-21-

Sahara competed with her sister relentlessly, but her parents drew the line at age appropriate things. Sahara was not at all happy that Egypt got to go places without their parents' supervision, and that the older girl got to stay up later than her.

In protest she moved into the tree house, but Claus quickly reigned that in vowing that he would not have another monkey daughter.

Egypt hardly spent any time at home. She needed a break from her younger siblings and the day to day craziness that came with living in the Winter house. She spent most of her time at the park, others who frequented the park knew the quiet, pretty blond by name, they were mostly old people but Egypt didn't mind.

Snowie had given her eldest niece her old car, Claus paid to have it upgraded, especially where safety was concerned. Egypt's parents had no problem with her coming and going as she pleased, as long as she told them where she was going and gave them an estimate of how long she would be there.

When Egypt wasn't in the park, she was at Jamie's house playing with her little cousin. The baby boy was nothing like her mischievous little brother. Sometimes she stayed at Jamie's so late that one of her parents would come looking for her.

"You have to give Mathew and Snowie their space, they've got a child to take care of, and although they'll never tell you this, your hovering bothers them sometimes."

"That's not true!" 

"You get angry when Sahara and Cupid crowd you right? It's the same concept." 

Cupid was having a hard time being in the nursery alone and he was letting anyone who would listen know. "I don't want to be in the nursery!" He whined to his father, "It's lonely...and scary."

"Q, I know you're not scared of the dark." Claus grinned. "Try again."

"It's just lonely then. Sahara and Egypt get their own rooms, why can't I have mine."

"You've got your own, it's called the nursery." 

Claus tickled Cupid, the little boy squealed with laughter. "You're not too big for the claw, so you're not too big for the nursery. But your crib is getting a bit cramped." Claus sighed, realizing that his kids were getting big and the house wasn't. There was one bed in Snowie's room, Egypt had taken that over and she and Sahara could not share a bed, no matter how wide the blanket was somebody would complain that they did not have enough. Simple solution, get rid of the current bed and get two single beds.

Claus still put aside at least one day a week that was completely devoted to his children. He knew them as well as he knew the back of his hand, which as their father he should. Sahara, although she looked as delicate as a lotus could make a hit from a pillow feel as painful as if one was hit with a ton of bricks, but it was clear that the girl was oblivious to her strength. 

She was also goofy and enjoyed making people laugh. She adored her father who would take time out from his very serious job of saving lives to pull funny faces with her. Although Sahara was older, she was still Claus' little Mama, she did all of the household chores and would even get upset when she came from school and met the living room swept and the dishes washed. The kitchen was Agnes' domain and although Sahara was told to stay away from the stove, she always watched her grandma cook.

Egypt was clearly not a child anymore and she never let her parents forget it, she constantly reminded them that she was a young lady. Claus was proud of Egypt, she was very mature and responsible for her age. She was usually the only one who could calm Cupid down when he was in one of his moods. Claus had no problem giving Egypt the freedom she wanted because he knew that she wouldn't get into any problems, her homework was always done and she had even joined a Study Group at school.

No matter how grown Egypt thought she was though, she was still her Daddy's little girl, she always showed him affection, kissing his cheeks or hugging him.

As far as her new found taste was concerned, Jamie confirmed that Egypt was in blood lust. With vampires still being society's best kept secret, plasma juice and plasma fruit were expensive and the Winters couldn't seem to keep enough in the house. It seemed that Egypt needed to feed every five minutes and like a drug addict she would become aggressive and anxious if she didn't.

Jaylee stood in the living room watching in amazement as Egypt consumed two boxes of plasma juice in a matter of seconds. She couldn't ask Claus to bring blood from he hospital, she didn't want to. Egypt was being brought up to be a 'vegetarian', and it was best if she never developed a taste for human or animal blood. 

Cupid's fifth birthday was in a few days, which meant that Jaylee would have more time on her hands and she could get back on track.

Snowie's room, which had become Egypt's room, and much to Egypt's displeasure, the girls' room, was made over. Not much different than it had originally been, this was so that neither of the girls could whine that the bedroom suited one sister better than the other.

