Snow Angels

"Sweetheart, you're going out into the yard, not another planet." Sara Evans bit her lip sheepishly at her mother-in-law's words, her twinkling hazel eyes fixated on her one-month-old baby boy asleep in the older woman's arms. "Relax and have some fun, it's good for you."

"It feels really good, doesn't it?" she sighed at last. "Holding him, I mean. I could just never let go."

"It does," Marie agreed, smiling at the tiny baby clutching the fabric of her shirt in his fist as he slept. "He's clingy, just like Clay was. Oh, this takes me back like you wouldn't believe."

"I think he looks like him too," said Sara fondly. "That's basically yet another reason for me to be completely in love with him."

"Who are you completely in love with?" Clay's voice came drifting down the hall towards the nursery and when Sara turned he was leaning in the doorway, the boyish grin that melted her heart firmly in place. "I'm not very good at sharing, angel."

"Well you're just gonna have to learn then," she told him, sensing Marie's smile as she watched them from the armchair in the corner of the room. "I warned you a month ago babe, Wolverine was due to steal my heart. The deed is done whether you like it or not."

"Damn, you were the first girl to ever give me the time of day and here my one month old is stealing hearts. How is this fair?" Clay joked, tugging her close enough to snake his arms around her waist. Even through the fabric of the thick winter jacket he was wearing, Sara could feel his heart faintly pounding. "He clearly takes after his Mom that way."

"Your mother thinks he's just like you, actually," Sara corrected him. "If she wasn't so completely in heaven just getting to hold him I don't think I'd be able to walk out that door right now. I have to learn how to share him myself apparently."

"Well yeah, you were swearing all through summer that you'd be the first one out the door when it finally snowed. What happened to that, hmm?"

"The person who said those things was four months pregnant at the height of summer and didn't know any better," Sara protested. "It was so worth it. I mean, just look at our little sunshine over there. I can hardly believe he's real sometimes."

"Oh, he's definitely real," said Clay softly, stepping around her towards the armchair where his mother sat with the baby. "We made him," he said, stroking Logan's cheek gently with the tip of his finger. "And he's like the most perfect thing in the universe…besides you of course."

"Nice try, honey," Sara giggled, the sweet sight making her heart swell with overwhelming love and affection for her family. "Face it; you're just as crazy about him as I am."

"You're both crazy," Marie interrupted, laughing when Clay pouted at her. "The snow looks beautiful out there. Go and play, we're fine here." Clay opened his mouth to protest, but his mother cut across him before he could say a word. "Honey, need I remind you I've done this three times before? You turned out alright, if I do say so myself. Knucklehead moments are in your blood, we won't hold them against you."

"Mom!" Clay gasped, whipping around to glare at his wife when Sara burst out laughing behind him. "Why do you choose to hurt me like this?"

"I like knuckleheads," Sara whispered seductively in his ear and even though he was already dressed for the cold outside, her tone sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine. Squeezing his shoulder gently, she finally backed out of the nursery. "Come on, she's got a point. It's not like we're going very far, there's so much snow out there Logan can even watch the fun if he does wake up."

"That's exactly what I've been saying," said Marie, shaking her head fondly at their overprotective antics. "Time goes so fast, before you know it he'll be old enough to play in the snow with you. I can only hope you get your snowman-building skills from me. The one time your father tried to help you kids, the thing ended up looking more like an anthill."

"Oh God, I remember that," Clay laughed, keeping his doting gaze on Logan as his mother moved towards the kitchen window for a better view of their fun. He was so busy staring adoringly at the tiny baby; Clay didn't even realize that Sara's infectious giggles had long since faded away in the distance. The knowing twinkle in his mother's bright blue eyes should have been a warning, but Clay still let out a shocked gasp when a freezing clump of snow hit him hard in the back. "Ah!" When he spun around, his wife was peeking out from behind a big tree at the other end of the lawn with a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, you'll pay for that one, Sara Kay," he warned her and finally took a menacing step into the crisp winter air.

"Evans," she called back teasingly, unfazed by the threat. "Hit me with your best shot, babe."

Clay smiled over his shoulder at Logan still nuzzled against his grandmother's chest before taking the bait. "Mommy's asking for it now, isn't she, Wolverine?"

"Clay, that's cheating," Sara whined from across the snow-covered lawn. "You're the one who said to ease off the kid, traitor!"

"Just making sure he's on my team," Clay winked as he finally bent down to scoop up a handful of snow. "It's payback time angel, watch your back."

"Bring it on," Sara laughed, shaking snow from the solid tree branch above her head into her hand as ammunition. She stepped out from behind the tree trunk carefully and launched her snowball at the exact same time as Clay sent his flying towards her. "Well that was artistic," she mused when the two clumps of snow collided in mid-air and disintegrated, neither meeting their original targets.

"Nice aim," Clay told her mock-teasingly. "Even your snowball is in love with mine, give in to temptation and save us all the trouble of getting really cold."

"Where's the fun in that?" Sara shot back and danced out from behind her tree as he watched in amusement. "Warming up is the best part." She twirled gracefully towards him with her tongue sticking out to catch the occasional snowflake. "Don't you think?"

"Hell yeah," Clay moaned when she reached him and looped her arms around his neck.

Suddenly the opening strains of Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground drifted out to them from the open window. "Your Mom is psychic," said Sara gleefully. "I love this song."

"It could also be the fact that very few other records ever see the light of day in this house," Clay pointed out, returning his mother's wave and staring at Logan's tiny figure in her arms for a moment.

