Ashley & Danni "Snowed In"

by Pulsar

Hello everyone. This is the 'Christmas' story for this year. It was the best I could muster on my short time at the computer. I hope you enjoy. Might I also recommend 'Loli Christmas Carol' from last year, which was far more involved. Have a good Holiday.

The sky had grown dark and gray on that Christmas Eve night. A light flurry of blowing snow had begun to leave a coat of frost all over the town. But in spite of the chill, one Ricky O'banion braved the weather as he turned the meat on the grill on Tammy's backyard patio. Yet the howling wind sent him back inside the house once he had closed the lid to the grill. "It's really getting nippy out there!" he exclaimed as he closed the door behind him. "But the meat'll be ready in about ten minutes."

"Oh great!" gleamed Tammy as she pulled the potatoes out of the oven. "I'll start the rolls. Why don't you girls set the table and Danni... can't you wear something nice for our Christmas dinner?"

"Aww Mom!" protested Danni. "Not a dress!"

"Well... please... at least something that doesn't look like you live in a cardboard box!"

And thus Tammy closed the oven door. She was a nervous hostess that afternoon. Yet Tammy was one to want everyone to enjoy themselves over a meaningful gathering. There in her house were Ricky and his son Robbie, Bianca and her daughter Ashley, as well as her 'friend' (closet girlfriend) Brenda and her daughter Krista. All in all, they were quite a motley gathering of friends who had no opportunity to be with their own extended families for the holiday for any kind of gathering. Therefore, Tammy had taken it upon herself to form a 'makeshift family' for a nice meal together. Naturally, neither Bianca nor Brenda could be open with their relationship to their own families without some kind of repercussion. And all of Ricky's family were in Texas. And with the new job, taking enough time off was just not an option. And so their they had all gathered in her house, the aroma of a holiday meal now lingering throughout.

However, the girls had been whispering and giggling as well, and suddenly raced off to Danni's room. Robbie stood watching, quite puzzled over their behavior. "Dad? What are they giggling for?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know, son," replied Ricky. "I guess that's just the way girls are at that age."

"I wasn't!" assured Tammy.

"I was!" interjected Brenda with a laugh.

"I'm sure you were," said Bianca.

But Tammy shook her head before patting Robbie on the head. "Poor guy! He's surrounded by girl cooties. I'm sorry, Robbie, I wish there was another boy here for you to do your 'guy things' with."

"It's okay, Ms. Horton. Danni likes to do guy things with me," he said, prompting a round of giggles from Bianca and Brenda.

"Well, I suppose you're right," said Tammy.

Suddenly, the three girls came running back into the kitchen. However, all were clad in tee shirts, courtesy of Danni's closet, as well as her extra pairs of shorts. Even little Krista wore some that Danni had outgrown.

"What the..." said Ricky.

"Girls! What's going on?!" demanded Tammy.

"Mom!" cried Danni. "Can we go outside real quick for a snowball fight in our shorts?!"

"What?" roared Tammy. "Are you crazy? Nooooo way!"

"Well, then we at least want you to take a quick picture of us standing out in the snow in shorts!" said Danni.

Brenda laughed out loud. "Such wild girls, desperate to show off their legs in the dead of winter!"

Yet Tammy was not amused. "Didn't you girls just hear what I said a minute ago about..."

"Oh Tammy, lighten up!" interjected Brenda. "I mean, it's Christmas, and they'd be out there for ten seconds. Besides, it'd make a cute Christmas card for next year!"

"Yeah!" added Ashley. "It'd just be real quick!"

"C'mon Mom! Pleeeeeze!" pled Danni as she jumped up and down.

"You girls are a trip!" concluded Tammy. "A real trip!"

"We tried to get Robbie to do it but he chickened out!"

"Danni! Don't call Robbie a chicken!" snapped Tammy.

"I'm not a chicken!" protested Robbie.

"Okay then, c'mon!" coaxed Danni, grabbing him by the arm, and pulling hime toward her room.

