Dangeroustoken adjusts the tablecloth, then adjusts it again, trying to line it up perfectly on the table.

The huge table is already set with the plates, forks, and knives, a small vase of flowers in the middle. Perfect.

"Everything's ready!" Dangeroustoken calls out towards the kitchen.

Ashley appears in the doorway, a Thanksgiving apron tied around her waist as she surveys the table.

Sighing, Ashley walks over to the table, grabbing a fork and knife and switching their places.

"Forks go on the left." Ashley says while shaking her head.

Dangeroustoken groans.

Ashley disappears into the kitchen again just as the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" Dangeroustoken yells, dashing towards the door.

She opens it to find Malia, flanked by Iris who's carrying a bowl of green bean casserole.

"Sorry for arriving a little bit early, Iris is quite adamant on being punctual." Malia says, and Iris gives a sheepish shrug.

"That's perfectly fine." Dangeroustoken reassures them, taking the casserole Iris passes to her and holding the door open for them. "Please come in."

They step inside, following Dangeroustoken into the kitchen where Ashley is checking on the bread in the oven.

"Oh, Iris!" Ashley exclaims happily, walking over and smiling at them in greeting. "Thank goodness you're here! I need some help preparing the mashed potatoes."

"Oh joy! Those are my specialty!" Iris says happily, and they get to work as Dangeroustoken snatches a wine bottle, pouring herself and Malia a glass as they walk back to the dining room.

"How have you been, Malia?" Dangeroustoken asks like they're old friends.

Malia takes a sip of wine, sighing. "Good, except for this aggravating sickness, which I presume is thanks to you?"

"It's part of the plot." Dangeroustoken says with an apologetic smile. Malia waves it off, when the doorbell rings again.

Dangeroustoken walks over to the door and opens it to see Becky, standing there alone with a pan of stuffing in her hands.

"Oh hey Becky.....where's Max? I would have thought he'd show up with you." Dangeroustoken says in confusion while taking the stuffing that Becky hands her.

"He's over there."Becky says nonchalantly, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder and walking into the house.

Dangeroustoken eyes widen as she spots Maxx, or at least his lower half, since his upper half is currently inside a big flower pot Dangeroustoken uses for decoration.

"My flowers!" Dangeroustoken cries out, setting the stuffing on the table then rushing outside to examine the damage. Yeah there's no getting those flowers back from where they lay scattered on the ground and crushed.

Max groans from inside the flower pot, lifting himself up and falling backwards onto his butt.

"Ouch," he mutters, rubbing his head which has a huge bump.

"What did you do to annoy Becky this time?" Dangeroustoken sighs, lending a hand to help him up.

"Nothing! I just mentioned that all of us may get fat after today, and then she got super mad." Max exclaims, dusting off his dark orange shirt, hey no complaints, at least he's wearing a shirt.

"She may have thought you were referring to her. Never ever, ever, EVER make an insinuation that a girl is fat or will become fat. It does not end well for anyone."

"Noted." Max says dryly, before walking inside, hopefully to clean up a little more.

Before Dangeroustoken walk inside a car pulls up, this one a sleek, black Maserati.

I stare flatly as Lager swiftly climbs out, snapping his fingers and making it disappear.

"You just can't resist a dramatic entrance, can you?" She asks as he approaches.

"You can't blame anyone else but yourself for making me this way." He says lightly with a smile.

"Where's your contribution to the meal?" She waves off his last comment.

"I, of course, brought the best part of the meal." He snaps again, a huge, uncooked turkey appearing in his hands.

"Mashed potatoes so beat turkey a hundred times over, but whatever. You better go give that to Ashley so it can be cooked by the time we're ready to eat."

Lager instantly perks up and I roll my eyes as he strides inside, no doubt to find Ashley as soon as possible. I wait a moment, wondering if anyone else will pop up, before heading inside.

