The next morning as the three prepared to go home to the Willows, it occurred to Snow with a start, "Oh Ben! We never did tell you why Mike and I originally came here yesterday! Mike and I are getting married!" Ben gave a very large grin, "Congratulations!" He shook Mike’s hand and hugged Snow as he whispered to her, "See, I told you everything would work out." Snow smiled and took Mike’s arm, "Ben, we wanted to ask you something. I know you were a practicing monk at one time, and we would like you to marry us, if you would." Snow bit her lip hoping he’d say ‘yes’. Ben put his hands together in front of him, "It’d be an honor and a pleasure." Snow smiled cheekily and looked at Mike. He squeezed her hand, but decided to save the kiss till later. "When is the big day?" "New Years Day, " then Mike smiled at Snow as he continued, "We’ll start a new life in the New Year." Snow smiled back and then looked over at Eddy, "Well, I guess we’d better head back. I’m sure we’re in trouble with everyone by now." Mike and Eddy snickered. "Hold on, and I’ll walk you out." Ben walked over to his night table and pulled something from his drawer putting it in his pocket. As they approached the entrance to the mine, Eddy remembered, "You and Snow go ahead. I have to go back and get my fishing equipment. It’s still at the river from yesterday." Snow gave a smirk as she thought of the journey back to the village, "Edward, can I speak with for just a second?" Mike eyed her curiously as she pulled Eddy aside and began whispering to him. "Psst, Mike. Come here for a second." His curiosity was interrupted by Ben trying to get his attention. Ben pulled a small wooden box from his pocket. "I want you to have this, Mike—for Snow." He opened the box to reveal a very large diamond ring. Mike’s jaw dropped. Never had he seen a diamond so big in a ring. "I made this in the hopes that someday I’d meet someone special to give it to. Of course, at the time, this isn’t what I had in mind. But now I know that this ring was meant for you to give to Snow." "Ben, I can’t take something like this—" Ben cut him off with a hint of guilt in his voice, "Please take it. I can’t repay the mistake I almost made by trusting Margurite, but I can at least do this. Snow has told me about all you have gone through together. You two finally deserve some happiness. I know she will like it." Mike stared wide-eyed at the ring as he took it, "Like it? Believe me, she’ll love it! Thank you Ben." He closed the box and put it in his pocket just as Snow came back over. "Edward went to get his fishing supplies." She gave Ben one last hug, "Thank you for everything Ben." Ben simply shook his head as if to say he had done nothing. Mike offered Snow his arm as they bid their good-byes.

It was a clear day with the sun shining brightly on the snow blankets laid across the woods floor. The air was clean and the breeze was light and refreshing. Mike thought it a perfect day to walk in this ‘Winter Wonderland’ as he held Snow’s hand in his, "Sleigh bells ring, are ya listenin’? In the lane, snow is glistenin’. A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight. Walkin’ in a winter wonder—", Mike’s singing was stopped as suddenly Snow halted in her tracks pulling him to a stop. "What is it, love?" He followed Snow’s gaze up a tree and to a familiar large cluster of mistletoe up above them. He glanced back down at her to find her eyes waiting for his gaze. As she put her arms around him, she said in a flirtatious tone, "I had a little question for Edward earlier. I asked him what mistletoe was." Mike was delighted to hear where this was leading as he in turn slipped his arms around Snow’s waist, "Oh. And what did he tell you?" "He told me what you told me." Snow bit her lip and almost blushed, "So I guess that means I owe you a double kiss, right?" "It’s up to you, Princess." Snow smiled and was leaning in to kiss Mike when he stopped her, "Wait, I have something for you first." Snow was curious although thinking that she needed no additional reason to kiss her prince. Mike pulled the box from his pocket and lifted its lid. Snow gasped in astonishment at the ring’s size and beauty along with the surprise of Mike even having it, "Oh Mi—Mike! It’s beautiful!" With Snow almost speechless, Mike pulled out the ring, lifted Snow’s hand and slipped it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. "Ben was right. It was meant for you, Snow. I cannot take credit for it, I’m afraid. Ben wanted me to give it to you. He said he’d made it in the hopes that he would meet someone special. He’s convinced that the someone special is you. Of course, you’re always someone special to me, Princess." Snow looked at the ring fitted perfectly on her finger as tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t get a word out. What could she say? She knew that there were better ways to show her feelings than through words. She leaned up and kissed Mike wrapping her arms around him once again. He dropped the ring’s box on the ground as he pulled her by the waist closer to him. Remembering their wonderful kiss in the snow on the day of their engagement, Mike slowly began to lower Snow to the ground. Their actions were halted by the familiar sound of Eddy’s whistling as he returned from the river. They stopped and looked at one another longingly as Eddy walked up with his pole slung over his shoulder, "Hey! Fancy meeting you here, eh?" Mike tried to hide his disappointment as he picked up the ring box, "Yes, quite."

Upon entering the village, the band of three was met by Stevie’s thankful cry, "Oi! It’s you! You’re alright!" He bounded toward the hut where most of the village was awaiting breakfast. "Hey! They’re back! They’re OK! Everyone, look!" All were surprised by Stevie’s boisterous entrance, but not as surprised as when Mike, Snow, and Eddy followed him through the door. Dinger wasted no time at all, "Where the hell ‘ave you been? We were about to form a blasted search party!" Mike put up his hands in surrender, "It’s a long story. Snow and I were—" Dinger cut him off spouting, "Yeah, I’d already figured her into the equation, we’re always searchin’ for her. And you’re her partner in crime, now anyway. But you!" He pointed a finger at Eddy, "I thought you had better sense in that ‘ead of yours than to go runnin’ off all night! Yer eyes ain’t green again, are they?" Edward defended them to the group, "If you’ll just listen, we can explain the whole thing." The threesome told the story over breakfast as no one else hardly said a word while they listened to such an incredulous tale. Dinger washed down a mouthful of eggs, "I think you need to destroy that mirror. ‘at’s what I think." He gave a glance to Karen across the table from him who nodded in agreement. Mike assured them as he patted Snow’s hand, "No one can come through that mirror the way it is now. Eddy was convinced, and he has the most to lose, really." Killion gave a sheepish grin, "Yeah, Ed, why didn’t you take up her offer? Being a witch queen’s servant is a small price to pay for a little action, if ya know what I mean." Thomas laughed and winked at Eddy who replied with a biscuit hurled at his head. Thomas ducked to the side to just miss Ed’s aim. Kahlua then noticed the large rock on Snow’s finger, "Wow! Check out the rock on Snow!" Snow smiled as she showed off her ring, "Yes, Ben wanted Mike to give it to me. He was so regretful of everything." Duncan muttered through a biscuit, "He should be." Yvonne gave Duncan a look then tried to avert his retort, "So have you set a date yet?" Snow’s eyes lit up as she gave a beaming smile, "Yes, yes! We shall be married New Year’s Day! Ben is going to marry us. He used to be a monk, you know." Mike and Snow looked at one another and smiled as Mike continued to hold her hand between their plates. Karen noticed Dinger form a mischievous grin as she wondered in fear at what he was about to say. "New Year’s Day, huh? Gonna bring in the New Year with a ‘bang’, eh?" Mike let go of Snow’s hand to point a finger at Dinger, "OK, Dinger. That’s enough!" "Oi!" as Karen swifly nicked Dinger’s shin under the table. Snow, blushing terribly, rested her forehead on the palm of her hand to try and hide her embarrassment. "What did I say?" came Dinger’s attempt at an innocent retort whist rubbing his shin. When Snow looked up, she realized that upon Mike’s letting go of her hand, it landed in the strawberry jam of her biscuit. Stevie, who didn’t understand why everyone at the table was snickering at what Dinger had said, noticed Snow’s dilemma immediately, "Snow! Ya got strawb’ry on yer ‘ead, there! ‘ow ya get strawb’ry on yer ‘ead?" Even more embarrassed now, Snow lowered her head and furiously began rubbing at her forehead with her napkin. She wondered if the red colored jam would help to hide the surely crimson color of her flushed face. Mike dipped his napkin in his milk and began to rub the sticky jam off of her head as well. Snow tried not to notice the continued snickering around the table. "Why don’t ya just kiss it off, Mike." "Fine idea, Dinger. If you be obliged to get everyone out of the room, I would." Snow gave a heavy sigh of embarrassment as Mike whispered his apologies to her. Travis looked about the table at everyone’s laughing, "I don’t see what the big embarrassment is all about. Everyone knows that Mike here is gonna ‘boldly go where no man’s gone before’." This time, the table’s snickering transformed into uproarious laugher, especially from those of a more modern time as Snow dropped her head upon her hands on the table, careful to miss her strawberry covered biscuit. Mike covered his mouth to stifle a laugh and then looked as his bride-to-be with her face resting on her hands down on the table. He could barely make out her muffled words, "Can we talk about something else, now?" Mike thought quickly, but under the circumstances, only one subject came to mind. "So…how ‘bout them rabbits?"

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 Chapter Thirty Two– "Mirror Capers"

Mike looked about him to make sure that Snow didn’t see him sneak away and then follow him to the mine. Ben was surprised to see Mike as he opened the mine door. "Mike! Hey, it’s good to see ya. How are you doing?" "Fine, thanks." Max had warmed up to Mike and jumped up on him. "Max! You got no manners, have you?" the dwarf scolded. The two men went to Ben’s chamber for some hot tea. "I know you’re probably surprised to see me." Ben teased, "Yeah, well there are no returns on that ring, mind you!" Mike chuckled, "Oh no. Don’t worry about that, believe me. In fact I know that Snow would like to thank you personally, which is part of the reason I’m here. I know it probably gets pretty lonely here, especially around Christmas time. I’ve talked it over with some of the men in the Willows, and we’d like to have you join us on Christmas." Mike thought back to the semi-argument he had with Dinger about the issue, then brushed it off. Ben looked surprised again, "Me? Are you sure?" "Yes, please. It would mean so much to Snow. I haven’t told her about it. I thought it could be a surprise." "I’d be happy to, Mike. You’re right. It gets pretty lonely for me here, even with Max. Thank you for thinking about me. It’s funny you happened to mention it, though." Ben got up and walked over to the blank wall where the mirror used to be. Mike shuddered as he remembered watching it shatter thinking he’d lost his love forever. Ben removed a cover from an object leaning against the wall. It was the wedding painting of Snow’s parents. "I wanted to give this to Snow as a Christmas present. Do you think she’d like it?" As Mike looked at the painting, he remembered Snow’s emotional reunion with her father through the mirror, "Yes, Ben. I think she would like it very much. It’s a very thoughtful gift." Ben brought it over and set it down between them. Mike realized that he hadn’t even thought about a Christmas gift for his Princess. He didn’t count the diamond ring, as it wasn’t really from him. He wanted to get Snow something very special, something virtually irreplaceable. Mike thought, how silly that was. What could something like that possibly be? Ben offered as he looked at the painting, "She looks a lot like her mother, except for the red hair. I guess she got her dark hair from her father. She looks to be the same size, too, judging from the looks of her next to her father in the mirror the other day." She did look remarkably like her mother, Mike thought. He pictured his bride and her kindness and beauty as he pondered what her mother was like gazing at the painting of the wedding couple. Then it hit him. "That’s it!" Ben was startled, "What?" "That’s it! That is what I can get my Princess! It’s perfect! Nothing else will do! Ben, will you help me?" Ben, confused, still agreed, "I suppose. What is it?" Mike’s excitement grew with each word he uttered, "For Christmas, I want to get Snow the most perfect gift for her. She deserves nothing less. She is my bride and therefore must have a wedding gown!" Ben scowled, "I can’t sew worth a lick, Mike. You should see the trousers I tried to mend the other day. I was in a hurry, see, and I sewed them right to my underwear!" "No, Ben!" Mike chuckled, "We aren’t going to sew it, we’re going to find it! Well, at least I hope we can find it." "Where you gonna find a wedding gown, Mike?" "Not just any gown, Ben—that gown!" He pointed to Snow’s mother in the painting. Ben’s expression changed to a doubt-filled look as he realized Mike’s meaning, "Oh, no! I’m NOT going into that mirror!" "But think of what a special gift it would be? Snow’s mother’s wedding gown! Please Ben! It will be fun, well sort of. I mean it COULD be fun. It just depends on how you look at it." Ben covered the painting back up, "How could going into that mirror and possibly running into that witch be fun? And never mind the risk of getting caught stealing and thrown into the castle dungeon!" Mike gave an encouraging tone as he lightly punched Ben’s arm, "Oh, come on man! Where’s your sense of adventure?" Ben just looked at him blankly while Mike gave him a pleading smile. "It went out with the trash, Mike." Mike threw his arms up in surrender, "Oh, all right I give up." Ben smiled a sigh of relief as Mike added quickly, "I’ll just go alone, then." Ben’s relief was short lived as he rolled his eyes, "Argh! Fine! I’ll do it! I can’t let ya do something so foolish alone! You’re likely to get yourself killed!" Mike smiled as Ben uttered under his breath, "So instead, you’ll probably get me killed." Mike shook his hand, "Thank you, Ben! You’ve no idea how much this means to me!" and he hugged the tiny reluctant dwarf.