-20-

Because Mathew had pretty much moved into Snowie's bedroom, Egypt had taken to sleeping in her grandmother's bed. She wasn't angry with Mathew for causing her to have to move out though, in fact, she was fascinated by the man. She adored Mathew and could usually be found hanging onto one of his arms.

Egypt wasn't Mathew's only fan though, all of the Winter children fell in love with him. One day Jaylee pulled him into the nursery roughly, she picked up Cupid who was chewing on the horn of the toy unicorn that rested between the cribs. 

She motioned to the toddler, "You seem to like mine very much, are you ready for one of these?" Before Mathew could answer though, Jaylee continued. "Ready or not it's coming, she has to be about two or three months along, I heard the heartbeat this morning."

Mathew was stunned into silence, Jaylee smirked, pleased with his reaction. She shoved Cupid into his arms and strode out of the nursery triumphantly. 

Hank, who had been missing in action for some time, appeared in the kitchen one morning. Agnes was thrilled that the gnome was back. "I bet Egypt had you in that stuffy tree house."

Snowie had done well with hiding her morning sickness from her family, she knew that Jaylee and Agnes would be quick to give her a lecture on responsibility if they found out. This morning though was the worst she'd ever had, she poked at her food the the fork but the mere thought of putting it in her mouth made her stomach turn.

Egypt was finally having a normal childhood, at twelve years old she had finally grown out of her awkward stage. Jaylee had her enrolled in ballet and she made sure that her father saw all of the new moves she learnt.

Before the sun rose the next morning Snowie had her head inside the toilet of Claus' and Jaylee's adjoining bathroom. Jaylee hovered over her, rubbing her back and keeping her hair out of the way.

"Okay, go on and say it." Snowie told her sister-in-law.

"Say what?"

"I told you so."

Jaylee chuckled. "Your bio teacher told you, and so did the doctors and everyone around you, unprotected sex leads to pregnancy. But I'm not worried about you, judging from the way he is with my kids, Mathew will make a wonderful mother."

Snowie managed a weak laugh. "Wow, a compliment for Mathew, I bet that took some effort...you still managed to insult him though."

"None at all, I always give credit where credit is due, and the insult made you smile which is what  I was aiming for."

"Jay," Snowie said with a small grin, "Just admit it, Mathew isn't what you thought and you like him just as much as the kids do."

"I'm not admitting anything."

Sahara grew up into a unique looking girl. Her grandmother says that she has enough energy to keep Sunset Valley up and running, and more than enough to drive her family crazy.

The only person she tried to drive crazy though was her older sister. She wanted to be around Egypt all the time and she was constantly challenging her sister, much to Egypt's annoyance. 

It was shortly after Egypt's thirteenth birthday that she developed a taste for blood. Claus stood for a long time watching his daughter consume the red liquid. "You can't be enjoying that." He said in disgust.

"I am." Egypt told him. 

Claus was at a loss, he just hoped that Jaylee caught on to their daughter's newly acquired taste.

"Why did you buy those shoes for her?" Egypt was giving her father grief lately, she constantly complained about everything, especially where her little sister was concerned. Claus cursed puberty and all that it stood for. "She only wanted them because I have some."

"So what Egypt? Quit being selfish, Sahara just wants to be like her big sister."

"But I don't want her to follow me."

Claus sighed, he had one more teenage girl to look forward to in the near future and he just prayed that Cupid's teenage years would be nothing like his own.

Across town Mathew was stepping up to the plate. He proposed to Snowie, he had already made up his mind that his child would not be born to parents with two different last names. Two weeks later with Jamie and Snowie's family for witnesses, he and Snowie were wed at Town Hall.

-19-

"What are you doing Daddy?" Egypt tip-toed to peer onto the chemistry table. 

Claus smiled down at his curious daughter, "Well, I'm supposed to be doing this in the lab down town so you can't tell anybody."

"I won't." Egypt made a zipping motion across her lips.

