Winter Legacy -14-

Snowie rocked back and forth on the cool tiles of the kitchen singing in her  baby talk to herself. She was now old enough to move around on her own and her parents allowed her to roam around freely. Of course there were rooms that the child was not allowed in, and the kitchen was one of them, but so far nobody had caught on to her being there and for the moment she would enjoy herself.

Her big sister was outside enjoying alone time with her new boyfriend Frederick. In fact, Frederick spent so much time at the Winter house that poor Snowie thought he was a part of their family. Frederick was a good boy, Agnes and Jack didn't mind the boy being alone with Erika, however, they didn't trust to leave Erika alone with Frederick.

Claus on the other hand was annoyed by Frederick's presence. For some reason Erika's having a boyfriend meant that Claus should have a girlfriend and his parents nagged him ceaselessly. 

"What?" Claus snapped when he caught Erika glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Nothing, I'm just curious, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

Claus glowered, "Because I don't want one, damnit Erika!"

"Come on Erika, leave him alone." Frederick murmured to his girlfriend.

"Shut up Frederick, I don't need you to defend me this whole mess is your fault anyway." He grumbled and stabbed at the salad. 

"I have a sister." Erika put in.

Claus' jaw tightened, everyone in the house took jabs at him all the time, if it wasn't his lack of female companionship it would undoubtedly be something else. Claus refrained from saying anything else, instead he  chewed and swallowed and left the table, his plate still filled with lettuce, tomatoes and yellow peppers.

"Come on Snowie, you have to say it."

"No." The tot shouted and pouted profusely. Jack looked at his own lip protruding from his daughter and couldn't help but smile. The miracle of having children never ceased to amaze him. 

"Fine." He said and folded his own arms. "But you're not getting any apple slices."

Snowie gave her father a long calculating look, finally, with an exasperated sigh she said, "Pweeese!!!"

"Yes Ms. Winter, you may have some apple slices." He scooped the little girl up and carried her to the kitchen.

"You're kidding." Claus said the next morning when he stepped out of his room and found his sister already dressed and on the phone.

"Huh? Oh yes, he's up." Erika giggled at what the person on the other line said to her. "He actually doesn't have a girlfriend."

Later, Jack walked out of the nursery, he did a quick spin in the living room, "Uh...Erik's daughter, where is Jack's son?"

Erika laughed, "I have no idea, he was here earlier. Pops you're crazy."

Claus needed to blow off some steam and he couldn't hit his sister. Frustrated he went out back to the exercise machine, but after he worked himself into a sweaty mess and was still upset he took off through the neighborhood with a carton of eggs and wreaked havoc on the neighborhood. 

He was on his way back home when a police car pulled up beside him. "Claus Winter, come with me, we're off to have a little chat with your folks."

"No." Claus said but with his anger gone he was too exhausted to put up any kind of fight.

When the squad car pulled up in front of the Winter House, Agnes was standing her expression showed her displeasure. "Young man you're grounded." 

"What got into you anyway?" Agnes questioned. 

Claus shrugged. "Was just blowing off some steam."

"By defacing our neighbor's homes? Just wait until your father gets home."

"Can we not tell Pops about this? He already thinks there's something wrong with me." 

"Maybe there is something wrong with you. The things you do are just..." She took a deep breath. 

"Well maybe you should just mind your own business, maybe you and Pops and Erika should stop riding me about everything. So I don't have a girlfriend, shoot me! I put up with shit from every freakin' body! Everybody! And I sit and take it, I take it and I never say anything to anybody so just leave me the hell alone! Let me be me." He shouted at his mother and brushed past her into the house.

Later Claus spent some time with the only member of his family who didn't have anything negative to say about him. In fact, she never had anything to say about him at all. He loved his little sister, he enjoyed every moment of being a big brother. It felt good to have someone who needed him, someone that he could take care of.

Claus swung Snowie into the air and smiled when the girl giggled. "Brother." She said and reached for his face, he lowered her forehead to his lips and kissed her loudly causing her to chortle again.

"I love you." He sang.

"Ah lofe yoo!" She sang back.

When Jack came home the sun was still up but he took a shower and climbed into bed, his wife was already wrapped up, fast asleep. The thought that she as pregnant again crossed his mind but he was pretty sure that she had started menopause, after all, she was hot when everyone else was cold and nothing would better explain the mood swings she'd been having lately...unless she was pregnant again, but that was absurd. 

