Thanksgiving Part 2
“You worry too much.”
Jess Jones turned her glare from the coffee maker to her husband but his smiling eyes made it clear the glaring was just as effective on him as it was inanimate objects.
“How do you know I’m worrying?”
“I’ve spent over twenty Thanksgivings with you.”
“Oh, God, we’re so old.”
“Also, I’ve met you.”
“Shut up.”
He chuckled. “Also, I’m scared for the life of the coffee machine.”
Jess turned to look at the machine that she had admittedly been pounding because the blasted thing never seemed to work.
“The coffee machine is not alive!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!” She blinked. “Stop putting ideas in my head. How would the coffee machine be alive?”
“It’s Starktech, probably some kind of nano-whatsit I don’t know about, you insist on using organic beans.”
“Because--”
Luke raised a hand. “Because that’s what we were told, and we were told by our daughter who is marrying into the freakiest family on this green Earth. And have you met our friends? That is saying something.”
Jess blinked again. Then shook her head in an attempt to clear the visual of the coffee machine attacking. Then swore when it became obvious erasing the idea was entirely impossible because ohmigod it seemed so possible. Probable even. “I hate you.”
Luke grinned. “Relax.” She made a face. “Relax,” he repeated and pulled her to the doorway. “The caterers are already here. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Jess’s look somehow grew even darker. “That’s the problem! I don’t have anything to do but worry.”
Luke shook his head with affection. “You’re impossible.” Jess’s response was interrupted by the doorbell announcing their first guests had arrived.
“What time is it?”
Luke glanced at the stove. “Still early.” He shrugged. “But the parade’s over.” The Parker-Danvers contingent had been the first to arrive since Amelia had started appearing in the parade. The Rogerses were a part of the ceremony after the parade but they’d be back home soon, too. Everybody should be there after an hour or so. Jess nodded and they headed to the front hall.
Peter was unwrapping the several layers of outerwear he’d worn to keep the chill out while they watched the festivities. Ben was holding three women's coats, waiting for his father to be done hanging things in the closet. Amelia had already disappeared to warm up by the fireplace.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” Jess addressed the room at large.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” echoed Ben.
“Do you need any help?” asked Lindy.
“There are caterers,” grumbled Carol. Lindy blinked. Jess scrunched her nose. “Sorry.” Ben glanced between all three and decided to focus on hanging the coats now that his father was finally done.
“It’s not fair that you two don’t feel the cold,” Peter harrumphed as he did every winter.
“It’s less fair to your daughter,” remarked Carol.
“Irrelevant!” He sounded so indignant Jess and Carol both leaned over to pat his arm.
“Don’t let her hear you say so,” Ben commented quietly.
“Don’t let me hear what?” Heads turned to Amelia in the doorway, dressed in a cheer uniform that consisted of a sweater and less than mini skirt. Ben sighed. Not quietly enough.
Carol crossed her arms. “How do you know we’re talking about you?”
“Spider-sense.” Peter started to object but at Amelia’s expression he started laughing instead. Then at Carol’s expression he turned the laughter to pretend coughing. His girls women were exhausting. “What’d you say?”
“Life isn’t fair,” answered Carol.
“Your clothes are irrelevant,” answered Lindy.
The room erupted into pretend coughing.
The Rogers and Barnes families arrived within the half hour. Amelia greeted Jake with a kiss on the cheek that was innocent enough for everyone but Anthony and Natasha. She greeted Anthony and Jamie with a somewhat forced formality that everyone would find suspicious if Anthony’s expression wasn’t so dark already.
No one is sure when Vincent arrived. Possibly he was always there.
The Starks arrived exactly on time, with Thor and his family in tow. Jessica assumed Pepper made them stay in the car until the clock turned in order to never be anything but precise. The image of Pepper asking Thor to wait in the town car outside the house made her laugh so much she had to leave the room.
Regina and Henry arrived seven minutes later.
“Sorry we’re late,” said Regina. “Some people just can’t be rushed.”
“Just the two of you today?” asked Steve.
Regina shook her head. “Emma and Rose are coming. In theory. Some people just can’t be rushed!”
