Snow

I could feel the change in the atmosphere as soon as I woke up. The air felt dense and there was an unusual silence, as if everything was holding its breath. It only took a second for me to reach full consciousness; I was aware of the contrast between the coldness on my face and the still unfamiliar warmth of the person sleeping soundly in my arms.

Morgan was breathing softly, her form relaxed against me, her back pressing into my chest. She was curled into a ball; her hands tucked under her head, it made her look smaller than she really was and I reflexively tightened my embrace on her. She moaned quietly as I laid my head nearer to her, inhaling the comforting scent of her hair. It was only recently I had taken to staying in bed a little longer after waking up; ordinarily I would get up as soon as my eyes were open and begin my morning routine. But I had found that motivation harder and harder to muster the more I became accustomed to Morgan's presence next to me. I listened to the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing as I cleared my head, simply feeling my wife in her most vulnerable state safe in my arms.

It still felt odd calling Morgan that; even though by law we were husband and wife, I had never pictured myself in this setting. True, I insisted on completing freelance contracts when they were interesting or I could feel the itch growing from staying still for too long. But in between those moments of violent normality I found myself easing into the role of father and husband all too easily. Maybe I was human after all.

The calm was broken by the sound of light footsteps advancing on our bedroom. I didn't react as the door slowly swung open, a slightly tousled Seren standing in its frame. She saw me watching her and flashed me an excited grin as she tiptoed towards the bed, zeroing in on her sleeping mother. She put her face close to Morgan's, the grin still fixed in place.

"Ma." I felt Morgan stir in my arms, her body climbing out of sleep. She let out a groggy groan and then registered Seren's face inches away from hers.

"Huayyyah!" Automatically I clasped her to me as I felt all the muscles in her body tense at once, preparing to lash out at the sudden intruder. She struggled for a second before realising where she was and who had spoken. "Jeeeeesus Seren. What's the matter?"

The dark haired girl seemed un-phased by her mother's dramatic awakening and simply giggled as Morgan attempted to sit upright only to be impeded by my arm. Twisting, she stared up at me blearily, my mouth twitched at the corners as her brown eyes widened at my proximity to her. Even after over a year of living together, getting married and our tentative explorations into intimacy, she still looked surprised when I showed affection.

"It's snowed, there's snow." Seren was bouncing joyously next to the bed, her small hands clenched into fists. I gently lifted my arm off of Morgan as she continued to process what was going on.

"I thought your Dad was going to be the death of me one day, but apparently it's you I need to worry about." She muttered, her expression losing the last fuzzy remnants of sleep. I shifted back, giving her space to stretch and rub her eyes. "Snow eh?"

Seren was almost taking off now, her adrenaline was palpable even from a distance. "Yes, alla i fynd y tu allan?" Can I go outside.

"Wait, let us get ready first and we'll all go." Seren's bottom lip jutted out in protest, but she knew when to push her mother and having just been rudely awoken she wisely conceded now was not one of those times. I watched with mild amusement as she slipped quietly out of the bedroom, her tiny feet accelerating away once safely in the corridor.

"Morning." I murmured, unsure whether Morgan was about to turn her wrath on me. She turned to look at me again, her brown eyes softening as I stared down at her.

"Morning handsome." She grinned cheekily. I raised an eyebrow at her suggestive tone and her grin widened.

"I don't think Seren would be very happy if we delayed her any further." I said, in an even voice. Morgan pouted, jutting her bottom lip out in a dramatic display of disappointment similar to her daughter's, but when my sceptical look grew she burst out into delightful peals of laughter.

"I suppose you're right. Later then." She said, raising herself up on her elbows to give me a quick peck. I fixed her with my eyes, making her freeze as she pulled away from my face, her brown eyes softening under my burning gaze.

"Later." I murmured against her lips, a dark promise in my words. She shivered, the excitement palpable between us and I almost forgot my reason for saying no, when a small voice shouted up the stairs. "Come on, get up! I can't hear you getting ready."

