"C'est tout!" Adrienne shouted out and leapt from her computer, throwing her hands up over her head in celebration. Being just generally used to such behavior, Daniel paid her no attention, his eyes focused on the file in his hands that Sam had just brought him; a task to be completed holding his full attention.
General Samantha O'Neill, however, standing there beside his desk, puzzled, watched Daniel's assistant and the newest member of SG-1 rattle off a series of Cajun swears at an inanimate object.
Sam tried to contain her laughter as Daniel flipped to the next page, peering over his glasses at the information.
"What is that?" the general inquired, still looking at Adrienne doing some strange hip hop dance move over by her desk.
"That," Daniel began, not even needing to look up, he knew exactly what his cohort in crime was doing, "is Adrienne sticking it to Rodney. He brought down some stuff from the Atlantis lab this morning that he wanted me to translate. I told him you and I were working on something and offered Adrienne. He complained, made some rude comment about competence and my staff and then said that there was no way that she could finish by lunch."
Daniel pointed to the clock, a quick glance confirming to Sam that it was only eleven in the morning.
Waiting for her confused expression to be directed back at him, he smiled once eye contact was made once more, raising his eyebrows as he turned yet another page, "She finished, with time to spare."
Still grinning, he peered back at the file.
Shaking her head in amazement, Sam peeked up at the very enthused woman, trying hard not to erupt into a fit of laughter. A few months ago, Daniel would have been screaming at the top of his lungs for Adrienne to stop dancing and get back to work, but not anymore. Now, not only were they friends but just over a few days ago, when they all thought Adrienne was going to be the latest casualty to technology gone wrong, Daniel had literally fallen to pieces over the thought of losing her.
Sam was still a little concerned about that reaction, but she pushed the thought away.
Hiding her face from Daniel with her hand, though, Sam smiled softly. She knew this would work out exactly as planned, just enough spunk, but not too much, and plenty of brains to be a challenge to him: a true equal.
No wonder things down here were running so smoothly.
She just hoped that the nagging voice in her gut was wrong and this was just Addy meshing into the team.
"Stop smiling," Daniel said, not even looking up from his reading this time, knowing full well what she was doing. Sam peeked over at him innocently, removing her hand from across her lips and returning to a more professional composure.
"I know you well enough to know what that means," Daniel replied, as a thin smile started to spread across his lips, a smile he was hoping that Sam wouldn't see.
"I said nothing," Sam laughed, Daniel shaking his heard. He started to glance up, to refocus her attention to their task when a black tank top popped up into his line of sight.
"Excuse me Sam, Indy, can I run this down to Dr. McKay?" she asked, a huge grin on her face, the folder clasped tightly in her hands.
"Can you be nice?" Daniel teased, knowing she would be, she would be so professional that Rodney would complain later that she had been too professional, or stuffy, or whatever, but she would do so just to annoy him.
"Dr. Jackson, ya know that I'm the consummate professional," she smiled, pausing, biting her lip, "Only you get to see my wild side," she added with a wink.
Laughing, Daniel shooed her away, as she lifted her eyebrows and darted out of the lab, Sam watching her exit as well.
"What was the turning point?" she asked once his assistant had disappeared around the corner, boots loudly slapping the tiled floor outside and down the hall. It was something she had wondered about a lot lately. She felt as if in one minute she was opening an elevator expecting blood to Sam spotting Daniel standing outside of the cajun's quarters with a coffee.
"For what?" Daniel answered, confused, still absorbed in the contents of the folder.
"For you and Adrienne?" she asked, burning with curiosity. Over the years it had bothered her that Daniel always seemed to be alone in one way or another. Not that she was trying to find him a girlfriend, Vala had pretty much staked out that territory regardless of what she claimed from week to week, but he didn't have anyone like him, anyone he could relate to. Satterfield seemed to get on his nerves, acting more like a fan than a colleague and other than Teal'c no one else on the team really clicked with him. He just didn't open up to anyone and, in her opinion, that wasn't healthy. Sam had hoped that Adrienne was that friend that he needed, and so far, she seemed to be.
It was a win/win for everyone.
