It was late, and the kids were finally asleep after an exhausting day of crafts and hide-and-seek. Sam sat curled up on the couch, a blanket draped over her legs and a mug of tea warming her hands.

Daniel walked in with a glass of wine and handed it to her. "I figured you could use this more than tea."

She smiled softly. "You're not wrong."

He sat down beside her, his arm resting along the back of the couch. "You seemed… happy today," he said, his tone careful but curious.

"I was," she admitted, taking a sip of wine. "The kids have a way of making everything feel lighter, even when it shouldn't be."

Daniel nodded, studying her. "And us?"

"What about us?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"Do we make things lighter, or heavier?" he asked, his voice tinged with vulnerability.

Sam set her mug down and turned to face him fully. "Daniel, being with you feels… easy. Natural. Like it was always supposed to be this way."

His gaze softened, and he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's how I've always felt about you."

Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed her cheek. "You're making it hard to want to figure out what's happening to me," she admitted, her voice trembling.

Daniel leaned in closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "Then don't," he whispered, his voice low. "Stay with me, Sam. Stay with us."

Her heart ached at the raw emotion in his voice. She wanted nothing more than to promise him she would, but she couldn't lie.

"Daniel…" she started, but he silenced her with a kiss.

It was slow and deliberate, full of longing and unspoken fears. Sam melted into him, her hands gripping his shirt as if to anchor herself in the moment. When they finally pulled apart, she rested her forehead against his, tears threatening to spill.

"I wish I could," she said, her voice barely audible.

Daniel cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had escaped. "I don't know what's happening or why. All I know is that I love you, and I'm not giving up on us."

Sam closed her eyes, letting his words wash over her. "You deserve better than this uncertainty, Daniel. You deserve someone who can stay."

"You're here now," he said firmly. "That's all that matters."

Later that night, Sam found herself lying awake, her thoughts racing. Daniel's words had left her both comforted and tormented. She wanted to stay, to give herself fully to this life and this love, but the lingering feeling that she didn't belong here was like a shadow she couldn't escape.

"Can't sleep?"

She turned to see Daniel watching her, his blue eyes soft in the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Not really," she admitted.

He reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. "Want to talk about it?"

Sam hesitated before nodding. "I keep thinking about how perfect this is. How perfect you are. And it scares me."

"Why?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"Because I know I will wake up one day, and this will all be gone," she said, her voice breaking.

Daniel shifted closer, wrapping an arm around her. "Then let's make every moment count," he said simply.

She looked up at him, her heart swelling at the quiet strength in his words. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not," he admitted. "But it's worth it."

Sam leaned into him, resting her head against his chest. His heartbeat was steady beneath her ear, a rhythm that grounded her in the here and now.

"I love you," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Daniel's arms tightened around her. "I love you too, Sam. More than anything."

For the first time since waking up in this world, Sam allowed herself to stop questioning and simply feel.