'Oh, it's snowing!' I gasped in awe, watching the small, cold flakes fall from heaven, 'It hardly ever snows!'

Nick chuckled, watching me in fascination as my neck craned back further, and I stuck my tongue out, screwing up my eyes as I did so.

'You look like a cheeky school kid.' His voice cracked, as though thoroughly amused with my childish behaviour.

Within a few seconds I felt the cool flakes rest onto my tongue, and a shiver of delight ran through me, I'd been a child the last time I'd seen snow, and I couldn't resist. Turned to look back at Nick, tasting the frozen droplets in my mouth, I grinned, 'Me and my cousin, Hannah, used to dare each other to lick snow off the pavement, when we were about six or seven.'

He snorted, finally standing up from the bench and walking over to me.

'Yeah, six or seven,' he raised his eyebrows in a teasing fashion, his face buried deep into a woolly scarf, 'Quite frankly Claudia, you seem to let go of your inhibitions quite quickly, I wonder if you're going to tell me one day if you played kiss chase or not.'

I made a noise in utter disbelief, my draw dropping, 'You're going to pay for that!'

'How so?' he lightly teased, pulling the beanie hat I wore down over my eyes.

With glove-clad hands, I pushed my beanie back into place and spotted Nick, wearing thick coat, scarf, boots, you name it, running hastily away.

He was so dead. Scooping up a pile of snow, I compacted it into a tight ball and threw it after the retreating figure. It hit him squarely at the back of the head, Nick turned, rubbing his, what I guessed was now sore, head.

'Hey!' he looked a little shocked.

I simply giggled, 'It's what you do in a snow covered park at 10 o'clock at night!'

'Two can play at that game!'

Before I could register what happened, I was bombarded by flying snow. As quickly as I could, I returned fire.

'Snowball fight!' Connor's voice yelled in delight as he popped up from nowhere and pelted Nick with snow.

Abby was by my side when I straightened up, watching as Nick and Connor roared with laughter, as one after another, a snowball was fired.

A mischievous grin spread across her face, 'Surprise attack?'

'After you.' I handed her some snow.

We both stopped in shock as we each felt a snowball collide with the back of our necks, some snow dripping down our necks.

'Stephen!' Abby cried, her petite frame tensed with the sudden shock.

She whipped round, and the smile slowly slid from his face before he turned tail and fled, Abby hot on his heels.

I stared after them, sniggering quietly to myself when someone's arms grabbed my waist and flung me over their shoulder.

'No Nick! Put me down!' I screamed in surprise, he was stronger than I'd originally imagined, but we eventually ended up in a heap on the floor, my body on top of his.

He was clearly enjoying himself, grinning profoundly so the corners of his eyes wrinkled in sheer glee. I scrambled up, holding out a hand which he gladly took, and hauled him to his feet.

I paused, the look in his eyes changed, to that of sincerity, 'Merry Christmas Claudia.'

'Merry Christmas, Nick.'

It was the worst time for Connor to come bounding over, 'Look what I found guys, mistletoe!'

I seriously doubted he had "found it." Yet he eagerly hung it over our heads and said, 'Now two have to kiss.'

Nick seemed like he was about to wipe the smug smile from Connor's face, by means of physical persuasion, and I wouldn't put it past him.

'Aw, c'mon it's Christmas!' Connor's face fell into a cute "baby me" look which probably worked on his parents; I knew if looked like that at my daddy, I'd get anything I wanted, not that I wanted or needed anything...

My thoughts were disrupted by Nick, as he leaned down to kiss me, it was like a fairytale reliving itself, "handsome, yet roguish, knight kisses the fair maiden and the end of the book" kind of thing. Only in this fairytale the knight hunted dinosaurs, not dragons, and the maiden was more likely to be found sulking in the Home Office rather than Windsor Castle.

I giggled at that thought and Nick pulled away, 'Connor's gone.'

Sure enough, I could hear Abby telling poor Connor to stuff it, as he chased her with his mistletoe. It was the words, 'Pucker up Stephen!' which made me nearly wet myself with laughter.

'So what if he's gone?' I whispered, the abrupt memory of the golfing hotel flooding back to me. Nick gazed at me quizzically, 'I didn't say you could stop.'

His lips parted gently in a slight mixture of surprise and happiness, 'So you want me to keep kissing you?'

'Had we not have been in impending danger at that hotel I wouldn't have let you stop.' I uttered, still unsure of what he thought about my own feelings.

He smiled, 'Well I wouldn't have stopped.'

'When would you have stopped?' I gazed upwards into those piercingly blue eyes.

He hesitated, as though seriously thinking carefully about the question, 'Never.'

'When?' I breathed, as we drew steadily closer, the cries of a frantic Abby still echoing towards us.

His fingers were grazing my cheek now, and my eyes fluttered closed, 'You're beautiful, the cold flushes your complexion beautifully.'

'When?' I repeated. Was he trying to avoid my question purposely?

His lips gently brushed against mine, and they were warm despite the plummeting temperature. His lips slowly trailed a soft path across my jawbone, to my ear, and I felt the icy skin of his cheek graze mine.

'Until the day I die, or you will no longer have me.' He murmured into my ear.

'I will always have you.'

He planted a kiss below my ear, making me tremble, before speaking, 'Then I will never stop.'

I opened my eyes, and he was staring at me fully. Before I knew it, I was in his arms, being kissed more passionately then I'd ever experienced. I could feel the stubble on his chin and savoured the rebellious feeling it arose inside me.

'If you've all had enough playing snowball fights,' we broke apart at Lester's voice, even though it was fairly distant to us, 'I thought you'd like to know the anomaly's disappeared and we can all go home to bed.'

I almost chortled at the relieved hint in Lester's voice; of course he wanted to go home, to sleep most likely. I stifled a yawned, but Nick caught sight of it.

'I'll drive you home.'

'Sure,' I mumbled, too tired to argue, 'Hey, Nick?'

'What?'

'Merry Kissmas.'

He snorted loudly, 'Aye, Merry Kissmas it is.'

Connor eyed Lester with a glint in his eye, 'Quick kiss Lester?'

Lester's eyes widened in a mild shock horror, before he slowly backed away.

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GPR