And, it appeared that they really had become good friends lately.
Really good friends.
It was an interesting turn of events...
Just don't…
"Not that there was a clear point," Daniel started to answer, interrupting her worry, "but I guess the ride back from San Francisco…"
He guessed that was it; though their teamwork on the mission to the Kakuni home world had forged something as well, and then there was that mission where he spilled his guts to here in the tent...
Ok Sam, ok. You got your way. We're friends, he thought to himself. Please, let's just focus.
He had hoped his body language would convey his thoughts, but if it did, Sam didn't care.
"Well, I think being trapped in a car with anyone for that long can do it," she said and Daniel started to speak again, desperate to drop this topic of conversation, but Sam just kept talking, "You know, I think I'm gonna invite her to movie night. She's part of the team now and she hangs out with Cameron and Teal'c anyways, and sometimes Vala. You were the big hold out," Sam informed him.
Daniel tried not to sigh out.
Instead, accepting the fact that his friendship with Adrienne was going to be the topic of conversation, Daniel closed the folder, a smart look on his face as he glanced up at his meddlesome friend.
"The holdout?"
Now Daniel was just annoyed.
When did work become our little social club, he thought to himself, it used to be just work, but he knew exactly when…
When Sam and Jack ran off and got married, the day after Sam was promoted, the day after they could claim that Jack's position was in the civilian government and that as head of the SGC Sam reported to the IOA and not him.
That day and now Sam's entire life revolved around this base, so she must assume everyone else's did too.
"Yes. Vala gets on Jack's nerves enough as it is, but could you imagine the two of you fighting like you used to in my living room? As funny as it is to hear you get cursed out in Bayou slang, I don't think Jack could tolerate that well," Sam said.
Daniel, however, shrugged his shoulders.
"Actually, I think he'd probably join her, or at the very least be amused by her Cajun. But sure, invite her. She's free this weekend," Daniel responded, without thinking, remembering the conversation about Saturday he and his assistant had just had this morning at breakfast.
"And how do you know that?" Sam asked quickly, the smirk taking shape on her lips. Looking up at her with only his eyes, thrown off by her tone and pause, it took a second before he caught the implication of the statement and rolled his eyes, setting the folder onto his desk to address her.
"You're as bad as Vala. I know this because we were talking about going to a lecture at the Smithsonian on Saturday and she said she had no other plans this weekend," Daniel answered.
"Just you and her?" Sam teased a bit now, relieved. Daniel didn't seem embarrassed in the least; he just seemed annoyed at the assumption that he would be interested in one of his friends.
Thank God, Sam thought, as she was starting to worry it was becoming more than just good friends between the two history geeks.
"Yes, Sam, because would you like to go to a lecture on dating arrowheads from South America without access to a radiocarbon dating system? Or are you already familiar with the recent breakthroughs in obsidian dating? Can you name someone that would? Perhaps Cam?" Daniel crossed his arms, waiting for a response. It was just a work lecture, nothing more. Sam could think what she wanted, but in reality he just wanted to discuss the information with someone who would actually understand what was being said, which narrowed down his choice of companions to Dr. Adrienne Rowan.
"Fine, when is your lecture over?" Sam asked, sensing his discomfort and trying to hold back.
"At four but then we talked about din..." Daniel started and stopped as he watched Sam trying not to laugh at him, shaking his head.
"Stop. Stop right there. It's not a date, Sam. Just stop. Adrienne and I are friends. Just friends. Nothing more. I can talk to her and she actually has a clue as to what I am talking about. We were going to check out this Kenyan place that opened because, like the lecture, NO ONE else will go," Daniel responded, closing the subject.
Sam gave up her teasing, though she was finding it thoroughly enjoyable, and reached for the folder, returning to the task at hand, her face still beaming. It was a bad idea. She shouldn't even think for a second about Daniel and Adrienne being together, but it was too cute not to. It could never happen. They'd all get into serious trouble; two teammates - one that was the assistant to the other. But, it was a nice fantasy.
It would be nice to see Daniel finally happy. He deserved that.
"So, these photos…" he continued, tapping the file.
