A/N: Some Shenko fluff with a new Shepard. She had her first appearance in Vorcha Girl's fic Bad Boy (if you haven't read it yet, then do it!)

Enjoy!

Kris Shepard looked out of the bedroom window as she slowly dressed. The sun hung low in the sky, slanting through the trees and bathing everything in golden light.

She'd been surprised to wake up in bed alone. Kaidan generally took great pleasure in waking her, but today he was nowhere to be seen. Briefly she wondered if it had something to do with her snapping at him the previous evening; he'd wanted to help her undress as her left arm was still a little stiff and she'd lost her temper with him. Yesterday had not been a good day.

It was frustrating sometimes. They had defeated the Reapers more than a year ago but even with all the physical therapy she'd had her left arm still wasn't fully functional.

Kris knew she shouldn't complain. Considering what had happened when the Crucible fired she had been very lucky. Her burns were nearly healed, she had a new knee and her scars had faded more than she had expected.

But she still couldn't bend her left arm properly.

The sound of firm footsteps in the hallway pulled her from her reverie. She would always know that footfall; she had spent a lot of time during recovery listening for that sound coming down the hallway toward her room. Kris turned around to see Kaidan standing in the doorway. He shaded his eyes with one hand and smiled.

"I was just going to come and wake you," he said, his voice warm and husky. It sent a thrill down her spine and she wished she stayed in bed longer.

"That so, Alenko?" she asked as she sashayed toward him, brushing her unruly reddish brown hair out of her face.

"Mmh-hmm," he hummed and his smile turned into a smirk as he ran his eyes over her fully dressed form appreciatively. He sighed, feigning disappointment. "And now I didn't even get to watch you dress. But," he pulled her close for a kiss, "that just means I can take you somewhere special faster. Come, we're going for a short stroll."

Kris pressed herself against him, not quite as keen on going outside as she was on getting him out of his clothes.

"Somewhere special, huh?" she whispered against his lips. "And what is so important that you have to show it to me now?"

Kaidan chuckled. "You'll see," he answered, his lips brushing against hers. His hands ran along her body before he stepped away and laced his fingers with hers.

Kris pouted.

Kaidan lifted her hand to his lips and gently placed a kiss on her fingertips. "You'll like it," he said cryptically.

"Kaidan, what do you have in mind?" Kris was a little suspicious. Kaidan had already surprised her with the trip to the orchard, saying they needed a short vacation after he had found her staring out of their living room window., She'd been looking out over the bay through the typical Vancouver rain every day over the course of almost two weeks.

"Ye of little faith," he sighed, leading her toward the door. He leaned against the frame as she pulled on her boots grumbling. "Trust me. You'll like it."

"Are you going to tell me what you want to show me?" she asked, not sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.

"You'll see," he repeated his earlier response.

Kris glowered at him, but to no avail. And her frown melted away under his enthusiastic demeanor.

"What do I get for coming along?" she inquired, trying a different tactic to obtain more information.

He laughed. "You get to experience something you've never done before."

She couldn't help but be intrigued. What could he have in mind?

It was a crisp fall morning, and despite being a biotic Kris shivered as she stepped outside. They walked through the orchard hand in hand, passing under apple trees laden with fruit until they came to a large tree with a tree house.

"Kaidan, what is so special about a tree and a tree house?"

Kaidan stopped and turned to face her. "You told me once that you've never had the chance to climb a tree. I think it's time we changed that. After all, you can't live on an orchard and never have climbed a tree," he told her earnestly.

"Are you serious, Alenko?" Kris stared at the tree in disbelief, not sure how she felt about this. She stole a glance at Kaidan and he looked so expectant that she felt a pang of guilt at her lack of enthusiasm.

Memories of conversations with Kaidan passed through her head. Conversations about their childhoods, comparing all the differences between growing up on Earth and growing up a spacer. Slowly she recalled having told him she'd never climbed a tree, but that had been a long time ago, from before they'd served together on the Normandy.

"I can't believe you remembered that little snippet,"she said quietly, leaning against him. "I told you that ages ago."

"I know. I've, ah, been wanting to take you here ever since," he admitted, wrapping strong arms around her. "The past year - , well, your injuries had to heal first, but I think you can give it a try now."

