Ok, the irony of this chapter getting out today is humorous, to say the least! I started this one this past weekend, hoping to find the time to get it out by the end of the week. Lo and behold, we get a nice little snowstorm here in Southern Minnesota, which results in a snow day! And let me assure you, teachers love a snow day just as much as the kids do! So I spent the morning in my pj's and slippers, sipping a cappachino and finishing up this chapter. Believe me, I received quite a bit of inspiration from my unexpected day off! Not sure when the next installment will be out...my two college aged children will be home this weekend for the holidays so I will be spending lots of time with them and getting things ready. If you don't hear from me, I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season!

Now off to watch a movie with my youngest while sipping hot chocolate...don't you just love a snow day?


Chapter 17 – Snow Day

The drive home from the hospital was quiet, the children sensing their father's tension as he drove through the thickening snowfall. In the short amount of time they had spent with Janet, Daniel and baby Nicholas, the snow had increased to where it was now falling at the rate of two inches per hour. Added to the mix was a strong northwesterly wind, which made the snow appear as if it was blowing sideways at times.

"Jack?" Sam asked quietly, a note of alarm in her voice. As a rule, she didn't get overly concerned while driving in even the most inclement weather conditions. But now that they had four children on board, one of whom didn't belong to them, Sam was starting to get nervous.

Jack shot a quick glance her way. "We'll be fine, Sam. This SUV has the best four-wheel drive around," he assured her.

Sam bit her lower lip; she wasn't so much worried about the snow as the icy roads. She turned in her seat and looked back at the children. Maddie and JJ were strapped into the middle seat. JJ held Maddie's stuffed doll and danced it along the padded front of her car seat, keeping the little girl entertained. Sam gave him a grateful smile before looking beyond him to the very back of the car. Grace and Katie were also strapped into booster car seats, their heads pressed closely together as they whispered quietly.

Katie had been none too pleased to leave her parents and new brother behind at the hospital. She had tried to insist that her "widdle brudder" wanted her to stay with him.

Daniel had been gentle but firm and assured the little girl that she would have much more fun staying with Grace than at a boring old hospital. Having her cousin by her side helped make the parting much easier for the little girl. Daniel had kissed her good-night, intent on spending the night at the hospital with his wife and new son. He assured Katie that he would collect her early tomorrow afternoon.

Sam turned quickly forward and grabbed onto the dash board as she felt the car lurch to the side and Jack mutter a quiet, "Shit!" He slowed the car, then gave an apologetic grimace, but didn't take his eyes off the road. "Sorry. Patch of ice."

Sam nodded her head but didn't make a comment; she didn't want to distract Jack from his driving.

"Mommy? Is we going to crash in the snow?" came a tentative voice from the very back of the vehicle.

"No, sweetheart," Sam hastened to reassure her. "It's just a little slippery out, but daddy will get us home safely."

"Good. Cause Katie is scarded," Grace replied.

Sam shot a quick glance at Jack, relieved to see his lips quirk with a small smile. They both knew that Grace wasn't talking only about Katie. Jack lifted his eyes in the rearview mirror to take a peek into the back seat. "Don't worry, Katie. Your Uncle Jack can fly or drive in just about any condition. We'll be home before you know it."

His only reply was a quiet, "O-tay," from the little red head. The car remained quiet as Jack wended his way along the slippery snow covered streets. What had been a fifteen minute journey only 2 hours ago, now became a 45 minute crawl. In addition to the snowfall, it was also rush hour and a bevy of workers were trying to make their own way home in the unexpected snowstorm.

When they finally turned down their street, both Sam and Jack heaved a sigh of relief. The atmosphere in the car relaxed considerably and the children began to talk once again.

"Mommy? Do you think school will be closed tomorrow?" JJ asked, his tone conveying a mix of emotions. For much as the little boy would love an unexpected day off from school to play in the snow, another part of him loved school and hated to miss a single day.

Sam turned to him with a smile. "I think there's a pretty good chance of it, JJ. Especially if the snow continues to fall like it is."

"Will you gets a snow day from work too, mommy?" Grace piped up from the back of the SUV.

Sam laughed. "We'll see, baby."

"You'd better take a snow day, mommy. Cause I'm not sure I can handle all four of them being home all day tomorrow," Jack muttered quietly as he pulled into the driveway. He pushed a button and the garage door slid up, allowing him to pull the snow covered vehicle into the shelter and out of the whirling snow.