"Yeah, it looks like Lucians, but we can't be sure," she picked up her earlier explanation, trying not to think about things that just couldn't be…
Adrienne was straightening her shirt when she realized that she was still wearing the tank top she had been dancing around in earlier.
Oops, she thought to herself, so much for being the consummate professional.
Given his impossible schedule this week, and now his absolute faith in her abilities, Daniel had decided that Adrienne was just as capable as he was for translating things for Dr. Rodney McKay. Adrienne was honored that Daniel felt that she was capable of moving beyond the database and mission prep, but the thought of translating for Rodney had been frightfully intimidating as he never seemed satisfied, and, despite her strong exterior, Adrienne, like most people, did not want to be screamed at. As she had completed a few more tasks for the demanding scientist her apprehension had gotten a bit better, but she still worried each time something new was put on her plate.
Approaching the lab door cautiously, Adrienne tucked the folder underneath her arm and knocked lightly.
'It's open!" she heard him yell from the other side, presumably engrossed in his work. Taking a composing breath, and repeating a yoga mantra or two, she walked in confidently but quietly, not wanting to disturb his work and incur his rage. She scanned the room, finding him quickly leaned over something on a central table, muttering about someone being an idiot. Glad it wasn't her, at least not yet, she shook her head, trying to figure out what Jennifer saw in him, as she walked over to the workspace.
"Dr. McKay, I've finished those translations that you requested," she said, handing the folder over, smiling politely. He looked up at her and scowled, not taking the folder, but rather standing upright staring down at her. He wasn't that much taller than she, two maybe three inches, but his glare and sharp tongue made up for what he lacked in size.
"That was fast," he stated, smartly, putting down the tablet computer and taking the task from her. Opening the folder, not looking at the contents, he glared right at her, preparing to scold.
"I hope you didn't rush, it's just now a few minutes after 11," he spat, his brown eyes boring into her own.
Eesh, she thought, wondering if this was what Daniel meant when he said she tended to glare at people.
Note to self: glaring is mean. And scary.
Stop glaring at people.
Except Daniel because he tends to deserve it.
"No, not in the least. I even went back and checked everything twice just to be sure. You were correct in your assumption, they were researching the Asgard cloning patterns," Adrienne threw in the last part, knowing it was an easy way to get on his good side.
Rodney McKay liked being right.
Looking back down at the folder, finally taking those menacing eyes off of her, he began to read the information carefully and pace the room.
"Yes, yes, see that is exactly what I thought. Fascinating. If this is correct..." he said aloud, dashing back to his tablet and typing away while Adrienne just stood and waited, hands lightly clasped at her waist, not for a thank you but to be dismissed.
Rodney liked that too.
Finally he looked up, surprised to see her still standing patiently in front of him.
"You're still here?" he asked in his usual tone, but Adrienne just smiled, thinking all the while of Daniel's joking order to be nice.
Nice she could do.
"I just wanted to see if you needed anything else, Dr. McKay," she answered.
"No, no thank you Dr. Rowan. I will let you know if I need anything else," he said looking back down, the tone gone. Adrienne smiled, nodding her head, slipping away while trying not to break out into a skip of glee as she made her way toward the elevators.
Being called Dr. Rowan, and politely, was another win.
She'd take it.
When she returned to her floor, she playfully popped her head around the doorframe to find the lab quiet, no Daniel, no Sam, no one, and the main lights had been shut off. Her own laptop, however, was still sitting open, her TruBlood bottle screensaver bouncing across the screen, and she saw a small slip of white paper hanging from the top, a note.
Smiling, she pulled it carefully from her computer, knowing who it was from, her disappointment of him not being there when she arrived quickly vanished.
Starving. Not like you eat anyway. Unless of course it's Mexican. I'll save you a seat.
She shook her head at his comment. She ate plenty, just not anything that Daniel deemed as food.
Closing the lid to her laptop, she made her way to the commissary.
