It's the last day of the fall semester at the University of Minnesota and Cosima is still hard at work in the lab, staring into her microscope and scribbling notes on her observations without ever glancing at the page. She's so absorbed in her work, she fails to notice the door open and close behind her.

"Hey Cosima."

Cosima jumps with a shriek, then punches her intruder in the arm. "What is wrong with you, Scott? Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," he holds his hands up in mercy. "You all ready for our trip tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I cannot wait to go from the frozen tundra of Minnesota to the even colder mountains of the French Alps," she responds sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, Cosima, aren't you even a little excited to be going to France? Did you even bother to look at the brochures I gave you? It's amazing there."

"I did, in fact, read the brochures. It looks like a really great place to visit, if you love altitude and snow. For some reason, when I think vacation, I picture lying on a beach somewhere sipping mai tais and working on my tan, not risking frostbite every time I step outside."

"You can get a tan skiing."

"Yeah, I think they call it freezer burn."

"You're gonna be miserable this whole trip, aren't you? Why'd you even agree to come?"

"Because you and the Rune Wars geek squad needed a fourth person to get that travel package after Hell Wizard's appendix burst and I needed an excuse to not go home for the holidays. Look, Scotty, I know this trip means a lot to you, so I'll try my best not to be a complete downer. Alright?"

"Fine. And, hey," Scott grins, "you might even surprise yourself and enjoy it."

"Sure. Now can you please go check on the samples we collected, I want to make sure everything is all set here before we go."

—

Thirteen hours after leaving Minneapolis, their plane touches down in Geneva. They collect their luggage and board a shuttle bus. After another hour and half on the road, Cosima, Scott, and his friends, Kenny (aka Doomsday) and Eugene (aka Painmaker), arrive at their hotel in the ski resort town of Chamonix, France, at the base of Mont Blanc.

"Cosima," Scott elbows her gently, "wake up, we're here. You have to check out this view of the alps."

Cosima opens her eyes and looks out the window. "Snow, yay," she groans as she pulls herself up off her seat and follows the guys off the bus. They grab their luggage and enter the hotel.

The lobby is designed in a rustic, chalet style. Dark wood paneling lines the walls, burgundy leather couches and chairs fill the space in front of a cozy, roaring fireplace. They check in and are shown to their suite. There's a common living room with a couch and flat screen tv, a small kitchenette, and two bedrooms, each furnished with two double beds and their own adjacent bathroom. Eugene and Kenny take the bedroom on the right and Scott and Cosima take the room to the left.

"Dude, you don't snore, do you?" Cosima asks as they put their luggage down and she flops onto her bed.

"I plead the fifth."

"Ugh, remind me to find some earplugs."

"Scott, Cosima," Kenny calls from the living room, "you coming?"

"You want to explore the hotel with us and check out the town?"

"No, I think I need another nap. You guys go ahead."

"Okay, we'll be back before dinner."

"Alright, have fun." As soon as Scott leaves, Cosima lays her head on her pillow and shuts her eyes.

"Cosima, we're back," Scott announces. When he gets no response, he enters the bedroom. "You're still sleeping?"

Cosima mumbles something unintelligible.

"Cosima!" Scott yells loudly, causing her to practically jump from the bed. "Oh good, you're up."

"What is wrong with you?" She gets up and swings her pillow at his head.

"Me? You're the one who just took a four hour nap."

"I've been asleep for four hours?"

"Yup."

"Damn, must be the altitude."

"Yeah, must be," he rolls his eyes. "This place is amazing, you really need to check it out. I picked this up for you."

She reads the card he's handed here, "Chamonix Le Pass. What's this?"

"It's your lift pass. It's good for our whole stay. You can use it on any of the slopes in Chamonix. Just keep it in the pocket of your ski jacket, the turnstiles at the lifts will pick it up electronically."

"And I need this because?"

"Cosima, it was part of our vacation package. You have to get out on the mountain."

"Can't I just ride the ski lift around and avoid the whole skiing part?"

