Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Wow, it's been so long since I updated! I've been soooo busy with school, homework, extra-curricular activities, etc. Well now it's summer vacation and I've had some time to write, so I hope you enjoy the next chapter! But first, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter…

Hamgirl – Ooh thank you! And sorry about the cliffhanger… This chapter doesn't end with a cliffy, so you'll be happy!

Cindy-Ruby – lol, I didn't really update soon…

Lil'PeiceOfCrap – I just took a guess… On the Hamtaro site it says somewhere that Noel is in his first year of college of something like that, and I figured Hillary is younger than him.

Stanlover – Thanks for the reviews! I can't reveal what will happen though… You'll find out soon!

crystalgurl101 – I also have the video!

And the answer to last chapter's question is… Episode 13: "Let's Dance, Sandy!" (At the beginning)… I got the idea from that… It's one of my fave episodes! And it's funny because Maxwell helps Sandy up, and in my story Maxwell's owner helps Sandy's owner up. Good job Stanlover and crystalgurl who both got it right!

Anyways…

Disclaimer: I don't own Hamtaro, any of the Hamtaro characters, or anything related to the show. I only own the tapes of the episodes that I taped off my TV. Anything in this story that is similar to something already in existence is purely coincidental, and unintentional. I also don't own the song "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias, which is mentioned in this chapter. Now on with the story!

Chapter 2: First Date

For a few moments, Sandy just stared in disbelief at the hamster in Jake's hands. She rubbed her eyes, unsure if it was really him, or if she was dreaming. Maxwell was obviously just as surprised to see Sandy, judging by the expression on his face.

Jake walked up to Hillary and brought his hands closer to hers so that the hamsters could interact. "Maxwell, meet Sandy. Sandy, meet Maxwell," Jake said in a joking voice that made Hillary smile.

Although Maxwell hesitated for a moment, Sandy had already jumped over to Jake's hands and embraced Maxwell in a big bear hug (A/N – What else would you call it? A gerbil hug? Lol!) "I'm like so glad to see you!" Sandy told him, hugging Maxwell tighter than ever.

After finally being released, Maxwell caught his breath and said, "I'm happy to see you too, but next time can you hug a little less tightly? You're stronger than you think, you know."

"Sure thing Maxy," Sandy said through giggles.

Meanwhile, Hillary and Jake were caught up in conversation about their hamsters. Jake found their actions to be quite amusing, and began to laugh. He had the cutest laugh Hillary had ever heard, and before she knew it, she was laughing along with him.

"I've never seen hamsters act this way before, especially when they've just met," Hillary said, still watching the hamster couple.

'Yeah, same here," Jake started. "Maxwell is never this friendly with other hamsters. He must really like your hamster already." Hillary smiled at Jake and nodded, as he continued. "Um, Hillary, were you by chance planning to take your hamster to Dr. Lion today?"

"I sure was, why?" Hillary asked, although she almost knew what he was going to say next.

"Well I thought that maybe we could, you know, go there together. Since our hamsters seem to be getting along so well and all."

Although Hillary was smiling on the outside, she was jumping for joy on the inside, overjoyed with Jake's request. "That sounds good to me, let's go!" Hillary replied. "And you can put Maxwell in Sandy's carrier if you want."

After Jake carefully placed both hamsters in the carrier Hillary was still holding, the two of them began to walk down the aisle (A/N it sounds like they're getting married! Lol! But I'm talking about the store aisle of course). A long lineup of people became visible to them, and the pair took a spot at the end of the line. "There sure are a lot of people here," Jake observed.

Hillary nodded; glad that she would get more time to talk to Jake. "Well I guess we'll be here for awhile… Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself Jake?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Hillary wished she could take them back. "Oh man, why did I say that? It sounded so lame. Now Jake is going to thing I'm some boy-crazy stalker or something. Maybe he didn't hear it… Oh but what if he did?"

Jake, however, had already started to tell Hillary his entire life story – well, almost. Hillary soon learned that Jake had two younger brothers, and that his family owned a bookstore. She also found out that he loves to read, and that he has a passion for poetry. Soon, Hillary found herself gaining confidence and sharing all her interests with Jake as well. Before they knew it, they had reached the front of the line.

"Next!" The pair heard a voice from behind a door call. When Jake and Hillary entered the room, they found themselves inside a miniature veterinarian's office. There was only a bit of equipment in Dr. Lion's temporary office, but what he had was still quite impressive. Dr. Lion finished with the note he was writing, and looked up from his chair to face Jake and Hillary. "Hello there. Welcome to my office."

"Hi, I'm Jake, and this is my friend Hillary, and we brought along our hamsters Sandy and Maxwell," Jake said, indicating the hamster carrier that Hillary was holding. Hillary stepped up to Dr. Lion's desk and placed the carrier down. Dr. Lion opened it, removed one hamster at a time, performing a routine check-up. He made a few notes, then turned to Jake and Hillary again.

"You two will be glad to know that your hamsters are happy and healthy," Dr. Lion told them. "There appears to be a strong bond between these two hamsters like I've never seen before," Dr. Lion began, as the hamsters knowingly looked up at him. Jake and Hillary listened intently as he continued. "I think it's important that you keep them near each other, you never know what consequences will arise from separation."

Hillary was absolutely confused about what she was hearing. "There must be some misunderstanding; we actually just met like an hour–"

Dr. Lion interrupted before Hillary could finish, "But that shouldn't be too much trouble for you and your boyfriend, should it?"

Hillary and Jake glanced shyly towards each other. As soon as their eyes met they quickly turned away, trying to hide the blush on their cheeks. Dr. Lion watched and smiled.

