"Ready?" Jane said, clumping awkwardly to her side in the heavy ski boots he'd just pulled on. Shockingly, Jane had not insisted in trying to ski down the slopes in his three piece suit and his old brown shoes. Instead, without telling Lisbon his intentions, he had gone out the day before and spent a small fortune on every piece of skiing gear that one could imagine. He'd had the foresight to cut off the price tags before Lisbon could see them, but at a glance she could tell he'd likely spent upwards of two grand in one go. He'd bought not only ski pants, ski jackets, ski boots, ski goggles, ski gloves, and various underlayers for the both of them, but also two sets of actual skis. Lisbon had demanded why the hell they didn't just rent the equipment like normal people until they even knew whether they wanted to ski more than once in their lives. Jane had waved her off as a naysayer and a pessimist, insisting that they'd be far more likely to have an enjoyable experience if they had the best equipment available to them from the outset.
"Ready," Lisbon confirmed, standing up from the bench where she'd sat down to put on her own boots. She picked up her skis and eyed Jane with appreciation. He looked damn good in that snowboarding jacket, and the short beard he was sporting these days only added to the look.
Recollecting herself, she shook herself free of the thought before Jane could notice and tease her mercilessly about it. But when she risked another look at him, she realized he was far too busy watching her with a similar glint of appreciation to have any attention to spare to the task of teasing her incessantly.
"If I'd known how attractive you would look all bundled up, my dear," Jane said, leaning close to peck her on the lips, "I would have skipped the lesson and kept you in the room all day so I could have you all to myself."
Lisbon kissed him back, enjoying the taste of his cool lips in the crisp mountain air. "No way," she said firmly. "You promised me we would learn to ski together. No welching on the deal now."
"I still don't understand why you insisted on the lesson. It's perfectly obvious what you need to do to get down the hill without making a fool of yourself."
Lisbon raised an eyebrow. "Perfectly obvious?"
"Certainly," Jane said with great confidence. "Simple laws of physics, my dear."
Lisbon shook her head. "You can try out physics if you want, but I'll stick with the lesson, thanks."
"Well, I don't want to go by myself," Jane said, indignant. "What fun would that be? I'll take the lesson, if you insist. I just don't see why you don't let me teach you, instead."
"You said you've never skied before!"
"So? I have a keen understanding of physics and I've been watching those people over there do it," Jane said, gesturing to a group of twentysomethings who had been racing down the mountain like Olympians. "I did it with Sonny Battaglia and golf, didn't I? And there's considerably less at stake in the current instance."
"You observed him and corrected his technique," Lisbon contradicted. "You didn't actually learn to do it yourself. And anyway, swinging a stick at a ball that stays on the ground in one place is hardly the same as staying upright while you're sliding down the side of a mountain."
"Meh," Jane said dismissively.
Lisbon glared. "Are you taking the lesson with me or not?"
He sighed. "Yes, dear. I'll take the lesson, if you insist."
"Are you going to be nice to the instructor?" she demanded. "I don't want you humiliating some poor college kid for your own amusement, Jane. I guarantee they aren't getting paid enough to deal with your crap. In fact, if you piss them off, they might push you straight off the side of the mountain."
Jane protested, but Lisbon finally succeeded at extracting a promise that he would not provoke the instructor into doing him bodily harm until they were back at the bottom of the mountain where Lisbon might reasonably be equipped to defend him on level ground, so to speak.
He grumbled ungraciously throughout the lesson, making withering comments about the prospects of their fellow classmates to her under his breath. Lisbon ignored him and focused on listening to the instructor, a young woman named Jillian, advise the group on key elements to keep in mind when they were on the slopes. She walked them through the management of the equipment, the best way to dismount from the ski lift, and most importantly, how to get back up after a fall. She showed them how to snowplow with their skis to slow themselves down, and how to dig into the slopes with the edges of the skis to turn or stop completely.
Jane continued to mock while the rest of the group practiced the mechanics, not bothering to go through the drills himself. According to him, parallel turning was infinitely preferable to the wedge turn, and he had no intention of wasting his time on these remedial exercises. Lisbon diligently practiced each move and hoped none of their classmates would decide to kneecap him with their ski poles.
After an hour of instruction, Jillian declared them ready to face their first bunny hill.
"Finally," Jane said with an exaggerated eye roll.
The two of them took the chair lift together for their first run.
"Do you want me to hold your hand to help stabilize you when you get off the lift?" Jane offered.
Lisbon rolled her eyes. "I think I'll be all right." Privately, she thought she'd be able to manage her balance better if she only had to worry about not tripping over her own skis, let alone running into Jane.
