"Mornin." He took the poker from her and prodded the fire, getting it back up to a small blaze.

"Anyone else up yet?"

"Lily looked to angelic to disturb...and Matt's still sleeping. What about Chris and Edge?" Jeff asked.

"Edge looks too perfect to wake up, so he gets to sleep. Chrissy's still sleeping, I guess...I dunno..."

"But didn't you fall asleep with him last night?"

"No...remember? I fell asleep in front of you," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah. Shows you how observant I am late at night." Jeff looked over at where Christian was lying and threw a pillow at him. Christian just lie there, still sleeping. Gabby shrugged.

"Just leave him."

"All right. Sooo..." he pondered.

"Should we wake people up now?" she asked.

"I don't know if it would be right to wake up Lily. She was up kinda late," Jeff proposed.

"Agreed. We should let her and Matt sleep."

"So you get Edge, I'll get Chris?" he asked.

"I guess. Good luck, eh?"

"Don't worry...apparently you've never seen me wake up anyone but Lily." Jeff laughed. Gabby crawled over to where Edge was sleeping and sat in front of him for a while. Jeff kicked Chris in the side softly. "Get up lazy boy." Jeff kicked him again. "Up!"

"Jeff! Be nice...geez." Christian swatted at Jeff's foot.

"Knock it off!" he said.

"Too bad...get up...and be quiet. Cause if you wake up Lily I'm gonna kick the shit outta you," Jeff told him. Jeff turned to look at Gabby innocently. "I didn't hurt him..." he said sheepishly. Gabby stood up and walked over to Jeff and Christian.

"Stop fighting." Jeff pouted.

"But it's not my fault he wouldn't get up..." he whined.

"So leave him then...You can help me with Edge."

"One minute." Jeff gave him one more swift kick. "Up...now!" Gabby went back over to Edge.

"All right, all right. I'm up. Geez Jeff, you're grumpier than she is in the morning."

"I'm ignoring thaaaat," Gabby called back. Jeff padded over to Gabby, his tiger slippered feet silencing his steps. Chris sat up and stretched. "How we gonna get him up? Something...fun," she whispered.

"He was nice yesterday...so nothing painful...unlike." he began, raising his voice slightly, "Chris."

"Can we pour water on him or something?" she asked.

"That's mean." Jeff thought a moment. "I got it!" he exclaimed. "Poof up a can of shaving cream, a feather, and a bowl of warm water for me?" Gabby did as he asked.

"Do I wanna know?" she asked with a grin.

"Let's have some fun..." Jeff said, sitting cross-legged before Edge. Gabby grinned evilly

"This rules," she said.

"If we stick his hand in the water...he'll pee his pants..." Jeff remarked, reaching for Edge's hand.

"That is so evil!" Gabby whispered. Jeff grabbed it and stuck it in the bowl of water. Edge peed his pants.

"Quick! Get a camera...this is gonna be good..." Jeff instructed. Gabby watched avidly, then burst out laughing. "SHHH! Don't wake him up!"

"Okay, I won't. I'll try not to."

"Get a camera!" he reiterated. Jeff squirted some shaving cream into Edge's other hand. With the feather, he tickled Edge's face. Edge wiped his face with the creamed hand, smearing cream on his face. Jeff did it again, and continued to tickle Edge until his face and neck were covered with shaving cream. Gabby clasped her hand over her mouth so she didn’t scream with laughter. "The camera Gabrielle, the camera. Quick! Before he wakes up." Gabby poofed up a camera, and snapped a couple of shots. Jeff leaned in close and whispered sweetly into Edge's ear. "Wake up sleepy head."

"Should we hide?" Gabby asked.

"You should...somewhere you can get some more photos..." he said to her. "Sleepy head...wake up sleepy head," he whispered to Edge again. Gabby hid beside the fireplace. Edge opens his eyes sleepily and was met face-to-face with Jeff.

"Why you little!" he growled. Gabby snapped more pictures. Edge stumbled to his feet. Jeff leapt up and ran away from him, being chased by Edge around the floor of the barn. Jeff tripped Edge. Edge went flying into a pile of hay, his feet sticking up into the air. Gabby collapsed on the floor, laughing insanely. Edge emerged from the hay pile and tackled Jeff to the floor, fighting like guys do best. Gabby sat back against the wall.

"Now, this I could get used to." Jeff tossed Edge off of him.

"Quiet you ninny. You'll wake up my baby. Then I'll be mad." Jeff padded over to Gabby. She stood up.

"Yes?"

"I think we should surprise Lily when she wakes up...any suggestions?"

"We could bake her a cake. Or make her breakfast in bed, or something."

"Being that she's not in a bed, that wouldn't be a good thing..." he contended.

"Umm...we could go to Mcdonald’s and get her breakfast in...the loft?" Jeff laughed.

"I don't think she'd go for it. I'm gonna attempt to find her some flowers in the snow...but I doubt I'd find any."

"Snow? Did it snow last night?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah...it's snowing right now," he informed her. Gabby ran over to a window and squealed with delight.

