"Where is she?"

Tom watched as Imogen hovered at the window looking out into the grey January day. She had been standing there for a good ten minutes, alternating between stroking her stomach and twisting her wedding rings as she tended to do when she was nervous.

"She should have been back hours ago. I should have driven Abby to Lily's. Constance isn't used to the new car yet, what if something has happened? It's really cold out, she might have skidded on some ice. I've called her and she's not answering. What if….."

Imogen had upgraded her phone a couple of weeks beforehand. There hadn't been anything wrong with her older one, she just wanted a better camera. She had however insisted Constance take her old one, saying it was essential with the kids. Her theory was sound but in reality the phone generally lived in the bottom of Constance's handbag on silent and was used more often by Abby to play games, text Jamie and send pictures to her Mummy, Granddad and Stephen.

"Pumpkin, she's fine. Stop fretting so much, she'll have stopped off somewhere, she told me she was going to do some shopping. You need to relax, you're stressing yourself out which isn't good for the baby. Constance is a good driver, she should be, I taught her. And as for the phone, she never answers it anyway, especially when she's driving. The only messages I ever get from her are actually from Abby. Sit down and have a cut of tea."

Imogen huffed slightly but sat down as instructed and poured herself some tea. She glanced over at Ava who was peacefully sleeping on her soft chair and tried not to look at her watch again. After five minutes the door opened and her missing wife entered.

"Sweetheart, where have you been? I was so worried. Why didn't you answer your phone? I thought something awful had happened."

Constance was initially amused when Imogen ran into her arms. She wasn't even late back, it was only 4PM. Then she saw the anguished face and knew not to make light of the situation.

"Oh Darling, I'm sorry. I had some tea with Lily's mother and then I stopped off to pick up some baby things and another potty for Ava. I dropped it off at the house and while I was there I watered the plants. I didn't mean to worry you. And as for my phone, you know I'm not used it it, I'll try to answer it in future, you can show me the thing you got added into the car to answer it."

"Okay.", Imogen whispered in to Constance's neck. She knew she was being a bit silly but at over eight months pregnant she reckoned she was entitled to indulge her hormones a little.

"See, I told you. She was peppering a bit." Tom stood up and got another cup for his daughter in law. "You got another potty? She's doing well isn't she?"

"Very. Quite honestly we were surprised but once she started to take her nappy off herself it was clear she wanted to start. At this stage she's almost day trained which is wonderful with the baby coming."

Just before Christmas Ava had become very aware of her nappy and it was clear she wanted to an alternative. As an experiment they had placed her on the potty they had purchased in anticipation and after a few false starts she had taken well to using it during the day.

Imogen had been thrilled that things were going so well but there was something in the back of her mind that she had asked Dr. Ravenscroft about when she had taken Ava for a quick check up by herself the week before.

"Oh no, it's nothing to do with how she was conceived. Ava is quite advanced with her vocabulary, especially her comprehension, but that's down to her environment. And as for the toilet training it's very slightly earlier than average but a very good thing. Please don't worry."

Imogen felt reassured by the words, it wasn't that she thought there was anything wrong with Ava but she was so clever for her age that she'd had to ask. Apparently reassurance was slightly closer to home as well.

"Im not surprised, Imogen was the same, maybe a little later. Anyway, I'd better go find Amelia but not before I give my little princess a kiss goodbye." Tom bent down to where Ava was watching them to gave her a peck. "Granny and I are going out tonight but we'll see you in the morning."

"Bye Ganda." Ava waved goodbye and hopped off her chair. "Mummy, pee pee."

"Okay poppet, we'll go to the bathroom. Your sister is making Mummy need to pee pee too."

Once they had both done what was necessary Imogen assisted Ava in washing her hands. "Brrr, it's cold in here poppet. Can Mummy have a cuddle?"

"Brrrr, yeah. Hug peese."

Imogen bent down and picked her daughter up, ignoring the twinge in her back as she did so. She was still having an easy pregnancy but her backache was getting a bit more prominent as she neared the end. She carried a snuggled up Ava back into the warmer sitting room where their little girl got to enjoy a full night of her parent's undivided attention.

The following morning they were eating breakfast downstairs with Davina and Elizabeth when Tom entered the staff room. Constance was technically on duty that weekend which was why they were at the castle although Imogen had covered for her the day before and Davina owed her a day which she was taking today.

"Where's Amelia?"

"Gone for a walk."

