Sorry this chapter's a little short, but i thought it better than not uploading anything! This is a pretty long chapter too, so i thought it best to cut it back a bit.

I took a deep breath when I stepped outside, feeling the cold air fill my lungs and slide over my tongue, cool and crisp as the untouched slopes of white surrounding us. I could feel Sky's relief at being outside as well; she had staggered around the house with the distinct look of someone not seeing what everyone else was. Now, amidst the sparkling frost and glowing snow, she looked alive again, every detail of her face animated and just there. She had borrowed a snow suit from my Mum, and it made her look like a toddler, packed up to her chin in insulating (and, I might add, bright pink) material. She looked adorable.

"Nursery slopes?" she asked hopefully. Her breath puffed out in a cloud if ice crystals in front of her, and her little nose was bright pink.

"No," I shook my head gravely "too many people." I studied the mountain, shading my eyes with my forearm. In my peripheral vision, I could see a slightly stunned-looking Sky skim her eyes over my body. My lips twitched in a smile I couldn't quite hide, so I let it burst into a full-out grin and wiggled my eyebrows. "Like what you see?"

Sky elbowed me in the ribs playfully "Shut up! You really need to work on that humility thing." I laughed, letting my voice boom over the slopes – I imagined it rolling in great waves over the slopes, making everything look rose-tinted and sweet. It was how I saw everything when I was with Sky.

"I will – if you'll promise to teach me." I teased back.

"I think you're a lost cause." This time Sky's laughter joined mine, and together we turned the cold slopes into a veritable Garden of Eden with the power of our voices. I hugged her close to my side.

"So, Sky, are you ready? Because we're going up. There's a peaceful place. I was going take you there that day we got shot at in the woods, but I think it's even better in winter." I said excitedly, picturing the place in my mind. As usual, whenever I pictured a place in my mind, there was Sky, smiling in the foreground. "We'll catch the lift up and walk down to it." The walk was quiet and for the first time in a long, long time I felt we had some privacy. Some alone time. I led her away into the woods as soon as I could, away from the business of the runs.

"Is this a good idea?" Sky asked as sound sounds of the skiers got more distant "You know what happened last time we went into the forest." Yeah I knew – I couldn't get the image of her wide, terrified eyes from my mind, the sounds of her screams still making my ears ring and the feel of my elbow colliding with her eye still tingling against my skin. I rubbed her arm reassuringly, even though I think it was more for my benefit than hers.

"Dad and Mum are holding a barrier around the place. Trace, Vick and Will are on lookout. We should be fine." I say.

"A mind barrier?"

"Yeah, it sends people away, makes them think they left the headlights on or got to meet someone in town. Which reminds me: how did you get through ours last night?" we had all felt the breach, all had that half-second of gut-wrenching panic, even though logic told us it was impossible. And Sky was so small.

She shrugged "I felt it, but I was too desperate to care."

"You shouldn't have been able to do that." I shook my head "It was why Trace and Vick were so suspicious of you just turning up out of the blue."

"Maybe this barrier isn't as strong as you'd like to think." She reasoned, but she was staring straight ahead and her lips were tight.

"Maybe you're stronger than we realise." I knew she didn't want to hear it, but I said it anyway "We'll have to find out."

"Not just now, please."

"No, not now." I agreed "This is playtime." Right on cue, we broke into the open and there it was, my beauty spot. The ground swept away in a smooth, elegant curve, like a 'J', and the mountains gave the perfect sense of protection to our hidden, stolen moments.

"Wow." Sky muttered.

"Great, isn't it? Not many people come here because it heads nowhere, but I like it. You can do some extreme boarding here without pesky skiers like my brother getting in the road."

"I'm not ready for extreme."

"I know. We can do slow and gentle too." I flipped my board down with practiced ease "Been surfing?" Sky laughed in response.

"You don't know much about London, do you? We're not exactly beach babes in Richmond."

I grin "So what did you do all day?"

"We have a deer park. You can go riding. And there's the Thames if you like rowing." I didn't believe her.

"Spill it."

"I. . . er. . .shopped. I've got an Olympic gold in that. And I had my music, of course." She smiled shyly.

