Note: Hey heyyyyy! Miss me?

@1ipod2 asked very politely for a happy chapter, and I figured it was about time I post one of those. (though, i had to look up what this word "happy" means, i've never heard that one before) I'm sorry you couldn't read last week's chapter, love, but I am very proud of you for listening to the trigger warning and taking care of yourself <3 This one's for you!

In this chapter, Anna is nine.

Miss Mimi McMarshmallow

Anna wrinkled her nose, which was cold and stiff. She crouched low to the ground and poked at the snow there. There was such a thin layer of it that the dirt beneath it showed through clearly.

"Anna, come on," Sam called up ahead.

Anna looked up, her eyes wet and shining from the cold. "How much is it gonna snow?" she asked and stood up straight. She scurried ahead and grabbed Sam's outstretched hand. "Enough to make a snowman?"

"I don't know, Honey. Maybe."

"The guy on tv this morning said six inches. How much is that?"

"Enough to make a snowman," Sam promised. For some reason, though, he didn't look as thrilled as Anna was at the prospect of getting half a foot of snow.

Anna smiled, her nose crinkling again. "Really? Will you make one with me?"

Sam looked down at her with a gentle smile. "Sure thing, kiddo."

"Think Dean will too?"

"You can ask him."

"I know he doesn't like to go outside," Anna said. "But we never EVER get to play in the snow. Even when we go where it's cold, we always gotta work. And I got some kinda bad luck cause the snow is never good for making a snowman."

"Powder snow is good for sledding," Sam said.

"But I don't got a sled," Anna reminded him. Her fingers were pale and hard to move, and the tops of her legs were going numb. She couldn't wait to get back to the motel where it was warm.

"We'll get you one if you need it. They aren't that expensive."

"Wow, a whole new sled?" The thought was so exciting, Anna found herself skipping along the sidewalk, swinging hers and Sam's hands eagerly. "I bet they have some that go super fast, like the Millenium Falcon!"

Sam chuckled at her and tugged on her hand until she stopped swinging his arm. "You warm enough?" he asked, squeezing her hand. "I can't believe I forgot to bring your gloves."

"I'm not that cold," Anna assured him. "Anyways, we're almost back, cause I can see the coffee place from this morning." She started to swing her hand in his again but at an easier pace this time. She stuck her other hand in her jacket pocket and made a fist to try and warm it up.

Sam hummed a response, and they walked in silence for a little while.

Anna watched the snow melt beneath the treads of her shoes with each step. She wished all that snow that was coming would just get here already. She'd never made a snowman in her whole life, at least not that she could remember. But the sun was starting to set, and the bag of food in Sam's other hand was probably already going cold. She figured if she kept herself distracted the rest of the night, then when she woke up in the morning, she could convince the boys to go right outside and play.

A tiny burst of something cold touched the skin of her cheek, and Anna looked up but saw no snow coming down. She was beginning to think she'd only imagined it when she felt the same thing happen against her nose. This time when she looked up, she saw a couple snowflakes floating slowly through the air.

She stuck her tongue out, hoping to catch one. But her face was stiff with the cold, and it just wasn't snowing hard enough. She had no luck.

"Come on," Sam urged and tugged on her hand.

Anna checked for cars before pulling her hand out of Sam's and running the rest of the way to the motel room door.

"I think we're gonna take the car next time," Sam muttered as he fumbled to get the key out of his pocket and unlock the door.

"But we're s'posed to do our walk," Anna said, standing just behind him. She liked their little tradition, even if it wasn't exactly longstanding. It was fun to get outside and stretch her legs, and getting some one-on-one time with Sam was an added bonus. It seemed like everybody was always so busy, and sometimes Anna felt ignored despite the boys' best efforts.

Sam didn't answer, but he did look up from the lock to give her an affectionate smile. The lock clicked, and he opened the door.

Anna ducked under her brother's arm to get into the room first, then squealed when he tickled her sides in retaliation. "Dean, guess what!" she exclaimed as she ran over to the bed where Dean was sitting.

"What?" Dean asked, closing the computer and setting it aside. He helped her take her winter jacket off and let her sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Sammy said six inches is enough to make a snowman."

"Sammy shouldn't talk like that around you," Dean said with a playful look. He bobbed his eyebrows at Sam over Anna's head.

"Huh?" Anna said, her whole face scrunching in confusion.

"Nothing. Dean's just being a jerk," Sam said, audibly unimpressed.