Everyone smiled, 'gone for a walk' was generally code for paying Kathleen Cosy a visit for tea, cake and a bit of gossip.

"Looks like its going to snow later. It's cold enough." Imogen made the observation as she looked up from the weather App on her phone.

"Yes, not until tonight though, Abby might get a day off school tomorrow if she's lucky…." Before Tom could say anything else his own phone went off in his pocket.

"Hello love. What? Where? Okay, well you stay there and I'll be down in a minute. No, Stephen's away but we can phone him, he'll be passing this way later." He hung up and immediately went to grab his coat and keys.

"Dad, is everything okay?" Imogen voiced the concerns of everyone at the table.

"Yes, I need to go and meet Amelia, we'll be back in a bit, don't worry."

For a while nobody was exactly sure what had happened. Then, just before she left to collect Abby, Constance answered the phone in the staffroom.

"Yes, I'll be leaving in a moment. We should have some, I can drop them on the way. See you shortly." She looked at the others. "Well, it appears Amelia has had an interesting morning." After filling them in she said goodbye to Ava before Imogen walked her to the door once she had collected what was required.

"Well now." Davina grinned at Elizabeth before looking at Ava who was stood beside their chairs. "Are you okay lovely?"

"Brrr."

"Oh come here, it is cold, let's have a little snuggle." Elizabeth picked up the little girl they both adored and held her close while Ava smiled into her shoulder.

Ten minutes later Constance was pulling up outside Cosy's. She knocked on the back door as instructed before being shown into Kathleen's private living area.

"Oh." Constance looked at where Amelia was sat on the floor alongside Tom. Each were holding two tiny, shivering puppies. She handed over the bag of Ava's older blankets and some bottles that she had collected to Tom. "Are they okay? Where did you find them?"

"They seem to be, just cold. I was walking down the hill and I heard a sound coming from a bag at the side of the road where the forest ends. Luckily I found them before they'd been outside for too long and brought them here. Tom rang Stephen, he'll come to the castle as soon as he can. Thank you for the blankets, he said the best thing to do was keep them warm and try and give them some water, that's why we needed the smaller bottle."

Constance knelt down and helped Amelia cover one of the puppies while Tom dealt with the other. Neither dogs eyes were fully open so they were clearly very young. She thought of Pixie and her brothers and sisters, of how they had looked after them until they were old enough to go to good homes. It was a well known fact that Constance loved animals and the thought of these beautiful puppies being left to die made her want to cry.

"Of course. How could someone just abandon them? They're beautiful. Are they Golden Retrievers?"

"I think so. I suppose Stephen will tell us for for sure later." Tom looked over to where his wife was tucking in the girl puppy, he had taken charge of what was clearly the boy. For just a second he got a flash of what Amelia would have looked like had she had a baby of her own.

"What are you going to do with them?" Constance knew it was silly but she couldn't help the hope she felt.

Amelia looked sideways. "Well, I suppose Stephen can help us there. Maybe we can look after them until they're old enough to go to proper homes?"

"Or we could keep them." Tom smiled at the two looks of joy that he saw appear instantly. "Well, we were thinking of a puppy once the cottage was ready. It's a bit early but we can manage and two is good, they'll be company for each other."

"Really?" Amelia's face had broken into the biggest grin either of them had seen since her wedding day. Secretly she had been hoping for this but didn't know how to ask.

"Really. I know a certain eleven year old who'll be keen to help out. And her younger sisters when they're old enough. Maybe her mothers too."

"But Imogen?" Amelia wasn't sure her step-daughter would be so keen. Constance shared the same concern.

"Firstly, it's your school and that daughter of mine doesn't really get a say in what we do. Not that she would complain anyway. From the ages of five until fifteen she hounded us for a dog but Rose was allergic. I'm pretty sure she'll be happy with this arrangement. And the girls can share them with us so they'll get the experience without the full responsibility. It will be good for everyone."

Constance was thrilled, she had already fallen for two dogs who were now dozing in front of Kathleen's fireplace. She glanced at the clock. "I'd better leave so we're back before the snow, I don't want Imogen to worry again. Can I tell Abby?"

"Of course. And we already know it's coming so tell her she can help name one. We'll see you back at the castle later."

A little under an hour later Abby was saying goodbye to Lily and her family and hopping into the backseat of the car. She stretched out on the comfy seat, this new car was so great. Okay, she'd have to share the back seat with Ava and the baby but there was still loads of room.

