Squirming under the bottom of the very big book that J-man was staring at, Tess tumbled herself into his lap and lay looking up at him, a smile on her face. "Hi. Mummy say come find you. I stayin' with you t'day 'cos she goin' to stady to fly and Regan visitin' the brother Triss'n."

She was still in her dressing gown and pajamas, recently shooed away from thirds of breakfast and slightly sticky with jam, her hair escaping the twin plaits Regan had marshaled it into the night before. Tipping her head, as the words on the page were tiny and mostly very long, she squinted at the book for a moment, then gave up, chirping, "What readin'? You read to me?"

Dark eyes marking his place in the book, they rolled down to look at Tess, a large smear of strawberry preserves at the corner of her mouth. "I don't think you'd like this one. There's no fairies or animals or damsels in distress at all. Only law procedure and proper etiquette when arresting a diplomat from a country with immunity."

Tess blinked at the man serving as a chaise, her brow furrowed at all the long words he'd said all together. "Huh?" She'd caught the last bit, but it still didn't make any sense, and she tried, hopefully, "Wha's immooty?"

"Something sticky and hard to work around if it's needed," Jonathan answered, reaching out to press a finger to her tiny nose. "Also something you don't really need to worry about. So you get to spend the day with me? Anything in particular you'd like to do, Princess?"

Laughing and scrunching her nose, Tess tried to think of things to do with the J-man until Mummy came home. "Go outside? It snows yessaday... or go skippin' rope on the walk?" They could stay in, too, but he'd asked what she wanted, and in was better after she was cold and needed a snuggle.

"Outside sounds like a brilliant plan. We could go to Leeds Country Way," he said, looking down at her, "but we'll have to get you cleaned up before we go." He had no idea how to fix her hair, but he knew a simple scourgify charm that would rid her of the remnants of her sticky breakfast.

Nodding, Tess righted herself in his lap, looking down at her robe and slippers. "Clothes, too. And boots. Teddy go too? He like outsides, and Mummy not take him runnin' today." The dog was a lot of fun to play with outdoors, because he loved to go barreling through the snow drifts and toss the fluffy white powder all over.

"Perfect." Lifting the tiny girl from his lap, he placed her just in front of his knees. "How about I help you get that face clean?"

"I dirty?" Tess asked, sticking her chin out and trying to look at her own face. She frowned after a moment and looked to her companion. "Help? Please?"

He nodded, sliding his wand from the sleeve of his button up and the holster he'd had specially made so many years ago. "It might tickle a little bit and feel wet, but then we'll get you all dressed and gather Teddy and go play in the snow."

Tess winced in anticipation, but nodded, staying tense as she waited. She still didn't like people using the zap on her, but Mummy did sometimes, and it was all right, and Regan did for her hair, and that was good so long as she held still.

Frowning slightly at how rigid Tess had gone, but remembering Gwen speaking out how Tess had gotten 'zaps' before, he made sure to be extra careful. The scourgify charm rid her cheeks of the sticky jam, and he moved to her hands next. "Too cold? Ticklish?"

"Tick'iss," Tess agreed, holding out her hands. "Do fingers, be done. No more zap." It wasn't so bad, sort of like Teddy licking her face, but colder. "Please," she added belatedly, remembering how Mummy liked her to use the word. J-man wasn't so picky about it, usually, but it couldn't hurt.

Nodding, Jonathan finished and slipped his wand back up his sleeve. "Now, let's get you bundled up and get Teddy's leash."

"'Kay!" She didn't need to be told that one twice, and scampered from the room, bolting up the stairs to her room to find clothes.

Reappearing several minutes later, with Teddy loping along behind, she pointed to her coat, buttons still undone, and tried to get her hat to stay on her head as she requested, "Do, please?"

Kneeling, Jonathan helped push her buttons through the holes, making sure she was securely in her coat before nodding. "Alright. You warm? Need to go to the bathroom or anything?"

Tess shook her head. "Did loo upstairs. And wash hands. Mummy tell me go before coat," she explained. She pulled her pink mittens from her coat pockets, holding those out too. She could get one on by herself, but it was easier with help, and J-man was right there.

Helping Tess into her gloves, he pulled his own on as well before taking hold of Teddy's leash. "Mummy is a smart woman," Jonathan said, grinning down at the little girl. He held his open hand out to her, but knew she wouldn't be content walking at his side for long.