"Son, where're you going?" asked Ricky.

"I wanna be in the picture!" said Robbie.

And so moments later, the three girls ran out on the patio in the cold blizzard in shorts and tee, along with Robbie in a pair of Danni's soccer shorts which nearly reached his knees. Brenda snapped a picture from her digital camera, before they all came rushing inside, shivering and jumping up and down to get warm. "You kids are nuts!" protested Tammy as she returned to the kitchen. "Ricky! Why didn't you stop them?!"

"Well what'd you expect me to do? Tie 'em all up with a rope?" replied Ricky. "I'll go get the meat off the grill.

"Okay kids, back into your nice clothes... and hurry!" ordered Tammy. "Dinner's on the table!"

And so they raced back to Danni's room. As they entered, Ashley slapped Robbie on the leg. "You've got pretty legs... like a girl!" she said with a giggle.

"No I don't," protested Robbie.

"Sorry Robbie, but... yeah you do!" added Danni.

And so they changed back into their nicer clothes. Ashley and Krista had been decked in lacy winter red dresses with knee socks. Robbie had been coerced by his father to wear 'Dockers' and a sports coat. Danni had worn her older clothes, and thus frantically searched her closet for something her mother would accept. Finally, she arrived at the table in a blouse, bow tie, black dress shorts, white nylon knee-highs, and loafers. "Danni!" said Tammy.

"Mom! This is nice, isn't it?"

"Well, it's better that what you had," she agreed.

"Oh, Tammy, I think she looks darling!" said Brenda.

"Me too!" agreed Ashley as they both sat down. Ashley threw a leg over Danni's, once again rubbing their bare legs together.

As Ricky sat down, he pulled his tie out of his pocket, pre-tied of course, and slid it over his head and tightened it.

"Ooooh, Ricky! A tie!" noted Brenda. "Is that for your harem?!"

"We're not a harem!" protested Tammy.

"Mommy, what's a harem?" asked Krista.

"Uh... I'll tell you later, honey."

"Alright! Well, we're all together now at the table. Let's say our prayer and dig in!"

And therefore, the party of eight, four adults and four children, all enjoyed their meal around the crowded yet cozy table while the snow fell outside. As they enjoyed the beef and potatoes, all well as all their side dishes, the wind howled furiously beyond the frosty windows, bringing in more snow. And by the time they had finished their deserts, the snow lay in thick blankets all over town. But the cruel Arctic winds had blown the snow into heavy drifts like the Sahara dunes, covering the cars and streets like the town had never seen in decades. By the time they looked out the window again, Brenda's car was half buried in snow.

"Oh-mah-gawd, Tammy! Look at that? I'm gonna have to dig my car out!"

"I think you better wait until it stops snowing," replied Tammy.

"It's still coming down," noted Bianca.

"Well, someone had to bring in some more wood for the fire," noted Ricky, "so... I'll get my coat."

And so the kids sat down on the couch near the fireplace to watch TV. Young Krista fell asleep after the big meal. Yet the other three still found some energy for bouncing around. Soon Ricky came back in, covered with snow and a glowing red runny nose with an armload of wood. "This should last a while," he said before looking at the TV. "Say, wasn't their a football game on?" Yet the three women looked at him with sour faces. "Well... seeing I'm outnumbered by three women, I guess we'll be watching 'It's a Wonderful Life.'"

The three mothers burst into giggles once again. "Sit down Ricky and get warm," coaxed Tammy. "You'll have more chances to watch football before you're old and gray!"

Naturally, as they sat and watched, Danni and Ashley covered themselves with a blanket, once again rubbng their bare legs against each other. And as always, such a sensation of their silky-smoothe flesh against one another caused them to moisten up and swell between the legs. They held each other tight as they snuggled, soon to grope one another down in their moist crotches. However, being that their mothers were present, as well as two other grown-ups, one of them a man no less, they found their situation rather frustrating.

"Oh Ashley," whispered Danni in her ear. "I love you sooooo much! You're all I want for Christmas!"

