A/N - A short little ficlet about Kaidan and Jane Shepard playing in the snow on shore leave in Vancouver after the events of Mass Effect 1. Written for chmuhlbeier on Tumblr as part of an art/fic swap using her Jane Shepard. Enjoy!
The cold breeze wrapped icy tendrils around Jane as she stepped from the spaceport into the frosty Vancouver air. The cold seeped through her jacket and she shivered as it seemed to settle into her bones. Kaidan bounced through the doors beside her and, apparently unaffected by the cold, drew in a lungful of the crisp air, grinning as he exhaled his breath in a small white cloud and grabbed up her mittened hand.
He must be an alien, she thought to herself. Some kind of alien species that's impervious to the cold; it's the only explanation!
"I've missed this place!" he declared happily, his face shining as the sun reflected down on them. "There's nothing quite like home, is there?"
Jane huddled into her jacket and shook her head wordlessly, her teeth chattering as he drew her along the sidewalk. The sunlight provided a little warmth, but not enough to help against the bone-chilling cold of the Canadian winter; especially when she'd spent her childhood in tropical climates. She'd had worse though, and Jane determinedly trudged on, saying nothing as she cast a longing look at the line of sky-cabs waiting to ferry visitors to and from the city.
Apparently, Kaidan was hell bent on walking to their accommodations to give her a proper Vancouver experience.
"You're being awfully quiet," he prompted her after a moment, glancing down at her with a small smirk. "You're not cold are you? The great Commander Shepard? Lost for words because of a little thing like the cold? Not after some of the planets we visited! Remember Noveria?"
"We were in temperature controlled armour," Jane reminded him, her teeth chattering as she forced the words out. "It's freezing here."
He laughed and casually slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him and extending his biotics. They pulsed over her in a warm wave and Jane let out a soft gasp as the warmth spread through her body, chasing the lingering cold away. She hadn't realised just how gloriously warm biotics could be.
"Biotics are good for more than just tossing people around," he told her playfully. "You learn these things growing up around here."
"Growing up in an inhospitable arctic tundra, you mean," Jane grumbled under her breath, though she happily burrowed close to him.
Kaidan just chuckled and tightened his arm.
This was the first chance they'd had to be alone since they'd defeated Saren. The days afterwards had been filled with medical appointments, media interviews, and so many debriefings that even Jane's head had begun to spin. They had tried to make time for each other, but aside from the occasional glance across a room, she'd barely laid eyes on him.
Oh, but she'd lived for those glances.
Those moments when their eyes had met, when everything fell away, and for an instant, for a heartbeat, it was just the two of them; those were the moments she lived for.
Jane dropped her head to his shoulder as they strolled along, perfectly content to say nothing as she relaxed into his hold and enjoyed this moment. The cold air escaped from her mouth in small white puffs, and the snow on the sidewalk crunched and creaked under her boots. Despite the biting cold, Kaidan's biotics were keeping it at bay, and it was pleasant to bask in the warmth of his body and enjoy the crisp clear day.
And it was a beautiful day.
Around them, the city of Vancouver gleamed white in winter glory, and the Bay glittered beautifully in the winter sun. The clear sky was a brilliant blue, and white puffy clouds listed lazy above them as sunlight reflected off the pristine white snow in the city below. Everywhere she looked, people bustled about in brightly coloured coats and scarves, looking for all the world as though they'd escaped out of a Christmas painting
Jane smiled; this was the perfect day to be with the man she loved.
"Oh-oh. You've gone quiet again. You haven't frozen, have you?" Kaidan teased, his thumb stroking her shoulder lightly. "I'm afraid this is as warm as my biotics go."
"It's fine." She smiled up at him and snuggled closer. "I'm just glad to be here with you."
His face lit up at her comment and he smiled, his warm toffee coloured eyes dancing with light. "I'm glad. It's a perfect day for me to show you around."
"It is beautiful here."
"You're beautiful." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, the corner of his mouth twitching as he suddenly twirled her in the snow and pulled her against him so her back was pressed against his chest. "Let's immortalise the moment. Smile."
Kaidan raised his Omni-tool and snapped a selfie of them.
Jane was certain she looked ridiculous with her hair fluffed up and her nose all red from the cold, but it felt nice to have him pressed against her. And it was hard to protest when he was so happy and enthusiastic. Plus, she reasoned, the memory would be nice to keep, and the snowy wonderland would make a beautiful backdrop.
Kaidan checked the photo when he was done and forwarded her a copy. "Pretty as a picture," he quipped and ruffled her hair.
"Lame." Jane grinned at him and ducked away as she opened a copy and peered at the image.
The picture was nice, and they looked really cute together. She smiled as she saved it and flicked off her omni-tool. Without Kaidan's arm around her and his warming biotics, the cold began to affect her again, and she began to shiver.
"Hey Jane?"
She looked in Kaidan's direction just in time for something white and icy to smack her in the face, and with a startled squeal she fell backwards into a snowy embankment. Frantically, she wiped the remnants of what she realised was a snowball of her face, and sat up to see Kaidan crouched on the ground a few metres away, scooping up more snow.
"How could you!" she condemned, trying to sound authoritive even as she was sprawled on the ground inelegantly.
Kaidan grinned and shaped another snowball. "Like this!"
He threw it at her.
Jane shrieked as she threw herself to the side, the icy ball whizzing past her head and narrowly missing her. With a growl she scooped up some snow and clumsily formed her own snowball which she attempted to hurl back at him. Her clumsy attempt was less than effective, and it broke apart in the air; showering Kaidan in powdery snow. For a moment he blinked in surprise, and then he howled with laughter, stumbling and almost falling he was laughing so hard.
Jane pulled a face and scooped up more snow in her hands, taking advantage of his mirth to launch a sneak attack. Maybe she wasn't any good at ranged attacks in the snow, but that didn't mean a frontal attack wouldn't work! She got to her feet and stormed over to him, pulled the neck of his jacket back, and dropped the snow down the back of his shirt.
Instantly Kaidan swore and used his biotic to sweep her feet out from under her. He shook the snow out from the back of his shirt and then pinned her to the cold ground, staring down at her with flushed cheeks and a happy grin on his face.
"You're a cruel woman!" He condemned playfully. "That was a dirty trick!"
"Says the man who threw a snowball in my face!" Jane shot back as she cupped his face in her hands.
Kaidan chuckled, his chest rumbling gently. "I couldn't help it! You were so distracted!" His lopsided smile quirked at the corner and he raised an eyebrow as his eyes dipped to her lips. "I'm sure there's something I can do to make it up to you though … ?"
He placed an arm either side of her and slowly lowered his face to hers, his mouth hovering an inch above her lips. Jane looked up into his tawny eyes for a long moment, and with a smile she closed the distance between them. Their mouths meeting in a long simmering kiss. His lips teased hers apart, and his tongue swirled around hers in a hot stoke of velvet heat.
The kiss seemed to last forever, but finally, Kaidan drew back; kissing her on both cheeks and on the tip of her nose as he rose up on his forearms. Jane wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled softly, managing to swallow the groan of disappointment that almost escaped her as he pulled away.
"Still cold?" he asked softly, his biotics pulsing around them in a gentle blue haze. "Because I'm feeling decidedly warm again after that kiss."
Jane grinned. "Oh, that definitely warmed me up." She raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, do you Canadians welcome all people to your country like this?"
Kaidan returned her smile and pressed his forehead to hers. "Nah, just the ones we really like."
A/N - Hope you liked it! Reviews are always much loved!