By the time she got through the line, surprisingly long for this time of day, it seemed the staff around here ate lunch later than normal people, she found him sitting at one of the side cafeteria tables. There was a seat saved right beside him among a throng of new cadets, as he promised, his jacket tossed in the "saved" place for good measure. Smiling, Adrienne made her way through the crowd, plopping down her tray beside his arm, however, he didn't greet her, just looked over at her plate as he removed his jacket, making a face.
"What's that?" he asked, giving her that condescending look that he used to give her when she first started. Sitting down, Adrienne shot a glare at him, forgetting her vow from earlier, snatching her napkin from the tray to place it on her lap.
"Uh, a tuna sandwich," she replied, smartly, looking away from him to grab said sandwich. Bread in mouth, Daniel watched Adrienne eat her meal, pausing from commenting for just a moment before finally chuckling from his seat.
"I've known you for, what, close to a year now, and I've never seen you eat a sandwich. Ever. I didn't even know that you knew what bread was," he explained his reaction, anything to get those angry piercing eyes to unlock themselves from his.
"Ha ha Indy, ya so clever, I eat sandwiches like everyone else. Fine, ya wanna analyze food choice? Let's see what ya have today shug; lasagna, two rolls, extra cheese, nary a vegetable to be found. Basically a heart attack on a platter. I refuse to perform CPR on self-induced heart attacks," she stated.
Smiling, Daniel made a pitiful face.
"Aww, even on me?" he said, pouting ever so slightly.
"Especially on you," she answered, taking another bite of her meal.
"So, we're still on for this Saturday?" he asked, his mouth full of pasta, much to Adrienne's disgust. Shaking her head, she placed her palm on his cheek, turning his face away from her.
"Yes, but not if you eat dinner Saturday like that, why?" she turned to her sandwich, not eating it any longer, but rather taking it into her hands, tearing her meal into smaller pieces.
"Because, Sam's invited you, well, us to movie night," Daniel stated, waiting for her reaction. Weeks ago, when they had gotten back from P5L-325, they hung out in her room for a while drinking some wine, watching movies, talking about the mission and a few other things, practically all night. In fact, she had fallen asleep about half-way through the second film, Daniel gently covering her up before slipping away to his quarters. They'd talked about a lot that night, but the one thing that stood out the most to him was when Adrienne had told him that she didn't feel like part of the group, and even admitted after her official induction onto the team she still felt like an outsider, like she didn't belong. He felt awful, mostly because he had an inkling that he was partially responsible for her distance, since he had made it so clear to her for so long that she was an outsider, an intruder.
If for no other reason than to calm his own worries, he was hoping this little invitation would change her mind.
"Really?" she asked as dark Cajun eyes lit up, just as he had hoped.
"Yes, really," he said, a feeling of relief forming in his gut that was quickly quelled as he watched her face drop again, almost as fast as her tuna sandwich pieces dropped onto her plate.
"Are we still going to the lecture and dinner?" her questions changed direction, suddenly looking confused.
She's worried about that? he thought, about breaking our plans?
Honestly, he was touched that she still wanted to do something with him given the opportunity to "fit in" which she was so worried about doing and the expression on her face told him that her concern was genuine. Nodding, he smiled at her, swallowing his lasagna this time before answering.
"Lecture yes, but dinner is usually pizza, everyone chips in and it's BYOB. Or wine," he added for her. The twinkle resumed, her captivating brown eyes lighting the entire room, a look that he had learned meant all was right in the Adrienne universe.
Smiling, she grabbed her sandwich again, resuming her tearing and comments reserved, Daniel just shook his head and kept talking.
"So, I'll pick you up at ten so we can get parking relatively close to the Mall, unless you want to take the bug into DC Saturday traffic, but I'm not trying to stuff myself into that thing, so never mind, I'll be at your place at ten. After the lecture we'll head over to Jack and Sam's. I won't drink so you can, and then I can take you home afterwards," he explained.
There was a halt of sandwich pieces, just a hair in front of her face and he could tell that Adrienne was holding back laughter.
"What?" Daniel asked confused, "am I missing something?"
His assistant grinned brighter.
"I'm your date," she picked, her own cheeks flushing.
"No, you're not," he defended as he stuffed a forkful of lasagna into his face.