Two hours pass, spent socializing and keeping Becky from pounding Max into a pulp. Malia does everyone a favor by keeping the food fresh and hot with little orbs of light, and more bottles of wine are uncorked every ten minutes.

Lager sits in a corner, playing cards with Max and looking like he's crying on the inside. It must be because of the incident that happened ten minutes ago when Ashley yelled at him to get out of the kitchen if he was just going to take up space and be a distraction while they were cooking. She reminded Dangeroustoken of her grandmother in that moment.

"Turkey is ready!" Ashley bursts from the kitchen with a huge grin, a few stains now decorating her orange apron.

"That quickly?" Max asks. Dangeroustoken didn't blame him, it was a big turkey.

"Becky worked a little Lightling magic." Ashley smiles.

"She actually used her Lightling powers?" Max perks up.

"Yeah I did, but it's not gonna happen again any time soon." Becky appears from the kitchen, giving Max an eye roll as he pouts.

"Everyone to the table!" Iris calls. "There is no seating chart, so sit wherever."

It's funny how fast Lager appears at Ashley's side, looking ready to pounce on the seat next to the one she picks.

Ashley is just about to sit in the middle of the table, when Malia shakes her head, gesturing Ashley to sit at the head.

"No, you should sit there." Ashley argues, not moving from her spot.

"Please, its your right as the main character. I'll sit at the other head." Malia smiles gently, and only when she receives a little shove from Becky does she move and sit there, Lager taking the seat to her right.

Everyone sits down, Iris at Malia's right at the other side of the table, Becky and Max facing each other in the middle, Dangeroustoken next to Becky, and Ashley at the head with Lager on her right. Three empty seats remain, one across from Dangeroustoken, one on the left of Malia, and one on the left of Ashley.

"Who are the open seats for?" Iris asks, looking towards Dangeroustoken.

"I was expecting Cato....and two others....but they should have been here by now." Dangeroustoken frowns.

Everyone pauses, wondering who those two other characters could have been.

"Did you invite Sylvia?" Becky asks with a grimace.

"Yes, but she said she had family to and I quote "deal with"."

"Something else I can add to the list of things i'm thankful for." Becky mutters.

"Time to get the food, now that seats are taken care of." Ashley stands up, with Iris and Becky, going in to the kitchen when the doorbell rings.

Dangeroustoken hops up, wondering if those are her two other guests. She gets to the door and opens it, smiling when she finds two invited, but unexpected, guests standing there.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be able to make it." Dangeroustoken says with no disappointment whatsoever.

"Originally that was the plan, but this one came to me, even wrote a letter begging me to take her here." The masculine voice says.

Dangeroustoken steps aside, letting the two enter right as Ashley, Iris, and Becky come back from the kitchen, holding food dishes.

Everyone looks to the newcomers, pausing a second, before erupting with cheers.

"Core!" Everyone shouts, some even raising their glasses.

He smiles and nods at them, acting like he isn't being praised as a celebrity. Dangeroustoken watches with a smile, quite happy that while in the book, Core doesn't interact with anyone besides Ashley, outside the book he's quite social with them.

"I brought someone else along." Core says, pulling that someone from where they were hiding behind him out in front.

"Kay!" Ashley says happily, and Kay smiles, giving a shy wave."We were just about to eat, so come sit down."

"Thank you for making room so last minute." Core says gratefully, walking over and taking the seat across from Dangeroustoken's seat.

"Kay, over here." Lager says, and she runs over to him. He lifts her up, putting her on his leg. She may be twelve years old, but she's pretty light for her age.

"Highclere must have been boring without us there, huh?" Lager asks her, and she nods.

"All food is set, dig in!" Becky says, and she didn't have to tell anyone twice, because immediately everyone started plating their food.

Lager divides his plate in half, one side for him and another for Kay. Core cuts the turkey, passing out the pieces based on people's preferences. Ashley goes around, refilling wine glasses and getting grape juice for Kay.