"Oh." Anna shrugged it off. "It's so cold," she said and burrowed against Dean's stomach. He was wearing a hoodie, and the fabric was soft against her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his back.

"Yeah, your face is red," Dean replied and rubbed his hand up and down her back a couple times to generate warmth.

"I think my boogers even froze," Anna confessed.

She heard Dean laugh and then felt him lean over her to pull her wet boots off her feet and toss them aside. She took it as permission to climb fully up into his lap. She curled up with her knees against her chest and leaned sideways into her brother. When he closed her in his arms, she felt safe and warm like a kitten curled up by the fireplace.

"Sorry I'm making you cold," Anna said, but she wasn't really sorry. She loved cuddles, and coming in from outside in the wintertime to invade her brother's bubble of warmth was the ultimate iteration of cuddling.

"That's okay, Rugrat," Dean murmured anyway, pressing a kiss against the side of her head.

Anna could feel her face thawing out, and when Dean squeezed her extra tight for a second, she wrinkled her nose and curled her fingers into the front of her brother's hoodie.

()()()

She curled her toes as soon as they touched the cold floor. Socks. She needed socks. Anna leaned far over the edge of the bed and just barely managed to reach her duffel. She rifled through it until she found a pair of fuzzy blue and green socks.

Armed and ready, she stepped out of bed and crept across the room to the little couch where Sam was sleeping. She reached out and poked him between the eyes. "Sammy," she whispered. "It snowed."

Sam didn't move. He didn't so much as move an eyebrow.

Anna shrugged. She'd tried being gentle. She placed a hand flat against his cheek and rocked his head back and forth. This time, his reaction was immediate.

Sam jerked his head away from her hand and shoved himself into a sitting position. "What? What?!" he exclaimed. He swung his feet off the couch and then pulled them up with a hiss upon making contact with the floor.

Anna nodded in understanding. "It's a little cold," she said sympathetically. "I'll get you socks so we can go outside!" She dropped to her hands and knees and pulled Sam's duffel out from under the coffee table so she could search it for socks.

Sam was moving slowly, still hunched over and rubbing his eyes when she stood up and handed him a pair of plain black socks.

"You should get some fuzzy ones," she advised. "They're really good for when it's cold."

"I'll get on that," Sam grumbled. "Did you wake Dean up?"

"No," Anna said. "He's scary if you wake him up early. We can get him coffee, and then he'll be like 'aw' and wanna make a snowman with us!" She thought it was a wonderful plan, but Sam grumbled something about 'when did he become the softie' or something. Anna was used to the boys taking a while to have any energy in the morning. But today of all days, did Sam have to be so slow? "Do you wanna?" she asked since he still hadn't really answered her.

Sam sighed heavily and nodded like his head was made of lead. "Coffee sounds great," he said, his voice low and rough with sleep. "Get your stuff on, Ladybug. And don't forget your gloves. Judging by how the room feels, I'd guess it's even colder than it was yesterday."

"Okay," Anna said and hurried back to her bed. Her jacket was hanging off the bedpost, and she pulled that on first, followed by her boots and then her Spongebob Squarepants hat. She had to get down and look under the bed to find her gloves, though she didn't actually remember how they'd ended up there. "I'm ready!" she chirped and stood at attention beside Sam. She gave him a beaming smile, and when he looked down at her, his face melted into a smile of his own.

He reached out to straighten her hat on her head and tuck her curls behind her ears before pulling the hat further down. "Zip up," he prompted and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"What about your gloves?" Anna asked, but she fumbled with her zipper– it was hard to zip a jacket with bulky gloves on– until Sam reached down to help her pull it to her chin.

"I'm okay, Ladybug," he promised her. "I can't wear gloves to drive."

That sounded suspicious, but Anna wasn't bothered. They were going to get coffee and then really really soon, she would be able to make a snowman. When Sam opened the door, she gladly stepped outside and felt the cold air dance along the skin of her face. It wasn't much colder than yesterday, but it was still enough to make her shiver at first.

Sam made his way around to the driver's side of the Impala. But Anna crouched down and scooped up some snow in her hand. It wasn't totally powdery, but it wasn't very sticky either. She figured that if anyone could figure out how to make a snowman from imperfect snow, though, it was Sam and Dean.

She glanced over to make sure Sam wasn't looking, then licked the handful of snow. It melted against her tongue, and she smiled in the pink and gray light of an early Winter morning. There was nothing in the whole world better than snow. She was sure of it.

