Title: Snowfall
Fandom: N/A
Characters: Maggie, her Father
Universe: Wolves in Eden
Prompt: 67. Snow
Word Count: 761
Date finished: 05/12/2006
Rating: G
Summary: Maggie experiences her first real snow in Eden. She is NOT pleased.
Author's Notes: Another random thought about Maggie having grown up in San Diego. She's not used to cold, or to snow. It's going to be a shock.
Disclaimer: N/A

Snowfall

Maggie woke up, shivering, when her alarm went off. It was cold in her room, even though she had worn heavy pajamas to bed, and her father had given her a thick blanket last night. "Snow tonight," he'd said. "You'll be glad of those turtle necks tomorrow." She got up, turned off the alarm, and went to the window, shivering as she pushed the curtains aside.

It was still snowing. Everything outside was white, a luminous, glowing white. "Wow," she mumbled, shivered again, and grabbed a sweater before crawling back into bed. "Wow, it's cold," she muttered.

Her father came in just as she was starting to get warm again. "Time to get up, Maggie," he said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Not a chance," Maggie mumbled. "It's freezing!"

"Come on. I've got tea on in the kitchen, and a shower will help." He tugged at the blankets, but she had a good grip on them. He laughed and tugged harder, and she finally gave up, letting go just as he gave a good tug. Her father fell over backwards, off the bed, and let the quilt go. Maggie snatched it back up, pulled it around her, and curled up under it.

"It's too cold," she said.

Her father picked himself up, still laughing. "Oh, yes, it's cold. But you still have to go to school."

With a sigh, Maggie got up, grabbed a change of clothes, and ran to the bathroom. The shower warmed her up nicely, and she got dressed as quickly as she could. In the kitchen, her father met her with a cup of peppermint tea, and she drank it gratefully. It was less cold here, but still colder than she was used to.

She wasn't sure if she was glad the Suburban had four wheel drive or not; if it hadn't she might have been able to stay home - or she might have found herself on horseback, riding into the town instead. That would have been much colder, no question. As it was, it was barely warm before they got into town.

The school kids - the smart ones, and obviously that did not count Oliver or his group - waited for the bus inside the General Store, huddled around the heater near the front door. Maggie brushed past those waiting outside and went into the warmth, waving at her dad as he turned the truck around and headed back to the ranch.

"Morning," Wolfgang said, and grinned at her.

"At least you didn't say good," she said. "This is insane!"

He grinned at her. "Not used to snow?" he asked.

"Or cold."

"I told you it wasn't that cold three weeks ago," he reminded her.

She huffed. "Yes, you did. But it was still cold, and after a certain point, cold is just cold."

He laughed. "True," he said, and she was sure he wanted to tell her that they weren't anywhere near that temperature. "At least it rarely goes below zero here," he said instead.

"That's… actually comforting," she said.

"The bus," someone called near the door, and they followed the others out into the snow and cold, and got on the bus.

Maggie actually wished it wasn't so cold. She'd really like to enjoy her first real snowfall; it was so cool to have the small stars touch her nose and get caught in her eyelashes. But it was so cold, she just couldn't enjoy it. And she wasn't happy to find that the bus was rather chilly, too. She sighed as she got on, putting her backpack in her lap. Maybe that would help her keep warm.

"Be careful this afternoon," Wolfgang said, leaning close. "The spit balls are likely to freeze in your hair."

She stared at him. "Great. Just great," she muttered. "I wish I'd thought of that; I'd have worn a hat or something!"

He fished a stocking cap out of his pocket. "I thought you might not have thought of it," he said, and gave it to her. "It'll help keep you warm if you put it on now, too."

She gave him a dubious look, but she knew she could trust him. They'd been through too much together for him to start turning on her now. "Thanks." She pulled the stocking cap over her hair. It didn't take long to prove him right. "Thank you," she repeated. "Even if it messes up my hair, I just can't care. It's so nice to be warm."

He smiled at her. "I agree, he said. "And any time."

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