"Yeah, if you want to be mega lame. Don't you even want to try to ski?"

"Not really."

"Come on, I'll teach you."

"No way! Last thing I need is you trying to teach me how to ski. I'll just end up hating you, it'll destroy our friendship, then we'll go back to school and have to deal with each other every day in the lab with me constantly thinking up ways to accidentally kill you."

"Good point. Then how about you take a lesson from the staff here?"

"I don't know, let me think about it."

"Okay, in the meantime, get dressed for dinner, we have a reservation at the restaurant downstairs in a half hour."

"Dinner I can definitely do."

After dinner, the boys insist on showing Cosima around the hotel before they call it a night. She draws the line at going outside in the cold to tour the grounds.

The next morning, Cosima wakes up to Scott zipping up his ski jacket. "What time is it?"

"7am, we're heading out to go skiing. Did you give any more thought to taking a lesson?"

"I'm still mulling it over."

"I'm telling you, Cosima, I really think you'll like it. There is nothing like the feeling of your body flying down the mountain with the crisp air in your face."

"And what about when my body is hurled off the side of the mountain and I'm left dangling from a rock? Nobody likes a cliffhanger, Scotty."

"Don't knock it till you try it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go, have fun taunting death."

"What are you gonna do all day?"

"I brought a few books, I'll be fine."

"Of course you did. Enjoy your reading, I'll see you later."

After the guys leave, Cosima falls back to sleep for another hour or so. After getting showered and dressed, she pulls a copy of The Island of Doctor Moreau from her luggage and heads out the door. She stops by the breakfast buffet, grabs a muffin and a mug of hot cocoa, wanders into the lobby and sits down in an oversize leather chair by the fireplace.

Hours later, Scott, Kenny, and Eugene enter the lobby. Kenny spots Cosima by the fire. Scott tells the guys to follow his lead. They quietly sneak up on Cosima. Once they're right behind her, they all loudly shout, "Cosima!"

"What the hell?" Cosima yelps as she practically jumps out of her seat. "What is wrong with you dumbasses? Stop sneaking up on me."

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Scott chuckles.

"Yeah, whatever. Did you three stooges enjoy your first ski day?"

Kenny nods, "It was awesome!"

"The view from the top of the mountain alone was worth it," Eugene adds.

"The slopes here are incredible," Scott extolls with glee. "We skied the most insane black run on the freshest powder I've ever felt beneath my skis."

"That's great, I'm glad you nimrods had fun."

"We really did. Oh, by the way, remember how you said you'd take a lesson?"

"I believe I said I'd think about it."

"Yeah, well, I signed you up for a beginner's ski clinic. Class starts tomorrow at 9am and meets at the foot of the Brevent, the Verte 1 run, in the Savoy ski area."

"Haha, very funny, Scott."

"I'm serious, Cosima. You need to at least try it. We're in the freaking French Alps, skiing Mont Blanc. How many times in your life are you going to experience this?"

"One time too many."

"Just take one lesson. If you hate it, I'll never bring it up again and you can spend the rest of your vacation reading. Please."

Cosima looks at the pleading look in Scott's eyes and relents. "Okay, fine, I'll take the stupid lesson."

"Awesome! I gave the rental station your shoe size and they'll have your boots and equipment waiting under your name. You should get there a little early to make sure everything fits and feels good."

"Okay, great, thanks. Rental station, Brevent, Verte 1, Savoy, get there early. Got it. Now can I get back to my book? 9am is like," she glances at the clock, "16 hours from now."

"Alright. We're gonna go clean up before dinner. We'll meet you back down here in an hour and a half."

"Yeah, sounds great, see you later," she waves them off as she locates the spot in the book she she left off at and continues reading.

—

After dinner, the guys insist on hitting up C'est La Vie, a nightclub just down the road from their hotel, and drag a reluctant Cosima along with them.

"What the hell are those two doing?" Cosima points her wine glass in the direction of Kenny and Eugene on the dance floor.

