Thanksgiving Blessings (UC, Mi/L, Mature) One-shot, Complete

[Ashita]

Title: Thanksgiving Blessings
Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and 20th Century Fox. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.
Pairings: Michael/Liz; Kyle/Isabel, Max/Ava; Maria/Rath;
Rating: Mature
Summary: Just a bit of holiday fluff because I was bored; Liz and Michael make an announcement to their family. Fits in to the Forbidden Dreams/Last Stand universe. *anokoro katra = spirit/God parents
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Groaning, Liz stretched and sleepily reached a lazy hand over to her buzzing alarm clock, grumbling as she was rudely yanked from pleasant dreams. Flopping back onto the bed and staring at the ceiling, she wondered for the hundredth time how she had gotten herself into this latest mess. Shifting on her bed, she looked over at her peacefully sleeping husband, his dark-blond waves splayed on his pillow. Oh, that’s right, it was his idea.

Flipping onto her stomach, she cupped her chin she ran her fingers over his bared chest, lightly tracing the slight swells and indentions, knowing the moment he woke by the change in his breathing. Caressing his toned chest softly, she dipped her head and placed a soft kiss right over his heart and pulled away to climb out of bed.

“Hey, where are you going?” he asked sleepily, reaching over and snagging her by the waist and pulling her into his arms, pinning her beneath his body. Capturing her lips before she could respond, he traced her lips, deepening the kiss when her lips parted instinctively. They kissed languorously, sliding their tongues over each other’s softly, as lovers do when they are rediscovering each other.

“I’m headed to start preparations,” she whispered breathlessly when they pulled apart. Pulling herself from his arms reluctantly, she climbed out of bed, reaching for her robe and pulled it on as she headed for the bathroom, calling over her shoulder. “You remember…Thanksgiving, turkey, dinner here for everyone? It was your idea, not mine.”

“Don’t remind me,” Michael muttered, burrowing his face back into his pillow, cursing the moment of madness where he agreed to host the group’s annual Thanksgiving dinner party. He’s sure there was a valid reason for it, but at the moment he can’t remember what it was to save his life. Probably something to do with having a Nazi-free holiday “I’m trying to block it out.”

“Yeah, well, get up genius, we have turkey to cook,” she snorted as she came out dressed in a pair of black sweats and long-sleeve, lavender v-neck. Walking over to the bed, she tugged on the blankets, yanking them off his body, stopping to stare at him in appreciation. Even after a year and a half of marriage, and four years together before that, he still had the power to take her breath away.

“Keep looking at me like that, aiba, and I’ll be up all right,” he smirked, golden brown eyes tracing a burning trail over her body, making her breath hitch with desire. “But that turkey won’t get cooked for a while.”

“Behave,” she warned him softly, eyes sparkling with humor. “I doubt our guests want to stumble on us yet again, as they have a penchant for doing.”

“Well, I can’t help that I’m a sexy bastard and you can’t keep your hands off me,” he smirked, rolling over on his side, enjoying this light banter with his wife. It’s one of the things he loves best about her.

“Be that as it may, Adonis,” she smirked, rolling her eyes at his comment and heading towards the door. “We need to get started, so get up.”

“Do I have to?” he grumbled, stretching lazily and burying his head back into his pillow, wondering yet again what prompted him to agree to this madness. It was almost worth Isabel’s Nazi act if it meant he got to sleep in to a decent time. Almost.

“Well, no, I suppose I could cook the turkey myself,” Liz smiled slyly, tapping a finger to her lips as she paused at the bedroom door, her brow pursed in mock concentration. “It can’t be that hard, right?”

“I’m up, I’m up!” Michael cried, scrambling out of bed as he recalled the disaster of their first Thanksgiving. They had decided to spend their first Thanksgiving alone as a couple, being newly married and she had tried valiantly to put together a small dinner for them, only to have everything either burned or undercooked. He hurriedly slipped into his sweats, casting a baleful glare at his giggling wife’s retreating back. “Stay away from my turkey, woman!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she called down the hall, rubbing her stomach lightly as she smiled to herself. She giggled softly when she felt her daughter make a light connection to say good morning, just a faint tingling of emotion against her nerves. It was still hard to believe that they had created such a miracle.

Padding into the kitchen, she started pulling out everything that they’d need to get the turkey into the oven, but left the actual turkey to Michael, knowing he’d throw a fit if she tried to lift it herself. He was in overprotective papa mode lately, although she was only three months along. God help her when she actually started showing.

