She was cold.

How in the world had she gotten so cold?

At no point in her life could she ever remember being so cold.

It was difficult to breathe.

Surely ice crystals had formed in her veins and in her lungs…or were forming as she thought it.

If she were to move…surely she would fracture into little pieces.

Was there anything besides this unrelenting cold? she thought…or did she? Was she even capable of thought at that point?

Would she continue to live, or would she be released into the warm embrace of death?

Each breath ached as she inhaled and exhaled- no matter how shallow of breaths she took. It was similar to the rupture of her oxygen line…but it was different as well.

Was she even breathing air- or was it only ice?

Should she breathe at all?

….

It would be so much easier if she didn't breathe at all.

"Breathe, Shepard!" a voice growled into her ear before it began forcing breaths down her throat. "You are not allowed to die- not here, not now."

She whimpered after she dragged in a deep, painful breath.

God, she hated the meek, pathetic sound.

"Good, good," the voice murmured as it wrapped something tight around her.

"C-c-c-c," she tried to say as she unclenched her jaw.

She felt his hands on her- pulling at her. "I know," he murmured, rubbing her covered arms. She could feel herself pressed against his body- his delectably warm body-, but something was vibrating…shaking…almost violently.

Oh, she thought, that must be me.

"K-K-K-"

"Shh…" She felt his lips press against her forehead. "I'm right here."

If she could have forced herself to frown, she would have.

"Hy-hy-hyp-"

"You're right," he informed her. "You have moderate hypothermia. Just so you don't bother asking, your temperature is 92.7°."

They remained silent for a few minutes after that. She could feel warmth slowly spreading- but not enough that she could quit shivering.

She found that to be a good sign. Things could always be worse. A few more degrees and the shivering would stop…and severe hypothermia would set in.

"J-J-"

Kaidan gripped her tighter. "He's fine, Hope. Steve is too. They're both in the front of the shuttle- with the door firmly shut."

She remained silent for a while after that. Why would it matter if the door was shut? They never shut the door. And why was James with Steve? James never sat up there.

"We're almost back to the Normandy, Hope."

"C-c-c-"

He pulled something a little more over her head. After a few seconds of contemplation, she decided that it had to be a heat blanket. "I know, Hope," he murmured.

She finally opened her eyes to look at Kaidan. "Cl-cl-"

"I had to take off your armor and clothes," he informed her. "Your armor's environmental settings were fried and your underclothes were soaked so I locked James and Steve in the front, took everything off of you, wrapped you in a blanket, and called the Normandy to let them know to be ready."

She buried her face into his neck and hugged her arms tighter against her body. "Sl…sl…slee…p," she murmured, letting her eyes flutter shut.

"No!" Kaidan growled, pulling a bit away from her. "Keep talking to me. You need to stay awake."

Hope sighed. "Ti…red…."

Kaidan bundled her up tighter and banged on the door. After a moment, she heard another voice- James- ask, "Everything okay in here?"

"I need an ETA," Kaidan informed him.

There was a brief pause. "Cortez says we're about two minutes out. Joker had to move out of the way of that big bastard flying outta the ocean."

Shepard opened her eyes again, only to glare in the general direction of James. "Le…Le…" she attempted, trying to fight the shivering and her inability to speak.

"Apparently that was Leviathan," Kaidan informed James.

James walked around to the front of Kaidan so that Shepard didn't have to strain her neck and knelt down in front of her. "How you doing, Lola?" he asked quietly.

"C-c-c…old," she informed him. She glanced up at Kaidan. "T…tea?"

"Chakwas probably already has a nice big cup for you," Kaidan murmured. "You just need to stay awake."

James glanced at Kaidan, nodding his head. "Joker made sure that everywhere from the Shuttle Bay to the Medical Bay is clear. No one will see her."

"Docking now," Steve informed them.

Shepard woke up curled in a tight ball under what felt like fifty blankets in her quarters. After managing to extract herself from the huge weight of the blankets, she realized that she had been put to bed completely nude and she clutched one of the blankets to her chest.

Maker, but she was glad that she wasn't so cold anymore.

She looked around her living quarters and gave a small smile when she saw Kaidan on the couch, his chin slumping onto his chest, a datapad in his hand and a cup of something- most likely coffee- on the table before him.

She wondered why he hadn't come to bed with her.

Scooting to the edge of her bed, she lowered her feet to the ground and stood- fighting her knees urge to buckle. Gritting her teeth, she walked- well, more like scooted- over to the couch. She gently took his datapad and placed it beside of his cup of cold coffee.

"Kaidan," she murmured, running her hand softly against his cheek. "Kaidan, come to bed."

He jerked away almost violently. "Hope," he gasped, pulling her down onto him. "What're you doing out of bed?"

"You weren't in bed with me."

He chuckled and pressed a hard kiss against her lips. "Chakwas said you weren't supposed to leave bed until she gave the order."

Kaidan rearranged her in his arms and stood up. "You do know that I am perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet, yes?" she pouted.

When he got to the bed, he sat her down before walking to the other side and laying down in his spot. "The doctor's orders were quite clear. Actually, we're on the way to the Citadel so the doctors can run a few tests on you."

She curled into his side and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "I am fine," she informed him.

"It's above you and me. The order came from Hackett and Chakwas. You've actually been banned from the cockpit until after you've had the tests."

"This is completely and utterly ridiculous," she pointed out.

Kaidan smiled. "Go back to sleep, Hope. I'll wake you up when we get there."

NOTE: The temperature I gave was in Fahrenheit. 92.7°F=33.72°C

Mild Hypothermia is between 95°-99°F (35°-37.2°C)

Moderate Hypothermia is between 90°-95°F (32.2°-35°C)

Severe Hypothermia is between 75°-90°F (23.9°-32.2°C)