Jaylee came over to her older sister's house, she always looked up to the older girl, envied her in fact. In Jaylee's eyes, her sister was perfect. She saw Erika as smart and pretty, and she had a boyfriend so she had to be pretty, guys didn't like ugly girls. Jaylee thought that she had too much of their father in her to be pretty, she had his round face and snubbed nose and she hated her brows. 

Jaylee couldn't help but feel awkward watching her sister interact with her boyfriend. It was clear that the two were very much in love. She wondered if there would ever be anybody who would love her like that. 

"You have to get out so I can clean the nursery." Claus said as he sauntered in, his lip tugged down to the left when he saw Erika's little sister, the girl was always greeted him over-enthusiastically and followed him around like a little puppy. 

"Hi Claus!" She sang. 

"Uh...hi Jay." He clapped his hands together. "Okay everybody out. Why are you all in here anyway?"  

Just then Jack came in and ordered  everyone to the dining area. 

Mortimer's son August came to Agnes' place after school, he complained that he was no longer a baby, but he secretly enjoyed spending time with his older cousins. Jack chatted with the youngsters as he helped himself to salad. "Isn't Jay going to have some?" He asked Erika when he realized that the girl hadn't left the room.

Erika shrugged, "Give her a minute to compose herself." She gave her brother a sly look.

"Shut up." Claus snapped. 

Erika saw her sister heading out of the kitchen. "Oh, I have to show you this thing...outside. Not you though Claus."

Jaylee came to the table, Claus finished off his salad quickly and stood. "I was just leaving." 

Jaylee frowned at the salad, then at Claus. "Why do you hate me?"

Claus was taken aback, when he caught himself he nearly laughed. "I don't hate you Jay. I love you to death, as a friend though, and this thing that you and your sister are doing, that's not cute or amusing. It just makes things complicated, and you know I hate complicated."

Jaylee took a deep breath, "Okay..."

"You're a beautiful girl Jay, you're also a sweet heart, you deserve somebody who can appreciate both of those qualities. I have to go clean the nursery now."

The nursery was always a mess, with toddlers throwing things all over the place and with so many of them running around there was never time to clean up after a mess was made. Agnes was handing children off to their parents in the living room, Claus sighed, as long as Snowie didn't toss her toys around or throw her bowl or slacken the top on her bottle the nursery would stay clean.

"I've worked your fingers to the bone today and you did all of that without complaining, so I guess I'll have to let you off." She sighed and leaned heavily against one of the high chairs. "Claus, are you angry?"

"No."

"Honey you never talk about anything, especially what you're feeling. And then you lose your mind. If I didn't think you were under pressure so help me you would be in a coma right now, now tell me what's going on."

Claus squeezed the sponge and looked his mother right in the eyes. "Nothing, nothing's going on, I was just angry, that's all."

"Well, you have to let us know when you're angry or feeling anything at all. I knew you before you knew yourself, but now it's like I have a sixteen year old stranger in my house."

"Okay. I have to clean Erika's room now."

"Ninjaaaaaa!" August screamed and ran out from behind the door brandishing a pillow. Claus took a blow to the side, he quickly ran to the bed and grabbed another pillow which he swung and caught August in the head, the boy fell to the floor laughing uncontrollably, but he jumped to his feet--still giggling--and aimed at Claus, because he was laughing so much he missed, and ultimately lost, the fight. Soon, Agnes called August for dinner.

"I'm looking for my baby." Erik was saying. 

Erika smirked, "And what am I?"

"You're far from a baby that's for sure. Now, tell me about this boy...Franky?"

"Frederick Dad." Erika rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face. "I think I love him."

"But are you sure. When you meet someone it's always a honeymoon until things get real."

"You mean you and Mom? I'm not a hopeless romantic Dad, I'm pretty certain about what I'm getting myself into. And before you go on about boys and what they're after Pops...." Her voice trailed off when Erik's face fell. "I know all about that, and believe me, Frederick is not like that. You'll love him when you finally meet him." She winked and turned then shouted for her sister.

"Bye Claus!" Jaylee sang. 

Claus couldn't help but smirk this time. "I'll see you later Jay."

The girl skipped away from him. Had he been paying closer attention, he would have caught onto her sudden attitude change.