House of Cards Series # 3 One Shots (QoS, KoH)

Feliz Navidad

Instead of spending money buying assorted gifts for Christmas, one year the James family and the Vega family both bought a pass to the best ski resort for Christmas. They rented a chalet and were spending a week enjoying the marvels of nature.

And about four days into their ten day vacation, Alice had broken two toes of her foot and had a hairline fracture from dropping her ski boot on her bare foot. She wasn't the only adult out of commission, West had caught the flu and was miserably sick in the chalet. So the adults had decided to take it easy and were trusting the kids to take care of themselves. Nate was eighteen, Grace and Adri both fifteen now and they were at the age that they were dying for some freedom. So they were inordinately pleased with the chance to go out without chaperones.

So with much pestering and repeated cautions to be careful, Nate, Grace and Adri finally made their escape to the wonders of Mount St. Marie. The first few days of skiing had been with the necessary evil of instruction so they didn't accidentally kill themselves with ice and fibre glass. Nathaniel had been a natural, Grace was a disastor and Adri was in love with the cute instructor in training. He was sixteen and seemed as interested in the young beauty as she was in him. Nate didn't like it but he wanted to ski the harder hills and Adri was whining about wanting to stay with Jeremy. So with the understanding that after an hour they were to meet back up at the lift, Nate and Grace left Adri flirting with her crush.

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"No kids? Whatever should we do?" Alice asked with amusement in her voice. She was in pain and irritated at being chalet bound but having her friends around made it more tolerable. Maddison had poured out coffee and hot chocolate with generous portions of bailey's and khalua for some added warmth, Malcolm had found some action movies on the television and West was silently miserable on the couch, wrapped up in blankets and heavily medicated.

"I say we rob a bank." Maddison suggested, voice serious.

Without missing a beat Malcolm started to plan their sudden turn to villany. "We could always have Alice walk in and strip, she's a great distraction." he suggested and received a whack of a pillow from his wife.

"A**." Ace muttered, smiling. "Get away driver. If we're gonig to h*** I wanna drive." she claimed.

"Shotgun." West grumbled, sounding congested. "Literally and figuratively." he added after coughing.

"What do you want, pscyhopath with a gun or safe cracker?" Maddison asked Malcom, not seeming to have a preference.

"You're scarier than me, I'll take safe cracking." Mal smirked and got whacked with a pillow again.

"So what exactly are we going to use as our getaway car, the two vans? Not the most agile of escape choices." Ace pointed out, tapping her lip.

"We could always go boost something better." Mad suggesed, but Malcolm shook his head.

"No, too much effort." He grumbled, setting into the comfortable couch as Chronicles of Riddick came on.

"Alas, our plans are foiled by laziness." Maddison put her hand to her forehead dramatically.

"Loser." Ace teased and sipped her coffee.

####

"Ewww, he's got his tongue down her throat." Grace fake gagged, keeping her voice low as they spied through the bushes.

Grace and Nate had skied the harder hills and although Nate had been fantastic, Grace had spent the entire time so afraid she nearly peed herself. Although both her parents were quite althetic and graceful, Grace was anything but what her name suggested. She tripped over nothing, walked into corners, bashed things off tables etc... So skiing was a singular adrenaline inducing experience which her thrill seeking nature loved.