As Mike lifted the mirror from facing the ground, Ben shook his head, "I don’t know what makes you think you’ll be able to go through that mirror now when you couldn’t get through it the other day from this side." Mike still oozed his excited tone, "Aha, but I’ll show you!" Mike pulled a mirror shard from his pocket, "This! This was a piece of the mirror in your chamber that broke! The queen used a broken piece from a magic mirror to turn one of our ordinary mirrors back in the Willows into a portal to her basement. Believe me, I know. I was there!" Ben shook his head as Mike tried to figure the best way to approach their entrance. As they peered into the mirror, they could see the king’s bedroom once again. It was dark and there appeared to be no one around. With the shard in his hand, Mike pushed his fist with the shard against the mirror and to Ben’s surprise, it went through. With his arm halfway in the mirror, Mike turned to look at Ben, "See, I told you so!" Ben pushed on Mike’s legs, "Would you just go!" He looked back at his wolf watching them curiously, "Max, you have to stay here." Mike stepped through the mirror into the bedroom followed by Ben with his lantern. Ben stopped and whispered, "Wait. Do you hear that? What is it?" Mike looked about the dark room, "Let me see your lantern." Ben held it up to Mike. Mike peered around the room now being able to see a little better. As he panned to the bed, he gasped softly and whispered, "Oh dear." "What?" "It’s the king." "Where?" "In the bed!" "Oh dear!" "Exactly!" "I told you this wasn’t a good idea! Let’s go back!" "No! I’m going to find that dress if it’s the last thing I do!" Ben uttered softly, "It might be." Mike turned back to Ben, "Where do you suppose he put it?" Ben offered, "I don’t know. But I figure since it belonged to his first wife, Margurite probably had it put away. Don’t you think?" "OK. Good thought. Let’s go," as Mike started off. "Where are we going?" "Anywhere. Let’s just get out of this room!" Ben whispered in reply, "OK. Good thought. Let’s go." The two men tiptoed out of the king’s bedroom and down a dark hallway. "The king snores really loud. I can still hear him, eh Ben? Ben? Where did you go? Ben?" Mike felt around behind him and down to Ben’s lower level. His fingers found a head and face, "Oh, good. There you are. Why didn’t you say any—" Mike turned around with the lantern to discover the head belonged to a sleeping guard snoring as he sat leaning against the wall, "Aaah!" "Shhhhh!" came Ben’s hush from in front of him. "Quiet, you’ll wake the guard!" Mike whirled back around, "Ben! Where did you go? I thought you were right here in front of me." "Bring the lantern up ahead. I found something." Mike followed Ben with the lantern to a stairway that headed upward. "I was feeling along the wall and fell into this stairwell doorway. It might lead to the attic. Maybe they stashed the dress up there." "Great job, Ben! Let’s go!" They followed the stairwell up to a storage room crammed full with miscellaneous items such as furniture, tools, weapons, and crates. With the room so full, their one lantern seemed to brighten it up pretty well. Ben spotted a rather nice sword in the corner and picked it up, while Mike was drawn to an interesting piece of furniture. As he drew closer, he realized what it was. It was a spinning wheel that was frightfully similar to the one he remembered reading about in the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ fairy tale. He shuddered as he backed away from it, being careful to not touch any part of it. As he turned around he yelped almost catching a sword tip in his groin area, "Arg! Geez, Ben! Put that thing away! I’d like to have children someday, you know!" "Sorry, Mike. I didn’t know you were gonna turn around so fast." "We need to get down to business and find that dress so we can get out of here." Ben heartily agreed as he put down the sword. "Hey, lets start looking in some of these crates. Are any of them labeled? Can you see?" Mike held his lantern up to a few, "Well, yes, some of them. This one says ‘dungeon’." Ben frowned, "Let’s hope that’s not an omen of where we’re going to end up!" Mike kept searching, "This one says ‘baby’. Oh, I’ll bet this has Snow’s baby stuff in it! That’d be so cute to see!" "Mike, ya know we don’t have the time to—" "I know, I know. But it was a nice thought. Here, let me lift this one down so I can get a look at the big one underneath." Ben quickly reminded him, "Don’t drop it! We don’t want to wake anyone below." "I know. I’m being careful, " as the crate crashed to the floor. "Drat!" "I told you not to drop it, Mike!" "Well, you distracted me!" Mike picked his lantern back up, turned back to the box and gasped, "Here! Bullseye! This one says ‘Elizabeth’. That was Snow’s mother’s name. Ben, quick—gimme something to pry the top off with. Where’s that sword?" "It’s over here." Ben brought the sword over as Mike held the lantern in front of his groin area, just in case. Mike took the sword and shoved it under the lid, prying it off. In the crate he found many lovely dresses and a pair of lace-up boots, but no wedding gown. At the very bottom, he spotted a folded quilt. As if something told him to check it, he pulled it out and unfolded it. There was the dress. Preserved as if brand new, the pearls were shiny and the material was soft and white as Snow herself. Ben eyed the garment, "Is that it?" "Yes. She’s going to be so beautiful in this." Ben noticed Mike begin falling into a fantasy of sorts as he touched the dress imagining what Snow will look like on their wedding day. "OK, Mike. Come on. We gotta go!" Snapping from his daydream, "Oh, yeah. Let’s get out of here." Mike grabbed the wedding gown and as many of the other dresses as he could hold until his arms were overflowing with gowns. Ben glared at him, "What are you doing?" "I’m getting as many of her mother’s dresses as I can. I know she will love them." "Mike, you can’t carry all of that!" "Sure, I can." "Geez! All right! Come on!" Ben grabbed the lantern and they headed down the stairs. Mike dropped two dresses on the way and was about to go back for them, but changed his mind as he saw the lantern getting further and further ahead of him. He got to the hallway, "Ben, wait!" He dropped another dress as Ben came back toward him with the lantern. At that moment, both of them noticed in horror where the other dress had landed. As the sleeping guard began to awake, he began struggling underneath the gown that had been dropped on his head. Ben and Mike made a run for the king’s bedroom. Thankfully, they found that the king was still asleep. Approaching the mirror, they heard the guard knocking outside the king’s door, "Your majesty? Your majesty, pardon the intrusion, but I must check your room" "Hurry!" Ben cried as Mike picked up yet another dress he had dropped. The king had begun to stir upon hearing the guard at his door. "I’m leaving you behind, Mike!" as Ben proceeded through the mirror. Mike grabbed the last dress from the floor and leaped into the glass. As Mike came bounding through to the other side, Ben yelled in horror as he thought he was about to be crushed. He rolled out of the way just in time for Mike to tumble to the floor, dresses flying everywhere. Mike sat up and looked at Ben with a smile, "Well, I’d say that was a success. How about you?" Ben frowned at Mike as he rubbed his backside where he’d landed, "The next time you ask me to help you with something, remind me to say ‘NO’!"

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 Chapter Thirty Three– "Sleigh Ride"

Mike brought out his guitar as Snow listened to the Christmas CD he’d found in the woods. "Have you found any songs you like?" "Oh yes! I like them all! But I especially like this one," as she pointed to ‘O Holy Night’ on the jacket of the CD. "Excellent choice! I like that one too." They listened to the song as Mike began to pluck it out on his guitar. There was a knock at the door. When Mike answered, it was Duncan. We’re taking them to the barn." Mike looked surprised, "Now?" Duncan shrugged, "Sure. We thought, why not?" Mike turned to a curious Snow, "Come on, love. There’s something you will want to see." The men led the women to the barn where they’d been making a ‘surprise’ Christmas present for them. Duncan stood before them in front of the barn, "I’m sure all you have been waiting to see what has been in progress here behind this door. The men here in the Willows have decided that since we finished it a little early, it might be more fun to give it to you now so you can enjoy it before Christmas as well as after." As Stevie opened the barn door, Ritchie led Kahlua inside whilst covering her eyes. Mike, Duncan and Dinger did the same for Snow, Yvonne and Karen. On a count of three, they removed their hands from the ladies’ eyes. To their delight, in front of them sat a lovely handcrafted sleigh. Karen and Yvonne’s jaws dropped as Snow squealed with joy. Kahlua had already begun to inspect the sleigh, running her hand over the elaborate carvings along the sides. Stevie offered with excitement, "It’s a ‘one-horse open sleigh’! Jus’ like in the song!" Ritchie added, "And it can be easily converted to a horse drawn wheeled carriage after winter is over." "It’s wonderful, fellows!" Snow sighed. "But who gets the first sleigh ride?" as Kahlua looked at Karen and Snow. "You go first, Kahlua." Karen agreed with Snow, "Yes, you go." Kahlua turned to Ritchie as he took her hand and led her into the sleigh. Bart hooked up the mare, Nugget, to the sleigh. With a slight throw of the reigns by Ritchie they were off, right out the barn door. "You go next, Karen." "No, Snow. I know you love this season." "Karen, I insist. When they get back, you go." Dinger pulled Karen’s hat down over her eyes, "Now, don’t argue with a Princess. She said we’re next." Karen put her hat back up where it was and teased at him, "No, she said I could go next. She didn’t say anything about WE!" Dinger pulled her hat down once again, "Well, I said WE are next. If you keep arguing with me, I’ll make you wear your hat down like that the whole trip!" Karen raised her hat again, "We’ll see about that!" Mike pulled Snow over to where 24Carrots was still watching the barn door having just seen his mother pull the sleigh outside, "Well you’re being very generous about giving the sleigh rides out." Snow gave him her flirtatious smile, "Well, if we take the last sleigh ride, we won’t be rushed to come back so soon, see? So if I want to kidnap you for a while…" Mike grabbed her close, "You kidnap me? I think it would be the other way around. Remember, I said I’m not letting you out of my sight." On Snow’s insistence once again, Yvonne and Duncan took the next sleigh out. Bart suggested they switch out horses, so one horse wouldn’t be so tired. Soon, it was Mike and Snow’s turn. The sleigh was perfectly made for a slow romantic paced ride through the lovely snow-covered hills of Waddington Willows. The countryside looked so different covered with snow rather than with wildflowers or leaves, thought Snow. Snow kept her eyes out for deer as they crept through the hills and trees. She did spot a white snow bunny, and thought of Whitey immediately. Mike kept his eye out for mistletoe and was sure to slow the horse long enough to steal a kiss as they passed under it. The sky was so blue it matched her eyes, thought Mike. Snow sighed dreamily as she nuzzled against him. The mare was as gentle as her Prince, she thought, as they seemed to float through the snow effortlessly. With one hand holding the reins, Mike put his other arm around Snow as they both felt warm snuggling close together. Snow had been practicing her Christmas carols and thought of a perfect one for the moment, "Come on, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you. Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, let’s go. Let’s look at the show. We’re gliding in a wonderland of snow. Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, it’s grand, just holding your hand. We’re riding along to the song of a wintry fairyland. Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we. We’re snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be. Let’s take the road before us and sing a chorus or two. Come on it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you." Mike joined in her singing as the happy couple continued through the Willows’ winter wonderland

