#I appreciate that who Hunter ultimately got adopted by was left open ended-

[letterboxd]

High Ground.

Australian director Stephen Maxwell Johnson tells Letterboxd’s Indigenous correspondent Leo Koziol about his revisionist new meat-pie Western High Ground, working in a ‘both-ways’ style, and how he approaches the question of story sovereignty.

“Maybe we’re all feeling a little more vulnerable, a little more open to thinking about who the fuck we all are in this world.” —Stephen Maxwell Johnson

Note: this interview may contain images and stories of people who have passed away.

Not every Western has a ‘Croc Spotter’ in its production credits, but Australian Westerns are in a league of their own. The genre has long been a staple of Australian cinema; the world’s first narrative feature film is considered to be Charles Tait’s 1906 bushranger yarn about the Kelly Gang. While the likes of outlaw Ned Kelly have made good Western fodder for more than a century now, recent entries in the sub-genre—known colloquially as meat-pie Westerns—are starting to look a little longer and harder at the relationship between British colonizers and the Indigenous peoples of the Great Southern Land.

This year brings two such tales: Leah Purcell’s feminist western The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, which made our Best of SXSW 2021 list, and Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground, which was executive produced by a community of Aboriginal activists, including Witiyana Marika, one of the founding members of groundbreaking Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi. (Marika is also in the film as tribal elder, Grandfather Dharrpa, taking on a role that was intended for Aboriginal great David Gulpilil, who has retired from acting due to ill health.)

Simon Baker as Travis and Jacob Nayinggal Junior as Gutjuk.

Set in Australia post World War I, and based on true stories told by the traditional inhabitants of Arnhem Land, in north-eastern Australia, High Ground opens with—content warning—a brutal massacre by white Australian police of an Indigenous family. The story soon pairs Gutjuk (Jacob Nayinggal Junior, in his impressive screen debut) with bounty hunter Travis (heart-throb Simon Baker, in gnarly outback mode) in a manhunt that brings the opposing forces of colonizers and inhabitants to a head.

Nayinggal Junior, the grandson of Arnhem Land traditional owner Jacob Nayinggal, was not yet born when Johnson, who is a white Australian, began the long process of developing High Ground with his Indigenous partners, whose oral histories informed the film’s plot. Johnson’s connection to Yothu Yindi and his partners’ community goes back over 30 years; he directed the original music video for the band’s 1991 international hit ‘Treaty’, the first Indigenous-language song to chart prominently in Australia.

This is Johnson’s second feature film connected to the Yolngu communities in north-eastern Australia; the first, Yolngu Boy, is a coming-of-age story of three young friends on a journey to Darwin after one of the boys lands in trouble. It has been twenty years since that debut, and High Ground has been a labor of love in the time since.

Simon Baker in ‘High Ground’.

The film takes its sound design from the land and its inhabitants, turning the volume up on birds, insects, snakes, gunshots and Aboriginal song. Expansive cinematography makes sure to place characters within the context of their surrounds—a constant reminder that the land is bigger than anything happening on it. “Brutal in all the right ways, and as honest as an Australian colonial Western should be,” writes Coffeenurse. “It’s really something how the Australian Western has become the way for Australian cinema to explore the weight of colonialism and imperialism in our history and culture,” agrees Smoothjazzlord. “Stephen Johnson doesn’t shy away from complexity and I appreciate that,” writes TheEllamo.

I spoke to Johnson at length about his “both-ways” journey of bringing the film to the screen through collective research, song and storytelling.

Notes: ‘Blackfella’ and ‘whitefella’ are informal, self-descriptive terms often used by Indigenous and Aboriginal Australians and their friends. Johnson makes several references to ‘makaratta’, an intricate Yolngu term that describes the process of coming together to face wrongs, reconcile and make peace, and to ‘Country’, which is an Indigenous colloquialism describing one’s association with one’s own land and family.

Witiyana Marika (second from left) and Simon Baker (on horse) with Yolngu cast members.

Tell us how the story of High Ground came about. Stephen Maxwell Johnson: I was very fortunate in my life to have had two parents who explored the world. I grew up in the Bahama Islands, in Africa and they came to northern Australia. My father was an educator of the Yolngu people, and really, my friendships and my associations in my life have been about growing up with Indigenous cultures and people.

I've never really been disconnected from that, and the stories I grew up with—things I’ve heard, ceremonies I’ve seen—were very much a part of my education. I went to school and the stories I’m hearing, all the whitefella stories about Captain Cook and the invasion and what happened, no one ever wanted to go any deeper or open a story book to where it all began, and how old it actually all is.

As you know, it’s the oldest living culture on Earth, it’s an amazing connection to Country and the stories and the songlines. So, we came together, we made a decision to tell a story of the resistance that became High Ground, over many years sitting on Country with old men and women and family and drawing inspiration from true stories and true characters, then putting together what was obviously a fiction (but so is history).