Sam patted his arm reassuringly. "Don't worry honey. I've got you covered," she said with a grin. He returned the look, though his own grin was much less innocent than hers.

Since the garage was not attached to the house, everyone had to brave the elements in order to make their way into the warmth of the house. Sam unstrapped Maddie from her car seat and lifted the baby out. Taking a blanket from the baby bag, she covered the little girl's head, preparing for the hurried dash inside. JJ hopped out on his own accord, his eyes widening at the sight of the new-fallen snow that blanketed his backyard.

"Can I play outside, daddy?" he asked eagerly, turning to face his father, who had just released Grace and Katie from their own cars seats and now held the two little girls firmly in hand.

"Not now, sport. It's much too windy and the snow is coming down too hard." When the little boy's face fell, he hastened to assure him. "Don't worry; I'm pretty sure the snow is going to be sticking around for a while." He gave JJ a grin. "You can help me shovel in the morning, how does that sound?"

The smile returned. "OK!"

"Can me and Katie help shubels the snow too, daddy?" Grace asked with eagerness. Her daddy had bought her and JJ their own small, red shovels at the beginning of winter. They hadn't had much opportunity to use them lately and Grace was eager to do so. "I will shares my shubel with Katie," she added for good measure.

Jack grinned down at the little girl. "That sounds like a great idea, Grace. I think there will be plenty of snow for all of us to shovel in the morning. Now come on, let's see if we can beat JJ to the house and open the door for mommy!" At the challenge, JJ raced off, his feet moving quickly but uncertainly as he stumbled through the four inches of snow already covering the back walk. Jack shot a wink at Sam as he led the little girls ahead of her, taking his time so they wouldn't slip and fall.

Seeing that JJ was almost already at the back door, Sam tucked the blanket more firmly around Maddie and left the safety of the garage, closing the door behind her as she left. With head down against the blistering wind, she followed Jack's footprints and made her way steadily to the back door.

Once inside, Jack took Maddie from her arms and uncovered her. "Peek a boo!" he called loudly as he lifted the blanket, causing Maddie to chortle with delight. Her blue eyes sparkled as she patted her father's cheeks; an inborn trait all three O'Neill children seemed to have been born with.

JJ and Grace shrugged off their boots and outer wear and placed them on the hooks and rug by the back door. Sam bent to unzip Katie from her snowsuit while Jack took Maddie to the living room to divest the baby of her own snowsuit. As he was finishing up, the phone beside him rang. Gently placing Maddie into the playpen, he picked up the phone on the third ring.

It was Daniel, wanting to make sure they had arrived back safely. After they had left, he had been alarmed at the amount of snow that already covered the ground. Janet too, had been concerned, thus the telephone call. Jack assured him they were perfectly fine; the drive had been slow going but they had arrived safely. After a brief conversation, Jack hung up the phone and turned to Sam, who had just entered the room. "That was Daniel. Just making sure we got home safely." He smiled as Grace and Katie ran through the living room and into Grace's bedroom, giggling loudly as they went. "I don't think he'd have been as worried if we didn't have Katie Rose with us."

Sam smiled as well. "Probably not. But then again, how would you be feeling if they were driving through a snowstorm with one of our kids?"

Jack pulled her close. "I would have followed them home," he stated without reservation, then bent to nuzzle her neck.

Sam giggled, then pulled away. "Now, now. None of that. JJ and the girls are waiting for some hot chocolate. You want some?"'

"Just some coffee," Jack replied as he let her go, then bent to take Maddie out of her playpen. "And maybe a bottle of juice for this little lady, right Maddie me girl?" Jack blew a raspberry on the baby's chubby cheek, receiving another warm belly laugh in reply.

-----

The snow continued to fall steadily throughout the evening, blanketing the area in quilt of white. Jack went out after dinner, intent on clearing the snow that had fallen thus far so he wouldn't have a mountain of it in the morning. Though the children pleaded with him to come outside as well, Jack didn't allow it. Both he and Sam felt the weather was too inclement for the children. In addition, since he would be using the snowblower, he didn't want to have to worry about little bodies getting in his way. So, while Jack headed out into the storm, Sam settled the children in front of the television and popped in a Disney video.

Throughout the movie, the children took turns wandering to the window and peering out as Jack fruitlessly tried to clear the snow from the drive and sidewalk. It seemed that almost as soon as he could clear it, the driveway was covered with a new layer of snow. After thirty minutes, he gave up and came inside, his fingers and toes numb from the cold. He was met at the back door by Grace, who declared, "You looks like the bottomal snowmonster, like in Rudolph, daddy." Jack had chuckled at that comment and wholeheartedly agreed. He felt rather "bottomal" as well.

