Disclaimer: I do not have any ownership of anything from Hamtaro. All of that belongs to somebody else. I'm no different than any of you guys! XD

AN: (is too lazy to write out the whole thing again today lol) Hello, readers! Here's the second chapter! That came fast-ish? You bet it did! It's been a long time since I've updated within a week and gosh it feels great! And well... Really hope you're liking this so far! Because that's my main goal. Providing entertainment and pleasure to all who graciously take the time to look at my work. So thanks again, everybody! Will update soon hopefully! So… Without further ado, here you go! Enjoy!

And a special thanks to Awesomewriter123 for his review! To answer you, no. This is strictly a Sandy-Maxwell centric fic and no other characters will be involved. Sorry! And, to explain a little to you all, the reason Sandy's sort of OOC is because she's older here. In the series, I took it as they were very young, so I matured the characters a bit. Sorry if I did it too much! Hope I did a better job this time. (shrugs) Never said I was great, or even awesome like some of y'all. Anyway... Here it is! Chapter two. Thank you so much again!

Chapter Two: Part Two- Jackets and Threshholds

Once out in the open, busy streets, Sandy shivered. She swore under her breath to herself for not bringing at least a lightweight jacket with her even though she knew how could it would be when night fell. She'd just been in that much of a rush when Maxwell said they could go out for dinner together that she'd completely forgotten to snatch one on the way out. Now she was regretting doing this, watching as the goose bumps on her arms multiplied. The girl closed her eyes as they passed a pulsing streetlight and thought about warmer places. The beach during a fireworks show, near the campfire singing songs, in Maxwell's arms… All except for the last thing she'd done this summer with him and their other friends. Again, she wanted to cry and laugh.

Maxwell let out a contented sigh and watched as his breath puffed up in front of his face. He fooled around with his breath and the air and pretended not to notice Sandy looking at him. It was a lovely, somber evening in early winter and he was enjoying every bit of it. It made things a lot more enjoyable knowing his close friend was there as well. Finally, after Sandy had averted her awkwardly steady gaze, he looked at her and immediately saw her shivering. A guilty feeling overwhelmed him for not recognizing she was this bare sooner and he began to instinctively take off his coat at the sleeve. He stopped, embarrassed, as soon as she looked back at him and gave her friend a smile. Maxwell's own smile appeared unsure of itself.

Somebody had to say something, Sandy concluded. But what, was the question. The young lady figured to be cutesy and just state the obvious.

"Wow! It's like, freezing out here!" she exclaimed with a faint giggle, rubbing her hands together and blowing on them for humorous theatrics. She had no idea about the growing shame Maxwell was feeling, otherwise she'd not over-done it like that.

He smiled instead of frowned, though, and shed his coat at once for her as he'd been planning. His friend was almost taken aback at such a gesture, but seemed gracious enough this time for accepting the favor.

"Here. Take this," he told her softly, warmth in his eyes while he handed his coat to her. The leather it was made of ran smoothly, straight out of his fingers' grasp as she took it, wrapping the thing about herself.

A hysterical giggle left the girl and the cheerfully perplexed expression Maxwell had given her as a reaction that said he wanted her to explain.

"It's sooo big!" she continued in her giddiness. "You can totally fit in here too, ya know."

The words had left her chapped lips before she could put a stop to them. In horror, Sandy realized she'd just flirted with him, opening the gate for the boy to either passade back which could possibly lead to something else, or simply plain ignore it and deflate her. Each way, no matter what, it was a lose-lose situation.

A playful grin slapped itself on Maxwell's face. His cheeks burned, but his flushing was luckily hidden by the minor windburn he'd started to get on their brisk, sort of frantic stroll thus far.

"Do you only want a reason to get close to me?" he chuckled, raising an eyebrow. It was half-way between joking and flirting. Sandy had no clue what one it was more of in her shock. That was completely not the Maxwell she'd gotten to know and love, yet she didn't mind the tweak in his conduct. It was pretty cute to her, Sandy admitted deep down.

Massively blushing, she then not only wore his coat but a scowl to hide her infinite abashment.

"No!" she yelped, swatting at him with a smirk. Her emotions softened. "It's really cold. I like, don't want you to get sick cuz you were out in this weather…"

"I don't usually get cold easily." The man didn't want to make his companion feel bad for receiving the coat, leaving himself with none. And he most certainly did not want her worrying about him. But he could see that Sandy was disheartened anyway because she looked down at her shoes and the dirty pavement they tread on with a broken smile.

"Ohh…" she murmured. Maxwell paused and grabbed at the vacant side of the garment, scooting closer in sympathy.

"Well, I suppose…" he started with a kidding sigh, making her uncontrollably beam. She resembled the Cheshire Cat in a way like that. He laughed and shrugged. "Kill two chickies with one stone."

"Oh, Maxwell…" Sandy dreamily exhaled. She felt as if she were living in a dream with him at that moment. She went into a dream. With his arm around her shoulders for the very first time, she could then die happy.

... Chilly- No. Frigidly cold, it would be- that night. The stars tucked in beneath a quilt of gray-navy clouds in their nest of a black sky, the cold making everything still. It would be a night similar to this. Only better…

Red- No. A rosy, rosy pink would be spread across their cheeks and noses as they'd stare lovingly into each other's eyes. The windows to their connected souls. Those same cheeks and noses would meet by brushing together, nuzzling, giving to and getting pleasure from one another until the couple would finally, tenderly, kiss. How amazing a kiss they'd share!

Then, Maxwell would unusually pull away, making Sandy pout in confusion. To her surprise and reassurance, he'd bend down on his left knee- no, his right- no, left sounded good. He would be knelt on his left knee and present to her a stunningly gorgeous diamond crested gold ring. And in her twinkling watery eyes he would look and flawlessly say…

"Will you marry me?"

And she would sob, squealing out a 'yes', leaping into his arms and make love to him right there. On the remote flower-cloaked hill. Well, no. Maybe they wouldn't go that crazy, but something closely as romantic would happen afterwards.

Sandy just hadn't thought that far due to either a lack of time or too much humiliation for even fabricating such things. This time she had ceased because of the latter reason again. That was usually the case.

She and Maxwell weren't even dating and still she relentlessly sucked him into her outlandish alternate reality where they were. Dating and then some... She was just happy that she hadn't started picking baby names, though 'Starlette' appealed to her quite a bit for a little girl. Sandy spat in disgust at her own behavior, but nonetheless breathed out a sigh of joy. False joy, undeserving joy for violating the oblivious Maxwell like that, but it was still joy. With her fair face sprinkled with red around her nose and a fantasizing look lingering in her eyes, she realized that she'd only imagined the whole thing, as every other time.

That lonely feeling came back. The engulfing agony. He was not hers and she wasn't his. Or perhaps she was his after all. She would always be his...

Maxwell watched Sandy's every sad movement and wondered what had changed her mood so quickly, what was going through the preoccupied woman's mind.

To Be Continued…