Morgan smiled, rolling her eyes in an affectionate way before flinging the duvet off of her and swinging her legs out of bed. I watched her flit around the bedroom for a moment, enjoying the way she looked contented and slightly rumpled, gathering her clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. With a barely audible sigh I followed suit and quickly got ready, lest my eager daughter decided to drag us both out into the snow half naked.


The farm looked like a different world. It had always fascinated me how the simple phenomenon of frozen water could completely change an environment, making the familiar surroundings of home look like a foreign place. It was like the farm had donned a disguise, choosing to hide from the rest of the world. It offered little in the way of enjoyment for me. I only saw the potential for evidence; footprints, drag marks and the contrasting stain of red as blood seeped into the virgin snow.

Seren shrieked as she squeezed between my stationary legs and the doorframe, tumbling out into the freezing wonderland beyond. I gave her a disapproving look, not quite done with my routine assessment of the area that I always insisted on doing when with my family. A habit which Seren flagrantly mocked me for and ignored. I felt the frigid air shift as Morgan moved to stand by me in the kitchen doorway, wafting the warm atmosphere of the farm house out with her as she did.

As much as Seren didn't feel checking our surroundings was warranted, or at all practical when there were things like snow to deal with, I knew my wife had a quiet respect for my neuroticism. She had seen and experienced enough of our former life to know that you could never be too careful, especially when it came to the things you cared the most about.

I felt her shift against my arm, the pair of us watching Seren but completely aware of each other at the same time. The small girl was dashing around the farm yard, arms outstretched as she tried to catch the still falling snow swirling around her dark brown hair. She looked surreal, her pale skin almost matching the pure white scenery, her blue eyes standing out like two shards of ice. Sometimes it worried me how much she looked like me, that maybe there was too much of myself in her and that her life could only ever go one way. Then she would smile or say some sharp witted comment and all the similarities between us would melt away to reveal her mother's likeness underneath. Like a snowdrop pushing through the spring melt.

"Everything good?" Morgan asked eventually, her breath puffing out in a misty cloud in front of her as she spoke. I let my eyes sweep over the snowy vista again, taking in the silent, dark outbuildings and undulating hills rising around the homestead in a protective ring. Once satisfied I gave a small nod, and saw Morgan's mouth lift up in my peripheral vision. "Excellent. Shall we?" She asked, gesturing for me to step out of the doorway.

With long, confident strides I stepped off the porch step and into the thick blanket of snow, making my way through the uneven texture to the happy girl in the middle of the yard. Her high, joyous cries had now been joined by the excited barks of Bran, Seren's sheepdog. He bounded around Seren, every now and then jumping up at her undefended face to deliver furtive licks to her rosy cheeks. This only provoked her to laugh louder and chase the dog in a frantic game of tag.

I stopped in the centre of the yard and turned to watch Morgan shut the door behind her, stamping her feet in her boots as she trudged towards me with a smile. Seren and Bran were now using me as a centre point for their chaotic game, racing around me in a blur of black and white fur, and red overcoat.

"You're going to tire yourself out before we've been anywhere cariad." Morgan half-heatedly admonished, her eyes following the girl. A twinkle in her eye as she surveyed her daughter's joy. This was her favourite time, when Seren was behaving as all seven year old girls should. I had become more perceptive to the tightening in her jaw, or the worried pull of her eyebrows when her daughter exhibited more…unnatural tendencies. It was why I had taken to conducting Seren's lessons in self-control and survival away from the fretting eyes of her mother.

Seren stopped abruptly, Bran still dancing around her, trying to get the girl's attention. "I'm fine ma. I don't get tired." And there it was; Morgan's eyes hardened and the soft smile she had been wearing became fixed.

