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Lara had always loved snow days. When she was a kid, before her dad had died, they had their special little snow day routine together. Every winter morning, she'd rush to her bedroom window the second she awoke, quickly opening the curtains to look out at the ground below. If it was white, so began one of the best days. She'd rush downstairs and tell her dad what she'd seen outside, excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet- still in her pyjamas, of course, as in her excitement to tell her parents about the snow she'd discarded the thought of getting into her day clothes.
"It's snowing!" she'd tell him excitedly, tugging on his hand to urge him to finish his coffee and get up to see the snow. And every single time he indulged her. He'd give her a bright smile, drain his mug, and set it down before giving his daughter a playful contemplative glance.
"I bet you're playing a trick on me," he teased, shaking his head a little with a smile forming on his bright face.
Lara giggled and shook her head quickly. "No, Daddy, you gotta look! It really is snowing, I promise!" She dragged him to the nearest window to confirm that it was, in fact, snowing. In celebration, her dad turned around, scooped her up, and span her around until both were dizzy and breathless with laughter.
"It really is snowing, Sharon!" He'd inform his wife, who'd look up from her book to grin at her husband and daughter.
"Well, I think that calls for our snow day breakfast, doesn't it?" she'd hum happily- Lara's innocent joy was infectious, making everyone around her unable to hold back a smile. "Can you remember what it is, Frank?"
Her dad pretended to think for a second, before giving his response- always the same answer every time, and always the wrong one. "Hmm... I think it's strawberry waffles, isn't it Sharon?"
Lara giggled, shaking her head. "No, no! That's not right!" she insisted.
"Oh? It's not? What is our special snow day breakfast, then, little bug?"
"Chocolate pancakes, silly!" Lara 'reminded' him, though they all knew really. Her father would pretend to think about it for a second, then grin down at his daughter.]
"You know what, I think you might be right! So, how about you get making those pancakes with Mama, while I make our special treat?" He suggested- Lara instantly agreed, always happy to help her mom to cook. They'd make their snow day chocolate pancakes, while her father would start on something arguably more exciting- hot chocolate, of course with cream and marshmallows.
They'd sit together at the kitchen table, eating the pancakes and drinking the hot chocolate, and Lara always felt so safe and happy there at that moment.
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After the death of her father, Lara's mom tried her best to keep up the tradition, but it just didn't hold the magic that it used to, and before long it was decided by both that Lara was getting too old for it. But she promised herself that, if she ever had children of her own, she'd revive it for them. She couldn't not.
Lara swore that her children would always get to experience the magic that was her childhood snow days- and she did keep that promise. When she and her wife- a sweet brunette scientist by the name of Darcy- adopted twin girls, she knew that when they were old enough she had her chance to revive the snow day tradition.
And when the time came for the first snow day, it did seem that Lara herself was more excited about it all than either of her daughters. But passing years meant that the kids' excitement grew as they became fully invested in it- to the point where, if they woke up early, the girls would wake their parents too. Usually by jumping on the bed.
"It's snowing! Mama, Mom, it's snowing!" They announced in unison, giggling. Lara groaned softly, pretending to be upset by the wake-up call.
"Good morning to you too," she mumbled sleepily, reaching over to shake Darcy's shoulder to wake her. Lara's wife was a fairly deep sleeper, much more than Lara herself was, which she sometimes envied. But not on snow days- she wanted to savour every single moment of those.
Melody giggled, grabbing Lara's hand and pretending to try and pull her into a sitting position. Her sister Cassia instantly started trying to do the same to Darcy, who was just waking. Once they were both sat up, the girls joined hands to "share their strength"- a little thing they did fairly often that was just the cutest thing to their parents- as they tried to then get the couple out of bed now that they'd got them sitting up.
"Come on! You gotta come see!" Cassia insisted, which made Lara smile even more- they followed the tradition so easily, without even thinking about it anymore- it became second nature for both the kids and their moms.
"Alright, alright, we're coming!" Darcy promised, still rubbing sleepily at her eyes. She stood up, offering the hand that wasn't being tugged on by Cassia to Lara to help her up too. Sharing the strength even more, Lara thought happily.
The twins dragged their moms to their bedroom window, giggling and bounding on their feet until the curtains were pulled open to reveal the softly fallen snow, white flakes fluttering from the sky to join the white blanket that had settled over everything outside. It must have snowed quite a bit overnight, for it to be this thick by morning, a thought that only made Lara's bright smile widen.
Lara turned to Darcy, grinning. "It looks like it really is snowing, love!" she pointed out, fighting back a laugh of pure joy as the twins clapped excitedly. Darcy grinned back, moving to pick up Melody while Lara scooped Cassia into her arms. The pair twirled around happily with the girls, before swapping children- Melody to Lara and Cassia to Darcy- and doing the same once again.
"Snow breakfast! Snow breakfast!" the girls started chanting once they had been put down, giggling and bouncing once again.
Darcy turned to Lara, humming softly. "Do you remember what the snow day breakfast is?" she asked playfully. Lara couldn't stop smiling.
"You know, I don't think I do," she lied, and as if on cue Cassia and Melody started giggling again.
"Chocolate pancakes!" they both yelled at the same time, the excitement obvious in their little voices. Lara couldn't resist picking up each girl in turn and spinning them again.
"Yes, that's right! Aren't you just the cutest!" she announced happily. Darcy was grinning, too, as she stepped closer to lightly kiss her wife on the cheek.
"You're so good with them. It's adorable," the brunette said softly, pulling Lara close to her for a second. "Right, you know how it goes- you help the girls get dressed, I'll get started on breakfast!"
"Perfect." Lara twirled Darcy around too before giving her a quick kiss and letting her go off to sort out breakfast for them. "Oh, and! Don't forget the hot chocolate!"
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Over breakfast- of course with the traditional hot chocolate and plenty of cream and marshmallows- Lara found herself thinking about traditions such as this one. She was never entirely sure how it had started, but she just knew that snow days with her father would be forever engrained into her memory.
All she could do was hope that it would be the same for her girls too.
Family was incredibly important to Lara, and she adored the twins and Darcy more than anything, loved the three of them more than life itself- as she knew her parents had with her. She'd truly do anything to make sure Melody and Cassia had as good a childhood as she had.
And right there, at that moment, with the four of them sitting around the table cradling their warm mugs, Lara knew that- at least for now- she was doing a good job.