Chapter 13-

As much as Abby enjoyed spending time with her brothers and cousins, she really enjoyed having alone time with Ian. She watched as they tried, miserably, to teach Ian how to play American football that night. Sitting bundled up under her jacket she was holding a thermos of very hot apple cider. She watched as Ian threw his first spiral and, Alec was so shocked he completely forgot to catch it.

"DAMN YOU ALEC!" Ian yelled, though he had a smile on his face.

"Ian…I am not worthy." Alec said, bowing to him. "That was the farthest spiral ever seen on Stewart property."

"Oh totally a lie." Michael said indignantly putting his hands on his hips. "I've thrown farther."

"Sure." Ian said, nudging Michael roughly. They started another play and it headed straight for Abby. She ditched the thermos, caught the ball, and made a run for the end zone. Doing a little victory dance she high fived Aaron and Andy, who didn't have enough people on their team.

"Oh, that was low!" Michael yelled irately. "She wasn't even playing!"

"She was the secret weapon." Andy said, an eyebrow raised, patting Abby who was looking rather smug as Ian stuck his tongue out at her.

"Okay…well…as much as I'd love to play football with you boys…I believe the hot tub is calling my name." Abby replied. "See ya."

The boys kept playing as Abby turned on the hot tub before going inside the house. Ten minutes later with a bathrobe and towel in hand, Abby darted across the backyard in her two piece and into the hot tub. She relaxed and closed her eyes in the tub, which turned out to be a very bad idea. Ten minutes later she felt herself being taken out of the nice warm water and plunged into the snow.

"ANDY STEWART I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Abby yelled after she heard his laughter. Ian, who had been leaning on Michael because he was laughing so hard watched Abby run across the entire backyard in her two piece before tackling Andy and getting him into a headlock. "Apologize! APOLOGIZE!"

"SORRY! I QUIT! I QUIT!" Andy shrieked, womanly, in fact.

Ian ran to Abby carrying her oversized towel and wrapping her in it. "Alright, get up. You'll get pneumonia if you're not in the hot tub." Abby shivered as they made their way to the hot tub. "I think your hair is frozen."

"It…is…" She said through chattering teeth. He held her towel as she eased into the hot tub. "I swear if you guys do that again, I will rip your nuts off."

"Threat taken seriously." Michael said, he'd changed into trunks while Abby trudged through the snow to the hot tub. "Ian just went inside, and I assume he's coming into the hot tub."

"Where's Sara?" Abby asked.

"She's coming…with drinks." Michael grinned, as Ian came out looking positively frigid.

"Wait!" Abby said, turning to him before he entered the pool.

"What?" Ian asked impatiently. He was standing in his skintight, thighlength swimwear and wasn't enjoying a minute of it. "Abby, I never thought I'd say this but I'm freezing my balls off."

Abby leaned forward and ran her finger along the fabric on his hipbones. "HEY, none of that!" Alec yelled as Abby inspected Ian. "ABBY! THAT'S SO GROSS! NOT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AROUND!"

Abby rolled her eyes. "I was just checking if they were from his underwear line." She said simply, as if it was as common as tucking in a tag that was sticking out of a shirt. "You can come in, Ian."

"Hands out at all times." Michael said, going into big brother mode, which was odd, seeing as he was a youngest child, and the only boy.

Abby gave him the finger and kept her hands in the water. "I'm cold. I'll keep them in if I want."

"Yeah, well you didn't stand out there and have your speedo inspected." Ian answered.

"You weren't thrown in snow." She said, tapping his nose.

"Hey, that was all Andy." Ian said, grinning. "So I'm one up on you."

"Okay, guys…come on, you're making me feel awkward here." Michael said, edging as far away from them as possible.

"There is a sauna." Abby said, pointing to a small building to the side of the hot tub. "You and Sara can be there in peace…and Ian and I…you know, what have you."

Michael rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless." He got out of the hot tub and with much drudgery got into the sauna.

"You got rid of him…good." Ian grinned. "No handchecks?"

"No hand checks…" Abby replied, grinning back.

For being the Thorpedo, he'd gotten pretty far when he heard a splash and he and Abby were sorely interrupted by Alec and his fiancee Heather, whom Abby was still a bit difficult to accept. "Didn't come in at the wrong time did we?"

"Oh…great timing, Alec." Abby said, positively miffed. Ian leaned in to her and whispered something in her ear, and she relaxed. "I'm fine…really."

Alec's eyes darted between the two of them very quickly. "Hand check." Ian and Abby both raised their hands out of the water. "Keep them there."

"Okay…I'm waterlogged and ready for bed." Abby decided. "You and Heather enjoy yourself. I'm leaving." She went under the water briefly before emerging, and wrapping herself with a towel, as Ian followed suit, running in front of her to open the door to the house.

"Do you think they noticed?" Ian asked, smirking as they made their way to Abby's bedroom, which had a bathroom attached to it.

"What?"

"That your swim suit top was on the jacuzzi seats and not on you?" Ian answered.

"No…Alec is as blind as, something." Abby replied.

"Something…" Ian grinned. "Right."

Andy was passing by her bedroom later that night, planning on a surprise attack, but unlike Alec's reports of possible mischief…it was all quiet on the Australian front.