()()()

"I come in peace," Anna whispered into Dean's ear. As predicted, his eyes shot open, and his whole arm tensed where it trailed under his pillow.

As soon as he saw the little girl leaning down close to his face, Dean's body relaxed again. He closed his eyes and sighed. "It's too early to come in peace."

"Should we have come with malintent?" Sam asked.

He was in a much better mood now that he was on his second cup of coffee, and Anna was glad to have him on her side since she was standing there poking the bear.

"I don't know what malintent is, but we got you coffee," Anna said, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. She was still bundled up in all her winter clothes, and her puffy jacket was noisy as she danced in excitement.

One of Dean's eyes popped open again in interest. "Where's the coffee?" he asked.

Anna picked up the cup she'd put on the bedside table and thrust it at her brother. "Here you go!" she said. She waited for him to sit up and take a tentative sip of coffee before she placed her hands on one of his knees and asked, "Wanna make a snowman?"

For some reason, Dean looked even more tired after that.

But ten minutes later, all three Winchesters were standing behind the motel building, gazing out at the little snow-covered lawn.

"How are you s'posed to start?" Anna asked, standing between the boys and frowning at all the snow around them.

"Make a snowball," Dean told her and crouched down so he was just below her eye-level. He packed together a little ball of snow and held it out for her to see. "And then you just roll it through all the snow until it's big enough."

"How do you know when it's big enough?"

"Well... you just know."

"Like intuition?" Anna asked seriously.

"Exactly like intuition," Dean agreed and shrugged. He stood up and stole the cup of coffee from Sam's hand. "Have at, kid," he said and gestured at the snow-littered ground.

Anna looked up from where she was packing snow together to form her own snowball. She frowned in disbelief. "You're not gonna help me?"

"You don't need our help, Rugrat. You got this," Dean said and winked in encouragement.

"But I can't do it myself."

"Hey, yes, you can," he told her.

Anna crossed her arms over her chest and stood up straight. "I don't want to," she said firmly. "It's not fun like that. Plus I got little arms, and we can make a big, cool one if you help."

"Come on, man," Sam said and elbowed Dean in the side. He crouched down beside Anna and started to make his own snowball. "I'll make the bottom, Dean can make the middle, and you make the head," he strategized, nearly nose to nose with Anna.

She grinned widely. "Yeah, awesome!" she said. "That way we all made our own size."

"Hey!" Dean said indignantly.

He was grumbling to himself as he set the coffee cup down on the cement step to the motel's back door. But he stepped a little ways from his siblings and got to work making the snowman's middle. Anna glanced over at him once both boys were engrossed in their work, and she smiled secretly down at the head she was making. Dean was having fun, she could see it in his eyes. And Sam was finally doing something other than research.

Nobody was fighting, nobody was hurting, and nobody was being left behind. It was perfect.

"Wow!" Anna said with wide eyes when she finally finished her work and looked up to see what Sam had made. "That's gigantic." Her whole face opened up with glee and surprise, but she was only more impressed when she turned to see Dean's snowball. It was nearly as big as she was. "Holy crap," she breathed.

Sam choked down a laugh behind her. "Geez, Dean. Watch where you push that thing. I think it could kill someone."

"It could definitely kill me," Anna said, eyes still wide as she nodded exaggeratedly. She moved as fast as she could with her cold feet through the deep snow and over to stand beside Dean. Up close, the thing looked even bigger. It was just about up to her chin. "I think you made the bottom on accident," she said, tilting her head back so she could see Dean's face.

"I think so too," Dean said, then sent Sam a smug look.

Sam rolled his snowball over to be next to Dean's, and Anna felt hands on her shoulders pulling her back as he got closer. The middle wasn't as big as the bottom, but it could totally have squished Anna just as well.

"How are you gonna get it up there?"

"I'm batman," Dean reminded her in his gruffest voice. He leaned down and strained to lift the giant snowball. He grit his teeth and pulled, and Anna heard something in his back pop, but after an initial expression of agony, he schooled his features again.

"Do you need help?" Anna squeaked. It looked like he was gonna break himself in half.

"I got this, Anna," Dean snapped. "I was just teasing before. I can lift it, no problem."

Anna nodded, but she bit her lip in apprehension. It wasn't easy watching Dean struggle to lift the giant snowball, and she was tempted to help him anyway. But he looked so serious as he fought the thing, a vein popping out in his forehead.

Anna looked up to Sam and gave him a pleading look. He looked way too happy as he stood watching their brother, but when he caught the look Anna was giving him, he said, "You want some help?"