Scott laughs, "Oh yeah, you've never seen Doomsday and Painmaker drunk before, it's not a pretty sight."

"What would you even call those moves?"

"That would be the nerd shuffle. You know, Cosima, you're an anomaly."

"How so?"

"You're a nerd who actually has rhythm. Why don't you go show them how it's done?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Oh, come on, Cosima. I saw you tapping your foot, you know you want to." He gets up, grabs her free hand, and gives it a little tug. She quickly downs her glass of wine, places it on the bar, and allows herself to be drawn onto the dance floor.

As she lets the music overtake her, Cosima weaves her hands through the air like a snake charmer, her legs bouncing and twisting to the beat. She drops her body low and bounces back up again.

She looks over at Scott, whose moves are almost as pathetic as Kenny and Eugene's. She grabs his hips, "Scotty, you need to move these. Loosen up, feel the music all the way down into your soul."

Scott gives it a try, rolling his hips.

"Dude, you look like you're hula hooping. Just follow my lead." She winds their joined hands through the air and sways her hips while Scott tries to mimic her movements. "Better, but you have to move your feet, too." Scott ends up doing a weird little stomping maneuver. "You were in the marching band in high school, weren't you?"

"Maybe."

Cosima laughs and lets him do his own unique thing as she continues to dance, getting lost in the beat.

—

"Cosima, it's time to get up," Scott announces in a singsong manner.

"Leave me alone," she groans, rolling over in her bed.

"You have your first ski lesson today."

"You should have thought of that before you kept me out so late."

"Come on, you had fun."

"Yeah, it was real fun watching the three blind mice try to dance. What time is it anyway?"

"7."

"7? How are you so damn chipper right now?"

"The mountain is beckoning me and I must heed its call."

"Yeah, well, this bed is beckoning me to stay wrapped up in its tight embrace."

"No! Get up, Cosima. You promised you'd go to your lesson today."

"In two freakin' hours. You pointed out the rental shop last night, it's not a far walk, I have plenty of time. Go, the mountain is waiting for you."

"Fine, but please don't flake out on this."

"I won't, I won't, I swear."

"And have fun."

"That I cannot promise."

"Try," Scott orders as he closes the door behind him and sets out for the slopes with the guys.

—

Cosima opens her eyes and lets out a long, loud yawn. She glances at the clock, then does a quick double take. "Holy shit! 8:15? How the hell did I fall back to sleep for that long? And why am I talking to myself?"

She jumps out of bed. "Should I skip the shower?" She sniffs her pits, "Ugh, no." She quickly turns on the shower, gets in, pours the entire little complimentary bottle of body wash onto her loofah, scrubs her body down, and rinses off. She gets out, towels down, returns to the room and rummages the drawers for a ski worthy outfit. She pulls on her thermal underwear, thick knee socks, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and her snow pants. She wraps a black wool scarf adorned with a skull and crossbones around her neck, pulls on a red wool hat, steps into her snow boots, puts on her bright red ski parka, and completes her outfit with mittens.

"Okay, is that everything?" She glances around the room. "Oh, shit, key card, ID, credit card, and lift pass." She puts those items in the breast pocket of her jacket and zips it up. She takes a look at the clock, "8:45. Fuck!" She runs out of the room, down the hall, presses the elevator button, gives up after 30 seconds and takes the stairs. She runs through the lobby and out the front doors, then heads left and sprints down the path to the rental shop.

She barrels into the store, out of breath. "Niehaus," she pants, "Cosima. You have ski equipment for me."

"Oui, Niehaus," the shopgirl goes to the back and gets her boots, skis, poles, gloves, goggles and helmet. "Do you need help getting all this on?"

"What time is it?"

"5 minutes to 9."

"How do I get to Verte 1 at Brevent in the Savoy area?"

"Continue down the path for 800 meters, you'll see a large sign that reads Le Savoy, look for the marker for Verte 1."