"Jeff, can we go play?"

"In a minute...wait till Lily wakes up. Help me think Gabby..."

"We can go look for flowers. Remember?"

"Everything's dead. Winter...nothing grows in winter." Gabby thought for a second.

"Want me to poof some up?"

"You passed 1st grade," he said.

"Or NOT if you're gonna be mean about it."

"Hey...did I help you pick on Edge? I think so."

"All right, all right. What kind you want?"

"White and red roses...and some baby's breath." Gabby poofed up a dozen white and red roses, with baby’s breath all around it. She handed it to Jeff. "Thanks. Oh...can you poof a teddy bear too?" Gabby poofed a teddy bear too.

"There."

"Thanks a whole bunch." Jeff kissed her cheek and then ran over to the stairs, climbing them to the loft. Gabby went over to Edge who was sitting on the floor looking pissed. She sat in his lap. Jeff looked down at her. "What's wrong now?" She looked up.

"Nothin. Just wondering if there’s a shower in here..." she pondered.

"You're the writer...poof something up...I don't know." Gabby poofed up and shower and raced Edge to it. Jeff padded over to a small corner of the loft where he arranged the some of flowers neatly in a heart-shape on the floor. The rest he tucked into the arms of the teddy bear and placed it in the center of the heart. Jeff stood back to observe what he had done, and then raced over to where he slept. He produced a piece of paper with neat cursive handwriting. He tied a blue ribbon around it and placed it with the bear. Jeff scuttled down the ladder. "Gabby!" he cried. She dragged herself out of the shower.

"I'm Busy...but what?"

"What do I say when I wake her up?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"What do you want to say to her?"

"That's why I asked you....you're a girl...you should know these things."

"But you're Jeff...you're supposed to know these things to."

"Poet or not, I have no idea what to say, for the first time in my life."

"Wow...well...just tell her how you feel about her."

"I guess I could do that...but that's not inventive..." he said.

"Jeff, hon. You don't always have to be inventive."

"But...that's who I am...I hate not knowing what the hell to do."

"You can just leave the stuff up there, and wait until she comes down looking for you before you say anything."

"That's a good idea..." Jeff mumbled, glancing out the barn window at the snow.

"I do try...now if you don't mind, I have someone to finish off in the shower." Jeff laughed.

"Excuse my interruption," he said with a smile. Gabby waved to Jeff, then went back in the shower with Edge. Jeff looked up at the loft and sees movement in the corner. He padded softly over to the foot of the ladder and stood there patiently. Lily yawned and stretched, careful not to hit Matt who was already awake.

"Mornin Angel," he said.

"Good morning sweetling." Lily climbed to her feet and slipped them into her leopard slippers. She kissed Matt's cheek and walked towards the ladder to find Jeff. Lily found rose petals on the floor and followed them to the heart with the bear. She kneeled down and lifts the bear, smelling the flowers. She found the poem and read it to herself, smiling. Lily descended the ladder and met Jeff at the foot. Jeff swept her into an embrace that told her all she wanted to know. Gabby peeked out from the shower, watching quietly.

"They’re so cute," she thought. Lily looked up into Jeff's eyes silently and breathlessly with a smile.

Matt lie in the loft at the ladder, looking on with a smile and a thumbs up for Jeff, who noticed it out of the corner of his eye.

"Good morning," Lily whispered. Gabby poofed clothes on and walked out.

"Mornin," Gabby said to the trio. Lily turned to face Gabby.

"Good morning."

"Good day so far?" Gabby asked.

"I'd have to say so," Lily said, looking at Jeff who looked back.

"Just wait till we get some pictures developed...I had a gooood morning too." Jeff laughed. Lily looked at the window and slipped out of Jeff's arms.

"Snow!" she cried out. Gabby ran over to the window too.

"I KNOW!!!"

"My ears," she said, rubbing her ears. Jeff laughed again and walked over behind Lily, slipping his arms around her waist and leaning his head on her shoulder. Matt climbed down the ladder and looked around, finding Chris in the hay, asleep again. Matt shook his head and joined the trio at the window.

"Are we gonna go play?" Lily looked down at herself in shorts and a tank-top. Poofed some warm boarder clothes on and then poofed some on Jeff too, who was wearing nothing but a pair of flannel pants.

"You need some too Gabby? Matt?"

"Yes please," Gabby said. She poofed some on Gabby and some on Matt, who was wearing the same as Jeff was.

"Where's Edge?" Jeff asked.

"In the shower still. He's a neat freak," Gabby informed them.

"I see..." Jeff replied.

"So do we get to go play?" Gabby asked.

"Edge! We're going to play in the snow! You coming?" Jeff yelled.

"I'll go get him. You don't need to yell," Gabby said.

