Christmas Eve was going to be beautiful. The weather spoiled so much that shortly after breakfast they decided to go skiing. Heather was stubbornly avoiding this, Nadia promised she would catch up with them. Robert hadn't ridden for a long time, although if he was already on the slopes, he could have been skiing all day. It was one of his favorite individual sports. Johnny was the only one among the remaining five to catch up. As always, energetic, unpredictable and ... as if strangely dim on that day. The plaintiff pulled Oliver out of him. They rode to the top in the same lift car. He had to admit that when it came to feelings and dilemmas in the relationship, the young Frenchman was a specialist. If it weren't for him, Robert would most likely still tear cats with the feisty Russian woman instead of enjoying the impending marriage. Amazingly, young Boulanger was still alone.

- You had an argument, right? - he asked bluntly.

- Where did this ridiculous idea come from, Oliver? - McGregor muttered, not even glancing at his interlocutor.

- Heather preferred to stay home, and you are blown away. - The green haired man explained.

- Eh ... she started reminding me that I was supposedly insolent and selfish. - he snorted nervously, folding his arms over his chest. - You had such a problem, Robert?

- Hmm ... I don't think so. At least not directly.

- Lucky ... - the redhead growled.

- But Nadia used to call him "cocky noses", don't you remember? - Oliver added. - And she had every right to get upset. So was Heather. She doesn't look like one to cheat on you, so you had to do something wrong. If you don't get along, you'll have a problem.

- Get along with someone who doesn't stick his nose out of books! - McGregor said vigorously. - She brought twenty of them with her! And she was offended when I pointed out to her that buying more is a bad idea.

- I'm less and less surprised she called you insolent selfish ... - Boulanger sighed disapprovingly.

They jumped off the top. Listening to the conversation made him feel strange. It is possible that until recently he was acting exactly like Johnny today. He put on his goggles and went ahead, racing on the completely empty slope. The other two joined him in moments. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Enrique along with Bianca and Rosetta reaching the top. The girls looked as if they were arguing about something, and he unfortunately sat down between them. Robert sighed, focusing on the route ahead of him. Two big faults passed. They were halfway down the slope when a slim figure in dark green slacks and a lime green plaid snowboard jacket with the crest drawn over it flew overhead. He had seen this sign somewhere. There flew right after her, twisting an impressive back somersault, another one, this time in white pants and a turquoise jacket. Long blonde tresses protruded from under the white helmet. Its plank was painted underneath what looked like aurora borealis. He had no doubts who the other girl was, wondered first. From a logical point of view ...

- Heather ?! - Johnny asked, surprised.

- Are you sure? - Oliver asked hesitantly.

- I'd give my head for that! The symbol on the board is her family crest! - he explained. - "Fide et virtute*", the chivalrous call of the Gladstone clan, probably since the Middle Ages.

They made it home just in time for dinner. Two girls were already waiting in the living room. Enrique and his friends followed close behind. Bianca and Rosetta must have reconciled. But it seemed to him that the reason for the truce was more purchases. Their skis were waiting in the storeroom, long dry, and the girls were wrapped tightly in new fancy scarves. Jurgens sighed heavily as he walked over to his fiancée. The owner of the fiery hair was half a step ahead of him. His face was a bit uncertain, but he still seemed fierce, imperious and willing to get his way.

- Heather, I think we need to talk. - he threw hard.

- Yes, we have to ... but I'm not going to listen to you until you express yourself properly. - The girl replied harshly, looking at him calmly with blue eyes.

- Excuse me?! It's you...

- Either you express yourself properly or a bow shot will decide. - The brunette was standing firmly with hers. - I come from an old, dignified clan, I belong to the archery brotherhood. If you think I will pocket my pride and run after you like a dog, you are wrong, JOHNNY.

- Where are you going to shoot? - he sneered ironically. - We don't have a field.

- And I'm supposed to be "a bookworm locked in my world " - she muttered dispassionately, pointing to a nearby TV with a connected game console.

She shocked him. Robert looked at his fiancée. He guessed Nadia had a hand in it, but it seemed to amaze her as well. The young Scot's move was not at all surprising. He wasn't going to ask anyone for anything, he preferred to fight. As a gentleman he gave priority to a lady and immediately regretted it. She shot very confidently and always accurately. His effectiveness was not that impressive. As soon as they saw the final result, Heather put the controller down, turned proudly on her heel, and strode to her room.