"800 meters? That's like a half mile. I gotta go," Cosima removes her boots and gives them to the girl to hold for when she returns her equipment, then she quickly steps into her ski boots, fastens the buckles, puts on her helmet and gloves, grabs the skis and poles, and hurries out the door.

"Holy shit, these boots are seriously uncomfortable," she complains as she slows to a fast walk while looking for the sign. The closer to the slopes she gets, the more people she has to wade through. A little off in the distance she hears her name being called and stops dead in her tracks.

"Cosima Niehaus?"

"Damn, my name sounds nicer with a French accent."

"Cosima Niehaus?"

She pinpoints the location the sound is coming from and rushes over. "I'm here, I'm here. Sorry I'm late. It's hard as hell to run in these boots. But, honestly, I'm kind of always late, so kind of always sorry," Cosima says through jagged breaths.

The instructor stares at Cosima with a look of bewilderment.

When no response comes, Cosima looks up and is instantly mesmerized by the instructor's wide, brown eyes, firm cheekbones, perfect lips, and tendrils of blonde curls peeking out from under her ski helmet. After a few awkward seconds of silence, Cosima snaps out of her trance and regains her senses, "You don't speak English, do you? Ok, uh, how do I say this in French. It would have been smart of me if I had tried to learn some French on the plane like Scott suggested. Not gonna tell him that though. Ok, think Cosima, there must something you know how to say. How did the bus driver introduce himself? Je soy? No, no, that's not it. Je suis? Yeah, yeah. Je suis Cosima Niehaus."

"You're Cosima Niehaus?" the instructor asks.

"Um, yeah, last time I checked anyway. And you speak English. Great, well now I must seem like a complete moron. It's just the way you were looking at me, I thought you couldn't understand me."

"I'm sorry, but, despite being quite small, you don't look like you're between the ages of 8 and 12."

"Huh?" Cosima asks with confusion before noticing the four little faces looking up at her. Realization slowly dawns, "This is a class for 8 to 12 year olds and I am 28. That's just great. I'm so sorry, my idiot friend is the one who signed me up for this class and now I must go find him and kill him." Cosima starts slowly backing away from the group.

"Wait. Since you're here, you might as well stay," the instructor says, stopping Cosima dead in her tracks.

"Really?"

"You're clearly a beginner."

"How can you tell?"

"Your ski boots are on the wrong feet," the instructor points out with a barely contained grin as the kids start laughing.

Cosima glances down at her boots, "Wonderful, as if I wasn't embarrassed enough today."

"It's fine. Come, sit down on that bench, I'll help you change them." Cosima does as instructed.

"Thank you, um, I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Her name's Delphine Cormier," a little girl adds helpfully.

"Delphine Cormier," Cosima repeats. "It's nice to meet you, Delphine."

"Enchantée, Cosima," Delphine responds with a smile as she pulls off and rights Cosima's boots. She then fastens the buckles securely. "Okay, stand up." Cosima rises. "How do they feel now?"

"Much better. Stiff, but better," Cosima declares as she stomps around. "Merci."

"De rien."

"What about my helmet? Is that on correctly or am I a total mess?"

"No, you're not a total mess, your helmet is on fine," Delphine assures.

"At least I did one thing right." Cosima holds up her goggles, "Do I take my glasses off or-"

"Non, those go over your glasses, unless you'd prefer not seeing where you're going."

"No, seeing is good," Cosima responds as she pulls the goggles over her helmet and fits them atop her eyeglasses.

"Parfait," Delphine declares. "Children, please welcome Cosima to our group."

"Welcome, Cosima," they say in unison.

"Why don't you all introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Charlotte," a little girl in braided pigtails starts.

"I'm Oscar, and this is my sister, Gemma."

"Hi," Gemma waves.

"My name's Kira," the final child with a sock monkey sticker adorning her helmet announces.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Cosima, but you knew that already."

