Author's Note: In regards to comments about doing another Hitch short, yes, I do have some ideas. That one may not be next, but it will be soon.
Autumn was simultaneously the best and worst time of the year. It was vibrant, colorful, and full of good tastes and smells, but as the season wound down and the beast of winter loomed, it got colder, forcing everyone to stay in more often.
It seemed everyone's definitions of "cold" were different, though. What was refreshing to some was bitterly cold to others, as was the case one morning when Moffitt awoke and wondered if someone had opened the windows at some point during the night. "Oh, how is it so bloody cold in here?" he muttered, hugging himself as he got out of bed to check the thermometer. The Fahrenheit side read 55, equaling 12 on the Celsius side. "No wonder it's so cold in here! I'm turning the heat up."
After adjusting the heat, Moffitt threw on his softest bathrobe before returning to bed and cuddling up to Vanora, hoping for a quiet, cozy morning in. Instead, Vanora turned over to face him. "Are you getting sick, love?" she asked.
"No. It's very cold in here," Moffitt said.
"You're cold? It feels quite nice, actually."
"Darling, are you mad?"
"Well, I did marry you."
"That's true. You did."
"Still, it's not that cold, Jack."
"It's freezing!"
Vanora got up to check the thermometer herself, while Moffitt wrapped the blankets around himself, trying to avoid the cold air kicked up from Vanora leaving.
"It's not that cold, love." Vanora sighed upon seeing her husband. "Alright, now you just look silly, and you're hogging the blankets."
"Anything to avoid this Arctic air!"
"Are you going to lie like that all day?"
"If that's what it takes."
"Well, you can't have your tea or take care of the horses looking like this."
"Jules and Anah can look after the horses today. I should go book a flight to Egypt."
"That means leaving the safety of your little blanket cocoon, love."
Reluctantly, Moffitt allowed Vanora to pull some of the blankets off him, but it gave him the opportunity to pull her in for a snuggle. "You keep me warm, darling."
"Are you sure about that, Jack?" Vanora grinned before touching Moffitt's neck with cold hands, prompting him to yelp in shock.
"Don't do that! How are your hands that cold?!"
"I don't know, but your robe is nice and warm. Let me—"
"If you're just going to put your icy hands on me, no."
Vanora pretended to look disappointed.
"Oh, don't look at me like that. This is a trick, I know it! I know that mischievous look in your eye."
"Would this convince you?" Vanora kissed him.
"Well… it's making me think."
She kissed his forehead. "How about now?"
"Not quite."
Smirking, Vanora kissed Moffitt under the right side of his jaw. "Now?"
"Other side as well." The pleasurable shiver that ran through him when Vanora kissed him was much more preferable. "Alright." A big grin crossed Moffitt's face when Vanora went to touch his neck, then he reached into her sleeves to squeeze her arms. "My hands are cold, too!"
"Jack! Goodness, they are cold! Let go!"
"Never! I will have my ice-cold revenge!"
The two were soon unable to talk as they broke into laughter, though that laughter was soon interrupted by the phone ringing out in the kitchen. Moffitt moved to get up and answer it, but heard Jules's voice. A few seconds later, Jules barged into the room. "Dad! Mr. Dietrich is calling!" He leaped onto the bed, hugging his mother first. "Good morning, Mum."
"Good morning, Jules," Vanora said.
"Miss Anah is making breakfast. She wanted me to let you and Dad know." Jules hugged his father next.
"Did Dietrich say why he's calling, Jules?" Moffitt asked.
"He said it's 'dad stuff.'"
"Oh." Moffitt quickly got out of bed, tightening his robe around him as he headed out to the kitchen. "Good morning, Anah," he said, glancing at the cobra as she was making breakfast.
"Good morning," Anah replied. "Your tea is already steeping, dear."
"Thank you." Moffitt picked up the phone, hugging himself as the cold gradually got to him. "Hello, Dietrich."
"Hello, Moffitt. I hope I am not interrupting anything," Dietrich said.
"No, not at all." Moffitt shivered. "What do you need?"
"Are you alright? You sound like you are shivering."
"I am indeed. It's terribly cold here."
"Well, it is quite cold over here in Hammelburg, too."
