Depth of Winter
Title: Depth of winter
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG
Pairing: Original (Lindsay/Jamie)
Disclaimer: They're all mine. :)
Beta: princessklutz04
A/N: This is part three of the tetralogy of stories explaining how Lindsay and Jamie met.
Part one: The tail end of summer
Part two: Traces of fall
Depth of winter
Lindsay woke up slowly, flexing her fingers and toes to check if they were functioning. Letting her eyes adjust to the milky early morning light, she scanned the ceiling. The paper cranes danced on the air, their wings brushing against each other as they rotated. Jamie had made the mobile one late fall afternoon when the sun was just dropping off the side of the earth.
Her fingers had creased the paper swiftly and they had giggled, feet entwined and wine glasses beside them, about how quickly the floor was covered in birds that needed human help to fly.
Now they were strung up on the ceiling, a cluster of silent, colorful birds that made her think of Jamie whenever Jamie wasn’t here.
Rubbing her eyes, she stuck her foot out from underneath the covers and stretched her toes. Shivering and grunting, she pulled it back, still surprised at the cold that managed to creep into this part of the country. Judging by the summers, she’d expected the winter to be much balmier than it really was.
With a soft sigh, she finally decided to leave the warmth of her bed behind, crack a few eggs and work on the scale model of the hotel she was working on. The sketches of what the owner had wanted, along with the sketches of what she’d be able to do with them were tacked to the wall above her desk.
Shuffling across the floor, she closed the window and turned on the ancient heater. It was raining outside, sleeting even. Shuddering, she turned around and meandered into the kitchen. Maybe, if she was lucky, there would still be one of those cupcakes Jamie had made a couple of days ago. With chocolate icing and colorful sprinkles, sinfully sweet and just about as delectable as their maker.
She looked in the fridge and in the pantry, frowning when she couldn’t find one. Slightly miffed, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and leaned against the counter, her good intentions deflated for the moment.
Meanwhile, Jamie was struggling with her umbrella as she tried to keep it from breaking in the sharp, ice-cold gusts of wind. With the car keys between her teeth, she propped open the passenger side door to carefully extract a tin foil wrapped package. Mumbling around the metallic taste of her keys, she finally managed to close the door, rescue her umbrella, and keep the package from falling.
She quickly skipped along the sidewalk, trying to avoid all those puddles in her path. Her coat was already wet, winter’s clammy fingers working their way up her arms to make her shiver. Ducking into the entrance of Lindsay’s apartment building, she pushed the plastic button next to her name.
“I’m not gonna buy anything from you and I’m not interested in your religion,” Lindsay’s voice sounded stern, all the warmth sucked out of it by the cold morning and the people she expected to come begging for money or her soul.
“Well, I come bearing gifts and my religion is harmless and full of chocolate-y goodness,” Jamie cooed, leaning in closer to the intercom with a grin.
“Why, in that case I might make en exception to the rules.”
She buzzed Jamie in, wrapping her arms around herself as she waited for her girlfriend to climb the stairs. Jamie only ever took the elevator with Lindsay around; not because she was scared but because it was much easier to kiss when they weren’t trying to back each other up a few flights of stairs.
“Good morning,” Jamie breathed, catching her breath and dropping her umbrella next to Lindsay’s door.
Lindsay pulled her in for a quick kiss, backed them both into the apartment and giggled as Jamie kicked the door shut.
“Good morning, honey,” Lindsay smiled, eyeing the package Jamie was holding. She touched the tin foil, scraping her nail along the uneven edge.
Chuckling, Jamie twisted the package out of reach and shrugged off her jacket. Her shoes landed beside Lindsay’s under the small shelf before she turned back to face Lindsay, the package behind her back and out of view.
“I thought you might not’ve had breakfast yet,” she grinned, the tin foil crinkling tauntingly.
“You thought correctly. I was hoping to find one of those rather delicious cupcakes you made but…”
“… you ate the last one yesterday, dear. You were on the phone with me. And you got icing on one of your sketches of that hotel,” Jamie said, moving closer to Lindsay slowly.
The brunette frowned, wondering why she had forgotten about the misfortunate cupcake before she focused on Jamie again. Jamie, who was coming towards her the way a cat might stalk its prey. Her eyes were dark and she was smiling a tiny, feral smile.