"I know…let's go feed the sheep and then we can play ok?" I gave my wife a concerned look as Seren eagerly bounded off towards the barn, carving a path in the thick layer of snow. Morgan glanced at me, her expression still tense but before I could reassure her the look past and she tucked her arm into mine, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Would you mind helping too husband?" She asked in a saccharine sweet tone. I looked down at her face peeking out from under a ridiculously woolly hat. Her cheeks and nose were flushed pink, and snowflakes had caught in her long lashes which she batted at me in an exaggerated fashion. Her smile turning into the signature grin she reserved for when she was teasing me.

"I suppose so." I quipped back, earning me a carefree laugh. I don't know why she found me so funny, or what I did to provoke those kind of reactions, but I was becoming more and more thankful I did. The sound of her laugh was unusually pleasing to me.

We followed Seren to the barn, arm in arm, and began our daily chores of tending to the large flock of sheep Morgan had managed to rescue after the destruction of the farm. I found the routine of it comforting. It gave my hands something to do and it was a peaceful kind of labour. One in which I could create something instead of destroying it. I supposed that was why I enjoyed gardening so much, and I had made the small garden attached to the house my own paradise for vegetables and herbs. They were all covered now, to protect them from Wales' harsh winters, so busying myself with the sheep and general maintenance had become my new hobby.

Seren dashed through her assigned tasks, and a few times I had to stop her and make her redo something. She threw a few scowls my way at this, likely storing away my interference for later when she would have a few snowballs in hand. I didn't care, she would have to be very determined to hit me, I would make sure of it.

"Done! Can we go to the grove ma?" Seren stood hopping from one foot to the other in the barn door. Her blue eyes wide with impatience as Morgan straightened up from the feed trough she was filling and fixed her daughter with a stern stare.

"Have you done everything?" She asked, her hands now on her hips in a very motherly gesture. Seren's head bobbed rapidly.

"Yes, yes. I did everything and Dad made me do the bedding twice." She flashed me another scowl at this reminder.

"If you'd done it right the first time, you wouldn't have had to do it again." I explained pragmatically. The scowl deepened.

Morgan let out a sigh at the familiar scene playing out in front of her. "The grove it is then." She stated, bringing an end to our stubborn staring contest. Seren let out an excited yip and disappeared outside again. Bran's barking started up as soon as his playmate returned and Morgan gave me an amused look as I stared sullenly after my tempestuous daughter.


The grove was a small group of silver birch trees gathered on a hill in one of the eastern fields. It was where Seren and I had first met, and had now become a favourite play spot for her and my chosen location when teaching her. The snow had drifted in from the surrounding field, turning the bare branches and patchy dirt ground into the perfect place to build snowmen, make snow angels and most importantly for Seren start snowball fights.

She had latched herself onto my hand on the walk here. Chatting away with me and Morgan, and commenting on the coldness of the snow. Her vendetta with me had appeared forgotten, until we had reached the grove and she had immediately let go of me, darting off into the widely spread tree trunks. It had been several moments later, whilst I was walking with Morgan in companionable silence, when I had felt the distinct tingle of eyes on the back of my head. The next thing I knew the air shifted behind me, signally a projectile had been launched. In a flash I had ducked to the side, grabbing Morgan and taking her with me, shielding her against a nearby tree as my eyes tried to locate the threat.

A wet thud broke the tense silence and my eyes drifted over to see the remnants of a snowball sliding down a neighbouring trunk. Morgan, who had been looking around in confusion, let out a loud snort, covering her mouth with a gloved hand as she took in my tense stance.

"I think you saved me. Thank you 47." She spluttered. My eyes narrowed as I searched for the attacker. She didn't emerge from her hiding place, but I heard her stifled giggle coming from behind some trees a way off. A small tap on my arm drew my attention back to the woman pinned against the tree trunk by my body. "Ummm, do you think it's safe now." Morgan's voice wobbled with mirth, and she struggled to bite back a smile. My expression hardened as I slowly released her from the cage of my arms and I sank down into a crouch, scooping up snow into my hands.

