Wednesday, JV helped Rebecca bake more than a half-dozen pies. By the time they were done, they had two pumpkins, an apple, pecan, cherry, mincemeat, banana cream, coconut and a chocolate. At the end of the day, they were both exhausted. Their legs ached from being on their feet and when Steve and Nick offered to wash dishes after dinner, they gladly accepted. Sitting at the table, they sipped hot cocoa and watched. Nick dried the last of the dishes and put them away while Steve drained the sink.

"Want to play something?" Nick asked.

Rebecca looked at JV then back to him and asked, "What do you have in mind?" 

He paused a second, "I guess it depends on what everyone knows how to play." 

"Cards, board games, what?" JV wanted to know.

"Cards we have, board games are a little iffy. We have a few, but not much of a selection." 

"I can play cards." JV said, hesitant.

"Do you play Canasta?" Nick asked. 

JV made a face, "Sorry, never had an opportunity to learn."

"Actually, I don't know that one either." Rebecca put in.

"Me either." Steve put in.

Nick shook his head. "Where's the youth of this country going to, that no one knows how to play Canasta anymore?" 

Steve shot Nick an unhappy look, "Youth? Really?" He was several years older than the clan leader and everyone knew it.

"I can play Pinochle." Rebecca volunteered. 

"Me too." JV offered.

Steve nodded, "I probably learned the same place Jade did." 

"Why do you call her Jade?" Rebecca asked. 

"Because it's her name," Steve said. 

Rebecca scowled and looked back and forth between them, confused. 

JV couldn't take it anymore. "He's always insisted on calling me his shortened version of my given name. It started when I was little, maybe four or five. I'd done something to make my mom call me by my full name and as soon as he heard it, he quit using JV and started calling me Jade." She smiled slightly at the memory.

"Why JV?" Rebecca was even more confused. 

JV sighed and rolled her eyes, "Jaiden Victoria. My parents named me Jaiden Victoria. My grandfather dubbed me JV while I was still in the hospital, it stuck. I've been JV to everyone since; everyone but Steve." She sent him a fond look. 

Rebecca turned back to Steve. "So why Jade?"

Steve stood beside the island, watching JV as he answered his Karhyn, "Because I took one look at the grubby, grinning little girl running from my best friend's mom and I didn’t see the tomboy, instead, I got a glimpse of the woman she would be. Strong, confident and beautiful, JV didn't fit that, Jade did." 

JV looked back at him, a mystified smile on her face as she heard, for the first time, why he'd given her the nickname. 

"So, do you play pinochle, babe?" Rebecca asked Nick, continuing as if the discussion hadn't been side-tracked.

"It's been a while, but yes, I play pinochle." 

"All right," she rubbed her hands together, "who wants to play?" She looked around. 

JV shrugged, "As long as I don't have to stand, I'm in." 

Rebecca laughed, "I agree." 

"I'm in," Nick said. "It was my idea." 

Steve shrugged, "Why not?" 

"I'll get the cards." Rebecca jumped up and headed in the other room.

"I don't think we have a pinochle deck, better grab two." Nick called after her as he took three glasses and a mug from the cabinet. "Who wants something to drink?"

"What do you have in mind?" JV watched Steve fold the dishcloth on the edge of the sink then use the towel on his hands. Her eyes never left him as she spoke to the Khan.

"You’ve already had cocoa. I was thinking something with alcohol, but whatever you want is fine."

"Is there enough eggnog for me to have some tonight?" JV asked.

"I'm sure there is, and if not, oh well," Nick went to the refrigerator, pulled out a gallon jug and poured a little more than half a glass. "You want rum in it?" 

JV was quiet for a second, considering, "Why not?" 

He put the jug away and added a liberal amount if rum from a large bottle before going to the cabinet where Rebecca kept the spices and added a small sprinkling of nutmeg. Without asking, he poured a liberal amount of whiskey into the other two. He served JV the eggnog and handed Steve one of the whiskeys before heating water in the mug and making more cocoa in Rebecca's empty mug. 