Ashley smiled her wide angellic smile. "Oh Danni! I want another dyke-rape!" she whispered back.

"Oh yes! It's time for one," agreed Danni. "But how? Everyone is here."

"I don't know," replied Ashley as her starving swolen little clit demanded attention. They both knew if they did not get some satisfaction soon, their panties would be soaked with their girl goo. For their little cunnies would not stop drooling. And the flickering flames and crackling wood of the fireplace only seemed to intensify the mood. For what could be better than making sweet orgasmic love by the fireplace?

Yet only a few minutes later, the unexpected happened. With a flick and a buzz, the TV suddenly went off. Not just the TV, but all the lights in the house. The climate control went silent, as well as the hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen. Suddenly, the house sat dark and quiet, save the blazing fireplace.

Everyone jumped as if startled, except for the sleeping Krista. "Ooooh!" cried Bianca.

"Damn! The power went out!" added Brenda.

Tammy sighed as she beat her fist on the couch. "Well that's just great! We've got a blizzard outside and no power!"

"Shall we call in?" asked Bianca.

"I'm sure the power comapany will get a flood of phone calls," assured Ricky.

"But we've lost the heater!" protested Tammy.

"Well... at least we've got a fireplace," said Ricky. "But the wood won't last forever."

"Mommy, what'll we do?" asked Ashley.

"Just stay under the blanket for now, dear to keep warm," said Bianca.

"Yeah, good idea!" replied Danni as she held Ashley tight.

"Yes, let me get us some more blankets," said Tammy. "Hopefully the power will be on before the day is over." And thus she retrived all of her heavy blankets from the closets around the house. She gave one to Robbie, along with a cup of hot chocolate. "Now Ricky, why don't we move some of the food to the garage where it will freeze and stay fresh."

"Alright."

And so they went to the kitchen and began to carry the left-overs out to the garage. Once the door was closed and they stood in the frigid garage, placing dishes on the hood of Tammy's car, she faced him. "Look Ricky, we've gotta talk," she said.

"Ooookay, 'bout what?"

"Look, this is none of my business but... well, actually, it IS my business! After all, you and your son are in my house. So let's come clean! I want to know about Robbie's mother! And I'm sorry but I've just got to ask why she isn't around and you have nothing to do with her!" said Tammy sternly.

"Well... alright," stammered Ricky. "Truth is, I... I don't know who his actual mother... or father for that matter really is. You see I... well, during my first stint in the Navy, I was a radar tech stationed in Korea. Well, I served my three years, went back to college on the G.I. bill, and then went back into the Navy as an officer. I wound up in Korea again. Well, there was this boy living in the streets because he kept running from an orphanage. The kid stole my wallet! Well, I ran after him and caught him. Felt sorry for the little weasel so I let him go. Once I realized he was practically homeless well... I let him live in my bunk at the Naval Air Station. I made him go to school and study. He knew some English. And... when my tour was up well... I told him he was my biological son and that his mother had run off somewhere. So... my commanding officer pulled a few strings and wrote up papers, making him a citizen so... here we are. I mean, the boy kinda grew on me and he's really a good kid and... well, he's my son now!"

At that, Tammy turned pale and choked back tears. "Oh God! Oh God, this is... too weird!" She wiped away a tear before facing him. "Well... why didn't you tell me?!" she asked irate. "I mean... I thought you were a... a..."

"Scoundrel!"

"Well... you are! You were playing head games!"

"Well what difference does it make where he came from!" protested Ricky. "He's MY son now! And I never said a thing about Danni! I mean, what you've done in your past I figured was your business!"

"So, you're calling me a floozy!" snapped Tammy.

"Oh no! Of course not!"

"Oh yes you are! And for your information, I'm not her birth mother!"

"What?!"

"Danni's not my biological daughter! I mean, she doesn't even look like me, for God's sake!" And once again, Tammy tearfully told the story of rescuing the newborn from the trashcan in the high school girls' room. Ricky listened intently the entire time, quite moved when she finished. "Now, I may not be the most religious person around, but as I held her in the emergency room in the hospital, I named her after Daniel in the Bible, the man who was rescued from the lion's den."