"No. You would do well to find some cover. This could get messy." My voice was low and deadly, and I heard a high pitched shriek of delight as Seren saw me preparing for battle from her viewpoint. Morgan let out another snort laugh and crouched down with me.

"Have you located the target?" She asked, trying to inject something resembling seriousness into her voice but failing.

"I have." I replied, packing the snow in my hands into a tight ball. "And it appears they are highly skilled in the art of stealth." Another burst of giggling broke out, now several paces to the left of where Seren had last been.

"Are you sure? Because my intel suggests the target is a notorious giggler with a tendency to eavesdrop and eat all the damn biscuits in the house!" Morgan shouted the last point, her mouth stretched into a wide smile.

"Hey!" A small voice piped up somewhere to my left, "I do not eat them all." My eyes caught a flash of red and instantly my arm whipped back and launched the snowball I was holding at my target. It connected with a satisfying thump and the answering huff told me I had hit a bulls eye. Before we could celebrate however a returning shot was fired, whistling past my left ear.

"Careful 47. The target is armed." Morgan said in a voice I only usually heard in my head. I cast her a sideways look, my chest tightening as I took in her mock serious face, the gleam of excited joy evident in her deep brown eyes.

"Understood." I murmured back and straightened up slightly to creep towards the sound of hurried light footsteps dashing over the hard packed snow. Morgan kept close behind me, her own snowball now in her hand. We moved together through the trees, she my shadow as we crept up on our mischievous daughter. The footsteps stopped as too did we, I signalled to Morgan to go right as I crept left. There was another muffled snigger as I came to a stop, motioning for Morgan to do the same. She had a bright grin on her face as together we lifted our snowballs and threw them at the sniggering bush.

"Ow!" The bush exclaimed and Seren's head popped out of the top of it. An indignant scowl on her face along with half the snowball which I had thrown. I felt the corners of my mouth twitch up at the sight of the slush trickling down her furious little expression.

"Target down 47, well done." Morgan remarked with a cheeky wink at me.

"This isn't fair. You're ganging up on me." Seren said, her bottom lip jutting out again.

"The odds are not always in our favour Seren, consider this a lesson." I said, a playful note to my voice as I raised another snowball, bouncing it in the palm of my hand. Morgan laughed but the girl's light blue eyes darkened to the colour of storm clouds. Her jaw tensed and suddenly her resemblance to me was striking. I knew that look.

My mouth twisted into a wry smile watching Seren sink into a predatory crouch. Morgan's laughter faded away as she sensed the change in the atmosphere, a disapproving frown just crossing her face when Seren made the first move.

She was always faster than I remembered. Gone in a flash, darting off across the snow. I was only stationary for a moment; giving Morgan a reassuring smile which made her catch her breath in surprise, I moved off after her making hardly a sound on the glistening snow. Seren was fast, but she was also sloppy. I could still hear her boots hitting the snow even though she was barely leaving a footprint behind her. Scooping up more snow I made some more projectiles and quickly overtook the girl, cutting off her escape.

Stepping out from behind a tree I loomed over her, she skidded to a halt, surprise etched on her face. In a panic she launched a snowball at me but I easily avoided it, throwing my own and hitting her in the stomach. She didn't utter a sound this time. The laughter was gone, her gaze intense as she about faced and scampered off into the trees. She wanted to take this seriously did she? Well, I could arrange that.

Twelve more times I hit her and not one of her snowballs found their mark. Her frustration and anger at me were making her less accurate but she would have to learn that for herself, for I was finding too much enjoyment in watching her flushed, agitated expression every time I bested her. At one point I saw Morgan leaning against a tree watching us with a raised eyebrow. I was certain she would reprimand me for this, but I would inform her that it was Seren who started it.

