"Hope! Spencer! C'mon! It's snowing!" Billy screeches as he bursts into their room.

The kids were now separated into 2 rooms, with the same bunk bed arrangements. Spencer and Hope share a room, and Sally and Billy shade the other.

Hope's expression brightens, looking up from the comic Spencer had been reading to her.

Spencer looks up from the comic book and rolls his eyes. "You go ahead, Hope. Snow isn't my thing."

Hope looks at her ginger brother and pouts.

".. That's not gonna work." Spencer replies, returning his gaze to his comics. "I could use the quiet time."

Hope hides behind the comic book and slowly tugs it down, looking at Spencer with big, sad eyes.

The ginger cringes. ".. I said no, Hope!"

The black haired girl looks genuinely sad. She sniffles and climbs down the ladder to the floor, and walks out of the room.

Spencer watches her leave. Guilt slowly consuming him. He was pretty excited that it was snowing, if he was honest with himself. It was Christmas Eve- and there had been no snow. But now... It was a miracle!

He groans softly. "... I hate her sometimes..." He mutters.

--- --- ---

"Hope, cheer up! It's Christmas tomorrow!" Sally squeaks. The three kids were making a snowman together. It was deformed, sure. But it was a snowman.

"Yeah. If Spencer wants to be a stick-in-the-mud, then let him." Billy laughs as he plops a small snowball on top of the snowman's torso.

Out of nowhere, a snowball flies and hits Billy in the face, causing him to fall over. Sally and Hope gasp and look at the doorway to the house, seeing Spencer in his Christmas sweater and boots.

"Spencer! You're gonna catch a cold!" Sally whines.

"Should I care?" Spencer smirks. "I have sibling to play with."

Hope smiles widely and tackle hugs Spencer into the snow, snuggling him. "H-Hey! Take it easy!" He stutters, feeling the cold snow on his neck.

Hope mimics a giggle and helps her brother up, and leading him by the hand to the snowman.

Spencer observes the snowman and sighs. "You guys would make horrible artists." He judges in his lisp.

"Hey!" Billy and Sally exclaim.

"There's no figure or shape! It's just a blob! Why's the face on the torso?!" Spencer points to the chest-face of the snowman.

"Hope wanted to put the face on. But she was too short." Billy replies, pointing to the youngest sibling.

Hope lowers her head and frowns.

Spencer sighs softly. "Let's rebuild the snowman- to make it a snow-Papa!" He exclaims.

"Yeah!" Sally and Billy cheer.

Hope sits in the snow an watches as her older siblings roll around huge snowballs. She tries to push a big one-- but it gets too heavy and she slips, breaking the boulder. She whimpers.

"Done!" Sally chirps. "I'll do get waffles for the buttons!"

"I'll get a jacket and scarf!" Billy cheers. The two run inside to retrieve the items.

Spencer turns to see Hope, sitting alone making a tiny snowman by herself. He frowns at the sight, then smiles at his idea.

Hope feels herself being lifted up. She's placed on Spencer's shoulders, and given a carrot and some buttons.

Hope looks down at her ginger haired brother, who smiles softly at her. "We left the most important part for you. Cuz you're the most important part of our family!" Spencer explains.

Hope's eyes light up as she sticks the carrot nose on the snowman head.

After a few minutes, the snowman is complete.

It wore Papa Acachalla's jacket, a scarf, and had a big smiley face.

"It's perfect." Billy grins and wipes his forehead of sweat.

"It's soooo tall!" Sally giggles, who's being given a Piggy back ride from Billy.

Hope hugs Spencer's arm and looks up at him with a bright smile. Spencer smiles back and rubs his reddening nose.

'Thank you' is what he saw in her eyes.

Spencer smiles warmly. "Anytime, H."

Hope smiles her bubbly smile and hugs him tighter.

--- --- ---

"What a great way to spend Christmas. I told you that you'd get a cold!" Sally scolds.

Spencer growls softly, sniffling softly. "Yeah yeah... I was just trying to be a good brother, okay?" He sniffles, his lisp weak and his voice nasally.

"Well, Merry Christmas anyways!" Gertrude laughs softly, who's snuggled next to Papa by the fireplace.

"Can we open our presents now?!" Billy asks with excitement.

"Go ahead!" Papa smirks.

The kids all cheer and grab a single present each from under the tree.

Sally got a waffle lamp.