"Well... that's a very fitting name," agreed Ricky. "But it seems like I'm not the only one playing head games!"

"Well... I want to know who will treat me with respect whether I'm a single mom or not!"

"Then you're no different than me!" asserted Ricky.

"But single mom's have a stigma!" protested Tammy. "If a girl has a child out of wedlock she's a whore! If a guy makes it with the girls he's a stud! I had to know just what kind of a man you are!"

"Oh, c'mon, Tammy, you're playing games like a child!"

"Oh, look whose talking!" shouted Tammy. "YOU... you played with my mind and emotions! You're a creep!"

"And you're a little ninny!"

"I am NOT a ninny, you... you... metrosexual mariner! Why I ever thought you were a decent man is beyond me!"

Ricky paused for a moment, now shaking over thier argument. Yet finally, he took a deep breath. "Will... will you marry me?!" he dared to ask, as if the line just popped out of his mouth spontaneously.

"What?!"

"I mean.... well..."

"Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy? ME... marry YOU?"

Poor Ricky trembled once again. "Well... maybe I am out of my mind," he said. "And I guess I was just hoping you were too!"

"Just what makes you think that a woman like me would ever want to get married to someone like you!?" snapped Tammy angrilly. "I mean really!"

"Okay, okay!" replied the downtrodden Ricky. "You've made your point! It was a dumb question. Forget it!"

"Oh, so now I'm someone you can chew up and spit out at your convenience!" snapped Tammy.

"Oh, I didn't say that!" protested Ricky. "Say, your not having one of those 'lady cycles' are you?"

"Why... you! Get! Get out of my house and out of my life! If I never see you again I'll be a happy woman!" roared Tammy. Yet suddenly, she burst into tears.

Meanwhile, inside the house in the living room, their loud voices had carried through the wall, sending the children under the blanket huddling together, quite unsure of how to act. The two mothers, Bianca and Brenda crossed their arms in contempt before looking at one another. "I'd like to bang both their heads together!" mumbled Brenda.

Yet the voices died down to where they could hear nothing. Five minutes later, the warring parties came in from the garage, both wearing nervous yet guilty grins on their faces. "Danni! Robbie! We need to speak to you two for a moment," declared Tammy. But the two nearly cowered in her presence. "C'mon kids, let's go!" coaxed Tammy.

"Say, you didn't hear us out there did you?" added Ricky. "We were just talking, that's all."

"Sounded like World War Three!" interjected Bianca.

"Oh, it was nothing," assured Tammy. "C'mon, kids. Up-up-up!"

And so Danni boldly stood up, walking ahead of Robbie as they went into her room. She stood by Robbie, almost as if to protect him.

"Uh, kids, we have something to tell ..." said Ricky as he closed the door.

"Uh, listen kids," interupted Tammy. "We've been talking things over and... well... after considering everything, we've decided that we should uh... well... we're getting married!" Instantly, Danni's mouth dropped in shock. Robbie gasped yet said nothing. "Yes, kids, you heard correctly. We're getting married! That means both of you will have a mommy and a daddy, and... you'll be brother and sister! And we both expect you two to behave yourselves with each other! We will tollerate NO fighting whatsoever in our family!"

The kids were shocked and speechless. Yet the sight of their parents standing their holding hands calmed them, for it was a complete contrast from the loud voices they had heard only minutes before behind closed doors. However, the idea of a complete in-tact household had some appeal to it. Yet there were fears as well.

And so, the party of four returned to the living room where the two mothers and daughters awaited to hear the verdict. "Well, are you two finished?" asked Brenda.

Tammy sighed. "It's over."

"What's over? The fight, or your relationship?" asked Bianca.

"The fight!" assured Tammy. "Look, we're... we've decided to get married!"

Suddenly, the two women burst into knee-jerk reactions of squeals and screams.

