"It's just a paper on constitutional rulings. How hard can it really be?"

If Sam Winchester could go back in time and punch himself for not starting this paper two weeks earlier, he would. As he perused over shelves of books in the library, desperate to find something, anything that could help, he silently cursed himself. Repeatedly. When his classmate has asked if he'd started yet, he'd shrugged and said he hadn't gotten around to it. It was only when he'd sat down to start it last night and discovered his textbook was almost ridiculously uninformative he had realised what they'd meant when they said it would be hard work.

School came easy to him. This class came easy to him. Research came easy to him, but research was a bit hard when there were no goddamn books to research from. He grabbed the last copy of a book that could come in handy and turned away. There was no use going through the books again. There was nothing there to help him.

He made his way over to the tables at the opposite side of the library, dodging a few other frantic pre-law students who, like him, hadn't started early enough. He dumped his armful of books down onto the polished wood and flopped into a chair, opening his folder to pull out paper and a pen. As soon as he'd written up a draft (beyond the rough notes already compiled) he would have to go to the library computers to type and print it. For weeks Sam had been saving for a laptop, but with a meagre income from his part-time job it was going to be many more until he got it.

The library was set out so the study tables were near to the fiction section, the quietest area of the building. After almost an hour of reading, note taking, and writing, Sam's neck and back were beginning to cramp up. He stretched, turning his head from side to side, and that was when he saw her.

She was beautiful, and not in the way models were beautiful. It was a summer-like beauty, with messy blonde curls that fell over her shoulders and framed her face. Her skin was lightly tanned, giving her a radiant glow. Yes, that was the word that captured her beauty; she was radiant, even in dirty jeans and a tank top. She looked his way for an instant and smiled before returning to the volumes that lined the shelves. Even though he no longer had her attention, she had captured his. She looked amazing.

"Dude, don't stare. It's just plain creepy."

"Jesus!" Sam jumped, twisting around in his seat to see his friend, Brady, smirking at him. He punched the other guy on the arm and rolled his eyes, moving his hand away from the pocket where he kept his knife. "Don't do that, man, please."

"You know," Brady took a seat next to him, his gaze following where Sam's had been to the blonde girl across the room, "You're usually much harder to sneak up on. More alert. But I see something...or should I say, someone has you distracted."

Sam paused and struggled not to smile, trying to sound nonchalant. "No, not really. I was just taking a break from writing."

"Oh, yes. A break." Brady winked and pulled a sheet filled with writing away from his friend, reading over the notes with a smile. He glanced over at the blonde, who was now kneeling as she searched for a book. When he looked back to Sam he noticed he was distracted once more. "I know her."

"You do?" He tried not to laugh at Sam's eagerness. The man had leaned forward, head resting on his fist, still trying to keep up the casual look and failing miserably.

"Yes, I do. Her name's Jessica. Jessica Moore. She's in my chemistry class."

"Could you..." Sam drifted off, looking at Jessica again. He clicked the pen in his hand and twirled it, tapping one finger against the table, hesitant to ask. Brady took pity and decided to offer.

"Do you want me to introduce you?"

"If it's not any trouble." He relaxed visibly and Brady laughed, standing and walking away. Sam followed, one hand distractedly trying to smooth down his messy hair before they got to the girl.

"I've never seen you this nervous about a girl."

"I'm not nervous."

"Sure you're not. Jessica," Brady tapped her on the shoulder and she turned, giving him another look at that radiant smile. "This is Sam Winchester. Sam, meet Jessica."

"Just call me Jess." She straightened and held out a hand. He shook it, offering up a nervous smile and looking at Brady, wide-eyed. The blonde laughed quietly and tilted her head. "You've gone a bit pale there, Sammy."

"I - No, I'm just...cold." He felt a chill at her calling him Sammy but ignored it. His brother didn't own the name and it wasn't like Sam was the only thing people called him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jess."

"Alright, well, my part is done. I'll leave you two to get to know each other. I'll see you later," Brady clapped Sam on the shoulder before walking away with a wide grin on his face. Sam laughed and looked down, suddenly overcome with shyness. His friend was right; he definitely was never this nervous around a girl, and that must mean something. This Jessica Moore, just by looking at her, he knew she was special.

"Pre law, huh?" She walked him back to his table, taking his hand in hers before sitting across from him. "It looks interesting. Want some help studying?"

"Sure," Sam grinned. "And maybe we could get a bite to eat afterwards?"

The corner of her mouth turned up into a smile and her blue eyes lit up. "Sounds like a date, Sam Winchester."