It had been Greg's idea to have their vacations somewhere different.
Since they had gotten together three years ago, they always spent their vacations somewhere in the south together, enjoying the heat of the sun and the swooshing sounds of the sea.
Molly remembered her reluctance when he had first invited her, saying she freckled so easily – which he found endearing –, she usually wouldn't wear bikinis – which, with some gentle persuasion, she'd changed –, and wasn't that all a bit… too much? – which it had been, as they found out, when Greg got sun-struck on their second day in France and they spent the rest of the day in the shadows.
There had been good things about it, though, that had outweighed the initial hesitation – one, Molly would only silently admit when she was kneeling behind him, was applying tan lotion on his back. Or when he'd lay on their towel, dozing off on the beach and she could just stare at him at her own leisure. Also, when he pulled her towards the water and in for a swim. It struck her just how beautiful it was to see him laugh so carefree at her when he splashed water towards her and then ducked under water to escape her revenge.
As a police man, he had to keep his authority and calm in most of the situations and it was something he didn't find easy to get rid of during their together time at their flat. (That had also been new, not only being greeted by Toby but also a handsome man in the kitchen, cursing at something dark in the oven.)
When they were outside of their daily lives, though, she could get to know the childish sides of Greg – and Molly loved him even more for that.
The sea and the beaches had become the epitome of that freedom and the environment of this side of Greg, so it had been a surprise when he one day leaned over her desk, careful not to crumple any of her paper work, and asked her how she liked skiing.
"I love it! My Mum always took me skiing when I was younger." she had answered, then put her chin into her palm and smirked at him, a glint catching in her eyes. "You planning something?"
His carefully kept cool features broke out into a grin. "Yes, well... I was thinking about going somewhere else on Christmas, for a change." he admitted.
Molly blinked up at him. Christmas had always been a family time for both of them, spend together at his parent's and then hers, and sometimes with his children, but never just... the two of them. Going somewhere on Christmas seemed to bring their relationship on a whole new level. Even without being married, Molly felt like finally, they were feeling more like a family of their own - and she loved it. He grinned nervously at her until she couldn't keep her own mouth in check and she broke out into smile.
"So, going somewhere snowy. I like that." she commented, and with that, it's been decided.
Greg had never been so eager to prepare for a vacation. As soon as both had made sure to be free from Christmas until New Year's Eve, he had thrown himself into loads of traveling magazines and looking up places to go skiing.
Molly loved seeing him that excited. One day, when she came home from a particularly long and demanding shift in the morgue, Greg was still sitting on their couch, shifting through pages of snowy villages and advertisements where to buy ski gear (he still had his own equipment but Molly needed a new one).
When she slipped out of her shoes and jacket to snuggle up against his side and let him explain which three villages he'd prefer, she could feel his voice vibrate in the whole of his body.
"You aren't even listening!" Greg mock complained and the brunette looked back up at him. "Oh, I do. Just not to what you're saying, rather... how you're saying it."
When their eyes met, she smiled and pulled his head down so she could press a chaste kiss on his lips. "You sound so delightfully happy." Molly explained. He grinned down at her and chased her lips again, pressing her down on the couch.
"Oh, I have my reasons." he said with a wink and she couldn't help but giggle. His lips found hers again and she happily let him shut her up, if not for very long.
Greg's efforts were worth it. When they finally got off the bus in a small village in the middle of the alps, the view was breathtaking. He grinned proudly when he caught sight of her stunned face and leaned down to press a kiss against her temple.
"We're still not there, you know. The bus only takes us to the cable car station... Actually, we're going..." after quickly checking the mountains surrounding them, he pointed at one and grinned. "There! Just wait till you see it up there."
Molly beamed up at him and grabbed her case, urging him to move on. Greg just laughed and followed her suit, dragging his own case behind himself.
The cottage they were staying in was just as beautiful. With dark red stones and a cozy fireplace built, it looked like it had escaped from a storybook into their reality.
When Molly hung up their coats and her woolen hat, Greg couldn't help but grin smugly. She turned around to see him sitting in front of the unlit fireplace, getting all comfortable on the sofa. The whole interior was kept in warm colours – dark red velvet, creme coloured cushions, even the little Christmas tree that was erected in the corner next to the fireplace seemed to eradicate warmth. When she saw Greg sitting there, in a comfortable jumper without the collar of a shirt visible ("Bloody things, always itch."), stretching his arms out to both sides on the back rest, and proudly grinning at here with that certain gleam in his eyes, Molly once more fell in love all over again.
She made her way back to him and let herself be pulled into his lap, her arms resting around his neck, his hands finding their ways into her hair.
"This feels just like home already." he muttered against her lips and Molly couldn't help but catch his again. "You know, everywhere I am with you feels like home." she whispered back, burying a hand in his short-cropped hair. He made a low appreciative sound in the back of his throat and pulled her closer for a moment.
Still exhausted from the long journey, Molly slid closer and rested her head on Greg's shoulder. He wrapped both arms around her and all cozy and snuggled up against each other, they dozed off for some time.