Kris pushed slowly out of his embrace and walked to the tree. Standing under the lowest branch she looked up into the crown and then at the tree house.

There was no ladder.

"I'll race you," Kaidan whispered into her ear, his breath ghosting along her neck and Kris nearly jumped. She turned her head a fraction and looked into amber eyes glinting in the sunlight.

"You want to race me?" she asked slowly. "Are you worried I'll kick your ass if my arm heals any more?"

Kaidan snorted and shook his head. "Here I was trying to appeal to your competitive nature and you turn the words around in my mouth. I should've known."

"Shut up, Alenko," Kris responded, slapping his shoulder. "And the race is on!" She jumped, grabbing ahold of the branch and began climbing. She immediately felt the strain in her arms, but she continued up the tree, gritting her teeth every time she had to rely more on the strength in her arms. She caught a glimpse of Kaidan passing her nimbly and waiting a bit higher, sitting astride on a large branch and leaning his back against the trunk with his typical lopsided smirk.

"This is so not fair, Alenko," she ground out, finding leverage with her foot and pushing herself up. Finally she clambered onto the branch next to him. "Just how often have you climbed this tree?" she asked, gasping for breath. Only then did her brain seem to realize one thing he had mentioned. "And, what do you mean with 'live on an orchard'?"

"Hundreds of times," Kaidan answered her first question as he looked out over the small lake. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, looking sheepish.

Kris let her gaze roam over the lake.

It was so peaceful here. There was no evidence that there had ever been a war; no buildings lying in rubble, no signs of rebuilding. It was as though this place had been ignored by the Reaper forces.

She felt Kaidan's gaze on her and she turned to meet his eye.

"Do you like it?" he inquired, suddenly looking worried.

"Yes. It's beautiful."

"Could you imagine living here? I mean," he faltered, "would you want to? Maybe?" His voice trailed off.

Would she want to live here?

It was so different from living in space. Her apartment on the Citadel was still being rebuilt. It had been greatly damaged as most parts of the Citadel had been. It was also different from living in their apartment in Vancouver.

But living here completely? What about her career? What did she want when she got back to active duty?

Kris hesitated and noticed that Kaidan grew more nervous the longer she remained silent. He looked away from her, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't done that in a long time.

"I could imagine it," she answered eventually, but he still seemed nervous. "Why?" Kris teased, trying to loosen the sudden tense atmosphere, "did you sell our apartment in Raincouver, or what?"

"No! I - ," he stopped and took a deep breath. The assertive, confident marine had disappeared and been replaced by a shy recruit. Almost tentatively he held out his hand and Kris automatically glanced down. Her breath caught in her throat; a simple slender band adorned with a single small stone glittered in the sunlight. "Will you be my wife?"

For a moment Kris gaped at him, dumbstruck. "Will I -?" she began slowly, but never finished her question. She leaned against him, pressing her lips against his, kissing him fervently.

When they broke apart Kaidan ran his thumb over her lips. "I take it that means yes?" he asked huskily, his eyes dark with want.

Kris laughed. "Yes," she whispered. "God, yes." Her eyes met his. "Is this why you wanted to go here? To propose?"

Kaidan nodded.

She lifted an eyebrow. "And why couldn't you ask in Vancouver? Or at the farmhouse? Did it have to be sitting in a tree?" she wondered, gesturing at their surroundings.

"I wanted it to be special," Kaidan replied with a shrug.

Kris ran her hand over his pecs and abs, looking at him with a heated gaze. She licked her lips. "Say, have you ever had sex in a tree house?"

"No," Kaidan grinned at her as they both slid around the trunk and climbed into the tree house. "And I've never proposed to anyone before either."

He pulled her close as soon as they stood on firm ground and kissed her hard. Kris moaned as his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth. Craving his taste and the velvety feeling of his tongue sliding over hers she granted it willingly, parting her lips and soon they were lost in a tangle of limbs, only the rustling of the leaves and the sound of their love-making filling the air.

They both flared brightly as they reached their climax, gasping for breath as they lay on the floor of the treehouse, spent and satisfied. Kris turned to him and ran her fingers along his stubbled jawline with a happy smile before kissing him softly.

"With you everything is special, Kaidan."