5: Snowballs and snowmen
Marcie Walsh and Joey Buchanan (OLTL)

"Making a snowman, I see," Joey said as he surveyed her handiwork. The base and torso of the body were already prepared; now it just appeared to be lacking its head. "But I think you're missing something," he said, pointing to his own head.

Marcie smiled. "Oh, you mean brains?"

Joey smirked. "I see someone woke up with their biting wit intact."

"Darn right I did," Marcie said. "And I am so going to win this competition if it kills me. The Llanview town council is awarding a two hundred dollar prize to the maker of the best-looking snowman." Marcie looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Which reminds me, isn't your mother on the committee?"

Joey laughed. "Oh you don't actually expect me to put in a good word for you, do you?"

Marcie nodded. "Well, that would be nice. I sure could use the money since my last novel was a bomb at the bookstores." She looked down for a moment. "I don't think anyone in the whole world bought it."

Joey puffed out his chest dramatically. "I will have you know that I not only bought it, I read it too."

"What?" Marcie asked in surprise.

"Yes, I really liked 'Dead and Buried'. Chapter Five was a particular favorite."

Marcie cocked her head to the side. "Chapter Five… Wait! That's the chapter where Darcy and Gabe get very naked. My editor totally made me put that in … But aren't you a priest?"

"I was a priest. Past tense. You don't see me sporting the collar anymore, do you?"

Marcie looked him up and down. "No, I guess not. But I thought that was your calling."

"I thought it was but things change."

"Is this about Jennifer leaving you for Rex?" Marcie asked, ever the perceptive one.

"Not… totally," Joey said. "My heart just wasn't in it anymore."

"Oh. Well, the same goes for me and Michael. We broke up."

"I'm sorry."

Marcie shrugged. "Me too." She returned to packing snowballs. "Are you going to just stand there and stare or are you going to help me out here?"

Joey grinned. "As the son of a member of the town council, it would be wrong for me to assist in any way. That would give you an unfair advantage and my mother's partiality would be compromised."

"Oh you're so full of crap," Marcie said. "You just don't want to help." She shrugged. "Fine. Whatever."

"You're mad."

"I'm not mad," Marcie said. "Too busy for that." She then got a wicked gleam in her eye and held up the fair-sized snowball in her hand.

"Oh no, you don't."

"Oh yes, I do. It's your payback for refusing to help." Marcie then hurled the snowball at him. He managed to sidestep it but she was already packing another and still another and hurling them at him. Two hit him square in the jaw and they stung but he took it as a challenge.

"You're going to get it," Joey said, crouching to gather up some snow of his own.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh wouldn't I?" Joey said. "If I learned one thing from all that Bible study, it's 'eye for an eye, snowball for a snowball.'"

"That's so cheesy," Marcie said.

"I'll give you a ten-second head-start," he said as he rolled the snowball until it was almost bigger than his fist.

"Joeyyyyy, this is not very Christian of you at all. What happened to turn the other cheek?" She complained but he could hear a smile in her voice. She then turned and started running for the safety of the trees.

Joey loudly counted down from ten and then took off after her. She squealed as he spotted her behind a tree. She started to run again but Joey gave chase. He chased her up an embankment but slid back down when he realized that she was panting for breath. So was he for that matter.

Joey grabbed his chest and feigned being doubled over in pain. "Joey, are you okay?" Marcie asked, heading over to him. The concern ceased when he suddenly hurled the snowball at her. It connected with her ample chest. Joey laughed as she declared war on him. A full-scale snowball fight was soon in effect.

They tossed snowballs at each other like merry children for half an hour at least and then collapsed in the snow, side by side. They were both breathing heavily but smiling.

"That was fun," Joey said.

"I bet it's been a long time since you had any fun," Marcie said. "Being that you were a priest until about five minutes ago and so busy pouring over your dusty tomes."

Joey laughed. "It has been a while since I enjoyed myself this much," he admitted with a smile. He turned on his side to look at her. Her cheeks were pink and an impossibly adorable smile played at her lips. He couldn't resist what he did next.

He kissed her, full on the lips. He felt her respond, grabbing the collar of his black overcoat.

They kissed for maybe half a minute but to Joey, it felt too short somehow. When they moved apart, Marcie touched her puffy lips. "Wow! I didn't know a priest could kiss like that!" she enthused.

"Well right now, I don't feel very much like a priest," he admitted and dove in for another kiss. Something had been building between them for some time now and here it was, finally being realized.

For the first time in ages, Joey felt at peace.