Reaching up to hang onto J-man, Tess bounced on her toes beside him, giggling as Teddy frisked with her. "Goin' to park, goin' to park to playyyy," she sang happily, skipping at the end of the J-man's grasp as he opened the door and fastened it behind them. Everything outside was caked spottily with white, and she tucked her hat down around her ears as the wind nipped past.

White Chapel sat at the top of a hill in Leeds, and Country Way circled most of the city. He'd never run the whole of it in one go. Sixty-six miles was a bit much, but he'd seen the small park just a bit down the road and had thought to bring Tess there days ago, but with everything going on, it hadn't been the right time.

"Did you want to get lunch after we play? There's a diner that I know about with some very nice people that's not far."

Nodding, Tess answered, "I be hungry then. Play first, though. Where goin'?" She peered about them, hopping in place to be warmer.

"Just a bit further," he answered. She obviously didn't like that it was taking so long to get there, so he took a deep breath before scooping her into his arm and jogging down the street, Teddy running happily at his side.

Whooping happily as she was lifted up and bounced along at speed, Tess clung to the J-man's neck, trying to look around as he ran. "Is s-prise?"

"Maybe," Jonathan said, grinning. She was clinging to him as they ran, Teddy barking at their side. "You'll like it."

"You not tell, then is s-prise," Tess managed, the words broken up a bit because of all the jostling. "I like? Why I like?"

"Because you like everything," he said, glad the park was getting closer. She was tiny, but trying to keep himself from slipping on the snow and tangling his legs in Teddy's leash was more difficult than he'd thought.

"I not," Tess argued, more for the sake of doing it than anything. "I not like coffee, or zaps, or smacks. I not like Regan rainin' on me when she sad, but I stay 'cos I love her."

"Most people don't like smacks," he said, slowing as they neared the park. There were swings, a slide, and a gym to play on. He'd made sure to pack a ball for Teddy, just in case. "You like the good things," he said as she put her back on the ground.

"Uh huh." Her eyes widened as she took in the park, trying to decide what she wanted to do first. The swings made the cut, and she took off in that direction, slipping and sliding on the frozen ground.

"Oh, okay," Jonathan panted, immediately running after her. Even with the hat and coat, if she fell, it would hurt. He caught her arm just as her feet began to slip out from under her, helping her make it safely to the swings. "Swings first, huh?"

"Swing first," Tess confirmed. "You push?" She wriggled her way onto the seat of one of the swings, gripping the ropes with her mittened hands.

"Yep." It was cold, and would be even colder when she was swinging, so he carefully and covertly cast a warming charm on her coat and hat, hoping to stave off any sort of cold. Pressing his hands to the small of her back, he pushed her forward, taking a step back before repeating the motion.

Tess giggled as she swung higher and higher, squealing when the swing started to bump at the height of each arc. Swinging, especially with a good pusher, was kind of like flying, but she knew not to let go to put her arms out. She tried kicking her feet out like the big girls did, to see if she could do it on her own.

Jonathan stood back when Tess began to try and do it on her own. "In... out..." he started chanting, helping her swing her legs out at the right time. "In... out, that's it, you're getting it."

It was slower to do for herself, but she was making the swing go on her own, and Tess cackled in glee. "Look! Look, J-man, I swing myself!" she called, turning to look for him.

"Yeah, you are - both hands on the ropes," he reminded, taking a step forward when one little hand slipped a bit.

"Oh." She adjusted her grip, then went back to swinging, leaning back as she stuck her feet out. It was harder work than she'd thought, and after a while longer, she was tired, and more than a little cold, even though her coat seemed warmer than usual. Letting herself slow down, she hopped off the seat and looked around again.

The slide was covered with snow, and she trudged off that way, scooping up a big handful and smushing it into a lumpy ball. She tossed it for Teddy, bouncing and laughing when it exploded into powder in his teeth. He looked at her, confused, then turned a circle, smacking the ground with his paws and bounding back and forth.

"You make one," she told J-man as he approached, already mounding up more snow for herself.

"Alright," he said, bending. He'd never played in the snow as a kid. The grounds at Savage Estate weren't exactly welcoming to children, and he'd had a 'schedule' to follow everyday. Fencing, tutors, family history... Nothing was as important. There were no dogs to play with, no swings to swing on.

He formed a light ball, nothing that would hurt, and held it in his gloved hand. "Now what?"

Grinning, Tess hefted her own snowball in both hands, heaving it in his direction as she shouted, "Throw!" She scooted around the edge of the slide to get out of the way, slipping on an icy patch and ending up on her rump.

