On one level it was an unusual morning at Casa Possible in that all of the residents were up and in the kitchen for breakfast at the same time, even more unusual in the sense that it was Saturday morning and no one had classes or work. The answer to the mystery was the fact Ron, wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron, had the large griddle fired up and was customizing his made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes. Kim and Shego were busy feeding cereal to the twins while they waited their turns.
Ron handed Bonnie a plate with one banana and one chocolate chip pancake, and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, “Thanks Ron.”
“Who's next?” the chef asked.
“I am,” Monique announced. “But I don't kiss the cook.”
“Okay, Mon lost her place in line, who's after her?”
“I'll kiss you,” Felix said, “My turn!”
Justine gave him a poke, “It's Monique's turn. Save your lips.”
“What do you want Monique?” Ron grinned.
“The usual, blueberries.”
Felix was not technically a resident at the big house, but since the middle of the summer he had been spending an increasing amount of time there, often staying overnight with Justine.
After pouring batter on the griddle and throwing blueberries into the batter Ron turned to the odd couple, “So, you two have big appetites this morning?”
Justine blushed and Felix protested, “Ron!”
It was Ron's turn to blush, “Ah, I just meant how big should I make your pancakes? I wasn't… you know.”
“Yes you were, Ron,” Shego interjected, “classic Freudian slip. You accidentally said what you were really thinking.”
Ron turned and checked to see if Monique's pancakes were ready to turn -- and to give the topic a chance to die gracefully.
“Is Felix next?” Ron asked after flipping Monique's. “What do you want in yours?”
“What have you got?” Felix asked.
“Chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, blueberries, chocolate chips, and bananas are the big sellers. We're currently out of M&Ms and Reese's Pieces after some unknown redhead made a 'that time of the month' raid on the pantry last week and didn't tell anyone she ate them all. Coconut and pineapple aren't out, but are available. If you want macadamia nuts you'll buy them yourself. The caramel swirl is a bit understated, and the chocolate swirl a bit over the top. Strawberry slices don't work very well, but I think we've got some in the 'fridge. Raisins aren't a great idea. Hey, they're good plain -- and two plain with a fried egg in between is classic.”
“What, no jalapenos and onion?”
“I'll make it, but you have to eat it.”
“Um, maybe next time. Can I get a mix of chocolate chips and pecans?”
“Sure, you want a skim milk to drink with your diet special?”
Ron handed Monique a plate with her pancakes. She looked and them and laughed, “Ron, they're perfect!” She gave him peck on the cheek also, “Don't tell Will.”
Shego and Kim finished feeding cereal to the girls and gave them banana slices to abuse as Ron took Felix's pancakes off the griddle and started Justine's. “Plain, please,” she requested. “Your pancakes are perfect without anything in them.”
“Ah,” Ron remarked to Felix, “You love a lady with refined and discriminating taste.”
“I like to think so. Can I pass on giving you the kiss?”
“That's okay. Maybe I can get two from Oscar.”
“No.” Justine said. “I just pay for my own.”
Kim washed two little faces while Shego poured coffee for herself and Kim. “Anyone else want a cup?” she called.
Justine and Monique each called for a coffee. Shego served them as Kim put the babies into a playpen in the corner of the kitchen.
When served her pancakes Justine blushed slightly and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek, as the rest of the breakfast crowd applauded. The tall woman was starting to fit into the house.
“Don't tell my boyfriend,” Justine told Ron.
“Ahem,” Felix coughed. “I'm sitting right here.”
“I know, dear. I mean my other boyfriend.” She smiled when Bonnie and Monique actually laughed at what she said.
“The usual for you, Kim?” Ron asked as he poured batter on the griddle.
“Hmmm… Surprise me this morning. As long as it's not onion and jalapeno.”
Shego took a sip of coffee as Kim's pancakes cooked. Then she turned to Kim and asked, “Well, what are we doing for Thanksgiving? Your parents' place or mine?”
Kim hesitated, “Well, we were at your parents' house for a couple days this summer.” She didn't like to say it, since she and Shego had fought during their time in Chicago. “I was hoping to be with my folks.”
“Anyone have room for another person at their table?” Bonnie asked. “I'd rather not go home.”
“Will and I were talking about maybe just a little dinner for ourselves here,” Monique said. “You're welcome to be with us.”
“What's up with you and Will?” Kim asked.
“Well, I don't like being stared at and whispered about at the Du family gatherings. They wonder why kitchen staff is mingling with family. We had Thanksgiving at my house last year. Momma almost accepts that I'm seeing a white guy, but a lot of family comes for Thanksgiving and some of the uncles and aunts were really giving Will a hard time. I think he feels as out of place there as I do with his parents. So we talked about just the two of us celebrating together.”
“I wouldn't want to intrude,” Bonnie said.
“No problem,” Monique assured her. “We weren't saying we just wanted the two of us. We just want to avoid family hassles. It's Thanksgiving, three would be better than two.”
“How about six?” Felix asked, “Justine and I were going to eat with my mom. Can we ask her here and you let her see Justine and me being domestic?”
“That would be fun, Felix,” Monique assured him. “Justine, do you want to invite your parents?”
The tall woman hesitated. “I think Bonnie and I both suffer from dysfunctional families… I don't want them ruining it for everyone else.”
“It's only one day a year. Ask them, we won't hold them against you.”
“If you're sure, I'll ask. But I doubt they come.”
“No!” Ron declared flatly. “I will not have you people messing up my kitchen cooking a meal for eight.”
“Ron!” Monique protested, “It's not your kitchen!”
He raised his hand to silence her, “It is my kitchen. I do the cooking here. We invite my folks and its dinner for eleven. Oops, hold on. Shego's pancakes are done.”
He flipped her pancakes onto a plate and handed it to the pale woman. She put down the plate, grabbed Ron, bent him over backwards and kissed him on the lips. When she let him up a startled looking Ron exclaimed, “Wow, she gets her pancakes first next time.”
“Suck up!” Bonnie shouted.
“Hey, what did you do for him to be first this week?” Shego called back.
As Shego spread butter on her pancakes Kim nudged her, “What do you think? Should we invite my parents here?”
“Hey, it would be fun,” Ron said.
“You can ask them,” Shego told Kim. “It's three weeks until Thanksgiving. Your mom probably hasn't bought a lot of things yet. How many would that be?”
Kim thought, “Well, that's the two of us and the babies, mom, dad, Jim, and Tim. I don't think Joss is going home to Montana, so that's--”
“Twenty, if Justine's folks come and we count the girls as full people.”
“Um, Kim?” Shego asked cautiously, “Can I invite--”
“No!”
“Please, he's almost family to me.”
“Oh, all right,” Kim grumbled. “If I can play poker with him I can sit down to the same Thanksgiving table with him.”