"Yes I am," she flushed, "You're picking me up and driving me home. A meal is included and you are gonna drive so I can imbibe," she paused, biting her lip, "That's a date," she teased.
He stopped eating and glared at her, but she just put down the sandwich bites, holding her fist to her mouth as she chuckled.
"Are you picking up Vala?" she asked.
"No, because you and I already had plans; this is just a change in dinner plans," he answered as if she was stupid.
"Do you ever pick up Vala?" she continued.
"No," again, he answered, giving her the tone of 'are you stupid?'
"And why not?" she inquired, smiling, convulsing, being Adrienne.
"Because then it would be…" he stopped himself, frowning, she had him…
"A date," Adrienne finished for him, laughing, "You're just too easy shug."
"And apparently you live to torment me," he followed up as she smiled again.
"Pretty much," Adrienne answered, reaching to pick up her sandwich, or rather what had become of her sandwich to resume eating, Daniel staring at her as she popped a piece into her mouth.
He couldn't resist, especially given that she had just accused him of asking her out on a date.
"Ad, why on earth is that sandwich in a hundred pieces?" he questioned, indicating the pile of at least twenty fragments of sandwich on her plate. Still chewing, she looked up at him as if he was asking her something strange now, the same expression he had given her before.
"And yet I'm the easy target," he replied himself before she could speak, "Nice handiwork on your lunch there, Madame Neurotic."
"Cooyon," she grumbled, shoving another chunk into her mouth.
When he arrived at her apartment on Saturday, she wasn't ready.
Big surprise, he thought to himself, he could only really remember her ever being on time twice since he had known her, the interview and her first off world mission, although he was certain that her promptness for the latter had more to do with Cam than Adrienne. He knocked again, stepping back from the door and shoving his hands into his pockets, hoping she was at least close to being ready to leave. This time, the knob turned but the door didn't open, so he let himself in, preparing to dodge his underwear-clad assistant since she didn't seem to have a problem walking around like that in front of him.
Because, he recalled, he didn't count as human in her world.
However, his worry ceased when Adrienne, clad in jeans and a purple long sleeved T-shirt/blouse cross, was walking away from the door, fully dressed and ready to go, yet not saying so much as a hello in his direction. She walked into her dining area, kneeling at her wine cabinet, or wine shrine as Daniel had begun to refer to it, opening the lead doors to examine her stock. Finally acknowledging his presence, she glanced over her shoulder, motioning with her head for him to join her.
"So, I'm guessing the wine will be for you, me, and Sam, right? The others will do pizza and beer?"
Within seconds of her question, she had every drawer to the cabinet open, reading the collection of bottles carefully. Daniel peered over her shoulder, bracing himself with a palm against her back, in utter amazement as to the amount of alcohol contained in this lone piece of furniture.
"There must be thirty bottles in there," he stated, counting quickly to see if he was correct.
"Forty one to be exact; I need to go to the wine shop," she answered flatly, pulling out three bottles, a red, a white, and a blush, and standing, Daniel pulling away from her as she arranged them in a row on the top. Biting her lip in concentration, she looked back at Daniel who was just watching in confusion the spectacle before him.
"Where do they get the pizza from?" she asked, ignoring the clear expression of bewilderment on his face.
"I have no idea. A pizza place," he replied.
Adrienne rolled her eyes.
"No smart ass, I mean is it a chain restaurant, a local eatery, authentic Italian pie?" she clarified, shaking her head, her eyes still darting across the preliminary bottle selection.
"Wait, you're not trying to pair wine with pizza, are you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her as she smiled playfully in response.
"Of course I am," she replied, "this is me we talkin' about. So, can you stop being a pain in my tchew for five minutes and answer my question."
"Anything to get you moving; I'd actually like to get a good seat at the lecture. It's probably some local place, definitely not Italian authentic and it's not a Pizza Hut. They just get normal stuff, pepperoni and cheese, nothing fancy," he replied.
Adrienne smiled, grabbing the white and shoving the other two bottles into their drawers, they were sorted by color he noticed, and wasn't surprised. Satisfied, she walked over to the sofa, grabbed her backpack and made her way to the door without further comment. Shaking his head, he locked up behind her and pulled the door shut, following her to his car.