She felt a little nervous when the lift approached the top, worried about not being able to stop once she got off. She tensed, preparing herself.
Jane grinned at her maddeningly. "Ready?"
She gave a terse nod, her eyes focused ahead. Jillian had advised keeping her head up and picking a landmark to aim towards when they got off. "Count to three, and then focus on slowing down," Jillian had told the class. "Before you do anything, you want to get clear of the lift so the people behind you don't run into you."
Just get clear of the lift, Lisbon told herself. If she fell after that, at least nobody would trample her.
"Here we go!" Jane cried with glee.
Lisbon lifted the tips of her skis, took a deep breath, and pushed herself off the lift. A delighted laugh escaped her as she sailed forward, keeping her eye on a tree up ahead, then angling her legs into the wedge position Jillian had taught them to slow herself down. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she said with a grin, turning towards Jane.
But Jane wasn't there.
"Patrick?" She turned instinctively, bending her knees and coming to an abrupt halt. She looked back towards the lift.
Jane was lying in the snow directly in front of the lift, looking flummoxed. People coming off the lift scrambled to avoid him, several people managing to get around him only to fall ten feet past him. People cursed and glowered at him as they righted themselves and set off for their own runs.
"Patrick!" Lisbon made her way over to his side with some difficulty, as she had to get herself back up a slight incline to reach him. Together with the help of the staff member manning the lift, they got him back on his feet and helped him move out of the path of other skiers dismounting the chair lift.
"Are you okay?" Lisbon asked worriedly.
"Fine," Jane said, his voice clipped.
"What happened?"
"He didn't pull his skis up in time," the lift guy piped up. "Instant face plant, the minute he stepped off the lift. It's bound to happen when your skis are pointed down like that."
Jane glared at him. "Thanks for your analysis, Cliff."
The lift guy's brow crinkled in confusion. "My name's Scott."
"Ignore him," Lisbon said. "Thank you for your help, Scott."
"Anytime." Scott clapped Jane on the shoulder. "Next time, just point your toes up, 'kay buddy?"
"Yeah," Jane said, glowering.
"At least you didn't hurt yourself," Lisbon said consolingly. "No harm done, right?"
"Right," Jane said, still disgruntled.
She tilted her head. "Shall we see if we can get back down the hill on these things?"
"I suppose," Jane said, distinctly ruffled.
"C'mon," she said, giving him a nudge. "You can show me how it's done."
Jane made his way over to the edge of the hill with a somewhat ungainly shuffling maneuver. He peered down the hill, looking dubious.
"Ready?" Lisbon said, pulling her ski goggles down over her eyes and adjusting her grip on her poles.
"Of course," he scoffed, but his eyes betrayed a hint of nervousness.
"Go on, then," Lisbon said. "I'll be right behind you."
Jane took a deep breath and bent his knees. He didn't move.
"You gotta lean into it," Lisbon said helpfully.
"I'm aware of that, Teresa," Jane said with dignity. "I'm just…preparing my mind."
"To calculate the physics of the descent?" she asked, amused.
"Precisely," Jane said, nodding. "But now I have an understanding of the angle of the slope, so I should be fine."
"Ok, then. Show me what you've got, hot stuff."
Jane raised his eyebrows. "Hot stuff?"
She smirked at him. "Now you're just stalling."
Jane glared at her and looked back down the mountain. "Physics," he muttered to himself. "It's all a matter of physics." He leaned forward and started sliding slowly down the hill with a decidedly un-Jane-like noise like a hastily swallowed cry. His knees wobbled and instead of continuing downhill, he suddenly shot off to the right. Straight into a stand of trees.
"Patrick!" Lisbon didn't think. She just started after him. She headed towards him, her skis slicing through the powder as though she'd been doing this her whole life. As she approached, she turned her feet and came to a halt just before the stand of trees. "Patrick," she said breathlessly. "You okay?"
"Fine, Teresa," he said, his voice muffled by the snow. "Never better."
She made her way over to his side. "What happened to physics?"
"The laws of physics are just reliable as they ever were, Teresa," Jane said, sitting up and brushing himself off. "The trouble is that my legs didn't seem to do what I told them to do."
"Patrick, Teresa!" Jillian came sliding to a stop next to them. "Everything all right over here?"
"Just peachy," Jane grumbled.
"You took quite a tumble," Jillian observed. "Anything broken?"
"All parts present and accounted for," Jane said sourly.
"Next time, remember the pizza method," Jillian instructed him. "Make a wedge with your skis to slow yourself down."
"I'll keep that in mind," Jane said with an ill grace.