It was why they agreed to hold Thanksgiving at their house this year – it was the perfect opportunity to announce their big news. Lost in her musing, she didn’t hear Michael come into the room, startling slightly when he slipped his arms around her waist and pressed his palms to her stomach for his good morning.

“How are my girls?” he asked softly, smiling when the baby fluttered excitedly at her daddy’s touch. She was not even three inches long and already a daddy’s girl. Pressing a soft kiss against Liz’s neck, he caressed her still flat stomach once more and pulled away to grab the turkey out of the fridge and began to prepare it.

Liz grabbed out the ingredients for their stuffing, and began to cut the apples, cranberries and celery for her husband and began preparing the stuffing to his exact instructions, rolling her eyes at his anal retentiveness. The price she pays for being married to a chef.

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched Michael grimace as he cleaned the turkey, chuckling under her breath at his disgusted moue. Shaking her head, she went back to her task before he chastised her like one of his sous chefs.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, glancing over at his wife and reaching for the bowl of stuffing she had prepared for him, filling the turkey quickly and efficiently. Grabbing the twine he trussed it and basted it with herbed butter.

“Oh, just the big bad alien disgusted by a little thing like cleaning a turkey,” she snickered, walking over to open the oven for him, standing to the side as he placed it in and closed the door.

Michael threw her a quelling glance as he strode over to the sink to wash his hands. Did he say he liked her sense of humor? Maybe he needs to re-evaluate that thought; she’s been hanging around the midget too much. Stalking over to her, he pressed her into the counter, caging her in with his hands.

“Well I don’t see you being the type to handle a turkey’s ass either, Miss Priss,” he smirked, pressing his lips to her neck, smiling when her breath caught at the light caress. Sucking on the skin over her pulse, he bit down lightly, biting back a moan when her body brushed against his softly.

“Well I don’t know,” she smirked, looking over his shoulder at his ass contemplatively, giving it a light squeeze and snickered when he winced, realizing he had set himself up for her next comment. “I’d say I handle one on a nightly…”

“Don’t go there,” he growled, fixing her with a warning glance, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, sliding his fingers through her silky, chocolate locks, shuddering as her hands slid along his bared back teasingly. Pulling away, he rested his forehead to hers, breathing shallow and bumped his nose against hers softly. “When is everyone coming over?”

“About 11 o’clock,” she whispered as she ran her fingers through the hair kissing the nape of his neck, reaching up to brush her lips against his softly, sighing when he returned the caress firmly. Raking her nails over his back, she smiled when his skin pebbled under her ministrations and moaned softly when he bit her neck in reprisal.

“Good,” he grunted, lifting her up on the counter, nudging her thighs apart, settling into the cradle of her body as he ravaged her mouth, sliding his up her shirt to cup her back. “We have time then.”

“Michael,” she panted between kisses, sliding her hands over his back to cup his ass, squeezing gently as she pulled him closer, breath stuttering when his hand slipped around to cup her breast, kneading it softly. “We shouldn’t. I said eleven, but you know our family. They could show up anytime.”

“Don’t care,” he whispered against her lips, teasing the soft flesh under his hand into a peak, sliding his lips along her jaw line. “Need you.”

“Oh, God,” she purred, dragging her fingers along his scalp, tugging on his hair and bringing their lips together for another slow, sensual kiss as she got lost in his caresses. She wrapped her legs around his hips and was about rock against his body when the kitchen door slammed open, startling them both.

“Oh jeez! Have you two ever heard of a bed?” Isabel griped, barreling in with several bags and threw them down on the counter, fixing her brother and his wife with an exasperated look. “Must we always be treated to some form of your debauchery every time we visit?”

“You’re early,” Michael growled, casting an irritated glance over his sister and her husband. Kyle shrugged his shoulders and sent him an apologetic glance. Michael sighed, dropping his head to his wife’s shoulder, knowing there was nothing the midget could have done to stop Isabel once she got a notion in her head.

“Hey duke, can I get some of dat action?” Rath smirked, popping his head in the door, laughing when Michael lifted his head and growled at him. Licking his lips suggestively, he couldn’t resist teasing his dupe further. “I’m sure she’d like to take on a real man.”

“You even think about it and you’ll be sleeping on the couch for a week,” Maria piped up behind him, smacking him across the head as she walked through the door with yet more bags. Rath scowled at his fiancé, rubbing the back of his head and walked into the room grumbling under his breath about overbearing, abusive woman, slumping into a chair to pout.