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 Chapter Thirty Four– "Christmastime in the Willows"

With Christmas just a few days away, the excitement was in the air for the Willows. Snow had just about finished her gifts for Mike. All that was left on her scented picture for his collection was the framing. After letting her mixture of dried flowers, leaves, pine cones, and such sit for a while to soak up the scent being sprinkled with her honeysuckle perfume, the arrangement was ready to place. Hiding herself away in the barn loft for a while, she set out her design. Finally she was satisfied. Mixed with a lovely array of laces and ribbons, the picture no doubt contained her signature. Coupled with a new hand sewn apron embroidered with ‘Kiss the Cook’ across the front, she would give the two gifts to Mike on Christmas day. "Kiss the cook, " Snow laughed as she pondered Stevie’s idea for an apron. Leaving the barn smelling of horses and honeysuckle, Snow had hidden her gifts away carefully in the corner behind the spare hay bails. "Hi Yvonne!" Snow hailed her friend. "Hi Snow! I was about to get some fresh air in the woods. Care to join me?" "I never pass up the opportunity to take a walk in the woods—especially with a good friend." The ladies happily kicked at the soft snow as they walked and spoke of the plans for Christmas when they spotted something in the snow ahead. Either it was the most square tree trunk they’d ever seen, or it was another mysterious crate of supplies. Sure enough, there in the snow was the wooden box structure they had come to be so familiar with. "We should go and get the men." Snow and Yvonne returned with Duncan, Dinger, Nigel, and Mike. Karen, Kahlua and their newest friend Natalie also followed close behind to see the new supplies. Dinger pried the lid off with his pocketknife. Inside, they found different types of winter clothing. Included were festive colored coats, hats, and sweaters. Sweaters—lovely things those are, thought Snow with a glance at Mike. Also in the crate were red garments with white fur, like Santa’s helpers, perhaps. "How cute! Christmas costumes!" Yvonne picked up a couple of Santa hats with jingle bells. Snow held up a short red velvet mini-dress lined with white fur. Mike eyed it with much approval, "Perfect, my darling." Snow smirked, "But it’s too short for my tastes—you know that!" "It would be lovely on you Snow. Remember the fairy princess dress?" Snow smiled with remembrance to their first kiss that night, "But it would be awfully cold." Mike grabbed her and pulled her in close to him, "Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm." Nigel shook his head and said with a slight tone of jealousy, "We could find a crate of dead puppies, and you two would still find some reason to snuggle about it!" Snow turned to Nigel as she put her hands on her hips, "That’s not true, Nigel! You know I’d be terribly upset at a crate full of dead anything!" "Sure," came Nigel’s reply as he winked at Kahlua. "Jenn will like to rummage through these materials when she returns, " Karen remarked as she lifted some remnants of material from the box. Snow looked on eagerly hoping to see some white materials or laces for her to make a new wedding dress. She really wanted it to be special. She tried to hide her disappointment, as there was nothing in this shipment suitable for a wedding gown. Almost as if Mike could read her mind, he smiled as he thought of her mother’s beautiful gown he had hid in the storeroom.

"Are they done yet?" as Stevie poked his head into the kitchen for the tenth time to see if the gingerbread house walls were done yet. "Not yet. Give them another five minutes or so to cool down a little." Stevie sat back down at the table and continued to fidget with the trimmings for the houses. Stevie slapped Thomas’ hand as he reached for a handful of candy from the pile. "Oi! You’re eatin’ the house!" "Well, I feel hungry enough to eat a house, anyway. When’s dinner? Or are we eating these houses for dinner?" as Killion popped some of the candy into his mouth. Karen deterred Dinger from taking some of the candy as well, "No. We’ll be eating shortly. The pot of stew is on the stove. Stevie just wanted to get the candy paste on the house walls so they can be hardening during dinner. "Here we go." Mike brought out a tray of partially cooled gingerbread house walls for Stevie and whoever else to start putting together. Snow and Yvonne helped Stevie put the walls together while Karen and Kahlua set the other half of the table for dinner till they were done so they could finish setting the rest of the table. After dinner, the houses were to be decorated. Stevie suggested a ‘contest’ to see whose house was the best. There were teams of two people to decorate each house. Stevie teamed up with Thomas if he promised not to eat their trimmings. Everyone said Mike and Snow would win due to Mike’s experience in making his cinnamon stick log cabins. They might have, except for when Jenn’s cat decided to chase Tweety right through the middle of their house, leaving it in shambles. "Oh well," began Snow, "now it looks like my tree house, huh?" Everyone laughed as Mike kissed her hand admiring her for not taking their losing the contest seriously. The winner ended up being a tie between Kahlua and Ritchie’s house and Yvonne and Duncan’s. "Does that mean that winner ‘eats’ all!" Dinger chuckled at his own joke as Karen pointed out, "No you already ate it all!" referring to the fact that more of their house trimmings ended up in his stomach than on their house. Duncan and Yvonne had been sitting by the fire to make their house and it had gotten a little soft. Duncan took it outside to let it harden up a bit. Snow followed him. "Duncan, can I speak with you?" "Certainly." Snow bit her lower lip trying to think of the best way to start, "Would you—give me away at my wedding, Duncan?" Duncan was momentarily taken aback by her request. He then smiled and took her hand, "Of course, Snow. It would be an honor." Snow smiled, "Thank you, Duncan. I’ve always looked up to you. I also think you play the flute so beautifully. I want to sing Mike a song at the wedding, and I wondered if you would play for me?" "That will be very nice for Mike, Snow. I would be happy to play for you." She added, "Of course, it’s a surprise, so…" "We can rehearse in the woods where he can’t hear us." Duncan assured her. "Thank you Duncan." Snow hugged him and they shared a brief smile of admiration before going back inside.

The ladies were sorting through the clothing from the crate in the woods in Karen’s cabin that night. "Snow, did you want this red dress?" asked Yvonne as she held up the short red Santa dress. "Well, it’s so short. I—" "But Mike really liked it, I think. You know, even though it would be after Christmas, you could still wear it as say a ‘honeymoon’ item, right?" Kahlua smirked. Karen grabbed the dress, "Nah! Lord, there are much better things to wear for a honeymoon! Check this out!" She pulled a small black and red ‘teddy’ out of her drawer. "Here was something we pulled out of the crates this past summer. Never been worn. How about it?" All eyes were on Snow as she realized Karen was talking to her, "You don’t mean that for ME do you?" Kahlua handed her the garment, "Why not? It’s the first wedding in the Willows! Talk about makin’ history." "Or makin’ something else," spouted Natalie. "You girls, don’t embarrass Snow!" Yvonne tried to defend their innocent victim. Snow nervously set the outfit on the bed next to her and stammered, "I—I don’t think it’s me, really." Karen whirled around to Snow as if a thought had just come to her, "You don’t even know what to do, do you? Oh, you poor thing! You’ll be a nervous wreck on your wedding night! Well, don’t you worry about a thing. We ladies will clue you in on everything you need to know." Snow tried to offer, "No really, that’s not necessary. I’m sure that I can—" "Nonsense! That’s what friends are for, right ladies?" Kahlua gave an optimistic ‘right’ although Yvonne said nothing, as she could sense Snow’s uneasiness. Natalie appeared to be bored out of her mind, but managed to throw in her two cents anyway, "Yeah, and I’m sure ol’ ‘chubby Mikey’ ain’t going to want ‘Miss Innocent’ forever. It may be nice at first, but it would get old pretty fast." Snow was still frowning somewhat about the ‘chubby Mikey’ remark." Karen and Kahlua made different suggestions to her about ‘activities’ for a honeymoon and how Snow could ‘instigate’ them. Snow did not deem them very appropriate for her at all, but listened politely. "Then, from there it’s all up to you. So what’s the first thing you’re going to do?" Snow looked at Karen then looked at the others and shrugged. Karen shook her head, "OK, this is going to be harder than I thought. Have a sit." With Kahlua putting in her say, she and Karen both proceeded to ask Snow different questions and introduce different topics and ideas on specifically ‘what to do’ on a honeymoon night. Even though Snow wasn’t completely ignorant to the process of having children, the issues that were brought up were making her feel terribly uncomfortable. And then finally, almost as if someone had read Snow’s mind beneath her completely crimson face, there was a knock at Karen’s door. When Karen answered it, they all giggled—all but Snow. There in the doorway stood a baffled Mike, "What’s so funny?" Karen smirked, "Nothing, except that we were just talking about you!" "Really? What about?" Snow jumped up as if someone had lit a fire under her seat, "Let’s go Mike!" She grabbed Mike’s hand and pulled him out the door. "Is everything alright?" he asked while trying to keep his arm in the socket. They came into his cabin, upon which Snow immediately turned around to head back outside, "I’ll be just a minute. I need some air." Mike followed her, "Are you alright, love? Your face is so red? Are you sick?" She wouldn’t look directly at him. "No, I’m just a bit warm is all." Mike took his hand and moved her face to look at him. He could always tell when there was something the matter with his Princess. "What is it, love? I can see there is something wrong." Snow sighed, "No, not wrong—well not really. It’s just—well the girls were talking and—" Snow trailed off and shook her head. "And?" "They were giving me advice. They were just trying to help, you know. But I’m just such a child, see," Snow was frustrated with herself. "I can’t even listen without being embarrassed. I’m such a foolish little girl." Mike was curious, almost knowing the answer, "What kind of advice?" Snow sighed again, trying to think of how to put it. Looking away again, she managed in broken segments, "About the wedding—well, after the wedding, actually. They wanted to make sure I knew, well, what to---do. I’m glad you arrived when you did. They were saying things like…oh, I’m just such a child!" Mike lifted her face once again until her eyes met his, "Snow, you’re not a child. Your innocence is one of the things I love most about you. I don’t want you to worry about any of this, or what they talked about. On New Year’s Day you will be my wife and we will figure the rest out from there…the two of us together, just us. OK?" He brushed his hand against her cheek and she smiled. Mike always had this magical way of making her feel better no matter what. No wonder she loved him so much. Mike kissed her on the forehead, "I have an idea. Let’s go practice our song for Christmas, eh? Then maybe we can have a few dances to some of the other carols. Shall we?" He offered Snow his arm and she smiled with a thought, "Sounds good, ‘Mikey’." Mike stopped, being taken aback, "Mikey?" "Yeah. I heard one of the ladies say it—I thought it was cute." "Which lady?" "I’ll never tell!" "Oh you won’t?" "No!" "Then I’ll just have to force it out of you!" He began tickling her as he pushed her back into the cabin. She squealed as he shut the door behind him with his foot.