Later, refreshed and their clothes unpacked, they decided to go for a walk. Well wrapped up in thick clothes and the caps Molly insisted they both had to put on, they made their way through the freshly fallen snow. Whenever Molly peeked up from between her scarf and beanie, she could see Greg's excited grin. Going for the top of the mountain, they both drank in the beauty of the way, the village they stayed in and the tranquility that overcame them both.
A little out of breath when they finally reached the top, Molly stumbled through the snow. Greg were only a few steps ahead, leaning on a fence and marvelling at the landscape. He looked so serene and completely at peace Molly really wished she had her camera with her. Usually, it was Greg who took the few photos on their trips but they both had left it at home in silent agreement for today. They wanted to savour the first day without any obligations the camera always seemed to bring with it.
Still, Molly couldn't help but stare at him and wish she could freeze that sight to marvel at again. The detective inspector turned around when he felt her stare on him and grinned. "Aren't there better things to look at? Come here."
Inwardly denying his question, she followed his gesture and leaned against the fence as well, letting her gaze fly over the mountains and the valleys in between. She could see cows and sheep between the patches of forests, the white and grey clouds lazily pass over the sky.
It felt endless and yet not frightening but incredibly calming to stand there and watch it. And when Greg's arm slid around her small frame and half hugged her towards him, Molly didn't think she'd ever been as content.
They fetched their skiing equipment in the skiing station and got their skiing passes. Seeing as the piste was so close and they had most of their warm clothes on anyway, Greg grabbed her hand and the skis, dragging her after him.
"I'm not even sure I still know how to keep my balance on skis." Molly admitted with a giggle. The detective looked down at her and let go of her hand for a moment to readjust her beanie that was slightly sliding over her eyes.
"You'll be fine." he promised with a smile. "You don't just forget what you've learned at young age. Don't worry, if you fall. I'll be sliding down next to you to laugh at you."
Molly resolutely reached out to whack his forehead, but their height difference and his evading movement saved him for now.
"I will get you for that!" Molly promised with a mock scowl and stalked onwards through the snow.
Turned out, that had to wait.
After having their boots adjusted to the skis, Molly carefully tugging his scarf in his jacket so he wouldn't get a cold neck from the wind and tumbling over the first three curves, the brunette slowly regained her balance.
No matter how much she tried to shoo him away, when she tumbled or didn't get the turn right to slow down, Greg was always there mere seconds after her and helped her get up, put her skis back on and grabbed her ski poles for her.
"Why do I have the feeling you treat me like one really clumsy child?" Molly asked when he picked her pole up for the third time and exasperatedly wiped her brow. "You know, like one of these children who know they are really bad and everyone knows they are bad, but they keep trying so hard that no-one wants to discourage them? Don't tell me differently, I am a pro at recognising that treatment!"
The pathologist scowled when she could see the emphasisedly innocent, wide-eyed look on his face.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Greg countered, taking her elbow with one hand and gently guided her (with some difficulties, true, he wasn't a teacher after all) towards the lift. "But maybe it's that outfit. You look all small and grumpy like that, it's adorable."
"So basically, you say I look like a child." Molly concluded, trying her best to look dignified while she faced the other way. He bursted out into laughter and pulled her closer to him, her skis entangling with his, causing her to almost lose her balance again had he not gripped her closer and kept her steady.
"You know, I think I'll try one more time and if it doesn't magically come back to me I demand a big hot chocolate." she sighed, letting him push her in the lift.
Turned out, it got better.
While skiing downwards, the arcs and bows she made increasingly got steadier. Greg, always skiing close to her, proudly watched the grin spread on her features. When they arrived at the lift at the same time, she triumphantly turned into the line, a bit wobbly on the snow that had turned into glitchy ice due to many skis going over it all the time, but steady when she came to a halt.
"Ha!" she made and he pretended to applaud her. Sharing the lift, Greg couldn't help but notice the beam on her face. She'd seem frustrated earlier, but getting the hang of it back had worked wonders for her mood and he was glad. Much as he loved skiing, it wouldn't be the same if she wouldn't enjoy herself or give up at one point.
Still, when she smugly looked back at him, he just couldn't resist the temptation and shoved her out of the lift with a big grin. The piste was only sparely visited and the three people on the lift would forgive him the short stop he caused, he was certain.
Molly, however, gaped at him with such an expression he couldn't help but laugh at her as he dropped out of the lift to join her. Just when he wanted to offer her a hand to help the small woman up, she grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it into his face.
Stunned for a second, he wiped the snow out of his eyes, then his smirk grew malicious.
"So you're up for war, eh?"
Molly shrieked when he launched forward, formed a huge ball between his gloves and tossed it in her direction. Weakly deflecting it with her left hand, she grabbed for snow with the other.
They quickly had forgotten that they actually were on a piste and chased each other on the small patch of snow next to the lift that wasn't occupied by skiers, launched into a big snowball fight. Molly's snowballs were huge but sloppily pressed together and the loosening snow soon clung to his clothes, his eyebrows, his eyelashes. He resigned to smaller, but more carefully made munition, aiming precisely and making her squirm whenever snow drizzled into her clothes and clung to her hair that had loosened under the cap.