"I'm trying to develop new cold and flu medication. I'm mixing different chemicals, I will go to the lab...eventually, and try this drug on live subjects, but for now I have to work out the bugs."

Egypt watched her father for a while, but it wasn't long before she got bored of the bubbling liquids and acrid odors coming from the various beakers and test tubes.

She joined her younger siblings at the the block table. "Don't!" She said pulling a blue block out of Cupid's mouth, lately he had begun to gnaw on everything.

"I told him not to, but he doesn't listen to me." Sahara put in. The older girls ignored Cupid's exaggerated pout, it didn't have the same effect on them as it did adults.

When Jaylee woke up it was nearly noon, she sighed as she got out of bed, she needed some excitement in her life, her kids were all independent now, Snowie was caught up in her own life and Claus, in his old age, had fallen into a routine that bored Jaylee beyond belief.

Little did she know that she was about to get her wish for excitement. Jaylee went downstairs to get the mail, she had heard Mathew coming a long time ago so she dallied at the mailbox. "What do you want?" She demanded as soon as he stepped off the sidewalk onto the Winters' property.

"I uh...I'm looking for Snowie."

"Why?"

"Because I have to talk to her."

Jaylee was tempted to start an argument with Mathew, she needed a good screaming match, the only problem was that Mathew would not indulge her, she could smell his fear and it annoyed her. "She's upstairs in her room."

"Thank you."

It had been a week since the incident, Snowie and Mathew had been driving themselves crazy, guilt and confusion on Mathew's part and anger and rejection on Snowie's part. Mathew found Snowie's bedroom pretty easily, she had been standing at the window so she saw him approach. 

"I'm surprised Jaylee let you inside." She told him.

Mathew shrugged, "I'm sorry." He told her without beating around the bush. "Please don't say anything Snowie, I feel guilty as it is, and I missed the hell out of you."

Snowie sat on her bed, "I missed you too, but Mathew there isn't going to be anything between us other than friendship."

Mathew sat beside her. "I want more than just a friendship Snowie, but first we've got to talk."

Mathew told Snowie a story about a troubled child, who despite everything in his life, managed to be a loving person. Snowie in turn told him about her overprotective father and big brother and how, with aged parents and Claus being stubborn, Jaylee was the only person she could confide in. With a new understanding of each other, Mathew and Snowie made the leap they had been avoiding. They had finally moved from being just friends to boyfriend and girlfriend.

In the weeks that followed their new found love had begun to play on Jaylee's nerves. "You're shitting with me." She snapped when she went downstairs to work out early one morning. "It's freaking, six in the morning! Did you sleep here Mathew?"

"Yeah."

"Oh I swear to God..."

"What's the problem this time Jay?" Snowie asked. "Why can't you just be happy for me?"

I would if you weren't in a relationship with Mathew Dark. Jaylee thought. "It's cute that you have a boyfriend now and all but he's here all the time, he sleeps here...what kind of example are you setting for my daughters Snow? I'll appreciate it if you would find another place to spend your...ridiculously long nights."

Mathew blushed, Snowie frowned. "Mind your own business."

"I would if my room wasn't right next door to yours, those walls are thin you know."

"Really? Claus sleeps like a baby."

Jaylee massaged her temples, she shot Mathew a sour look and walked away.

-18-

A certain mysterious gnome moved into the Winter house one day. Agnes became attached to what she thought was a figurine, even calling the little man Hank.

Jaylee's shows had gotten more popular, she found herself having to turn down offers to perform. Luckily she had children she could use as excuses.

Claus was fast asleep, but he had a rude awakening at 12 a.m on his birthday. Shouts of  'surprise' and party horns and noise makers made him jump out of bed. 

Claus grabbed at his chest. "God damn! Is your plan to scare me to death on my birthday? I'm a forty year old man now, my heart can't take much!"

Cupid was still exploring the world, trying to figure out his likes and dislikes. He became attached to the xylophone, he would sit and make music for hours. 