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After a superb Christmas Eve feast, Snow happily volunteered to help Mike with the dishes whether it was their turn or not as she quietly practiced her song for the next day. Once the dishes were done, Duncan had everyone sit and get quiet for the traditional reading of the first Christmas. The reading was done out of none other than the Bible itself. He closed with a lovely prayer of ‘thankfulness to God for precious gifts’ whilst everyone nodded ‘amen’ in agreement. After a short time of reminiscing in past Christmas memories, Snow announced that she and Stevie had a surprise for everyone. She had found a book of old poetry on Mike’s bookshelf, and she and Stevie had decided to do their rendition of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’. Everyone noticed that Stevie had disappeared for a short while, no doubt to get ready for their little performance. Snow with the book in her hand, turned toward the back bedroom and called out, "Stevie, come on dear it’s time for bed. You want to be asleep before Santa comes!" Bounding into the main room he came. Dressed in red long-john pajamas from head to toe complete with a Santa hat and jingle bell, Stevie happily bounced over to his ‘mom’, "Oi, Ma, I can’t sleep! It’s Christmas Eve!" Snow patted his head, "Well, what about a story? Would that help?" "His eyes lit up, "Oi, yes Ma! I’m sure I’d be able ta asleep, then!" Stevie plopped down on the floor in his natural child-like way, pulled his knees into his chest and awaited the story with eagerness. Snow sat down in a nearby chair and opened the poetry book, "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring--not even a mouse." Stevie’s eyes filled with curiosity as he gave a puzzled look, "What does a mouse stir, Ma? Cheese soup?" Snow chuckled, "Yes, dear. That sounds about right." She continued with an excitement in her voice as though she were reading to a small child, "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." Stevie suddenly jumped up on his knees and gave an excited tone, "I got mine! Me stocking--I pu’ it on me bed!" Snow lowered her book, "Why did you do that? Santa can’t put presents in your stocking unless it’s hanging on the fireplace." "But I wanted him ta come in my room so’s I can see wha’ he looks like." "Stevie, we have to hang it on the fireplace. I’ll put it back as soon as the story is finished." Stevie sat back down on the floor with obvious disappointment as Snow continued, "The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads." Stevie again jumped up, "Oi, no not sugar plums, Ma—gingerbread! I like gingerbread—like the gingerbread house Pa made!" "OK, dear—I suppose the writer wouldn’t be too terribly upset if we said ‘gingerbread’ instead. While visions of ‘gingerbread’ danced in their heads." Stevie wore a large grin at this. His face bore excitement at each word of the story Snow uttered, as though he were really hearing it for the first time. The audience was impressed by his imitation, although it wasn’t hard for them to imagine what Stevie was like as a young boy. "And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter's nap." Stevie reached up and tapped Snow on the knee, "Ma, what’s a kerchief?" "A kerchief is a scarf or hat one wears to be to keep their head warm while they sleep." "Oi, OK." "When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash." Again, Stevie tapped Snow on the knee, "Ma, what’s a sash?" "The sash is another name for the window itself—the wood and glass part." "Oi, so they jus’ stuck it in there so it would rhyme wit’ ‘flash’, huh?" Snow nodded and laughed, "Yes, probably. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below." Snow looked up from the book a second as if she were expecting him to ask what all that meant. But she found him simply watching her smiling, eager for the next part. "When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, with a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick." Stevie blurted out, "Ma, why does Santa have so many different names? Santa Claus, St. Nick, Kris Kringle?" Snow thought for a moment, then offered, "Well, children in different parts of the world know him by different names in different languages. I would guess that through the years, some of those names would have crossed over into different cultures, thus giving the different names of Santa." Stevie nodded, accepting her theory, "Oi, OK." Snow turned the page, "More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name—‘Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the—" The boy interrupted, "Ma! You forgot Rudolph! Rudolph leads the whole sleigh!" Snow shook her head, "Dear, they didn’t put Rudolph in here." Stevie wore a horrified look, "They didn’t!! ‘ow could they forget abou’ Rudolph?" Snow assured him, "I’m sure they’d never forget Rudolph. Maybe he was sick in bed that year. Hmmm?" Stevie regained his smile, "Oh, yeah! OK." Snow smiled back then continued, "To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Now dash away, dash away, dash away all! As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys and St. Nicholas too." Steve tapped his Ma on the knee once again and gave an almost pleading look, "Does Santa ‘ave a rockin’ ‘orse for me in his sleigh, Ma?" "Hmmm…I don’t know, dear. I guess we’ll have to find out." She patted his hand. "And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my hand and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound." Stevie jumped up and headed over to the fireplace frowning, "Down the chimney with a bound? Did he hurt himself, Ma?" Snow laughed, "No, dear. He does that all the time. I don’t think he hurt himself." Stevie’s frown turned to that of relief as he came back and down at his mother’s feet. "He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler—" Stevie interrupted, "A bundle o’ toys on his back? He couldn’t fit a rockin’ ‘orse in there, could he?" "You’d be surprised at just what Santa can do, dear," as she put her finger under his chin. "A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples-- how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow." Stevie spouted out quickly, "But you said he was covered in soot a moment ago, Ma!" "Stevie dear, we’ll never get this story finished. I’m just telling you what is written. Maybe the soot missed his beard." Stevie nodded in agreement. "The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself. A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. And laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod—" Snow stopped upon seeing Stevie proceed to put his finger in his nose, "Stevie, get your finger out of your nose. I said ASIDE of his nose, not IN IT!" Stevie snickered and put his hand down. "And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose. He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle. And away they all flew like the down of a thistle." Stevie tapped his Ma on the knee, "What’s a thist—" Snow interrupted, "Shhhh. We’re almost done. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, ‘Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!’" Stevie clapped his hands, "Yea! Good story Ma! Another! " Snow closed the book, "No, you have to get to sleep, now, so Santa can pay us a visit. I’ll put your stocking back on the fireplace. You get to bed now, dear." Stevie rose and started to leave the room, then turned back to his mother, "Ma?" "Yes, dear?" "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas, Stevie."

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"Christmas morning is my favorite time of the year!" Snow cooed as everyone gathered around the fire after breakfast and began exchanging their gifts. Mike smiled at Snow as she told him of one of her most memorable Christmas mornings with her father. Stevie began hugging everyone in thanks for his gifts as Mike walked over to the table. No one had even noticed that the dining table was different, as it was covered with a tablecloth. The breakfast dishes had been cleared and the table was empty, so Mike proceeded to pull the cloth off the table. Underneath was a new table, handcrafted by the men once they had finished the sleigh. The table had a hollow that sunk in about four inches. Inside the hollow was a perfect tiny replica of the Willows covered with a large plate of glass across the length of the table. Each cabin, each tree, even the supplies around the woodshop was perfectly detailed matching their own homestead village. Over in the corner was even a pile of rubble where Snow’s tree house had been blown down by the blizzard. Stevie was fascinated by the scene, "Wow! If we was real tiny, we could jus’ jump in there an’ live!" Ivanhoe agreed, "Great job, Mike! It looks really good." Mike got a lot of compliments on his craftiness. Travis added with a smile, "Yeah, it just about makes up for the cat destroying your gingerbread house, doesn’t it?" Kahlua gave a quick glance to Jenn’s little kitty, wondering if she would be naughty again. Snow came up behind Mike and hugged him as she whispered, "It’s beautiful. You’re so good with your hands." Natalie who is quite good at eavesdropping had to stifle a laugh with her hand as Mike turned to hug Snow, "Thank you, Princess." He glared in Natalie’s direction, silently warning her not to make a comment. Snow reached down and pulled out of her bag two presents, one wrapped in a scarf and the other in a colorfully hand-decorated box. Mike unwrapped the scarf to reveal a new apron with the words "Kiss the Cook" embroidered on it. "Great! Now I will have an extra when one is dirty—which seems to be all the time! Thank you Snow. If I put it on now, would you do as it says?" As he slipped his arms around her waist, Snow smiled teasingly, "Well, I don’t think Kahlua would appreciate that too much. She cooked breakfast this morning." "Drat! She did, didn’t she? Well, just remember to visit me in the kitchen once in a while when I AM cooking!" Snow picked up the box and presented it to him, "Here you go." "Another?" "Well, the apron was sort of an afterthought." Mike opened the box, releasing the aroma of honeysuckle, "Mmmm. This smells like you, love." He pulled out the framed picture carefully and inspected it. His face shown a proud delight as he saw all of the careful details its artist had placed upon it. He looked at Snow and smiled proudly as he touched her face, "It’s beautiful Princess. It will be the prize of my collection." Snow smiled shyly and bit her lower lip as Mike hugged her. Would now be a good time for his gift, thought Mike? With everyone in the hut, it’s no wonder that everyone was stunned to hear a knock at the door. They all looked at the door in amazement. Only Mike even attempted to answer it, as he knew who it must be. "Ben! Come on in, man! Glad you could make it." "Ben!" Snow squealed as she ran over to the door. She hugged her little friend almost picking him up off the floor. Mike addressed the wondering crowd, "Everyone, this is Ben. I spoke to some of the men, and they said it would be alright to invite our new friend over for Christmas for a while. He will be marrying Snow and I on New Year’s day." Around the room there were many hello’s and welcome’s and handshakes. Even with some being a little hesitant of the new small visitor, the overall atmosphere was a welcoming one. "I made Max stay home, because I know how most of you probably feel about wolves, here." Karen’s ears perked up, "Yes, that brings up a good question. By the way, I’m Karen. Good to finally meet ya. I’m curious Ben, how have you faired recently with all of the attacks in the woods, lately? I know that you are probably out there quite often." She threw a hard glance at Dinger who smiled politely back. "Well, you know, that’s a funny thing. I haven’t had much of a problem, myself. I always have Max with me. Maybe it wards them off. Of course I’m not sure why, since there is only one of him and several in the wolf pack from what I understand." Ivanhoe blurted, "Well, it sounds like we could use a ‘Max’ of our own. You don’t think your dog would want to breed, do you?" Ben smiled, "Well, maybe. He’s a male, ain’t he?" The chuckles went around the room as Snow looked at him blankly. Ben remembered, "Hey, I gotta bring in all my stuff off the cart. Hang on a second." "What? Is he movin’ in?" Dinger asked critically, as he sniffed through a congested nose. Ben came back into the hut pulling a small wagon piled with two crates. He pointed to each one, "This one is for the ladies, and this one is for the men." The men took the crates off the cart and pried the tops off. Nigel smiled hopefully, "Oi! Is this—" "Ale! Homemade ale!" Ben shouted. "It’s really good and you know I’m not an ale drinker!" offered Snow with a suspicious look at her from Mike. "When did you drink ale at Ben’s?" Snow simply smiled and batted her eyelashes. In the girls’ box, Karen and Kahlua began to pull out beautifully carved wooden hinged boxes adorned with jewels from the mine. Yvonne sighed, "Oh, Ben these are lovely! How nice of you to think of us!" Kahlua took an extra one for Jenn, "Yes, thank you Ben!" Natalie took the last one out of the box, "Oh great. Well, I’m the ‘newbie’ so I guess I don’t get one." Ben waved it toward her, "Oh, no—that one is yours. I have something else for Snow, you see." Snow watched him curiously as he took the covered large flat object from the crate. He set it on the floor in front of her. "This has been hidden away in the mine for many years. I think it should be returned to its rightful owner. At this point in time, I think that would be you." He uncovered the portrait painting of the king and queen—Snow’s parents. In a gasp and a sob, Snow’s knees went limp and she collapsed to the floor. She put her hand over her mouth as her tears began to flow down her face, then reached out to carefully touch the painting. The room was so quiet, the only sound in the hut was Snow’s happy whimpers. She smiled big through her tears and reached out to hug Ben, "Thank you so much, Ben. You don’t know how much this means to me. I remember seeing this painting in the main hall of the castle. I used to just sit and look at it for hours as I thought of my mother. I was only six when she died, so I only have a few memories of her. But the ones I have, I cherish in my heart. Seeing this painting again—well, it’s like I have a piece of her back with me. I didn’t have anything of hers, until now. Thank you." Snow sat and held Ben’s hands in hers. "I didn’t know you were coming. I don’t have anything to give you." Ben waved it off, "Nah! You don’t have to give me anything, Snow! I just appreciate having you as my friend. That’s enough for me." Snow hugged him once more, thinking of what special thing she could do for him between now and her wedding. While the others continued to exchange their gifts from under the large Christmas tree, Mike went to the storeroom to retrieve his special gift. Snow sat on the floor with Ben as they talked a little about the upcoming wedding. Natalie purposefully sat amongst the men, laughing and teasing with them as she occasionally flipped her long hair. Kahlua sat near the fire with Ritchie who was feeling better from his recent ‘escapades’ with a beehive. The cool egg nog felt good to him going down. Karen preferred to sit and talk with Ivanhoe, Duncan and Yvonne than to risk engaging in a possible dangerous conversation with Dinger. Ribold, who was keeping a constant eye on the door, appeared sadly distracted. No one had to ask why. Jenn was supposed to back for Christmas, and yet there was no sign of her. Duncan pleaded to Ribold that they should not begin worrying yet, when Ribold threatened to start out looking for her that morning. Needless to say, Ribold wasn’t much for conversation that day. Just as Snow began to look around wondering where Mike had gone off to, she looked behind her to see him standing over her with a large bundle wrapped with colored paper and tied with a bow. Karen spotted him and yelled out, "Oi! Is that for Snow? I saw it in the storeroom and wondered who the lucky recipient was!" Snow was too surprised at the appearance of the gift to even squeal. She simply pointed at herself, "Me?" Mike set the gift in front of her. "I’m not marrying anyone else in this room." She carefully untied the bow and unwrapped the paper. Mike hadn’t told anyone of he and Ben’s journey into the mirror. He was a little concerned about Dinger’s possible reaction to the idea, but decided he’d just deal with it later. Snow unfolded the paper and gasped at the sight. "A wedding gown!" Snow squealed as she held up the dress. She wanted so badly to find some materials to make a dress for New Years Day that was extra special. In looking at the dress, she couldn’t imagine ever making a dress as lovely as this. Funny, but its appearance had a certain familiarity to it. She kissed Mike on the cheek, "Mike, this the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen! Where did you find such a beautiful dress?" Ben casually stood up and went to stand over by the painting. He tapped his fingers on the frame, but Snow didn’t take the hint. Mike smiled as she stood up to hold the dress up to her. "It looks like it would be a perfect fit, Princess. Does it not look familiar at all?" "As a matter of fact it does. Isn’t that funny? Where did you get it?" Ben, unable to contain himself, pointed at the painting, "Here! This is why it looks familiar, Snow. Look!" Snow looked at the portrait and then back at the dress. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she realized the similarity, "That’s it! It’s exactly like it--my mother! How did you find a dress like my mother’s?" Ben finished it for him, "That’s just it. It’s not like your mother’s…it IS your mother’s! Pitiful creature here begged me to go with him on this ridiculous ‘crusade’ if you will through that blasted mirror, risking witches and dungeons so he can find that dress in the portrait. Well, I’ll just let him tell you about it sometime. But he was determined to get it. Nothing was going to change his mind—believe me I tried." Ben laughed as he told his tale, "I was foolish enough to go with him, ‘cause I couldn’t let him go alone. Talk about going to hell and back!" Snow had turned her gaze to Mike upon hearing the risk he took for her. Mike was smiling back at her. When the tears began to roll down her cheeks she looked back down at the gown in her arms. Mike approached her and whispered softly, "It was in a crate with some of her other dresses. I have them waiting for you at the house, Princess. Snow’s lip quivered as she touched the shiny pearls that curved into swirling designs on the front and brushed her fingers across the elegant lace on the large satin sleeves. She brought the dress to her face and cried happy sobs into its soft fabric. Mike grabbed her and hugged her while she hugged him back with her free arm. She reached around his neck pulling him into her kiss. Dinger was still taking Ben’s story into his thoughts as he coughed, "OK, I’d like to talk more about this ‘mirror trek’, but seeing as it’s Christmas, we’ll discuss it another time." As if Snow had just remembered that everyone else was in the room, she pulled out of their kiss and simply smiled at Mike through her tears and whispered, her voice still quivering, "Thank you, my Prince. This is the most wonderful gift ever." As Snow put away her gown to keep it clean, Duncan addressed the group, "How about some Christmas carols?" Duncan had his flute while Mike had brought his guitar. The group engaged in singing popular Christmas carols. Some of the men weren’t familiar with many of them, but seemed to manage nonetheless. Snow, of course, had been practicing the carols and she proudly sung each one. Mike whispered something to Duncan and he set down his flute, "Snow, Mike says that you have a surprise for all of us?" Snow gave an accusing glance to her fiancée as he smiled and prepared to start their song. With the complimentary background of Mike’s guitar, Snow sang a lovely rendition of her new favorite Christmas carol, ‘O Holy Night’. Afterwards, Ben smiled and stood to start toward the door, "That was beautiful, Snow. I didn’t know you could sing like that. I’m glad I stayed to hear it. But I’d better be off and leave you all to your celebration. I don’t want to leave Max alone too long, especially on a holiday. Thank you so much for inviting me to your village on Christmas. I had a wonderful time." Ben began shaking hands and hugging the villagers. "Thank you for the wonderful painting Ben, and thank you especially for looking after my fiancée in his quest for my wedding gown," she smirked and looked at Mike. "It was very brave and generous of you." Snow hugged Ben and kissed him on the cheek. He grabbed his now empty wagon and waved everyone his good-bye’s.