Rebecca came back with the cards as Nick carried the cocoa and the other whiskey to the table.

"How do we want to do this? Men against women? Couples? Mixed couples?" Nick asked, before taking a seat. 

JV looked at Rebecca, who was already seated beside her at the small table. "What do you think?"

"Couples." Rebecca's voice was certain. She quickly separated the two decks to create a single deck for pinochle.

They played for nearly an hour before Rebecca plead exhaustion. "I'm done in guys, I can barely hold my eyes open and JV and I have to get up and start all over in the morning."

"I agree," JV stacked her cards neatly before passing them to Nick, who had dealt the last hand. 

Rebecca put the cards away on her way to bed, while Nick gathered up the glasses and mugs and put them in the sink.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning then," he left the room to catch up with his wife. 

JV turned to Steve, "I guess-" 

"Where's your coat?" Steve looked at the rack beside the back door.

"In my room." JV frowned, confused. 

"If you’d hang it next to the door with the rest of ‘em, you could grab it on your way out, even in a hurry, and I wouldn't have to worry about you freezing your butt off." 

JV scowled. 

Steve sighed, "Are you coming to my place tonight?" His voice was a little calmer.

JV looked surprised. "I'd like to, but I didn't want to assume-" 

He cut her off, "I sleep when you're there, and I don't when you're not. It’s the same for you."

"I'll get my coat," she turned away so he wouldn't see the grin that she couldn’t keep off her face. He hadn't just found her outside and allowed her to stay tonight. He was inviting her to spend the night in his cabin. "I'm ready," she said, returning to the kitchen.

"Is that the warmest coat you have?" He frowned at her.

JV looked down at the thin, cotton lined, denim jacket. "Yeah, I've been borrowing Rebecca's when I have to go outside, but I don't want to leave her without one."

Steve shook his head, "That's not enough for winter here. It'll do for short trips, but we'll have to see about getting you something warmer." 

JV wasn't concerned, she planned to order something warmer soon, she’d been waiting to see how things went. Now that he seemed to be softening she didn’t think it would be a waste of money. Waiting patiently while he pulled on his own gear JV then followed him outside and through the trees between the houses. 

The crisp scent of pine in the cold night was becoming familiar and comforting. Something moved to her left and JV froze, narrowing her eyes as she watched the spot, trying to identify the source of the movement. After a moment she spotted as small rabbit huddled in the snow. A small smile spread across her face as she continued along the path.

“What’s up?” Steve asked as she reached his side. 

“It's just a cottontail.” 

He nodded once and hurried toward the house. "Inside," he held the door open. Once inside, they both kicked off their snow-covered shoes. He added wood to the old-fashioned stove that kept the place warm, before taking off his coat and helping her tug hers off her arms. "It's a little cool in here, but it will warm up soon. In the meantime, I think I can keep you warm." He tugged her against him, sliding his arms around her body as he lowered his mouth to hers, taking possession of her mouth. He teased her at first, then deepened the kiss until she melted against him, leaning in, trying to get closer to him. 

Steve's arms tightened around her an instant before he straightened, lifting her as he went. 

"Come on, baby." He picked her up and carried her to the sofa, where he sat, pulling her onto his lap as he did. He placed his mouth on hers once more, just for a moment before he pulled away. 

"You fell asleep in the middle of the movie again last night. Do you want to find a new one or start this one again?" 

"Whatever you want," she covered a big yawn, "I probably won't last for the whole thing again anyway."

"How about we start it where you left off, what's the last thing you remember?"

She blinked, "I don't know. It wasn't long, maybe thirty minutes in?" 

"All right, I can work with that." He used the remote to navigate through the movie. 

"Stop," she said, "there, that's where I fell asleep." 

He hit play, wrapped one arm around her, where she still sat on his lap, and turned his attention to the screen.