“I’m obviously the femme of the two of us, you butch dyke,” Veronica says, kissing Cass’ cheek. Cass rolls her eyes, but Arcade can see the hint of a grin from underneath her hat. Raul is the last to join the group on the porch, grumbling about how bad the cold is for his bones while still grinning. They all watch Courier and Boone play in the snow, placing bets on when they’ll get tired (or in Cass and Raul’s case, bets on when they’ll finally give up the ghost and start a relationship).

Arcade stops paying attention after a while, instead focusing on the snow. The last time he saw snow was when he was a small child. It was just after his father died, and try as he might, he can’t remember much about his father other than his height. What he remembers is James, and Courier looks so much like him it hurts. He remembers James helping him build a snowman, and having a snowball fight with him because there weren’t any other kids around. He remembers a sadness and longing at his father’s passing, and he remembers those emotions reflected in James’ eyes.

Arcade is pulled from his reminiscing by a loud, persistent coughing. He turns to see Courier doubled over, wheezing, and Boone adamantly trying to lead her to the lodge. She’s shaking her head, but once she coughs hard enough to splatter blood in the snow, Boone picks her up to carry her inside. Arcade follows them inside, and the rest of the group is at his heels. Courier looks over Boone’s shoulder at the snow with a familiar sad look in her eyes, and Arcade fights to stay in the present, even while her gaze is pulling him into a past he’d rather forget.