TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends? (Yeah, I just realized in the first two chapters, the summary for this story is wrong. Uh, oops?)

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

Chapter 4 - Rubik's Complex

The group of eight slipped into an easy, casual conversation over dinner, mostly involving Daniel asking various questions about everyone's work. That somehow prompted the story of Wilma and Jason's first date, a tale that had Daniel laughing harder than he had in a very long time. They moved from discussing how the couples had become couples and somehow convinced Daniel to share some of his experiences in Egypt.

" . . . and, basically, it's really not a good idea to let a goat anywhere near your tent. Especially if said goat knows how to undo the zipper holding the tent closed."

The table burst out into laughter. Abbie found herself clamping her hands over her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh so hard that she wouldn't be able to breath.

"Uh oh, there she goes!" Mark chuckled.

"Let's see if she falls out of her chair this time!" Jason said.

Abbie calmed down a little, but couldn't hold back the laughter. "That was a one time thing! Plus, I had a bruise on my butt for a week." She tried to get a hold of her laughter.

A concerned look passed over Daniel's face and he gently held Abbie by the arms to help keep her steady. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Abbie reassured him. "But thank you." She gave him what she hoped was a winning smile. It seemed to work, because he smiled right back.

"We can't help it if we're hilariously funny." Wilma smiled. "Hey, look, a band!"

In a corner of the restaurant, a band had set up and was playing a soft ballad. Several of the other couples in the restaurant had gotten up to dance.

"Come on, Jason – let's go show these people how to dance!" Wilma urged as she pulled him out of his seat.

Jason sighed. "I knew those dance lessons for her birthday were a bad idea," he said as he was dragged to the dance floor.

Mark stood up and turned to Elisha, executing a little bow. "May I have this dance?"

Elisha smiled and took his outstretched hand. "Yes, you may."

Paul let out a snort. "God, you guys make me sick sometimes."

"Look who's talking, Mr. 'Honey, do you want me to cut your food for you'," Mark teased his friend as he lead his wife away from the table.

Paul managed to look wounded. "Abbie, are you going to let him talk to me like that?"

Abbie grinned and shared a look with Paige. "Maybe."

Paul gave a small huff. "Well, if you won't defend me, I have no choice then to drag you over there and make you dance with me."

"Oh, you wouldn't," Abbie challenged.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I would. Of course," he paused, "Only if Daniel's ok with it."

Daniel was a little surprised by Paul's request. He knew that Paul was a good friend of Abbie's, and he was married, so he did not feel at all threatened by the man. Wait, threatened? Since when did he start to feel protective of her? He focused his gaze on Abbie, trying to decipher the look he saw in her eyes. "Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks, man." Paul gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be back soon." He pulled Abbie out of her chair and led her over to a clear spot on the dance floor.

"So, they abandoned you to sit with the pregnant lady, huh?"

Daniel tore his eyes off of Paul and Abbie to face Paige. "I wouldn't say abandoned."

Paige smiled and shifted around in her seat, trying to settle herself in a more comfortable position. "Well, I promise not to bore you with all of the mysteries of childbirth."

He smiled. "Actually, I doubt very much that there are any mysteries left that I'm not aware of." He continued at Paige's inquisitive look. "I've delivered a baby before."

Paige raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Three, actually," He admitted.

"How does a doctor of anthropology end up delivering one baby, let alone three?"

"Long, and somewhat classified story. The first one was during a dig in the Yucatan. I made friends with the local midwives, and they taught me a few things. The seond was for a woman in a culture I was studying. She went into labour unexpecdly, and I was the only one of my four teammates who had had any kind of training in that area." He paused, unsure if he should continue.

"And the third?" Paige prompted.

"Was the child of my wife," Daniel said softly. "We were in a very remote area, it was important that the baby be safe." His mouth curved in a whistful smile.

Paige noted the sad tone of voice and could see that the memory pained him. "And your wife?" she asked him gently.

"She died many years ago." Daniel decided that it would be best to let Paige think Sha're had died during childbirth then risk another explanation.

"That must have been a very difficult time for you."

Daniel nodded. "It was. But the people I work with are more like a family to me, and they helped me get through it."

Paige reached over and patted his hands. "Well, I'm sure that it was a great comfort to her to know that you were there."

"I hope so." Daniel smiled. "It's amazing what you pick up on a dig with people who have such vayring skills." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Paige picked up on his joke and slilently agreed with the change of mood. "Well, whatever it is that you guys do on that military base, I'm glad that it makes Abbie happy." She paused and tilted her head. "Are you the Dr. Jackson that hired her?"

"I am," he confimed.

"So you're the alien pyramid theory guy." Daniel's shocked look caused her to continue. "I'm a research librarian for the military in Bethesda. I know a few things." She smiled at him. "I can do a lot of damange with just a name."

"Remind me to slip you a few names, then."

"How did that happen, exactly?" Paige asked. "The job offer, I mean. She told us that she was considering a government contract, but she didn't say how the job offer had come to be."

Daniel took a sip of his drink, placing his glass back on the table. "A colleguge of mine, Dr. Lee, was in New York for a conference at the UN. He met, if you can call it that, Abbie at a lunch for some of the translators." He grinned as he remembered the conversation Bill had relayed to him. "Apparently, Dr. Lee had walked by her table and dropped an entire cup of hot coffee on her lap."

