or forgotten her meds, which are doing her good, but she has a little trouble remembering names when introduced to some of the new staff."

Spencer gobbled up his lump. "Okay."

"If you need me, you two, give me a holler," Dr. Norman gave the family a content smile on his face before walking away to attend to his duties.

Spencer had his hand over his stomach. "I think I'm gonna hurl," he whispered to himself before he cleared his throat. "Okay…" as the family walked towards her while she was reading on the large couch, Spencer made a soft hushing sound. "Remember what Mommy and I said about Grandma Diana when we got here?"

"Be quiet and gentle," Séraphine and Isaac replied.

Spencer and Élise nodded while holding their hands until they were a few feet away from her. "Grandma?" Séraphine was the first to speak up quietly.

Spencer bit his bottom lip, pacing on the inside, waiting for her response. He closed his eyes and moaned softly when he watched his mother lift her head up from her book, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Hi, honey."

"Grandma!" Séraphine and Isaac pranced towards their paternal grandmother, hopped on the couch, sat between her, and threw themselves at her with hugs.

"Oh…" she had a grin, cuddling them closer to her before she squinted her eyes and cocked her head up, glancing at the two parents. "Fee and Iggy, right?" Diana pointed to Élise, who was carrying Alexander in her arms. "And Alek?"

Close enough, Spencer and Élise thought. "Yeah." At least she got their usual nicknames—sort of.

Diana stroked their heads, locking her head on top of theirs. "Mmm…have you two gotten bigger from the last time I saw you two?" Séraphine and Isaac giggled, which then made Spencer and Élise laugh. She held her arms open and asked, "May I please hole Alek for a little bit?"

While Spencer and Élise didn't show it on their faces, telepathically, they worried and slightly apprehensive with her holding Alexander, but after a few more seconds, not wanting to fret her or the kids, they ultimately decided to let her hold Alexander for a little bit and let him sit on her lap but the slight sign of trouble, they will immediately pull him away for her.

At least the hour they spent with Diana at Bennington wasn't too bad. She made the kids giggle and smile during their visit—they did a puzzle together and read to them. There wasn't any awkwardness or discomfort, regardless of Diana's recent diagnosis. Once they reminded Diana they were expecting another daughter, they'd all spent about eleven minutes thinking of good girl names. It was almost as if it was the times Spencer and Élise took the children to visit her.

Spencer and Élise watched the children sprint Séraphine and Isaac from their seats in the back, sprint up Aunt Ethel and Uncle Gordon's house drive, and start banging and ringing the doorbell as if they were trick-or-treating.

"Hey-hey-hey!" Spencer scolded the children when he and Élise got to the front door with Alexander in Spencer's arms, and they stopped instantly. "Cool it down, you two."

Séraphine and Isaac held their hands up innocently and put on pouty faces. "Sorry, daddy…"

The door opened, and Aunt Ethel was standing in standard uniform when she was with the horses—a plaid button-down shirt, denim pants, and beat-up riding boots. "Hey, everyone!" after some quick hugs and kisses, she allowed them into the house. When everyone stepped inside, there were homely scents of nutmeg, pumpkin, and cinnamon swirling.

"What smells so good?" asked Élise. Already, she wanted something to eat, even though she had two chicken sandwiches, a serving of French fries and potato chips, and two bottles of sparkling water with lemon, lime, and mint while at Bennington.

"That's the smell of Thanksgiving samples," Ethel guided the family into the kitchen, where Gordon was surrounded by spice and seasoning jars and the barely seasoned bird on the granite countertops. Spencer estimated in his head that the turkey must weigh about twenty-five pounds.

Gordon looked up and waved as he walked towards the sink and washed his hands with soap. "Hey, everyone!"

"Hey, Uncle Gordon," Spencer replied as everyone waved back.

Isaac pointed to the turkey. "What's that?"

"That, little Ziggy, is the turkey for Thanksgiving tomorrow," he answered after he cleaned his hands with towels, picked it up, and put it in the fridge. We're going to cook it tomorrow, but until then, it has to be in the refrigerator."

Ethel politely pushed past the adults. "We decided to mix things up this Thanksgiving. While we do the turkey, everyone's gonna bring in a side dish, a dessert, or both. Even William bringing in something."

It wasn't a big secret that Ethel (or anyone in the family) wasn't too fond of William, especially since he left Diana to raise Spencer alone until her institutionalization and didn't bother to keep in contact with them until some years later. Not until Diana's diagnostic brought them to close that chapter and made closer together—at arm's length at best to describe their current relationship.

While Élise perched herself in the living room with Alexander, Spencer, Isaac, and Séraphine, followed Ethel to the huge horse barn. It was cobblestone-khaki brown Hardie-Plank resembling wood siding, Dutch and sliding doors and windows, bright outside lighting, the wrought iron metal chandelier, two large custom-built ornated cupolas, and stalls.

Their shoes squeaked against the rubber flooring, and Ethel fed the horses and ponies hay from their stalls from a bucket.

"Ooh!" Séraphine tucked on Spencer's pants and pointed to the two small chestnut color ponies. "Daddy! Auntie Ethel!"

Ethel pulled up her black gloves. "Ah, that, Fee, those are Shetland Ponies—we just got them," she started petting its fur. "Remember when you first rode one, Spencer?"

"I was their age, yeah," Spencer had a little reminiscence moment from his childhood. "Since you and Ziggy have been good, do you two wanna ride on one today?"

