Secret Smile

The snow was thick around the small house, coating it's yard in two feet of fluffy whiteness. Small hands left their mark on the frosty window, hand prints that melted the icy feeling away from the clear pane. A little forehead joined the pane, warming the window beneath that flesh as well, eager brown eyes clearly longing to go out and play in the snow. He watched for a few more minutes, then sighed and sank back into his chair. They'd flown all the way from New York to Glasgow just to spend Christmas with the boy's grandparents. Grandma was getting sick more, and more often, and the family wanted as much time with the woman as they could possibly have.

That didn't mean that Jake wanted to sit inside and miss out on the snow, especially at Christmas. He sighed, looking for his little sister. He sat up, and wandered about the house, looking from room to room. Ainsley would just smile and hug him, and then the two would set about to do something warmer, that was allowed. Their older siblings, the twins, would take an entirely different approach on the whole matter. He stuck his head into his Uncle Daniel's room, hoping to see Ainsley there. The little girl had taken to her Uncle Daniel, and she would chat a bit with him, which was an awful lot, coming from Ainsley. However, as he passed the room, he could hear his mother picking at Daniel- she was probably still trying to get the man to settle down. Jake figured it was a lost cause about now.

Running out of options, he knocked on the door that He and his three siblings were sharing. There were two beds, and while the intention had been for Isobel and Ainsley to share one bed, while Christian and Jacob shared the other, it hadn't worked out. Izzy preferred to sleep with Christian, and Ainsley didn't much care. Christian opened the door, and grinned at his little brother, letting him in. Izzy lay on her bed, and she nudged Chris with her foot.
"What's up, Jakie?"
"I can't find Ainsley."
The older two shared a worried look, one that Christian quickly dispelled.
"Ainsley's like a cat. If she doesn't want to be found, she isn't. Tell you what, we'll go and play in the snow, she'll hear our fun, and come join us."

Jake eyed the fourteen-year-old doubtfully, but finally nodded. Chaos ensued, as all three siblings attempted to bundle up at the same time. Finally, they managed to be ready, and they snuck out the back door, and into the glorious snow. It was the day after Christmas, and the snow had been steadily falling for two days. It was beautiful, and fluffly and thick. The twins were trying to savour it, since in a few days they would be heading back to New York on a plane to spend a few days with their father, and celebrate Christmas with him. Ainsley and Jake were going to be staying in Scotland with their parents until after New Year's day, when they would fly back home.

The three children began to build a snowman, laughing as they tripped and fell, once landing in a giggling heap that had Isobel on the bottom. Finally the snowman was built, and they had begun construction on two snow forts, when they heard a voice that seemed to suddenly stop the fun.
"Well, there you are. Why didn't you-"

The three were making faces at each other, bothered about being caught, and about upsetting their mother, when a snowball smacked directly into the back of her head, stopping her midsentance. She whirled, obviously not at all happy, and when she did she saw her husband across the yard, tossing a second snowball up and down in his hand, Ainsley with her hand over her mouth, stood next to him.
"Jon!"
"Well, Mads, are you going to let them have fun?"

Madeline began stalking towards her husband, and Ainsley squeaked, ducking out of the way and sprinting across the yard. Everyone was focused on Madline, who was slowly advancing on Jonathan. They didn't notice Ainsley burrowing herself into the snow, where she could safely watch whatever was going on. Madeline slipped up to Jonathan, and tried to stuff snow down his shirt. He knocked the snow from her hand, and with a cry of protest, Madeline tackled him into the snow. Christian, Isobel, and Jacob all began to laugh, leaning upon one another for support, and feeling tears welling up in their eyes. That is, until a snowball caught Christian's cheek. With a shout to his mother, Christian retaliated, followed by Isobel and later by Jake. The five members of the family were having a grand time.

Only Jonathan realized that someone was missing. With slow movements, he scanned the yard, and saw a pair of brown eyes peering out of the snow. He walked in a circle, so that he knew Ainsley couldn't see him. He stood right behind her, and plunged his hands into the snow, pulling her out. Ainsley squealed, and clung to her father, which caused both of them to laugh, before rejoining the fun.

A few hours later, the family had trouped in for what Martha called 'Hot Chocolate and nap time'. There was the hot cocoa for the children, and tea for the adults, though Martha wondered aloud if there were any adults to give to tea to. Rather than sending everyone off to bed, Madeline and Jonathan sat in front of the fireplace, Jake with his head on his mother's lap, Ainsley curled up on Jon's, Chris laying against Jonthan and Ainsley, and Isobel curled up against him. It was a happy family huddle.

After a long time of silence, and when the children were asleep, Madeline glanced over at Jon and caught his eye. They shared a smile, and Jon smiled once again as Madeline's head lowered to his shoulder, and she slept too.