It was about wanting to tell a deeper truth, but to create a film that was entertaining, so it really drew you in, and allowed you to come out the other end to perhaps reflect and rethink the Australia story, and, really, the greater human story about who we all are.

Witiyana Marika (front, seated) on the set of ‘High Ground’.

A unique aspect of your film is that Yothu Yindi band member Witiyana Marika is a producer. How did you connect with Yothu Yindi and establish those friendships? Well, I did pretty much all of the Yothu Yindi stuff, I made ‘Treaty’ and ‘Djäpana’ and all those clips that the band did. I directed and photographed all of that stuff. For many years, anything that was Yothu Yindi, I was there doing it. Witiyana and Mandawuy [late Yothu Yindi frontman Dr. Mandawuy Yunupingu] were two of my dearest, dearest friends—my father actually knew Mandawuy back in school days, so there’s a deep and long connection there. Witiyana picked up the mantle after Mandawuy passed away. It even goes back further than that, to discussions with old man Bill Neidjie and Jacob Nayinggal, who sort of drew up the battle lines and helped create Kakadu [National Park].

Jacob Junior Nayinggal, he’s been born and became the lead actor; his grandfather would be so pleased that his grandson ended up being the lead actor in this film. ’Cause it was always about getting a Yolngu hero leading the story of the resistance, which was what it was called back in the day.

It’s really been a both-ways journey. That’s what everything that Yothu Yindi sang about, was that idea of bridging between two cultures, that idea of coming together and sharing knowledge and respecting each other. That balance—makaratta. That’s been my journey. That is the journey.

Callan Mulvey as Ambrose in ‘High Ground’.

A big issue for people in the Indigenous film community is storytelling sovereignty: “nothing about us without us”. Do you feel that the community working closely with you to make this film meant that you were telling their story in the way they wanted it seen and heard? Well if you have a look at the credits it sort of says a lot about the process. Twenty years working together. As I said to you, I don’t see myself as a whitefella over here and they’re blackfellas over there, I see [us] as being human. They’ve been my dearest and closest friends all my life. This is us sitting down, together. Listening. Learning both ways. Bridging the gap and wanting to tell the bigger story about this country.

In this country there’s a very big story to be told. It has two different perspectives and it was about getting that right and spending the time together right. It is very much a Yolngu story; everything has been meticulously researched, and spoken about, and sung. The producers, the executive producers, all the creators in the film are predominantly Yolngu people, right across. Everything is ultimately connected and it is very much the voice of this land that we wanted to shine through in the story of High Ground.

That sort of thing came back in the day, when I made ‘Treaty’: “What’s a whitefella telling [our story]?” Are you kidding me? Mandawuy had the same reaction, he said “We’re doing this together”. Christ almighty we’ve known each other for a lifetime and we’re working together creating and telling stories. There you go. Simple as that. If anyone’s got a problem with that then I think they’re the one with the problem.

‘High Ground’ director Stephen Maxwell Johnson.

Certainly, Yothu Yindi itself was comprised of both blackfella members and non-blackfellas. Exactly. Exactly. Look. I’ve grown up with blackfellas from right across Arnhem Land, and it’s been nothing but a deep and beautiful, profound friendship. I’ve never seen it as me and them. We’re just humans. We are one. We share, we care, we love, we laugh. There is so much to be learned from the ancient culture of this country. And the land and the language and the people.

It’s a beautiful thing having that kind of connection and immersion in that world. And that’s been my life story. I’ve been very fortunate to have had that. A lot of people don’t get that experience… being able to work so closely and so deeply with my friends—and family; I was adopted in, as well.

And can I tell you, every single person in Arnhem Land is so proud of this film, it is their film. Their story. It’s been their creative process as well. Every person who is involved in the crew and the journey of the film has had a life-changing experience, for the better. We just hope that the film and the story do help contribute to that bigger conversation, that idea of makaratta and sorting out the shit and getting on with a bit of truth telling.

How was the reaction in the Aboriginal community? Have you had the opportunity to take the film back to the people in Arnhem Land, to have screenings there? First thing we did. With the elders, that’s what we all planned. They said, “right, as soon as we’ve done this, the first thing we’re going to do, we’re going to bring this back to the families and show it to the families first.” And that’s precisely what we did; we took a big screen out into Arnhem Land, and put it out in the bush, for the families to watch. It was an amazing experience.

Let me tell you, the screams and the applause, and the laughter and the tears, when they saw the film, on their Country. Their film. Their story. Obviously they can listen to the language and the songlines in the film in a completely different way. It was beautiful. I almost couldn’t stop crying. That sense of pride that everyone had in the film, they just own it. It’s theirs and it’s everyone’s. It’s a beautiful way to create something.

