"Grandmaaaaa!"

Shepard stumbled a little as her five year old son barreled past her through the open door, leaving a trail of half melted snow in his wake. He threw himself at Kaidan's mother, squealing with glee as she pulled him up into a bear hug and swung him around. His small, booted feet barely missed toppling the modestly decorated Christmas tree in the corner.

"You alright there, Love?" Kaidan chuckled, placing a steadying hand against the small of his wife's back.

"Yeah," Shepard assured him, smirking a bit as she stepped over the threshold. She placed the large bag of gifts she'd been carrying against the side of the couch before starting to unbutton her coat. "I swear that kid's like a guided missile when he sees something he wants."

"No kidding." Kaidan swept inside right behind his wife, managing not to jostle the exhausted two-year old draped over his shoulder. Hannah had passed out on the shuttle ride to Earth and had yet to stir once. He gently laid her on the sofa before calling to the pair across the room. "You okay, Mom?"

The woman in question looked up at them with a wide grin, her arms still full of exuberant five-year old boy. "You know I love this," she chided, letting Ashton slide to the floor. She pulled the wooly hat from the boy's head and ruffled the dark curls that were so like her own. "I can't believe how big you're getting!" she exclaimed. "I swear you've grown half a foot!"

Kaidan shrugged out his coat and barked a laugh. "I bet he has, considering he eats more than twice his weight in food every day. The Council has a special transport ship employed just to feed the Alenko family. And no," he added, shaking his head, "that's not a joke."

"Well considering how much it cost to keep your belly full while you growing up, that doesn't shock me; especially since you've got three biotic mouths to feed." Arms open wide, she rushed the few steps to her son and enveloped him an even tighter hug than the one she'd given Ash. "Oh, my boy!" she cooed, rocking from side to side as if he were an infant again, "I've missed you so much."

Pulling back a bit, Kaidan gave her an indulgent smile. "I missed you too, Mom."

Palming his cheeks in both hands, the older woman pulled his face down to meet her gaze. Caramel brown met caramel brown and, not for the first time, Shepard was struck by how similar they were in appearance. "You should visit more often," his mother insisted. "Six months is too long."

"Yeah," Shepard piped up from her place next to the couch, "That's my fault. Now that the Quarians are finally united under a single government, I've been lobbying pretty heavily to get them a spot on the council. It hasn't left much time to get away."

"I suppose that's what I get for my son having such a high profile wife," she sighed, moving to envelop the councilwoman in her embrace. "It's so good to see you too, dear?"

"Hi, Anne," she said, returning the hug. "Thanks for having us."

"Oh, anytime; you know that!" she tutted. "Now," Mrs. Alenko rubbed her palms together in glee. "Where's that baby?"

Shepard turned towards her daughter, ready to stop her mother-in-law from waking the girl. However, she was surprised to see a pair of impossibly big brown eyes gazing back at her.

"Hi Mommy," Hannah said sleepily.

"Hey Baby," Shepard cooed, sitting down next to the smallest Alenko and helping her to sit up. "Look who's here." She gestured towards Kaidan's mother. "It's Grandma!"

Anne knelt down in front of the little girl and helped to remove her outerwear, unzipping the poufy jacket and pulling the pink hat off her head. A pair of silky blonde pigtails popped out on each side. "What do you say you, me, and your brother go frost the Christmas cookies I've got cooling in the kitchen?"

"YEAH!" Ashton yelled excitedly from behind them, bouncing like a pyjack on speed. "Cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies..."

"Well, I guess we know Ash's vote." Kaidan chuckled, watching as the boy hopped his way down the hall.

"Come on Princess," his mother cooed, scooping Hannah off the couch and into her arms. "Let's go catch your brother before he dives headfirst into the frosting."

Shepard sighed in relief as she watched their retreat, grateful for a moment of peace. She cuddled into her husband's side as he took a seat next to her on the couch. "Your mom is so great."

"Yeah," he agreed, kissing the top of her head. "It's easy to see where I get it from, huh?"

Shepard huffed and slapped him lightly on the arm, but didn't comment. She was enjoying the quiet too much; just the two of them together with the Christmas tree and the real wood burning fire. It was reminiscent of another Christmas they'd shared in this place, so many years ago now.

"You're awfully quiet," her husband pointed out. "Are you thinking about the same thing I am?"

