Remi-niscent

Chapter 19:

I have to chuckle at his enthusiasm, "Well that explains why it's so damn cold here even at the end of summer. But back on topic, that would be great if you could bring some over here."

Sam salutes, "Yesss sir!" Before bouncing excitedly over to Olivia and dragging her confused form into the trees behind him.

A few minutes later they return with a big armful of snow each. Dumping it on a spare tarp I'd pulled over as I was waiting for them to return, they brush themselves off shivering from the sudden shock of cold to their bodies. After thanking the two of them, Sam nods at me before pulling Olivia back over to the fire with him and then down onto his lap where she happily nestles herself into his arms. Grinning at the pair's love-struck behaviour, I get to work. Seeing that the salve has already been mostly absorbed by his skin, I begin to start pressing some of the clean fresh snow onto Jase's back, making sure that the entire area is covered with a thin layer. Once that's done, I then grab the spare cloth and lay it in the snow ready for the next change. The warmth of the fire radiating all the way over to where I'm sitting next to Jase I decide to stay where I am and leaning my back against a tree, I slide down till I'm sitting comfortably on the ground. 

Without meaning to, at some point I must have fallen asleep like that because I'm woken up, rudely startled out of my sleep the next morning to a snowball hitting me straight in the forehead, "What the heck!" I splutter in shock while wiping the snow off my face.

Cheerful giggling reaches my ears and after opening my eyes I glare in the direction it's coming from at whoever just threw the snowball at me. It's a cheekily grinning Olivia that pops up into my field of vision first as she's sitting down cross-legged on the ground in front of Sam and Logan who both are looking at me in amusement. Feeling more snow on top of my head that is now starting to melt, dripping onto my scalp and making me shiver at the odd sensation. As it just seems to stick even more by attempting to brush it out with my hands, I begin shaking my head like a dog which effectively makes the snow wildly fly out of my hair in all directions.

Reaching for the pile of snow that is conveniently located right beside me, I'm just about to jump to my feet to retaliate with a snowball of my own when suddenly a clump of loosely packed snow is shoved down the back of my shirt. And boy oh boy is it cold. An indignant squawk leaves my lips as my back arches in protest at the sudden drop of temperature and with a curse I start jumping up and down like crazy, trying in vain to shake the snow out of my clothes. Then I freeze. And no I don't mean figuratively, but I quite literally stop dead in my tracks. 

'Hold up. That's not possible. They're all sitting there. So who did that?' I think to myself. Spinning around so fast that I almost lose my balance, I come face to face with the little she devil herself. Remi. I almost have to pinch myself that the sight in front of me is real and not one that has just been conjured up by my sleep deprived mind. But while she still looks as pale as the snowball she holds at the ready in her hands and the only two spots of colour being the rosy pink of her flushed cheeks and tip of her nose, her grinning face is staring back at me full of laughter and mischief. 

The complete shock and confusion on my face must have been evident for all to see as she bursts out into fresh peal of laughter, "Your face!" She barely manages to choke out she's laughing so hard, "You look so adorably confused!"

Finally convinced that I'm not dreaming, I am finally able to stop just staring at her in disbelief like a complete moron, instead striding forward and pulling her into my arms, "You're back." I whisper quietly, pressing a small kiss to the corner of her forehead.

Like a puzzle piece slotting perfectly into place, she melts comfortably into my hold, "I was always here?" She whispers back.

I chuckle weakly at her confusion, "Not quite Remi. Not quite."