"Yesterday was actually our first day of lessons, so we'll have to help you get caught up. We learned all about the equipment as well as some basic stances. Today we'll start on Verte 1, here on the left, which is our shortest and easiest run. This will help us get used to moving downhill and stopping. I want everybody to choose a buddy. It's important that you stick together and always keep an eye on your buddy's location when we're on the mountain."

Oscar grabs Gemma's hand, while Kira and Charlotte link arms.

"Great," Cosima laments looking around, "I'm having flashbacks to high school gym class."

"Had you put your boots on the right feet, I'm sure they would have chosen you," Delphine jokes. She's met with a frown from Cosima. "Oh, don't pout, I'll be your buddy."

"You will?" Cosima asks eagerly.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you," Delphine shrugs. "Alright, let's get our skis on. Remember to always lay your skis perpendicular to the slope so you don't slide away. Start on the hill side of your skis and use your poles to maintain your balance. Now make sure there's no snow built up on the bottom the boots. You can scrape the bottom of your boot against your binding like this or use the poles to knock any snow from the sole. Then, once your boot is clean, step into the ski toe first and drop your heel until the binding clicks into place."

The kids and Cosima copy Delphine.

"Wonderful. Now repeat with the left." They all remove the snow and step into their left skis. "Excellente! Now let's work on moving on the skis across flat ground. Instead of picking your feet up and trying to walk in them, I want you to glide across the snow. Keep your skis straight, lean forward just a little, and use your poles for momentum. Watch me," Delphine moves across the snow and then comes back. "Okay, you try."

The kids and Cosima move with varying degrees of speed. "Good, good," Delphine encourages. "Now turn and come back this way. Eventually, as you get more comfortable, you can start moving your skis as though you were on ice skates to increase your pace." Delphine does a demonstration and then drops to the ground. "If you fall, don't panic. Just work to get your skis across the fall line, so when you get up, you don't automatically start sliding downhill. Then try to get as much of your core over the skis before you try to stand. Push the tips of the poles into the snow and work your hands up the poles until you're back on your feet. If your poles are out of reach, use your hands to help push to up over your skis, bend your knees, roll your head forward, and then stand up."

"Before we head all the way to the top of the slope, we're going to climb partway up so you can get a feel for the hill. We'll use the duck method. Everybody turn and face uphill, now wedge your skis so they form a V shape like so," she demonstrates, "and waddle up the hill to that yellow flag like so."

They all waddle up to the indicated point on the hill. "Now I'm going to accompany each pair down the hill. Oscar and Gemma, you'll be first. You three stay here and watch carefully. Just as we used a wedge method to go uphill, we'll be using a wedge downhill, but a reverse V. So instead of the skis coming together behind you, they'll be coming together in front of you. The wider the V, the slower you'll go until you come to a stop. Bend your knees slightly and keep them apart. Pretend as though you've got a basketball in between them to keep the proper distance. You'll use your poles to help guide your descent. Now let's try going slowly downhill."

Oscar and Gemma start descending the hill, with Delphine following close behind. "Gemma, slow down just a bit. As we get to the bottom, widen your stance until you come to a complete stop." They reach the bottom of the hill and are able to brake with no problem. "I'm impressed, that was great."

Delphine goes back up the hill and then heads down with Kira and Charlotte. "Charlotte, bend your knees a little more."

"How's this?" Charlotte asks as she corrects her stance.

"Very good. Kira, remember there's a basketball between your knees." They all come to a successful stop down by Gemma and Oscar. "Okay, wonderful. Four down, one to go. I'll be right back with Cosima."

Delphine hikes back up the hill. "Save the best for last, huh?" Cosima asks as she approaches.

"That is yet to be determined. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Okay, do exactly as they did. And, remember, I'll be right there with you. Let's go."

Cosima tentatively gets into the wedge stance and starts slowly sliding down the hill. "This isn't too bad," Cosima decides.

"Cosima, you may want to close the gap between your skis a bit," Delphine suggests.

Cosima reduces the wedge just a bit, barely picking up the pace. When they reach the bottom, Cosima is all smiles, "How was that?"

"Well, ehm-"

"Sloooow," Gemma cuts Delphine off.