"Do I want to know?" he asked as they got into his jeep.
"For pizza? Red fancy, white middle, pink crap, it's not that complex," she replied. He laughed, knowing that it was far more complex, but he let her play it off and started the car, making their way to their destination.
Adrienne couldn't focus the entire lecture, he could tell, her hands resting in her lap, picking her fingernails like she did when she was nervous. In an effort to ease her nerves, Daniel kept leaning over to mention something noteworthy, trying to engage her in the topic; trying to get her to just calm down. He saw her take in another slow breath, so he tilted his head in her direction yet again.
"Ad, did you hear that nonsense, those are not intentional markings, those are bite marks from the animal that pulled the damn thing out of the ground," Daniel whispered to her.
"Yeah," she whispered back noncommittally, "pretty stupid…"
"You're not paying attention, are you?" he finally asked, tiring of this game with her.
"I'm sorry Daniel," Adrienne whispered back, "I can't focus; I'm a nervous wreck."
Frowning he tried to lean in closer, the best he could in these uncomfortable folding chairs.
"Why? It's just a movie," he asked, and she shrugged, trying to lean in more herself.
"Look, you've always been a part of this little club. I'm the newbie. There's a lot of pressure on me right now," she responded.
"Stop doing that overanalyzing of everything that you do," he scolded as they were shushed by the group of tourists in front of them, Daniel refraining from telling them that they had no idea what was being discussed anyway, "The group itself is no different from everyone individually or even as a group at work. We just aren't getting shot at and you can wear yoga pants without coming up with some clever reason not to be in uniform..."
"SHHHHHH…."
Daniel breathed out strongly, "Just think of it this way, they let Vala come. That should be enough to convince you that you'll be fine."
Adrienne chuckled quietly and reached over to squeeze his hand. He'd stopped flinching when she did that; it took him a while, but he finally realized she was just touchy with anyone she was friends with.
And they were friends.
Good friends, and good friends don't flinch at a squeeze, or, as was her other latest sign of affection, a hug or a kiss on the cheek.
Flipping his hand over, he took hers into his own, returning the gesture with a quick grip, directing her with his eyes to the small woman leading the lecture from the front of the room.
Without thinking, he let his hand rest on her leg, keeping a light hold of her hand through the rest of the presentation.
She rode the entire way from the Smithsonian to Sam and Jack's with her face in the mirror.
"You look fine," Daniel finally said, "who are you trying to impress?"
She made a face at him, slipping the mascara brush back into its tube.
"You," she said, laughing. Daniel sighed, trying to look over at her and keep his eyes on the road.
"I like more eyeliner then, somewhat Egyptian, real dark around the eyes…"
"Smartass," she grumbled, but he saw her reach for the eyeliner, Daniel batting it away as she scowled.
"Seriously, Ad, we're going to hang out with our FRIENDS. I mean, you're with Cameron all the time, almost as much as me. And Teal'c. And my shadow. And trust me, Sam is pretty fun herself," Daniel was trying to get Adrienne to calm down, but he wasn't having much success. The little bit of fingernail that Adrienne did have was chewed down to the quick, and with her make-up retouched, and the eyeliner shoved in the small neon pouch, she was sending her hands straight for her mouth once again.
He reached over and swatted her hand away, earning himself an evil glare in return, which he laughed off, continuing to watch traffic with one eye and his assistant with another.
"It's just…"
"What?" he asked, noting the difference in her tone, and her manner as she shoved the pouch into her computer bag.
"I've never had friends like this before," she got quiet again, her eyes peering ahead, "cousins, yeah, boatloads of cousins, but never a friend circle. I don't wanna screw it up."
"How could you possibly screw it up?"
A sigh escaped her lips as Daniel turned the corner, Adrienne still picking away and not answering.
"Ad…"
"People get sick of me," she finally answered, "I just, I dunno, I like to learn stuff and do things and I don't sit still well and that just gets old with people after a while."
