-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.