"I was?"

"A little, but not too bad for your first time," Delphine reassures. "Next time try to narrow your stance a little more so you glide down the hill a little smoother and faster. Shall we head to the top this time?"

"Yes!" Gemma yells and the other kids agree.

"Cosima, do you think you're ready?"

Cosima looks at the eager children, then up at Delphine. "Yeah, let's do it."

"Yay!" the kids shout in unison.

"Wonderful! We will be taking the drag lift up. You'll hold your poles in your right hand, grip the bar with your left hand, and pull it between your legs. Don't sit on it, just keep your legs parallel to the hill, shoulder length apart. When you get to the top, pull the bar out from between your legs, let it go, and slide away from the lift. Let's pretend this ski pole is the drag bar. Gemma, grab on and I'll drag you," Delphine pulls her forward. "You see how her skis are straight and allowing for perfect drag, that's how you want them to be as you're going up the hill." She then demonstrates with each of them before heading to the lift. "Okay, Gemma, you'll go first, followed by, Oscar, Charlotte, Kira, Cosima, and I'll bring up the rear. Everybody wait at the top until I get there. Ready?"

They all nod and line up at the lift. Delphine goes to the front to make sure they all get on properly, stabilizing and passing them each the bar in one swift motion. They take off without a hitch, until it's Cosima's turn. She takes the bar fine, but is caught off guard by the initial tug. Her skis fail to stay straight and she wobbles, nearly losing her balance. Delphine quickly grabs her, "I got you, let go of the bar."

After the bar is safely away, Delphine guides her off to the side. "Sorry about that," Cosima apologizes sheepishly.

"No need to apologize, I know it can be jarring the first time. Let's try again." They return to the lift and wait for Cosima's turn. "Okay, keep your skis straight, shoulder width apart," Delphine instructs as she passes the bar to Cosima. This time Cosima is braced and ready for the pull and she's able to keep her skis in the proper position.

"I'm doing it!" Cosima shouts gleefully.

"Yes, you are," Delphine yells back as she grabs the next bar and follows her up the slope.

When Cosima reaches the top of the slope, she panics. "How do I get off this thing?"

"Let go, Cosima," Kira shouts.

Cosima lets go of the bar and slides towards the kids, who form a chain and help bring her to a stop just as Delphine arrives. "Thanks for the save, guys."

"We'll need to work on your technique exiting the lift," Delphine observes. "Now, who's ready to go back down the slope?" Everybody but Cosima raises their hand and they all glide to the center of the hill. "Do exactly what you did down there and remember to stay close to your buddy. Ready, set, ski."

The kids take off down the hill with Cosima and Delphine trailing. "I'm sorry, I'm slowing you down."

"Cosima, stop apologizing. This is new to you. You need to move at a pace that's comfortable for you."

"But look at them go. They're just as new at this as I am."

"Yes, but they're young and fearless."

"Are you saying I'm old and scared?"

"No, I wouldn't call you old. We're actually the same age."

"You're 28?"

"As of yesterday."

"Oh, wow. Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you."

"Okay, so not old, but you think I'm scared."

"I think you're tentative. You're afraid of falling, of getting hurt, and that's perfectly understandable. As you get more comfortable on skis, you'll be ready to close that gap, go faster, take chances."

"You mean like this?" Cosima narrows her wedge and picks up speed down the slope.

"Wait, Cosima," Delphine calls out.

Cosima starts barreling down the remainder of the hill. "Shit!" she panics when she gets to the bottom, widening her wedge to try to stop. "Oof!"

"Merde!" Delphine curses as she races down to Cosima who is now on her ass. "Cosima, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, physically, my pride, that's another story. What did I do wrong?"

"Well, first of all, you started going faster when we were too close to the bottom. Secondly, you overextended your V into almost an X as you tried to slow down."

"Oh, well, I definitely don't want to overextend my V. Unless it's in the midst of something really fun," Cosima winks.

Delphine laughs, "You're very cheeky."

