Snow

He rapped on the door and stepped back, careful on the frozen stone steps. The snow was still falling fast, the vast blanket that had settled over the city thickening by the hour. The stubborn whiteout had begun sometime during the night, and as of yet was showing no signs of relenting. He swapped the bag into his other hand to lift his fingers to his mouth, breathing warmth over them.

The door hadn't budged, and he could hear no movement from inside. He hesitantly fished the spare key he had collected from her detail out of his pocket.

She's probably just asleep. Should let her rest, come back later.

Patterson had arrived late into the morning briefing yesterday, announcing that Jane was sick, and wouldn't be coming in. Just a cold, she had said. She'd been over there to see her, they weren't running a case at the moment this close to Christmas, so she'd told her to just stay home.

She's fine, she had said, smiling at him. Just snuffly.

That had been yesterday though. Her detail had reported that she'd checked in with them in the evening, but not sent them out for anything. She had replied shortly to his message asking how she was, but that had been yesterday afternoon now. So here he was. Standing in a near blizzard on her doorstep with a heaving bag of groceries.

Staring at a door that was definitely not opening.

Do your job. That was his justification for sliding the key into the lock, and stepping through the doorway. He quickly turned and closed the door to keep the cold out, shaking as much snow off himself as he could. He immediately noted his scarf and gloves, carefully folded on the hall stand. Not that they'd done her much good. She'd still gotten sick. Ice skating in nothing but jeans and a leather jacket, no wonder she'd gotten ill.

"Jane?" he called softly, stepping into the living room. The curtains were closed, the room warm and dark. He moved towards the stairs and opened his mouth to call again, but paused as something moved in his peripheral vision. He turned, zeroing in on a large pile of blankets squashed into the small corner armchair.

Blankets topped with a mess of dark curls, and with a pale, dangling foot.

Placing the shopping down quietly, he crossed the dark room. Memories flashed behind his eyes; Taylor, cramming herself into cupboards, wedged behind furniture and even once contorting herself till she had followed their tabby through the cat flap. But how Jane had pretzeled herself into the small surface area the armchair provided and was comfortable enough to sleep was lost on him. He bent to touch what he hoped was her arm.

"Jane?"

She jerked awake violently as his fingers brushed against her, hands coming up to shield her face in a wheezed shout. He took an immediate step back, careful to keep his hands and face in her eye line.

"Hey, hey, it's just me. I'm sorry." he said, quietly.

Jane blinked slowly at him in the darkness, breathing hard. Then recognition dawned in her face, and she lowered her arms, sinking back into the chair with a hand on her chest.

"Kurt," she murmured, eyes closing in relief. "I'm sorry, I thought-

"No, I'm sorry," he started, internally berating himself. "I shouldn't have... " Broken in. Prowled around in the dark. Scared her half to death. Any of the above.

"So'k," she said, reaching up behind her to flick the lamp switch, bathing the room in warmth and better illuminating her face. Dark circles cupped drowsy eyes. The end of her nose and apples of her cheeks were flushed bright against her pale skin. Her voice rasped slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Just..." he reached out against his better judgement and touched the back of his fingers to her forehead, chewing his lip. "Checking on you." She was warm, but not worryingly so. Jane cocked her head with a tired smile and, pushed herself upright, accepting his hand to lever herself out of the chair. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she stated firmly, pulling a blanket up behind her to wrap around her shoulders. He raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes in thinly veiled exasperation. "Really, I am. I would have come in yesterday but Patterson was pretty ...insistent."

"You shouldn't have been in work." he agreed, still studying her as she smothered a rising cough in her hand. She rolled her eyes again before they flickered from him to the floor, where the abandoned bag sat against the sofa.

"What's that?"

"Oh. Your detail said you hadn't asked for anything." he said, gesturing somewhat awkwardly towards the shopping. "I just... picked up some things."

Jane's face was unreadable for seconds, blankly staring at him. "For me?"

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's not a lot." She stepped around him, an expression of abashed curiosity forming on her face as she knelt beside the carrier bag. Her hands reached for the handles, but she paused and she looked up at him.

"Why?"

"You're sick." he answered simply. "People...take care of people when they're sick." The words didn't feel right and it definitely wasn't what he was thinking. Her eyebrow unsurprisingly lifted, but her gaze remained innocent.