He didn't see them until dinner. He wasn't really looking for it either, was too busy getting Nadia to know where she'd learned to ski. Finally they went downstairs, where the festively dressed rest were waiting. He chose brown pants and a loose beige sweater with a dark shirt underneath it. The blonde looked lovely in a thin, off-the-shoulder wool dress, a slightly lighter color, bottle green with white geometric patterns resembling snowflakes. Along the legs hidden in black tights, to the knee strings hung from the edge of the skirt with white pompoms. She let her hair fall loosely, tying just a few strands at the back of her head with a wide red bow. Dishes from different parts of the world appeared on the table, as each of them spent the holidays slightly differently. They were sitting in front of Johnny and Heather. They looked reconciled, but still quite aloof. Robert took a warm, fine-fingered hand. She looked at him with honey eyes. He was glad that this stage was long over. He waited impatiently for the moment when he could hug her. The moment has come after supper. Caught her right under the mistletoe. He couldn't have hit better. She glanced over her head, laughed slightly, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. It was not enough for him, he wanted more. He didn't care about their friends watching them. She was wonderfully succumbing to him again, delicately opening her mouth so he could slide his tongue in. He loved that feeling, he loved to have her with him, to cuddle her petite body. She laughed a pearly laugh as he finally pulled away and touched the tip of her tiny nose.

- Merry Christmas, my love. - Muttered her wonderfully low, slightly hoarse tone, handing him a small box.

- Happy holidays, sweetheart. - he replied with a smile, handing her an oblong envelope.

He untied the intricately tied ribbon. Inside a tasteful maroon package, he found an elegant pen. Pearl-black, iridescent with a delicate plum with a subtle golden pattern. When he opened, he found a heart engraved on the nib, though it might as well have been a spade. He did complain about his recently. She noticed. She also knew that he would not be satisfied with just anything or with something that would not be of use. He was too practical for that. She captivated him with a gesture. He put the gift on the counter and looked at her. Nadia froze as opened the envelope. She pulled out two oblong pieces of paper from inside.

-No ... - she whispered incredulously.

- Yes. - he confirmed, placing his hands on her hips and drawing them to him.

- How did you know? - she asked, eyes glittering with joy. - I ... never told you...

- One evening I found you sleeping with your head on the desk, next to the laptop. - he explained calmly. - You left the page open. I figured you were browsing for a reason.

Judging by her reaction, he had hit it perfectly, though to be honest he didn't think his fiancee could dream of something like that. He knew how she loved animals, adored their company, but that was something he didn't really understand. The point was she was happy.

- What is it? - Oliver asked, growing out of the ground next to him.

- A trip to Australia with a cruise on Byron Bay! We will be swimming with the whales in a few days! - she squealed happily, then leaned on Robert with a shock on her face. - It means that...

- That...? - he asked a bit worried, putting his arm around her.

- If we're lucky enough, we'll probably see the world's only albino humpback whale! - she added. - Oh gosh!

He did not foresee it, he did not even check it. He made that mistake again. Nevertheless ... it intrigued him. Sam was getting impatient. They left just after the New Year. He was charmed by the surroundings of sea creatures. There was only them, a great blue depth and a few pieces of very curious, huge creatures. He probably had never felt so tiny and defenseless before, even though the giant males showed no hostility. The girl seemed to know more than their guide. They watched only males. Pregnant or in the company of young ones, females would be too dangerous to protect their babies. The delicacy of the whales took his breath away. They swam past them, possibly lightly, aggressively nudging. He barely registered the tiny body clinging to his own. He looked at her, then in the direction she was pointing. The majestic snow-white male was swimming near them. His enormous body was marked with numerous scars, but that didn't make him distrustful. On the contrary, he seemed interested in their company. He was indescribably happy to be able to please her. He happily watched her play with the giants, swims around them. Interestingly, they also seemed pleased. He could hear the huge mammals melting under the water. It was simple, squeaky at times, but it had its charm. As they were about to leave, she approached him so he could hug her. Unexpectedly, she removed her mask and his mask and kissed him. He thought the oxygen would be exhausted soon, but surprisingly he didn't lose his breath. They surfaced after a few seconds.

fide et virtute - [lat.] faith and power