He'd taken the mug of coffee from Sam gratefully and settled onto the couch, children draped over him every which way, and watched the end of the movie with them. While it was difficult to drink his coffee with three bodies either lying against him or on him, Jack had to admit that he felt a hell of a lot warmer now!

When the movie ended, Sam ushered the children to their rooms to get ready for the night. Jack brought Maddie to her room and got the baby ready for bed. After everyone's teeth had been brushed, Jack handed Maddie to Sam so she could be nursed once more before being put down for the night, then he went into Grace's room. Grace, Katie and JJ waited expectantly on the bed, ready for a story.

Jack grinned as he came into the room. "What will it be tonight guys? Dr. Seuss? An Arthur story perhaps?"

"We wants you to read The Christmas Blizzard, daddy," Grace replied, holding the book out to him.

Jack frowned. "But Christmas was 2 months ago."

"Yeah, but we gots a blizzard right now, daddy," she replied.

"And it's a funny story," JJ added. "Katie hasn't heard it yet. She'll like it."

Jack smiled at the little red head who leaned against Grace, her thumb in her mouth as she looked expectantly up at Jack. "Ok, then. The Christmas Blizzard it is." He took the book from Grace, then settled onto the bed between Grace and JJ. The children snuggled against him with smiles, ready for the story to begin.

Twenty minutes later, Jack closed Grace's door partway, adding a reminder that the girls get to sleep. He tucked JJ in next, then came back into the living room, where Sam was just finishing nursing Maddie. Jack sank wearily onto the couch. "I didn't think I'd ever get them to bed," he admitted with a grimace. "After the story, they all kept asking questions about blizzards and what would happen if the house got covered with snow." He chuckled then. "JJ thought if we got enough hairdryers going in the neighborhood, we could melt the snow."

Sam looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, he's not too far off, you know. While the energy output required to melt so much snow would be too great, the underlying concept of using forced heat is really quite advanced for someone his age."

Jack just blinked at her, then broke into a smile. "What?" Sam asked quizzically.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just promise me that you'll never change."

Sam stared at him for a moment, then blushed slightly. "There's not a hope in hell, dear… even if you wanted me to," she assured him. Then Sam got to her feet, cradling Maddie's sleeping form to her chest. "Time to get this little one down for the night."

Jack got to his feet as well and pressed a kiss to the top of Maddie's head. "Sleep tight little one," he whispered. He smiled to himself as Sam took her from the room and went to put her to bed. Then he began clearing up for the night.

As it turned out, Maddie was the only one who did sleep tight that night. Jack and Sam were awakened at midnight by two little girls standing next to their bed. Feeling a small finger poking him in the back, Jack turned around and blearily opened one eye. A bit surprised to see Grace and Katie standing there, he whispered, "Hey. What are you two doing up?"

"Katie's scarded, daddy. The wind is mad and shaking the house," Grace replied solemnly. She bowed her head when Jack raised one eyebrow and waited. "I's scarded too," she admitted quietly.

Jack looked at the two girls, then over his shoulder to Sam. "You OK with some company tonight?"

"Of course," Sam replied with a smile. Though they didn't normally encourage their children to climb into bed with them, tonight they'd make an exception. Before Jack could tell the girls to come on up, they had scampered up and over him, one knee landing in a rather tender spot. With soft giggles, they quickly snuggled under the blankets between the two adults.

"Come on up," Jack mumbled belatedly, grimacing at the slight pain in his groin, before turning his body so he was once more facing his wife. Of course, now there were two small bodies occupying the space between them. Grace lay next to him, Katie next to Sam. "All right you two, no more giggling," he said with mock firmness as they continued to giggle. Sam snickered softly and received a glare for her troubles. "I mean, you three," he amended.

Jack pulled the covers up under the girls' chins. "Back to sleep you two. And no snoring," he added for good measure, which only brought about more giggles. With a smile, Jack closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift back to sleep, the wind howling and rattling the windows in the background.

It wasn't too much later when, once again, Jack felt a small finger poking incessantly at his shoulder. Moaning, Jack rolled over to find himself face to face with JJ. "What's up, little man? You scared too?"

JJ nodded hesitantly at his father, biting on his lower lip. He saw the girls in bed with his parents and looked longingly at their safe position, snuggled between his parents.

