A/N: Just another day that I'm always missing Pike. Happy Valentine's Day! Both Mrs. Cuddles and wannabesewcrafty gave me two separate ideas about a cabin and it spawned this. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
Paige huffed in annoyance as she and Mike slowly trekked through the snow. People actually did this for fun? She was so bundled up that she could barely move. She was practically waddling. She was freezing. Her face hurt. Her boots were too heavy. This was a disaster. What the hell had she been thinking when she agreed to this?
"I was thinking about Valentine's Day," Mike said.
"Let me guess, roses everywhere," Paige teased. Mike was overly sentimental on a normal day. But on a holiday about romance? She knew he was going to take advantage of it. Especially because it was their first one together.
"Are you asking for roses?" Mike asked. He pulled her closer to him and trailed kisses along her neck. "I didn't think you were so traditional. Rose petals everywhere? Dozens of roses delivered to HQ? Is that what you want?" He lowered his voice, "You know I aim to please."
Paige laughed and playfully pushed him away. "Tell me."
"What do you think about taking a trip out East? My grandfather had this cabin, technically it's mine now. But I thought we could go away, just the two of us."
"Just us?" Paige asked. She traced her fingers over his lips and slowly nodded. It was rare for them to get a whole night alone together. She loved the idea of having a weekend all to themselves. No work. No roommates. No interruptions. It sounded amazing. She didn't care where they were.
"Before you agree, I want you to think about - "
"What's there to think about? Us - alone together, really alone together? Sign me up."
"It's winter."
Paige smacked Mike. "I know it's winter."
"But winter in LA is not winter on the East coast. There's snow and - "
Her face lit up. "YES!"
"Have you ever seen snow before? Are you that much of a California girl that you've never seen snow? Aren't you part Russian?"
"I've seen snow!" Once or twice. Okay, barely. She had been in DC a few times when there was snow on the ground, but she had never been in the snow.
"Have you?" Mike skeptically asked.
"Not really," Paige confessed.
Mike glanced over at her, "Are you cold?" he asked. He gently placed his hand on her back, guiding her back onto the path.
Paige glared at him in response.
Mike bit his lip to keep from responding. He warned her about this. As brilliant as Paige was, she was clueless when it came to dressing cold weather. Paige had been thrilled to have an excuse to buy all this cute hiking stuff. He loved that his badass girlfriend was this sexy snow bunny. Although, he knew if he called her that she'd probably knee him in the groin and leave him in the snow. It wasn't his fault that her fashionable hiking gear wasn't doing a great job of keeping her warm. On the plus side for him, her jacket barely covered her ass and gave him a great view when she was walking in front of him, so he wasn't complaining. Even if she couldn't stop complaining.
Mike reached for her hand and kissed her cheek.
"Do people really do this for fun?" Paige asked, her voice turning into a whine when it started snowing harder.
Mike reached for her hand and pulled her closer to him, "Yes," Mike said. He didn't mention that she was the one that wanted to go hiking while it was snowing because she wanted to be in the snow. If he did that, she'd probably make him sleep on the couch and that was not the point of their getaway. "You're adorable when you're grumpy."
"I'm cold." She hugged herself, clearly trying to keep herself warm.
Mike wrapped his arms around her. He brushed some snow off her face and leaned in for a kiss. Paige pulled back suddenly and he looked down at her confused. "What?"
"It's my first kiss in the snow," Paige whispered against his lips.
"Yeah?" Mike asked.
The way she was looking up at him, her eyes were filled with adoration and wonder, made him fall in love with her all over again. All her complaining was worth it if it meant she looked at him like this.
"Yes." Paige nodded and sweetly kissed him. She blissfully sighed when she pulled away.
"Let's get you warmed up" Mike suggestively said and kissed her again.
"Oh no you don't," Paige said, playfully pushing him away. "That's not what I meant. I'm a popsicle right now. We are not fooling around outside. Later, okay?"
MIke dutifully nodded and kissed the tip of her nose before grabbing her hand, "Come on, we're almost back at the cabin."
True to his word, Mike warmed her up when they got back to the cabin. He built a fire, making the cabin extra cozy, even though it was heated. He drew her a hot bath and when she emerged from the bathroom, she was in awe at the countless candles in the living room.
