A/N: Hello again. :) This little story came to me in a dream (if you ask what it was, don't say I didn't warn you), and I might continue it if I get a good response. I'm aware some people write this kind of story, so I just want to clarify that Sam and Daniel haven't undergone any alien transformation to make them the age they are in this. It's kind of an AU... Anyway, I hope you like it! ^_^
Evening had morphed slowly into night, and a penetrating winter chill had invaded the almost-empty hall. Sam stared down at the streamers and bunting strewn across the wooden floor boards, the last remnants of her birthday party. Cool air made them flutter around the feet of the last stragglers, as she watched her father thank various parents and relatives for attending. Just as she was about to go over (reluctantly) and do the same, a small shadow slipped in then back out of her field of vision. Turning, she caught the back of a boy's jacket.
Funny... I thought the only boy at the party was my cousin, her brow furrowed. Confident that her absence wouldn't be noticed, she quickly followed in his wake.
"Hey!" she called after him, picking up the pace to reach him in time - which wasn't easy in raised-heel sandals. He turned round and she faltered for a moment as she fought to contain a sharp gasp. He was...breathtaking. His smooth skin seemed to be illuminated by the night and his midnight blue eyes focused on her with a nervous energy that set her strangely at ease. Hands in his jacket pockets, his lips curving upwards in a half-smile.
"Hi," he breathed out.
Maybe, she thought, he thinks that if he's quiet enough, I'll not hear him.
"Erm, who are you? I've never met you before, and I don't remember my dad saying you were coming," she spoke to him in gasps and pants, leaning on the fence beside them.
"Sorry, I'm Daniel. I just moved in and I saw the party. I thought I'd check it out, and I guess I kind of..." he trailed off and began to find his shoes interesting all of sudden.
"Hung around? Don't worry. I'm Sam," she held out a hand to him. After a second's hesitation, he took it and shook.
"Nice to meet you. How old are you? There weren't any numbers on your decorations."
"Thirteen today. You?"
"Seventeen in just under six months," he admitted sheepishly. "I know, I look way too young."
"I wasn't going to say that," she smiled gently so he couldn't help but notice the way her eyes twinkled as she reassured him. "Besides, I think you look great."
"You're not so bad yourself," she blushed at that. During their conversation, neither of the two had acknowledged how close they had grown even as heat rose to his cheeks as well.
"So," she began after a while, grappling for the right words, "where did you move in?"
"Two roads away from here. Sands Avenue."
"Oh, those ones with the giant gardens? I don't think they'll be much use, it's the middle of Winter," Sam pointed out. He gave her an awkward shrug then buried his hands further in his pockets. "Cold, huh?"
"Want my jacket?" Daniel felt the words spill from his mouth before he could stop them. He'd never been a 'gentleman', or been comfortable around girls before. Yet he found himself opening up to one he'd only just met. And it scared him... When he realised she had yet to her answer he said, "S-sam?"
"Yeah. A jacket sounds nice," she mumbled, shifting closer to him as he lifted his coat off of him and settled it on her bare shoulders.
"Warmer?" he asked, once again stuffing his hands in his pockets - this time just below the belt of his jeans. In reply she simply nodded. The tension, as they exchanged fleeting glances, could've been cut with a knife. Instead, it was shattered by one Jacob Carter.
"Hey Sam, who's this?" he beamed, siddling up to the two. Daniel suddenly felt unease rise inside him. He bit his lip and his eyes darted over to the road.
"Look, I've got to go," he said as he gradually but distance between them.
"Will I see you later?" Sam called after him, only to realise he was already out of earshot. She huffed and blinked. Only when he coughed did she remember her father's presence. He gave her a befuddled look.
"What was that? With...whoever he was?" Jacob enquired. His daughter just stared off into the distance, her feet moving of their own accord. "Sam? Sam."
No reply.
When the door of Sam's bedroom creaked to a close that night, her mind began to race. One minute he was there, an unaware bright star in her world then he was gone and she was had lapsed into withdrawal - he was a narcotic. Listening carefully, she caught the gentle ebb and flow of her father's snoring and plunged into action. She seized Daniel's cot from the edge of the bed and slid her arms into the arm holes, inhaling the scent that emanated from the over-sized sleeves. As she pulled the material more tightly around her to protect from the biting cold, she marched out into the night.
The street, which he'd described earlier, wasn't quite as she'd imagined it.
"Nice new windows, bricks that aren't crumbling... Cool," she breathed out her survey of the place with tendrils of mist. They sprawled in the air for a moment before dissipating as she stepped up to a polished oak door. Unfurling her fist, she pulled it from the coat's sleeve, shuddering as it came into contact with the frosty air. She pounded - or tried to pound - her hand against the door. It opened, only moments later, to the weary face of Daniel Jackson.
"Sam? What are you doing here?" he asked, with his fists still working the exhaustion from his eyes. He watched her bite her lip, presumably feeling guilty for disturbing him, and almost let out an 'aww' at how cute she looked.
"I... Sorry. You left your coat when you walked off," she told him and shrugged her shoulders in correspondence with her sentence.
"Keep it. I have more than one, you know."
"Really?" she swore her heart had skipped a beat.
"Sure. My parents will barely notice," he said then added, with a sad look thrown over his shoulder, "they barely notice anything."
"You okay?" she asked, reaching out for his hand but pulling back at the last moment.
"Oh, fine," he chuckled. "Listen, it's late. Why don't you get home and we can talk some other time, yeah?"
"Uhuh," Sam nodded.
"Bye."
"Bye," she turned and made her way back down the street, deep in thought. Something wasn't right about Daniel Jackson. Something she needed to find out.
A/N: Opinions? I know this chapter was a little short, but I didn't want to send the story too far, too early. Thanks for reading! :)
