"Incoming!"

Melinda looked up from the mailbox just in time to see a snowball being launched at her. It fell just short of hitting her, landing instead at her feet.

"I meant to do that," Jim called from across the yard. All of Grandview had been transformed over night into a snow-sprinkled wonderland, and the freshly covered lawn had been too tempting for Jim to pass up.

While Jim was attempting to save face, Melinda--quick on the draw--had shaped her own massive snowball and let it fly. The frozen mass hit Jim square in the chest.

"I meant to do that," retorted Melinda with cheeky grin.

Melinda lifted an eyebrow as Jim--eyeing a hefty pile of ammo--slowly moved closer to where she stood in the yard. Melinda let out a squeak as Jim darted to the snow pile, scrambling to defend herself against the onslaught of slush and ice.

Slipping and sliding, hitting and missing, they soon found themselves soaked and shivering. They also found that--amidst their wintry war--they had traveled from their respective sides of the yard to within inches of each other.

Jim reached out and pulled Melinda into his arms. She looked beautiful with bright eyes and flushed cheeks. And that smile….

He leaned forward for a kiss, just to feel her smile against his lips, and just because he could.

"You're awfully energetic for having just gotten off work," commented Melinda. Usually the nightshift left her husband drained and ready for bed.

"I had coming home and being with you to look forward to," replied Jim, flashing a smile of his own.

Melinda reached up to give him a long, loving kiss. When they finally broke apart for air, Jim looked down at her and said "a few days ago I was afraid you might not ever come back home." He held her tighter. "I wouldn't say it out loud, or even admit it to myself, but…"

It was Melinda's turn to hold onto him more tightly. "I know," she murmured. "I was afraid, too. But," she stepped back to smile up at him reassuringly, "I'm here now, and it is getting close to a busy shopping season, so I should probably be getting back to work soon." She turned to go back into the house, hoping to slip the mention of work casually by Jim, but she only made it as far as the snow-covered porch railing before Jim eased her around to face him.

"If I recall correctly," he said, pretending to think hard, "we had a deal about work."

"Yes, I know, but I was still under the weather when I agreed to not go back to work for a week. It was a rash decision, I was still drained, still--"

All the while she was listing off reasons why the deal should be nullified, Jim was steadily inching her back into his arms, moving one hand after the other up her arm until his hands could rest on her shoulders. Melinda stopped listing to put her own arms around his neck, hiding from his sight the lump of snow she had removed from atop the railing.

"What about Delia? She--" Another kiss from Jim silenced her before she could continue.

"Delia assured you she is doing fine. Business is steady but not unmanageable. Plus, she recruited Ned to help out after school."

Melinda slouched, defeated.

"Is my company that bad?" Jim teased.

"Don't even say that." She used one hand to slap him on the shoulder. The other was still holding a slowly melting clump of snow. "You know you're the best."

"Well, I have heard that somewhere before," he bragged, adopting a smug expression.

"Right," said Melinda, rolling her eyes. "Just so you don't get too full of yourself…"

"What?" Jim suddenly didn't trust the gleam in her eye. And with good reason.

Melinda swiftly reached up behind him, pulled back the collar of his shirt, dumped her handful of patiently waiting snow, and rushed into the house before Jim could react.

She heard his cry of surprise when she was at the bottom of the staircase that lead up to their bedroom on the second floor of their house, and soon found herself being pursued by a husband intent on payback.

That night during dinner, Melinda decided to bring up the subject of returning to the house where Jim had found her after the kidnapping. She knew it would be a sensitive subject, but she still had the business of crossing over all of Pike's victims to settle.

"I don't like that house, Melinda. I don't like the thought of you going back in there."

She was expecting this reply.

"I know you don't, and it's not my favorite place either, but I need to go back there and cross over all of those earthbound spirits. Pike is behind bars, he's no longer a threat to me or to anyone, and I think those spirits deserve to know that. Maybe that's all they need to hear in order to cross over; maybe they were waiting for the man who murdered them to be brought to justice."

Melinda said this with such sincerity and passion that Jim found it hard to say no. He also didn't want to be the one to prevent those ghosts from finding peace, but only if Melinda was safe. Even with Pike behind bars, that house, the bad memories it held for him, made his skin crawl just thinking of going back.

"Alright," he sighed, "but wait until I can come with you. Humor me, okay," he said when she gave him a look. "It'll give me peace of mind."

"Deal." Having Jim by her side would probably ease her own fears. "I was thinking I'd go tomorrow afternoon. Will that work for you?"

"Sure, I've got tomorrow off."

The kitchen was suddenly quiet while its two occupants contemplated what tomorrow held. Jim was the first to break the silence.

"Hey," he said softly, noticing Melinda's furrowed brow. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just--thank you. For understanding."

"Of course. Anything for you."

Melinda smiled as the tension eased.

"I love you," she said with a smile.

"I love you, too. How about we dish out some ice cream and pop in a movie?"

"I'll get the spoons."