AN: Time to dust the cobwebs off my keyboard and finally get someting written! This may not be my best story, but I needed to get something out before I went insane from lack of writing.

Beware: This is not Sam and Jess fall in love and live happily until Dean comes.

Time is Running Out
By Muse

I think I'm drowning
asphyxiated
I wanna break this spell
that you've created

you're something beautiful
a contradiction
I wanna play the game
I want the friction

The Real Jessica Moore 1/2

The first time she saw him was in her Into to Human Communications class. It was a lecture, but he stood out like a sore thumb. But not in the way one would think. It wasn't because of the way his long body scrunched down in such a small seat or the way his generic rumpled clothes clashed with everyone else's designers brands.

No, those were way to obvious for someone like her. She noticed the other things that he probably didn't even notice. Things he didn't know he possessed.

Without question, she knew he was the one.

-:-

She saw him again at the library.

She already discerned he didn't have enough money for a laptop of his own, so it was only a matter of time before he popped up. Still it didn't make her any less annoyed that it took five hours of waiting until he appeared.

She silently watched from behind her book as he entered the computer lab. Despite herself, she had to smile at the way he dodged out of everyone's way who walked past him, obviously trying to look smaller than his eighteen and a half feet.

She would have him in the palm of her hand by the end of the week.

Glancing at her watch, she told herself she would wait five minutes before approaching him; she didn't want it to look like she spent half her day waiting for him. She clicked her pen impatiently as she watched him through the Plexiglas. She barely made it three before she opened the door to the lab.

She casually walked in and sat at the station next to his. She was sure it looked kind of odd sitting so close to him, practically the whole room was empty with most students being able to buy their own laptops. But he didn't seem to mind. Actually, he barely seemed to notice.

She quickly typed in her username and password before turning towards him. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I think you are in my Human Communications class," she rushed out, all awkward and smiles.

Startled, he looked over and slightly blushed before raising his eyes to meet her face.

Smiling, she thought back to how she was sure to put on her low cut top to catch his attention.

He brought up his hand to stifle a small cough. "…Human Communications? Yeah, I'm in that class." With a class of over two hundred students it was no wonder why he looked at her blankly.

"Great!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "'Cause, I miss last Wednesday's class and I was wondering if I could borrow your notes. If you happen to have them on you." It was a total lie, she hadn't missed a class since she entered the university. He just seemed like the type who liked to help people, and she needed an in somehow.

It took him a moment to respond, obviously thrown off by the exuberant stranger asking him a favor. He flashed her a dimpled smile and pulled his notebook out of his bag.

"Sure, each page is dated," he stated before turning back to his computer.

"Thanks so much. I'll just copy this down really fast, so you don't have to wait." He was already nice enough to lend her his notebook, she couldn't appear to be a total jerk and have him wait.

"Don't worry about it, I'll planning on being here a while," he said, he eyes glancing over at her from behind his bangs.

She just nodded as she jotted down the notes she already had on the previous page. Biting her lip she turned back towards him. There was no way she wanted to be a nuisance, and first impressions were everything. But she needed to know his name in order to find him again.

Placing a piece of long blond hair behind her ear, she asked, "I'm sorry, here I am asking you favors and I don't even know your name."

She was quickly rewarded with another dimple smile. "Sam," he answered as he stuck out his hand.

Promptly shaking it, she responded, "Jess."

Sam and Jess.

She liked the ring to that.

-:-

It wasn't long before they went on their first date. Sam was as awkward as he was on the first day she talked to him. At first it was kind of annoying, like she was dating a nervous, fourteen year old on his first date, instead of a university student. But soon she found his nervous twitches kind of endearing.

Jess almost had to snicker when he hesitantly placed his hand on top of hers during the movie only to quickly bring it back to his lap. She felt slightly sad that he was trying so desperately hard, and failing so miserably. She finally decided she would give the poor guy a brake and grabbed his hand, placing it in hers for the rest of the movie.

Jess, of course, played her part flawlessly. All charm and giggles, acting just how he would want her to act. She didn't know much about his childhood, just that he moved around a lot (probably had a dad in the army). Early on, she realized that a large part of Sam craved normalcy. It was an easy enough part to act, and she was very grateful he wasn't into all that emo shit. She actually found herself enjoying the role a bit. With so many people out there striving to be out of the norm, it was nice to find someone who was trying their way into the apple pie way of life.

With her attire complete with a sundress and a little clutch purse, Jess found herself standing in front of her door wondering when the hell the man in front of her would grow some balls and kiss her.

Sam shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "So, um, are you ready for that test on Wednesday? I heard it's gonna be a killer." He glanced away and scratched the back of his neck for what must have been the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, I studied a little. But I figure I have Monday and Tuesday to review the outlines." Jess leaned forward and subtly pouted her lips, trying to make them look as kissable as possible.

