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?
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 9 - Unfinished Business
Abbie took a moment to calm down. She felt like she was stuck to the floor, unable to move until her brain had fully processed what had happened. Daniel Jackson, quite possibly the smartest and most attractive man she had ever known, had just tried to kiss her. In my own kitchen for crying out loud. Abbie decided that Paige must have had quite the interesting talk with him. She grinned, simply happy that, for once, something in her guy-related life had worked out.
She grabbed the brownie pan off of the table and placed it on the kitchen counter with the intention of cutting it up. She figured once her friends descend on the kitchen, nothing short of a zat blast would come between them and the dessert.
"So, how did things go?" Paige asked as she made her way into the kitchen and plopped herself down in one of the chairs surrounding the table.
Wilma waltzed into the room and spoke before Abbie could say a word. "Well, Daniel was still wearing his shirt when he answered the door, so, not as planned."
Abbie blushed and avoided Paige's question. "I was wondering what was taking you guys so long. How lost did you get, exactly?"
"Well, you know me and directions, Nash," Paul answered as he and the rest of the group entered the kitchen. "The wife says make a right, I accidentally make a left, Wilma slaps me upside the head, and Mark starts singing 'Highway to Hell'."
"So just a normal Sunday night drive. Are those brownies?" Wilma went straight to the counter, reaching out her hand towards the pan.
"Ah!" Abbie used one of her oven mitts to slap her hand away. "They just came out of the oven, so don't touch."
Elisha laughed from where she had settled in next to Paige. "Paul, maybe you should lend Wilma the book we gave you two about teaching your children proper behaviour in the kitchen."
"I doubt it would help," Jason joined in. "What makes you think she'll learn proper behaviour at all, let alone pertaining to a specific room?"
"True." Elisha admitted as she pretended to hide behind Mark from Wilma's death glare.
"Do you need help with anything?"
Daniel's soft voice surprised Abbie. Somehow, in the flurry of activity as everyone had trouped into the small kitchen, Daniel had moved to her side, with one hand placed on the small of her back. His whispered question sent a small shiver down her spine, something he felt as well if the smile on his face was anything to go by.
She stood on her tiptoes and whispered back. "You want to ask if everyone wants tea?"
"Sure." He planted a kiss in her hair and moved to the end of the counter. "Anyone want tea?"
"What kind?" Wilma asked.
"Let me check . . ." Daniel reached for the box and did a quick check. "Lemon mist."
Wilma shared a look with her husband. "Sure, sounds great. One for Jason as well."
"Mark, Elisha?"
Mark spoke before Elisha could make a sound. "Tea would be great, Daniel, thanks. Closely followed by the biggest brownie Nash can spare before my wife goes into chocolate withdrawal."
Abbie chuckled. "I do the best I can. Everybody want ice cream with their brownie?"
"I do," Paige said as the rest nodded their agreement. "And, Daniel, could I get a glass of milk instead of the tea? The caffeine will keep me up all night."
Daniel nodded. "No problem. Paul?"
"Same for me. No point in me being up all night if Paige won't be awake to keep me out of trouble."
Daniel laughed. "Ok. Four teas and two glasses of milk coming up." He moved to stand behind Abbie, reaching for the same shelf he had watched her pull the mugs out of earlier and grabbed two glasses.
Paige kept an eye on Daniel as he went to the fridge while the rest of her friends slipped into a loud conversation, seeing how well he navigated Abbie's kitchen, almost as if he had lived there all his life. She couldn't help but notice that he constantly placed himself within touching distance of Abbie, casually crossing into her personal space to talk with her. When Daniel had answered the door, she could tell by the slight blush on his face and the goofy grin that had accompanied it that their arrival had interrupted something. And, if Abbie's blush at Wilma's shirt comment was anything to go by, that 'something' had not been of a professional nature.
"Ok," Abbie announced, interrupting the various conversations taking place. "Brownies are ready. We eating in here or the living room?"
Elisha stood up to snag two bowls off the counter. "I vote living room." She passed one of the bowls to Paige and attacked the second one with a spoon. "We can watch a movie if everyone can agree on one."