Jaylee realized that she and Claus had a musical genius on their hands. The way he mixed notes, even memorizing what he'd played blew Jaylee away. Sometimes when she joined him with his toy and she hit a wrong key Cupid would frown profusely, "No! Momma, you do it wrong." And he would correct her.

The nursery had turned into a war zone, Sahara being the eldest figured that she should be in charge, she liked to give orders and dominate the toys and Cupid being Cupid would have none of it. Egypt, who had begun spending more time inside decided that the best way to settle her younger siblings' arguments would be to finish them herself. She was the biggest and strongest and Sahara and Cupid knew it. If they were fighting over a toy, she would take it from them, they would pout profusely but pout was all they could do.

Snowie had been sneaking out to see Mathew for weeks. "How old are you? Fifteen?" He laughed.

"Right, you're the one who's scared of Jaylee."

Snowie kissed Mathew and frowned. "You're wet."

"I was swimming."

"At night? There are sharks out there."

Mathew shrugged. 

Mathew really liked Snowie, but he found it strange that she still had her childish innocence. He figured that maybe the girl just had to get away from Jaylee for a while. It was pretty obvious that Jaylee still thought of her as a little girl. "Come on." He said taking her hand.

Snowie had one boyfriend in her life, and he had broken her heart. She and Mathew didn't define their relationship as anything more than a friendship, then why did they hide? Why did she sneak out to see him, why did she sneak back into her own house? She was a woman after all.

To Snowie, it seemed as if Mathew was oblivious to her feelings for him, but she loved it when he touched her. Unlike Tanner Mathew didn't push her to do anything she didn't want to, he just enjoyed her company.

Snowie had no idea when she was stripped down to her underwear. Jack had instilled in her the fear of God where fornication was concerned, but the way Mathew was touching her, kissing her, setting her body on fire she didn't even care.

Snowie moaned in anticipation when Mathew eased her onto her back. Suddenly his whole body became rigid.

"What?" She asked, wrapping her legs around him when he tried to climb off her. 

"I--we can't do this?"

"What?"

"You're so pure Snowie. You deserve better. You don't understand what you'll be getting into if you get involved with me. I'm sorry." 

"You're kidding me?" Snowie grumbled. She rolled over and curled up. "You're sorry? That's it? What's wrong with me?" Snowie wailed, guys always led her to believe that they loved her, that they wanted her and then they dropped her. It was Tanner on the playground all over again.

"Come on Snowie..."

"No!" She shouted and jumped up off the bed, she didn't so much as look at Mathew as she got dressed.

-17-

Snowie was getting the mail when a young man walked up to her. Sunset Valley was a small community and she thought she knew everyone.

"Uh hi, I'm looking for Jaylee."

"I'm sorry, who are you? And what business do you have with my sister-in-law."

The young man blinked at the feisty young woman. "I'm Mathew Dark, I live with her mother."

"Ohhhhh! You're Jamie's young beau huh?"

Mathew rubbed the the back of his neck in annoyance. "That's why I'm looking for Jaylee." He shrugged. "Jamie is just a friend of my aunt's, and Jaylee scares me so I need to clear the air."

Snowie snorted, "Seriously? Jaylee is the least frightening person I know."

"If you'd seen her the other night I'm sure she would have changed your mind."

Snowie and Mathew ended up having a whole conversation on the porch. Mathew was in the middle of telling funny stories from his childhood when Jaylee showed up and their laughter stopped abruptly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jaylee demanded, placing herself between Snowie and Mathew.

Mathew swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "Um...."

"He came looking for you." Snowie's eyes narrowed. "Where did you come from? I didn't even hear the front door open."

"It's because you were laughing too loudly." Jaylee frowned, to Mathew she said. "What do you want?"

"I uh...why are you so mean to me?" He whined, a hard look from Jaylee had him stammering out the reason for his visit. "I just wanted to let you know that there's nothing going on between me and your mom, my aunt send me here to keep me out of trouble and...."

"You stay away from Snowie Mathew Dark."