“I heard you use some very, very naughty language yesterday, Miss Turner,” she mewled, her hands still behind her back.
“Oh really?” Lindsay raised an eyebrow, taking the bait Jamie was laying out for her. She backed away from the blonde, biting her lip to keep from smiling.
“Oh yes. I had no idea you knew such language.” Jamie batted her eyelashes innocently.
“Well, what can I say? Knowledge is power.”
With that, she sprang towards Jamie, who didn’t expect the sudden attack and gasped as Lindsay wrapped her arms around her, pressing her lips to her mouth. Her hands wandered down her arms, fingers finally closing on the crinkly tin foil package. While her tongue was dueling with Jamie’s, she managed to twist the package out of the blonde’s fingers and held it up in the air triumphantly.
“Gotcha,” she laughed, keeping one arm wrapped around a slightly out-of-breath Jamie.
“You certainly did,” Jamie said, her voice soft now and her eyes still twinkling mischievously.
Giggling, Lindsay took Jamie’s hand and led her to the kitchen. She put the mysterious package on the counter carefully, hoping that whatever was hidden inside hadn’t suffered too much.
Jamie hopped up on the counter, stretching her feet and looking around the room that opened up into the living room. Lindsay’s apartment displayed, in terms of colors, all the different shades of white. Egg shell walls, snow white curtains, creamy couches. It felt warm, like a home, despite all the pale colors. Rolling her shoulders, Jamie sighed contently.
“So, what did you bring me?” Lindsay asked, stepping close enough for Jamie to wrap her leg around her waist.
“Chocolate éclairs. Made ‘em really early this morning.” Jamie shrugged, watching Lindsay as she unwrapped the tin foil, some of the icing still stuck to it as she stared at the row of éclairs resting in their boats of lacy paper.
“You made these?” she asked, stunned by how perfect the éclairs looked.
Jamie smiled, lifted one of the éclairs off the tin foil and pulled the paper aside. She held it up to Lindsay, looking deep into her eyes while the brunette took a bite of the deliciously sweet éclair.
“What can I say? I’m really good with my hands,” she quipped, bending over to lick a bit of icing off Lindsay’s lower lip.
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG
Pairing: Original (Lindsay/Jamie)
Disclaimer: They're all mine. :)
Beta: princessklutz04
A/N: This is part three of the tetralogy of stories explaining how Lindsay and Jamie met.
Part one: The tail end of summer
Part two: Traces of fall
Depth of winter
Lindsay woke up slowly, flexing her fingers and toes to check if they were functioning. Letting her eyes adjust to the milky early morning light, she scanned the ceiling. The paper cranes danced on the air, their wings brushing against each other as they rotated. Jamie had made the mobile one late fall afternoon when the sun was just dropping off the side of the earth.
Her fingers had creased the paper swiftly and they had giggled, feet entwined and wine glasses beside them, about how quickly the floor was covered in birds that needed human help to fly.
Now they were strung up on the ceiling, a cluster of silent, colorful birds that made her think of Jamie whenever Jamie wasn’t here.
Rubbing her eyes, she stuck her foot out from underneath the covers and stretched her toes. Shivering and grunting, she pulled it back, still surprised at the cold that managed to creep into this part of the country. Judging by the summers, she’d expected the winter to be much balmier than it really was.
With a soft sigh, she finally decided to leave the warmth of her bed behind, crack a few eggs and work on the scale model of the hotel she was working on. The sketches of what the owner had wanted, along with the sketches of what she’d be able to do with them were tacked to the wall above her desk.
Shuffling across the floor, she closed the window and turned on the ancient heater. It was raining outside, sleeting even. Shuddering, she turned around and meandered into the kitchen. Maybe, if she was lucky, there would still be one of those cupcakes Jamie had made a couple of days ago. With chocolate icing and colorful sprinkles, sinfully sweet and just about as delectable as their maker.
She looked in the fridge and in the pantry, frowning when she couldn’t find one. Slightly miffed, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and leaned against the counter, her good intentions deflated for the moment.
Meanwhile, Jamie was struggling with her umbrella as she tried to keep it from breaking in the sharp, ice-cold gusts of wind. With the car keys between her teeth, she propped open the passenger side door to carefully extract a tin foil wrapped package. Mumbling around the metallic taste of her keys, she finally managed to close the door, rescue her umbrella, and keep the package from falling.