Their eyes lit up and started jumping up and down. "Yaay!"

Spencer soundly safeguarded the helmets on the kids' heads, the leather gloves protecting their hands, and the riding boots before he and Ethel directed them onto the large rectangular box-fenced riding arena.

"Oo-wah," Spencer picked Séraphine, put her in the saddle, and adjusted her feet to make sure they were in the silver metal stirrups as Ethel did with Isaac. "There you go…"

Élise stood outside the fenced arena with a moving Alexander in her arms, focusing her phone camera on the kids. "See what your siblings are up to, Lex?"

"Your Daddy and I will be by your side this whole time, okay?" Ethel assured the toddlers. The ponies began moving. "If they're going too fast, let us know, okay?"

"I'm doin' it, Daddy," Séraphine had a big grin on her face. "I'm really doin' it!"

"Are you kids havin' fun?" asked Élise and Ethel.

"Uh-huh…"

"Then Ziggy and I got to feed the ponies, Grandpa!" William smiled as Séraphine recapped what happened when she and Isaac were at Aunt Ethel and Uncle Gordon's ranch in good detail. "One of them licked my hand…"

Élise cleaned Alexander's pea-green bean blend-covered mouth. "Yeah," she tried to keep his grasping hands from yanking on her earrings. "If I wasn't pregnant with this little one in my belly, I'd ride, too."

"Have you two decided what you want to name your baby girl?" asked William as he stood and gathered everyone's dinner plates.

Spencer sprung up and helped clear the table. "Still deciding…"

Élise rose to her feet, cuddling Alexander. "You kids better get some shuteye because of tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day."

Séraphine and Isaac flapped their arms up and down and started making turkey gobbling sounds. "Gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble."

"Heeey!" Ethel beamed with her white teeth showing when she and Gordon were greeted by the Bastien-Reid family (even William and Diana (who were granted permission to attend))—all dressed in fall-colored sweaters, pants, dresses, and closed-toe shoes.

"Welcome, everyone!" The house smelled of lemon and fall seasonal aromas. After they came in, she threw her arms and gave them hugs and kisses until she got to William, who simply held his hand out. She politely shook it, but she warned him she would be watching him for the dinner.

Spencer held an aluminum foil-wrapped sheet cake pan. "Élise and I baked a chocolate cake."

"And I made macaroni and cheese and skillet biscuits," said William.

Ethel shook her head once. "Nice," she said, turning her attention to Diana, whose arm was entwined with her daughter-in-law, and treading towards her. Diana gasped and then beamed with a sparkle in her eyes. "Ellie," she said, twirling her arms around her neck. Mmm…I feel great. How about you?"

Ethel could feel a bulge in her throat, stuttering, "I-I-I feel great." Already overwhelmed with emotion, red flashes appeared on her cheeks. "Uh, would you like a snack while we get the dinner set up…Dee Dee," she called her by her old childhood name. "How are you doin'?"

"You remembered my nickname," Diana said as she embraced Ethel in another hug. "Mmm…" she took Ethel's arm and allowed her to lead her to the living room with the kids. Gordon thrust a tray of mushrooms on toasted bread, along with the charcuterie board display of meats, cheeses, nuts, crackers, and seasonal treats, towards her and Ethel.

"Mushroom bruschetta?"

For the next thirty minutes to an hour, while Ethel and Gordon took turns checking in on the turkey, Diana was entertained by her grandkids, and Spencer read her stories of the past from her William and family. Diana was seated between William and Spencer, with Séraphine and Isaac on their laps, while Élise sat across with Alexander on her knees, looking through one of the Carney family albums.

"Oh, my goodness," Ethel amusingly dreaded an old black-and-white photograph of herself and Diana with big, feathered hair. "I can't believe I used to have my hair so wild like that. I looked like a bird."

Spencer brushed his fingers through his. "And here you are, always ranting about my hair being too wild." His witty remark got him some laughs, especially from his mother, but a stern look from Ethel, and he retreated with, "But I'm sure it was all the rage back in those days."

"It was, honey," Diana took her son's hand.

Ethel kept her lowered eyes on Spencer. "Farrah Fawcett rocked the feathered hair look while she was on Charlie's Angels."

"Ah, Farrah, what an—" Gordon was starting to have a nostalgic moment when Ethel used her manicured index finger to bring him back to Earth and have him look at her. "—an okay performer she was. May she rest in peace." He did the cross and chuckled nervously.

"Uh-huh…" they flipped to another photograph of Diana with long hair, but this time it wavy curls and one with her hair in a half-updo and flipped-up ends.

Diana sighed. "I look so different with long hair, don't I?"

About another hour later, John, Melissa, Sabrina, and Samuel joined in for Thanksgiving dinner, following Anna, Nathan, and Nicholas.

Ethel cried, "Dinner time, everybody!"

Along with the beautiful spread of food brought in by everyone, the Thanksgiving dinner had a lovely orange and cream gingham pattern runner, a giant and two medium pumpkins as the centerpiece, orange-yellow placemats and napkins, and fine glassware.

"Lord, it's the time of the year again when we thank you for bringing us together as a family. We thank you for giving us strength, happiness, joy, peace, protection, and love. We ask you again to give us as much as possible because you are our shepherd, protector, and provider. Thank you again for letting us have a roof over our heads and food on this table. And most importantly, thank you for making each day a blessing. Amen."

"Amen."