Paige laughed. "She told me about that! She was furious about the coffee stains on her suit!"

"Apparently, Abbie swore at him in at least four languages that he could identify, and a few that he couldn't," Daniel continued. "So, he got her name from one of the event hosts and forwarded her resume to me. The rest, I'm sure you already know."

"I have never seen her so busy or so happy in her entire life," Paige said and smiled as she watched her husband spin Abbie across the floor.

Daniel noded. "She's a very skilled linguist."

Paige focused her eyes on Daniel with a look that made his hands sweat. "And what about outside of work?"

"Uh, w-what do you mean?" Daniel stumbled over the words a little.

Paige continued to stare him down. "Well, Abbie has never introduced us to any of her coworkers, nor has she ever brought a male friend with her to one of our little gatherings."

Daniel could feel his face heating up. "Well, I can't say that I know much about Abbie outside of what I see at work and-"

Paige cut him off "But what you do see, you like."

Daniel tried to say something, anything to try and avoid talking about the more than friendly thoughts he had had about Abbie in front of her friend. Her very sharp best friend.

"It's ok, Daniel," Paige reached out and patted his hand again. "You're very much like Abbie – I can read both of you like a book. Privilege of the best friend." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I take it neither of you get to socialize much."

Daniel hesitated. He may not have had many social relationships outside of the SGC in a long time, but he was a smart enough man to take notice of the importance of not spilling his guts to the best friend of the woman he wanted. Liked. "It has been a while," he admitted. "I have really enjoyed being surrounded by a room full of people for once, instead of thousand year old artifacts."

"And by 'people', you mean 'Abbie'." Paige shot him a look that clearly challenged him to deny it in a believable way.

He couldn't. "I suppose I do." Daniel fought to hide the colour rising from his neck.

Paige gave him a knowing look. "I don't blame you. Abbie is a very smart, compassionate and caring person. Not to mention cute as hell."

Daniel focused his eyes on the floor, refusing to look up and see what he knew was a smug smile on Paige's face.

"I've always said she was too smart for her own good, though. Never could tell when someone found her attractive. She always said that would never happen."

Daniel's gaze lifted at that comment. He couldn't think of a single time when that would be true. "Really?"

"Really. She's always been too busy with her work, buried under a mountain of paper with a never-ending stream of words to reconfigure to notice anyone taking any interest in her. We've always said she has a Rubik's complex."

"Rubik's complex?"

"She always needs to solve the puzzle." Paige smiled. "And something tells me you share that trait."

Daniel could only nod in reply. His gaze had drifted back to the dance floor. He watched as Paul dipped Abbie in time to the music, the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face. Daniel knew that their jobs left little room for life outside the SGC, and it made him feel a whole hell of a lot better to know that Abbie had friends who could show her a normal, alien-free life, even if it was only for one night.

"You know, if you keep staring at them that hard, I'm fairly sure my husband's shirt will catch on fire."

Paige's joking tone cut through Daniel's thoughts. "I wasn't staring." Daniel protested weakly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Right. And I'm not pregnant, I just have a giant beach ball under my shirt," she said as she patted her protruding tummy. "Look, Daniel, I know Abbie. She's a very private person, and before you, I know that she has never even told anyone else at her work about our monthly dinners, let alone bring someone to join us." Paige followed her husband and Abbie with her eyes. "And if there is anything I can say for sure, it's that she wouldn't have brought you to meet us if she didn't like you."

"I like her too." The words were out of Daniel's mouth before he could stop them.

Paige gave him a very kind look. "Then don't you think you should tell her that?"

Daniel stared at her for a moment. Maybe he had lost his mind, but he was pretty sure that Paige had just given him permission to go after her best friend.

Paige put her elbows on the table and leaned in closer to him. "I've known Abbie for her entire adult life. I've seen her go through a lot. And at the risk of getting a little too personal, she's had close to no luck when it comes to the opposite sex." She smiled at the colour that was visible on Daniel's face. "Wilma's the unstoppable flirt, Elisha's the lovable snob, I'm the older mother figure, and Abbie is our shy genius. And she needs to experience a life outside of work. You can help her with that."

Paige's little speech shot Daniel's brain into overdrive. He knew that Paige was on to him. She seemed to have the uncanny ability to read his thoughts about Abbie before he could even admit he had had them. He knew that, sooner or later, he was going to have to do something about his growing feelings for Abbie. He just wasn't sure if he was ready to do anything yet. How can I be sure she feels anything for me?

Daniel's gaze was once again drawn to the dance floor and Abbie, who was now dancing with Mark. He must have said something to make her laugh, because she had one hand clapped over her mouth, trying to hold back the giggles he knew she just couldn't control. He could feel a small smile of his own sneaking across his face. His glance turned into a full out stare when Abbie caught his eyes from across the room and gave him a wink.

"Go dance with her."

Daniel wordlessly followed Paige's suggestion, barely acknowledging her as he stood up and made his way to the dance floor. It was almost as if his instincts had taken control of his body, the only goal to be close to Abbie.

xxxxxxx

A/N #2 Thanks again everyone for the awesome reviews – it's been great to hear that Abbie's not so bad for an OC! Please review if you feel like it – constructive feedback is always welcome.

xxxxxxxx

For those about to review, I salute you.