- - - - - - - - - - -

After leaving Dr. Lion's office, Jake and Hillary headed towards the cash registers together, without saying a word. Hillary couldn't forget what Dr. Lion had said to them; he thought they were a couple. Hillary noticed that Jake was trying to avoid eye contact, suddenly becoming shy and quiet. She figured that Jake was probably offended by that comment, and she silently held back her feelings of disappointment. After leaving the store together, they stopped at a bench to put Maxwell back into his carrier. Jake's eyes finally met Hillary's once again, but this time he gave her a warm smile.

"I… I had a really great time shopping with you," Jake began. "And I'd really like to get to know you better."

Hillary was stunned, but smiled at the thought. "Me too," she replied softly.

"I was planning on going to the Moonlight Nightclub tonight, and I was hoping that you'd like to come with me," Jake said, appearing to have regained his confidence.

Hillary was overjoyed. Not only was she going to go to the new nightclub that she was dying to go to, but she would be going there on a date with one of the cutest and sweetest guys she ever met! "Yeah, I'd really like that, it sounds awesome."

The two of them exchanged phone numbers and made plans to meet at the Moonlight Nightclub at 8:00 that night. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways to prepare for the evening.

- - - - - - - - - -

Later that evening, Hillary stood in front of her bathroom mirror, fixing herself up. She put the finishing touches on her makeup by gently sweeping a mascara wand across her eyelashes. She looked at her reflection and frowned – something just wasn't right. She decided that it was her hair that wasn't working out, so she pulled it down from its usual ponytail, letting the wavy ends hang freely, framing her face. Hillary walked to the kitchen and checked the clock, which read 7:50. "Oh no I'm gonna be late!" She cried, to no one in particular. She grabbed her keys and dashed out the door; she was going to have to run if she was going to meet Jake downtown for 8:00.

It was ladies' night at the Moonlight Nightclub, so Hillary got in for free. She checked her cell phone for the time, learning that she was only a few minutes late. As she was putting her cell away, she accidentally bumped into someone.

The guy, who walked right into Hillary, began to apologize, "Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was… Hillary!"

Hillary was surprised to have run into Noel at the Moonlight Nightclub, and she gave him a big hug. Noel and Hillary met when they were kids, and became best friends when theywere inhigh school. Though Noel was a year older and already in college, the two of them were still very close. Noel blushed from the hug; he had the biggest crush on Hillary for over a year, and still couldn't bring up the courage to tell her. He looked into her eyes and asked, "So… what are you doing here tonight?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing!" Hillary replied brightly. "I'm here with… my friend," she answered carefully, knowing how protective Noel was when it came to her potential boyfriends. He was like a big brother, always watching out for her.

"Yeah, me too," said Noel, indicating a group of his friends who were chatting off to the side.

Just then, Hillary remembered that she was supposed to be looking for Jake. "Oh, I actually better be heading off right now. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Noel smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, bye for now," he said, then walked off to join his friends.

Hillary, who was left standing alone, looked around the nightclub for Jake, who was nowhere in sight. She began feeling more and more uncomfortable, and was almost ready to leave when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around, only to come face to face with Jake. She smiled; he was looking cuter than ever tonight. "Hey there," she said softly.

"Wow, you look…" Jake paused for a second, trying to find the perfect word. "Amazing," he finished.

Hillary smiled and blushed at the comment. "Thanks. You look awesome too."

"So, do you want to dance?" Jake questioned.

"Well, that's what we're here for, aren't we?" Hillary replied, gaining more confidence.

Jake laughed and led the way to the dance floor, where the two began to dance the night away.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the club, Noel and his friends were sipping their drinks and sharing a plate of fries. Noel sighed as he heard a dance remix of "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias playing from the speakers. "This is Hillary's favourite song," he thought, as he scanned the dance floor for Hillary and her "friend."

"This is my favourite song!" Hillary shouted over the music to Jake. Jake stopped dancing and looked into Hillary's eyes. "Is something wrong?" Hillary asked as she too stopped dancing.

I can be your hero baby.

I can kiss away the pain.

I will stand by you forever.

You can take my breath away.

Jake reached over and gently brushed a loose strand of Hillary's hair behindher ear. He took a step forward, and they both leaned towards each other for a kiss. They parted, and smiled at each other, both feeling a little lightheaded. Hillary wrapped her arms around Jake's neck, and the two of them continued to dance.

Noel couldn't believe what he was seeing. His heart broke as he watched Hillary kiss Jake. Oh, how he wished he could hold her in his arms and never let go. He felt a lump form in his throat as he tried to hold back tears; he couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"Yo Noel, you okay? You're awfully quiet tonight," Noel's friend Mark commented.

"Yeah, I'm fine, my head hurts, that's all," He replied. "I think I'm gonna go home though. See ya guys." Before anyone had a chance to stop him, Noel was already making his way towards the door. As he saw Hillary lock lips with Jake again, he turned away, and with a heavy heart, he made his way out the door, towards his apartment.

Well, there you have it, Chapter 2 is complete! Took me long enough too… It's June 28th and I started this chapter on May 29th! I'm so slow! But you can't blame me, I had exams and all. I'll try my hardest to get Chapter 3 written and updated quickly!

By the way, I made up the Moonlight Nightclub, so I hope that name doesn't exist already. And I've never been to a nightclub so I have no idea what one looks like or what food they have (do they even have food?) so don't mind me if there are any kind of errors like that.

Also don't mind the fact that Hillary crashes into someone twice in one day (lol, she's clumsy!) and that everyone is always smiling at everyone else. I like happy people.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review and let me know what you think!