When she bend over to pick up another ball, he threw himself over and tackled her to the ground, pinning her down underneath him. Triumphantly grinning down at her, Greg watched her wriggle a bit, but his grip didn't soften. When she finally resigned and looked up at him, breathless from laughing and the fight, her beauty just struck him.
Her cheeks were flaming from the cold and her brown eyes big and shining – and she was just so alive. So brilliantly, fantastically alive.
His fingers – now gloveless – brushed the hair from her face and her slightly dry lips. Greg could see her tongue dart out for a moment, wetting her lips, and her eyes skip to his mouth for barely a moment. Smiling, he leaned down to press his lips against Molly's. Her smile was palpable when she moved her head slightly to respond. Their lips glided over each other and Molly could feel the cold of his skin pressed against her lips. Her hands, finally freed from his grip, wrapped themselves around his neck and she tugged him closer, feverishly kissing him back.
They tasted like cold and snow and somewhere, Molly found that ever underlying taste of coffee and some sweet bakery as his hot tongue dipped down and met hers. Somewhere in a corner of her attention she could hear him breathe through his nose, and the whirring sound of the lift as it passed them by, passengers giggling on their way up. And inevitably, even as her hand found Greg's hair under his cap, the cold crawling through the layers of her clothes. She sighed and followed Greg's retreating lips, catching them once more as she slowly got up, still clinging to his shoulders.
Now sitting, they still found it impossible to break apart for longer than a few seconds. Greg's cap was discarded as her hand found its way back into his hair. His hands in return cradled her face, keeping her hair back in place. When the tip of his cold nose brushed against hers, Molly giggled.
"While this is very nice it's also very cold." she whispered against his lips and bumped her own cold nose against his again. "Do continue later, somewhere warmer?"
The beam on her lover's face spoke volumes.
Later, their ski equipment neatly tucked away at the station and the damp clothes stacked over the heaters, Molly pulled a blanket over her shoulders and leaned closer against Greg. Their fingers wrapped around their mugs of hot chocolate, they snuggled up to each other and looked down in the fire cackling in their fire place.
"So, you enjoyed it?" Greg asked after a while, placing a gentle kiss against her temple.
She smiled up at him and craned her neck to demand a proper kiss. He tugged at the blanket she'd wrapped herself in and pulled her closer to himself, their legs entangling on the sofa.
"I did! Very." she finally answered. "But there's one thing you have to explain."
"What is it?" he asked and took a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Well" Molly spoke. "I understand that you wanted to go skiing and all... But, erm, I would have thought you liked the beach more."
Brown eyes looked down at her with surprise and she blushed tremendously, trying to avoid them, but he had already caught her train of though and a wide grin spread over his face.
"Aaah." he made, taking her mug and reaching behind her to put their mugs down. His voice was dipping into that low level that was full of suggestions and promises and there was this fluttery feeling only he evoked in her tummy again.
"So you think going skiing with you is not sexy enough for me?" Greg continued, obviously loving the colour that crept on her face, and layed his arm around her back.
"W-well, kind of." Molly admitted, trying to regain her composure. Even after three years with this man, he still had the ability to make her blush and insecure about things she usually wasn't so squeamish about, and then take all her insecurities away with only one smile. "I thought you'd like a bikini better than a snowsuit, to be honest."
Greg stifled a chuckle before leaning back and pulling her on top of him. Quite willingly, she followed his movement and curled up against him, her head resting on the bit between his shoulder and chest.
Finally, Greg replied, amusement rumbling in his voice. "You know at some point, when the woman that is willingly going to the beach with you becomes the woman you can take skiing, that only makes her more attractive to old men like me. Also, a snow suit is a bit like a Christmas present."
"How so?" Molly asked, barely lifting her head up from his chest to look at him.
"The more wrapping there is, the more fun I can have while unwrapping it!" Greg grinned and tugged her blanket closer to him, keeping her tucked in between. "And on a ski piste there's no-one I have to share the view on my present with."
She reached out to lightly smack him on the forehead. "You're such a child!" Molly chided, but her shining eyes and the warm tone in her voice betrayed her. Playing with one lock of her hair, he smiled back up at her. "Yeah, and don't you love it." he countered before pulling her back against him.
The pathologist sighed and rested her head against his torso, making herself comfortable. "O God help me, I do." she mumbled against his chest, deeply breathing in his comforting, familiar scent. "So, the day after tomorrow I have to take my best snow suit, then?"
Greg opened one eye to squint at her, obviously right in the process of dozing off. "Hmm?"
"It's Christmas Day after all." Molly hummed, tickling his side under the blanket. "I should make taking out your Christmas present for skiing worth it."
The police man's arm dragged her a bit further upwards until he could drag her head down for another kiss – God, he would never tire of kissing her, would he? "Molly." he finally said, letting her rest her forehead against his, hands resting on the delightful curve of her back. "Every single second spent with you is worth it."
Their noses slid against each other and he gave her a gentle nudge. "But, you know, if you want to put on another of your dresses for Christmas..."
She giggled silently. "I'll see what I can do."