A Sister's Heart

Chapter 18

   Once breakfast was over, everyone gathered in the living room ready for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since they were usually too busy working over the holidays, this was something which both Diana and Veronica hadn't done in years, where as Ivy, Lauren and Matthew watched the parade every year without fail. They loved creating their own imaginary floats and discussing what would happen if they put on their own parades.

   "You guys really get into this don't you?" Veronica asked, not quite understanding the appeal of sitting in front of a television for three hours watching a bunch of giant balloons and glorified trailers being led around the streets of New York. Although she was usually in New York when the parade was on, she made it a point to stay as far away from it as possible.

   "You're not?" Her nephew snapped as though he could not believe he and his Aunt Ronnie were even related.

   "Sssh, it's starting!" Lexie called, shooting daggers towards both her cousin and her Aunt.

Veronica stared at her niece in disbelief. "Not you too?" she asked jovially, giving up the argument and slouching back into the armchair.

   As the morning went on, the atmosphere in the room seemed to wear Veronica down and she actually found that she was starting to enjoy herself. "Wow, look at that one!" Lauren shouted, pointing at the screen where a giant, fifty foot tall inflatable unicorn was making its way along Central Park South accompanied by around twelve people wearing sparkling tutus and glitter unicorn horn headbands.

She had to admit that it hadn't been as bad as she had been expecting. As she watched her family get into the holiday spirit, she thought to herself that maybe it hadn't been the actual parade she hated, rather the fact that she had no one to share it with.

   Diana, it seemed, was just as into it as Ivy and the kids, and Veronica had to wonder whether she too avoided watching the parade alone. She thought about how many times the two of them might have sat alone over the years when they could have been together enjoying all of this and getting their relationship back on track; something which she hated to admit, should have happened a long time ago.

   She must have zoned out, because the next thing she knew, someone's fingers were waving frantically in front of her face. "Hey kid, what are you doing?" Matthew withdrew his hand immediately as Veronica looked around to see that everyone was staring at her.

   "Sis, you okay?" Diana asked, the concern easily readable on her face.

   "What? Yeah, why?" She contemplated coming clean to her sister about her little daydream and the thoughts that still lingered, but changed her mind at the last second. She would talk to Diana privately about it since she had a feeling that if her suspicions were correct, then it could be just what she needed to make the first move in changing her relationship with her sisters for the better.

*****

   The parade finished and the atmosphere had died down. After all of the joyful laughter the morning had brought, Veronica wanted to keep the fun going. "Who's up for a game?" She called, trying to rally the troops, none of whom seemed all that interested. "Guys, come on. It's Thanksgiving!"

   Ivy ruled herself out straight away as she needed to sort dinner out, but told the others that they should take Ronnie up on her offer. Even though they had all agreed to help in the kitchen, Veronica could tell by the somewhat relieved look on her sister's face that not having everyone under foot right now was actually a blessing.

   "Yeah, come on, it'll be fun!" Lexie tried, joining the recruitment drive after a serious look from her mother telling her to go along with her Aunt. She knew it was for Lauren and Matthew; their way of making this Thanksgiving special and memorable as opposed to just being the first one without their Grandmother.

   "Fine." Lauren relented, grumbling under her breath, reluctant to physically make a move.

   "Yeah okay. Whatever." Matthew seemed even less enthusiastic than his sister, but Veronica had a feeling that once they actually got into the game and relaxed a little, their reluctance would be long forgotten.

   Pushing, she suggested a few games that she thought her niece and nephew might enjoy, but was met with mere shakes of their heads until an idea hit her. "Wait, you guys like Harry Potter, right?"

   At this, Lauren's head snapped up, the suggestion grabbing her attention. "I'm listening!" Matthew however, simply rolled his eyes. Sure he liked Harry Potter, but he was no where near as obsessed with it as his sister was.

   "Well, I was going to keep this for Christmas, but I'm sure I can find something to replace it with." Veronica continued, moving towards the cupboard under the stairs. How Ironic, she thought to herself as she opened the door, reaching into the furthest corner and retrieving a rather large box. "What do you think? Is this something something you might like to play?" She watched as her niece's face lit up at the sight of the Harry Potter Cluedo game being placed on the table in front of her.

   "Sold!" Lauren shouted, already tearing the lid off of the box, not even waiting for the rest of the family to agree; her eagerness getting the better of her.

   So for the next two hours, while Ivy and Diana slaved away in the kitchen making the family's Thanksgiving dinner, Veronica, Alexis, Lauren and Matthew played two rounds of Cluedo, which Lauren was scarily good at. "YES! I knew it was Draco, with the love potion in the Shrieking Shack!" The teenager shouted, having just won the second game of two. And now that Ivy and Diana had time to take a break, they joined the rest of the family at the table; the former taking a seat between her daughter and her niece, and the latter between Alexis and Veronica. "You gonna play this game?" Lauren asked excitedly, resetting the board as she spoke.

   "Sure, just one though. Then we'll have to set the table for dinner." Ivy made the plan clear, and everybody nodded in agreement.

   The game was over in just over an hour and it was obvious to everyone where Lauren got her competitive spirit as Ivy gave her daughter a run for her money, ultimately coming out victorious and winning the third game. "I guess you're the one to blame for your daughter's little winning streak." Veronica jibed, nudging her sister playfully in the arm.

   "Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a little competitive." She joked back. "Now, on a more serious note, it's time to get ready for dinner. Diana and I will finish off in the kitchen while you guys set the table, okay?" No one answered. "Okay?" She repeated, this time louder and with a commanding tone to her voice. They all mumbled in agreement before Matthew helped Lauren to pack the game away.

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Author's Note - Sorry for not updating yesterday, I didn't have time to get the second half of the chapter typed up, but here it is and I hope you all enjoy xxx