She had to admit, it felt nice to be spoiled like this. She didn't care if it was cliche or it made her a typical girl or what, but she loved all the effort he put into making their Valentine's getaway extra special, even though Mother Nature threatened to ruin things. Maybe she should've listened when Mike was skeptical of her outdoor gear. But she didn't think it would really be this cold. But right now, none of that mattered. Not when there was a romantic picnic set up in front of the fire.
Mike's back was to her and she ducked back into the bedroom to grab something from her suitcase before heading out. She stashed it on the sofa before approaching him. "Hey."
Mike's arms immediately wrapped around her. "You all warmed up?"
Paige nodded. The curtains on one of the windows were open and she could see the snow steadily falling. "It's beautiful." She motioned to the picnic he set up and towards the window. "Now that I'm warm and watching the snow from inside, I can see the appeal of it."
"You're grouchy when you're cold. I didn't know that about you."
"I'm sorry. You're practically a saint for putting up with me." Mike started to interrupt and she silenced him with a kiss. "I have something for you." She reached for the box she put on the sofa and handed it to him.
She and Mike agreed not to spend a lot of money on gifts. They both agreed that taking this trip, spending a few days here before heading to visit his mom and then stopping in NYC before heading home was their gift to each other. She had given him a gift before they left because it would be a hassle to travel with it just to bring it home. In honor of their first vacation together, she had gotten him a scratch off map of the world. And each time they took a trip together, he got to scratch off the state or country they visited.
Coincidentally, he had given her a travel themed gift as well.
Paige curiously looked at the compass in the box. It was beautiful. But she wasn't quite sure she understood the meaning behind this gift. She traced her fingers along the edge and as if Mike was reading her mind, he took it out of the box and placed it in her hand.
"You told me once that I was lost and that you're not the answer. You're right. You're not the answer, but you're home to me. And if I'm lost again, I know my heart will find it's way to yours."
"Mike..." Paige whispered as she blinked back tears. "It's perfect. Thank you."
Mike pulled her close and brushed away her tears before tenderly kissing her.
Mike lifted the box and pulled out a decorative jar. He looked at all the colored slips of paper in the jar and back at her. "What's this?"
Paige nervously ran her hand through her hair. As much as she loved Mike, being sentimental was his thing, not hers. But this wasn't just some guy she was shacking up with on Valentine's Day. This was Mike. He took her on a romantic weekend getaway so she could see snow for the first time. Brought her to the place where he had spent time with one of the most important people in his life. She wanted to get him something that actually mattered to him even if it left her feeling a little exposed. "This year - us - being here after everything, I never thought we'd be here. But here we are and I know I complained today on our hike, but this is perfect. I fell for you so hard because of a million different things. I love you and I just want you to know how much."
Mike kept his gaze on her as he lifted the lid and pulled out a slip of paper. "I love how you look at me when you think I'm not watching. It's like we're the only two people in the world," Mike read. He met Paige's gaze and softly smiled at her. People that didn't know Paige well thought she was a party girl. A badass. And she was. It was long established that he was the romantic one in the relationship. But that didn't mean she didn't care. It was just harder for her to show her feelings, but when she did, it was beautiful. It wasn't some reflex reaction because that was what she was supposed to do or say. It was genuine. True. She felt safe enough to let her guard down around him and expose her heart and that was the greatest gift. He put the paper in the jar and set it back down on the sofa. "Thank you."
Paige breathed a sigh of relief. "Didn't you say something about warming me up?" She smoothed her hand down his chest.
Mike placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "I think you're warm enough."
"What are you doing?"
"Checking for a fever, because you're just so romantic. Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Mike teased, trying to lighten the mood. He laughed when Paige playfully hit him.
"Shut it!" Paige lunged for the jar and started frantically digging through it. Opening one note after another and dismissing them as soon as she read them.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Mike asked. He hugged her from behind, "I love this. I love you. I'm just messing with you." Mike settled his lips on the back of her neck, trying to get her to calm down.
"Here," Paige triumphantly said and handed Mike another slip of paper.
"I love how your ass looks in jeans." Mike shook his head and rested his hands on her hips. Not that Paige couldn't be sentimental. Not that he didn't love it when she was. But he loved it even more that she didn't censor herself around him. That she could be sweet and playful on a sentimental holiday. "Me too. Happy Valentines Day," Mike murmured in her ear.
THE END