I was following Seren's position after another failed attempt on her part, and was just wondering when she would tire of this, when I realised I could no longer hear her footsteps on the snow. I tensed, the small smirk on my face vanishing as I strained to hear the girl. The wind whistled gently through the trees, moving small clouds of snow around. The silence pressed in, eerie after the excited cries and then constant patter of Seren. My eyes narrowed as I scanned the environment. There was no sign of movement.

I glanced over at Morgan who was also looking in confusion around her. Suddenly a sense of panic started to take hold deep inside me. Had something happened to Seren? I kept low as I moved to where I had last heard her, keeping my eyes open for any danger now, not just the snowball wielding child kind. I reached the place I had last pin pointed her and found an empty hiding spot. The panic tightened in my gut as I whipped my head around. Nothing.

I moved on, unsure of where I was headed now. The snowball still held loosely in my hand. I had taken three steps when I heard the crunch of snow under a foot. In an instant I had turned to face my assailant, my weapon held aloft but found only empty space. Then with a resounding smack a hard, wet and most notably cold object made contact with the back of my head. In disbelief I whirled on the spot only to find nothing again. I listened and still nothing. My teeth clamped down on each other as I slowly swivelled on the spot, assessing every tree and bush. Only when I had turned full circle did I see my daughter standing bare foot in the snow, a wide, triumphant grin on her face as she raised her hand and threw her snowball directly into my face.


"You've got to admit, that was a clever move." Morgan said. Placing her cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table, she gave me a sly look, her mouth turning up into a cheeky smile.

"It was." I admitted reluctantly, staring up at my wife from where I was sat. She regarded me with a pitying expression.

"You got her far more than she got you, and yet your sulking over two measly snowballs."

"I am not sulking." I said, giving Morgan a warning look. But she wasn't unnerved by me anymore and simply let out a laugh at an expression that would have most men shaking.

"Could have fooled me darling." She shot back. I rolled my eyes and looked away from her, finding her current mood infuriating. Morgan snorted then did the only thing she knew would get my attention. She moved towards me and straddled my lap, folding her arms behind my neck. My head snapped back round to find her face inches from my own. The sudden sensation of being trapped made me feel alarmed and excited at the same time. She knew I didn't like being pinned down…only by her.

"So did you enjoy your first snow day with us? Or is your pride still hurting?" She said in a low voice, her brown eyes not letting mine go.

"It was…enlightening." She threw her head back and made a disgusted noise.

"Come on 47. You can do better than that. I saw you enjoying yourself." She leant her head down so our foreheads were touching. Almost instinctually I closed my eyes, breathing in the smell of her. She smelt of hay and cold and Morgan. I could feel myself getting light headed from it all.

She let out a low hum of appreciation and when I opened my eyes to look at her, I saw hers were also closed. "I enjoyed today." She murmured. Her breath tickling my nose. Slowly I moved my hands to grip her waist gently. The pressure made her eyes snap open and a very different smile crossed her face.

"I know how I can make you feel better about yourself." She said, and I felt my gut clench at the suggestive nature of her words.

"Oh yes?" I replied, indulging her playful mood. She bent down to press a kiss to my mouth and slowly moved her hips against my lap. My hands tightened on her waist and I felt her smile whilst she kissed me. Pulling away she looked down at me with burning eyes.

"What was it you said this morning?" Her hands had unwound from behind my head and were now unbuttoning my shirt. I moved my own up over the curve of her waist to the hem of her top and inched it up as I looked into her now flushed face.

"I believe the word I used was later." I murmured, my voice husky as I hitched her top higher. I was satisfied to see her swallow dryly as she undid the last button of my shirt, moving it aside to expose my chest.

"Does this count as later?" She asked in a hoarse voice. All her teasing and confidence suddenly gone. I felt the corner of my mouth lift up into a half smile and with one final flourish I lifted her top over her head and threaded my hand into her long, brown hair.

"Yes. It does." I stated, and pulled her mouth down to meet mine. That night we generated enough heat to melt even the harshest of snow storms.