Stevie sat by the Christmas tree fidgeting with a puzzle Nigel had given him from one of his journeys abroad. Ritchie looked at Kahlua and managed to muster the words to ask her on a sleigh ride. She heartily accepted. Natalie stood as she flipped her long hair and gave a flirtatious glance back at the men she’d been swapping stories with, "Well, I think I’ll go prepare a tray of Mike’s homemade cookies for everyone." Then with a gleam of an ulterior motive in her eye, "Anyone want to help me?" "I will!" came three voices in unison as Nigel, Raif and Travis all jumped up to follow Natalie to the kitchen like little lost puppies. Dinger came over and sat with Karen, Duncan and Yvonne—perhaps just to be next to Karen more than to engage in any conversation. Karen hardly acknowledged his presence. Ribold sat quietly alone sipping some of the ale Ben had brought. He hadn’t even noticed if Ben’s ale was all that good or not. His thoughts were somewhere else altogether this Christmas. Snow watched Ribold with concern, her thoughts turning to Jenn and what might she be doing at that moment. Mike sat down beside her near the fire and pulled her up close to him. Snow looked up at him and smiled as they both looked at the painting. "What was your mother’s name, Snow?" asked Yvonne. "Elizabeth." Upon hearing the name, Thomas looked up from his widdling, then drifted into fond memories of past Christmas’ with his wife, Elizabeth and son, Thomas he involuntarily left behind. Softly, Snow began singing as she looked into the fire, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire," as Mike joined in, "Jack Frost nipping at your nose." Then Karen, Duncan and Yvonne jumped in, "Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimos." Soon, just about everyone was singing casually. With an elbow to the ribs, Yvonne even got ‘Scrooge’ Dinger to join in, congestion and all. Ribold decided to get into better spirits and finally started singing as well. After the close of the song, "…merry Christmas to you…" Stevie as Tiny Tim beamed his usual happy tone, "God bless us everyone!"

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"Perfect!" Snow held up the dress that was once her fairy princess costume from All Hallow’s Eve. She had made her own special alterations to the dress to create her own outfit for her honeymoon. No offense to the ladies, but she wanted to create her own atmosphere--one more her style. She had removed the wing apparatus and the ruffle at the bottom, replenishing its original shorter length. She left the extra cascading straps on the sleeves that she had added. They gave the dress a more elegant look. She also left the top sheer white chiffon layer intact that was split up the middle, but decided to take some of the ladies’ advice and added a daring touch to the gown. On the white satin negligee layer underneath, she cut it up the front as well and instead added a lace-up design tied with a silken ribbon. Just looking at the gown made Snow a little nervous in her anticipation of what was to come, so she put the competed honeymoon outfit away and climbed down out of the barn loft. She smiled at 24Carrots, "I know you think I hide up there in the loft quite a lot, don’t you? Well, I couldn’t let Mike see what I was making. It’s going to be a surprise. Have you been given any treats lately?" She turned to Nugget and then to Thorn, "What about you? You all look so sad today. I’ll go get you some treats!" She approached the kitchen just as Mike was leaving, "Fancy meeting you here! I was just on my way home," as he grabbed her up in his arms, "I just couldn’t stand to be away from my Princess any longer." Snow giggled as she slightly wriggled in his grasp, "I was just coming to get some treats for the horses." "Whoa! I don’t think so. Those naughty things! Did they give you those sad eyes with the ‘please give us a treat’ look? I just took them some a little while ago. I’ll tell you who needs a treat right now beautiful--is ME! Would you be willing to give me that treat instead of the horses?" Snow smirked, "Well, do you like carrots?" "They began walking back to Mike’s cabin hand in hand, "Actually, I think I’ll take a kiss over a carrot. Can you spare one?" "Hmmm…I’ll have to see what I can come up with." Upon entering the cabin, Mike sat down in the rocker by the fire and pulled Snow onto his lap. "How about that treat, Princess?" Snow put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Then she laid her head against his neck and peered over at the painting of her mother and father. Mike was looking at the portrait, too. "I dreamt of my mother last night. She was beautiful just like in the painting, but what was wonderful was that she here in the Willows helping me get ready for the wedding. I wish it were true and that she were here." Mike listened to her thoughtfully, rubbing her arms as Snow traced the designs in his sweater with her fingertips, "My only memories of her are when I was six years old. Actually, I remember her quite well. I think I’ve kept her alive in my dreams. We used to sing together all the time, especially before bedtime." Tears began to well up in her eyes, "When she became ill for that last time, I would come and crawl into bed with her and sing songs with her. That last night she sang so softly. I sang softly too, so that I could hear her voice. I must have fallen asleep with her, because the next thing I knew, Daddy was waking me and telling me that she was asleep. But what he meant was that she was asleep forever." She lowered her head as tears dropped in her lap and on Mike’s chest. Mike brushed his hand next to her cheek and through her hair, "I’m sorry, sweetheart." Even through her tears, she continued her story, "Daddy acted so strangely when she died—like he had this mission or purpose to fulfill. I remember that all I wanted was for him to hold me, to be there for me. But he left. He was gone for a long time. The staff told me he went on some kind of quest or journey, like he was searching for something. It was very dangerous because he insisted upon going alone—no guards to protect him. I never understood it. No one ever knew what he was looking for. It was as though the purpose of his quest were a huge secret. He returned home a year later, broken and deeply saddened for a long time. But when he returned, he spent a lot of time with me. We started doing everything together. It was like from that day forward, we were inseparable." She smiled through her misty eyes, "When he returned, he said I was of age to have the family crest. That’s when he gave this to me." She touched the crest pinned to her dress. Mike turned it gently toward him so he could have a better look. He noticed what looked like a part was missing from the top, as if a piece were broken off. As he rubbed the rough edge of it, Snow offered, "I noticed that too. It’s been that way ever since my father gave it to me. I never said anything to him since it isn’t that noticeable and since he never mentioned it, himself. Maybe it happened before he gave it to me. It never really mattered. It’s still beautiful and it was from my father. And now thanks to you," she put her face close to Mike’s and rubbed his nose with hers, "I also have something of my mother’s—something very special. Thank you." She moved her lips in to kiss him. He put his arms around her on his lap, pulling her towards him and deepening their kiss. Then suddenly, to Snow’s surprise, he stopped. He lifted her off of his lap and stood up, "You know what darling? We have lots of plans to make! What do you say we go up to the kitchen, and see about what kind of dinner we can plan for the reception on New Years Day? And I know you have lots to talk about with the ladies regarding dresses and such. Let’s plan to meet up at the hut in about an hour. How does that sound?" Snow smiled a puzzled smile as she didn’t quite know what to make of Mike’s sudden change in moods, "Well alright. I’ll see you in a little bit, then." Slightly confused, Snow left the cabin, but not before she grabbed a package she had been meaning to take out of the cabin with her. Mike collapsed onto his bed with a sigh, "Argh! Why do men’s hormones have to run so rampant? Mike, you fool! Remind yourself next time NOT to let her sit on your lap!" He laid there for a few minutes to let the rest of his ‘hormones’ calm down a bit.