Constance glanced in the rear view mirror. "I have something exciting to tell you. Guess what's waiting for us at home?"

Abby narrowed her eyes, "It had better not be a baby."

"What? No, not yet. Though she could come anytime but probably not for a few weeks. Besides, I promised you that if you weren't there when she started to come I would come and get you wherever you are."

There was a sigh of relief from the back. "Phew. I was a bit scared for a minute. Sorry Mama I know you wouldn't let me miss out. So what is it?"

"What are they you mean? It's puppies."

"Puppies? We have puppies?"

The words were screeched at such a high pitch that Constance could barely hear them.

"Well, not as such. Granny and Granddad have them but they have said we can share them. I presume they'll live in their rooms but I'm not sure. Well where else would they live?"

Abby tried not to roll her eyes. She loved her Mama dearly but she had a tendency to over complicate explanations, especially when she was excited. Although the excitement was a good sign.

"Yeah but why didn't they tell us? What type are they? You did say puppies didn't you? So there's more than one?" Her heart broke when she heard what had caused the dogs to come into her Granny's possession. "Oh that's so sad, poor puppies. Will they be okay?"

Constance saw the sad look and wanted to reassure her animal loving daughter. "Uncle Stephen is coming later and I'm sure he'll make sure they will be. Granny found them just in time. And here's something you'll like. They've said you can name one."

"Yes! Oh cool. I can't wait. Can we go a bit faster?"

"No dear, look it's started to snow a bit and I want to make sure we're safe. We'll be there soon enough."

Sure enough twenty minutes later they were pulling up and not a moment too soon as the snow had really started to fall. Abby hopped out of the car and waved as she saw Stephen's jeep pull up next to her.

"I'm so glad you're here. Let's go see the puppies."

Imogen was waiting at the door. Although she wasn't as stressed as the day before it was still a relief that her girls were home safe. "Hey honey. Have you heard the news?"

"Yeah, where are they? I'm so excited."

"Why don't we let Stephen have a look at them? Then he can call you when he's done. Come on, Ava's missed you."

Abby was reluctant but Stephen reassured her.

"Fifteen minutes Abs, then I'll come get you okay?"

She ran into the staffroom where Ava immediately came over for a hug. "Abby. Brrrr"

"Aww, are you cold? I think it's nice and warm here but look its snowing outside." She looked at her mothers. "Hey, Ava's never seen snow has she? I don't remember it snowing last year."

Constance agreed, "No the last time was the Christmas beforehand and she was still in my tummy then, weren't you little one?"

"Yeah."

"Can we take her out in it?"

Imogen smiled, "Not tonight honey. Though I have some more good news for you. Mrs Goode phoned earlier. The snow looks like it's going to stick around so school will be closed tomorrow. As long as it's not too bad we can take Ava out for a little while then. You can wear your snow suit in some actual snow, you'll like that won't you poppet?"

Ava nodded at her Mummy. She was just happy her big sister was home and they were toasty warm together.

Sure enough after fifteen minutes Stephen stuck his head in, laughing as Ava ran over to him.

"Brr."

"Hello, yes it is cold isn't it?" He picked his niece up. "Shall we go see the puppies before your sister explodes from excitement?"

Abby would have made a smart remark but she was too busy running past him to get to see the new additions.

Stephen caught up with her before they entered the room. "Now Abs, I know you're excited and that's great but the puppies are very young. You remember when Pixie was a kitten and you had to limit touching her, well it's the same with these two, very gentle touching only. They're younger than I originally thought from what Granddad said. Only two weeks I think. Right now we need to keep them warm which Granny has been doing and I'm sure she'd like help feeding them."

"I can do that."

Imogen put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I know you will honey but don't forget you have Pixie to look after, you can't neglect her because of the puppies."

Abby looked genuinely wounded at the thought. "I would never neglect Pixie, she's like my baby. That's like saying you'd forget Ava when this baby comes along."

Constance gave her a stern look. "Abby."

"Oh I'm sorry Mummy. I didn't mean it like that. Don't be mad."

"i'm not and I know you'd never ignore Pixie, I just wanted to remind you not to spread yourself too thinly. I want you to be wide awake and ready for your new sister as well. Now, come on let's meet them, I only had a little look and Ava hasn't seem them yet either."

The Drill family walked into Tom and Amelia's sitting room where the couple were sat next to the box that had become the puppies temporary bed.

"Awww, they are so tiny. Ava look at the puppies."