Jillian turned to Lisbon. "Teresa, you looked great!" she said approvingly. "Nice hockey stop."
"Thanks," Lisbon said, embarrassed. She looked at Jane. "You ready to try again?"
Jane looked down the mountain. "Guess there's only one way down the mountain," he muttered to himself. He stuck his poles into the snow and tried to heave himself up, only to topple back over again. He looked up at Lisbon and Jillian with a plaintive look in his eyes. "Help me up?"
Together, the two of them hauled him to his feet.
"Teresa, why don't you go on ahead?" Jillian suggested. "I'll make sure Patrick gets to the bottom safely."
"You sure?" Lisbon said, still not certain whether Jane could be trusted not to play some trick on the young woman that would cause her to shove him face first into a tree herself.
"I'll be on my best behavior," Jane said wearily, reading her mind.
"All right," Lisbon said reluctantly. "I'll see you at the bottom, then."
She set off, cautious at first. But she gained confidence as she picked up speed, and soon she found herself grinning in delight. She experimented with leaning her weight right, then left, zigzagging down the hill in smooth arcs. This—this was amazing. She'd never felt anything like it before. It was like flying.
She practiced slowing down, then halting from speed. Then, with reckless abandon, she let herself go. She wove around her fellow students who had started down the mountain before she and Jane had gotten started, dodging their wobbling figures with ease.
She reached the bottom and turned her feet again, coming to a stop with a satisfying 'swoosh.' Exhilarated, she turned to look for Jane.
At first, she couldn't find him as she scanned the mountainside for his blue jacket. Then she finally spotted him, still three quarters of the way up the mountain with Jillian at his side, clearly urging him along.
She hesitated, wondering if she should wait for him there. After watching him for another minute, however, she realized she'd reach him a lot faster if she took the lift back to the top and started back down again.
Accordingly, she got back on the lift. When she dismounted, she turned down the mountain and headed back towards Jane and Jillian.
"How's it going?" she asked when she pulled up beside them with another 'swoosh' of her skis.
"Well, Jillian has prevented me from making the intimate acquaintance of several more trees, so I suppose I ought to be grateful," Jane said, not sounding grateful at all.
"You're doing just fine, Patrick," Jillian said encouragingly, but privately, Lisbon thought she looked a little harried. She turned to Lisbon, her expression brightening. "You did wonderfully! How did you learn to carve like that?"
"What's carving?" Lisbon asked uncertainly.
"How you were turning, when the edge of your skis bends into the snow," Jillian explained. "You've really never had a lesson before?"
Lisbon shook her head. "First time."
"Wow," Jillian said admiringly. "You're a natural!"
"Thanks," Lisbon said, ducking her head. She looked at Jane. "You sure you're doing okay?"
"Only my pride is wounded, Teresa," he said. He nodded for her to take another run down the mountain. "Go on, enjoy yourself."
She shook her head. "I'll stick with you this time."
He grimaced. "I really don't think that's going to do much for my pride, actually."
She smiled sweetly at him. "Since when have I cared about a little thing like that?"
He sighed. "Very well."
Their progress down the mountain was torturously slow. Jane minced down the mountain like a clumsy goat, falling over what felt like every several feet. He couldn't seem to get the hang of pulling himself back up, either, needing a hand from someone already standing. Or better yet, a tree, which he was less likely to pull down with him.
"Lean into the mountain and get your feet underneath you," Lisbon encouraged him. She'd figured out the easiest way to get up after about the third time Jane had pulled her down with him. Jane shifted, trying to follow her instructions, but only succeeded in tangling his skis together. "No, like this," she said, demonstrating.
Jane finally untangled himself and managed to get himself to his feet.
"Good!" Lisbon said, smiling. "You did it."
"Is it time for hot chocolate yet?" Jane panted. "I could really go for some hot chocolate."
"You're almost there," Lisbon lied.
He just gave her a look.
They finally made it to the bottom of the mountain.
"Nice job," Jillian said. Some of her perkiness had eroded, but she made an effort to smile. "You ready for that hot chocolate now?"
"No, I think I'd better try again," Jane said with determination. "I think I understand what I was doing wrong now."
Jillian did not succeed at hiding her dismay. "Great! That's the right attitude. Right back on the horse, eh?"
"It's okay," Lisbon told her. "I'll take him back up."
"Well, all right," Jillian said, looking reluctant to set Jane loose where other skiers might end up in his path of destruction. "I do kind of need to check on my other students. Here." She pulled a whistle out of her pocket and handed it to her. "Use this if you need help from the ski patrol."
"I hardly think that will be necessary," Jane protested.