She quickly skipped along the sidewalk, trying to avoid all those puddles in her path. Her coat was already wet, winter’s clammy fingers working their way up her arms to make her shiver. Ducking into the entrance of Lindsay’s apartment building, she pushed the plastic button next to her name.
“I’m not gonna buy anything from you and I’m not interested in your religion,” Lindsay’s voice sounded stern, all the warmth sucked out of it by the cold morning and the people she expected to come begging for money or her soul.
“Well, I come bearing gifts and my religion is harmless and full of chocolate-y goodness,” Jamie cooed, leaning in closer to the intercom with a grin.
“Why, in that case I might make en exception to the rules.”
She buzzed Jamie in, wrapping her arms around herself as she waited for her girlfriend to climb the stairs. Jamie only ever took the elevator with Lindsay around; not because she was scared but because it was much easier to kiss when they weren’t trying to back each other up a few flights of stairs.
“Good morning,” Jamie breathed, catching her breath and dropping her umbrella next to Lindsay’s door.
Lindsay pulled her in for a quick kiss, backed them both into the apartment and giggled as Jamie kicked the door shut.
“Good morning, honey,” Lindsay smiled, eyeing the package Jamie was holding. She touched the tin foil, scraping her nail along the uneven edge.
Chuckling, Jamie twisted the package out of reach and shrugged off her jacket. Her shoes landed beside Lindsay’s under the small shelf before she turned back to face Lindsay, the package behind her back and out of view.
“I thought you might not’ve had breakfast yet,” she grinned, the tin foil crinkling tauntingly.
“You thought correctly. I was hoping to find one of those rather delicious cupcakes you made but…”
“… you ate the last one yesterday, dear. You were on the phone with me. And you got icing on one of your sketches of that hotel,” Jamie said, moving closer to Lindsay slowly.
The brunette frowned, wondering why she had forgotten about the misfortunate cupcake before she focused on Jamie again. Jamie, who was coming towards her the way a cat might stalk its prey. Her eyes were dark and she was smiling a tiny, feral smile.
“I heard you use some very, very naughty language yesterday, Miss Turner,” she mewled, her hands still behind her back.
“Oh really?” Lindsay raised an eyebrow, taking the bait Jamie was laying out for her. She backed away from the blonde, biting her lip to keep from smiling.
“Oh yes. I had no idea you knew such language.” Jamie batted her eyelashes innocently.
“Well, what can I say? Knowledge is power.”
With that, she sprang towards Jamie, who didn’t expect the sudden attack and gasped as Lindsay wrapped her arms around her, pressing her lips to her mouth. Her hands wandered down her arms, fingers finally closing on the crinkly tin foil package. While her tongue was dueling with Jamie’s, she managed to twist the package out of the blonde’s fingers and held it up in the air triumphantly.
“Gotcha,” she laughed, keeping one arm wrapped around a slightly out-of-breath Jamie.
“You certainly did,” Jamie said, her voice soft now and her eyes still twinkling mischievously.
Giggling, Lindsay took Jamie’s hand and led her to the kitchen. She put the mysterious package on the counter carefully, hoping that whatever was hidden inside hadn’t suffered too much.
Jamie hopped up on the counter, stretching her feet and looking around the room that opened up into the living room. Lindsay’s apartment displayed, in terms of colors, all the different shades of white. Egg shell walls, snow white curtains, creamy couches. It felt warm, like a home, despite all the pale colors. Rolling her shoulders, Jamie sighed contently.
“So, what did you bring me?” Lindsay asked, stepping close enough for Jamie to wrap her leg around her waist.
“Chocolate éclairs. Made ‘em really early this morning.” Jamie shrugged, watching Lindsay as she unwrapped the tin foil, some of the icing still stuck to it as she stared at the row of éclairs resting in their boats of lacy paper.
“You made these?” she asked, stunned by how perfect the éclairs looked.
Jamie smiled, lifted one of the éclairs off the tin foil and pulled the paper aside. She held it up to Lindsay, looking deep into her eyes while the brunette took a bite of the deliciously sweet éclair.
“What can I say? I’m really good with my hands,” she quipped, bending over to lick a bit of icing off Lindsay’s lower lip.