Dean let go of the snowball and glared at Sam. "If you're not too busy," he grouched as if he'd never claimed he could do it himself.

Sam rolled his eyes and leaned down to help. Between the two of them, they lifted the snowball easily and placed it on top of the bigger one. They held it there while Anna packed some extra snow into the gaps. Before long they had the snowman's body ready.

"Wow," Anna breathed. "It's as tall as you," she told Dean.

"Once we get the head on this thing, it's gonna be taller than the motel."

"Wow!" Anna said again. They were officially the best snowman builders ever.

"Think you can handle this one on your own?" Sam asked Dean, nodding toward the head Anna had made. It was about half the size of the middle.

"Shut up," Dean snapped, unamused. He picked the ball up easily and heaved it up on top of the body. Sam was the only one tall enough to actually hold it in place, and Dean packed the snow in the gaps this time.

They all three stepped back to admired their handiwork. The snowman really was taller than the motel now. Not by much, but it was. It was a little funny-looking. Its head looked too small compared with its body, and the other two balls were extremely lumpy and crooked. But it was standing, and Anna positively loved it.

Only there was a problem.

"Aren't you supposed to put a carrot in its face?" Dean asked before Anna could say anything.

"We don't got any carrots," Anna said, looking at the snowman with the same expression of frustration that Dean wore. "Maybe we can use a knife."

"No!" both boys said.

"We're not using a knife," Sam reiterated.

"But the handle would look really perfect," Anna argued. The boys both shook their heads, and she wrinkled her nose and frowned deeply. "Do one of you have a better idea?" she challenged. They were quiet, and Anna struggled to come up with another solution. She tossed several ideas away without every saying them aloud and then came up with something that might actually look okay. "What about a toothbrush," she said.

She watched each of her brothers frown and then slowly come around to making a face that said that's not a terrible idea.

"I'll go get one," Sam said.

"What about the eyes?" Anna asked.

"Well, you're supposed to use rocks," Dean said. "But I don't know how we're gonna find any under all the snow. "Got any more ideas, Baby Einstein?"

Anna pouted at him for calling her a baby of any kind, but then she got to thinking again. "We can use those two bouncy balls I got from my doctor's appointment."

"Works for me," Dean said, then shouted after Sam to grab those while he was inside. "And get some wooden stakes for the arms!" he added.

"She's gonna look perfect," Anna beamed. "Can she be a girl?"

"She can be whatever you want her to be, Rugrat," Dean said agreeably.

Sam came back a couple minutes later with two bouncy balls, a toothbrush, a scarf, Dean's bag of licorice from his duffle, and an old baseball hat Anna didn't even recognize.

"Alright, kiddo. Get on my shoulders."

"I get to do it?" Anna asked. It was a big honor, giving the snowgirl her face. Dean's response was to crouch down for her to climb onto his shoulders, and she did so happily.

"Steady?" Dean asked.

"Uh-huh," Anna said, and he stood up. It had been a while since she'd been held up so high, and Anna had to take a second to adjust and then another to admire the world from this height. She wondered if one day she would be as tall as her brothers.

"Here," Sam said. "Do the eyes first."

Anna grabbed the bouncy balls in her gloved hands. They were hard to hang onto between the cold and the excess fabric, but she managed to get them wedged into the packed snow of the snow-person's face. "Okay," she said, giving a final assessing look to the pink and tie-dye eyes. "Nose," she instructed and held out one hand without looking. She stabbed the toothbrush handle into the center of the face and adjusted it so the bristles faced down. "Mouth," she requested. She was handed a piece of liquorice, which, of course, she took a quick bite from before pushing it into the snow, turning it so that it looked like the snowgirl was smiling.

Sam passed her the scarf next, and Anna struggled to wrap it around the snowman's neck, but she managed eventually. Finally, she placed the hat atop the snowgirl's head– backwards, of course, because this was a cool snowgirl.

"Perfect," she said, and Dean took a step back before lifting her off his shoulders and setting her down beside him. They looked at the final product for a minute. Anna's smile faltered a little bit as she really looked at the snowman's face. "It's a little creepy, huh?" she said.

"No," Dean said in a totally-not-creeped-out voice. "Not creepy at all."

"Definitely not," Sam agreed. "So, what's his name?"

Anna smiled again. She'd been thinking about that particular question all morning long. And she had the perfect name. "Her name," she corrected, "is Miss Mimi McMarshmallow."

Dean snorted.  "That's a little creepy," he said.

La Fin