"And what might that be," she asked teasingly, not bothering to lift her head from Kaidan's comfortable shoulder.

"About our first Christmas after the war," he answered softly. "It was the first time I brought you here."

Shepard chuckled, "I seem to recall it was closer to a kidnapping than a simple visit."

"Hey," he disagreed, feigning offense. "Willing parties cannot be kidnapped, as you so eloquently put it."

"I think the hospital staff might disagree with you," she quipped, glancing up to see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"They can think what they want." he decided, leaning in close enough for his warm breath to puff across her mouth. "Either way I suppose it's a debate better left to the history books."

"Maybe," Shepard slid her hands up the firm planes of her husband's chest and let her lips stretch into a playful smile. When was the kids' bedtime again? "Regardless, it was a good move on your part, Alenko. I always appreciate it when you break the rules for me."

"Is that so?" he asked, gently brushing his lips against hers.

"Absolutely," she breathed, leaning into his kiss. Shepard was grateful for every single time her usually 'by the book' husband ignored the rules for her; like the first time they made love before the assault on Ilos, or those priceless few weeks together on the SR2 before the Battle of London. And then there was that time a few years ago, when he'd saved her from a long and lonely Christmas...

o - O - o - O - o

The view outside Shepard's hospital room window showed the Vancouver skyline slowly being buried in layer upon layer of fluffy white. It reminded her a little bit of Noveria and she smiled slightly when she recalled Kaidan's constant complaints that he should have brought a sweater. In hindsight she realized he ought to have been more used to the cold, having grown up here.

She wasn't sure how long she watched the snow fall. It was fascinating in and of itself, and really she had nothing better to do, stuck in this bed for the foreseeable future. It wasn't all bad of course, Kaidan visited almost every day and just that morning, after kidney dialysis, the hospital staff had wheeled her down to the pediatric ward to be the guest of honor at their Christmas party. It had hurt much more than she'd expected, to see all those battered and broken children, some of them even worse off than Shepard herself. However, they'd all been so excited to see her, asking for her autograph and wanting to sit in her lap just as much as the one custodian who'd dressed up as Santa Claus. The experience had exhausted her though and they'd had to wheel her back up to her room much sooner than she would have liked. It was beyond frustrating for the woman who'd once taken down a reaper on foot, to not be able to make it all the way through a children's Christmas party.

She was kind of bored now though, having slept most of the day after coming back to her room. Reading tired her out too fast and the vid screen held nothing but old movies and news, most of it depressing as hell since she couldn't help the relief efforts in any way. Shepard glanced down at the length of her body, wincing anew at the empty space below her left knee where her leg used to be. Yeah, she thought morosely, she wasn't much help to anyone at the moment.

Letting out an audible puff of air, Shepard berated herself for her self indulgent, maudlin train of thought. She was better than this, she told herself, and didn't deserve to feel depressed when so many others were far worse off than her, including those whose names were currently being engraved on numerous memorials around the galaxy.

She was still pretty weak and tired easily, but the bits and pieces of her body they'd replaced already seemed to be working just fine, at least so far. She still had to get dialysis every other day, which totally sucked, but they promised the new kidney they were growing for her in the lab would be finished in a few weeks. That meant more surgery, but at this point they'd cut into her so many times already it hardly seemed to matter. Also, once she was healed from the kidney transplant she should be strong enough to start PT with a prosthetic leg. Eventually she'd get a brand new, flesh and blood version of that too. It was just going to take some time...a long, frustrating, god-awfully boring time.

Glancing across the room, the Commander noted they'd left her wheelchair by the door, way too far for her to reach, even if she'd had the strength to lower herself into it. This meant taking a quick turn around the ward was out of the question. She could push the call button and wait for the nurse to show up, but that would only award her with a thirty second conversation, where she would have to apologize for bothering them for no good reason. That pretty much just left watching the snow fall. Turning her attention back to the window, Shepard stared off into the distance, letter her mind wander where it willed, as the sky turned from white to pink and then finally to black.

Her entertainment gone for the moment, Shepard started to get sleepy once more. She fought against the tide, unwilling to visit her dreams again so soon. Guilt was a poor bedfellow and despite Tali's assurances that she was very close to resurrecting EDI, and then eventually the Geth, there were too many lost voices still crying out to her at night.