Ava joined her sister in staring at the two tiny creatures. "Woofs!"

Not able to resist Constance and Imogen also moved closer. "They are beautiful. And they're definitely Golden Retrievers?"

Stephen nodded, "Yes which is good news. They're good dogs, great with kids. They'll need a lot of looking after at this young age but I think in a stroke of luck they've found a good home. And of course I'll look after them for you. I won't even ask for payment, just a bed for the night. I don't fancy driving home in this, even in the jeep. I'm off duty tomorrow anyway."

"Of course you can stay. I've made a stew for dinner and there's plenty. " Imogen briefly took her eyes off the puppies to smile at her brother. She wouldn't have wanted him driving home in that weather either.

"Cool, so you won't miss Ava's first snow day. I want to build a snowman with her and throw snowballs. It's going to be great."

"Sounds good princess." Tom grinned at his granddaughter. "Well, now that we know the puppies are here to stay what do you think about naming them? Any ideas?"

Abby regarded both pups carefully. "Do you have any names in mind? I want to make sure they go together."

When Tom had remembered Imogen's want for a dog when she was younger a particular name had come to mind. "Actually yes, for the boy we were thinking of Shep."

Imogen laughed, "Like on Blue Peter?"

"Exactly Pumpkin, just as you wanted. What do we all think?"

Everyone liked it, especially Abby. She pondered her decision over dinner before finally inspiration hit her. "Wendy."

"What's that dear?" Amelia had taken a short break from the puppies to eat her stew at their dining room table. Although they were asleep she couldn't help glancing over every few seconds to make sure they were alright.

"Wendy for the girl puppy, like in Peter Pan. She has blonde hair like Wendy does in the book. Do you like it?"

Peter Pan was a book Amelia had loved since childhood and she though the name was absolutely perfect. "Wendy and Shep. Now they sound like two dogs that will fit very well into our family don't they?" She looked down when she felt a little tug on her cardigan. "Oh Ava, come up here, I feel like I haven't seen you all day."

She bent down to pick the toddler up while Imogen went back to the puppies and Constance started to clear the table.

"Brr" Ava whispered as soon as she was on her Granny's lap.

"Why don't you and I sit next to Wendy and Shep by the fire. We'll be nice and warm snuggled together won't we?"

Abby shook her head as her sister was carried past with a smug look on her face. Mummy was right, Ava was clever.

Eventually Ava and then Abby said goodnight to the puppies and their family and went to bed. Abby was so excited as she lay curled up in her blankets with her magical hot water bottle in her arms and Pixie on the pillow next to her. She had at a surprise day off school where she would hopefully get to play in the snow with Ava, plus they had two new puppies in their lives. And of course very soon their baby sister would be here. As long as she didn't really burst with excitement this was turning out to be a pretty good year so far.

The following morning she woke up at 8AM and rushed to the window. "Yes!"

The entire area was covered in a blanket of white. As soon as she located her slippers she ran downstairs to her parents bedroom where she found her Mama getting dressed while Mummy was in bed with Ava.

"Yes, you can play in the snow but not until after breakfast. Plus I'm sure you'll want to see the puppies as well. Maybe wait until Mama is finished her classes. That's what time Sweetheart?"

Constance looked up in horror, playing in the snow was really not her thing. But then she saw how excited Abby looked. "I'll be finished after my double class with the fourth years today, Gabrielle has taken over the second years. But we are only going out if you and your sister are wrapped up warm and Darling, I don't want to see you running around out there although I will cast a spell so you can't slip."

"Don't worry, today I might help build a snowman but that's about it. Apart from that my job is going to be the designated photographer. I know my limits and if I didn't Sweetpea here is reminding me."

"Is she kicking? Cool." Abby climbed under the covers and placed her hands on her Mummy's tummy. "Hey there. You're missing the snow this year but that's okay. It will snow more next year and you can play with us then."

The couple of hours until Constance finished teaching passed quickly between breakfast and puppy time and soon Abby was running upstairs to get her outdoor clothes on. On the way she met Maud and Mildred.

"Abs, is it true? Did your grandparents get a puppy?" Mildred loved all animals and was really hoping the rumour was true.

"Not just one. They, well we because we can share them, have two. Their names are Wendy and Shep and they are super cute. Hang on. She reached into her pocket and took out her Mama's phone that she had used to take some pictures of the puppies.

"Wait, you have a mobile?" Maud was amazed.

