Glasses chinked, full of brimming champagne, as the White Rabbit and Septem Hare cheered together. Bringing the flute of drink to his lips, Septem remarked, "You look good, White, for being in Imaginine when those blasted soldiers attacked."

White sipped at his at the champagne before answering, "Well… Cheshire and Hartland helped me get onto one of the ships. I didn't do much, really."

Reaching over, Septem thumped him on the back heartedly with a paw, "You did fine!"

"Shh!" Avril Hare put a brown finger to her lips and motioned to the corner.

All the little children of the Rabbit and Hare families sat attentively around the oldest Hare, Septem's and Avril's father's father. The old great-grandfather hare drowned on with his story, his blind eyes peering out at the children as if he could see them, "-And the Queen! O! The Queen! Her dress was red, decorated with hearts and rubies, and I was there in the front row as she was crowned!"

Septem cocked his black ear and whispered, "Hey, White, when are you going to settle down and get yourself a wife?"

"When the war is over. How many of those are yours?" Motioning to the circle of attentive long-eared children, White watched his cousin curiously.

Septem sighed in satisfaction, "Six and another on the way."

Calmly, Avril glanced back at them, "Think Decemberist has found Snow yet?"

"Hope so." Sangria Rabbit muttered, "But that child of his is as white as the snow itself! It'd be hard to find her with the blizzard outside."
"Don't even think about that!" Septem snapped, shivering. After a slight pause, he asked, "Avril, be a dear sister and go see how the others are doing in the kitchen, please?"

Sighing, Avril stood and disappeared through one of the many doors in the Hare and Rabbit's underground winter home.

At the click of the door, the grandfather cheerfully interrupted his story, "Oh! And there goes one of the adults, dear children! It's probably Septem after the cakes like last year!"

Shrieking with laughter, the children milled closer to the story teller, "No, no, grandfather! It's Avril! She won't steal the cakes!"

"Ah…" The grandfather hare's ragged, mottle ears perked a bit higher in joyous humor, "Thank you for correcting me, dears. What will Avril take?"

"She'll drink the juice!"
Septem glanced at White with amusement in his eyes, "Did I really steal all the cakes last year? I thought I left one or two."
Smiling, Sangria flicked at his ear, "I'm watching you this year, Septem. You have to wait just like the rest of us."
White shrugged, "I'm fine with salad. He can have my piece of cake."

"What?" squawked Septem, "Are you mad? The cake's the best part!"

Before White replied, a sharp series of knocks sounded at the door. Leaping up, one of Septem's children, a white-yellowish girl, scurried to the door with an elated squeal.

Sangria crossed her arms with a smirk, "Finally! Decemberist is back with Snow."
Yanking the door open, Septem's daughter squeaked in surprise.

An ominous, tall, cloaked figure stood in the doorway, a dark figure against the windy snowy backdrop. Glancing down, the unmistakable voice of March slipped out from underneath the hood, "Hello, dear." He stepped in, pulling back his head covering to reveal his steely fur and clouded eyes, "Warm in here, isn't it?"

White froze in his seat, but Septem reacted by leaping up and hissing, "What are you doing here, March?

"Oh…" March kicked the door shut behind him and, bringing his arms up and out from under his cloak, revealed a shivering snow-covered white hare, "I've come to return my niece. Really," He clicked his tongue sarcastically, "you shouldn't leave them out in the snow." Stroking his niece's head gently, he set her down and watched quietly as the little hare ran over to Septem, White, and Sangria.

Sangria gulped a little ball of fur down and stammered, "W-w-well, thank you…"

"No problem." Glancing over at the staring children and the silent grandfather, March commented, "The family's grown since last time." He licked his lips, receiving shudders from the adults, and switched his gaze back to Septem. He muttered softly, "So, I guess I'm not welcome?"

White regained control of his frozen limbs and shivered fearfully, "What do you think?"

Eyes straying to White, March smiled broadly, revealing all his sharp, filed teeth. White, how are you? He walked over and clasped an arm over his cousin's shoulder.

"F-fine."

Furious, Septem yanked March's arm from White's shoulder and glared up into March's face, "You better go, March! Decemberist still has his grudge against you!"

"Ah… not about February, is it?" March groaned.

Septem gritted his teeth, "Yes, about February, and I haven't forgotten either."

Creeping close, the hare and rabbit children gazed at March curiously. One addressed Sangria, "Auntie Sangria, you said Uncle March was dead."