A sour faced nurse came in to check her vitals for the millionth time. He placed a tiny plastic cup of colorful pills on her bed tray, before leaving the room without a word.

"Thanks for coming," the Commander petulantly called after him. "It was great talking with you. Merry Flipping Christmas!"

Good God she was sick of this bed; sick of being tired, sick of being...sick! She glanced at the plethora of pills the nurse brought; one of them was definitely a sleeping pill. Shepard could take it of course, resolve both her daytime boredom and her nighttime fears, but she wasn't quite ready yet. Kaidan had promised to stop by to see her before going to visit his mom for Christmas Dinner. She glanced nervously at the clock. It was past 1900, but there was still time for that to happen. It wasn't too late, she told herself. He'd come.

Propping herself up a bit more, she turned on the vid screen, hoping to find something interesting enough to keep her awake. Channel 6425 was having a 'Die Hard' marathon, and not the second or third remakes either, but the original ones where they actually blew things up for the special effects. Explosions could be fun, right? Well, at least if she wasn't in the line of fire.

She enjoyed the movie at first, getting lost in the storyline and picking apart every tactical decision the protagonist made. At some point however, Bruce Willis stopped trying to kill Alan Rickman and started screaming at Shepard. He wanted her to save his wife; said she was the only one who could. The gunfire was relentless, the explosions way too close. Every victim was someone she'd seen die before. The villains suddenly wore grotesquely modified faces that glowed from within...

"Shepard?"

The commander squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced, wrestling herself out of a troubled sleep.

"Baby, it's Kaidan. Please wake up."

The siren song of her fiancé's voice finally cleared the nightmare from her mind. She blinked up at his beloved, tired face and graced him with a sleepy smile. "Hi, you," she said.

"Hi," he answered her, leaning over to lay a gentle kiss upon her mouth. His lips were still cold from being outside. "I'm sorry I'm so late. We lost an entire power grid and had to transport all the refugees in those shelters to buildings that still have heat. We made sure they had a decent Christmas meal though. You have a good day?"

"It was alright," she told him, clasping his hand and interlacing their fingers. "Much better now." She stared longingly at the wheelchair by the door, desperately hoping for a change of scenery. Maybe Kaidan could take her for a quick stroll. "How long can you stay?"

"Only about five minutes," he said, and Shepard's heart fell straight down to the floor. "There's a shuttle all ready to go to mom's orchard."

"Oh, okay," she murmured, blinking back tears and forcing a smile. Of course he needed to go. His mother needed him, especially this year: their first Christmas without his father. Shepard had survived many a holiday alone; she'd make it through this one just fine. "I'm glad you stopped by anyway," she managed; her voice a little more strained than she was going for.

"Where's your stuff?" He asked strangely, moving to the side of the room to rifle through her drawers. He pulled out a loose pair of sweatpants and long sleeved Alliance T-shirt. "This'll work," he declared, easing her forward and untying the laces on the back of her hospital gown.

"Hey, Major," a familiar voice called from the hallway, "you guys just about ready?" Shepard's eyebrows rose half an inch. What was he doing here?

"Give us a minute, Vega, will you?" Kaidan stage-whispered across the room. "Go distract the nurses or something."

The Lieutenant chose that moment to stride into the room. "No. We're good, man." He said. "They're all watching some old action movie at the main desk."

Kaidan didn't seem convinced. "At least keep your voice down," he insisted, once again reaching for Shepard's day clothes. "And for God's sake, face the wall or something!"

"Sure thing, boss." The larger man chuckled as turned away.

Shepard's jaw was hanging open like a fish. "Do either of you feel like telling me what's going on?"

"What does it look like?" Kaidan asked, tugging the shirt down over her head and flinging the bedclothes away. He flashed her a wide grin. "We're making a break for it."

The Commander was stunned, hope welling up inside her like a shockwave. "Seriously?'

Kaidan palmed his fiancé's face in both hands and leaned in close. His lips came down on hers in a powerful kiss that was no less passionate for being brief. When he pulled back a moment later, the intensity in his whiskey colored eyes rocked her to her very core. "Do you really think," he rasped, "that after everything we've been through, I'd spend even one more Christmas without you?"

Biting her lip so as not to cry, Shepard merely shook her head. How was this incredible man even real?