"Ooh," he muttered, dropping the snow as he slid across the ground, frowning, "you alright?"

The fall hadn't hurt, really, she was mostly surprised, and Tess nodded. J-man was frowning, though, and she frowned too, holding her hands out for help. "Up?"

Picking her up, Jonathan righted her hat. "You're fine," he insisted, smiling. "It takes more than that to get a Jones woman down, and if you're a little Jones woman, it's still true."

"I Jones now," Tess echoed, reminded by his words. "I forgetted. I not hurt, ground just slip." J-man was nice and warm, though, and she tucked her cold nose against his neck for a minute, to keep it from freezing.

"Good," Jonathan said, looking down at Teddy as Tess snuggled in his arms. He kicked his foot out, sending up a fresh spray of snow, watching as the dog jumped in the air in an attempt to catch it.

Tess giggled as Teddy played with the snow, leaping and prancing around next to J-man. She wriggled to be set down, and started pushing the deeper snow together, patting it into a bigger round shape and trying to push it over so it would roll. "Make snowman?" she asked, remembering the little ones she'd made in front of the boarding house the year before.

Glad she was fine and that she hadn't started crying, not sure what he would have done if she had, he nodded, following her example as he began to gather the snow into a ball. Rolling it across the ground, packing more snow into it, he looked over at her. "How many of these do we need?"

Turning to look at J-man like she wasn't sure she'd understood him, Tess started to hold up her fingers, then remembered she had mittens on. "Three. One for bottom, one for middle, one for head," she explained, wondering who didn't know how to build a snowman. "You make big one. I makin' middles." She heaved at the large lump she'd formed, tipping it into a fresh patch of snow.

"What's the snowman's name?" he asked, not sure how large to make the bottom, just rolling it along until she told him it was too big.

"Hey! Bring back!" Tess called, pausing in her own rolling to flail her hands at him. Her brow furrowed at his question, and she shrugged. "I not name them before. Just make them."

She abandoned her midsection ball to start working on the head, waiting for him to return with the bottom ball.

Changing direction, he pushed the large white orb back towards Tess, the ball slowly gaining size as he did. "Well, we should name him, shouldn't we? We can't just call him snowman."

Eying the body piece that eventually slowed to a stop beside her, Tess looked up at J-man, observing, "He gonna be big. Call him Joe." She pointed to the middle ball, then to the one he'd rolled. "On top," she directed, demonstrating with her hands.

"Alright." Hefting her ball on top of his larger one, he took a step back, surveying the work. Teddy sniffed around the base of the half-finished snowman, tail held high in the air. "Now?"

Tess patted Teddy on the nose, nudging him away from her snowman's headless body. "No pee, Teddy," she warned, having seen him mark his territory on other snow-covered things.

"Head next," she said to J-man, giving the head-ball another few rolls in the surrounding area. "Up there," she gestured. "Then we need eyes, and mouth. Arms too."

"What are we going to use for that?" he asked, lifting the smaller ball she'd made on top of the middle, completing the snowman's body. She was determined to see this through, and it was possibly the first time he'd seen her so focused on something. Sure, it was something frivolous, the snowman would probably be gone in two days when the weather changed, but she was obviously enjoying it.

"Stones, or maybe stick if no stones. Sticks for arms," Tess answered, already starting to hunt around for the necessary materials. "No hat to give him. I not leave mine... Mummy be mad."

Frowning, Jonathan scanned the ground around them. Most everything was covered in snow, but near the base of the slide, there were a few fairly large rocks. Grabbing one, throwing it in the air and catching it a few times, he pulled his wand from his sleeve and quickly transfigured it into a hat for the man's head. Stowing his wand so Tess didn't have to look at it, he turned back. "Will this work?"

"Yes!" Tess crowed happily, dancing over to examine the J-man's treasure. "You make hat! Now we give him hat. You put on," she instructed, pointing to the snowman's large round head. Eying him, she said hopefully, "Scarf, too?"

"Alright." After putting the hat on the top ball of white, he bent and grabbed another rock, a larger one this time, and hid his hands from her view as he magicked a scarf. Turning back to her, he presented the hideous orange thing with a large smile. "How's that?"

Bouncing up and down and clapping her hands, squealing with pleasure, Tess grinned, then waved her fingers at their creation. "Put on! Then he dress. Need arms though. Get sticks. I get stones for eyes." She stayed still long enough to watch J-man drape the scarf around the snowman, then slogged off to look for stones to create a face with.