"Oh mah-gawd!" cried Bianca. "Are you serious?"

"Well... so far," said Ricky.

"This will be very interesting," said Bianca.

"Well, look, ladies. As long as the power is out, I might as well go get us some firewood before this house turns into an icebox," said Ricky nervously. "I think I can get out in my truck and go chop up some." And then he turned to Robbie. "C'mon son! Let's go!"

"Oh you you don't!" protested Tammy, seizing the boy by the shoulders. "You're not taking MY son out in this cold! I mean... OUR son... I mean... he's staying right here where it's warm!"

"Now Tammy, he can..."

"No!" protested Tammy. "It's too cold for him to be out there!"

Robbie looked at Tammy with his bold front. "But Ms. Horton I can..."

"I'm going to be your mother and I say no!" asserted Tammy. "Now go get back by the fire and under the blanket." And thus she led him back toward the couch. Brenda and Bianca chuckled at Tammy's power trip as Ricky stood bewildered.

"Miss Tammy, are you always gonna be like that?" he dared to ask.

"You damned right! I'm the mother of this house and you better get used to it!"

"Uh... uh... why do I get the feeling that I've just taken a bite out of an apple you've offered me?!" he quipped. "I'll be back in a while," stammered Ricky as he reached for his coat and hat. "Keep the fire going."

"Wait!" said Tammy. "I'll go with you! I'm not some helpless damsel in distress."

"I'll go, Mom," added Danni.

"No you won't!" protested Tammy. "You'll stay here with your brother! And while we're gone, you obey Bianca and Brenda!"

And so they stepped out the door and into the blizzard. Danni and Robbie returned to their places on the couch, Danni once again snuggling next to Ashley while Robbie played with Danni's old 'Millenium Falcon' toy. And once again, Danni found herself rather randy beneath the blanket, rubbing her bare legs against Ashley's. However, with two adults present, as well as Robbie and the sleeping Krista, there was harldy an opportunity for their much-craved love-making. And thus all they could do was to fondle one another and stare at the flickering fire, as well as the Christmas tree, whose lights now sat dark. And naturally, the fondling led to giggling and girlish shrieks. Robbie looked up once, causing both girls to blush.

"Girls are always giggling," he mumbled.

"So?" said Ashley.

Brenda laughed. "Are you getting 'girl cooties?'" she asked with a smile.

"Poor kid! Surrounded by girls," added Bianca.

"Funny how he'd think himself lucky if he were older," replied Brenda. "Say, Bianca. Why don't you let him help you find some of Tammy's candles so this place won't be so dark in here. Besides, I think she had some more blankets up in the attic."

"It'd be pretty cold up there," replied Bianca.

"Yes, but boys love going up in attics. You wanna go up there and get some blankets, Robbie?"

"Mmmm, okay," he said as he set the Star Wars toys aside.

And soon, the two were gone. And thus Brenda moved over next to Danni and Ashley. "Say, girls, I'm not as dumb as you might think," she said. "I'm pretty sure I know what you two are doing under there!" Suddenly, both Danni and Ashley blushed again as if being outed. "Well... they'll be back soon, so you better hurry!" she continued. "C'mon. This'll be your only chance!" And with that, she took Ashley's head on her lap. And although Danni kept the blanket for cover, she reached down and slid her shorts to her ankles, before pulling Ashley's down as well. And thus she climbed on and began humping her young lover, clit-to-clit. Ashley began to breath heavy and moan as she rested her head on Brenda's lap.

Brenda, on the other hand, gently ran her fingers through Ashley's hair with one hand, while she gently rubbed Danni on the back of her neck. Yet the two randy girls continued to trib briskly, panting and moaning all the way. "That's it," said Brenda softly. "Give it all you got, girls!" And thus Danni humped hard and fast. Now if Brenda had a free hand, she definately would have reached her her own aching crotch to sooth her own starving cunny. Yet she was content to caress the two girls as they made love to each other right before her.

