Chapter Text
The saloon doors fly open as Annie charges inside. She skids to a stop, her red braid bouncing wildly against her shoulder. “Janey!” she exclaims.
“That's my name,” Jane replies dryly. “What’s got you all buzzed up?”
“It’s snowing!”
That hadn’t been what she was expecting to hear. “…yeah?”
“Real snow! Do you know how goddamn long it’s been since I got out in real snow?”
“I imagine a while,” she says, ignoring the weight sitting heavy next to her pocketknife.
“A hundred and fifty years! Come on, honey, don’t you wanna take me out to see it?”
She stuffs her hands in her pockets. “Oh, I’m not sure about that one.”
“Aw, Janey. Please? If we leave now, there’ll be plenty of time to get outside and back before dawn.”
“I really don’t know.”
“Janeyyy. Janey, Janey, Janey,” she chants.
When Annie gives her the look she’s using now, she can’t resist. “Fine,” she relents. “But we’re taking the car.”
It’s laughably easy to steal the car out from under Jed’s nose. When he’s busy doing God-knows-what with that Roman, they can slip right into the front seats and tear off into the night.
Annie laughs, high and clear, as they speed down the hall.
“Having fun?”
She doesn’t take her eyes off the road as she answers. “More like the time of my life! God, I love this. Don’t you?”
“You daredevil,” Jane mutters. She shakes her head and has to stifle a fond smile.
“Grumpy old lady.”
“Crazy broad.”
“Bitchy little biddy.”
Jane lets out an undignified snort. “You win, darlin’.”
She doesn’t need to look over to know that Annie is grinning like the cat that got the cream, but she does anyway. After all this time, that smile still takes her breath away.
Annie doesn’t notice. “We’re here!”
The car jerks to a stop and she throws the knob into park.
“So,” Jane says, looking out through the door with glass as thick as they are. “Looks nice.”
“It sure does.”
“Did you have a plan for getting us out there? I sure can’t open that door.”
Annie waves a dismissive hand. “I got it.”
“You’re not just gonna put the puppy-dog eyes on the night guard, are you? Darlin’, the only person who falls for that is me.”
By now, she should really know better than to underestimate Annie. That woman’s pleading eyes work better than any patent medicine; pretty quick, they’re climbing over the doorjamb into the snowy night. Huge flakes drift lazily out of the sky and fall silently to the ground around them, threatening to knock them both down if they aren’t careful.
The air is thin and bitingly cold. Jane’s ears are already starting to sting, and her face is probably gonna be redder than Annie’s hair by the time they get back inside.
Annie beams at her. “Was I right, or was I right? Boy, I miss good snowstorms like this. It makes me turn right back into a little kid every time. Something about the quiet and the dark, you know?”
Jane looks around, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Yeah, the cars driving past and the light of the city reflecting off the clouds are definitely the quiet and dark Annie was imagining.
“Whatever you’re thinkin’, stop thinkin’ it,” Annie says sternly. “You know what I mean.”
“Why, Miss Ogden, I’d never.” She plants a hand on her chest in mock-offense, then has to sidestep a falling snowflake. “Some big-ass flakes, aren’t they?”
Annie ducks out of the way of one of her own. “You’re telling me! I’d have liked to throw a couple snowballs, but I don’t think we can pack this stuff well enough.”
“Yeah, I doubt it,” Jane says, but she’s privately grateful. A snowball fight with Annie would escalate into all-out war, and they don’t have time for something like that tonight.
Speaking of time.
“We probably ought to go back,” Annie says, turning away and starting her careful walk back toward the open door.
Jane’s losing her chances. It’s now or never, and she isn’t going to let it be never. So she drops to her knees and shoves her icy fingers into her pocket, searching for the thing that’s been burning a hole there since she got it.
“Janey?” Annie turns around and takes two steps toward her. “Shit, you alright? Did you fall?”
There it is. She drags it out with clumsy hands and opens the box with a satisfying snap. Annie stops in her snowy tracks.
“I had a whole speech,” Jane starts. “It was gonna be all soft and gooey and romantic, ‘cause I know you like that, but it’s too goddamn cold out here and I can’t think straight enough to say it all. So.” She shifts a little; the snow under her knees is melting and soaking through the denim. “Mary Anne Ogden.”
“Oh my God.” Annie’s eyes shine glossy-wet in the streetlights’ glow.
“I love you and I want to keep doing crazy things like this with you for the rest of our lives, however long that ends up being. Will you marry me?”
It’s quiet for a moment; even the cars have gone silent on the road. The jewel in the ring glimmers with reflections of the clouds.
“Oh my God,” Annie repeats.
“Gonna need an answer soon, honey,” Jane says weakly. “I’m losin’ feeling in my knees.”
Her hands shake, though even Jane doesn’t know if it’s from joy or cold. “Yes!” she cries. “Oh my God, yes, a hundred times!” She grabs Jane’s cheeks. “You crazy, beautiful—” She punctuates every word with kissing Jane’s face, and Jane tips her head up so their lips finally meet.
“Let’s go home,” Jane whispers against her mouth.
Annie smiles and hauls her up by her belt. “With pleasure. But first, gimme.” She makes grabby hands at the ring.
“You’re such a princess. I should have known you’d be a troublemaker about it.” Jane laughs as she slips it onto her finger.
Annie smiles and holds her hand up, admiring the shine. “But I’m your troublemaker.”
“Yeah.” She returns the smile in a daze; it doesn’t quite feel real yet. “You are.”