Disclaimer: I don't own American Dreams.

A/N: Just a wicked short one-shot I wrote in about ten minutes, right after I finished watching the latest episode, "Commencement". I hated that it ended with Sam and Meg deciding not to pursue a relationship, so here's my altered version to pacify the Smeg-ger in me.

XXX

DIFFERENT

XXX

Meg leaned against the wooden counter in the garage. She could feel her eyes tearing up as she replayed the conversation she and JJ had just had moments before.

It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. Sam was such a great guy, and he seemed to care about her, and she cared about him. But just because of what other people think, they couldn't be together.

To Meg, it felt like these days all she was doing was living according to how other people thought. How her father thought, how her mother thought, how Chris thought, and now how JJ thought. When was she going to live by what she was thinking?

Meg checked the time on a small clock standing near her on the counter. She and Sam were supposed to be meeting up at the Vinyl Crocodile in half an hour to listen to some records. It would be their third date.

Not that Roxanne's words had gotten to her. But if they had… this evening would be she and Sam's third date.

Everything had seemed so crazy after Chris left. Meg felt like the world was still moving forward, while she could barely move at all. She was trying to get over him. She was trying to figure out if she had really, truly loved him.

And then the prom. And then the dance.

And then Sam.

Meg let JJ's words flow through her mind once more. He was right; no one in the family would probably forgive her if she pursued a relationship with Sam. And they weren't getting married, that was true. Though, if it got that far…

Standing straight again and exiting the garage, Meg sighed. Was it really worth risking her position in her family for a guy she'd just realized she liked? A guy she'd probably liked in the back of her mind for two or three years? He was great and all, but what would she do if her entire family hated her?

As she made her way down the driveway, Meg realized, Sam wasn't just a great guy; he was an incredible one. He was there for her, and he helped her out, and he listened, and he encouraged. They had similar tastes, which had helped build their friendship in the first place. He was cute, and kind, and he would never let her down, no matter what.

But her family was her family, and that would never change, and she would always have a tie to them. And she and Sam… well, she didn't know what they were, currently.

He had strong hands, but he was surprisingly gentle. And though he was a big athlete, he was soft-spoken. He was in college, but he still would dance with a girl who left her own high school prom.

Her father always helped her out of tough scrapes, in the end. Her mother was there for her, and gave her advice, as did Beth. She could always depend on JJ and Uncle Pete. Will and Patty may be annoying, but they were still her younger siblings.

Which side is more appealing, Meg wondered as she got onto the bus that would take her to the record store.

In her head, she weighed her options for each scenario. Was being with someone who might not even last long-term worth losing the respect of her family? Was attempting to move on from something potentially amazing just to please others worth never being able to look Sam in the eye again?

The bus halted, and Meg glanced up out the window. She braced herself, and then stood slowly, making her way down the aisle and off the bus. She took her time going down the steps and into the store, and when she didn't see Sam, she entered their usual booth and shut the door, and then leaned against the wall, still deep in consideration.

Could they keep it a secret?

Could she somehow escape her troubles?

Could she lie to her family?

Could she never see Sam again?

A knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts, and Meg glanced up to see Sam standing outside, waiting for permission to enter. She nodded slightly and he came in, shutting the door behind him.

Tears were forming at the corners of Meg's eyes again, but she ignored them.

"Sorry I'm late," Sam apologized.

"Oh, I just got here," she said softly, and, after a tense pause in which both knew what was coming, said, "I'm sorry. I just..."

She stopped as he waited for his fate, seeming to already know it was bad news. But Meg was beginning to see differently.

"Do you like me?" she asked suddenly, her voice still low. "I mean, really like me?"

Sam blinked, surprised. "Yes," he answered truthfully. "But Meg, it's okay, I understand, it's too hard-"

"No," Meg interrupted, uncrossing her arms from across her chest and letting them fall to her sides. "We shouldn't let everyone else decide something like this for us. This is between you and me, and no one else."

"What are you saying?"

Meg waited a beat to respond, still a little unsure herself. "I'm saying…" She trailed off as they inched closer, her words lost in the small space between them. "It's hard, but we've got to try," she finally whispered.

Sam nodded, waited only a second, and then tentatively brushed his lips across hers.

Meg knew there would be consequences. She knew it wouldn't be as simple as forming the words she'd just said. There would be repercussions for her actions. And as Sam kissed her once again, she realized, she was okay with that.

Just because they were different, didn't mean they couldn't be different together.

XXX

End.