Sam merely looked in every other direction. "Yeah, I-I know what you mean. With all the other classes it's hard to focus on something like communications."

Sighing, Jess grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his lips down to hers. It felt nice, but it only lasted a millisecond before he quickly jerked his head back with surprise.

Staring at his wide eyes, Jess began to worry that she gave something away. Maybe she wasn't as smooth as she thought. Maybe he could see right through her thin façade. Maybe that one forceful move was enough to give everything away.

But then he wrapped his arms around her body and kissed her with more passion than his meek stature revealed.

Not one to be easily startled, she quickly regained herself and pressed her young body into his.

Mission accomplished.

-:-

She wanted Sam.

She wanted to tear his shirt off his body and feel the heat against her bare breasts. She could feel herself grab his muscular body by the hips and pull him down on top of her.

It took everything in her power to not jump on his lap and rip off his pants right there in the dorm room. She twitched in anticipation as the images played over and over in her head.

It was more than a want. It was a need.

And for some reason she needed Sam. She didn't need his love and attention, she only needed one thing, and for some reason it was one thing she couldn't have.

All because Sam's Jess was sweet and pure. Sam's Jess hadn't even talked about the idea of sex. Sam's Jess hadn't even performed oral on him.

She really resented her role sometimes. She really did.

Jess thought about going downtown and hooking up with a guy at a bar. It wasn't like she hadn't done it at the beginning of their relationship. She always made sure to go to a seedy bar in the darkest area of the city to ensure she wouldn't get caught by one of Sam's friends. It was easy enough, let a guy think he was pouring drinks into her, when actually she was doing the same to him.

But now it just felt wrong. Like it may crack her façade just enough for Sam to see through it. Plus, she knew Sam was the only fix for her current crave.

It was like her life was just one big Catch 22.

Completely oblivious to her inner turmoil, Sam looked up from his economic book and turned towards her. "Hey, I'm gonna run down and get some food. Want anything?"

Jess highlighted a sentence in her own book just for show. "Nah, that's okay. I'm on a roll here."

"Okay, I won't be long."

The moment he left the room Jess jammed her face into his pillow and screamed.

-:-

The evening was perfect…by Sam's standards. Jess thought it was okay. So sue her for not really caring for "Thoroughly Modern Millie". It just all seemed a bit fake. Wow, the guy Millie fell in love with was actually rich, who knew? What a twist.

Then again it was a musical, a university production nonetheless, and she was never the theatrical type.

Of course, she never let that showed. Sam enjoyed the theater and so did his Jess. She was even in a musical her junior year in high school . And for the life of her she couldn't think the supposed name of it. Probably Chicago or something, a musical that everyone could recall off the top of their heads, even a theatre-nothing like her.

Finally, the encore was over and everyone was rising from their seats. "That was amazing!" Jess said with a stretch.

Sam snaked his arm around her and threw his program in the trash. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Yeah, I mean the ending was just so cute." Jess couldn't help roll her eyes a bit.

Sam kind of chuckled at that. "I dunno," he sighed, "Don't you think it was a bit fake?"

She tried not to let her surprise show as she replied, "I suppose so. But that's the point to a musical, isn't it?"

"I guess," he whispered as they weaved through the sea of people.

Maybe Sam's evening wasn't so perfect after all.

-:-

Sam lay next to her dead asleep, his eyes moving rapidly beneath his lids.

Jess had been staring at him for the past two hours waiting for REM sleep to finally sink in.

She softly kissed Sam on the forehead before lightly tracing her finger in a circle in between his eyes. After three circles one way she continued the other way then alternated once again.

After the sixth time she began repeating the passage she knew since she old enough to read.

"Abscindere istaec cerebrum. Auctoritas abducere apprehendere. Abscindere istaec cerebrum. Auctoritas abducere apprehendere."

Open your mind. Powers take hold.

-:-

It was their three month anniversary and Jess was just antsy for something, anything, to happen. She never thought building a relationship would take so fucking long.

It was like they were at a stand still since their first date, everything just plowing along at its own pace. She wasn't used to that. It was supposed to go at her pace.

At least they reached oral a couple weeks ago. She didn't know who to thank for that.

She really thought tonight may be the night that it finally happened. Then again she thought the same thing almost a week ago and was crushed when Sam just dropped her off at her dorm.

But Sam was acting nervous about something, causing her to have flashbacks to their first date. He needed to do something soon, Jess really didn't care what, as long as it moved the relationship forward. They had hit a plateau and they really needed to take that next step for her to continue her process.

Sam came back from throwing away the trash when he dropped the bomb.

"I love you," he stated as he closed the door. A flood of red rose to his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just say it like that. I've been wanting to say it all night but I could never find the time. And for some reason my head figured why not right have you take out the trash of all th-"

He was promptly cut off by Jess kissing him on the lips.

"I love you too."

She was surprised when it didn't feel like a complete lie.

To Be Continued...