Billy got a toy doctor's kit.

Spencer got an xbox 360.

And Hope got plush panda.

"Thank-" Spencer sneezes. "-You Mama, Papa."

"You're very welcome." Mama smiles brightly. "But I think you have one more gift, Spencer."

"Huh?" Spencer sees Hope walk up to him. She holds out a plush toy of pacman to him, smiling widely at him.

Spencer takes the toy into his hands and smiles. ".. Aw thanks Hope, I--"

Hope interrupts him by pointing to the writing inside the mouth of Pacman.

'My Favourite Gamer, and Best Big Brother! -Hope'

It was hand stitched into the mouth.

Spencer feels his eyes dampen a bit as he looks at Hope, who's smiling at him.

'I wuv you!' He sees in her eyes.

".. I love you too, Hope." Spencer whispers with a smile. He hugs her tightly, nuzzling the top of her head.

".. Thank you." He whispers.

Hope smiles at him and cuddles close to him.

Gertrude, Papa, Sally, and Billy all coo softly at the two.

"They're the cutest sibling pair ever!" Sally squeals softly.

"I know right?!" Billy laughs.

Papa clears his throat. ".. Now.. Kids..."

"Yes Papa?" The kids look at him.

"I... Have some bad news. One of you kids is gonna have to have their room in the basement from now on..." He exclaims.

"What?!" The kids yelp.

"Thing is... There's only one of you that's able to stay down there. Billy's scared of the dark, Sally needs to be within reach of the kitchen... And Hope is too young to stay down there by herself..." Gertrude pipes in.

"Oh no." Spencer sniffles from his cold, his heart sinking.

"And.. Spencer pretty much lives down there anyways... It's his gaming room. So.. We thought it wouldn't be too much of a change for him..." Papa explains.

"Uh oh!" Sally squeaks. "But you can't separate Spencer and Hope! They're.. Unseparateable!"

"It has to be done, honey." Mama replies softly. Billy needs his own room nowadays.. He's gonna be needing more space since he's growing up. Sally and Hope will share a room- but Spencer..."

Everyone looks at Spencer and Hope. Hope looks heartbroken. Spencer looks hurt.

Hope tries to speak- but fails. "...!"

She looks at Spencer with sad eyes.

"... She says you can't separate us because.. We're the only ones who can understand each other." Spencer speaks, as if reading her mind.

"What..?" Papa stares, shocked.

"It's not too big of a deal, hun." Mama smiles. "You're still in the same house- you can still play! It's just a new arrangement."

"... She's right, Hope." Spencer mutters, looking down at his sister, who's eyes are teary. It breaks his heart.

"It's.. It's no big deal." He forces a smile. "... You've been here for a good 4 years now. It's.. It's about time for a little change, don'tcha think?" He asks.

Hope looks at him in his green eyes, looking confused. As if wondering if something was wrong.

'... Why don't you understand me?'

Spencer blinks. No. He must have misread.

'.. All this time.. I thought...'

"No... No no stop it, Hope. It's not like that." Spencer mutters. "I do understand, it's just.."

Hope glared angrily at him.

'I thought you, of all people, would understand!'

Spencer cringes. ".. Hope, please--"

"What's going on?" Sally whispers worriedly to Billy.

".. They're.. Having a fight.." Billy replies, astonished.

"There's nothing we can do, Hope! Just.. Just accept it!" Spencer turns away, still keeping his eyes on Hope for communication.

Hope stomps her foot in anger, a tear streaming down her cheek.

'Don't yell at me! I'm not the betraying one here!'

"I'm not betraying you-- I just.." Spencer growls and grips his hair. "You're impossible to deal with!"

Hope let's out a small gasp and steps back, tears stinging her eyes.

Spencer looks at her. He sees and hears nothing. ".. Hope?"

The black haired girl wipes her cheek and walks backwards slowly, shaking her head. She then runs away.

The only thing the family hears is a door slam.

Spencer doesn't move- his mind racing.

".. Spence?" Billy tilts his head worried. ".. What happened?"

Spencer doesn't reply.

".. Spencer? What's wrong?" Sally asks, tugging at his shirt.

"I.. I lost it." The ginger mutters.

"Lost what?" Mama asks concerned.

".. The link. I can't understand her anymore." Spencer mutters, fear shrouding his voice.

".. Oh no." Mama whispers.