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Chapter 4: Snow men

Kendall looked at her creation with dark satisfaction. It was enormous, it was fantastic, it loomed. She'd sculpted out a gargantuan octopus that extended its snowy tentacles along the side of the boathouse, intent on devouring their home. On the side of the small pier Dylan had created a line of apparently marching robots clad in Santa hats, really rather impressive although Kendall wouldn't ever admit it.

They had just finished laying the finishing touches when gleefully rude carolling came around the corner as Logan strolled down the path quietly, well above the wind. A second later the delicate but definite aroma of bourbon and pine reached their noses and the kids rounded the corner of the house just in time to see their father set down a slender fir tree to lean against the wall just outside the apparent reach of Kendall's snow sculpture.

“Wouldn't want to risk misadventure by a fish,” he said and gave the kids a wink.

“It's not a fish, it's a squid, Dad. A cephalopod,” Kendall said with an eye roll.

“Whatever”, said Dylan cheerily, nostrils flaring as the wind turned to dance around them like an eager family dog taking stock of its pack. Logan grinned and turned to the front porch as Kendall's ears picked up her mother's advancing footsteps. He was already up the steps of the porch when Ororo stepped outside just to be kissed full on the lips before she managed further than the doorway.

“Eeeeewwww,” Dylan said enthusiastically under his breath.

“Definite ick,” Kendall agreed grimly. “We will so need therapy when we grow up.”

The inevitable waltzing began, their mother's exasperated laughter fading slowly towards the pier while the sound of snow crunching under their feet grew quieter.

There was a moment of silence while both Kendall and Dylan glared at the fir resting against the wall, resolute to keep their eyes away from the pier's general direction.

“Don't look realistic,” Dylan said. “Your fearsome octopussy.”

“Oh yeah? When have you last seen an octopus, smart guy?”

“At least my robots look like real robots.”

“Sure... The kind that you used to make outta cereal boxes.”

"You would know, you inhale that stuff."

"You won't inhale soon, twerp."

"Pigbreath."

"Idjit."

"Booger hooker!"

It wasn't clear who threw the first snowball, but the war was on suddenly and explosively: before they knew, they were prowling and sprinting across the yard and round and round the house, stalking and pouncing like lion cubs on the razz. Kendall was lying in wait in the shadow of the drainpipe when Dylan slipped something down her neck.

It didn't register at first, and the annoying brat was running so she naturally gave chase when the first shudder went across her spine. A heartbeat later the cold shock ran all the way down her back, and then she realised:

Bleedin' ice!

She couldn't stop the high-pitched scream that escaped her when the stick of ice slipped down her back into her pants. After a few more running steps Dylan came to an abrupt halt, a taunt frozen on his lips as a familiar, blurry form came barreling towards them growling menacingly.

Two things happened in the second after she froze still where she stood: Dylan smartly side-stepped the incoming 300 pounds of fury that was their father, and Kendall's brain, finding her feet incommunicado, threw an emergency switch she hadn't known she had.

A second after that the growling, barreling mass stopped inches from Kendall's snowy boots, ominously still and quiet, now submerged in a huge pile of snow.

Dylan took one look at Kendall, then glanced at the mountain of snow and then looked at Kendall again, mouth hanging open. “Oh, shit”, he said, eyes round and huge.

Blood pounded in Kendall's ears as terror rose within her: this was exactly what she'd been working so hard to avoid all year, loss of control! She felt herself begin trembling as Ororo slid down from the sky, a split second later. She took one quick glance at the view before her, eyes growing blue again as the kids stared at her in expectant horror.

“Listen, Mom,” Kendall began with trepidation.

“-- it's all my fault,” Dylan said too quickly at the same time.

“-- said something about the robots --”

“--- and didn't honestly mean to!”

Ororo watched them stumble over their words, head tilted to one side, then held up a hand to shut them up. She nodded towards the mound of snow.

“Your father in there somewhere?”

A muffled string of curses and threats could be heard from the hill of white. Ororo heaved a sigh.

“Best get him out, don't you think?” She held her hand up again, palm down, and slowly the snow began to melt at the top of the mound. She didn't get far before the white stuff began to undulate and quake. The children quickly inched their way to stand behind their mother, just in case. Storm planted her knuckles at her hips and waited as the grumbling and cussing intensified.

There was a moment of stillness and then their father's head emerged, two piles of snow stuck to his hair like a pair of horns undermining the sullen fury on his face.

He was glaring directly at Kendall.

There was a heavy silence that seemed to never end. And then came a silvery, pealing laughter as Ororo cracked up at the sight of her husband.

“'Ro...” he growled in warning, but it only served to rile her up even more, her laughter escalating into a gale of giggles when Logan tried to get out but found himself jammed in the tight-packed snow. He had to settle for glaring furiously at his wife while their children tried their best to keep their faces straight as Storm fought to regain her composure.

“Need a bit of help there, love, or are you quite happy in your... enfoldment?” There was a needled joke the kids were obviously missing if the way their father gnashed his teeth together was anything to go by.

“Just stuff the wit an' get me the fuck outta here, 'Ro”, he growled.

“Such persuasion and decorum; be still my heart”, Ororo said drily and the snow began to melt again, running into small streams of water that built idly into huge icicles sticking out of the ground. Logan shook himself free of excess water like an animal, knocked his hat back into shape and then shivered involuntarily. Kendall cringed.

“Sorry, Dad,” she managed uneasily, the toes of her boots suddenly very interesting. “I... kinda panicked there. Didn't mean to go all avalanche on you.”

She risked an upwards glance as he strolled past her on his way inside, catching his eye. He didn't stop but gave her a soft smack on the back of her head with a grunt that was grudgingly affectionate. Her mother was going on about a hot shower and dry clothes but gave Kendall an amused look over her shoulder as she closed the door behind them. Kendall could've sworn there was a conspiratorial wink thrown in her direction, too.

She let out the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding, then turned to face her gawking little brother.

“You just got outta jail free,” Dylan said accusingly. “How come I never get outta jail free?”

She shrugged elaborately, something wild and gleeful bubbling inside her. She had just Gotten Away With Something. She gave her hair a nonchalant toss. “Must be 'cause I'm prettier than you.”

“Are not.”

“Am too.”

“Are not!”

“Okay then, pretty boy,” she said airily, walking over to the Christmas tree. “Help me get this sprig inside and set up.”

Somehow she was growing certain that this was to be the best Christmas yet.





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