The community screening of ‘High Ground’ on the Gunbalanya football field in West Arnhem Land, Australia.

Did you manage to have those screenings happen before Covid-19? Well, no. The Northern Territories, as you know, was clear. I had to go into quarantine and once the Arnhem Land bio-zone was relieved just a little bit, we took the film out. We had to hit the pause button with Covid, but [then] we did it. People just drove, and flew, and walked from hundreds of miles to come to the place where we blew up the screen and projected the light.

That’s a wonderful story. What’s the reaction been from mainstream Australia? Look, very, very good. [The film’s distributor] Madman said it made double what [they] thought it would in box office. I think we were fortunate maybe in some respects coming on the back of Covid-19. Maybe we’re all feeling a little more vulnerable, a little more open to thinking about who the fuck we all are in this world. There is this kind of turning of the tide, now, of people and of a new generation wanting to learn and understand about our connection to Country.

We’re blessed with, you know, what we have right here. We need to nurture it, take care of it, respect it, celebrate it, dance it, sing it, talk it. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to tap into.

Thank you Stephen so much for your time. I just want to say I was thoroughly engrossed by your film. It was powerful, it was important. I found particularly the scene in the middle, where a Treaty signing was hinted at: that would have been a cathartic moment for the people of Arnhem Land? To think ‘that could have been what our people had done in the 1930s’, instead of the lack of a Treaty, which Australia has never had. All power to you and everything you’ve done. That’s beautiful mate, and I will say, just one lovely parting thought here, you know yes, it’s my work, but honestly it’s such a team effort. Such trust, such great friendships and collaborations to create something like this. It’s no one fella’s effort, it’s an incredible team effort.

Related content

Meat-Pie Westerns, Kangaroo Westerns, Australian Westerns: a Letterboxd HQ list

Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land: Troy’s list of the best of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander “Australia” in film and television

Australian Aboriginal Movies: an extensive list by Wayne

Australian Films Worth Your Time: Jacob’s list of Ocker cinema

My Name is David Gulpilil: Molly Reynolds’ new film celebrating the actor’s extraordinary life

Follow Leo on Letterboxd

‘High Ground’ is available now on digital and VOD via Samuel Goldwyn Films.

[agentmarymargaretskitz]

A Roommates’ Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving fic for the Roommates AU @incendiaglacies and I have ben planning out for a while.

AO3

“Okay, thanks, Mom,” Felicity said.

“Oh, I can’t wait to come out and see you girls again,” Donna Smoak gushed on the other end of the line. “It’s been so long!”

“Only a few months.”

“And I can finally meet that new cat you guys have adopted too. Schroeder, right?”

“Schrodinger, and he will be here,” Felicity picked up the cat as he pawed at her leg. “Look, Mom, I gotta go. I’ll try to talk to you later.”

“Okay. I love you, honey.”

“Love you too, Mom,” the blonde replied before hanging up. Adjusting her grip on Schrodinger a little, she walked into the living area where the rest of her roommate were sitting.

“My mom will be coming for Thanksgiving,” Felicity announced as she set Schrodinger on the floor, where he started to play with one of his little toys that Gideon had crocheted for him.

“Excellent,” Gideon clapped. “I’ll add her to the list. Lily, Cait, what have your parents said?”

“I called Mom and Dad earlier,” Lily said. “They’re coming out the day before. Oh, and both of them said to say hi to everyone.”

“Aw, I can’t wait to see them,” Gideon smiled as she opened her laptop. “Caitlin, how about your mother?”

The fourth girl knotted her hands in her lap. “She’s flying to London for a conference that week and said she won’t be able to make it.”

Felicity reached out and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She’d met Carla Tannhauser a handful of times. The woman was as cold as they came. Donna Smoak had her faults, but at least she was warm and loving to her. Caitlin’s mother was the ultimate ice queen and had been since the death of her husband.

“Right,” Gideon pulled up a spreadsheet. “So that’s family out of the way. Anyone else coming?”

“Cisco,” Caitlin answered. “He’s not eager to go home and hear Dante’s praises sung. I told him that he was welcome to join us.”

“He’s over here most of the time anyways,” Lily shrugged. “He’s practically our fifth roommate.”

“Sixth,” Felicity corrected. “Don’t forget Schrodinger.”

“It’s hard to when the rest of you forget to feed him,” Gideon grumbled. “I’m the one who always remembers.”

“You learned how to crochet just to make cat toys for him,” Caitlin reminded her. “You love that cat as much as the rest of us.”

The designated mom friend of the four rolled her eyes as someone knocked on the door.

“Got it,” Felicity rose up and ran over to the door to open it up. “Hey, Kendra!”

The pretty brunette smiled. “Hey, guys.”

