[ Ugh sorry this is so so SO overdue! I've had a lot going on right now getting ready for college, so please bear with me! Enjoy! ]

They crossed the Michigan border just as dawn broke the next morning, with still another four hours to go until they hit their destination. Casey had fallen asleep but Jackson was still wide awake. The other condition of him taking his father's truck was that he was the only one allowed to drive it, so he needed to stay awake. They had taken breaks so he could stretch out his legs, and he had stocked up on Monsters and Five Hour Energies to keep him going the remainder of their trip to the cabin.

The snow had been coming down hard all morning as Casey slept in the passenger seat, and as tempted as Jackson was to wake her up so she could see the snow, he refrained himself from doing so. He needed to concentrate, and having her just next to him was distracting enough. Somewhere near West Branch she woke again, but she was quiet, which was odd for her.

"Everything alright?" He asked her as they got on the north side of West Branch. It was one of the last major cities before they got to the cabin.

"It's so... beautiful." Her voice trailed. That was when he realized it was her first time ever seeing snow in person. As they went through the farmland, the snow was untouched and glistening in the morning sunlight. She was enchanted by the sights, so Jackson did not bother to try and converse with her so she could enjoy the moment. Instead he put his hand on her thigh and continued to drive north, being about an hour out from their destination.

As promised, an hour later they arrived at the cabin that Jackson had talked so much about. They were both tired but too excited to be at their destination to try and sleep. They unloaded their luggage and took it inside to the two roomed cabin, a bathroom and living area that had the bedroom, dining room, kitchen, and living room all in one. It was a nice set up, and Casey was in love. Jackson instantly got to work with putting wood into the stove to warm up the cabin, then went through and opened everything up to get a little light inside.

"Alright, since we didn't stop on the way, I'm gonna run into town and get some groceries." Jackson said as he grabbed the keys off the hook.

"Jackson, you haven't slept. We're not gonna starve, go sleep for a while. If I get hungry I've still got snacks in the car." She told him, standing between him and the door with her hands pressed lightly against his chest.

"If I fall asleep, there's no telling when I'll be back up. Plus, I've still got some energy from all those Monsters. Town is ten minutes away, I'm just getting groceries for the next four days. I promise when I get back I'll sleep for the rest of the night." He reasoned with her, and this made her sigh.

"Then you're not going alone. Plus, don't I get a say in what we'll be eating?" Casey responded, and he chuckled.

"Alright let's go then." He said, and she smiled. Jackson made sure the oven was latched before they left the house unattended. They rode into the small city and found a local super store and bought groceries for their short week. Jackson picked up some fun stuff for them to do as he saw them, and once they got back to the cabin, the snow started to come down a little harder. Jackson went inside as Casey unloaded the groceries, putting all the groceries away as he fell asleep. She saw that he had bought a case of hard lemonade for them to enjoy, and she wondered what his plans were for the next four or five days.

--

When both of them finally woke up the next morning, a fresh, thick white blanket of snow had layered the ground, and they both decided to stay in and enjoy one another's company. Jackson had made them brunch since they did not leave the bed until almost noon, and Casey was excited for the week to come. She sat on the couch that rested against a wall with a large window, and she watched as the snow continued to fall. A mug of coffee sat in her hands to warm them, and Jackson extended a plate of warm food out to her, sitting down beside her. She smiled and set her coffee down on the coffee table and took the plate in her hands, digging in to the meal he had prepared.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Jackson asked her as she sipped her coffee.

"You're the Michigan expert. What should we do today?" She countered with a wag of her eyebrows, and he chuckled.

"Let's see..." His voice trailed as he checked something on his phone. "It might reach low forties today. I could take you for a hike." He suggested. She did not enjoy the sound of the cold, but she was down for anything, and an adventure such as this one was right up her alley.

"I don't exactly have warm enough clothes for that." She responded, and that was when she saw a small flare of excitement in his eyes.

"Luckily for you, my aunt is probably about the same size as you are, maybe a little bigger. They leave stuff up here just in case." He said, and she beamed.

"Then let's go for it." Casey stated enthusiastically, and he chuckled once more.

"Patience Cas, you're not gonna be able to do a lot on an empty stomach. Finish eating." He informed, and she sighed, sitting down.

"Alright dad." She mocked as she bit a piece of toast off.

"You know, there's a better word for you to call me." He said low in her ear, and it made her blush. "I'll go find my aunt's coats, they're probably buried in the trunk in the shed." He told her as he pulled on his boots and a coat, then he exited the cabin. She still was slightly flustered as she threw her paper plate away and put the fork in the sink. She went and brushed her teeth and french braided her hair back, and when she was done, Jackson had come back with some thermal clothing for the both of them and a warm coat, boots, and gloves for her.

"Did you find them?" Casey asked, and he held out her portion of the clothes out to her.

"Put the long johns under the clothes you wear, I'd suggest wearing jeans and layering up on socks and shirts. I know you have a hat, but I brought gloves for you." He informed, and she took them all in her hands. She set the coat, boots, and gloves down on the couch and stripped of her sweatpants and t-shirt and traded them for the long johns and pulled a pair of jeans on over the pants and a long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt over the top. She layered her socks as he had suggested then tucked her jeans into her boots as she pulled them on. They went to just above her ankle and had rubber on the front so her toes did not freeze instantly. Once Jackson was all changed and had his backpack set with items they might need, they put on their coats and gloves and hats, zipped their phones into the backpack pockets just in case and to take pictures, and they were out the door.

"Alright, where we goin'?" Casey questioned eagerly as they went around the back of the cabin. He took her hand in his as he led the way to what seemed to be makeshift trails going into the woods.