Jillian looked at Jane again and shook her head. "Stay close to him."
Jane gamely tried two more runs, each more painful than the last. When they finally reached the bottom, he shook his head in defeat. "I think I'd better give up while I can still move under my own power," he said, bending down gingerly and wincing as he unclipped his boots from his skis.
"You sure?" Lisbon said, hiding her disappointment. "I thought you were getting better on that last run."
He shook his head. "Nice try, my dear, but you're still a horrible liar. The voice," he said, gesturing to her throat. "Gives you away every time."
"Sorry," she said guiltily.
"Not to worry. I'll just find myself a nice cozy fire and a cup of hot chocolate, and I'll be right as rain."
"I'll come with you," Lisbon said, reaching back with her poles to unclip her boots as well.
"Don't be silly," Jane said. "You should go back up." He smiled wanly. "You're a natural. I want you to enjoy yourself. Don't hold back on my account."
"But this is supposed to be our romantic weekend away," Lisbon protested. "It's not very romantic if I leave you alone by the fire."
"Meh," Jane said dismissively. "I'll be fine. Go on. I know you want to."
"No, I—"
She stopped at his raised eyebrow that clearly indicated he knew she was about to lie again. "All right," she said. "If you're sure?"
He leaned in and pecked her lips. "I want you to have a good time. So go out and enjoy yourself." He winked at her. "I'll rest up for our romantic evening together."
She elbowed him in the ribs with a grin, and he almost toppled over. He righted himself and gave her another look. "Go."
She got back on the lift.
She spent a glorious afternoon flying down the slopes, even braving one of the intermediate courses towards the end of the day. She raced down it three times in succession, thrilled by the speed and the challenge.
She finally called it quits about half an hour before sunset, taking off her skis and trooping into the lodge to find Jane.
True to his word, she found him lying on a sofa next to the fire, an empty mug of hot chocolate by his side and a book on his chest.
"There you are," he said, smiling up at her. "I thought you might have decided to run away with one of the guys from the ski patrol."
She bent down and dropped a soft kiss on his lips. "Nah. I thought I'd check on you, instead." She held out a cardboard cup in his direction. "Tea?"
"Ah," he said, sitting up with a wince. "Just what the doctor ordered."
"Are you in pain?" she asked, concerned.
"No, not at all." He paused, then pointed to a spot above his right elbow. "Here."
"It hurts there?" she asked, reaching out to touch the spot gently.
"No, that's the only spot that doesn't hurt."
"Poor baby."
"I'm going to need you to kiss it better," he informed her.
She raised her eyebrows. "Which part?"
"All of them."
She leaned forward and pressed another kiss to his mouth. "I think that can be arranged."
"Mm," Jane said happily. "I'm feeling better already." He took her hand and wove his fingers through hers. "You had a good time?"
"I really did," Lisbon said, smiling. "Thank you for bringing me here. Even if physics did let you down."
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I'll trade physics for seeing you happy every time, my dear."
"Smooth talker," Lisbon said, squeezing his hand. And then she kissed him again by the fire.
Xxx
Lisbon helped Jane back to their room, discovering that he'd underplayed the amount of pain that he was in. She made him take a bath to soothe his muscles, and he harangued her until she agreed to join him. It turned out not to be much of a sacrifice on her part.
After their bath, they went back downstairs for dinner in the luxurious dining room of the lodge, surrounded by fires in open hearths all around the room. Lisbon ate ravenously, enjoying the cozy winter sweater Jane had given her for the occasion. It was a red sweater with white snowflakes. She didn't think she'd ever owned anything like this in her entire life. For the first time ever, she started to think she might be able to understand why people might like actually enjoy undercover work. She liked being a snowflake sweater wearing woman on a weekend away with her husband. She didn't think she wanted to wear a snowflake sweater all the time, but now, tonight – it was kind of thrilling, being someone she wasn't. She took another bite of her dessert and admired the sight of the firelight in Jane's golden curls.
"Would you stop looking at me like that, woman?" Jane said in mock exasperation. "I had a very trying day, you know. Besides, you already tired me out in the bathtub. I'm not sure I'm up for whatever it is you're imagining we're going to do the rest of the evening."
Lisbon licked her spoon clean of chocolate mousse and smirked at him. "We'll see about that, won't we?"
Jane, it turned out, was up for everything she imagined and more.
Xxx
Lisbon slept late the next day and found a note from Jane that she should come meet him downstairs.
She frowned at the note, having expected to find him snuggled up behind her, but despite her disappointment, she got up and got dressed in her outdoor weather gear as the note directed.
She found him at the breakfast table.