"Well, the woods will already have a lovely white blanket of snow with sparkling crystal icicles all over the trees. We would only need perhaps a splash of color for contrast," thought Kahlua as the ladies sat in she and Yvonne’s cabin making plans for the first ever wedding in Waddington Willows. "Poinsettias! Red poinsettias! I absolutely adore them! I know where to find them, too!" squealed Snow. Kahlua smiled and nodded in agreement, "Red will make an excellent contrast with the white woods atmosphere." Natalie was tossing wood chips into a wastebasket across the room. Her eyes never left her aim, "Don’t use too many. It’ll look like something bled all over the wedding—like someone was murdered." "Doncha even say things like that! You’ll jinx such a happy event!" No one had noticed the door open and Jenn standing in the doorway. "Jenn! I have something for you!" Snow bounded over and handed her a package wrapped in colorful paper. "I didn’t get a chance to give it to you before now. It’s sort of like a late Christmas present." Jenn smiled and took the gift, "Well, seein’ as I got back afta Christmas, I guess all mah gifts’d be late, huh?" She began to unwrap the package as Snow continued, "Once again, it’s so good to have you back! I thought about you a lot while you were gone." Jenn pulled out the old book of spells, "Wow! Would ya look at that! Where in th’ world did ya find somethin’ like this, Snow?" "Well, that isn’t important, really. But I will tell you that it’s authentic, so be careful of what’s in there. I knew that someone with your knowledge and background would appreciate it, and perhaps be able to use it more than anyone else in the village." Jenn smiled and side glanced Snow, "Hmmm…so now ya think I’m a witch, huh?" Snow’s smile vanished, "No! I was definitely not trying to imply that you were—" "I’m jus’ kiddin’, Snow!" She gave her a light nudge with her arm and Snow’s smile returned. Natalie managed to pry her eyes away from her enticing game of wood chip basketball to peer over at the book. She squinted at the book in Jennifer’s hand reading the title out loud, as she sat up wheeling her legs off of Yvonne’s bed, "Book of Spells, huh? That sounds interesting. Can I see it?" Jenn looked over at Natalie with suspicion, "Nah! I’d bettah jus’ go put this away somewhere. I wouldn’t wan’ it ta fall inta th’ wrong hands. I’ll be right back." Natalie uttered something under her breath that no one could understand as she pitched a wood chip at the door just as Jennifer had closed it behind her. Yvonne tried to get the wedding discussion back on track again, "So what will we be wearing?" Snow looked back at Yvonne and then remembered what they were talking about, "Oh, yes. Well, I ‘d rather you all wear what you want to wear. I think that having lots of different colors will really spruce up the occasion." Snow giggled, "There certainly are enough groomsmen for all of you, aren’t there?" Natalie whipped her long dark hair back as she tossed up a wood chip and caught it in the air, "If you don’t mind Snow, I’d rather not be in the wedding if it’s alright with you. I’ve never been into ‘frilly’ occasions—especially weddings." Karen frowned at her, "Being kind of a spoil sport aren’t ya there Nat? What’s the matter, you mad ‘cause you’re not the one getting hitched?" "Don’t be stupid—I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon, maybe never!" She stood and tossed the rest of her wood chips at the direction of the wastebasket, missing it entirely, "Now if you’ll excuse me, all this ‘frilly’ talk just isn’t my cup of tea. Frankly, it’s boring as hell!" As she stormed out the door, the ladies could hear a heap of snow plummet off the roof and hit the ground from the force of the door slamming. Almost immediately, Jenn walked in the door and closed it much more gently, "What’s into her? She jus’ ‘bout knock’d me ovah!" Kahlua shook her head, "She’s just in a mood," then she looked at Snow, "Believe me dear, your wedding will be much better without Natalie!" Snow gave half a smile, "It’s alright. It’s a free village after all, right? I don’t want anyone to do something they really don’t want to do." Snow hesitated as she peered around the room cautiously, "Would anyone else rather not be in the wedding, either?" Around the room came a round of various ‘of course’, ‘don’t be silly’, ‘wouldn’t miss it’. Karen put her hand on Snow’s shoulder, "Don’t let anything spoil this time for you, Snow—not Natalie, not the weather—nothing. This will be the happiest day of your life." Kahlua added, "We are honored that we’re able to share it with you, Snow." Jenn came and hugged her, "I’m glad I got back in time for th’ weddin’, Snow. And thanks again for th’ book, too. Now, what was it that we’re wearin’ again?" Just then, an idea shimmered in Yvonne’s eyes, "Jenn, do you still have your green velvet dress?"

As the ladies made their plans at Yvonne’s and Kahlua’s, Mike was talking to the men in the main hut, "I would assume that there will be five bridesmaids, so I’ll need five groomsmen. You know that I consider all of you like brothers to me--I could never pick just five. So, in that case, I’m of the opinion that the groomsmen should depend on the ladies’ escorts. Therefore, I think we should let them decide who they would like to escort them in the wedding." Ritchie answered frankly, "Well, then that just leaves one. We know whom all the ladies will choose, except for Natalie." "I won’t be involved in the wedding," Natalie was just coming in the door and closed it gently. Stevie was taking the ornaments off the Christmas tree and packing them away. He turned to look at Natalie, "Ya won’t? Why not?" She sat down in a lounge chair and said almost in a pouting tone, "I wasn’t invited to be in it, I suppose." Stevie picked another ornament off the tree, "Oi, I know Snow’d invite ya! She probably thinks you already knew it, in fact." Natalie whisked her hair behind her, "Perhaps she just forgot about me." Stevie continued to smile at her, "Nah! We’ll jus’ ask ‘er for ya. Won’t we guys?" Natalie spouted firmly, "Well, it doesn’t matter if the oversight was on purpose or not. I wouldn’t be in it now if she paid me!" Ritchie just shrugged her off, "Well then, it looks like there will be four groomsmen, and I guess then it’s pretty much decided who they are." Nigel removed his pipe, "Oh and how can you be so sure of whom the ladies will choose? Maybe they will surprise you." Stevie had picked his own ornament of the universe off of the tree and was fidgeting with it, "Oi, no. It’s pre’y obvious who’s gonna pick who, ya know. Yvonne will pick Duncan, Kahlua will pick Ritchie, Karen will pick Dinger, and Jennifer will pick Ribold," as Ribold smiled gently to himself. Nigel gave a smirk, "We don’t know that for a fact. What if Kahlua picks me, for example?" Ritchie glared at Nigel, "I don’t know what you’re smoking in that pipe of yours these days Ravens, but it’s fixin’ to go up right in your--" "All right…" Duncan interrupted, "Mike is the groom here, and he has stated that the ladies will choose, so that’s what will happen."

"So you want us to pick who the groomsmen are by who we’d rather be escorted by? Why?" Karen turned from Mike and gave a puzzled look to Snow who smiled and shrugged, "Choosing the groomsmen is Mike’s part." Mike offered, "I can’t choose from amongst my brothers, so I thought that should be left up to you bridesmaids. Jenn, who was standing next to Ribold, smiled as he began running his fingers up and down her back, "Well, I guess I’ll have no problem wit’ that. Ribold here is mah escort, o’course." Yvonne leaned over and whispered something in Duncan’s ear as he was sitting in a high back chair sipping hot tea. He smiled and nodded. Yvonne looked shyly at Mike and signaled to him her groomsman by patting Duncan on the shoulder. Ritchie looked at Kahlua who looked up and around the hut as though she were waiting on something. He looked at her, eagerly awaiting her say something. She cleared her throat loudly then looked at him, "Well?" "Well what?" She smirked, "Don’t you want to ask me if you could be my groomsman?" Just then Nigel took a few steps in her direction, "I’d be more than happy to. Kahlua, would you—" "Don’t even think about it, Ravens! You just trace your steps back over to that wall!" He turned to Kahlua, "May I be your escort groomsman, Kahlua?" She smiled and whispered, "Of course." He in turn kissed her hand. Travis had been on his turn in the kitchen and came in to see what was up. He looked over at the girl in the corner with a glimmer of hope, "What about you, Natalie?" She sat in silence a moment until Snow sadly offered, Natalie has chosen to not be in the wedding. But that’s OK, really." All of the men looked at her. Stunned at the sudden attention and also embarrassed at being caught in what some might consider a ‘lie’, she snapped at them, "Well, being a bridesmaid just isn’t my style. That’s all!" And she turned away from all of them. This whole time Dinger is looking at Karen and she is looking back with a very unusual stare. She then proceeds to march right over to the Christmas tree, "Stevie, would you like…" then she threw a glance over to a very worried looking Dinger before finishing, "…some help taking down the Christmas tree, Stevie?" Then, to her satisfaction, after hearing a sigh of relief emerse from Dinger, she called out to Mike over her shoulder, "Oh yeah…Well Mike, I guess you can go ahead and put Dinger down for my groomsman." She glanced over at Dinger who glared back at her with a look that screamed, ‘I’ll get you for that!’

"Are you sure you don’t want one of those ‘bachelor parties’ tonight, Mike?" Nigel asked with a smirk. "No, but thank you anyway. I think I’ll need to get to bed at a decent hour tonight, you know?" Nigel elbowed Raif, "Yeah, that’s because he’s gonna be up pretty late tomorrow night instead, eh Mike?" Mike waved them off as he noticed Snow coming over towards them, "OK, OK." Stevie looked at his watch, "Oi! Jus’ a lit’le over an hour till midnight and we’ll be ringin’ in the New Year!" Stevie wouldn’t let anyone forget how long it was until midnight. He must have thanked Jennifer at least twenty times for the wind-up wristwatch she brought back for him from her trip, amongst the many other things Jenn brought back to the village. Mike looked at Snow, "That means a little over an hour until our wedding day." Snow smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Jenn, who was standing nearby gasped, "Oh no! You two can’t ring in th’ New Year togethuh! It’s bad luck to see th’ bride on th’ day of the weddin’ before th’ ceremoneh!" Kahlua was sipping some cider on Ritchie’s lap, "I’m sure a few seconds to celebrate midnight won’t hurt." Jenn shook her head, "On th’ contrary, it could be disastrous! We’ll have ta take Snow to the guest cabin with Natalie for the night jus’ before midnight." Snow sadly looked at Mike, "Oh dear, I did so want to ring in the New Year with you." Natalie uttered something about being a babysitter when Karen glared at her. At about a quarter till twelve, Mike kissed Snow one last time and Natalie and Yvonne took her back to the guest cabin. Snow didn’t want the other ladies to miss ringing in the New Year with the men, so she insisted that Kahlua, Jenn and Karen stay at the hut. They stopped by Mike and Snow’s cabin so she could grab her overnight bag. The ladies didn’t notice Snow throw in one extra item before bounding out the door. When they returned to Natalie’s guest cabin, Snow excused herself to the restroom, while Yvonne had a quick word with Natalie, "I know you’re not thrilled to be staying with Snow, but tomorrow is her wedding day. Please be nice to her, just for this one night so her day will be special tomorrow, OK?" Natalie rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. Yvonne thought it was awfully quiet coming from the restroom. She knocked on the door, "Snow? Are you alright?" There was no answer. She tried the door and it wasn’t locked. "Snow?" Upon entering, Snow was nowhere to be found. She and Natalie turned and started back to the hut right away. On the far wall of the bathroom, the cold breeze was gently blowing through the open window.

"Oi!" Stevie once again looked down at his watch, "Jus’ ‘bout two minutes, now!" Ritchie raised his mug, "I think we all need full mugs before midnight so we can toast to the New Year!" Mike headed toward the kitchen, "Excellent idea! I’ll go bring the cider jug." Mike bounded through the door and grabbed the jug. Just as he turned to leave, he felt two arms slip around his waist, "I told you I was going to ring in the New Year with my Prince!" Mike whirled around to see his Princess standing before him. Her appearance was altered by a feather facemask…the very mask that she wore on all Hallow’s Eve when the ladies had made their initial entrance into the hut. "See, I’m not breaking any rules. You can’t really see me, now can you?" Mike put his arms around her, "No, you’re right. I can’t." He could still see the blue in her eyes, though…and of course the mask did not obstruct her lips. They heard the others count down from ten, but Mike couldn’t wait any longer. As the hut exploded in the next room, "Three, two, one—Happy New Year!" Mike was already kissing his Princess.