"Come on up," Jack sighed for the second time that night. He moved closer to the edge, allowing JJ to climb up and over him and find a spot next to Grace, who didn't move a muscle at the interruption.

JJ rolled so that he was facing his father. "Thank you daddy," he whispered, then closed his eyes and, with a smile, went back to sleep. Jack snorted quietly with amusement, then lifted his eyes to see Sam watching him from across the three children, a soft smile on her face. Jack smiled back, then closed his eyes, hoping that, even with the addition of three small people in his bed, he'd be able to sleep.

Unfortunately for Jack, it wasn't the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. He found himself socked in the face more than once by the flailing arm of his son. Grace mumbled in her sleep and Katie whimpered a time or two. After JJ's leg errantly caught him in the groin, Jack finally rolled to his other side and pulled his pillow over his head, trying to block out the extra noises in his normally quiet bed; and protect himself. He just thanked his lucky stars that none of the children had the propensity toward wetting the bed.

He must have fallen asleep at some point, for behind Jack's eyes, he could tell it was now light out. And from the jiggling of the bed, he could tell his three uninvited guests were awake and raring to go. Yep – for as soon as he cracked open one eye, JJ was on him.

"Daddy! Guess what? I doesn't got school today! We gets a snow day!" he crowed with delight, bouncing on his knees on the bed and jostling Jack's prone form.

"And I doesn't gots preschool!" Grace chimed in. Then she leaned across Jack's stomach and pried his other eye open with her fingers. "Can we goes outside now and shubel, Daddy?"

Jack groaned and turned his head slightly away from her prying fingers. Struggling into a sitting position, he looked around the room and noticed the absence of the other adult who, in his opinion, should be here fending off the incessant early morning chatter. "Where's your mother?" he asked gruffly.

Not a bit put off by his tone, Grace climbed more fully onto Jack so that she was straddling his stomach. "Mommy is making brefkiss. Katie and me wants to make a big snowman today daddy! And digs tunnels in the snow and shubel and go sledding…"

"Hold on there, little lady," Jack interrupted the exuberant child. "Let's first have some breakfast and get dressed before we start planning our snow day, shall we?"

Grace gave him a wide grin. "Ok, daddy. Then we can go outside, right?"

"Well, let's see what's it like out there first, OK?" The little girl readily agreed, then allowed herself to be lifted to the floor. Katie was lifted down as well, giggling all the way, and the two girls scampered off to the kitchen for breakfast.

Jack looked down into the expectant face of his son. "What is it sport?"

JJ looked back the way Grace had gone, then turned questioning eyes to his father. "Daddy, does all girls talk as much as Grace?"

Jack laughed and rumpled the boy's already messy hair. "I don't think so, buddy. But between you and me, I think she gets it from her mother." The two shared a smile, then got out of bed and made their own way to the kitchen and the hot breakfast that awaited them.

----

They had all been more than a little astonished to open the back door and see over a foot of new snow. It wasn't the light, fluffy kind either; it was heavy and wet, just right for making snowmen, but horrible for shoveling. Jack sent up a silent prayer of thanks that they owned a snowblower; though part of him really would like to contact Thor and have him just beam the stuff into outer space.

Unlike Jack, the children had been ecstatic at finding their back yard a veritable winter wonderland. They had immediately wanted to put on their snowsuits and head outside, but Jack had firmly told them they would have to wait until he had most of it cleared off the sidewalks.

"But we wanted to helps you shubel, daddy," Grace complained loudly.

Jack crouched down next to her. "No whining, Grace Aeryn," he reminded her firmly. Then, lightening his tone, he said, "Don't worry, pumpkin. There will plenty of snow for the three of you to shovel. You can help me with the front walk, OK?" At her nod of agreement, Jack gave her a quick kiss then stood up, looking over to Sam who was feeding baby cereal to Maddie. "You're not planning on going in are you?" Even though they had a four wheel drive SUV, Jack wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Sam driving up the mountain in all this snow.

Sam smiled up at him. "Nope. I get a snow day too," she grinned as the children shouted out in glee. "I called General Landry earlier. He said everyone who was on duty last night will be staying since the roads are virtually impassable right now. They'll be on a skeleton crew for the day but he's not overly concerned. I think there's only one team out right now."

Jack nodded. "Good. Well," he glanced out the back window, "Guess it's time I started clearing the drive," he stated with little enthusiasm.

"I can do it if you want to finish feeding Maddie," Sam offered. In their marriage, they tried not to have any clear delineation in household duties; both Sam and Jack shared equally in outdoor and indoor chores.