March crouched and appraised his nieces and nephews with happy eyes, "Ah, no. I'm not dead. So…" Counting silently, he let his ears perk up in surprise, "Seventeen? Wow!" He bent even farther to peer into the furry, bashful face of the youngest, a rabbit, and grinned pointedly, "I don't look dead, do I?"

The little rabbit scuffed her feet, sucking her thumb as she stared into her Uncle's face. She swung shyly from side to side as she shook her head.

Laughing, March bared his teeth, with all the glistening strands of saliva that stretched in between, "See! I'm not dead! I'm alive, well, and hungry!"

Septem growled, "March, just leave. Now, before Decemberist gets back."

His laugh fading to a silent growl, March glared at his brother, "I wanted to see my nieces and nephews, not to mention you, Decemberist, and sister Avril." Glancing at the old hare in the corner, he added, "And grandfather there. How are you doing, old bugger?"

"Fine, grandson, but if Decemberist finds you here, even I won't be able to calm his rage."
"Ah, that big fur ball couldn't-"

The door slammed open, and Decemberist stepped in, oblivious to a suddenly silent March as he brushed snow from his pure white head, "Has Snow come back ye-"

He looked up and froze when he saw March. March couldn't help but shudder. Decemberist, the only other hare in the family who stood as tall as March, possessed thick snow-white fur that covered his body in soft plushness till it collided with his grotesque face. One-half of Decemberist's face was normal enough, but the other rippled horribly with a huge continuous scar that ran down till the nape of his neck. His left eye, pure white to show blindness, danced in the dark black rivers of marred skin. His tall white ears laid back aggressively as he hissed, "March!" Reaching down, he drew a hunting knife from his belt.

March eyed the blade warily, "Sangria, take the children out. Decemberist and I have some important matters to talk about, it seems."

Nodding, Decemberist kept his one good eye locked on March, teeth bared. As soon as Sangria and the children retreated out of the room, he growled furiously, "You aren't welcome in this family anymore!" He pounced forward.

Sidestepping his brother's knife, March crossed his arms and pouted, "Since when?"

"Since you ate February, along with half of my face, you blasted freak!" Decemberist lunged once more, "And some of the Rabbits even!"

March stepped backwards and let Decemberist stumble as he missed, "Can't we just put the past behind us, dear brother? That was –what?- six months ago?"

Sputtering, Decemberist whirled around, setting his eye on March vehemently. He pointed a shaking finger at his face and roared, "I can't leave this behind me, you bliddy monster!" Livid, he swung at March.

This time, March grabbed the hand as it passed and twisted it back, "I'm sorry, Decemberist, but I plan to enjoy myself this evening." He crushed his knee up into his brother's vulnerable stomach.

Groaning, Decemberist dropped, clutching his stomach, releasing the knife as Septem stepped forward furiously, "March!"
March scooped up the knife and inspected it wearily as he joked, "I'm just going to eat the other half of his face…"

Opening, the kitchen door revealed seventeen curious children's faces and one very enraged hare. Avril stomped forward and spat, "March! Drop the knife!"

March dropped it hurriedly and wandered over to his livid sister cheerfully, "Dear Avril! How are-"

SLAP!

Avril whacked her hand across March's cheek, earning silence from the adults, gasps from the children. Scowling, March muttered, "Nice to see you too, Avril."

"You blasted monster! How dare you take up arms in this house?"

More people gathered at the kitchen door, mostly rabbits, but one hare in particular caught March's eye. Before he uttered a word, a calico hare broke from the watchers, ran forward, and threw her arms around him with an exultant cry, "Marchie!"

"May!" Avril pulled her sister from March, "Don't do that!"

May Hare, March's only other sister, was a frail creature, even compared to the rabbits. She held the only seed of compassion for March in the adults, because, frankly, it lay protected under a blanket of the most unconditional love imaginable, the love that no evil could possibly destroy but only grieve. Turning purple-blue eyes to Avril, she asked, "Why not?"

Decemberist staggered up and grated, "Because he's a freak! A monster!" His face grew just more contorted as he clutched his stomach.

Throwing her arms around March once more, May cooed, "I don't care. It's Marchie, all the same."

March, suddenly bashful, felt his heart pound in his chest, "Thank you, May…"

Horrified, White watched as one of his most hated foes received a hug from one of his most loved cousins. Even in a family where in-family marriage stood valid and actually encouraged, he didn't want to see May with March! He groaned, knowing he was powerless to do anything about it, though.