"We made these trailed when I was younger and we'd go through them every time we'd come up here, so I figured I'd show you." He responded as they walked. She smiled, squeezing his hand as they walked side by side through the trails. He told her more about his childhood, growing up with his divorced parents, only getting to see his dad in the summers leading up to his eventual move to Florida. He had never really talked about his mom much with her or any of their friends except for Daniel, and he had good reason not to. She was not the greatest, always putting herself before her son. It just was not the best situation to be in growing up, but he still loved her, and they talked to one another on the phone just about every Friday night. She knew about the phone calls but had never pried, for his mother was a sore subject for him. When he brought up the idea of Casey meeting her, she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Casey, relax. We've been dating for almost two years, she can't change my mind now." He joked with her, and she let out a defeated chuckle.

"If this is something you want." She sighed, and he stopped her as they reached a clearing overlooking a frozen over lake.

"Why do you seem so hesitant? You've met my dad, I've met your parents." He questioned her.

"Jackson, we've all known each other since sixth grade. Meeting your mom is like we've been dating for a few months and it's finally time to introduce the parents." She explained with a nervous smile. He chuckled, pecking her cheek.

"She'll like you. Trust me. I know I said she wasn't great to me growing up, but now that I'm older and she's matured, we get along pretty great, and so will you." He reassured her, and she smiled.

"When are we meeting her?" She asked as they continued to walk through the trail.

"On the way home we'll stop in Brighton. I told her we couldn't stay late because we needed to be back in Florida for the holiday, so we shouldn't be there long. I just want you two to meet." He responded to her. They reached another clearing, this time into an area of untouched snow that sparkled in the sunlight. It was gorgeous.

"I go from having never seen snow to seeing a couple feet of it piled up in front of me." She said, changing the subject. There was a playful glimmer in Jackson's eyes, and she regretted ever saying anything as she felt his hands travel to her waist and her weight starting to get picked up off the ground. "Jackson! Stop!" She pleaded with a laugh as he tossed her forward into the snow bank. She continued to laugh as she went into the snow bank, now covered in snow. She stopped laughing when she heard a long crack beneath her. Jackson heard it too, and they both stopped messing around and got serious.

"Casey, don't move too fast, but if you can turn yourself around so I can drag you back this way, please do." He said, keeping his nerves calm. The good thing about both of them is that they know how to stay calm in these stressful situations. They were the people everyone leaned on in a crisis.

"Jackson, what exactly is under me?" She asked as she slowly started to turn herself around.

"The last time I was up here the lake had dried up and right here was just a field." He responded.

"And how long ago was that?" She continued with a small laugh.

"Let's just say it's been a while." He answered with a laugh of his own. She continued to slowly try and turn herself around, and she put her hand down to make the last turn, but she felt herself plummet under the cracked surface of the ice, a rush of freezing water meeting her entire body. Luckily her head did not go under, but that was all. She felt Jackson's arms hastily wrap around her and pull her out, not bothering now if he was getting wet or not.

"That's... cold." Was all she could muster as her teeth clattered.

"Come on, let's get back to the cabin." He said, getting her to her feet.

"I did what you said..." She trailed as they walked, Jackson sort of dragged her along with him. They made it about a mile away from the cabin, so they were in for a walk.

"I know, you did great baby. That ice could have cracked at any time." He assured her as they walked. Jackson had taken her winter coat off and put his around her, trying to keep her warm enough until they got back to the cabin.

"I told you to stop." She said with a laugh, signalling it was a joke, but those words stabbed at him. This was his fault, he was the one who decided to playfully throw her into the snow. This time he did not respond and was more focused on getting her back to the cabin. He paused and lifted her up bridal style so he could walk without having to worry about her keeping up with him, and they made it back to the cabin quite quickly.

"Casey, you need to stay with me here. I know you're cold, but you can't sleep right now, alright?" He told her as they got into the warmth of the cabin.

"I'm alright Jackson, I was listening to your heartbeat." She responded as he set her down on her feet. He chuckled as that playful glint in her eyes still remained, and he knew she was going to be perfectly fine once he got her out of her wet clothes and by a blazing fire. He gingerly but quickly took all her clothes off and helped her into dry undergarments, joggers, a sweatshirt, and her favorite cabin socks. He hung her wet clothes up in the bathroom as she got herself settled by the now blaring fire in the stove. He came back and bundled her up in a couple of blankets and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry." Jackson said after a little while.

"For what?" She asked in response, and it took him aback.

"For throwing you into the snow and evidently a not completely frozen over lake." He answered, and she chuckled.

"You didn't know it was there. It's alright, it was an adventure, right?" She assured him with a soft smile, the smile that made him feel a whole lot better about what had happened.

"I guess so." He sighed, and she sat up a little to look at him.

"Jackson, it's okay. I think it's pretty funny." She said, and he gave her a serious look.

"How is any of this funny?" He asked, on edge, but her touch calmed him down.

"I wasn't in the water long, I'm perfectly fine now. Just think, what other couple would throw one another into a snowbank just to find that there was a frozen lake underneath?" She explained to him, and all the seriousness and pity wiped away from him, and they both were laughing nonstop. They were the only couple that this would ever happen to, and they knew that.

"You want some soup or something?" He asked once their laughter died down and he finally looked at the time.

"Sure, then I'm going to bed because all that falling into a lake shit has me beat." She informed, getting them both laughing once again. He kissed the top of her forehead as he got up, and she grabbed his hand before he walked away. "I love you Jackson." She said with a smile.

"I love you too."