“Oh.” Steve nodded. Jessica hid a smile; no wonder Pepper and Regina got on so well. “Well, welcome. Most of us are in the family room.” They wouldn’t sit at the tables until everyone arrived and they had more than the two Swans outstanding.
“Henry!” Amelia ran over and threw her arms around him before the rest of the room realized they’d arrived. Regina hid an eyeroll and stepped around them to find Pepper. And wine. “Did you watch me in the parade?” Everybody else had seen her perform over the years but she hadn’t cheered last Thanksgiving.
“I did,” Henry assured her, returning her hug.
Amelia peered into his eyes, her nose scrunched up to consider. “Really?”
“Really!” Henry protested. “You were in the back of the group. One of the... flippers.”
Amelia grinned. “Fliers,” she corrected and pulled him over to the rest.
Emma and Rose arrived half an hour late, which Emma considered on time.
Bobbi, Jessica, Trick, Bobby, Kit and Clint arrived another half hour after that.
“I’m sorry!” Bobbi said before anyone could say anything, even hello.
“It’s fine,” said Steve, sincerely.
“Don’t apologize,” said Pepper, somewhat less sincerely.
“We really meant to be on time.”
“I didn’t,” said Clint. Bobbi and Bobby glared at him. Trick made his way over to Ginny and sat down. “I like to be fashionably late.” He wagged his eyebrows, waiting, but no one spoke up. “Don’t you wonder why?”
“No,” answered Bobbi, irritably. Clint pursed his lips.
“So, dinner?” asked Jessica Drew.
“I’ll alert the staff,” said Pepper. Ben mouthed ‘Staff?’ Amelia kicked him. Ginny sunk further into the sofa. Jamie tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. “Should just be ten or fifteen minutes. Twenty at most.”
“Why the wait?” asked Clint.
“They were ready an hour ago,” Pepper answered calmly. “We’d be on our second course if you weren’t so...” She looked him up and down. “Fashionable.”
Clint tipped an imaginary hat. “I aim to displease.” Bobbi covered her face with her hands. Carol tried unsuccessfully not to laugh.
Jess Jones turned her glare from the coffee maker to her husband but his smiling eyes made it clear the glaring was just as effective on him as it was inanimate objects.
“How do you know I’m worrying?”
“I’ve spent over twenty Thanksgivings with you.”
“Oh, God, we’re so old.”
“Also, I’ve met you.”
“Shut up.”
He chuckled. “Also, I’m scared for the life of the coffee machine.”
Jess turned to look at the machine that she had admittedly been pounding because the blasted thing never seemed to work.
“The coffee machine is not alive!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!” She blinked. “Stop putting ideas in my head. How would the coffee machine be alive?”
“It’s Starktech, probably some kind of nano-whatsit I don’t know about, you insist on using organic beans.”
“Because--”
Luke raised a hand. “Because that’s what we were told, and we were told by our daughter who is marrying into the freakiest family on this green Earth. And have you met our friends? That is saying something.”
Jess blinked again. Then shook her head in an attempt to clear the visual of the coffee machine attacking. Then swore when it became obvious erasing the idea was entirely impossible because ohmigod it seemed so possible. Probable even. “I hate you.”
Luke grinned. “Relax.” She made a face. “Relax,” he repeated and pulled her to the doorway. “The caterers are already here. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Jess’s look somehow grew even darker. “That’s the problem! I don’t have anything to do but worry.”
Luke shook his head with affection. “You’re impossible.” Jess’s response was interrupted by the doorbell announcing their first guests had arrived.
“What time is it?”
Luke glanced at the stove. “Still early.” He shrugged. “But the parade’s over.” The Parker-Danvers contingent had been the first to arrive since Amelia had started appearing in the parade. The Rogerses were a part of the ceremony after the parade but they’d be back home soon, too. Everybody should be there after an hour or so. Jess nodded and they headed to the front hall.
Peter was unwrapping the several layers of outerwear he’d worn to keep the chill out while they watched the festivities. Ben was holding three women's coats, waiting for his father to be done hanging things in the closet. Amelia had already disappeared to warm up by the fireplace.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” Jess addressed the room at large.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” echoed Ben.
