Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to Bioware.

A/N: Taking a brief break from the doom and gloom of my other story Chronicles of a Legend. Shepard and her friends have been through hell too many times, it's time to give them a break and let them have some happier moments. Like my other fics, I don't have a beta-reader. So please excuse any typos. I've tried my best to clean things up, but errors still slip by.

White Christmas

Location: Vancouver, Earth

December 23, 2187

Sitting on the floor near the fireplace, Aerin Shepard directed the important task at hand remotely – and comfortably.

"A little bit to the left," said Shepard, taking a sip from her cup of hot chocolate.

"Here?" asked Kaidan, who had been putting his biotics to good use this afternoon: Decorating their first Christmas tree together in their home.

The tree was a tall one, almost reaching the ceiling of their apartment. While Kaidan could easily climb on a chair to reach the top part of the tree, Shepard had insisted he used his biotics. With the Reaper war finally over, and his role as the head of the biotic spec ops division resumed, there was little chance for Kaidan to practice his skills. Well, at least that was the reasons she had given him. Secretly, though, Shepard just enjoyed watching him flexing his powers while glowing in blue.

"No, no, back to the right a little," Shepard instructed, narrowing her eyes slightly in scrutiny. "There. Stop."

Kaidan lowered the last ornament on the branch with a gentle touch. Not that it would be broken if he dropped it. After all, it was nothing but a piece of rock on a silver string. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about the rock, except perhaps it was slightly more polished than most, and it was in a rather unusual shade of blue. A shiny blue rock, but still a rock. But to Shepard, this was special; for it was sent to her a few weeks ago by Grunt, who had picked it up during one of his missions. A souvenir for his battlemaster, as Grunt had claimed in his typo-filled letter. The 'baby' krogan she had freed from the tank was all grown up, now leading a team of his own; Shepard couldn't be more proud of him.

"Where's the tree topper?" said Kaidan, searching around for the final piece.

"Here." Shepard gave the small box she had been guarding a shove. It slid across the polished wooden floor and stopped at his feet. She had been keeping the box away from him until now. Hiding a grin, she watched as Kaidan reached for the content inside.

As expected, one of his eyebrows shot up high. Kaidan laughed as he held up a winged figure. It wasn't just any ordinary angel tree topper; it was Archangel. The Archangel of Omega. A turian action figure in blue armor with a visor, a pair of white angel wings, and, of course, a sniper rifle.

"Where did you get this?" Kaidan asked, still chuckling.

"I have my ways..." said Shepard with a smirk of satisfaction. Try as she might, she couldn't keep secrets from him, not for long anyway. "I told Liara what I wanted for Christmas, and she made it happen. An early present from our dear Shadow Broker. Custom made."

"One of a kind. Just like our Garrus." With the help of Kaidan's biotics, the little Archangel 'flew' to the top of the tree and took its honorable place to stand guard diligently. "He's gonna love it when he sees it."

A grin spread across Shepard's face. "Knowing Garrus, he's probably going to suggest upgrading his toy self into a working security device."

Kaidan took a step back and appraised his handiwork. "You're not going to let him, are you?"

Shepard snorted. "Of course not. I'm safe enough with you around."

Grinning a little, Kaidan straightened the toy Geth figure and the palm-sized Normandy before he stepped back. "They're going to be here tomorrow, right?"

"Mm hmm." Although Kaidan was the one who did the dirty work, Shepard felt exhausted. Putting her mug down, she fell back onto the floor. Her lower back had been killing her lately; stretching her spine lazily on the hardwood floor felt like heaven. "Starting tomorrow afternoon. One by one, they'll fill up this place." She glanced around the quiet apartment. "It'd be like back on the Normandy again..."

As her turian twin would say, just like old times.

Kaidan sat on the floor next to her. "So, today is the last day we're going to be alone."

"For a while." Shepard shifted and rested her head onto his lap, using him as her pillow as she always did. "So... What do you suggest we do meanwhile, then?"

He responded with the tiniest hint of a smirk. "Well, we could start with..." His hand rested on her torso, his fingertips found their way under the hem of her untucked shirt and brushed against the bare skin of her stomach.

Shepard squirmed a little at the ticklish sensation.

That tiny little smirk on his lips widened just a bit as he continued in a low voice that sent a tingle down her spine, "...lighting up the tree."

His gentle teasing earned him a playful glare. Unfazed, Kaidan chuckled as he turned his attention to his omni-tool. Shepard shifted to her side to face the tree, unconsciously holding her breath in anticipation.

Seconds later, lights on the tree came to life, twinkling among the ornaments, blinking in multiple colors. Outside the tall windows behind the tree, tiny white snowflakes were floating down weightlessly from the early sunset sky.

Mesmerized, her eyes glued to at the perfect scene in front of her for a long moment, until she felt a warm hand covering one of hers protectively, as though reminding her this was all real. The corners of her lips curled up in a content smile.

"I've never had a Christmas tree," said Shepard quietly, breaking the peaceful silence. "Not a real one, anyway. Had a mini plastic tree on my desk when I was a kid..."

"I don't supposed they would allow a tree aboard a ship," said Kaidan, running his fingers through her hair gently. "And it's kind of hard to deliver one to a space station."

"Yeah. There's probably a protocol against it somewhere." Shepard glanced up at him from the comfort of his lap. "What about you?"

"Hm? Oh, we always had one. Mom insisted on it every year, I remember. She still does. You know how she is."

Yes, Shepard knew. She had met Mrs. Alenko more than a few times. A warm and caring woman, but she could be as stubborn as a mule. In some ways, her son was just like her.

"You helped her decorate the tree?" Shepard asked as she pictured a little Kaidan trying his best to do his task in earnest. So vivid was her imagination that she could almost see a tiny kid with a mop of thick black hair struggling to put ornaments on their tree right there by the window...

A grin grew on his face. "Who else?"

Shaking herself out of her sudden reverie, Shepard flashed a teasing smirk. "So that's why you're so good at it."

"Practice makes perfect." Kaidan paused, looking at her lovingly. "We'll have a Christmas tree every year from now on, how about that?"

That thought warmed her heart more than he'd ever know. It was more than just a tree; it was a promise . A promise of a future – their future. Building a life together in a place they'd both call home. A peaceful life – no more wars, no more Reapers, no more heroic sacrifices. These were all that she had dreamed of, all that she had fought for. And it was no longer a dream, but reality.

Shepard stared into his eyes, brownish amber tint as warm and bright as the fire nearby. She reached out to touch the side of Kaidan's face and smiled. "I'd like that."

A/N: Thanks for reading!

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