He couldn't get her out of his head. He couldn't stop looking at her. Couldn't stop thinking about her.

She was standing at the direct opposite side of the room from him with her back turned to him. He smiled when he saw her make to walk away from one of the young doctors from oncology but was stopped by the young man's hand on her upper arm.

Chuckling to himself, he placed his champagne (the beer had quickly run out and Carter was away to get some more) flute on the table and weaved his way through the crowd, nodding and laughing with some of his co-workers. When he finally reached her side, he placed his hand on the base of back gently and he felt her shudder slightly. He hadn't even announced his presence.

"Sam," he greeted her with a smile. "Doctor Sinclair, how are you?"

Sinclair looked crushed but he nodded and smiled.

"I'm fine Doctor Kovac. And yourself?" The young man glanced fleetingly to Luka but his gaze quickly turned back to Sam and Luka could certainly understand why.

She held her own champagne flute delicately in her hand, sipping from it occasionally while trying not to laugh at the expression on the young man's face. Luka felt her back press more firmly against his hand and he fought the urge to slip his arm right around and pull her into his side.

"I'm fine," he said and when he saw the look of confusion wash over Sinclair's face he knew he'd did it again. He felt Sam shiver under his hand and he involuntarily stepped closer to her. His left arm and the edge of his chest was pressed against her back and he felt her rib cage rise highly on his arm, notifying him of her deep intake of breath. "Sorry," he coughed. "I'm fine, thank you." He repeated, in english.

Sinclair nodded and quickly excused himself from their company. Luka waited for a second and then moved around Sam to stand in front of her. He let his hand glide around her body, over her hip bone, and then drop to his side. His own breath caught in his throat when he his eyes caught the look of unadulterated passion that passed through her eyes.

"I had better get going, I've had way too many drinks," she said indicating her glass and Luka nodded.

"Yeah, me too."

Sam nodded.

"I know."

Luka raised his eyebrow at her and smiled.

"You do?" He asked, his tone amused.

"You're accent gets heavier," she told him while her eyes fixed on the cleft of his breast bone. Luka smiled and shook slightly under her gaze.

"From what I remember, you seem to like that," he said matter-of-factly and was surprised when he saw her nod her head.

"Oh yeah," he heard her mutter and look away. She looked around her for somewhere to put her drink down and Luka put his hand out.

"There are a bunch of taxis outside, I'll walk you out," he said and she nodded.

They made a quick detour to the cloak room to retrieve her coat and he helped her on with it. They both stoof stock still and stopped breathing when his hands lingered on her shoulders for a second too long and then their lungs failed as his hands slid gently down her arms to her hands.

"Listen," he said and turned her around, their bodies only centimeters apart. He dropped one of her hands and scrubbed his face with his hand. "I know that this may seem... strange."

Sam shuddered as his warm breath played across her face when he spoke. His words were dripping heavily with his accent and Sam was having a hard time distinguishing where one word began and the other ended.

"But uh... I bought you a gift."

Sam frowned at him but couldn't contain the smile that crept through.

"And I know you're not on again until the twenty-seventh, so I thought I had given it to you tonight."

Sam smiled at his incorrect grammar, knowing that it was simply his state of intoxication that had caused it.

"Abby already gave me the gift from you two," she told him and placed her hand on his arm.

She saw him shake his head and she frowned again. She saw his arm reach into the inside pocket of his own long, woolen coat and pull out a large, flat square box.

"Luka... no," she said as she pushed his hand away as he extended it to her.

"Sam, please, just... open it," he urged and she nodded, albeit reluctantly.

She carefully opened the box and gasped.

"Luka... oh my god..."

She fingered the fine white gold chain and her fingers trailed down to the pendant. It was several swirling lines that were not an 'S' but were very close to it. In between the swirls were what looks like vines of some sort. Sam was taken aback.

"I just... saw it and I thought of you..." he admited as he watched her face.

She looked absolutely beautiful, as she stood before him with her mouth handing open as she gently fingered the chain.

"You don't have to wear it, but I don't want it back."

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his as she tried to form a coherent word, never mind a sentence. She noticed how close his body was hers, his chest pressed invitingly against her body, his scent surrounding her as well as his warmth. The look in his eyes was indescribable. A mixture of passion, joy, pleasure and pain.

She snapped the box shut and threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

"I wish you'd have told me, then I could have bought you something," she scolded him and he chuckled into her shoulder.

"And miss the look on your face when you saw it? No way," he laughed as he pulled back, fully away from her. His lips urged him forward, to press against hers but his brain told his lips to desist.

Instead, he slipped his arm around her waist and guided her out of the room.

"Come on, let's get you home."

TBC