Mark tried to look pained as his wife passed the dessert over his head to Paige. "Hey!"
Elisha patted his shoulder. "Do you really want to get between a pregnant woman and her chocolate?"
The light in Mark's brain went off. "Ah. Good point." He and the rest of the group stood and accepted a bowl and their cup of tea or milk from Daniel.
"So, living room?" Jason asked.
"Sure. Although, I think we'll have to pass on the movie," Wilma said. "Very early day tomorrow."
Paige made her way out of her seat with Paul's help. "Same for us. I don't want to stay up too late." She smiled at Abbie. "Need to get Paul to bed at a decent hour or he gets cranky."
All seven people laughed at the look of indignation that appeared on Paul's face. "I do not get cranky," he protested.
"Oh, give it up, Paul," Jason called out as he guided Wilma into the living room. "You know you need your beauty sleep."
Mark and Elisha laughed as they followed their friends into the living room with Paul three steps behind them, itching to defend himself.
Abbie shook her head. "I'm not sure giving those two any more sugar is a good idea."
Paige made a dismissing motion with her hands. "Oh, you know Jason – he just likes to force Paul into full-argument mode so he doesn't get bored with himself."
Daniel moved to stand by Paige's side and gently griped her arm. "Are you ok getting into the living room?"
"I think so," Paige assured him. "But if I go into labour between here and the living room, I'll give you a shout."
Both Daniel and Abbie started to laugh as she disappeared down the hall. Abbie managed to calm down first. "You told her about delivering the baby on Argos?"
"I did." His voice was still unsteady from laughter. "While you and Paul were dancing."
Abbie handed Daniel his dessert bowl. "It was nice that you two had something to talk about."
"She's very easy to talk to." Daniel agreed.
Abbie nodded and picked up her bowl, noting that serious expression had appeared on his face. Unsure what it meant, she launched into a rambling speech.
"Daniel, it's getting really late, I'd understand if you wanted to go home." She bit her lip, nervous to here his response.
The serious look was quickly replaced with a smile. "Abbie, there is nowhere I'd rather be." He took the bowl from her hands, placing both on the counter. He reached out and set one of his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.
"Besides," he gave her a sexy grin, "we have some unfinished business." He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her lower lip.
Abbie's brain had turned to mush the second his thumb had come into contact with her lips. But through the desire that clouded her brain, she knew that there was something they needed to talk about. "Daniel, are you sure? I mean, we work together and you're practically my boss and I know we're civilians but-"
"It doesn't matter, Abbie," Daniel interrupted. "For three reasons. One – frat rules only apply to the military. Two – Jack owes me for the time I helped him save the planet."
"Which time?"
Daniel laughed at the smirk on her face. "The fifth time. And three, I- " he paused and cleared this throat. "Three, I think that at this point, it's going to be impossible to resist kissing you every time I see you. I've stopped myself far too many times, and I'm not going to anymore."
Abbie thought for a second that she had heard him wrong. Not only had Daniel tried to kiss her tonight, but there had been times in the past he had wanted to. She gave him a smile so wide it started to hurt. "Me too."
Daniel let out a breath. "Really?"
"Really." Abbie reached up and grabbed the front collar of his shirt and pulled him down to meet her lips, intent on kissing him with all she had.
"Hey, you guys coming in here or what?" a voice from the living room called out.
Abbie sighed and pulled back. "You officially have my permission to kill Mark."
He smiled down at her. "Good to know." He reluctantly released his hold on her and handed over her dessert. "Think I could argue death by chocolate as a defense?" he said as he took a bite of his brownie.
Abbie considered it for a minute. "Worth a try. I'd buy it."
Daniel nodded as he chewed. "I think it would work. This is the best brownie I've ever had."
Abbie smiled. "Thanks."
"Nash! Get your butt in here before Mark tries to reenact the Battle of Amiens again!"
A worried look crossed Abbie's face. "We'd better get in there."
Daniel grabbed their cups of tea and followed her down the hallway. "I take it last time he did, something bad happened?"
Abbie nodded. "Let's just say that I had to buy a new TV and explain to my neighbours what that exploding sound was."
Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh."
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For those about to review, I salute you.
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