"Time to broaden your horizons. Take a run then slide."

"What?" she looked confused and totally lost.

"Trust me, just do it." She made a face, but tried anyway. It was clumsy, but I saw what I needed to see.

"OK, so you lead with your right foot." I stated, looking at her closely.

"You can tell that how?"

"It's the foot you chose to slide with." I said obviously, smiling slightly "Now, I'll get you in the right stance." I poked the board into position and pointed to her where she should put her feet. Then I put my arm around her waist, trying to ignore how good her hips felt below my hands, and rocked her to and fro. "It's about balance."

"This is just an excuse to get your hands on me." she hummed.

"I know. Great, isn't it?" Sky was better than I had expected – she fell over and slipped and crashed, like any other learner, but her technique wasn't bad and I could see potential. To my delight, she was better on board than she was on skis.

"Let me see you do your thing, Hot Stuff." She finally teased after we ended the 'session'.

"OK, Short Stuff." I teased right back "Make yourself comfortable over there and don't move. I'm gonna show you how it's done. I've just got to go up the hill some." I watched until she had settled by a far-off cliff shelter where the snow wasn't too thick and she wouldn't get cold or in the way. Then I ran up the hill, so far up I couldn't see Sky anymore, and then I went higher, just to get that extra boost. I knew I was showing off – but that didn't stop me. Call it vanity, or call it a display of strength, I don't care, but I was going to show Sky just what I could do. I felt that same thrill of excitement as I charged down the hill, gaining speed by the millisecond, and remembered to keep my feet and body in that perfect balance. And then, I exploded off the hillside.

"Woo-ee!" I yelled as I shot over the top of Sky. I was going too fast to slow down too quickly, so it took a long time to trudge back up to Sky, and I wanted to catch my breath again so that my acrobatics looked even more impressive.

"Show-off!" she accused as soon as I was within ear-shot, but it was followed by her infectious laugh. I grinned my way back to her.

"What d'ya think?" I called back.

"Hmm." She looked at her nails in a bored fashion "Passable."

"Passable! That was perfect." I objected.

"You see, this other guy came by and did a somersault. I gave him a ten." I threw my board down and tackled her to the floor.

"I want a ten too." I demanded.

"Uh-uh. Not without a triple axel."

"That's skating, you dork." I laughed – I was hyper-aware that we were sharing the same air, the same heat. The same love.

"My guy, he did one of those on the way back. Got maximum points." She said factually, and I growled into her neck.

"I'm your guy. Admit it: there was no one else here."

Sky giggled "Still can't give you a ten for that jump."

"How about I try and bribe you?" I traced a trail of kisses from her neck to her lips "So? How did I do?" I was too focused on her body, tender and oh-so-soft below mine, and the fire in her eyes to notice her hand curl around the snow by our sides.

"Hmm, let me think. It seems to me. . . you still need practice!" the only warning I got was the mischievous glint in her eyes before white-hot cold was thrust down my back. I squawked in a way I was sure I had never squawked before.

"Right, this is war!" I yelled, rolling her over, but she wriggled free, breathless with laughter. She started running, but I snagged her round the waist after a few steps and lifted her off her feet. "It's the snowdrift for you." I found a deep patch of snow and dumped her in before she could escape again.

"All the more ammunition!" she yelled delightedly, and threw a snowball right at my face. With a little concentration, I made the snowball veer in mid-air and hit her in the nose.

"You cheater!" she cried in astonishment. I was weak with laugher at her shocked expression.

"That does it! Two can play at this game." The branch above me buckled and an avalanche of snow rained down upon me. Sky brushed her hands casually "Take that!"

I shook the snow from my hat "I should never have told you about being a savant. You're dangerous."

Sky leapt into the air, clapping her hands like a child "I'm dangerous – I'm dangerous!" she sang "Woo-hoo, I'm dangerous!"

"But not yet skilled!" I retorted, and gave the snow she was standing on a mental push. She fell on her back and I went to kneel over her, throwing a snowball up into the air and catching it again threateningly.

"So what was that about my snowboarding?" I raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"Definitely a ten. No, an eleven." She smiled and I chuckled, throwing the ball away.

"Good. I'm glad you've seen reason."