The rest of the girls waved from their places around the room.

“Is your ex back again?” Caitlin asked.

“Unfortunately,” Kendra sighed. “You think he’d have gotten the message by now.”

“Well, he is persistent,” Felicity admitted. “Need one of us to scare him off? You’ve got digital hell, biological warfare, whatever Lily’s onto recently, and then the ultimate weapon.”

“The last one. He’s getting really obnoxious today. Sara’s ready to drop the fire extinguisher on him.”

Gideon closed the laptop and walked over to the door. “Let’s stop this before she does bodily harm.”

“Thank you,” Kendra sounded relieved. “I should start paying you for this.”

“Put that money towards better use,” Gideon advised as they left the apartment.

Felicity closed the door and headed back over to the couch. Schrodinger had grown bored of his toy and now was cuddling up beside Lily.

“She really needs to get a restraining order,” Caitlin muttered as she reached over to scratch the cat’s back.

Gideon closed the window with a satisfied smile. “He shouldn’t give you trouble for a few more days at the least.”

“Still say we should have let the fire extinguisher drop on him,” Sara muttered.

“Your sister is a lawyer,” Gideon reminded her. “Just tell her about this already. Sooner or later he’s going to stand his ground no matter what we throw at him.”

Amaya raised her eyebrow. “Sounds like you’ve been through this before.”

“Caitlin had a boyfriend who got problematic,” Gideon explained gravely. “Don’t ever ask her about him though. It was a bad time for her.”

“We won’t,” Kendra promised.

Gideon smiled appreciatively. “I’m going to head back to my apartment now. I’ll see you guys around.”

              Her neighbors thanked her again as she left. While she was walking down the hallway back to her home, Rip Hunter emerged from the staircase. Three overstuffed binders were in his arms. A tote of groceries was slung over his shoulder. Still, he managed a smile at Gideon.

“Need a hand?” she asked as she walked alongside him to their apartments.

“Please,” Rip nodded, and Gideon took the binders from him. “I’ve got a client who wants a winter wonderland of a wedding. I wish she’d come to me sooner about it, or that she can actually decide what it is she and her fiancé actually want for the wedding.”

“I’m sure she’ll be overjoyed with whatever you make for them,” Gideon murmured as she opened the cover of the first binder to peek inside.

“Here’s hoping,” Rip sighed as he opened his door. “How have you been, Gideon?”

“Very well, thank you. The girls and I have been getting Thanksgiving plans into place.”

“Ah,” Rip took the binders back from her. “I’d forgotten that was coming up.”

“Sooner than I’d like,” Gideon huffed, thinking of all the things they still had to go over. ‘Do you have any plans for the holiday?”

“Afraid not,” Rip shook his head. “The bakery’s going to shut down for Thursday and Friday. Jonas won’t have school then. We’ll likely have a lazy long weekend.”

An idea struck Gideon then. “You two are more than welcome to join me and the other girls for Thanksgiving.”

“Thanksgiving?”

              Both adults turned to see Jonas at the kitchen table. His homework was laid out right in front of him, but the boy was gazing up at them with a curious expression on his face. He scooted back from the table and hopped from his chair to approach them. Gideon gave him a small smile that he immediately returned.

“We wouldn’t want to be any trouble,” Rip replied hesitantly.

“Nonsense,” Gideon shook her head. “You wouldn’t be any at all. Besides, the others would love to have you two over. Cisco’s coming too, so you won’t be the only friends there.”

“Please, Daddy,” Jonas begged. “We’ve never had a Thanksgiving before.”

Remembering what Lily had told her during Halloween, Gideon geld back from explaining the moral complexities some people faced celebrating Thanksgiving. Instead, she waited for Rip’s answer.

“I suppose it could be nice to celebrate the holiday together,” Rip admitted. “After all, our lives do keep intertwining.”

Gideon’s cheeks felt a little warmer. “Then it’s settled. I’ll tell you what time to show up once the details get a little more concrete.”

“Thank you,” Rip smiled. “And if you girls need us to bring anything, just let me know. I’d love to be able to contribute in some way.”

“I’ll talk to the girls about it,” Gideon nodded as she looked back across the hall to her door. “I guess I’ll see you both around until then.”

“Bye, Gideon,” Jonas waved as she left their apartment to return to hers.

Gideon waved back as she opened the door to her apartment.

“Carter stuck around a lot longer than normal I guess,” Felicity remarked as Gideon flopped back down on the couch. “You were gone longer than usual.”

“He scampered off after a few minutes actually,” Gideon revealed. “When I left, I ran into Rip.”

“Oh, you did?” Lily perked up. “How is he doing? And how’s the munchkin?”

“They’re both doing fine,” Gideon answered. “Rip and Jonas will now be joining us for Thanksgiving too.”