"Oh, but my wife thinks this is fine weather!"
"My wife is freezing."
"That makes two of us."
"Did Vanora have to endure very cold hands on her in bed?"
Moffitt smirked. "Yes, as a matter of fact, she did, but her hands were cold, too. We were even."
"Ah. I was half-awake in bed this morning, when I felt what I can best describe as blocks of ice being put on my arms and chest. My winter nightclothes were no match for Esther's cold hands."
"Sorry, I'm trying not to laugh."
"That is alright. I got back at her by holding my hands against the ice cream container in the freezer for about a minute and went back upstairs to touch her shoulders." There was an audible smile in Dietrich's voice.
"I didn't think you had it in you, Dietrich," Moffitt said, shaking his head.
"Well, Troy is a terrible influence."
"Indeed. It's probably just as cold in Wyoming right now, probably even more so since it's still nighttime there."
"If Troy and Shauna got into a 'cold hands war,' I imagine Troy has been banished to either the couch or the barn at this point."
"That wouldn't surprise me," Moffitt said with a grin. His grin faded a little. "So, is there any particular reason for this call, or do you just want to chat? Jules said you wanted to discuss 'dad stuff.'"
"Oh, right. Yes, the reason for this call… I may have lied to Jules just so he does not blurt out anything to anyone. You know Troy and Shauna's wedding anniversary is coming up?"
"I do. I can't believe it'll be twelve years for them."
"Yes. I have been communicating with David about setting up something special for them. There is a town up in Alaska that they visited when Troy returned home from Korea. I want to send them back there for a few days."
Moffitt's grin returned. "That's very kind of you, Dietrich. What do you need my help for?"
"I want Troy and Shauna to just enjoy themselves and not worry about a thing. I was going to ask if you would be able to chip in, financially."
"Let me discuss it with Vanora, and I'll call you back later today. I'm sure we'll be able to contribute something."
"I appreciate it. I will be calling Hitch and Tully to ask the same thing when they are both awake."
"They'll be thrilled to pitch in, I'm sure."
Anah slithered over, and handed Moffitt a mug of tea. "Here you are, dear." She grinned and said into the phone, "Hello, Dietrich. How are you?"
"I am well, Anah, thank you for asking," Dietrich replied.
"How is Esther?"
"Lethargic, but doing well."
"Tell her I said hello."
"I will."
Moffitt welcomed the warmth spreading through him after taking a sip of his tea. "Are you sure Alaska is a good idea this time of year, Dietrich?" he asked. "It's Alaska. It'll be bloody cold."
"Moffitt, I am convinced that all your years in the desert have made it so your body now considers one hundred degrees Fahrenheit to be 'temperate.' I know it is unbearably cold, but Troy has talked nonstop about how he had never experienced anything as romantic as being with Shauna under the aurora borealis, and Shauna has mentioned to me that she had never seen anything more beautiful than the reflection of the aurora in Troy's eyes. I want them to have a chance to experience that again."
"It is so sweet that you remember little things like that," Anah said, curled around Moffitt's shoulders.
"I do not easily forget much. That is… both a blessing and a curse."
"We're doing our best to give you better memories," Moffitt said.
"Thank you. I doubt I will ever forget what happened in North Africa, no matter how many years go by, but I am glad that things have turned around."
"I think we all are," Anah replied. "We—oh, dear."
"What?" Moffitt asked.
"Look over your left shoulder."
Moffitt turned around to see Snowstripe glaring at him through the window. "Damn it, Snowstripe! How did you get out of your pen again?"
"He wants to know why you have not visited yet," Anah said.
"Should I leave you alone with your animals, Moffitt?" Dietrich asked, suppressing a laugh.
"I'll be calling you back later anyway," Moffitt sighed. "Have a good day, Dietrich." He hung up the phone, muttering to himself while drinking his tea.
"Are we going riding today, Dad?" Jules asked.
"Aren't you cold? It's too cold for riding," Moffitt griped.
"It's a little cold, but I wouldn't mind riding." Jules gave his father a pleading look. "Please, Dad? Pretty please?"
Moffitt let out a groan. "Oh, alright, but after that, we spend the rest of the day in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of tea."