"Ow....my ears," Lily whined, rubbing them through the ear warmers. Jeff stuck his hands under her ear warmers and rubbed them too. Gabby went over to the shower, and poofed up clothes for Edge, and dragged him out, much to his protest. Lily looked down and poofed her cast away. "My foot’s all better." Jeff caught her off guard and swept her into his arms, followed by Matt. Jeff tossed her into a soft mound of snow, jumping in after her. Gabby started making piles of snowballs for the full-scale assault she was planning for later. Lily laughed as Jeff tickled her unrentlessly. Jeff tossed a handful of snow at Gabby. Gabby glared at him, then threw a snowball back. Jeff threw a bigger pile of snow at her. Lily joined in. Gabby threw more snowballs, getting Edge to help. Jeff turned and threw them at Lily too.

"Oooof," Lily said, getting covered in snow. Gabby turned and threw them at Edge. He shielded his face and started running away. Lily lie covered in snow until Jeff dug her out, kissing her softly. Gabby slumped down in the pile of snow, bored. Lily scooped up a handful of snow and threw it in his face, climbing out of the snow and plopping herself in an untouched spot. She started to makes a snow angel. Gabby pouted.

"Edge ran away." Jeff pounced Lily.

"Help me Gabby! Help me!" she shrieked. Gabby ran over and pelted Jeff with snowballs. Lily rolled Jeff over and sat on his chest with on leg on either side of him, holding him down so that Gabby could pelt him. Gabby ran out of snowballs. Jeff struggled to get up and ran away in the direction that Edge and Matt ran. "Jeffie left," Lily said pouting.

"So he did...shall we follow?"

"I suppose so..." Lily said, standing.

"Or we can poof them back here," Gabby suggested.

"But that takes the fun out of it."

"True. We shall chase them." Gabby began to run in the direction the boys ran in.

"We could put ourselves in mock danger and cry pitifully for help," Lily suggested. Gabby stopped.

"Good idea."

"Well...poof us into some kinda danger," Lily commanded.

"Umm...what kinda danger?"

" I dunno...not serious danger...I got an idea." Lily frowned. "It went away..."

"Awwww..." Gabby said.

"Somethin about Spain and torches...and Massachusetts."

"Umm...that doesn't make sense."

"I remember!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oohh!!"

"Witch hunts...let's make a mock witch hunt? You know...a burning at the stake?"

"Good idea. Then they can all save us and stuff."

"Yup...I love being a genius." Lily poofed herself into a long 18th century blue dress and poofed her hair back in a cap. Gabby poofed herself into a maroon long, uncomfortable dress. "Ow...I poofed my corset too tight." Lily poofed it a little looser.

"All right...now we gotta poof up stakes?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah...and poof ourselves to them." Lily poofed herself tied up tightly to a long stake, with hay up to her ankles. Gabby poofed herself tied to another stake.

"Fire now?" Gabby wondered.

"Yes...fire would be good." Gabby poofed fire at the bottom of the stakes. "HELP!" Lily screamed.

"Heeeelp!!! I'm gonna DIE!!" Gabby screamed.

"Heeeelp!! Heeeelp!" Lily screamed.

"Greaaaat idea," Gabby said sarcastically, catching her breath.

"Hey, you agreed."

"Yeah, but no ones coming for us."

"Maybe they can't hear us." Lily poofed a long-range sound spell. "Now they can." Gabby sighed.

"All right." Lily looked down.

"My dress is catching...scream as loud as you can" Lily slipped her feet nimbly out of the rope and tucked them up under her butt as best she could. Gabby screamed loudly.

"HEEEEELP or NO SEX FOR WEEKS!" Lily screamed in terror. Jeff looked up from where he was sitting and took off running, hearing his beloved’s screams of mixed anguish and terror. Gabby stopped screaming. "I really don't think anyone’s coming for me." Matt dropped his carving and ran as well, catching up with Jeff. The two stumbled into the clearing.

"Two of them, two of us."

"Good work," Gabby said in complement. Gabby screamed very loud again. The two threw snow on the fire frantically. It didn't work. Lily poofed up some water buckets behind them. Gabby screamed louder. Lily poofed a spell that placed Gabby’s voice directly in Edge's mind.

"Try one more time Gabby." Gabby took a deep breath.

"GET OVER TO THE BARN BEFORE I DIE!" Edge ran very fast to the barn. Matt tried to put out fire below Gabby, as Jeff tried to put out the fire below Lily. They decided to both throw water on one fire at a time. They doused the fire below Gabby with Edge's help as the flames leapt higher under Lily, almost reaching her knees.

"Help! Help!"

"Yeah, help me too and stuff!" The trio succeed in putting out the fire below Gabby. She screamed for them to help Lily. They put the fire out. Gabby sighed in relief. Lily did the same, letting her feet out from under her while Jeff went to work untying her.

"We got their attention....I vote we never try that again..." she whispered to Gabby.

"I agree...NEVER again," she whispered back. Lily fell from the stake into Jeff's open arms. Gabby gave up waiting and poofed herself down to the ground, making the stakes disappear.

"I think Edge deserves a beating," Lily whispered.

"Gee, ya think?" Gabby whispered back. Lily mock cried into Jeff's shoulder. Gabby stood alone, tapping her foot impatiently. Matt glanced at her, but decided against it, afraid to get yelled at.