Disclaimer: Yeah, folks, in the last day or so, between updates, I rewrote time so I owned this lovely film. –rolls eyes- Of course I own nothing! Although I do love this little ship so…I'd guess you know that, don't you?

A/N: Okay, I'm not entirely sure of the time span in this film, so if I'm a little off, please forgive me.

Warmth really was an overrated miracle, Sam Hall thought as he sat by the library's fireplace. Not that he'd minded being held so tightly by Laura, but the lack of shivering was a plus.

He stared into the flames. His father was coming for him, he was certain of that much. What he wasn't so sure of was whether or not he'd still be breathing when Jack did appear. The snow was building outside and they had seen an actual ocean liner go past the window a couple of hours ago. Life was getting way too complicated for Sam's taste and all he could think was that, at the start of the day, his biggest worry was a failed grade and a plane ride. It all seemed surreal.

On the happier side of things, he had been slowly getting closer to Laura. Between his saving her life and having his own life saved by her, the two had developed a bond much stronger than anything either had felt before this day. Not to sound corny, he thought, smirking to himself.

They had had a conversation not too long ago about the most random things. Favorite vacations had come up and he had divulged information about a trip he'd gone on with his father so long ago…told her things he'd barely told anyone else. It had felt so wonderful to open up to someone that he'd almost forgotten about the hell rampaging outside….

A cough interrupted his thoughts. He turned from the fire and looked over at where she was laying on a makeshift bed. Her eyes were closed, but her sleep seemed fitful.

Laura was without a doubt the strongest woman he had ever met. She was as smart as she was beautiful and she had saved his life. Without her, he would most likely have died from hypothermia…he owed her a lot. To see her in pain was more than he could take.

She coughed again and he came over to stand near her, ready and willing to do anything to make her feel better.

"Hey." He leaned down a bit, to look more closely at her face. She turned and opened her eyes. She seemed surprised to see him, as if she had fallen asleep and forgotten all about the events of the day.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sam asked, feeling unbelievably stupid asking such a question. He gently pressed a hand to her forehead, then to her cheek. "You look like you have a fever or something."

"Fine," she whispered with a tiny smile. He warmed all over at the sight. "Just can't sleep," she added, pulling herself into a sitting position with some effort. He sat at her side, looking at her intently.

A tiny sigh escaped her lips. "My mind keeps going over all those worthless decathlon facts." She made a snickering sound, but he saw the pain reflecting in her eyes all the same. "This is pretty stupid, huh?"

"No, it's all right. You just haven't had time to adjust yet." He offered a smile and a nod; inside, his mind screamed, You idiot! Adjust?? Who would adjust to this within a day

She seemed to be thinking the same thing. As he fidgeted like a lost little boy, she asked, "How am I supposed to adjust, Sam? Everything I've ever cared about, everything I've ever worked for has all been in preparation for a future that no longer exists.

"I know you always thought I took the competition too seriously."

He glanced up, surprised. Never had he heard this kind of defeated attitude from her. She was supposed to be strong…But even the strong fail, he reminded himself. Even the best fall. Suddenly, at this point more than ever before, he was determined to not let her fall.

She continued, self-mocking. "You were right. It was all for nothing."

He shook his head slightly. This wasn't right, for her say these things; worse, for her to believe them! Setting her straight…that was the only thing he could do.

"No," he admitted with a small shrug. "No, I just said that to avoid admitting the truth." He wanted to look away from her so badly, but those eyes, the big brown eyes that could make the switch from childlike innocence to haunting intensity to quiet intelligence…they held him more tightly that he had ever been held in his seventeen years. He tried to smile. This is it. The edge of the cliff and I'm about to willfully jump off.

"Truth about what?" she queried, curiosity evident in her soft voice. He suddenly wished that God would randomly smite him down, just to save him from what he was about to say.

"About w-why I joined the team." He lifted his eyebrows, trying to somehow make what he was about to let slip less…intense. Her eyes continued to bore through him, erasing the humor. The smile fell from his lips.

"I joined because of you." There, it was out. The urge to pound his skull repeatedly into a hard surface made itself known. He flinched slightly.

To his immense shock, this….look entered her eyes. She smiled warmly; he looked away, over to the fire, and debated throwing himself into it. When he turned back, she was sitting up, moving closer to him. "Hey," she whispered and he waited for the words that would come: "Let's just be friends." "I don't like you that way." "Allow me to find the restraining order." He braced himself.

No words came. She leaned in and gently grasped his coat sleeve with one hand, pulling him even closer to her. He closed his eyes. Don't wake up, Sam, don't wake up…

Her lips were upon his. The kiss was soft, just as he had always expected, but there was something just beneath the surface, something new. Her mouth worked against his, became accustomed to the way his lips moved, and suddenly she was probing his mouth open with her own, both hands grasping his collar to brace herself. He felt her tongue, tasted her, and nearly moaned with a mixture of astonishment and desire. This isn't real, this can't be real…

After what seemed like the longest, most heavenly eternity, her mouth left his. She was pulling back, looking him over through half-closed eyes. He sat still, dazed, resisting the temptation to lunge forward and kiss her again. It wasn't a dream, his mind told him disbelievingly. It was real. She's real…

He continued to sit still, as if the slightest movement would remind her that he was Sam Hall, not the boy of her dreams at all, just a shy little nerd who couldn't speak around her, who managed to fail math classes even when he excelled at them. Whose relationship with his father left something to be desired…like…a relationship with his father.

Her breath was coming in short little pants. Her eyes continued to search him. He swallowed.

"Wow," he breathed. It was lame, but it was all he could come up with.

Her lips curved upwards. "Yeah." There was a tiny pause, then: "I'm glad you joined the team, Sam."

All he could do was nod. She lightly brushed her lips against his once more, a movement that was full of promise and hope, then leaned back against her makeshift pillows. He watched her as she rolled over and closed her eyes, concealing another quiet cough. Smiling, he stroked her hair, pushing it out of her face. She was truly beautiful…and, oddly enough, she liked him. That in itself was stranger than anything else that had taken place over the course of the day.

A/N: Ok, that was the fluffiest thing I've ever written. Review replies:

Kai: Thanks! I don't mind the lack of caps and I'm glad that someone likes my work.

The Person: I'm glad that I don't suck at copying lines. lol, thanks a bunch.

Yeah, well…that was strange. I haven't done review replies in ages, so I'm sorry if that sounded slightly odd. There should be one more installment of this lovely little fluff-novelization-thing, so hang tight.