But Jack, being the protective male that he was, declined her offer. While he knew full well she would be just fine outside using the snowblower, he'd rather she was inside with the children where it was warm. Besides, there was that innate man against nature feeling… the one he got a small thrill from, conquering mother nature and seeing the snowblower shoot the snow out a good three feet or so. And though he tried to act nonchalant about the whole thing, Sam knew just what he was thinking and turned away to hide her grin.

While Jack cleared the driveway and the back walk, the three children watched from the warmth of the kitchen, noses pressed up against the window. The snowflakes now drifted down lightly, the earlier wind having diminished in the early hours of the morning. The snow glistened like jewels on the abundant drifts that encompassed the back yard, making the children antsy with excitement.

Finally, their daddy was finished and came inside to warm up. After two cups of coffee, he was ready to take the children outside. They tumbled over each other like puppies, eager to get their snowsuits, boots and mittens on and get outside. Sam and Jack had to admonish them to slow down a bit…the snow wasn't going anywhere. Once they were finally ready, Jack held the door open and watched them scamper down the steps and climb onto the big drifts on either side of the sidewalk. Katie struggled to keep up, her shorter limbs impairing her ability to climb the huge mountains of snow.

Sam laughed at the sight of the three children frolicking in the snow. "I don't think you're going to get to that shoveling anytime soon."

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "Probably not." He turned to look at her, smiling at the sight of Maddie chewing on a teething biscuit, the gooey residue now on Sam's shirt. "You going to give this little one a bath?"

Sam looked down at Maddie and grimaced. "I suppose I should." She looked longingly out into the snow. Jack followed her gaze and smiled.

"I don't think it will kill her to stay messy for a while. Just clean her up with the washrag and bring her outside. The fresh air will do her good, won't it munchkin?" Maddie gurgled back, her face a smear of rice cereal and teething biscuit.

Smiling down at the baby, Sam agreed with Jack's plan. While he went outside to watch the children, Sam cleaned up Maddie and bundled her into her own snowsuit. Even though they had just had a snow storm, the temperature was in the low 30's, so Sam wasn't worried that it would be too cold for the baby. She wouldn't keep her out there too long anyway.

When Sam finally made it outside with Maddie, Jack and the children already had one snowman built and another being formed. Katie and Grace hopped alongside as Jack and JJ rolled the snow into balls large enough for the middle and top of the snowman. The girls carried sticks they had found for the arms, eager to put them onto the snowman. Sam looked over at the first one and grinned as she saw the two pieces of charcoal Jack had used for eyes and the old scarf around its neck. Her attention was pulled away when JJ called to her.

"Mommy, can you get three carrots? The snowmans need noses," he stated importantly.

"Ok JJ," Sam agreed, returning to the house for 3 medium sized carrots. When she returned outside, JJ was there to meet her and take the carrots from her hands. "So, you and daddy are making three snowmen?"

"Yep! One for me, one for Gracie, and one for Katie Rose," he said with a smile. "Does you want us to make one for Maddie too?"

Sam smiled and patted his rosy cheek. "That's OK, JJ. Maybe Maddie can just share yours and Grace's," she suggested.

JJ nodded in agreement, then ran off, eager to place the carrot noses in the snowmen. Sam watched as they rolled and formed the final snowman; this one smaller than the others as it was for Katie and she wanted a "widdle" snowman. When they were finished, Jack came to stand next to her, surveying his handiwork.

"Not too bad if I do say so myself," he grinned. Then he turned and took Maddie out of her arms. "OK, mommy. You're turn to play in the snow for a while."

Sam's eyes sparkled with humor and a hint of excitement; she hadn't really played much at anything until she had married this wonderful man beside her. He truly brought out the kid in her. Pressing a kiss against his red cheeks, Sam trudged through the snow and over to the children. Soon, she was engaged in building a snowfort. With the children's help, she made a large, rectangular base, then added blocks of snow from JJ's igloo block, making sure to leave an opening for the door. They built up the sides until it was as tall as Katie, then packed snowballs and stored them in a corner, holding a whispered conversation about when to get daddy with the snowballs. Sam's only warnings that they not throw them at his face or when daddy was holding Maddie.

Getting a bit suspicious at the quiet that was coming from inside the snowfort, Jack trudged through the snow and peered over the top. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.

Grace shrieked with surprise at finding her father towering over the fort. "Daddy! You can't comes in here! This fort is for kidses only!"

Jack raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Sam. "And mommies," Grace hastily added.