Michael eyes gleamed evilly at that announcement and smirking, opened his mouth to respond in the affirmative if for no other reason than to get his twin in trouble, but was stopped with a sharp elbow in the ribs. “Ow! Liz!”

“You even think of accepting and you’ll be joining him,” she warned, chuckling softly at his disappointed moue and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips to his neck.

“Fine, leave!” he turned around and glowered at his family, intent on finishing what they had been doing moments before their untimely interruption. “You’re interrupting my morning snack.”

“Uh uh, Chewy, you’ll just have to wait until tonight like the rest of us who got dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn for no good reason,” Kyle snickered, sliding onto one of the stools at the counter, trying to suppress a yawn.

“For no good reason?” Isabel nearly shouted, looking at her husband incredulously, winding into full on Nazi mode. Tapping her finger to her lips as she looked around the unadorned dining room with a shudder. “Have you seen this place? We have several hours of work to do to get it presentable. Now get moving.”

“We’ll finish this later.” Michael promised darkly, pressing his lips against his wife’s ear and kissing it softly before pushing off the counter uncomfortably. He groaned as he watched his sister pull her decorations out of her bag and headed to the door, muttering under his breath. He should have known his house wouldn’t be safe from the holiday Nazi. “I’m taking a shower.”

“Better make it a cold one, Fezzik,” Kyle called after him, laughing when Michael flipped him off as he headed out the door. Turning back, he sobered when he met his wife’s pinched expression and smiled sheepishly.

“If you don’t want to be taking one of those tonight, start emptying bags now,” his wife commanded, opening another of her totes and taking out the crystal candle holders she snagged from her mother’s house and several candles, setting them on the counter as Liz watched the scene bemusedly.

“Yes, mien fuhrer!” Kyle saluted crisply, ducking when Isabel went to swat him across the head and tried to hold back his laughter as she promised revenge, her eyes dancing. Rath doubled over in laughter as Kyle ran behind him, cowering but sobered instantly when Isabel’s laser-like gaze fixed on him.

“What are you laughing at?” she queried acidly, cocking a brow at him.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, looking down at his hands, studying his nails much to Maria’s great amusement.

“Good, then get busy!” Isabel commanded, back in general mode. “We have a lot to do and we’re already behind!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded, clambering off his chair and grabbing the bags. The sooner they got through with this torture, the sooner he and the guys could go watch football.

~*~

Striding back into the living room after his shower, Michael pulled a shirt over his head and launched himself onto the couch next to Kyle who was watching the game. “So how did you get out of decorating this time?”

“I nearly ‘accidentally’ dropped the floral arrangement and we were banished for being inept,” he grinned at his friend, returning his high five as Rath laughed. “Although, really, I think they just used it as an excuse to get us out of the room so they could talk about us.”

“Awesome,” he said, reaching over to snag some chips from the bowl and shoving them in his mouth as he focused on the game in front of him. “So we winning or losing?”

“Losing,” Kyle said mournfully, sighing heavily as he reached for another handful of chips and crammed them into his mouth.

“How bad?” he asked, frowning when Rath and his friend grunted in response. “Damn, that bad huh? Oh well, probably for the best since I’ll have to check on the food soon anyway.”

“Wouldn’t let her cook this year, huh?” Kyle grinned, remembering his friend’s horror stories from last year.

“Not unless you all want to spend the rest of the night in the emergency room,” Michael snorted, tossing a wry grin at his friend, ducking as Liz swiped at him as she passed to head for her shower, sending her an unrepentant grin. Then he slumped back down onto the couch and focused back on the game.

~*~

Rubbing a towel through her hair, Liz threw it on the bed and slid into the royal blue, sleeveless dress she place on her bed and sat down to apply a light coating of make-up when Isabel crept in, sitting beside her.

“So want to tell me anything,” Isabel asked shyly, her eyes gleaming with suppressed excitement, as she placed a hand over Liz’s stomach, laughing softly when her niece connected to her yet again to say hello. “God, that is so amazing.”

“How did you know?” Liz asked, surprised that Isabel had guessed their secret, although she shouldn’t be given her origin.

“When you brushed against me in the dining room and I placed my a hand on your stomach to steady you, she connected to me briefly and introduced herself,” her sister-in-law laughed, eyes sparkling with happiness. “When were you going to tell us?”

“Tonight,” Liz smiled, placing her hands over Isabel and laughing as the baby fluttered with excitement and greeted her mama. “We’re announcing it tonight at dinner. It’s why Michael wanted to have everyone over here. Not a word! You’ll ruin the surprise and he’ll be so disappointed.”