Dangeroustoken is just about to take a bite of her food, when the doorbell rings.

Everyone pauses.

Dangeroustoken pushes out her seat to stand up, but Ashley waves her off, setting down the wine bottle in front of Max, who looks like he's ready to jump on it.

"I'll get it." Ashley says, walking over to the door and opening it, wondering if maybe Cato had changed his mind and decided to come.

She opens the door and freezes, speechless.

"Who's there, Ashley?" Dangeroustoken asks, already knowing who's on the other side.

Ashley doesn't respond, and instead steps inside, allowing the people in.

Aella appears first, blonde hair in a ponytail and even her weapon on her, although she does set it down next to the door.

Next appears......Zero, looking awkward as he ducks his head to enter through the door, holding a pan of already cooked and sliced turkey.

"I brought turkey." He says awkwardly in a slightly rough voice, holding it out like a peace offering to Ashley.

Ashley glances at Dangeroustoken, who gives her a nod.

Ashley takes it, giving a small smile. "Thank you." She says.

"We already have turkey." Lager suddenly speaks up, golden eyes pinned to Zero and clouded with slight irritation. Lager had, after all, brought turkey as well.

"Oh..." Zero says, looking even more awkward.

"Come take a seat, glad you could make it." Dangeroustoken says, and Aella looks to Zero who slightly nods his head to the seat next to Malia. Aella gives a firm nod back of understanding, walking over and taking a seat,making Iris jump.

Now the only seat is the one to the left of Ashley.

Zero walks over, sitting down and coming face to face with Lager who's across from his and staring him down, although he doesn't look as threatening with a cutie like Kay sitting on his leg.

"Keep the hate to a minimum please." Dangeroustoken says, shaking her head at Lager. "Let's just enjoy the meal."

"Hmph." Becky exhales, a frown etched onto her face.

The clinking of silverware and glasses ensue, although conversation is now scarce.

Surprisingly, but not really, Max is the first one to crack in the silence. "Okay this stay quiet and eat thing isn't working for me. It's Thanksgiving, so talk people."

"Max, shut it." Becky says.

"I think Max is right." Ashley speaks up, earning a cold, heard glare from Becky. "Let's start a conversation."

"What if we go around and say what we're thankful for?" Iris says quietly, but everyone still hears it.

"Great idea, iris." Malia says gently. "I'll start it off. I'm grateful for Lucem Villa, and all of the Lightlings that support me. I hold each of them close in my heart."

"Awww." Ashley says, and Malia smiles, looking to Iris.

"Oh." Iris says. "Well, I'm thankful to have a great Aunt like you, and an annoying, although caring brother like Cato. Also I'm grateful for all my new friends." She adds, looking to Ashley, Becky, and Max.

"Do I really have to do this?" Becky asks, looking around the table like anyone may help her. Her eyes land on Lager, her last resort.

"Sorry, Bex." He says, putting his hands up, and Ashley's eyes widen in surprise. This is the first time she's hearing this new nickname, one Lager must have used for a while considering his and Becky's history. "I'm kind of curious to see what your grateful for."

She scowls. "Well I'm not grateful for an irritating Darkling High Commander, even though he took me in. I'm also not grateful for a stinky monkey who always follows me around and protects me, or a dumb human girl who was my first ever friend, or this whole adventure we're on right now, even if it's getting me in great shape and meeting new, interesting people. So there, that's what I'm not grateful for." She crosses her arms, tilting her chin slightly up.

Ashley smiles behind her napkin, because even if Becky says she wasn't thankful for those things, it's obvious she is really grateful for them. Then Ashley frowns. Being called dumb really hurt.

"Looks like I'm next." Dangeroustoken says. "I'm gonna do a cliche style, cause that's my thing, and say that I'm thankful for all of you wonderful characters, you're really fun writing about, along with all my awesome readers and their comments who support me. This would not happen without you, so thank you."