Caitlin arched an eyebrow. “You invited them?”

“I did,” she nodded. “That’s not a problem, is it? I mean, you are inviting Cisco.”

“No, it’s perfectly fine,” Caitlin shook her head. “After all, they’re our friends. I just figured it was going to be Felicity or myself who would end up doing the neighborly thing and invite them over.”

“But it’s totally fine that you were the one to invite them over,” Felicity added. “We’re not being mean or anything. It’s great that you actually did that. I wasn’t sure you were going to since you and Rip are, ah-”

“Always disagreeing over holidays or talking about something else,” Lily finished as she covered the other girl’s mouth with her hand.

Gideon frowned slightly at the strange behavior. “Well, I’d thought I’d try and step up a little this year.”

Lily reached over and patted her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Gideon.”

“Thanks?” Gideon shrugged as she picked up her laptop again. “Now, who’s ready to plan out the Thanksgiving menu?”

              Caitlin stepped out of the elevator at Palmer Tech, ducking out of the way of a few of the employees. Felicity had updated her an hour ago that she had a meeting at the end of the day on a different floor. The plan was for Caitlin to pick her up once it wrapped up and to then drive her to the airport to collect Donna Smoak. They’d drive her back to their place, where Gideon had offered up her room to sleep on the couch for the time being.

The bioengineer was elated that Donna would be joining them, but still there was a little stab of jealousy that Donna was so willing to set aside time for her daughter so easily. Her own mother prioritized work over family and friends constantly after the death of Caitlin’s father. That had been a habit Caitlin had started to fall into when she first met Lily. Luckily, her then-roommate, Gideon, and Cisco had been able to pull her out of it and taught her how to enjoy the moments of life.

Rounding the corner, the brunette spotted her blonde friend speaking to Ray Palmer as the pair exited a conference room. She raised her hand in a brief wave. Felicity caught sight of her immediately and walked over to her quickly. Ray trailed behind her, looking pleased to see her as well.

“I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?” Felicity asked. “The meeting ran a little longer than we were hoping.”

Caitlin shook her head. “I was running a little behind anyways. Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just need to go back upstairs, grab my coat, and mentally prepare myself for my mother’s arrival,” she sighed before remembering Ray was still with them and was puzzled by the events occurring. “My mother’s coming into town for Thanksgiving. Caitlin’s driving me to the airport so we can pick her up.”

“Ah,” Ray gave a nod. “Well, have fun. Also, happy Thanksgiving.”

Felicity smiled. “Thanks, Ray.”

“Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?” Caitlin inquired politely.

Ray shuffled his feet a little and shook his head. “Usually I try to catch a flight out to see my family, but things never really go well with them. I’m thinking I might come in here for the day instead to tinker on a few ongoing projects.”

“Whoa, time out,” Felicity held up her hands. “You mean spend your day in a big building by yourself?”

“Probably. It’s no big deal.”

“Uh-uh,” Caitlin shook her head. “Absolutely not. You are now officially invited to our apartment for Thanksgiving.”

Ray looked surprised. “Caitlin, you don’t need to do that, I’ll-“

“No,” Felicity held up her finger. “I’m with her. Ray, we’ve known each other for ages. You’re our friend, even though you’re also my boss and it might look weird if people find out you showed up at our Thanksgiving or they might think it’s favoritism-“

“Felicity,” Caitlin put a hand on her shoulder. “Breathe.”

“Thanks,” the other woman nodded. “Anyways. You are our friend and there is no way we are letting you spend Thanksgiving alone in Palmer Tech. Besides, this is the first Thanksgiving since we all got reunited after we moved here, so why not come?”

Ray looked between them. “Are Gideon and Lily okay with you two inviting me?”

“Are you kidding?” Caitlin grinned. “After how long you and Gideon have known each other, you think she’s going to let you spend Thursday all by your lonesome? Besides, she and Lily will be thrilled that you’re coming.”

Finally, he started to smile. “What time should I show up at?”

“Everyone’s kind of coming over at two or around then,” Felicity told him. “We’ll tell Gideon that you’re joining us now too.”

“I’ll have Felicity call her while I drive her to the airport,” Caitlin nudged her friend. “I don’t want to keep Donna waiting for too long.”

“Oh!” Felicity’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape as she remembered. “Yeah, we gotta go. I just need to grab my coat. See you later, Ray!”

“See you two soon,” he called as they hurried towards the elevators.

“So in addition to us and three parents, we now have Cisco, Rip, Jonas, and Ray coming over,” Felicity listed off. “I hope we have enough room.”

“We will,” Caitlin reassured her. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m telling you, I can help out-”

“No way,” Lily cut Gideon off before she could finish. “Absolutely not. No way.”