"Whatever," Sara said dismissively. "Dance with me, you goof!"

"Now?"

"No, next year," she said sarcastically. "Yes now, dummy." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips; "Unless you're not up to the challenge of keeping me warm that is."

"Is that seriously a challenge, angel?" he teased. "Careful what you wish for, I might never let you go."

"That's what I'm hoping," Sara whispered, pressing her head against the padding of his jacket as they began to sway in unison. "I love you, you know?"

"I kind of love you too," he replied. "This is forever, I promise."

"It better be," she said, grinning when he kept a firm hold on one of her hands so she could spin away from him and land safely back in his arms. "I'll make a dancer of you yet, Clay Evans."

"I know you have many talents, angel, but making me a world-class dancer is absolutely not in the cards, I'm sorry to say," he laughed.

"I'll show you talents," Sara smirked, backing away from him as she spoke. Stretching her arms out to her sides, the blonde flopped into the deep layer of snow coating the lawn. "This angel loves angels," she said, spreading her arms and legs wide to form a classic snow angel. "It'll give you some work to do later, Mr. Warm Up," she giggled breathlessly up at him.

"Why later?" Clay demanded with a teasing glint in his dark blue eyes. "You don't get to be all pink-cheeked cuteness and expect me to ignore it, angel. Good try."

Sara's eyes widened as he knelt at her feet and leaned forward, pinning her arms to the ground so he could reach her lips uninterrupted. "Oh no," the blonde squealed. "God, that's freezing…I hate you!"

"Getting snow down the back of your jacket?" he laughed mischievously. "I was just giving Mr. Warm Up a real job to do, you know," he said as Sara's teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

"Shut up and kiss me, you knucklehead," Sara moaned insistently, sitting up when he finally released her. "That's what you get for ruining my perfect snow angel, idiot."

"Sure, whatever you say," Clay murmured, too busy sucking on her rosy lips to speak for a moment. "That's where I have an advantage, you know. Nothing can stop my angel from being perfect every minute of every day."

"Good line," Sara admitted grudgingly as Clay stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Very smooth, I knew there was a reason I love you."

"That can't be the only reason," he pouted, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Well no." Sara leaned back against his chest with a contented sigh. "The biggest reason is over there, actually," she said, nodding at the window where Marie was still holding Logan and watching them with a smile. "And you're kind of a super-agent, right?" she winked. "We did alright, didn't we?"

"I'd say we did great," Clay corrected her. "Come on, let's go freeze the kid and see how tough he really is."

"Hey, no freezing my baby," Sara protested, punching his arm playfully. "You're officially Mr. Warm Up now, bring on the cuddles!"

"Our baby," Clay smiled, pressing her close to him as they headed back inside. "Your wish is my command. Lead the way, angel."

A little while later

"You two are impossible," said Marie, shaking her head at Clay as he sipped the coffee Sara had made him before curling against his shoulder as if she never intended to move again. "Logan's not even awake yet and you're already back inside."

"It's cold out there," Clay pointed defensively, smiling at the tiny bundle his mother was still clutching protectively. She sat in the single armchair while he and Sara were sprawled on the grey leather couch. "I stuffed snow down Sara's jacket so she said I owe her a warm-up cuddle. I'm definitely not complaining."

"I can see that," Marie smiled, wrapping the baby blanket Logan had inherited from Clay's older sister Lily more snugly around him. It was a pale yellow with little blue flowers embroidered on it, the pattern surrounding the initials L.E in a curly white-threaded font.

"That thing is definitely the best present he got," said Sara softly. "It's so pretty."

"He seems to love it as much as his Aunt Lily did," Marie agreed, running her finger carefully across the letters. "It's lucky you chose a name beginning with L so it works for him."

"Oh no, that is absolutely not luck," Sara laughed, shaking her head at Clay's proud grin. "Thank the creator of X-Men for that one. Your son is kind of a huge nerd, don't you know?"

"Shut up, you love it," Clay pointed out. "I didn't force you to put those epic finishing touches to the nursery, did I?"

"No, that's true," Sara agreed. "I just love you, silly. And with the superhero name he's guaranteed greatness, it felt right."

"I think he's guaranteed greatness with you for a Mom," said Clay seriously. "The name can only do so much."

"Oh I don't know, I think his Dad is pretty great too." Sara shifted just enough for him to lean down and kiss her lips. "I wouldn't have given up my number one spot on your list of favorite people for anybody else."

"Well, obviously he's the only one who could knock you off the top of the list. He's kind of special."

"He's special and he's awake," Marie chipped in, interrupting the loving exchange when the baby in her arms began to whimper. "Hi there, little man. Do you want your Mommy?"

"Of course he does," said Clay knowingly. "You've got your priorities straight already, bud." He moved aside so that Marie could hand the baby into Sara's waiting arms. She held Logan against her shoulder and rubbed his back gently until the half-hearted whimpers ceased. When the danger of a tantrum had passed, Clay slipped his arm around her again and stared down at the tiny human who had stolen the biggest piece of his heart since the day he met Sara. "This right here is the best early Christmas present of all time."

His wife glanced at him with a smile so full of love; he felt his heart might explode at the sight of it. The diamond on her engagement ring caught the winter sunlight through the window. Watching the glint of the jewel reflect off the walls as she stroked Logan's stomach, Clay knew he had everything he could have ever wished for in this very room.

A / N Whenever my inspiration dries up I expand Clara flashbacks now, part of this featured in Chapter 14 of my multi-chapter fic This Time Tomorrow. Enjoy! xx