AN: Dramatic drum roll, please for no reason whatsoever.

Winter!Fluff because…well, just because.

Thanks to those who left reviews.

Disclaimer: Last time I checked I am an American brunette. Nice try, but I know that I'm not JK Rowling

Title: Words

Word Count: 806

"Love is just love, it can never be explained."

—Unknown

"You're a bloody show off," Halley remarked dryly.

Gabriel proved that fact even more by ice-skating backwards. On one foot. Halley watched him as she sat near the icy banks of the Black Lake. She gave her own skates a tentative look wondering if she will be ever able to do that.

"Come on!" he urged, and came up near her. Her boyfriend held out his hand. "Please, Halley."

Halley untucked her knees and gave Gabriel a grudging smile. "If I fall through the ice—"

"Then at least you know how to swim." He helped her stand up on her skates, holding her apart by the arms. Halley wobbled back and forth, her face going pale. "Just follow my lead."

"This is going to end so badly."

"Don't be such a pessimistic about it," he chided. Then Gabriel started to slowly move. He guided her by placing one hand over her back and the other holding her hand. "Just think of this like dancing."

"I don't like dancing," Halley said. She swore as she stumbled and almost made them both fall on the hard ice. "Bloody hell!"

"Here," Gabriel let go of her waist and Halley made fumbled moves to stand on her own. She tugged on his arm, using both of her hands to put his arm into a death grip. "Gah! I need that limb!"

"Well, if this doesn't work out, then we'll have to get you a wooden one."

"How comforting," then he made Halley spin. She yelped and she collided face-first into his chest. "See? It's just like dancing."

She glared at him, her glasses hanging low on her nose. "If you weren't cute…"

"Thank Merlin that I am," he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "In no time you'll be skating like a pro."

Halley smiled sweetly and pushed him into a snow bank. Gabriel shouted something obscene and brought her down with him. The breath was knocked out of him and he could feel a bruise on his head blossom where Halley's head hit him squarely on the forehead. Snow had gotten down his jacket, creating a juxtaposition of the cold on his back and the warmth Halley provided on his front.

Her eyes were squeezed tight, a lump forming on her head. "Okay, so that wasn't a part of the dance."

"If I didn't love you…"

There was a strangled moan from Halley. She opened her eyes and stared at him. Her face was either bright red from the cold or the blush. "You…love…me?"

"Oh," Gabriel felt his ears tuning pink, his voice more high-pitched. "Did I say that out loud?"

Halley propped herself up on his chest. "Yes. You did."

He covered his face with his gloved hands, groaning again. "You weren't suppose to hear that."

She peeled his fingers away, peering. "Then what was I suppose to hear?"

The words burned in his throat. He looked at Halley with an emotion that he knew with every fiber of being was called. He just couldn't say it. Well, one try wouldn't hurt. "I-I lo…" the words died and he gulped.

Halley played with the frayed threads on the gloves. She licked her chapped lips and pressed her mouth near his ear. "I love you, too."

Gabriel lost the power of speech for a moment, so he kissed her, and poured in those three words. He threaded her fingers in her hair, pulling the woolen-knit hat off. He cupped the back of her head, still attempting to say those words. "I l-l-lo—dammit! This is going to take me a while, isn't?"

Halley got off him and charmed her skates into boots. She extended her hand and helped him up. "Just a little."

Gabriel shook his numb legs, trying to regain some feeling. "I'm going to keep trying," he told her. And handed her back her hat.

Halley put it back on and gave him a soft kiss. "Take all the time you need."

"But I want to say it," he said. "I want to say that I…" he settled for the alternative. "That I really, really, really like you. Why can't I say it? I did it perfectly well by accident!"

"Make sure to slip up when I'm around."

Gabriel threw an arm over her shoulders, and hugged her. "Guess I will."