“Oh come on,” Gideon huffed. “It’s Thanksgiving! There’s so much going on in the kitchen. I won’t cause any problems.”

“That’s what you said when we tried to make Caitlin’s birthday cake,” Lily reminded her. “Then we had to leave because you set the fire alarm off again.”

Gideon scowled before turning to the others in the kitchen. “Clarissa, can’t you talk some sense into her?”

Lily’s mother simply chuckled. “Will you be taking this seriously?”

“When have I not?”

“I remember Martin having to run out one Thanksgiving to get a new turkey after someone’s head became lodged inside a raw one,” Clarissa’s eyes twinkled with mirth as she helped Caitlin prepare the mashed potatoes.

“You did what?” Cisco squawked as he leaned against the counter in interest. “Is this for real?”

“It wasn’t my head, and I was very immature at the time,” Gideon muttered.

“You went from being immature and broody to momming everyone,” Lily snickered.

“Well, I grew up and stopped acting like a fool. Is that a better explanation?”

“Whoa, whoa,” Cisco shook his head. “I’ve known you guys for years and I’ve never heard this story.”

“It was stupid,” Gideon muttered, her cheeks flushing. “You don’t need to hear it. It’s not interesting.”

“I’ve never heard it,” Caitlin contributed, getting a withering look from Gideon. “Well, I haven’t, but I’m curious now.”

“I’ll tell you all at the table when we sit down to eat,” she promised. “Now let me help out with something.”

“How about you help Donna and Cisco with getting the table set up?” Lily offered, glancing over to Cisco. “You guys need some help, right?”

Their unofficial fifth roommate nodded. “We can trade out Felicity for Gideon. It’s okay for Felicity to be in the kitchen, right?”

“I don’t have a ban like she does, so sure.” Felicity said as she came around the corner with Donna. “Gideon, is that okay? No offense, but we all want to eat instead of waiting outside for someone to put out the fire in here.”

Gideon rolled her eyes. She honestly wasn’t that terrible in the kitchen. There had been more microwave fires if anything, and they weren’t even using that today. Besides, if they kept banning her from the kitchen, how could she ever improve?

“Fair enough,” she consented.

Lily set down her knife and wiped off her hands. “I’m going to go up to the roof and check on Dad and Ray to see how the turkey is coming.”

“Good idea,” Caitlin smiled. “We’ll handle everything down here.”

Their roommate smiled brightly and practically skipped out of the apartment. As she left, Gideon and Caitlin met eyes and grinned at each other. Ray and Lily had been doing their usual dance around each other since he’d arrived, although there had been more hesitance with her parents around. Martin had decided to accompany Ray up to the roof to see the turkey cooker that Ray had brought over as his contribution. It’d been a while since they had heard anything from either of them, so either things were going very good or Ray had bolted at some point.

“Are she and Ray Palmer a thing?” Donna asked as soon as the apartment door slammed shut. “Because those two are giving me that vibe.”

“Mom!” Felicity cried out as Caitlin cringed.

Clarissa, however, simply set her knife down. “I’ve actually been wondering that myself. Girls?”

“Uhhhhh,” Caitlin floundered. “Not yet?”

“It’s in the cards though,” Cisco said confidently “I might not be able to see the future, but I have confidence that those two are endgame.”

Lily’s mother smiled approvingly as someone knocked on the door. Gideon hurried over to the door to open it up. On the other side were Rip and Jonas. They held the pies that Rip had volunteered to make.

“Hi, Gideon,” Jonas said as he strode right into the apartment and passed her the pie he’d been holding.

“Jonas, manners,” Rip scolded. “She didn’t even invite us in yet.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s quite alright,” Gideon assured him, waving Rip inside. “We’re good enough friends. Besides, I know who he’s really excited to see.”

At that moment, Schrodinger came scrambling out towards them. Jonas sunk to his knees besides the cat, hands outstretched. “Kitty!”

Rip shook his amusement before turning back to Gideon. “Thank you again for inviting us over.”

“It’s not a problem,” Gideon shook her head. “We’re happy to have you both here. Everyone’s in the kitchen, except Lily and her father and Ray.”

“Is that Rip?” Felicity called out, as if on cue.

“She’s taking forever, so it probably is,” Cisco’s voice replied. “Maybe they’re actually doing something like- really? Really, Caitlin? Are you five?”

Gideon sighed. “We better go see what happened.”

              They walked over to the kitchen, wondering what had happened. Cisco was currently wiping mashed potatoes off of his face with a paper towel. Caitlin was giggling a little as she continued to work by the stove. The other women were shaking their heads at the sight.

“Don’t be starting a food fight in here,” Gideon warned as she collected the silverware from the drawer to help set up the table.

“Tell that to Caitlin, not me,” Cisco grumbled. “Rip, glad that you’re here. Where’s Jonas?”