There was an edge of trees just a couple of yards to the left of the park, and Jonathan headed in that direction, Teddy trailing after him. The dog was good at finding sticks. Keeping one eye on Tess, his dark eyes scanned the bases of the tree. He snorted when Teddy trotted over, a foot long thicker piece of wood in his mouth. "Too short, too thick," he muttered to the pup, lips curling.

Spotting something that he thought might work, he grabbed the bit of wood that was sticking through the snow. Satisfied with the length and thickness of the stick, his eyes darted to check on Tess' progress frequently as he looked for another.

Tess sang idly to herself as she dug through the snow, looking for the little dark rocks that would be used for Snowman Joe's eyes and mouth. She tucked any likely-looking ones into her pockets, and after she'd gathered everything useful from one patch, started backing down the path she'd cleared, still staring at the ground.

She tripped over something with a muffled 'Woah!', and toppled onto her back, breaking through the upper crust of an unpacked bank and disappearing into the mound. She wriggled, and kicked, but everything she touched to try to grab onto crumbled under her hands, and after a few more kicks, she gave up, yelling in defeat, "J-man!" and then, "Help!"

He'd seen her slip in his peripheral vision, already started across the slippery ground when she called for his help. He almost smashed headlong into their nearly-finished creation but managed to catch traction at the last second, skidding to a stop beside her, grabbing her flailing gloved hands and pulling her from the snow.

"You're alright," Jonathan said, a small grin on his face as he brushed the dusty snow from her coat.

Nodding readily, not hurt at all, Tess shook herself, commenting, "I 'kay. Get stucked. You find arms? I find face." She pulled the stones from her pockets to show him, then looked doubtfully up at Snowman Joe, who was almost as tall as J-man himself.

Dropping the sticks to the ground, he placed his hands under her arms, lifting her so she could put the stones on their snowman's face. "Will he be smiling?"

"No. Joe don' smile. He smoke his pipe," Tess explained, pushing one eye into place, then the other. "Hold better," she demanded, wiggling, "Need two hands."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, hoping that was more steady, he watched her position each stone carefully. "Is this the biggest one you've ever made?"

Setting as straight a line as she could manage with stones for the mouth, her tongue clamped in the corner of her lips as she concentrated, Tess mumbled, "Uh huh," distractedly, quiet again until she was finished.

"There! He done! No, still need arms. You put on, please." She craned her head up and around to look at the J-man, remembering that he'd asked her something. "Yes, this most big one. More talls than I make, I little."

"Not too little," Jonathan said, setting her feet back on the ground as he grabbed the sticks. He pushed them into the sides of the middle ball of snow, taking a step back to admire their work. "He looks done to me, what do you say, Princess?"

"He all done," Tess agreed, leaning back against J-man as she looked up at Snowman Joe. Nose scrunching, she turned around to regard her human companion, asking, "Why you say this, I princess?"

Jonathan looked down at her, smiling. "Don't you want to be a princess?"

Tess shrugged, clarifying, "Name okay, but why you say this? I not, I only little girl. Live in a house, not castle. No moat. No dragons." She understood the idea of nicknames, in general, but no one really called her anything but 'Tess', and she wanted to know why J-man had chosen that name.

"You might not be a real princess, but White Chapel sort of sounds like 'White Castle,' and it's big enough to be one. And you could pretend that Teddy is your dragon. He keeps you safe like a dragon keeps a Princess safe. You don't have a moat, this is true, but not all princesses have moats. Doesn't Gwen look like a Queen from time to time? And if she's a queen, that makes you a princess."

"'Cos she my Mummy," Tess extrapolated, smiling. She reached up to poke J-man through his coat. "What that make you? You knight? Where armor, huh?" She poked him again, giggling.

He smiled. "I only wear it when I have to save princesses from bad men. That's what a knight does."

"Oh." She looked around. "No bads, juss' Joe, and us. So no armor, huh?"

"Exactly," Jonathan murmured, watching as Teddy took a seat beside Tess, tail brushing along the snow. "So, we've made our snowman. What else did you want to do today?"

Recalling that lunch had been promised, and seeing that she was a little hungry, and a little more cold, and a lot tired, after slogging through the snow, Tess held her hand up to J-man. "Eat," she answered. "Then maybe book. You do Alice?"

"Sounds like a plan," Jonathan said, extending his hand for her much smaller gloved one.


Summary: Jonathan and Tess have a play-day together. Teddy goes along for the fun.