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‘It’s a perfect day for a wedding!’ Snow thought as she stepped onto the porch of the guest cabin. She wrapped her black cloak around her as she snickered at the way she had sneaked back to the hut to ring in the New Year with Mike the night before. At least Natalie and Yvonne made it back to the hut in time for the countdown so Duncan could kiss Yvonne…if he did, that is. When Jennifer found Mike and Snow together in the kitchen, she tried to scold Snow but could only laugh when she saw her in the feather mask. Mike pulled Snow in for one more kiss before the ladies whisked her away back to the guest cabin for the night. Snow thought she’d never fall asleep thinking of all the plans for the next day. Natalie was still sound asleep when the other ladies found Snow on the porch. Jenn put her hands on her hips, "Wha’ are ya doin’? Mike could see ya sittin’ out here! Ya gotta go inside!" The ladies brought with them all of the adornments that Snow would need…shell combs and white flowers for her hair, white lace-up boots, her bouquet handmade by Yvonne, and of course her mother’s wedding gown. Karen laced up her boots, while Yvonne was still fidgeting with the bouquet and Kahlua was pressing last minute wrinkles out of the dress. Jenn was trying to intertwine white flowers and combs in Snow’s curled cascading up-do, "Hold still! I can’t get these combs in your hair if you’re movin’ ‘round!" Natalie finally stirred out of her deep sleep, "What’s all the fuss about?" Karen frowned in her direction, "It’s Snow’s wedding day, remember?" She stretched and yawned as she sat on the edge of the bed, "Oh, yeah. I forgot. I just got to bed kind of late." Yvonne plucked and replaced a flower in the bouquet, "Well, if you hadn’t been out till the wee hours of the night with Raif, maybe you wouldn’t be so tired. Or was it Nigel?" "Well I certainly don’t have to tell any of you who I was with last night….and who is to say that I was with anyone." Kahlua set down the iron and flipped the dress out, "To be honest Nat, we really don’t care what you do! Here you are, Snow…fresh as a daisy!" Snow smiled and whispered, "I love daisies." Karen began to count off of her fingers, "OK…We’ve got something old—your mother’s dress, something new—the combs that Jenn brought back from her trip, something borrowed—Yvonne’s white lace-up boots…oh, dear—we have nothing blue!" Natalie uncaringly added, "Well, her eyes are blue—that’s enough." "No! That doesn’t count!" snapped Karen as Natalie rolled her eyes. "I could wear a feather in my hair. I’m sure there are a few stray blue feathers in Tweety’s bed. I could just run back over to the cabin and…" Jenn interrupted, "An’ see Mike…oh no ya don’t! I see where this is goin’! One of us will go ovah there." Yvonne volunteered to go and get the feather.

"Hold still, Mike! I can’t tie this with you fidgeting around like that." Duncan and the other men were helping Mike get ready for his wedding day in the main hut. "Have we forgotten anything? I feel like we’ve forgotten something." Thomas patted his shoulder, "It’s just your nerves, Mike. Believe me I’ve been there. They’ll pass." He remembered back, "As soon as you see your bride in her long white gown coming toward you looking so beautiful…trust me, you’ll forget you were ever nervous. That’s how it was with me." Mike smiled at Tom when it hit him, "The ring! She was going to give it to me for the ceremony! I have to have it!" Duncan waved his hand, "Never fear, man. I’ll get it from her when I go to pick her up." "And what about Ben? Shouldn’t he be here by now? God, I’ve got to sit down!" Mike was trembling as he sat in the nearest chair he could find. Dinger rested his hand on Mike’s shoulder, "Geez man, get a grip. We’re talkin’ ‘bout Snow ‘ere, your Snow…not Venus ‘erself!" Mike lifted his face from his hands and looked at Dinger in all seriousness, as he whispered, "But Dinger, Snow IS Venus…to me." To Mike’s relief, Ben walked into the hut, "Sorry I’m late. I had to drop off a little something first. How’s the groom doing?" Ritchie threw Mike a worried look, "Well, if he could get his nerves under control, I think he’d be all right." Ben walked over to Mike’s chair and patted his knee, "Wow! You don’t look so good Mike. In fact, you look a little…green!" "What!" Edward yelled as he bounded over and grabbed Mike’s face in his hands, "Oh thank God! I thought you said his eyes were green!" Mike started waving Edward away from him, "Let go of me, Eddy! Have you lost your mind?" "Sorry, Mike. I had to check." The dwarf reiterated, "I said HE looked green, not that his EYES looked green!" Stevie looked at his new watch, "Well, it looks like it’s ‘bout time ta go. Doncha think?" Mike breathed out a heavy breath, "Oh, boy!" Ribold patted him on the back as he helped him up, "Don’t worry mate. Someday, you’ll probably be helping one of us through this same experience." Mike motioned for his cup, "Let me just have one more sip of tea before we go." Ribold handed him the mug, "Why don’t you take it with you. It’s not that far to the wedding clearing in the woods, but you might want it, anyway." Duncan put on his military black hat, "Well, I’m off to fetch the bride. I’ll see you all there."

Duncan met up with Yvonne and invited her for a ride to the guest cabin in the sleigh on his way to pick up Snow. "You look lovely, Yvonne." She smiled, "Thank you, Duncan." They arrived at the cabin to find all of the ladies ready to go. Duncan offered, "The men are on their way to the woods." The ladies bid their good-byes to Snow and Duncan as they made their way to the clearing. Duncan was to bring Snow to the wedding in the sleigh and then give her away. Yvonne suggested that since Duncan was to give the bride away, that she would be willing to be escorted by another groomsman. She instead chose Ivanhoe to be her groomsman escort under the circumstances. Duncan and Snow waited at the cabin a few moments to rehearse her song for Mike, and then they were off in the sleigh.

The wedding clearing in the woods was beautiful…just like a dream. The white blanket of snow that covered the ground shimmered in the sunlight. The contrast of the red poinsettias that the ladies had picked and placed in the clearing yesterday was perfect against the white icy background. The groomsmen looked very handsome dressed in their best and the ladies were breathtaking. At Yvonne’s suggestion, together they quickly whipped up bridesmaid dresses out of crushed velvet material. They used Jennifer’s dress as a model. Jennifer helped the others in making theirs, as she already had hers. Snow had mentioned to them that different colors would be a lovely compliment to the wedding. Jenn wore her green dress from All Hallow’s Eve, Karen adorned a dress of an aqua blue color, Kahlua’s was a deep red like the poinsettias, and Yvonne displayed a gown of royal purple. The breeze in the air was not too cold or gusty for the wedding day. It truly was a perfect day. As the sleigh pulled up, Snow rubbed the gold ring for Mike in her fingers then casually handed it to Duncan. Ben had dropped the ring off for her just before going to meet the men in the main hut. He made it for Snow to give Mike. Once again, she thought, she had to think of something special to do for Ben. Duncan’s red British military uniform complimented the red poinsettias as he helped Snow out of the sleigh. Mike watched his Princess bride from across the clearing as he beamed with pride. Her shiny dark hair was piled high on top of her head as lovely ringlet curls cascaded down the up-do, which was topped by a tiny blue feather. Two ringlet curls were left hanging on either side to kiss the sides of her face. As Duncan helped her out of the sleigh, the full white gown fell about her legs. Mike had to admire the perfect fit of the dress. The hourglass cut of the bodice modeled to Snow’s figure perfectly, heightening her beauty that day. The top of the bodice below the neckline was in a scallop cut trimmed in pearls. Pinned to the center was her family crest brooch. The sleeves were large white puffs at the shoulder, then scaling down to a tighter fit along the forearm into a scallop cut trimmed in pearls along the wrist line. She carried a bouquet of poinsettias interlaced with the same tiny white flowers that adorned her hairstyle. As she walked towards him, Mike noticed how each tiny pearl seemed to glisten in the sunlight as his eyes followed their swirling pattern down the front of her dress. The happiness in her eyes twinkled, as she smiled at her Prince drawing nearer to him with each step she and Duncan took. They passed the groomsmen and bridesmaids who’d been escorted accordingly. Travis was snapping pictures with the Polaroid camera that Jennifer brought back with her from her trip. As they reached the front of the ceremony, Snow handed her bouquet to Yvonne, while Duncan handed Snow to Mike, giving a friendly wink to Yvonne. Mike and Snow looked in each other’s eyes lovingly as Ben prepared to preside over the vows. The men had prepared a few stacked crates covered with white material for Ben to stand on so that he could be at eye level to marry the happy couple. After saying a few loving words about how much Mike and Snow were meant for each other, Ben asked that if there was anyone who had reasons that the couple should not be married, that they speak now or forever hold their peace. No one said a word, although Karen glanced over at Natalie with suspicion, to find her yawning in sheer boredom. Benjamin then called for the rings. Duncan stepped up and handed Snow and Mike their respective rings for each other. Snow smiled gently, as Mike looked surprised to see that she had a ring for him. They repeated their vows after Ben. Snow had been sure that she wouldn’t be able to keep from crying during the vows…and she was right. Mike’s ring was also a perfect fit as Snow put the gold band on his finger. He felt the soft skin on her hands brushed with the pearls and lace of her cuff line. When Ben had come to the end of the ceremony, he announced them as ‘husband and wife’. Snow let out a happy laugh in combination with her tears. Ben concluded the ceremony with the part everyone waits for, "You may now kiss the bride!" Mike was happy to oblige him. The couple put their arms around each other and indulged in a soft but meaningful kiss…their first as husband and wife. They parted to the sound of everyone clapping and cheering and the click of a Polaroid camera for a final shot. The ladies exchanged hugs and the men gave Mike pats on the back and ‘congratulations’ as they shook hands. Ben closed his Bible, "All right, so it’s back to the village for the reception dinner!" Mike picked up Snow as she let out a squeal and carried her to the sleigh. The couple would take the sleigh back to the village after a ride over the countryside to give the others time to get the reception ready. As they rode out of sight, the ladies waved good-bye at the couple. Jenn looked over at Yvonne holding Snow’s bouquet, "Ya know, ya gotta hang onto that so Snow can throw it at the reception, latuh!"

Snow turned back to Mike after waving good-bye at the ladies, "I can’t believe it…we’re really husband and wife." Mike touched her face, "Mmhmm." She bit her lower lip and asked in almost a nervous tone, "So what do we do now?" He smiled and whispered, "It’s up to you. The world is yours, Princess…and so am I." Snow noticed that same cluster of mistletoe in the tree up ahead. Mike glanced at where Snow was looking and slowed down their sleigh. He put his arm around her shoulder and with his other hand took hers, "Snow, I want you to know that just because we’re married now, it doesn’t mean our courtship is over. From here, our lives will just get better as our relationship grows stronger each day. From this day forward, I pledge my life to you Princess. For you are my wife that I shall love and cherish from this day forward…" Snow completed his vow with tears in her eyes, "…for as long as we both shall live." And so the first married couple of Waddington Willows kissed under the mistletoe.