“Oh, God, a baby,” Isabel whispered hoarsely, eyes brimming with tears, her hands trembling with excitement. “I’m going to be an auntie.”

“We want you and Kyle to be her anokoro katra,” Liz whispered, smiling at the joy that crossed the beautiful alien’s face as the tears she’d been fighting back spilled over her cheeks and laughed as she was pulled into a tight embrace. “If you want to, of course.”

“We’d be honored!” Isabel cried, wiping the tears from her cheeks and smiling like crazy. “Oh, God a baby! Okay, okay, I need to calm down before they guess.”

Liz laughed, pulling her sister into a hug, getting caught up in her excitement and giggling along with her. Pulling away, she took her hand and pulled her from the room, applying the rest of her make up with her powers as they ran out to help with putting together the last bits of dinner and greet the arriving guests.

~*~

Liz smiled from her perch at the head of the table, exchanging a soft happy look with Michael as their family dug into the spread before them. Directly across from them was Jim, Kyle and Isabel, followed by the Evans and Max and Ava, all laughing over Diane’s failed Thanksgiving experiments.

Next to Michael were his parents, followed by her father and then Rath, Maria and Amy and Maria’s step-dad Ryan wrapped around the edge. It had been a lively evening, filled with warmth, love and happiness. It was the kind of evening that they all had fought so hard for during the war and she couldn’t be happier that they had this moment.

Meeting Michael’s eyes, she looked at him questioningly, and mouthed, “Ready?” Smiling when he grinned and nodded his head, taking his hand in hers, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles softly as she took her fork and lightly tapped it against her glass.

“Can we get everyone’s attention, please?” she called, standing at the head of the table, pulling Michael from his chair and waiting until he was standing behind her, a protective arm wrapped around her stomach. “We have an announcement to make!”

Their friends and family grew quiet, watching them curiously as she moved her hand down to lightly touch her stomach, smiling when Diane, Amy and Michael’s mother gasped softly at the universal gesture, already guessing their news.

“What? What is it?” Maria demanded, turning to her mother to find out why she had reacted that way. “What’s wrong? Oh, God is someone sick? Are you sick, Liz? You can’t be sick! Oh, God, where’s my cedar oil? I need my cedar oil!”

“Hey Diva!” Ava cracked, shaking her head with amusement as her friend went into hysterics and Rath tried to calm her down fruitlessly. “Let them actually tell us the news before you start freaking out. Go ahead, Cornball.”

“Thanks, Aves” Liz laughed softly, shaking her head. “No, I’m not sick. At least not anymore now that the morning sickness has passed. Michael and I are going to have a baby. We’re pregnant!”

She laughed again as everyone broke out into excited chatter all at once, shooting off questions from every side. “When? How long have you known? When is it due? Do you know what it is? How far along are you?”

Waving her hands, she waited until the noise died to a hushed roar before she answered their questions one at a time. “When? Well um, I don’t think we’ll go there. We’re three months along and have known for the past two months but wanted to wait until this first trimester was over before we told everyone. It's a girl and due in April. I lucked out and since I’m human and Michael is half human, we’ll have a fairly normal pregnancy. It will only be about a month and half shorter.”

“That’s why you kept putting me off the past two months!” Maria exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Liz smiled, shrugging her shoulders at her friend. “We wanted to enjoy the quiet before the storm.”

“Congrats, Lizzie!” her dad said, getting up from his chair to walk around the table and engulfing her in his arms for a tight hug, then reached out and drug Michael into the embrace. “You too Michael. God, your mother would have loved this. I wish she could be here.”

“I’m sure she’s watching, Dad,” Liz smiled, her chocolate eyes brimming with tears as she hugged the two most important men in her life during this joyous occasion. Pulling away, she turned to Michael’s parents and pulled his mother into her arms and laughed as Michael and his father joined the embrace, wrapping them both in their arms.

“Yes, this is what we fought for,” she thought happily, as her friends and family chatted around them excitedly, already making plans to go shopping for the nursery and the baby shower.

“Yes, it is, aiba,” Michael replied, pulling her in his arms, pressing his forehead to hers and holding her tightly as he rubbed her stomach softly, grinning when their daughter made her presence known. “Ta onkei, my blessings. Munui ur. Love you.”

“And mine, ta onkei,” she whispered back, kissing his lips softly. “Munui ur.”