"People?"

Me. I want to take care of you.

"Yeah. People." his reply was gruffer than he would have liked. But she nodded with a small smile and her hands dipped into the bag, lifting item. He leant back against the sofa arm and tucked his hands into his pockets, carefully studying her face. Jane lifted the various packs of medication out first, wide eyes skimming over the various labels as she murmured under her breath. Cough drops, vitamins, cold and flu tablets, vapour rub, night-aid... She lifted out the soup containers one by one, chicken and leek, tomato and basil, beef and onion. The packets of tea appeared next, peppermint, camomile, and green. Her eyes widened and flickered up to meet his. She pulled free the soft blue hot water bottle; his own, not that he would tell her that, and ran her hand over it.

"Kurt, this is...you didn't to-"

"I know." He held her embarrassed gaze. "I wanted to."

She shook her head mutely, and stared down at the assortment of items on her table. Reaching into the bag, she pulled the last package free. Studying the sticker on the brown paper bag, she glanced up quickly in surprise, a smirk forming on her lips.

"Ah. Sawyer," he explained, with a wry grin. "The only thing you need to get better apparently."

She mirrored his grin and placed the bakery selection of hand sized chocolate chip cookies down on the table. She surveyed the contents again in a state of bewilderment, but with a wide smile now lighting her pale face.

"Thank you, so much." she said slowly, her voice thick with such pure and heartfelt sincerity that it left him astounded for a moment. That such a small thing, - soup and cough drops for crying out loud- could illicit such genuine gratitude. Her eyes shone, and warmth spread throughout his chest. Looking at her, red nosed and wheezing, but with such a delight in her face. He just wanted to keep it there, to never have that light die.

He had an idea.

"Come here." reaching for her hands, he clasped them gently in his own. He walked her towards the front door, stepping backwards, her forwards, never breaking eye contact. They paused on the mat and he squeezed her hands. "Close your eyes."

Jane's brow furrowed slightly. "What?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked. There was beat, the air around them electric. But then she nodded, slow and sure.

"Close your eyes." he murmured, rubbing his thumbs across the back of her hands. Her eyes closed, and he released her fingers, shrugging out of his winter coat quickly. Her swung it around her back and settled it over her shoulders. "Put your arms in." Puzzlement was etched into her features but she slipped her arms obediently into place. He knelt before her and slipped her feet into the heavy department issue boots she had been given. As he deftly buttoned up the front of the coat, her mouth opened questioningly. "Shhh," he smiled, unlatching the front door. Taking her hands back in his own her stepped backwards out the door, the cold air hitting his back like a wall. She shivered violently, and he slid his hands up her arms, settling them in the crook of her forearms. Her eyes stayed closed and she stepped after him, carefully leading her down the stone front steps. The snow was approaching a foot in depth by now, and was still falling fast. A piece landed on the end of her nose, which crumpled endearingly but her eyes stayed closed. He touched his thumb to it gently.

"Okay." he said. "Open your eyes."

Jane's lashes lifted, and her mouth dropped open. She took a shaky step back out of his arms to take in the scene around her, turning slowly on the spot with her mouth agape.

"Oh my god." Her voice was an awed whisper. She turned a full slow circle and, lifted a hand to the sky. The falling snow began coating her palm and she let out a burst of breathless laughter as she turned back to face him. Green eyes glistening with wonder, she mouthed silent exclamations with her face lit up in absolute rapture. He laughed softly and dabbed another snowflake of her nose.

"This...this is..." her voice trailed off, grin wider than he'd ever seen. He just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He wasn't sure he even could. She stepped out into the blank canvas that was the untouched front garden, treading carefully into the deep snow. She reached the centre and turned on the spot, with a sudden energy born of her excitement. Arms held aloft, she span, laughing in childlike wonder. A sudden gust of wind swirled the snow around her in a flurry of white. But still she laughed, scooping snow into her hands, trailing her fingers through it. She turned to him, voice strong and clear

"It's so beautiful."

Stood there wrapped up tight in his coat, with snowflakes sparkling in her hair and eyelashes. Red cheeks, red nose, but with unadulterated joy glistening in her green eyes. It was just about the most exquisite thing he'd ever seen.

"Yes." he whispered. "Yes it is."

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas :)