"Aww Amy I can't get them on!" Mark struggled with his ice skates fumbling ineptly as he attended to push them over his red socks "come on boots, come on!" Amy leaned against a tree and grinned. "It would help if you took off your gloves, Mark." "Gloves no my poor fingers, they'd be cold!"

Mark lifted his knees and tugged managing to send himself flying, he flopped onto his back in a thick mound of snow. "Ooof" Amy's grin widened and she stepped forward to offer her hand, hauling Mark back to a sitting position. Mark brushed the snow from his body-mumbling cusses under his breath. "See I told you Amy, I'm not made for this I don't want to learn to skate anymore!"

Mark withdrew his hands and hugged his knees a big sulky pout on his face "don't want to learn!" "Well that's not what you told me this morning Mark, you begged me please Amy, please, please, please teach me how to skate, do you remember? I was in bed with you all cuddled up on your chest and you woke up early and wanted to go. We got up and came all the way out here so I could teach you. So if that's the only thing you do today you are going to learn how to skate!"

"Can't skate without boots!" Mark's irritable mumbling was just about audible. Amy rolled her eyes and plopped herself onto the snow and sat next to her boyfriend "foot!" a leg immediately trust out, the attached limb almost jutting up Amy's nose. Amy grabbed the red offender and pushed it back to a reasonable distance.

"Hold still" Amy stuck her free hand into her mouth peeling off her glove and then pushed the skate firmly onto Mark's foot. "Amy, it's to tight!" "No it's not Mark, they're meant to be tight." Amy pulled off her other glove and began doing up the laces. "Ouch, ouch don't' pull them to hard." Amy shook her head and continued, until finally the boot was tied.

"Next foot" "Amy…?" "What?" "My ass is cold!" "If you don't stop moaning I'll put you over my knee and give you a good spanking that will warm your ass up to no end now sit still FOOT!" Mark miserably stuck out his other foot, muttering incoherently under his breath. "What did you say?" "Nothing!" "Humph!" Mark sat in silence, bottom lip jutting outwards, whilst Amy tied the second boot, finally Amy leaned back satisfied.

"Right, ready?" Amy scrambled to her feet, pulled on her gloves and held out her hand. "Come on" Mark made a pitiful attempt at standing, but wobbled and promptly fell back. "Ow!" Amy shook her head and leaned forward, putting her hand within reaching distance. "Mark that couldn't of hurt, come on I'll help you get use to it." Mark scrambled up and gripped hold of Amy's hand.

The pair headed towards the lake, Mark clinging onto his girlfriend, ankles flopping uselessly from side to side. "Ah ow, ouch I don't like it, I cant do it, it hurts!" "Stop being a baby come on." Amy dragged Mark onto the frozen lake, Mark was slipping and sliding in all directions. "Just stay upright Mark is that to much to ask?"

Mark clung to Amy's frame like a limpet, one arm dangled around her shoulders the second stretched across her stomach, hand clasping her waist as if his life depended on it. "Ouch Mark not that tight! Good better now come on let's take it slowly." They began to move Amy pushed the small of Mark's back and Mark straighten, oops to far he began to slide backwards, limbs falling clutching at Amy's coat, hat, hair.

"Whoa!" crash… they ended up in a mixed tangle on the ice, Amy's yellow hat briskly skidding away into the distance. They slowly disentangled themselves. "Ok, Mark perhaps you were right maybe this isn't such a good idea!" Mark frowned and folded his arms. "Now what's the matter?" "I want to learn to skate!" "Mark to say you're an enigma is an understatement! Ok let's try again in the general direction of my hat if you don't mind, now don't move until I tell you to."

Amy pulled herself to her feet, steadying herself and then reached down. "Ok slowly" Mark reached out and grabbed Amy's arms and then flung himself forwards clutching hold of Amy's body, arms gripping round either side of her waist. "Ooh" Amy steadied herself, almost falling over once again in the process. Amy regained her blance and drew in a deep breath.

"Right, towards the hat" they skated along slowly, Amy using all her strength to keep Mark upright, until finally they reached her hat. Amy slowly raised herself from Mark's grip. "Just stay there, arms out balance" Amy began to lean towards her hat. "Whoa, Amy…" Mark's legs were spawning in all directions, his hands whirling round widely like the sails of a windmill.

"I can't" Amy straightened and caught him just before he fell "right forget the hat were going to do a full circuit hold on." Mark clamped himself to Amy once more and they sped off. Amy grimacing and gasping for breath it was like trying to guide a shopping cart with a wonky wheel and it took every last ounce of strength just to keep Mark going in a straight line.

"Whee this is fun, I'm skating!" Amy's arms were beginning to ache but she didn't have the heart to stop as she heard Mark's cries of joy and saw his eyes sparking and crackling gleeful at the corners. Finally they made it around the lake a full circuit. Amy stopped her skates and crunched to a halt, stopping Mark's continued motion with his body, she leaned forward panting heavily.

"Great Mark, well done first lesson over." "Again." "What?" "I want to go around again." "I can't Mark, my arms." "Aww Amy please, Mark kissed her "pretty please?" Kiss, kiss, kiss. "Ok, one more time but try and give me some help this time Mark, like moving your feet or going in a straight line or something!"

Mark laughed exicelty "Amy you're so good to me!" So around they went again, Mark yelling in glee, Amy panting and groaning under the weight and exertion. Finally after what seemed about ten seconds to Mark and ten years to Amy the second circuit was complete. Amy grounded to a halt gasping for breath.

"That's it, hat wait here." Amy guided Mark to the side of the lake, plopped him down on the snow banks and then sped off to retrieve her hat. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her. "Amy, whee!" Mark sped past, arms falling, hurling along at ridiculous speed. "Mark, no I haven't taught you how to" splat "stop."

Mark had skewed off at an angle and crashed into the riverbank, landing headfirst in a deep layer of snow. "Mark!" Amy sped over and crunched to a halt, kneeling down and tugging at the inter figure, she rolled Mark over he was limp and his eyes were closed. "Oh no, Mark are?" "pffft! Mark's eyes sprang open a huge handful of snow smacked into Amy's face and further handful was plunged down the front of her coat, miraculously making contact with bare skin.

Amy squealed and yelled at Mark "you're asking for it now Mark, it's not as if you can escape with those things on your feet, you're a sitting target!" Amy rolled to the side laughing widely, scrambling at the snow creating a large mound of ammo, she grabbed a large handful. "Right!" she turned only to see her amazing Mark zipping away agilely across the ice.

"What?" Mark stopped dead with expert technique, span around and then lifted his leg and did a beautiful little pirouette. Mark grinned, places his arm in front of his chest and took a brief bow. "Mark you could skate all this time?!" "Don't be mad Amy, I just wanted you to be my teacher all masterful and like." "Why you Mark, I'll teach you all right I'm going to whip your cheeky ass!" Mark laughed "you must catch me first!"

Mark turned and zipped away, Amy hauling herself up and following hot on his heals. "Why you, Mark I'll!" the pair zipped away into the night, their laughter and cries echoing ever quieter into the darkling sky.

The end.