Mathew nodded vigorously and ran away into the night. "Why are you being so rude to him?" Snowie matched Jaylee's cold tone.

"There's just something about that boy that I don't like. I can't quite put my finger on it...."

Claus came home early from work and was enjoying time with his two younger children. Sahara rocked on her butt singing a nursery rhyme that Agnes had taught her while Claus rocked Cupid to sleep.

"Okay Mama, it's your turn." He said and scooped Sahara up. He patted her back and bounced her from side to side and just when he thought that she was falling asleep, the child started a conversation with him.

"Sahara, it's bedtime."

"I'm not sleepy Daddy." Sahara said, Claus enjoyed hearing his youngest daughter speak, she spoke like an adult, perfectly crafting each word into a sentence. Sahara, because she was usually stuck in the nursery with Cupid, made sure that her baby brother was taken care of, if they were late to feed or change him, Sahara would give them hell. Claus had begun calling her Mama because he thought she acted like an old maid.

"But it's bedtime."

"I'm a big girl Daddy, big girls get to stay up late."

"No, you're my baby girl." Claus corrected. "You just think you're grown."

"Plus, if you don't go to sleep the claw will get you."

Sahara feigned fear. "No Daddy! Not the claw!!!" She cried just as Claus began tickling her ribs. She screamed with laughter and kicked and twisted in her father's arms, trusting that he would not drop her.

"Okay, you're gonna wake your brother." Claus smiled, "How about I read you a story?"

"Okay Daddy."

Egypt was outside, she heard her little sister's wild laughter and couldn't help but smile herself. "I guess I'd better go to sleep myself." She told Patches. 

On those very few days that Claus was home, he made an effort to spend time with all of his children. He was accepting of Egypt's choice to sleep in the tree house, but that didn't stop him from trying to convince her to come inside. This usually led to Egypt rolling her eyes, but unlike her mother, she would never backtalk her father, the last time she tried Claus had wrung her ear so hard she heard whistling for two days.

By the time Claus got Sahara settled and went outside to Egypt the girl was fast asleep. He couldn't help but smirk, knowing that the girl was intentionally avoiding him. He was surprised to find Jaylee sleeping when he got upstairs, usually she was up the latest, other than Agnes with her weird, post-menopausal sleeping habits.

Claus took a quick shower and climbed into bed behind his wife. "Babe," He whispered, "You're not pregnant again are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," She mumbled, "I got my tubes tied remember."

Time seemed to pass too quickly, before the Winters knew it, Cupid was toddling around. Cupid was completely different from his sisters, he played rough and his tantrums, although not very frequent, were twice as terrible as Egypt's. 

Cupid mastered the puppy-dog eyes, he could get away with anything, even where Claus was concerned.

"Big boys use the potty." Jaylee told her son. Cupid couldn't care less where he did his business, but he realized that his family would cheer and clap when he did it in the potty and he liked that.

Sahara still took her big sister duties very seriously. "I'll sing Q to sleep Mommy!" And with that the little girl broke into song. Jaylee started to sing along. "No! I'm singing!" Sahara told her.

"Well I'm sorry Mama." Jaylee said and backed out of the room.

The sun was rising when Snowie crept in the house, she changed into her night clothes and was rummaging through the fridge. On her way back upstairs to her room, she peeked into the nursery and found Sahara trying to climb out of the crib. 

"You're gonna land on your big head." Snowie giggled and help the child down. Sahara peed and then Snowie tucked her back in. 

"Oh God!" She jumped when she started to climb into her bed. Egypt was buried under the blankets so Snowie hadn't realized she was there before. Snowie eased under the blankets and hoped that her niece hadn't noticed what time she came home.

One day the Winter toddlers discovered hide-and-seek.

It would not have been so terrible if all they did was hide, but sometimes it was impossible to find Sahara and Cupid and the older family members would have to lure them out with food. Claus had to put an end to the games though when Cupid began to take it too far, he would hide and either jump out and scare Sahara or pounce on his unsuspecting sister. 

The children's games did give Jaylee an idea for Claus' birthday though.