"Yeah, well, good thing these rear cheeks padded my fall. How do I get up?"

"Get your skis underneath your body, then push up using your poles."

Cosima tries, and fails, to get up.

"Here, let me help," Delphine extends her pole and pulls Cosima back up.

"Thanks."

"That's what I'm here for."

The kids come gliding over.

"That was crazy!" Oscar shouts.

"Are you alright, Cosima?" Charlotte asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bruised ego."

"Want to try that again?" Delphine asks.

"Yeah!" the kids yell.

Cosima groans as she follows the eager students to the lift, "I think I'm gonna need a bigger butt."

Over the course of the rest of the lesson, the kids take small falls here and there, while Cosima manages to fall another 6 times. Only one of those falls having nothing to do with her skiing ability and more to do with the ski instructor that keeps helping her up.

"So, um, I guess you didn't bank on having to teach a clumsy 28 year old today?" Cosima remarks after the kids are collected by their parents.

"No, definitely not, but it was a pleasant surprise."

"Pleasant? Really?"

"Yes, you're very amusing."

"I'm glad I could entertain you with my ineptitude. Today was fun, though, despite spending just as much time on the ground as on my feet. I had to kind of be pushed into doing this, but I'm glad I did. And you were really great to let me stay today, but I guess there's probably an adult beginner's instruction I should switch into."

"There is. With Antoine."

"Not with you?"

"No, I'm the junior ski instructor here, all my students are under 18."

"Oh," Cosima nods unhappily. "So should I just tell the ski school to move me into his class?"

"You can, but his beginner's instruction starts at 7am."

"Wonderful! So to get all this stuff on and get down to the slopes, I'd have to wake up at like, what, the buttcrack of dawn? Who needs sleep, right?"

"Or you could just stay in this group."

Cosima lights up, "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. I also run an afternoon teen group, but it's full, and we only have four enrollees in this one. You do fit in surprisingly well with them. So, yes, stay. Um, if you want to, that is."

Cosima pretends to mull over the offer for a moment, lest she seem overeager. "I think it's for the best if I do stay in this group."

"Why's that?"

"I can't very well leave you without a buddy, can I?"

Delphine laughs, "No, you can't."

"Great, then I'll see you tomorrow at 9am?"

"Yes, you will," Delphine smiles.

"Cool!" Cosima picks up her poles and skis, turns, and heads back towards the rental shop, her face breaking out into a huge grin as she practically skips away despite the clunky boots weighing her down.

—

"How'd it go, Cosima?" Scott asks as Cosima enters their room and plops onto her bed.

"Well, Scotty, when you signed me up for a beginner's ski group, did you happen to notice it was a class for 8 to 12 year olds?"

"What? Oh shit. What did you do?"

"Besides feel like a complete idiot?"

"I'm sorry, Cosima, I didn't realize. Maybe there's an adult group you can join instead."

"There is, but I'm not going to."

"You're giving up on skiing already? Come on, Cosima, you can't spend the next three weeks in the French Alps reading books by the fire."

"I didn't say I was giving up. And for your information, reading in front of a fire is a fine way to spend three weeks."

"You're not giving up? But you said—"

"Dude, you signed me up for a kiddie class, and I felt like a major moron, but the instructor is a French goddess who told me I can stay in her class if I wanted to. Dude, I don't know if I'll ever actually learn how to ski, but hell if I'm not gonna at least die trying and get to spend my last days with her."

"You're hot for teacher," Scott teases.

"Oh man, this girl, she's incredible. Not only is she call the police and the fireman hot, but really sweet and funny. And patient. My god is she patient."

"Were the kids that difficult to deal with?"

"Not the kids, Scotty, me. I'm a fucking klutz. I lost count of the number of times I fell, but she just kept helping me back up."

"Sounds like she has all the qualities one looks for in a ski instructor."

"Yeah, man, totally. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I'm actually looking forward to going skiing."

"Skiing or falling?" he laughs.

"Both."