They made short work of the rest of her clothes; quickly pinning the end of her empty pant leg to the top of her knee and shoving a wooly sock over her foot. Shepard was just shrugging into her favorite N7 hoodie when James, obviously tired of being the lookout, made his way over to the bed.

"Hey, Lola," he greeted, smirking playfully.

"James Vega," The Commander drawled, "This little jailbreak has you written all over it. Was it your idea?"

"Oh no," he chuckled. "I'm just hired muscled. It was all your boy here's idea." He gestured towards Kaidan, who was busy filling his coat pockets with her meds. "It was a good one though," he added, glancing around the room in distain. "The sooner we get you out of this place, the better."

"I couldn't agree more," Kaidan announced, wrapping an old quilt around Shepard's shoulders and scooping her up into his arms. "Grab the chair."

In seconds they were sailing down the long sterile hallway, carefully checking each corner for hospital staff that might get in their way. Kaidan kept sending Vega ahead for recon.

Shepard hadn't felt this alive in months. She giggled gleefully when, due to a technician loitering around the elevator, Kaidan was forced to carry her down three flights of stairs. "You could have passed me off to Vega," she teased as he placed her back in the wheelchair the younger man had toted down. "I'm sure James wouldn't have minded."

"Don't you bring me into this, Lola," the Lieutenant balked. "I may be bigger, but the Major here could fry me like an egg in under a minute."

They finally made it to one of the side entrances on the ground floor. The frigid air stung Shepard's cheeks and threatened to squeeze the air from her lungs, but it was glorious. She breathed it in deeply, ignoring the pain to feel the freedom.

Their shuttle was waiting just around the corner and Kaidan scooped her into his arms once more to carry her inside. He helped her get settled before turning to bid the Lieutenant good-bye. The two men shook hands and gave each other a firm pat on the back.

"Leaving so soon James?" She asked; suddenly remembering that, like her, he had no family to speak of. "You got somewhere to be?"

"Don't worry about me," he assured her. "There's a big party down at one of the Alliance bars tonight and you know it can't start without me there."

Shepard grinned, "I'm sure."

"Besides," he added, "you're in good hands. Ain't that right, Esteban?"

"Better hands than yours, Jimmy," the pilot quipped, stepping out of his seat and into view. "I think they might actually like to arrive at their destination tonight, instead of crashing somewhere in a ball of flame."

"Steve!" Shepard was so excited to see another familiar face; she would have jumped out of her seat if she'd been capable. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't let just anyone drive your getaway car," he answered, leaning forward to give her a firm handshake. "I don't have anywhere to be tonight anyway."

Vega put a heavy arm around his friend's shoulders and squeezed – a little too tightly if Cortez's grimace was any indication. "You should stop by the bar tonight after you drop the lovebirds off. I think I know a guy you might like."

Kaidan and Shepard barely stifled their snickers. The shuttle pilot visibly shuddered. "The last thing I need is to be set up by you," He said. "I'm afraid to even speculate on what this guy is like."

"Aww, come on." Vega actually looked hurt. "He's nice, I swear. He's a doctor."

Steve still didn't look convinced. "I don't know..."

The Commander cut him off. "I think you should go. You might have a good time and at the very least it might be a good story to tell the grandkids someday." When he frowned she added, "Don't be alone tonight, okay? For me?"

"Alright," he finally acquiesced. "Once I drop you guys off I'll make an appearance at the party. He pointed a finger at James. "Just don't get your hopes up too high."

"Easy there Esteban," Vega called back as he jumped out of the shuttle. "Just have a drink with him. I'm not asking you to marry the guy."

"I'll see you later, Jimmy," the pilot called back, reaching up to close the door.

Once they were up in the air Kaidan pulled Shepard onto his lap and cuddled her close. "I've missed holding you so much," he said, rubbing his cheek against her hair.

"Me too," she agreed, squeezing him as tightly as she could. He felt so warm and wonderful. That, coupled with the long exciting evening and the soft familiar hum of the drive core, and Shepard could barely keep her eyes open. She muffled a huge yawn against the Major's winter coat. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Go to sleep," he chuckled, pulling her more securely into his chest. "I'll wake you when we get there."

Author's notes:

Please let me know what you thought. Hopefully 'll post part two in a couple of days.