Sam laughed and got to her feet. "Well, mommy is getting a bit cold and I think four children probably are as well. I think it's time we all went inside for a while."

"But mommy," JJ protested, "What about…you know," he indicated the pile in the corner with his head…a pile that Jack hadn't seen yet.

"And we habn't shubeled yet," Katie added. She had been looking forward to using Grace's new red shovel.

"We'll come out again later," Jack replied. He too was cold and didn't want Maddie outside much longer. "We've got the whole day," he reminded them.

The children reluctantly left their snowfort and began to follow the adults to the back door. JJ stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and held out his dark mitten, catching a few errant snowflakes and studying them intently. "Mommy?" he asked questioningly, his eyes still studying his mitten.

Sam turned and walked back toward him. "What is it JJ?"

"Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike? That's what Billy sayed."

Sam looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then scrunched down beside him. "Well, actually JJ, many scientists don't think that's true."

When he looked at her expectantly, she took his mittened hands in her own, not noticing that Jack and the girls had stepped closer to listen. "You see, when water molecules freeze, they tend to form hexagonal shapes. These are the traditional six-sided snowflakes that we see sometimes and are depicted in books and on TV shows. And it is hard to find two hexagonal snowflakes that are alike due to the infinite possible combinations of the frozen molecules. But, when it's really cold out or a really wet snow like we had last night, different, less complex snowflakes form, making it easier to find similar snowflakes." She started to warm to her topic, forgetting her audience for a moment. "Actually JJ, the ionization that can occur with snowflakes is extraordinary…"

She was interrupted by a loud throat clearing. Looking up, she caught Jack looking at her with a familiar glazed expression on his face, along with a hint of amusement. "Uh, Sam? Short people, short answers," he reminded her.

Sam blushed and looked back at JJ, who was looking back and forth between his parents with a hint of confusion. She cleared her throat quietly, "Well anyway, JJ, so Billy's not exactly correct when he says no two snowflakes are alike."

JJ nodded his head and looked back to his mitten, which had caught a few new flakes to replace those that had melted. His eyes brightened. "Look Mommy! A hexagonal snowflake!"

Sam smiled brightly, then looked up at Jack, a flash of pride in her eyes. Obviously, her son had picked up on some of her rather lengthy explanation. Jack looked back, a bit startled, then let a grin cross his face. JJ was most definitely his mother's son.

The remainder of the day was spent in the relaxing pursuits necessary to ensure a true "snow day" experience. Plenty of hot chocolate to drink, watching movies while lying snuggled in quilts, reading books by the light of the roaring fire, baking peanut butter cookies (which resulted in the floor having to be scrubbed) and of course, more outdoor fun. Katie and Grace got to use the red "shubel", though their arms tired much more quickly than their intentions to clear the walk did. JJ and Grace were able to sneak up on their daddy and pelt him with snowballs from their fort, though most of them landed well below his waist. Even Katie got in a few tosses that landed harmlessly at his feet.

Late in the afternoon, after Daniel called to ask if they could keep Katie one more night, as he didn't want to be out driving, Jack brought the children to the park across the street and took them sledding. They came back 45 minutes later, covered with snow. Their cheeks were very rosy and their eyes sparkled with joy. Sam gave them all warm baths (well, not Jack but he wouldn't have minded!), had them put on dry clothes, and settled them once more in front of the fire. She put in another movie but wasn't at all surprised to find them all fast asleep, curled up together on the floor and tangled in quilts.

Settling into the sofa, Sam sipped at her coffee and smiled at the picture the children made. She looked up when Jack came to join her on the couch. Snuggling into his side, she sipped contentedly at her coffee. "I never realized that a snow day could be so wonderful," she sighed.

Jack pulled her closer and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "I loved them as a kid…and we had lots of snow days up in northern Minnesota! But you know what?"

"What?" she looked up at him with a soft smile.

"They're even better now that I have you and three munchkins to share them with," he grinned down at her. He took the mug from her hands and set it on the table before drawing her in for a kiss. When the kiss ended, he drew her head to his chest and slouched more comfortably into the sofa. "I'm beat," he sighed. "Think I'll take a little nap. I might need some help falling asleep though…tell me again Carter, how come two snow flakes can be alike?"

He closed his eyes and grinned when he felt her draw back. Even through his closed eyelids, he could feel her glare. He grunted when he felt a soft punch to his arm, then smiled anew when he felt her relax back into his hold. Yeah, this had been one wonderful snow day, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.