A/N: This was written for a secret santa (hence the random New Years date) that I never posted. This is AU so don't expect the characters to be exactly the same, but I'm hoping that I did them justice. Please read and review.
Tim Riggins was not a college man. So what was he doing here? He took a sip from the beer in his hand as he caught sight of his high school buddy Matt Saracen who was busy hitting on a brunette hottie. That was why he was here. Matt had called him up and told him that there was a huge New Years Eve party going down at his fraternity and he knew that Tim had been doing nothing but spending the last three years since graduation working so he'd ordered him to come up to UTSA for the party. University of Texas, San Antonio…it wasn't too far from where they'd gone to school in Dillon, and where he still lived so he'd agreed. Now he wondered why he'd agreed.
Granted there was free beer, hot girls and besides Matt there were a few other guys from school, but was it really worth the drive? So far it hadn't been.
"Hey, sourpuss, you're never gonna pick up a girl like that." Smash laughed as he leaned against the wall beside Tim.
"And who said I was trying to pick up girls?"
"Tim Riggins not trying to pick up girls? That's like a cold day in hell." Smash laughed again before taking a drink from his beer. "Take a look around you man. There are many fine pickings. Pick one and get to work. I think I just found my lucky lady. Later man." With a small salute he was off, weaving his way through the room.
Tim laughed as he watched Smash flirting with the girl that he'd walked over to before another scene caught his eye. A cute blonde was pinned against the wall by a tall guy and she seemed to be desperately trying to get away, but he didn't seem to be getting the idea. Tim understood being persistent, but there was a difference when a girl said no.
He set across the room, tapping the guy on the shoulder. He spun around, off balance and Tim could see that he'd already had too much to drink. Great, just what he needed, to deal with a drunk.
"What do you want? I'm busy."
Tim gave him a half smile. "Yeah you're trying to get busy with my girlfriend." When the guy turned to look at her over his shoulder Tim sent her a wink and mouthed 'Tim' at her.
"Oh, Tim! There you are! I've been wondering where you wandered off to." The girl gave him a grateful smile as she tried to move around the guy, but he blocked her from moving.
"Look, Tim…she wasn't acting like she had no boyfriend. She was acting like a tease and I don't like teases. I think that you need to go away and leave us alone to get to know each other a little better." The guy turned around to face the girl again, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her head and leaning in close to her face.
Tim laughed. "Yeah, I don't think so." He grabbed the guy's shoulders and pulled him away from the girl. When he tried to swing at Tim's face Matt was there to grab his hand. In seconds Smash was there to help them to carry the guy out the door.
"Geez Tim, can't you go anywhere without causing trouble?" Matt shook his head as they shoved the guy out the door.
"I wasn't causing trouble. I was keeping this guy from putting his hands all over a girl who didn't want them on her."
"Yeah, a likely story." Smash laughed.
"No, it's the truth." All three heads turned towards the quietly spoken words that came from the blonde girl that Tim had just pulled the drunken guy from. "I'd been trying to get away from that guy for about fifteen minutes. Thank you so much." She looked down, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm Julie Taylor."
"Julie Taylor…"Matt looked at her thoughtfully. "I knew you looked familiar." He nudged Smash. "She's Coach's daughter."
"Ahhhh, the one he's always raving about." Smash laughed as he held out his hand. "Smash Williams."
"Nice to meet you." Julie laughed as she shook his hand. "I should've known you guys were on my dad's team." Since Julie had transferred to UTSA this semester she'd done nothing, but meet guys from her dad's team.
"I'm Matt. Matt Saracen." He took her hand lightly before nodding to Tim. "Your rescuer's Tim Riggins and he's not actually on the team. He played in high school with us, but we couldn't convince him to come to college with us."
Tim smiled as he took her hand, bringing it to his lips. "College is a waste of time of my time. I've got better things to do."
"Right, right. So you've told us time and time again." Smash laughed. "Alright, well we'll leave you in Tim's capable hands. See you later." With that Matt and Smash headed back into the chaos of the party.
"So better things to do, huh?" Julie smiled up at him, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks as he'd yet to release her hand.
"People to meet, a business to run. My brother and I run an auto repair shop. He couldn't keep up without me." Tim smiled. "Although if I'd known that there were girls as pretty as you here I'd have come running."
