Gift of Thanks

By K-chan

Disclaimer: I don't own SH, though the turkey tells me I do.

Summary: It's thanksgiving, and in the Winged People, it's traditional to give a present to the person your most thankful for... Daughter/Sirius

"Thanks Daughter!" Tira, a pretty redhead, adjusted her big glasses as she bid the teal-haired winged girl goodbye. "See you tomorrow!"

"See you." Daughter smiled from where she was hovering. Her small wings beat small puffs of air out to keep her afloat. "Thanks again for letting me spend Thanksgiving with you!"

"Your welcome!" The redheaded woman paused, thinking she should say more.

Daughter knew why she was concerned. Tomorrow would be her first Thanksgiving without Big Momma... but the winged girl would be okay. The world didn't need Big Momma anymore.... and she had someone special to (hopefully) spend her life with...

"Can I bring someone along?" Daughter asked with a blush.

Tira smiled knowingly. "Sure."

'Now, I just have to find Sirius...'

"What should I get Daughter for Thanks...?" the black-haired man wondered. He fidgeted with the end of his long braid. Thanks was a holiday where you thanked the people you cared about for what they've done for you, and celebrated the gifts from the earth. The Winged People were never really creative with names, but their hearts were always in the right place.

Sirius had been completely alone since her was a small child, and his people... he cut himself off that thought train. It was no use living in the past. The Winged man wasted 18 years of his life in mourning. Only Daughter was able to shock him out of it.

"Daughter has done so much for me..." he mumbled, untying the braid. "What would she like?"

The answer came instantly to mind- a stuffed toy. He had seen lovers on the streets give and receive bears of multiple colors. Sirius shook his dark head at the thought. She loved cute things, but she already had many, many stuffed bears. Jewelry was the man's second choice, but that idea seemed so... common, so typically human that he was disgusted at himself.

The literal lovebirds talked about many things, but never what they might like as a gift... that just didn't appear to be done how she was raised.

Sirius cursed, sitting up. The long river of ink slid over his shoulders, running down his back in a black waterfall.

'Perhaps one of Daughter's friends will know what to give her... ' The black-haired man shook the dry strands of grass out of his hair. 'It has to be better than sitting around and shooting down my own ideas.' He braided up his hair again and took flight.

If anyone would have an idea, the Eastern Magic User Marron would know. Daughter veered that way.

"MARRON! LOOK AT MEEEEEEEEE!"

Gateau jumped up, bulging muscles flexing.

"Mr. Gateau?" Sirius asked politely.

"Marron, yer a angel!!" the drunken man swayed slightly, reaching out and pulling on Sirius's wing.

The captured man coughed slightly. "Where is, uh, not-angel Marron?"

Gateau's forehead creased as he tried to process that information. "He's... a' 'is Big Brotheries's" The intoxicated Gateau tried to clap his hands, but missed. "Help'n out wif Thanksgivin' dinner!"

Sirius tilted his dark head. "Thanksgiving?" A cliché lightbulb flashed over his head. "Oh, Thanks!" he realized.

"Yer welcum." Gateau said, mistaking the name of the Winged People holiday for a thank you.

"Um, Mr. Gateau," Sirius paused. Should he ask...? "If you wanted to get a girl a Thanks present, what would you give her?"

"Avview o' my beau-ti-ful bod, o' course!"

"Um, nevermind."

"Sirius!" she cried happy to see him.

"Oh, uh, Daughter!" The winged man glanced nervously at the drunken Gateau. He hoped the uninhibited man wouldn't spill his question to her.

"Sirius, every year today we have a dinner that, uh, everybody goes to." She fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "And so, uh, I was wondering if you'd like to come?"

The muscle-bound exhibitionist was saying something in the background. Sirius paid him no mind, as he was too busy looking deep into Daughter's eyes. "I would love to." He replied, taking her hand in his.

"AWW!!" The blond was overwhelmed with the emotion in the tender scene and alcohol. "Tha's beau-ti-ful!!" he paused. "Jus' like my mucles!"

"What happened to him?" The teal-haired girl asked curiously.

"I'm not sure..."

"I's trad-I-shenal to drink lot'sa beer on Thanksgivin'!"

Sirius stared at Daughter with raised brows.

"After dinner..." she explained, sweating.

"Daughter?" Chocolat questioned across from her.

"Oh!" The spaced-out girl blushed. "Yeah... I'm thankful for all my friends-"

The back of Sirius's neck was wet with sweat. He ended up getting a locket for Daughter, despite his efforts. By locket standards, it was lovely, a silver heart with winged designs. You could put a picture in it, if you wanted to.

"What are you thankful for, Sirius?"

"Daughter." The word spilled from his mouth unbidden. "She is very, very important to me, and has changed me forever. I would be very lonely and angry person without her." The words seemed more fitting to a proposal or a lover's promise, but Sirius didn't care. He looked around the table. "I am thankful for you all too, for if you weren't around, Daughter and I would not have met as we did." He bowed, still holding hands with daughter and Tira on his left.

"What a load of-" Carrot started to mumble. Sirius sent him a death-glare that was before only used on Hashim, the advisor sent by Lord Sacher when the winged man still worked for him. Fire crackled in the background. "-power! Those words are so inspiring!" Carrot finished transparently.

Tira finished the circle, and the bizarre group dug into the feast. Potatoes of many kinds, a turkey and a ham, cooked yams, cranberry sauce and egg rolls, foods of all kinds from all the places the Sorcerer Hunters had been to decorated the older Glace's table.

"Pass the salt," asked Marron and Carrot's father, Onion to their newly reborn mother, Apricot.

Sitting beside Sirius, Daughter advised, "Try the cider." Sirius nodded, catching her eager tone, and got a mug. His eyes widened.

"This is very good!"

The winged man was rewarded with seeing her blush at his statement. "Thanks, I made it myself."

Her gratitude reminded Sirius of his gift. "This is my first quote-unquote Thanksgiving." He explained, his face reddening. He pulled out a nicely wrapped box. "but the Winged People have a tradition similar where we thank the earth for the harvest and the people we care about most for being with us." The dark-haired man fiddled with the present. "We usually have a big festival for the harvest and give gifts to the ones we care about."

"You got me a present?" the teal-haired girl said loudly.

He shook his head affirmative, his bangs falling down to hide his bright gold eyes. Without saying a thing, he held out the box.

Daughter opened it with a gasp. "Oh..." she breathed quietly.

Sirius mistook it for disappointment. "I didn't know what to get, so I tried asking your friends, but I couldn't get a hold of them." He didn't meet her eyes.

"Thank you so much Sirius." She said, catching his hand. "I-"

"Cut the crap!" Carrot interrupted the tender scene and was promptly hit on the head by his wife.

"Carrot!"

"Brother!" Marron asked worriedly to his brother, who was currently underneath a large rock.

Redheaded Chocolat leaned over the food and called, "I want to see you two make a baby!"

"Chocolat!" Tira admonished.

"Pass the yams!"

Sirius and Daughter ignored the mayhem and ruckus going on in their usual way, by staring lovingly into eachother's eyes. They had found the best gift of all...

Fin