Nora unlocked the door and switched on the light, then the two followed her inside.

She took her shoes and coat off, smiling at seeing Martin helping Daniel to do the same, as she passed him the smallest pair of guest slippers she found.

"How about we wash our hands first?" she asked, leading Daniel towards the small bathroom under the staircase, switching more lights on along the way.

"I'll make the fire, shall I?" Martin proposed, already carrying the wood-filled basket towards the sitting room.

"Sure, thanks," Nora said simply. It was obvious that Martin knew his way around her house, he had done this before.

When Daniel joined his father by the fireplace, Nora ran upstairs, into her room.

Where did she put that book... she mused as she switched on the light, spotting it immediately. She took it off the mantelpiece and carried it downstairs.

"Here, Daniel. Look at this."

As the boy took the book from her curiously, she grabbed a couple of cushions from the sofa, improvising a seat for him by the hearth. Thanks to Martin, a lively fire was already dancing around twigs and logs, consuming them with the sound of dry roses crumbled in a fist.

"Wow..." Daniel said dreamily as he sat down and separated a couple of pages, a three-dimensional world of The Little Prince, complete with the volcanoes and baobabs, his beloved rose and the migratory birds, and all the planets with their curious inhabitants, popping up in his hands. "It's beautiful! Is there the fox, too?"

"There is, but I don't recall where exactly. Why don't you find it while I make your hot chocolate, hmm?" Nora suggested, walking towards the kitchen.

Martin followed her, then vanished into the bathroom while she searched the cupboards for utensils and ingredients. Three mugs, teaspoons, a tray, a pot to boil and a glass container to measure out the milk, a bowl, a wooden spoon, a balloon whisk, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder... and of course some cream and marshmallows... She checked the things off her mental list as she laid them on the table, so lost in what she was doing that she jumped at hearing Martin's voice.

"That looks more like alchemy, or potion making, than preparing hot chocolate," he said as he approached her, stopping a little too close...

Not that she didn't like it... but it wasn't easy to focus on what she needed to do like this. Nora shook her head, taking a step away from him as she said, "Well, that's because hot chocolate is a kind of magic." Why did her voice have to shake?! Did he notice? She didn't want him to know that she wasn't quite immune to his closeness.

"True," he said, a smile playing on his lips. His arm disappeared somewhere behind her, brushing against her hip and making her heart skip a beat or two before it restarted at double speed-- he was so close!-- then reappearing, the balloon whisk closed in his fist like a sword. "And I'm here to help."

She laughed. "Fine! You chose your arm-- whipped cream it is for you to make. Here," she turned around, moving the bowl and the small carton of whipping cream within his reach. "You empty that into the bowl, add a little sugar and whisk until it turns all fluffy."

He nodded, already following her instructions while she measured out the hot chocolate ingredients, mixed them up and carried the pot to the cooker.

"I've never done whipped cream this way. We always buy it in spray," Martin said after a long while filled with the swift swish of the whish sweeping the sides of the metal bowl, and the chocolate simmering softly as Nora stirred it continuously with the wooden spoon.

She found him watching her as she turned to him.

"I prefer this one. It tastes better, I think." She smiled at him, turning the cooker off, carrying the steaming pot back to the table and pouring the dark, thick, velvety liquid into the cups. It smelled heavenly.

"It smells so good," Martin said, topping each mug with a cloud of whipped cream.

"Wow. You are a talented assistant cook, that cream has just the perfect consistency..."

Nora turned towards the sink, hiding her smile as she filled the pot with water. It felt so good, having Martin around.

She could feel him behind her before she saw him, his body filling her entire field of vision as she turned back to him, her back pressed against the counter, his sudden nearness surprising her again.

"Martin, I..." She what? She had no idea what she wanted to say as he stood so close that she could hear his heart beating against his chest, his arms leaning against the counter at her sides, encasing her into him somehow even without touching her.

Nora looked up and their eyes met, and she could feel her world spin as the moment started to transmute. She could sense his desire to kiss her emanating from him, and yet he was holding back, giving her the possibility to decide this herself... She only needed to lean on her tiptoes and bring her lips to his, and then...

"Nora, Nora I found it, I found the fox! Daddy, come have a look!"

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and cleared her voice before she called back, "We're coming, Daniel, the chocolate's ready!"

Settling for a kiss on Martin's cheek she moved his arm away and pushed past him, placing the mugs on the tray, carrying them towards the sitting room.

"Are you coming, Daddy?" she teased, trying to suppress a shaky giggle, without turning around, feeling him close behind her as he followed, speechless.

Martin added a piece of wood to the fire while Nora placed the tray on the coffee table and sat on the sofa, Daniel scooting next to her, the book still in his hands, before Martin could fill that place.

But she preferred it this way, her heart was still aflutter from their near kiss, which made her feel all pleasantly warm, but confused, too. Nothing about this man seemed uncomplicated, and he was... happening to her too fast, and kind of without her volition. Nora sighed, not realising she was looking at him instead of the book, until he looked at her, attracted by the sound. She forced her lips into a quick smile before she dropped her eyes, took a sip of her chocolate then passed a mug to Daniel, who was so engrossed in the book that he kept forgetting his drink.

Nora didn't offer Martin another occasion to approach her alone that evening. Despite her promising to herself that she would stop thinking about, it and simply accept what was happening between them, her mind was working overtime, making her doubt everything. What if this wasn't what she thought it was, what if...

She helped Daniel to put his shoes back on when Martin said that they needed to go, and bestowed another friendly kiss on Martin's cheek when she found him standing behind her as she straightened up.

Nora really wanted to see it as it looked to her, that Martin was starting to see her as more than a friend, but she couldn't help herself... If there was something between him and Victoria, her conscience would not allow her to step into it. She needed to make sure... but how? There was no way she was going to ask him...

"Thanks for the chocolate, it was superb," Martin said, then leaned closer even as he opened the door for Daniel and ushered him outside, to whisper in her ear. His breath landing on the side of her neck sent a pleasant shiver throughout her body as he muttered, "And thanks for handling the situation so expertly before."

For a fraction of a second Nora wasn't sure what he meant, his proximity making it impossible for her to think of anything else but their near kiss. Then her brain caught up with reality and she remembered the reason why they were in her house.

She nodded, and told Daniel who was observing them from the porch, "Don't you worry about Socks. I'll keep an eye open for him. And the book will wait for you here until you visit again, deal?"

"Deal. And don't forget to meet me tomorrow morning," he said, beaming at her.

"Of course not. Sleep well, Daniel." She watched him hop down the porch steps, then turned to Martin, "Thanks for your company. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Good night, Nora," he said, and she saw his hand move in her direction, as if he meant to caress her cheek, then, resisting the temptation at the last moment, he pushed it into the pocket of his coat.

With that they were gone, following the bright lights of the castle leading them home, their snow-muffled footfalls punctuating her solitude.