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"That’s a fine-looking wedding cake, Kahlua!" as Ritchie admired her masterpiece. Yvonne was preparing the floral centerpiece as Karen and Stevie were just finishing setting the table. Jennifer tasted the jambalaya she had prepared for the reception dinner, "Jus’ like a good ‘ol fashioned N’ahlins feast!" Bartolome rubbed his back, "Argh! I wished I’d used my legs instead of me back when I was lifting that double bed! I thought we’d never squeeze it through Mike’s cabin door!" Stevie put down a few more plates, "Oi, are they gonna be surprised when they see th’ weddin’ gift ya fellas made ‘em!" Natalie sat sipping on reception punch, as she dared not lift a finger in the preparations, "Oh, Snow will be surprised, all right! Wish I could be there to see it!" Karen turned to her scowling, "Ya know, you could have been helping us all this time!" Nat smiled wickedly, "What’s to do? It’s all done, now! And what about him?" She motioned toward the tiny dwarf. Karen looked at Ben and then back at Natalie, "He’s a guest…you’re not. Besides, he’s already done his part of the wedding. Lovely job, by the way Ben." "Thanks, " Ben replied, then gave an annoyed side glance at Natalie. Stevie peered out the window upon hearing a horse outside, "Oi! They’re ‘ere!" Stevie opened the door to see Mike helping Snow out of the sleigh in her long wedding gown. He took her hand and they entered the hut. ‘Congratulations’ once again were flying and hugs and handshakes were exchanged. Everyone sat down for a wedding feast. Snow requested to wear Mike’s apron so she could be careful not to get anything on her mother’s wedding dress. The conversation at dinner ranged from weddings of some of the other men in the Willows, to wedding fashion, to more about Jenn’s trip home. After dinner, the wedding couple was toasted to with Ben’s homemade ale—toasts like ‘to love and happiness’ and ‘good health and long life’. When Nigel stood and toasted to ‘a healthy sex life’, Snow almost dropped her glass as she blushed violently. Mike cleared his throat to change the subject, "Kahlua, your cake is beautiful! I’ll bet it tastes good, too." The couple cut the cake together and then fed it to one another, as tradition would call. Mike refused to smash the cake in Snow’s face despite the urgings of Dinger and Travis. They then shared glasses of ale just before Karen’s suggestion, "The bride and groom have to have the first dance, ya know. It’s tradition!" Ritchie put in a CD for the couple to dance to. Mike took Snow in his arms when she noticed, "This is the first song we danced to in the barn, on our first date." Mike simply smiled, as he had requested this song to Ritchie. As Snow moved dreamily in Mike’s arms, he thought, ‘now my Princess is finally my wife, too’. Soon the others moved in to dance as well. After a few dances, Snow took Mike’s hand and led him to the front as she gave Duncan a nod. "I’ve asked Duncan to play for me while I sing a song that I wrote for my new husband." Snow had written a lovely ballot whose melody was soothing and her voice shone brightly through it. She promised herself she could get through her emotionally worded song with out crying, and that she did this time. It was Mike who found himself in tears at the song’s conclusion. He silently mouthed the words ‘I love you’ and then hugged his new wife. Upon parting, Snow found that is was her turn to brush the tears from Mike’s cheeks as she smiled and gazed into his eyes. Mike took one of her hands from his face and kissed it. Dinger, in seeing their actions, handed something to Stevie and gave him a little nudge towards the couple. "We thought ya might want this for yer cabin…at leas’ for a li’tle while, right?" Stevie handed the object to Mike, and upon seeing what it was he couldn’t help but laugh, especially coming from Stevie. He held up for everyone to see, a small sign that read ‘Do Not Disturb!’ Once again, Snow found herself blushing as she turned away. Travis added, "Yeah, wait till you get home. You’ll see our ‘wedding gift’ waiting for you. We put it in your cabin!" Now, Snow was almost afraid to go home. What would be waiting for them at the house? Mike grinned as he crossed his fingers that it was what he was thinking it was. Since it was getting late, the couple bid their good-byes and grabbed some of Ben’s ale to take with them. Snow was quite fond of that stuff. She knelt down to Ben, "Thank you for marrying us, Ben." She kissed him on the cheek. "You’ve no idea how much this means to us." Ben smiled, "You two just do me a favor and live happily ever after, OK?" Mike took Snow’s arm in his, "We plan to do just that, Ben. Thanks again." "Wait!"screamed Jenn. "Ya gotta throw the bouquet, Snow! It’s tradition!" "Oh, sure!" Yvonne brought Snow’s bouquet over to her. Snow turned to face the door and threw the bouquet up and over her shoulder. It sailed through the air almost hitting the ceiling. All eyes were on the bouquet at that point. As it drifted down, it was coming down in Natalie’s direction, who wasn’t even trying for it until she saw the other ladies begin lunging towards her. At which point, she reached up to catch it, but her arm was knocked aside by Jenn who grabbed the floral cluster, but at the same time, so did Kahlua, splitting the poor bouquet in two. Flowers went everywhere. Dinger brushed a flower off his shoulder, "You ladies are animals! It’s a blasted bunch o’ flowers, for God’s sake!" Stevie looked over at the dining table, "Oi! An’ ya almost took out Mike’s village replica, there, ya did!" Jenn and Kahlua giggled as they looked at one another’s ‘pieces’ of the bouquet. Kahlua quickly offered, "Well, I just didn’t want Natalie to catch it…that’s all! She’s so against weddings and all." Jenn added, "Yeah, me too...that was it exactly!" Natalie folded her arms, "I’m not against weddings! Stop putting words in my mouth!" Snow giggled and shook her head as Mike took her hand and bid their last farewell, "Thanks again for everything! It was a beautiful wedding." Natalie got that wicked smile of hers back, "So Snow, I guess the next time we see you, you won’t be a…" Duncan quickly jumped up and put his hand over Natalie’s mouth so that she couldn’t finish her sentence, "Goodbye!" he waved with the other hand.

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"Wait!" exclaimed Mike, just as Snow was about to open the door to the cabin. She gave him a puzzled look. He reached down and picked her up in his arms and she laughed. "All right, now you can open the door, love." Snow turned the handle and Mike carried her over the threshold and into their new life together as husband and wife. He set her down and then grabbed their things from outside before shutting the door. As they both turned toward the back of the room, they spotted it. There was the wedding present the men had made for them…a double bed covered with a lovely quilted comforter. Mike smiled, knowing how hard his good friends had worked on the gift, even to get it into the house. Snow bit her lip and smiled, "Well, I guess you won’t have to sleep on the floor any longer." She suddenly felt the nervousness begin that she had so hoped would not haunt her with its presence. Mike could see her uneasiness beginning, "Are you alright, love? Would you like anything?" Snow smiled, trying to hide any uneasy feelings, "How about we have a toast. We brought some of Ben’s ale with us, right?" Mike smiled and nodded, "Yes. That sounds perfect." Snow hoped that Mike wouldn’t see through to her true motive of calming her nerves with the ale. Even so, Mike did indeed know why Snow wanted the ale. He was trying to think of something, anything that he could do to help calm her fears. This was the happiest day of a girl’s life…his precious bride, his Princess. He didn’t want to see her in any way unhappy. He knew that she loved him, but he also knew of her sincere innocence…that innocence that he fell in love with. He almost wondered if he should dare to take that away. "Here we go, Princess." He handed her a mug with the ale. He thought perhaps it would help to take the new ‘bed’ out of her thoughts and offered, "Shall we sit by the fire? The men were so thoughtful to make one for us, weren’t they?" Snow gave a sweet smile but distracted tone, "Yes, most definitely." She hesitated as she looked down at her mother’s gown, "Oh dear, I don’t want to—" Mike read her actions that she was afraid she would spill the drink on her gown and took the mug and set it on the table behind him. He said innocently, "I’ll wait if you’d like to change." Snow thought, ‘Yes, I’ll just change…NO!’ Then Snow remembered the outfit she had made to change into, her altered fairy princess costume. Her nerves suddenly reached new heights, as Mike could read the expression on her face. That’s when he thought to himself, ‘Mike, you idiot! Now she thinks you’re trying to rush things!’ He quickly tried to salvage the moment, "But, then again you don’t have to change. The ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron you made me is right over there. I just washed it." Snow’s mind was racing, as if she were fighting within her own self. Snow thought to herself that she was no longer Mike’s bride, but now instead his wife. She had to put away childish fears and be the woman that Mike needed…that he deserved. She told herself, ‘Snow, you march right into that bathroom and put on the outfit that you made for this very occasion!’ She swallowed, "No, Mike. I really should hang up this dress. It’s very precious to me." She fought within herself to stand up and slowly picked up her overnight bag. As Mike watched her struggle with her feelings, he jumped up and grabbed a bathrobe out of his drawer, "Here, Princess. I don’t want you to be cold." She smiled thankfully and took the robe as she retired into the bathroom. As Mike sat by the fire, he thought how the both of them were hiding their true meanings with idle excuses…’ale for a toast’, ‘changing just to hang up the dress’, ‘giving her a robe so she won’t be cold’. Mike knew that all of these weren’t the truth. ‘You can’t base the beginning of a marriage on this, man!’ he scolded himself. He knew of her fears and he didn’t want her to feel this way. He loved her. He would never rush her. They had their whole lives together and they would have plenty of time. Sitting by the fire, Mike had grown warm and removed his groom’s jacket and tie, as he thought about what he could do to comfort his Princess. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. Out she stepped, slowly. She was wearing his robe, which was all he could tell at the moment. She walked over to the fire and sat on her knees beside him. She smiled gently, "How about that toast?" Mike took his mug and handed hers to her. He thought for a moment then offered, "To…honesty." She looked up at him for a second then touched his mug with hers. As he sipped the ale, he was shocked to see Snow down hers in about one gulp and a half. He took her mug as he set them both on the table. Slowly, he began, "OK…" Snow looked at the mug and then at him, "Another?" He smiled and shook his head, "No darling. I really think we need to talk." Snow gulped, "Talk?" "Yes, Princess. I know what you’re trying to do." He took her hands in his, "Snow…my precious bride, I love you with all of my heart and the last thing I want is for you to feel scared or uncomfortable. We have our whole lives together and I’m not going to rush this one night…this first night. I don’t want you to think you must drown your fears with ale in order to feel comfortable. Let me make you comfortable. If I have to wait an eternity, I will…as long as it takes until you are ready. OK, Princess?" The tear that Snow was trying desperately to hold back came streaming down her cheek, "Mike, I feel like such a fool. I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to be a scared little girl anymore. I am your wife, and I want to act as such. So, what’s wrong with me? Why do I have to be like this?" Snow lowered her head, "Perhaps you should have chosen someone who were not such a child." Mike took his hand and lifted her head, "I don’t want anyone else. I want you, Princess. I fell in love with you for who you are…innocence and all. That’s one of the things I love most about you." Snow shook her head, "But then, why must I carry it to such extremes?" Mike laughed, "Because that’s who you are. And that’s who I fell in love with." Snow involuntarily glanced over at the new bed. Mike brought her gaze back to him with his fingertips to her chin, "You know, the most common use for a bed is actually for sleeping. That’s all…until you are ready, sweetheart." He kept her gaze for a moment then leaned his forehead onto hers and closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth of her skin. He opened his eyes when she pulled away. Snow swallowed hard and slowly stood to her feet. As she untied the belt on her robe, her eyes never left his. Gently, she allowed the robe to slip off of her shoulders and glide down to the floor. Mike recognized the garment as having been Snow’s fairy princess dress from All Hallows Eve…the night he fell in love with her. The new alterations Snow had made took his breath away. She had taken the bottom ruffle off the negligee displaying more of her lovely silken legs…more than he’d ever seen before. Along the top, were still the lace straps she had added that draped elegantly down her shoulders. Underneath the split sheer chiffon top layer, she had slit the satin up the front and then re-laced it with a satin ribbon, gently exposing her cleavage in the center. Snow tried to hide the quiver in her voice, "But I am ready." The gown’s pure white daintiness complimented her deep blue eyes as she looked at him for approval. Tearing his gaze away from the gown, Mike could read in her eyes that she wanted to be ready, but heard in her voice that perhaps she wasn’t. He took her hands in his and gently brought her back to her knees on the rug before him, "Snow, you’re breathtaking…and I could just look at you all night and be happy." He toyed with one of the ringlet curls by her face with his fingers, her cascading curled up-do still fully intact. He brushed the side of her face with his hand, then traced her skin down her neck, across her shoulder and white straps, and gently down her arm to her hand. He rubbed her fingers with his, brushing across her diamond ring. Snow looked into his warm eyes and melted in his gentle smile. It was no wonder why she loved him so much…someone who could be so loving and patient as Mike. Surely, there was no one else like him in all of the world. She leaned in and hugged him around his neck, squeezing him tightly. He hugged her back, pulling her onto his lap so he could cradle her in his arms and try and calm her fears. Mike began to caress her arms and her back, feeling the softness of her skin and satin. Snow nuzzled her face into his neck and toyed with the buttons on his shirt, unbuttoning two of them so she could kiss his neck. At which point, Mike now regretted pulling her onto his lap fearing that his sudden arousal would frighten her. Snow simply looked up as she realized what was happening. She smiled and bit her lip to stifle a giggle. Mike looked into her eyes wantonly, as he hoped that she would not become nervous and ‘hop’ away. He wanted her so badly, but he would rather they stay just as they were, rather than have his Princess frightened. But Snow did not ‘hop’ away. She wanted him, too. She just did not know what she could do to overcome her foolish fears. What was she afraid of? She gazed into his eyes, feeling the butterflies in her stomach and the tingling in her soul. She made the conscious effort to allow the tingling to consume her as she leaned in and kissed her Prince gently but passionately. She took Mike’s hand and guided it gently under her negligee and around her waist. Never parting from their kiss, Mike slowly picked up his Princess and carried her to their new bed…their new life together.

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