Disclaimer: BSG (2003) and all the characters are property of Ron D. Moore. We merely borrowed his playthings to play a bit in his sandbox.

Enjoy! C & L

25th December

They actually couldn't remember the last time they had spent such a wonderful and joyful Christmas.

It already started on Christmas morning when Bill got up as early as usual and, after he had put on his robe, quietly slipped outside the bedroom, but not without softly kissing Laura, who was still fast asleep. Looking outside the big window of their living room, he smiled when he saw that snow had fallen during the night. Laura would be beside herself because without snow, Christmas was not complete for her.

It all dated back to the many Christmases she had spent with her family and the traditions they had maintained over the years, even when she and her sisters had moved out and started working or going to college. The three girls would always build a snowman with their dad, its size depending on the amount of snow that had fallen, even if it would only end up to be several inches small. Meanwhile, their mum would be busy wrapping the last presents and making two versions of Christmas Punch, one for the girls and one for the two of them plus other guests like their own parents or siblings.

It had taken quite a while until Laura had finally opened up to Bill and told him about those beloved traditions when he had found her staring at the snowman outside the mall one day before Christmas the previous year. He had recognised the sad look on her face which he had seen many times before, but had never pushed her to tell him what was going on.

This year, she had announced that she wanted to revive that tradition again and had anxiously checked the weather report every night before they went to bed. Deciding that Laura would most certainly not be grumpy when he woke her up now, Bill scurried back to the bedroom, sat down on the edge of the bed, gently pushed the several strands of her hair out of her face and stroked her warm and soft cheek. Laura grumbled quietly and stretched out under the sheets before she slowly opened her eyes and blinked at him. Before she could say anything, though, Bill simply murmured: "Snow, Laura." Unexpectedly fast, she sat up, jumped out of the bed and ran into the living room, leaving a stunned Bill behind. He only heard her triumphant squeal and then she came running back into the room again. "Bill, this is perfect! I gotta start working on that punch before they arrive." And with that, she dragged him out of the room to assist her.

When Kara, Lee and their very exited little girls arrived at about lunchtime, Bill and Laura had finished preparing the presents and the punch, had set the table and after that had curled up on the couch, looking into the white magical world outside. Before their visitors could take off their coats, Laura knelt down in front of two pairs of blue eyes staring at her and asked with a mischievous smile on her face: "Sophie, Lily, how about he go outside again and see whether the snow is good enough to build a big snowman?"

Instead of a reply, four small arms suddenly hugged her around the middle and, giggling, she fought to maintain her balance and not fall over. The other three, who all knew about the snowman thing by now, exchanged happy glances and followed Laura who was being dragged outside: each girl had grabbed one of her hands and they were now babbling at her, telling her how they had boasted in kindergarten how cool their grandma was because she was still building snowmen instead of just sitting in an armchair like all the other grandmas, knitting socks.

At that, Laura looked back and saw Bill grinning at her which caused another fit of giggles. She would probably have to restrain herself when they served the punch later because she felt light-headed already. The voice of their youngest brought her back to their purpose, tugging at her hand. "Grandma, let's build the snowman here. He can look at the lake then." With a tender smile, Laura planted a kiss on the girl's forehead. "That's a lovely idea, sweetie. Let's do it." And while Bill, Kara and Lee observed them (each a glass of punch in their hand), Laura and the two tiny persons next to her rolled snow through the garden and collected twigs and stones, until at some point Laura felt a hand on the small of her back while she was busy putting buttons on the snowman's chest.

Looking to her right, she saw Bill kneeling next to her. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear: "You look so happy, Laura." She smiled at him and a single tear escaped her eyes. "I am happy Bill, I am," and she kissed him softly on his lips and remained in his arms for a moment while the snowman received finishing touches from the girls. It would truly be a Christmas they would remember even many years after as one of the happiest in both their lives.