Core raises his glass to that and everyone follows his example, before turning to see who's next.

"Erm..." Zero says, scratching the back of his head. "I'm thankful for the food?"

"C'mon, more than that." Dangeroustoken pushes.

He sighs, putting his hand down and looking serious for a moment.

"I'm thankful that I was sent to Braun Island all that time ago, and got to spend the best months of my life there with a person who I still consider dear to me." He finishes, silver eyes staring down at the food but then glancing up for a second to see Ashley, also staring at her food, but her cheeks a little pink.

There's a small scoff and Zero jerks his head up to look at Lager, who's in the middle of a dramatic eye roll.

"Hard to believe touch guy over here can have a sentimental side." Lager says, golden eyes glinting.

"Shut it, Darkling." Zero growls, his hand which was resting on the table curling into a fist.

"I'm thankful-" Ashley cuts in before things can escalate. "For coming to Dalton, and meeting everyone. I made so many new friends, some of which I question their sanity. While things may have happened, I'm still grateful to you Zero, because you're the one who got me here in the first place." She turns to Lager."And I'm also thankful to you Lager, for taking my friends and I in, even though we were with your enemy, and sticking by my side ever since. Thank you Becky, I'll always be your friend, and also Max, your mischief is just what I need some days. Thank you Malia, for letting us stay in the Villa, and Iris for all your help. And Aella, I don't know you too well yet, but thank you for looking after Zero. Last but not least hank you Core, for guiding me, and Kay, for being the sweetest friend I've ever had."

Kay smiles brightly, and everyone softly claps, although Becky mutters about not wanting Ashley to always be her friend.

"Great speech, Ashley." Lager smiles at her. "My turn.I'd have to agree with Malia and say I'm thankful for Highclere, and all of he Darklings. Cheers to the new people I've me, and the ones I have't yet. And cheers to Ashley coming to Dalton, everything fell into place he second she stepped on this island, and I'm very grateful to her for that."

Ashley smiles at Lager, who smiles warmly back, before snapping his fingers and conjuring a marker for Kay. Kay grabs a napkin and jots down a quick note, then shows it to the table.

Thank you for being my friends, it says, and everyone lets out 'awww' sounds.

"The biggest thing I'm thankful for is the food, and my future girlfriend." Max says a huge grin on his face as he looks at Becky with shining blue eyes.

"Don't put me in the same category as food." Becky snaps, but Ashley catches how she doesn't deny the whole future girlfriend act. Another example of how Becky is starting to warm up to Max.

"Oh and Poo Pourri! Can't forget that stuff. Whenever my dad gets a new shipment of it, it's like magic." Max says and some laugh, other shake their heads.

"Wait I'm also thankful for the five-second-rule-" Max continues.

"Okay, we're done here." Becky cuts in, looking to Core, who clears his throat.

"I'm thankful for Dalton, and every person in Dalton, including the newest addition to the Dalton people, Ashley. Thank you, Ashley, for helping me out with....things."

A few people give Ashley questioning stares, but she shrugs, a knowing smile on her face, which looks incredibly suspicious and downright wrong to some people.

"Alright," Dangerosutoken says, wrapping things up as everyone turns to look towards the fourth wall. "This is starting to stretch, so I hope everyone enjoyed this bonus chapter. Now everyone, let's try this again. One, two, three!"

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Everyone yells, Kay holding up a napkin with those words on it.

"-giving" Max finishes a second later than the rest. "Damn it!"

"Anyway, thanks so much for reading, I hope you have a fantabulous Thanksgiving, eat mashed potatoes, those are by far the best dish on Thanksgiving, although I'm open to other food suggestions. Vote, comment, and play a card game with your family, that always passes the time and keeps them from insulting you to your face. Don't you love how family does that? Anyway-"

"Lots of Love," All the characters say in perfect sync, Max fist pumping and high-fiving himself.

"Dangeroustoken." Dangeroustoken finishes.