“Playing with Schrodinger, I imagine,” Rip replied.

“You two remember Rip, right?” Felicity asked. “He came in with his son when we were first moving in to the apartment.”

“Oh yes!” Donna beamed at him. “It’s good to see you again. Are you and Gideon-”

“Friends?” Felicity finished. “Oh, they’re so tight. I mean, we’re all good friends. Rip and Gideon are the closest though.”

Gideon reddened. “Well, we do share a lot of common interests, so that’s a contributing factor. But he and his son brought the pies over for dinner.”

Clarissa came over and relived Rip of one of his pies. “Thank you very much for doing that. I don’t think the girls’ kitchen could have handled much more than what we have. It’s a good thing Ray brought over that cooker to use on the turkey.”

“It really was,” Caitlin agreed. “How much longer until you think they’ll come down with it?”

“It smells really good, Ray,” Lily told him as the elevator doors opened up. “Thanks for bringing over the cooker.”

“No problem,” Ray grinned, lifting the cooker into the elevator. “Technically, I should be the one thanking you and the other three since you let me come over today.”

“We can call it even then,” she suggested with a shrug.

“Fair enough.”

Martin cleared his throat. “Not to interrupt you two, but I think we better get the turkey down before it gets cold.”

“Sorry, Dad,” Lily pressed the button quickly. “Spaced out there for a moment.”

              She focused on the panel of buttons rather than Ray as the elevator descended. It wasn’t that she was upset that Ray was over for Thanksgiving. Whenever he came over, she felt herself cheering up since they had so much in common. Things between them just felt a little more awkward. As to why they were, Lily wasn’t sure if the reason she’d pinpointed was the right one.

“Think everything’s going okay downstairs?” she asked her father, hoping to break the tense silence in the elevator.

“Considering the fire department hasn’t shown up, I would say so,” Martin replied. “I don’t think they will either unless Gideon is cooking.”

“She’s banned from the kitchen, so we’ll be okay,” Lily smirked. “Mom brought up the turkey story. Remember that?”

He chuckled as the doors opened. “How could I forget? I was afraid we were going to have to take Ronald to the emergency room.”

“I wasn’t as concerned as I was freaked out,” Lily shuddered in remembrance of that particular Thanksgiving. “Walking in on that was not what I expected.”

“Wait, what happened?” Ray frowned, stepping out with the cooker behind him. “Gideon’s never told me this story.”

“I’ll be certain to have her tell it at the table once we’re all seated,” Lily promised him. “Although it may lower your opinion of me with how easily scared I got.”

Ray shook his head. “I highly doubt it.”

Her cheeks reddened a little as they walked down the hallway. Sara walked out of the door to her apartment with Leonard behind her. Both looked frustrated. Someone from the apartment shouted something about ‘he had it coming’, but Lily wasn’t sure what.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Ray said cheerily as they passed by.

Leonard snorted. “Not so happy since we’re about to strike out.”

“Ohhhh,” Ray nodded. “Early Black Friday shopping?”

“No. Sara threw the main course out the window and neglected to tell us about it until it was too late.”

Lily’s head snapped towards Sara. “You did what?”

“Carter was back,” Sara grumbled. “I couldn’t find the fire extinguisher, so I used another heavy object to drop on him. A turkey worked pretty well.”

“You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“No,” Sara shook her head. “Minor injuries at best. But he left, so that was good. We don’t have a turkey now though because it got too damaged in the fall. Amaya doesn’t care since she’s vegetarian, but the rest of us want a substitute.”

“Why don’t you come over to our apartment?” Lily offered. “If you all brought your stuff, then I’m sure there’s plenty of food to go around.”

“The more, the merrier,” Ray added.

“Is there enough space in there?” her father asked. “You already have plenty of people there.”

Lily nodded. “We can squeeze together if we have to. Sara, how many do you guys have?”

“It’s the two of us, Amaya, Kendra, and Leonard’s sister Lisa.”

“We can make room for another five then.”

Sara’s face split into a grin as she looked over at Leonard. “What do you say, Len?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he agreed before dropping a kiss to her lips. “I’ll tell the others if you want to go with Lily to her apartment.”

“Great,” Lily grinned as Leonard went back to Sara’s apartment before guiding the blonde back to theirs. “This is going to be fun.”

              By the time everyone was ready for dinner, the apartment was flooded with people. Kendra and Amaya had brought over some chairs and a fold out table to help everyone fit. Lisa and Leonard had arrived shortly before with the sides for their Thanksgiving. They decided to have everyone serve themselves in the kitchen and then make their way to their own seats.