"Hah, I wish. This is Mama's but she lets me borrow it because she hardly uses it. I'm restricted in what I can do with it but I'm allowed take pictures and text a couple of people. Look, here's the puppies. That's Shep and that's Wendy."

The two girls put their amazement at HB having a mobile phone aside and cooed at the pictures. The puppies were adorable.

"I'd better go. We're going to play in the snow with Ava. Will you be allowed out too?"

Before they could answer Amelia walked past. "Oh I think they'll get out a bit later, maybe after lunch. I'm feeling in a very good mood and I feel a half day is called for. But only if you girls wrap up warm."

"Yes Miss Cackle."

It was nearer twelve by the time Constance and Ava were ready to join Abby and Stephen outside.

"What is up with Ava- she can barely walk?" Stephen sniggered as he saw his niece staggering down the hallway.

"Sweetheart, how many layers is she wearing?" Imogen could barely stop laughing enough to take a video of her hilarious looking daughter. She looked five times bigger than she was due to all the padding under her pink snow suit.

"Well four. And her vest and tights of course. We don't want her being cold do we?"

"Ha ha ha. She looks like I could roll her down the hill." Abby noticed the look on her Mama's face. "Don't worry, I won't. Come on, let's play. We've found a sled to go down the hill on. Mama, will you come down it with me?"

Constance looked extremely reluctant but supposed it had to be done. To her extreme surprise she absolutely loved it. Sledding was something she had never done as a child. In fact the only time she had played in the snow had been once with Imogen and she found herself truly enjoying this experience.

"Can we bring Ava down? Please."

"Oh yes, I think she'd like it."

Ava did in fact love it. She squealed with delight as she went down the small hill in her Mama's arms while her Mummy took videos and snapped pictures. By this stage the students had finished for lunch before being allowed to take the afternoon off to have some fun. The sight of Miss Hardbroom, sledding, in trousers and a dark jacket wearing a knitted hat and gloves would have been beyond comprehension a number of years before but now, when it was to do with her children nobody was very surprised.

"Come on, let's take a break for some soup and then you can all go back out while I have a lie down."

"Are you alright Darling?" Constance was immediately concerned.

"Fine Sweetheart, just taking the opportunity to rest while I can. Then when I'm up maybe we can make some biscuits to give out to the students. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me." Abby stopped throwing snowballs at Stephen for a moment to grin at her mother. "I get to lick the bowl though. Not literally." she added, pre-empting the comment from her Mama.

"Brr." Ava barrelled towards her Mummy and held her arms out.

"Oh poppet, are you cold? Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to laugh earlier."

Abby was laughing loudly as she saw her mothers concerned faces. "She's playing you."

"Pardon?"

"I've been watching her since last night. She's figured out that if she says 'brrr' she'll get a cuddle. She's doing it to everyone, you just haven't noticed."

"Is that right little one? You know you don't even have to sneakily get cuddles, you can have them whenever you want." Constance leaned towards Ava up and rubbed their noses together while her daughter giggled with delight.

"You're a sly one poppet, your big sister has taught you well. And I'm sure you'll both be teaching your sister things in a couple of months. Now come on, lunchtime. I can't have my girls being hungry."

Once they had eaten Imogen went upstairs to lie down. Before she got into bed she couldn't resist one more look out the window. Tom had left the puppies for a while to join them and it was now his turn to go on the sled with Ava. She laughed as she saw Constance trying but failing to look dignified as she attempted to dodge the snowballs that were being thrown at her by Abby, Stephen and some of the braver Cackle's girls. After a few minutes she turned and climbed onto the bed that been warmed by the hot water bottle Abby had insisted on lending her. Part of her regretted missing out on the fun but she couldn't regret the reason why.

"A couple of weeks my little Sweetpea. Just a bit longer and you'll be here with me, Mama and your sisters. And Granny, Granddad, Uncle Stephen, Jamie, Sarah, Davina and Elizabeth, they are all so excited to meet you. And of course you'll have lots of pets to play with, Morgana and Pixie and now Shep and Wendy. You're going to have loads of fun when you get here. We love you so much already. Don't make us wait too long little girl, we want you here, right where you belong."

Then with a smile on her face she fell into a peaceful slumber, dreaming of the tiny baby that would very soon be in her arms.

A/N: Big thanks to AndDreamOfSage for the encouragement and ideas on this one. Coming up on Sunday, we're sticking to the "icy" update when a certain DJ pays a visit.