“Do you need any help?” asked Lindy.
“There are caterers,” grumbled Carol. Lindy blinked. Jess scrunched her nose. “Sorry.” Ben glanced between all three and decided to focus on hanging the coats now that his father was finally done.
“It’s not fair that you two don’t feel the cold,” Peter harrumphed as he did every winter.
“It’s less fair to your daughter,” remarked Carol.
“Irrelevant!” He sounded so indignant Jess and Carol both leaned over to pat his arm.
“Don’t let her hear you say so,” Ben commented quietly.
“Don’t let me hear what?” Heads turned to Amelia in the doorway, dressed in a cheer uniform that consisted of a sweater and less than mini skirt. Ben sighed. Not quietly enough.
Carol crossed her arms. “How do you know we’re talking about you?”
“Spider-sense.” Peter started to object but at Amelia’s expression he started laughing instead. Then at Carol’s expression he turned the laughter to pretend coughing. His girls women were exhausting. “What’d you say?”
“Life isn’t fair,” answered Carol.
“Your clothes are irrelevant,” answered Lindy.
The room erupted into pretend coughing.
The Rogers and Barnes families arrived within the half hour. Amelia greeted Jake with a kiss on the cheek that was innocent enough for everyone but Anthony and Natasha. She greeted Anthony and Jamie with a somewhat forced formality that everyone would find suspicious if Anthony’s expression wasn’t so dark already.
No one is sure when Vincent arrived. Possibly he was always there.
The Starks arrived exactly on time, with Thor and his family in tow. Jessica assumed Pepper made them stay in the car until the clock turned in order to never be anything but precise. The image of Pepper asking Thor to wait in the town car outside the house made her laugh so much she had to leave the room.
Regina and Henry arrived seven minutes later.
“Sorry we’re late,” said Regina. “Some people just can’t be rushed.”
“Just the two of you today?” asked Steve.
Regina shook her head. “Emma and Rose are coming. In theory. Some people just can’t be rushed!”
“Oh.” Steve nodded. Jessica hid a smile; no wonder Pepper and Regina got on so well. “Well, welcome. Most of us are in the family room.” They wouldn’t sit at the tables until everyone arrived and they had more than the two Swans outstanding.
“Henry!” Amelia ran over and threw her arms around him before the rest of the room realized they’d arrived. Regina hid an eyeroll and stepped around them to find Pepper. And wine. “Did you watch me in the parade?” Everybody else had seen her perform over the years but she hadn’t cheered last Thanksgiving.
“I did,” Henry assured her, returning her hug.
Amelia peered into his eyes, her nose scrunched up to consider. “Really?”
“Really!” Henry protested. “You were in the back of the group. One of the... flippers.”
Amelia grinned. “Fliers,” she corrected and pulled him over to the rest.
Emma and Rose arrived half an hour late, which Emma considered on time.
Bobbi, Jessica, Trick, Bobby, Kit and Clint arrived another half hour after that.
“I’m sorry!” Bobbi said before anyone could say anything, even hello.
“It’s fine,” said Steve, sincerely.
“Don’t apologize,” said Pepper, somewhat less sincerely.
“We really meant to be on time.”
“I didn’t,” said Clint. Bobbi and Bobby glared at him. Trick made his way over to Ginny and sat down. “I like to be fashionably late.” He wagged his eyebrows, waiting, but no one spoke up. “Don’t you wonder why?”
“No,” answered Bobbi, irritably. Clint pursed his lips.
“So, dinner?” asked Jessica Drew.
“I’ll alert the staff,” said Pepper. Ben mouthed ‘Staff?’ Amelia kicked him. Ginny sunk further into the sofa. Jamie tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. “Should just be ten or fifteen minutes. Twenty at most.”
“Why the wait?” asked Clint.
“They were ready an hour ago,” Pepper answered calmly. “We’d be on our second course if you weren’t so...” She looked him up and down. “Fashionable.”
Clint tipped an imaginary hat. “I aim to displease.” Bobbi covered her face with her hands. Carol tried unsuccessfully not to laugh.