Rating: K
Words: 1,180
Summary: Snow days require many layers, and so does parenthood.

"Hey, wait up Ingrid!" Kristoff called down the hall, "You can't go outside yet until you put on your…"

"Gotcha!" Anna yelled, scooping up her racing six-year-old and swinging her around, "You heard your papa, go get your coat, scarf, and gloves, then we can play outside."

Ingrid giggled in agreement and leaped out of Anna's arms, turning towards Kristoff and letting him help her with her layers.

"Now, where did the other one get too…?" Anna tapped her finger against her chin, purposely ignoring the squirming blanket on one of the many chair in the hallway. "You know, Papa, if I can't find Mirek anywhere. I suppose we just have to go outside and play without him."

Kristoff nodded, tugging a glove onto Ingrid's hand, "I think so Mama. That is such a shame, I know how much Mirek was looking forward to playing outside today."

"Papa!" the little boy squealed, popping out from under the blanket, "Play!"

Kristoff mocked shock, "Oh! There you are, my boy, you scared me!" he moved to bundle up his son next, wrestling the two-year-old's arms into the coat and his feet into little winter boots.

"There," Kristoff said proudly, "I think I've got them all dressed."

Anna laughed and threw her winter cloak over her shoulders, "I don't think they'll be that cold. But they wanted to play in the snow, so we've got to layer them all up."

Kristoff laughed, leaning down and kissing his wife on her cheek. The years had been kind to them. They were the young parents of two beautiful children—both spitfires like their mother. After years of trying to conceive, having two children was more than he could dream. It was decided, however, after Mirek's particularly traumatizing birth that Anna was in no condition to continue to carry children, and due to the damage the midwife predicted her womb underwent during her second labor, it was unlikely that Anna would carry another pregnancy to full term. And, although Kristoff had been heartbroken to hear that at the time, he later realized he was perfectly content with the blessings in his life already. He had his beautiful wife, his passionate daughter, and his jovial son. There was nothing more Kristoff could dream of needing.

"Are you coming?" Anna asked, picking up Mirek and walking towards the door of the castle.

"Yes, yes," Kristoff laughed, taking Ingrid's hand and following Anna out to the courtyard.

Once outside, the kids looked around, confused. The sun was shining bright, the fall leaves crisp on the trees, and the temperature was pleasant.

Ingrid pulled on Kristoff's arm, "Papa," she whispered. Kristoff leaned his ear down to hear her, "There is a small problem—there isn't any snow."

Kristoff laughed, "Just wait and watch, Ingrid Rose." He turned both of them around to see Elsa exiting the castle.

Ingrid's face broke into a beam, "Auntie Elsa! You're home!" she raced towards Elsa and wrapped her arms around her thighs. Elsa smiled gave her niece and endearing smile and patted her back. Mirek came next, waddling up to Elsa and flopping against her leg too.

"Now I know why we're all layered up!" Ingrid pulled away and smiled up at Elsa, "You're going to make it snow!"

Elsa leaned down and tapped her finger against Ingrid's nose, "Only for my favorite kids in the whole wide world." Standing up again, Elsa twisted her magic between her hands, a blue ball forming between them. She tossed the magic into the air, and with a break flash of her hands, the magic burst into a flurry. With another reach of her hand, Elsa coated the courtyard with a base layer of snow.

"YAY!" Ingrid screamed running around with her hands out, trying to catch the snowflakes.

"Snow, snow, snow!" Mirek chanted, waddling around behind his sister.

Kristoff turned his gaze back on Anna, who, like every time she saw her sister's magic, was gazing to the sky in awe. A snowflake landed on her nose and Kristoff dipped down to kiss it away.

"Have I told you…" his lips grazed her hair, his breath tickling her ear, "How proud I am of you?"

"Proud?" Anna gave him a side glace, "Why?"

"Because you gave me this," he said, stretching his arm out to encompass his children being chased around by Elsa and the small snow "monsters" she produced, "You gave me a family. You've added layers to my life that eleven years ago I never would have imagined possible. And you're such a good mom. I can't even describe to you what an amazing mother you are…"

Anna wrapped her arms around his torso and reached up to peck his cheek, "You're in a mood today, huh?" she laughed. He chuckled with her, placing a hand on the small of her back. "You're the one I am proud of. You changed your whole life for me. You became a prince, and a damn good one." He laughed again. Some days it was still a struggle to remember he held a title now.

"But Kristoff, you are the best parent these kids could ask for, you are such a great…"

"Papa!" Ingrid called, racing towards him and Anna, "Papa you have to help me beat Auntie Elsa and Mirek in a snowball fight!"

"What?" Kristoff laughed, looking up at Elsa who had already started building a fort, and Mirek, who was toddling around and knocking over the snowballs Elsa stacked, "No one can beat Auntie Elsa in a snowball fight! And how did she recruit Mirek?"

"Promises of chocolate," Elsa called over her fort. Kristoff rolled his eyes. Like mother like son.

Ingrid tugged on his free hand, "Please Papa!"

Anna smiled up at him, "You know the three of us may be able to take her—Mirek is a bit of a handicap."

Kristoff snorted, "Alright, we'll give it a try!"

"Yay!" Ingrid cheered, running back towards her small snowball pile, "Mama, get more snowballs ready!"

"You're goners!" Elsa called from behind her fort.

"Goners!" they heard Mirek repeat in a shrill voice.

"We'll see about that!" Anna cheered back, kneeling down in the snow next to her daughter and rolling snowballs frantically, "But no making the snow melt if we get too close to beating you this time!"

Elsa popped up over the fort and gave her sister a dirty look.

Kristoff plopped down too, heaping snow into a pile to create a sort of fort. His family had many layers—and as a father, he had discovered that he had many layers too. Sometimes he was a disciplinarian, sometimes he was a shoulder to cry on, sometimes he was a boo-boo bunny. But this was the layer he enjoyed most, when he was able to be the fun Papa, the jungle gym, fort builder, tickle monster, and snowball shield. As he kneeled next to his daughter behind their makeshift fort, snowballs in hand, he saw her eyes shining with excitement and youth, he knew this was the layer he wanted his babies to always remember.