A/N: Happy New Year!! Hope everyone's holidays were awesome!

Jack looked from Colleen to his daughter. He saw the scowl Nim was wearing and made a decision. He stood up.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Are you done with the coffee?" He asked Colleen, pointing to the mug on the porch.

She nodded and lifted the mug up to him. Their fingers brushed against each other's and Colleen felt her fingers tingle at the contact.

Jack also felt a tingle in his fingers and paused ever so briefly before he grinned and walked back into the house to take care of the dishes and change his clothes.

Well, this is just great. I'm stuck here with a kid who hates me. Colleen thought with a sigh.

"How did you become friends with a Bearded Dragon and a sea lion?" Colleen asked with a grin, trying to make conversation with the girl.

Nim shrugged. "They kinda came to me." She said. "I actually found Fred crawling around our house when he was a baby, so I took him in. Selkie came to me more slowly. I lured her in from the sea with fish."

Colleen smiled and looked at the sea lion. "Selkie, huh? You must take excellent care of these animals, Nim, and I have to appreciate that. Especially to Selkie."

"Why to her?" Nim asked, sitting up from the lion.

"I'm a biological oceanographer. I study animals of the sea and sea lions just fascinate me." Colleen said. "Not to sound like a public service announcement, but they need all the help they can get."

She did like sea lions, but they weren't all that fascinating to her. She mostly said it to get on Nim's good side. She did appreciate the animals and their care, though.

Nim smiled at Colleen. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Oh, I'm Colleen Giuseppe." She said, smiling and sticking her hand out for a handshake.

Nim looked at the hand before reaching her own out and shaking it. "Wait. Giuseppe? As in Doctor Giuseppe? The one doing research on the Pacific?" The girl asked, pausing in the shake, but still holding onto her hand.

"Yup, that's me." Colleen replied, forcing a grin. "But please, just call me Colleen." She continued, releasing the girl's hand.

"Okay...Colleen." Nim grinned.

"May I take a closer look at Selkie?" Colleen asked, wanting to get closer to the girl, and if her animals were the way, then so be it.

"Sure." Nim answered.

Colleen moved closer to Nim and her animals. Selkie leaned towards Colleen and sniffed her before sliding closer and kissing her cheek in that sea lion way. Colleen laughed, then petted her nose.

"Why, thank you, Selkie." She said.

At that moment, Jack walked back out onto the porch. He had observed the last part of the exchange.

"Well, I'm glad you two are getting along famously. How about you two?" He asked, pointing to Nim, then Colleen.

"We're good." Nim replied with a smile at Colleen.

"Good." He said with a smile, then looked to Colleen. "Here. You can have one of my older shirts since it looks like that one has seen better days." Jack extended his arm and held out a white button up shirt to her.

"Oh." Colleen muttered. "You didn't have to, but thank you." She said quietly, dipping her head as she took the shirt.

Jack nodded with a half grin as he walked past the two and down the stairs to the fire pit, where he stacked wood in order to start a fire for breakfast. "Breakfast'll be ready in ten. Nim, go get dressed."

Nim nodded, then stood up. She went to take Fred with her, but she stopped, turned, and placed Fred on Colleen's head.

"Could you watch him for me?" Nim asked.

"Sure." Colleen said with a laugh.

Nim smiled broadly, then turned and skipped into the house. Selkie went to follow, but stopped as well, and went back to sit next to Colleen, staring up at her.

"You can go with her." She said to Selkie, nodding towards the house.

The sea lion bobbed her head, then turned and went to follow Nim. Once she made sure Selkie was going after Nim, Colleen took Fred off of her head and held him in her hand, then stood up. With Jack's shirt still in her other hand, she descended the steps, pausing at the bottom. She set Fred on the railing along with the shirt, then shed her outer, gray shirt, placing that next to the white shirt. Picking up the shirt Jack gave her, Colleen threw it on her person. As she rolled up the sleeves a little more (since they went down to her elbows), she was able to detect the ever-so-slight smell of the sea and a scent that could be classified as masculine. Figuring that the masculine scent was 'Jack', she picked Fred back up and put him on her shoulder, then walked over to Jack and sat down next to the fire he was attempting to start.

Jack grumbled and cursed under his breath when he couldn't get the fire started with the first ten matches.

"What the hell?" He grumbled, sitting back on his heels, placing his hands on his knees, and staring at the pit.

Colleen grinned at Jack's frustration, then got up from where she sat. Stepping over to Jack, she kneeled down next to him.

"Lemme see those matches." She said, holding her hand out for them, grinning.

Jack glanced at her, then sighed as he handed the matches over. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Colleen's technique. As he watched her light the pile, Jack noticed that his shirt looked very good on her...if only a little big.

Colleen leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, then took a match out of the box and struck it on the side after closing it. Receiving the flame, she cupped her other hand around it, careful not to burn herself, and lowered it to the bottom of the pile of sticks Jack stacked. After getting a few of the thinner sticks lit, she dropped the match in the pile and blew on the burning sticks to make a larger fire. She then leaned back on her heels.

"There. No problem." She grinned, then stood and sat back on the bottom step to stay out of Jack's way.

While Jack grumbled some more as he got breakfast ready, Colleen petted Fred and stared at Jack as he moved about, getting and cooking food. Almost as soon as he was done, Nim came back out and sat down next to Colleen.

Nim glanced up at their new companion and smirked as she saw where Colleen's eyes were focused. Now that she knew the scientist a little better (even though she still had some doubts), she would try to play as the little matchmaker since Jack seemed to like her. She caught him staring at Colleen a few times, too.

"Colleen?" Nim asked, setting her thoughts aside.

"Hmm?" Colleen hummed as she turned her head quickly to the girl.

"I can take Freddie back now." She said.

"Oh, sure." Colleen handed the lizard over to Nim.

"Breakfast is finally ready." Jack announced with a sigh.

Nim and Colleen got off of the step and went over towards the fire, where Jack had breakfast laid out. The three filled their plates, then sat around the fire and ate in relative silence. When breakfast was over, Jack gathered the dishes once again and headed into the house to wash them.

A/N: Well, what'd you think?