Soon, Danni's breathing grew loud and heavy. "Oh-gawd! Oh-gawd! Oh-gawd, Ashley I'm gonna cum!" she cried out.

"Oh yes! Ooooh yeeeesss! Oh-yes-oh-yes-oh-yes!" cried Ashley as she threw her head from side to side, knowing that orgasm was imminent. Both girls shrieked higher and higher as Brenda watched the blanket rise and fall with each hump until they could take no more. Suddenly, the tingling headrushes came to pass along with warm body flushes. Then, with shrieks and screams, they both burst.

"Aaaaaaah!" cried Danni as she burst into orgasm, oozing juice all over Ashley's crotch. And such brought Ashley's explosion as well.

"Eeeeee!" shrieked Ashley, her face wrinkling up as if in pain. However, their orgasms did leave them with mild tummy cramps. Yet knowing time was scarce, Danni dismounted her pre-teen lover and quickly seached under the blanket for her shorts. Ashley pulled hers up, yet found herself nearly too drained to move.

"Well, well, well!" gleemed Brenda. "Now don't you two feel better now?" she said softly. "Sounds like you both had a big one!"

Now both Danni and Ashley were far too chagrined to answer. However, they had found their much-needed relief. And not too soon, Bianca and Robbie returned to the living room with some candles and flashlights. "I see you found them," said Brenda nonchalant. And the two were quite clueless as to what passed.

"Are you all still warm?" asked Bianca.

"Quite warm," assured Brenda.

And so Bianca returned to her place under the blanket next to Brenda as Robbie recovered the large plasic Millenium Falcon. For a few moments, there was silence as the fire crackeled in the fireplace. Yet soon, Ashley broke the silence. "So Robbie, do you have a crush on a girl in our class?" she asked.

"Mmmm, I dunno," he said.

Suddenly, Danni pinched her on the kneecap lightly, causing her to squeal. Robbie laughed in reply. "Why do you girls squeak and giggle all the time?" he asked.

"Because we we want too!" snapped Ashley, sticking her tongue out. "And... eeeek! Danni keeps pinching my knee." She thus pulled her leg out from under the blanket. "So, you like my leg?" Robbie only shrugged, daring not to reply. "Do you like a girl in our class?"

"Oh... maybe," he said bashfully.

"Ashley, stop hounding him!" ordered Bianca.

"So who is it? Who's the prettiest girl in our class? Who's got the cutest legs?" Ashley continued with her interrogation, ignoring her mother's request.

"I'll never tell!" said Robbie.

Danni laughed and reached out, nearly taking him into a head-lock. "Tell us now or you die!" she said playfully.

"I'll... never tell!" he said as he struggled to break free from Danni's strong arms.

"Ve haf vays uf making you talk!" continued Danni, attempting to speak like a Nazi. "Who is she? Tell us now!"

"Never!"

"Girls! Danni!" barked Bianca. "Can't you leave that poor boy alone?!"

"Okay, okay," said Danni as she released her new brother. "I wasn't hurting him." And then she turned to Robbie. "Okay, tell us, and you can have my Millenium Falcon. Y'know, a Christmas present."

"Why do you want to know?" asked Robbie.

"Because!" said Danni. "We just do!"

Robbie shook his head. "I don't understand girls."

"You're not supposed to," said Brenda. "Just love 'em, that's all."

"Tell you what! You tell us who she is, and we'll put in a good word for you," said Ashley.

"And... I'll beat her up if she turns you down," added Danni.

"Danni!" said Bianca. "That's not nice!"

"Oh, I was just kidding!" And thus she pulled Ashley close and kissed her on the cheek. "She's my girlfriend!" she said to Robbie.

Bianca sighed, yet said nothing. After all, it was Danni who was instrumental in preventing her from being raped by Brenda's ex husband. Robbie gave them a funny look, yet wasn't quite sure how to react. "Ooookay," he said.