"Good morning, my dear," he greeted her with a smile. A plate of French toast sat in front of him. "I ordered you an omelette. It should be out in a minute."
"Perfect timing," Lisbon said, stealing a piece of his French toast. "How are you feeling today?"
"A bit sore," Jane said ruefully. "But I'm not giving up. I had an idea."
Lisbon cast a wary glance at him as she chewed the French toast. "What kind of idea?"
"I think we should try cross-country skiing today, instead of downhill."
She paused, intrigued by the offer. "Yeah?"
He nodded. "I traded in my downhill skis for a pair of cross country skis."
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You conned someone out of their skis?"
"It was more than a fair trade," he protested. "Cross country skis are less expensive than downhill skis, and the ones I gave him were top of the line and brand new."
"What about me? Should I just try to use the downhill skis?" They couldn't be that different, could they?
Jane shook his head. "I rented you a pair."
"You didn't want to trade in the second set, too?" she said.
"You liked downhill skiing," he pointed out. "If you like cross country skiing, we'll just get you a second pair."
Lisbon sighed, wondering if Jane would ever be coaxed into something like a reasonable attitude towards money. She didn't feel optimistic about her prospects.
"So," he prodded. "Are you up for it?"
"Sure." Lisbon ate another bite of toast. "I'm game."
Xxx
After breakfast, the resort staff directed them to the trailhead for the cross country routes, and they set off.
Jane, it turned out, fared much better on the cross country skis. He still wobbled a bit when they came across any inclines, but as the descents weren't as steep and generally less than twenty-five yards long, he managed to stay upright without too much trouble.
Lisbon cast a glance at him as he caught up with her after coming down one such 'hill.' "You seem to have reconciled with physics," she remarked.
"Gravity isn't such a traitor when you're not on a slippery hillside," he said with dignity.
"Yes, that was quite the treacherous bunny hill you took on yesterday," Lisbon said with a straight face.
"If you think I'm above pelting you with a snowball for your snark, woman, think again," Jane growled.
"I'm not worried," she said, sailing ahead on the sleek white track. "You'd have to be able to catch me first. Not to mention getting yourself a snowball without toppling over."
Jane hastened to catch up.
xxx
Lisbon was captivated by the clean white beauty of the landscape. The majesty of the evergreens, resplendent in their white robes. The shh-shh sound of the skis sliding against the snow. The sun reflecting off the path before them like glittering diamonds. They glided between the trees, the muffled sound of the skis sliding against the snow a soft cadence in the hush of the forest around them. They didn't speak, caught up in the quiet exhilaration of their magical jaunt through the silent woods.
xxx
When they got back to the lodge that evening, they had an early dinner, then headed back up to the room to pack.
In the middle of folding a sweater, Lisbon abruptly put the article of clothing down on the bed and crossed to the door opening out to the private balcony. She slid open the door and stepped out onto the balcony, ignoring the crisp breeze that found its way under her collar and sent a shiver down her spine. She leaned her arms on the balcony railing and gazed out over the view of the winter sunset over the mountains.
"Teresa?" Jane called. He picked up the abandoned sweater and hurried after her. "What are you doing? You'll freeze out here without a coat."
"I'm fine," she said dismissively, still watching the sun sink down over the mountains.
Jane grunted and bundled her into the sweater without waiting for further argument. "Your hands are freezing," he tsked, taking her hands in his and rubbing them vigorously between his. "Let me grab your gloves."
She shook her head and turned her hand to grip his. "Stay."
"You really should have a coat," he fussed.
"C'mon. Just for a few minutes."
"All right," he said, reluctant.
She turned back to the sunset. "Just for a few minutes," she repeated.
He turned to watch the sunset with her. "Not that I am in any way complaining," he said a moment later, his voice light. "But is there a particular reason you're squeezing my hand so hard?"
Instantly contrite, Lisbon made a conscious effort to relax her grip. "Sorry."
He squeezed her hand back gently. "What's up?"
Lisbon kept her eyes on the sunset. "I had fun today," she said, her voice neutral.
"Me, too," Jane said.
Tentatively – "Do you—do you think we could do it again sometime?" She swallowed hard. "You know, when we…when we go home?"
Jane wrapped an arm around her. "I'd like that." He kissed her hair. "There are some great cross country skiing places around Tahoe. We could go up there for Valentine's Day, make a long weekend of it."
She looked at him sharply. "Really?" Hope and disbelief interlaced through her tone in roughly equal measures.
"Sure. I think it sounds like fun, don't you?"
She slid her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder. "Yeah," she said, her voice treacherously thick. "I do."
