I'm going to post all that I have written and then take some time off sorry. As always I'd love to hear what you think, and of course I own nothing.
The next morning was pure chaos. No one who wasn't legally an adult was willing to get out of bed on his or her own. We had to all but dump a bucket of cold water on Annie to get her moving. While the kids protested to everything from dressing to eating to getting into the cars. The twenty minute drive to the ski resort felt like an hour and it wasn't until the kids actually saw the mountain that they stopped fighting and got excited.
After lift tickets we had to get rentals. Patrick having his own pair of ski's and poles helped the girls while the rest of us took care of ourselves. Next came dropping the younger ones off at daycare, before suiting the twins up for their lessons. Lastly we finally got to get ourselves ready and hit the slopes.
The first run was disastrous. Patrick waited at the top of the hill while Annie took off to the bottom. Patrick watched as Rigsby, Van Pelt, myself, and then Cho fell in that order at various points on the mountain before making his way down to help us each up. I had to remember skiing was like riding a bike give it some time and I'll be okay.
"What took so long?" Annie was leaning on her poles at the bottom of the hill.
"Nothing wrong with a nice slow cruise down the mountain side." Patrick shrugged.
"They fell didn't they?" Annie laughed.
"You won't be laughing when you fall." I pouted.
"Who says I'm going to fall?"
"These mountains are quite a bit steeper than what you're used to in the Midwest." I reminded.
"I know." Annie rolled her eyes and led the way to the ski lift.
"Not bad Agent Lisbon, very nice technique on the way down." Patrick smiled on the way up. I had to slap him, "What I was being serious? You did really well on your first hill for having not skied in so long."
The next hill was much better no one fell at all. The third hill led to Rigsby and I falling near the bottom, while Annie laughed and Patrick helped me back up I was going to love it when they fell. The fourth hill Grace fell, and in an effort to be chivalrous and help her back up Rigsby fell on top of her. Causing Annie to laugh even harder it was going to be so sweet when she finally fell. The fifth hill was fall free.
"Hey Patrick want to race?" Annie asked at the top of the sixth run.
"No way that's just stupid and dangerous, these hills are way to crowded." I warned.
"How about you four go down to tell us who gets to the bottom first." Patrick grinned, God that man could not pass up a challenge.
"Just be careful, both of you."
"Yes ma'am." He kissed my cheek despite both of our faces being covered by gators. The four of us made it down the run once more without falling, then the signal was given for them to start. God they were both going fast there were way to many people for this. Patrick was clearly ahead of Annie, knowing her she would blame gravity for her loss, the greater the mass the greater they go down.
Patrick wasn't stopping he was coming straight at me that asshole was going to kill us both. Seconds before the expected collision I closed my eyes and the only thing I felt was snow flying up the front of me.
"You ass! I thought you were trying to kill me."
"Kill you never." I could see his grin even under all those layer. He had stopped on a dime right in front of me, spraying snow up to my waist.
"Okay that wasn't fair he weighs more than me gravity was going to pull him down faster." Annie stopped a little behind me.
"Yeah okay." I rolled my eyes, had I not called it? "Come on a couple more and then how about some lunch I'm starving."
"I couldn't agree more." Rigsby nodded.
"I suggest a challenge we ski until we can make it down two more runs without anyone falling."
"Easy for you to say you haven't fallen yet." Cho pointed out.
"What you guys just made it down the last two runs without falling." He reminded.
"Two more runs with no one falling and then lunch I'm game." Grace nodded.
"Me to." Annie grinned.
"Yeah alright." Both Cho and I sighed. Rigsby nodded to but the look on his face said he clearly wanted to eat sooner than later. The first run we were all clear, but then the second run was met with Cho following near the top and Grace near the bottom. When we got to the third one I ended up face first in the snow. Finally by the fourth one we were free to eat, almost.
We stopped right by the ski racks when out of nowhere Annie ski got caught and she fell over. "Hey that doesn't count I was stopped we weren't even skiing." She blushed opting to take her skies off on the ground.
"Nope that counts." I laughed.
"No way! I was stopped I wasn't skiing."
"Doesn't matter, still counts." I wasn't the only one grinning.
"In fact I think that may be worse kid." Rigsby agreed, "I mean we fell doing something you just fell."
"It doesn't count!"
"Oh it totally counts." Grace nodded.
"You've been giving us crap all morning this counts." Cho finished.
"That's not fair!"
"Life's not fair." The argument had led us all the way though the ski resort cafeteria to one of the only open tables. "How do you think the kids are?"
"I'm sure they are having a good time." Patrick sipped tea while eating a cafeteria sandwich. "Who knows the girls might come out better skiers than all of us."
"Not really that hard to do at this point." Cho pointed out.
"Oh it's just like riding a bike, you guy's will be old pro's by tomorrow." Patrick encouraged.
"Easy for you to say, you're the only one who hasn't fallen yet."
"Mine doesn't count!"
"Annie it counts you've been out voted five to one. It counts."
"Yes it was easy to say I thought it and then it came out of my mouth." Patrick smirked.
"Smartass." He just shrugged in response to my insult and went back to his lunch. Soon we were back on the slopes trying our hardest not to fall down the hill. In truth it did get easier by the end of the day the motions came back to me. Over all we had much less snow on ourselves at the end of the day than we had at lunchtime. While Patrick didn't fall, Annie did trying to go to fast down a steeper hill and there was no disputing the legitimacy of that fall.
After shedding our ski pants and heavy jackets the team headed for the bar where we promised to meet them after we picked up the kids. "Teresa! Patrick! Looky we got a report card for the day. Tomorrow if we do good we get a goodie bag." The twins came running out of the daycare center the minute they saw us.
"Well we just might have to look over that report card when we go back upstairs with the rest of the team." Patrick led them back into the daycare center to collect their already mostly dry snow gear along with the younger three kids.
"Daddy Patrick I went sledding!" William was in Patrick's arm in seconds.
"Sledding that sounds like fun, did you take Ben with you?"
"Uh huh he had to sled with a teacher though cause he's little still. I'm not little no more, I'm almost four."
"Yes you are, I want to hear all about your day come on, lets go upstairs."
"Are we coming back tomorrow?"
"Yep."
"Tomorrow's movie day."
We all sat around a table in the bar the kids drank hot chocolate while the adults enjoyed a beer. The twins went on about their day and I think I probably fell more than they did or at least more than they claimed to have fallen. William and Ben let us know how their day went and Cass was more than happy to crawl all over Patrick and I's lap.
"So tomorrow night I was thinking the adults go out for the evening." Patrick set his beer down, "If Annie doesn't mind watching the kids?"
"Hey I came knowing it would happen at some point." She just shrugged.
"What'd you have in mind?" I wondered.
"There is a nice casino and restaurant not far from here. Go have dinner and a few drinks."
"And you know if you happen to win a little bit of money on the side."
"I'm going for the food if the rest of you chose to gamble that's up to you." He smirked.
"Right."
"I'm in." Rigsby cut in.
"Don't gamble to much." Grace warned.
"I wouldn't it's just for fun, I promise."
"I'll go." Cho finished his drink.
"Yea and we can find you a girl." Rigsby grinned.
"No thanks."
"Why not?"
"Cho already has a girl." Patrick informed, "I told him he could invite her."
"Yeah and have you all scare her away, no thanks."
"Like any of these guys would scare Agent Wade away."
"You're right, just you Jane."