Stanford wasn't easy by anyone's definition, but Sam didn't regret for a second his decision to attend law school. Not only was he away from all that hunting monster nonsense his dad was always trying to get him excited about, he was still going to be helping people. And this time it would be legally, and on his terms. The only problem was there was a lot of studying to do. In fact, he had been studying so long today that his vision was starting to blur. He tried to force through it, but when the words on the page started to swim he sat up and rubbed his eyes for a moment, looking out the window to try to refocus.
After a moment of staring aimlessly at his less-than-stellar view, Sam shook his head and turned back to his book, his brows knit in concentration as he scanned the passage in front of him.
"You're still studying?" came a voice from the doorway.
Sam started at the sound, having been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't heard the door open. He turned his seat and his mouth quirked into a half-smile when he recognized Jess. "Yeah, I am," he said.
"You've been at it for days, and the test isn't for another week. Why don't you take a night off?" Jess asked, setting her bag down on the bed.
"I can't Jess," Sam said as she crossed the room to him. "This is the LSAT we're talking about. I need to pass it."
"And you will," Jess said, settling herself onto Sam's lap. "You're the smartest guy I know. You won't have a problem with that test."
Sam smiled in spite of himself, winding his arms around his girlfriend's waist, knowing that he should instead be asking her to leave so he could study. "You think so?"
"Of course I think so!" Jess wound her arms around Sam's neck and pressed her forehead to his. "Sam, you're always so serious about school. And I love that about you, but you can afford to take a night off."
Sam considered this for a moment. He knew he had the information pretty much solidly ingrained in his skull, and any part of it he didn't have memorized wasn't that difficult for him to reason out with the information he did have. Of course, the only reason he was worried about not passing it was that he knew he had to stay on track if he was going to get away from all the monster hunting he'd been raised to do. Hunting wasn't a life he wanted: credit card scams, crummy motel rooms, fake IDs. What kind of life was that? If his dad and Dean wanted it, fine. More power to them. But Sam would be damned if he'd go back to it now that he'd found a niche at Stanford, with Jess and his friends.
Jess must have found Sam's hesitation to answer encouraging, because she stood and took his hand. "Come on. You're getting out of this room for a night."
"No, come on Jess," Sam protested, but only half-heartedly. He was grinned at her when she turned and pursed her lips at him, trying to hold in a grin of her own.
"No Sam, you come on," she teased, pulling at his arm as she led him downstairs.
Sam rolled his eyes as he was tugged along, trying - and partially failing - to keep an annoyed smirk in place. "Fine, you got me out of the room," Sam said when they were outside. He tried to sound miffed, but he wasn't exactly a convincing actor. "Now where are we going?"
"I don't know," Jess said with a smile, starting aimlessly down the sidewalk.
Sam rolled his eyes, but there was a smile plastered on his face as he started after her.
They walked hand-in-hand, passing their usual haunts. There was the little cafe where they spent time studying with their friends between classes or when the library closed and kicked them out. Jess walked in aimlessly and pretended to study the menu before getting her usual coffee. Sam declined to get a drink, wondering how long they were going to be out and about so he could get back to his studying.
Drink in hand, Jess led Sam back outside, sipping idly as they walked, passing more and more of their regular getaways; they passed the bar where they could be found most Saturday nights; they passed the turn they took to get to class; they passed several turn-offs for friends' houses.
"Where are we going?" Sam asked after a few minutes of walking, hoping for some kind of answer this time.
"I'm not sure," Jess said, looking up at him with a playful grin.
Sam shook his head and pulled Jess against his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist for a moment before taking a slight step to the side and holding his hand in hers.
As they continued walking, Sam recognized other landmarks: the theater where Jess had dragged him that one time when Phantom Of The Opera was playing and she insisted they go see it (and, though he tried to deny it, he actually quite enjoyed the show); the nice restaurant where he'd taken her for dinner on their anniversary; a used-book store Sam seemed to find Jess wandering around in at least once every other week.
"Still don't know where we're going?" Sam asked, swigging his arm in such a way that Jess was pulled closer to him and he could put his arm around her, making her laugh.
"No, I think I have an idea," Jess said, downing the rest of her drink and throwing the cup in a nearby trash bin before jogging down a side street with a grinning Sam in tow. She stopped when they reached a park. It wasn't very big, but it was quiet, with shaded benches and bright flower beds. She surveyed the area as if looking for flaws in its serene facade. Seeming satisfied with her surroundings, she turned to Sam with a soft smile. "Here."
"Alright, here," Sam replied, returning her smile.
They sat on the grass in the shade of a tree for a while, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky, the breeze whip a few stray leaves into the air, the sun start to set over the city. They talked about everything and nothing, the future and the past. Jess masterfully kept the conversation away from anything related to school, because she knew he was taking the LSAT way too seriously, and also away from family, because she knew that topic had a tendency to upset him.
The sun's edge was just about to touch the first buildings when Sam sighed and said, "Jess, I really need to get back to studying." Even he could hear the lack of conviction behind his words.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Jess teased, poking Sam in the side as she leaned against him.
"I know," Sam said, a smile coloring his voice as he wrapped his arms around her. He had known the moment she walked in the door that afternoon that he wouldn't be studying for the rest of the day. He looked down at her fondly, taking in every detail, from the way her hair framed her face to the way the light from the dying sun set her eyes to dancing. "What would I do without you?"
Jess looked up at Sam, meeting his gaze. "Crash and burn," she said with a shrug and a quirk of her eyebrows. Neither of them knew how that had started, but the turn of phrase had been going on for quite some time, and they often spoke the question and response more often than they said the words "I love you."
"Yeah, I probably would," Sam agreed in a quiet voice. He kissed her once before resting his forehead against hers. They sat like that for a long time, holding each other and leaning against each other. And everything else be damned, Sam could have sat like this for the rest of eternity and not minded at all.