              Gideon smiled as she looked at her roommates and friends. Lily was laughing with Ray and Clarissa while Martin leaned in to listen to the conversation. Caitlin and Cisco were in an argument about the mashed potatoes from earlier as Amaya and Kendra listened in with smug grins. Felicity sat beside Donna across from Sara and Leonard. Lisa was beside Jonas, who was beside Rip, who had taken the seat beside her.

“Thank you again for inviting us over,” Rip told her once they had all begun to eat. “I’m glad Jonas is getting to experience a Thanksgiving holiday now.”

“It was no problem,” Gideon shrugged. “Even if we didn’t expect so many guests.”

“Still, we’re both grateful for you.”

“We’re grateful that you came over,” Caitlin added, leaning over to join the conversation.

Jonas swallowed the food in his mouth. “Gideon? Caitlin?”

“Yeah?”

“Lily’s parents are here, and Felicity’s mom is here,” he asked innocently. “Where are your families?”

Gideon and Caitlin exchanged a look between them.

Rip glanced at his son. “Jonas…”

“It’s okay,” Caitlin shook her head. “He’s right to be curious.”

Gideon looked up around the room before turning back to Jonas. “Our families are right here.”

The answer seemed to satisfy the boy. “Cool.”

              Something pulled on Gideon’s pant leg. Schrodinger was batting at it, half hidden under her chair. Gideon shook her head before reaching down to scratch his head. Caitlin was right. She loved Schrodinger as much as the others did, except probably Jonas.

“Hey, Gideon?” Cisco called out. “I think we’re all owed a turkey story.”

“Yeah,” Ray chimed in. “How come I never heard about that? We’ve known each other for ages.”

Rip lifted his eyebrows. “Now I’m curious.”

“It was a foolish thing I did one Thanksgiving with the Steins,” Gideon explained to him. “Lily, you can tell it.”

Lily shook her head. “I wasn’t the mastermind. You have to be the one.”

“I’d definitely like to hear this now,” Lisa contributed. “Share it.”

Gideon shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face. Her family and friends were ridiculous, but she wouldn’t trade this for anything else in the world.

“So years ago, when I was living with the Stein, Thanksgiving came around…”

“I wish we could do this everything Thanksgiving,” Jonas declared once the food had been eaten, Gideon’s turkey story laughed over by all again, the dishes cleaned up, and the movie everyone had watched afterwards had finished rolling credits.

Rip opened the door for his son with a chuckle while Gideon carried in the leftovers from the pies. “Maybe we’ll have our own Thanksgiving next year.”

“Not us two,” Jonas shook his head. “I mean with Gideon and all the girls and Cisco and Ray and Lily’s parents and Felicity’s mom and Leonard and Lisa. That was fun.”

“We’ll have to see if we get invited next year,” Rip replied quietly. “But right now, you need to get your pajamas on, okay?”

Jonas yawned. “Okay, Daddy.”

When Rip turned back to Gideon, she was smiling. “What?”

“About what you said to Jonas,” she murmured. “You two are already going to be invited to the next Thanksgiving. You’re part of the family now.”

“Thank you, Gideon,” Rip nodded. “Um, I’m not sure if I’m ready to turn in for the night yet. Care to watch another movie with me?”

“Ooo, now that depends,” Gideon crossed her arms. “What have you got?”

“Star Wars, Indiana Jones, some Marvel films, a documentary on the American National Parks-”

“You had me at ‘documentary’,” she decided.

“It’s apparently a good one,” Rip told her as he pulled the disc out. “The scenery is spectacular.”

              He went to go check on Jonas, but found his son sound asleep in his pajamas. Closing the door, Rip returned to his living room and started up the film. Settling into the couch beside Gideon, he reflected on the day he’d had. It had been unexpected yet unforgettable. Gideon already inviting him to next year’s Thanksgiving already had him looking forward to it.

              Both of them began to yawn twenty minutes into the movie, despite both being interested in it. Gideon nodded off first, her head dropping against his shoulder. Rip didn’t bother moving her as he was too tired himself. It wasn’t ten minutes later that his eyes closed and he fell into his own slumber. Together, they slept as the movie played on.

“She’s not back yet,” Lily said around a yawn. “It’s been three hours.”

Felicity checked her watch and nodded. “You think she fell asleep over there?”

“That or something else is happening,” Caitlin said in a tone that was anything but innocent.

Lily tossed a pillow at her. “You don’t really think they’re actually-”

“It could finally be happening,” the other woman shrugged.

“Maybe,” Felicity shrugged as her phone buzzed. “Good for them.”

“Yeah,” Lily rolled over on the couch. “Hey, your phone has been going off ever since we had dinner. What’s up with that?”

“Nothing,” the blonde shook her head. “Just my mother.”

She was obviously lying, but the other two girls were too tired at that point. Their minds were preoccupied by the absence of their fourth roommate and where she was spending the night.

All in all, it had been a good Thanksgiving.