Meanwhile, out in the blizzard, Tammy and Ricky climbed back into the warm cab of the truck after chopping up some fallen branches at the local park. They rolled slowly down the street in the thick snow with the four-wheel-drive engaged. "So why the big truck? You don't seem like a 'truck' kind of guy," said Tammy.

"Oh, I got this to pull my sailboat," answered Ricky.

"A sailboat?!" replied Tammy in shock.

"Well, it's full of holes. But once I've finished fixing it up, we'll have a nice cabin cruiser with a small galley and a flushable head and..."

"You have a sailboat? You never told me," interrupted Tammy.

"It never came up," replied Ricky. "I guess after those Navy years, the sea kinda grew on me." And thus he shifted up into second gear. "The boy and I actually lived on it while we were looking for an apartment here in town."

Tammy shook her head. "You lived on a sailboat! Oh well. Once we're married, we might as well stay in my house. I think we should get married in June."

"June? As in this June? That's six months from now?"

"Would you prefer March?"

"That's three months!"

"Are you getting cold feet already?" asked Tammy.

"Oh no! Not at all! It's just that... well... I thought you might want more time," answered Ricky.

"I think eleven years is plenty!" snapped Tammy. "And I want to get married in a real church... but I want one that accepts gays, because as you know, my... OUR daughter is a lesbian."

"Yes, I remember you told me... about two minutes after we met," said Ricky as he shifted down again. "Well, at least Robbie can wear her 'hand-me-down' clothes and still look masculine!" he said with a chuckle.

"That wasn't funny!" snapped Tammy, "although I'm afraid it's true."

"Oh Tammy, even Danni would find that funny," said Ricky.

"I'm sure she would but... oh, I'm just uptight!"

"YOUR uptight!" said Ricky. "I just asked a woman I hardly know to marry me!"

"And I just accepted a proposal from a man I hardly know! This is crazy!"

"You're not getting cold feet, are you?" asked Ricky.

"No! I'm not changing my mind. It's too late for you now, mister! You're chained! We're getting married this June so by next school year, our kids will have a full intact family!"

Finally, they returned with the firewood. The extremities of the house had grown cold, yet the living room remained cozily warm with the blazing fire. The kids drank their hot cocoa, while the four adults sipped small glasses of wine. "Aaaah, isn't this a romantic Christmas eve?!" said Brenda.

"Yes it is," agreed Tammy. "Like a family gathering. By the way, you're all invited this summer for nice sailing cruise on the lake... that is IF Ricky gets the sailboat finished."

"Oh! Sailing!" cried Bianca.

"So, the metrosexual mariner has a sailboat! Makes sense!" added Brenda.

"You've gotta sailboat?" queried Danni with wide eager eyes. "Cool!" Then she turned to Ashley. "I expect to see you in a bikini for sailing," she whispered.

Ashley giggled once again, quite elated over the idea. "If my mom will get me one. And what're you gonna wear?"

"I dunno. Maybe a red one-piece. Maybe boy-leg shorts."

"Don't you wanna tan?"

"I always tan."

"So... if I wear a bikini, what're you gonna do to me?" whispered Ashley with a giggle.

"It's more like, 'what WON'T I do to you?'" replied Danni.

And thus they stared at the fire, and out the window at the blowing snow, their minds far away into the future days of hot summer and bare suntanned flesh. A few hours after sunset, the power came back on as the crews had made repairs. Eventually, the snow had stopped, but the streets were so full of snow that no one left the house that night. Bianca and Brenda slept in the guest bed. Danni and Ashley crashed on the couch, huddled under a blanket. Robbie slept on the floor and young Krista slept in Danni's bed, wondering if Santa would know if she wasn't at her house.

But as the sun rose over the snow-covered town, some children awoke to presents of toys, video games, new bikes. Weathy teens found new cars, jewelry and computers. But Danni had Ashley, as well as a new family. Bianca found love in Brenda, having been abandoned by her cheating husband, giving both Ashley and Krista a new aunt. Ricky gained a daughter, and Tammy gained a son... as well as a sailboat!