Sera blinked against the sunlight as she stepped into the snow. The giant snowman had been assembled. He was sporting a carrot, black button eyes, a gray ski hat, and a cigarette dangling from where his mouth was supposed to be. "Yours?" she asked Mike.
"But of course, and if we don't get out of here soon, Frosty's going to be parting with his mouth."
Sera was suddenly hesitant to meet his gaze, to meet any of their gazes. "The electricity's back on," Danielle said. "And the phone lines are working. We called the town, and they stated that they should have the roads plowed tomorrow."
"Thank God," Jack groaned.
"Being snowed in wasn't such a bad thing!" Kathleen protested. "I thought since it's almost the weekend, we might as well stay and check out the ski resort."
Jack and Doug groaned. "I agree," David commented as he clapped snow from his hands.
"What?" Mike demanded.
Liam wrapped his arm around Sera's waist. She glanced up at him, but his face was impassive. "I think we should abandon ship before it starts snowing again," Doug said.
"I'm with him," Jack agreed.
"I trekked ten miles through the snow to get here. I think I deserve a little relaxation and fun," David argued.
"Why did you do that?" Danielle asked.
Jack rolled his eyes and walked away. "Damn idiots can't keep their mouths shut, we can't keep changing their memories," he muttered as he walked to stand beside Liam.
David shrugged as Mike and Doug scowled at him. "Felt like some skiing," he muttered.
"See!" Kathleen cried. "We should stay. It's not fair to expect David to come out here for nothing!"
"Why don't we talk about this later," Mike suggested.
"I think that's a good idea," Liam said.
Sera glanced back up at him. His face was still remote, but the flicker behind his eyes told her something troubled him. She frowned at him questioningly, but he shook his head and kissed her forehead.
Sera cast a sidelong glance at Jack. His hazel eyes were knowing as he grinned at her. Sera felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she lowered her gaze again. She chanced a glance at Mike, Doug, and David to find them all eyeing her with that same knowing gleam in their eyes and identical goofy grins. She focused her gaze on her boots.
Liam scowled at the four of them. Their grins grew bigger, and Liam gave up trying to intimidate them. "Well, come on!" Kathleen cried. "I'm starting to freeze. Not all of us have been in bed all day!"
She nudged Sera as she bounced through the snow to the house. Sera shook her head as she turned to follow her back to the cabin. "So, how are you feeling?" Mike asked as he appeared at her side.
"Fine," she muttered.
"Mike," Liam growled warningly.
Mike laughed as he slapped Liam on the back. "I can see your good humor has been restored."
Liam couldn't help but smile as Mike grinned. He could feel her chagrin, but he couldn't stop the pleasure sweeping over him. She was his now, and he was hers. He pushed the back door open and stepped aside to let her enter. Everyone filed into the tiny space, bumping and jostling as they tried to remove their snow gear.
Doug knocked into Sera and instantly jumped back as he shot Liam a worried glance. She looked up, her brow furrowed with apprehension as she turned to Liam too. He felt a spark of annoyance when Doug touched her, but it faded almost instantly. He smiled reassuringly at her as he pulled off his jacket. Her frown vanished as she returned his smile with a carefree air he hadn't seen in a while.
"Thank God," Doug muttered.
Sera silently agreed as she pulled off her scarf and hung it on the hook. It was so much more enjoyable to have this Liam back with her. Until then, she hadn't realized just how much she missed his smiles, laughter, and easygoing demeanor. He had changed so fast she couldn’t recall what he’d been like before. She was frightened by the new alterations in herself, and the world around her, but she wouldn't change a thing, and she would do it all over again just to have him with her once more.
Love burst so intensely through her that she couldn't keep herself from running over and throwing her arms around him. He grunted and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you," she whispered.
He closed his eyes as he held her. He hadn't realized how bad he'd been until now, how close he'd come to being something he'd never wanted to be. But everything was all right now; he was all right now. She made him complete. He glanced over his head at Mike, Doug, David, and Jack. They were no longer grinning stupidly but staring at them in amazement.
"Oh, for crying out loud, you guys have been in bed all day, could you please stop pawing each other!" Kathleen cried.
Sera pulled her head out of Liam's shoulder; she smiled and kissed him. He grinned as he released her. Kathleen grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the mudroom. "Now that we've got you for a few minutes, I'm not letting go!" she declared as she shot a pointed glance over her shoulder.
Liam finished pulling his jacket off and hung it on the hook. "It's good to have you back," Jack said.
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"So, are we going to stay or not?" David asked.
Sera, Danielle, and Kathleen were gone as he entered the kitchen, but he could hear their voices drifting in from the living room. "If we get the chance to get out of here, I say we take it," Doug said.
"I agree," Jack muttered.
"Beth is still out there, she will come back," Mike said as he cast a worried glance at Liam.
"What are we going to do when we go back?