Julie shook her head, laughing as she pulled her hand back. "Why do I get the feeling that you have lines like that ready for any girl you meet?"
"Because I do?" He paused. "But I get the feeling that you're not just any girl. Why don't we get a drink?"
"Why don't we?" Julie linked her arm into the arm that he offered her and followed him into the kitchen.
A few hours and few drinks later Tim led Julie up the stairs.
"Where are we going?" she asked with a giggle.
"We're going to my friend Matt's room." Tim couldn't help but smile. There was just something about this girl that he couldn't shake.
She stopped suddenly on the stop step, starring at her shoes. "I'm not going to sleep with you."
"Darling, I never asked you to."
Julie looked up at him, shocked. "What?"
Tim ran a finger down her cheek, a half smile sliding across his lips. "The only reason we're coming up here is because you're a little drunk and it's getting a bit noisy down there." He was a bit surprised to hear the words coming out of his mouth and to realize that he meant them. "I don't know what it is about you Julie Taylor, but you make this bad boy not want to take advantage of a drunk girl."
She smiled, her eyes a bit glazed as she leaned up and kissed him lightly. "I don't think you're a bad boy. I think you're a nice guy."
He laughed, a short bark of laughter. "That's because you don't know me and the time you have known me you've been drinking." He took her arm and led her down the hallway to Matt's room, pushing open the door. He stuck his head inside to be sure that it was empty and once he saw that it was he led her inside. "Light on or off?"
"Mmmm…off." Julie laughed as she threw her arms around his neck and cuddled against him. "I like you Tim Riggins."
"Oh boy, you're playing with fire aren't you?" Tim shook his head as his hands ran down her back, coming to rest on her hips. He wanted her, but there was something more there.
Suddenly she pulled back from him, her eyes meeting his. "What time is it?"
"What?" He had to laugh. He couldn't keep up with her. Since she had hit that drunken point she'd been jumping from subject to subject and he was having a hard time keeping up with her.
"What – time – is – it?" she said slowly, using her hands as she spoke as if it would help. "Is it close to midnight?"
"Oh, that makes more sense." Tim glanced at the clock. "Looks like we've got a few more minutes. They'll countdown downstairs; we'll be able to hear them."
"Oh ok." Julie pulled away, plopping down on the bed and motioning for him to follow her. "Thanks for saving me tonight from that gorilla."
"Gorilla?" Tim laughed as he lay down beside her. "I'm sure that he'd love to hear himself be called that."
"Well that's what he was, the way that he was manhandling me. That's not that way you treat a lady and that's what I am – a lady. Right?" She propped herself up on her elbow, looking down into his eyes.
"Yes, Julie. You're a lady. A very drunk lady, but a lady non-the-less."
Julie rolled her eyes. "Why do you keep saying I'm drunk like that matters? I know what I'm doing."
Tim chuckled as his arms went around her. "I never said you didn't."
Julie smiled as she turned into him, her arms going around his neck. She kissed him tentatively, shivering at the sensations that ran through her body.
Tim grinned against her lips as he heard the shouts from downstairs. "10-9-8…" He kissed her, his tongue brushed hers, his hands running down her back as he pulled her closer.
"7-6-5…" Julie moaned as she ran her hands through Tim's hair.
"4-3-2-1…" Tim's hand's slid under her shirt so that he could feel her bare skin. "Happy New Year Julie. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Tim." It was just a sigh against his lips as she gave him one more kiss before settling into his arms. Within seconds she was asleep.
It took him longer to go to sleep, but nothing had felt better than going to sleep with her in his arms.
Julie woke slowly, not knowing where she was but knowing that she wasn't alone. She opened her eyes and found herself looking into Tim's eyes. Her mouth curved into a smile. "Hey…"
The previous night's events came back to her in a rush and she couldn't help reaching out her hand to stroke down his cheek. She couldn't think of another guy that would've been such a gentleman when a drunk girl was throwing herself at them.
"Hey yourself. Feeling okay?"
"Feeling great. Best I've slept in awhile."
Tim leaned down, kissing her softly. "Me too. Why don't we go get some breakfast? Maybe see about doing something later in the day?"
She couldn't even begin to hide the smile. "I'd love that."
Together they headed out to see what could become of a chance meeting of two strangers at a New Years Eve party.