Daniel smiled, "Why do you think I asked you to go to lectures? That zone you tease me about? It's been a lonely place for a long time…" he paused at the implications of his words, that he wasn't as lonely anymore, that he finally had someone just like him, well sorta like him at least, to fall into a zone with…
"I'm sorry," she muttered, another tear at her index finger, "I won't joke about that anymore. I didn't realize it hurt your feelings."
"No," he shook his head, "not from you," he laughed lightly, "from you it's the pot calling the kettle black."
"Cooyon," she giggled, shaking her head.
"I'll amend my earlier statement then," he said as he came to a stop at a red light, "If they've put up with me for this long, you'll be fine."
His assistant shrugged, not making eye contact.
"Just hang with me," he instructed, shocked again by his words, "I'm not sick of you…yet."
Laughing, she shoved his shoulder as the light changed to green and Daniel drove on.
By the time they arrived at Sam's house, Daniel was certain Adrienne's fingers should be bleeding. He pulled in slowly behind Cameron's truck and shut off the ignition, glancing over at her sneaking another nibble of her index finger.
"Trust me, this is a good thing, alright? It'll be fine," he said and leaned over the console, placing his hand on her shoulder. Adrienne just nodded and reached into the floor to grab her bottle of wine not saying a word but walking unusually close to Daniel as they made their way up the walk to Sam's front door.
It seemed she was taking 'hang with me' literally.
Daniel stepped aside to allow Adrienne to knock, which she did quickly, moving behind him the moment her fist lost contact. There was shuffling from the other side, a click, and the door opened to Sam, smiling cheerfully at their arrival.
"Hey guys, glad you made it. How was the lecture?" she asked, stepping back quickly to usher the pair inside.
"Sad when you know more than the speaker does," Daniel answered bluntly, dismissively enough to give Adrienne the jolt of courage she needed; courage to call him out for being a jerk.
"Since every archaeologist in the world has complete and total access to the knowledge of intergalactic beings older than humanity, sure Indy, she was completely out of line with her presentation. Here Sam, I brought some wine. I hope that's alright," Adrienne said, striding forward with more confidence than before in the Jeep.
Daniel didn't try to hide his smile. He had made that comment intentionally.
"Australian Prickly Riesling. Nice choice," Sam complimented, taking the bottle gently from her hand.
Adrienne beamed, sharing immediately all of the information she had regarding vintage and where the wine could be purchased.
So far, so good, Daniel thought, following the chatting women into the living room.
Sam and Jack's house was simple, yet elegant, just as Adrienne would have expected from the Stargate Command power couple. The door opened right into a large friendly living room and the walls were painted a warm golden color. There was a big brown leather couch with matching loveseat and coffee table which were angled toward a red brick fireplace, which Adrienne noticed also housed the TV in a very complex set-up.
Must be Jack's doing, she thought, fighting the urge to go and see exactly how he had set up the system.
Truth be told, she didn't know him well enough to know if he would understand her geekiness when it came to electronics.
Letting her eyes take in the rest of the new scenery, she looked out to where she could see the entrance to the kitchen, one of those swinging doors, white, and old fashioned. She noticed a small window with shutters that was opened. On the other side, Adrienne could see Jack and Teal'c opening and sorting pizza boxes, Jack opening a smaller box as he hunted for something. Satisfied he glanced back into the living room, before scowling.
"Vala!" Jack yelled, "Feet on the floor!"
Adrienne thought she saw him roll his eyes at Vala, who was sitting on the loveseat, alone. Vala pulled her legs from the arm of the piece, muttering to herself. Adrienne started to walk on when she heard a whisper in her ear.
"See," Daniel said, "you're way at the bottom of the annoying list." He backed up quickly, letting Adrienne continue to take in the rest of the typical SG-1 movie night confusion to which he had grown accustomed. Sam was taking the wine in the kitchen to chill it. Vala slammed herself back into the love seat trying to get comfortable, without throwing her legs up onto the arm of the furniture once more, swearing under her breath. Cam, beer in hand, sat back on the sofa. He was looking over his shoulder, longingly, at the food on display in the window. Finally taking note of Adrienne's presence, Cameron looked over and sat up quickly. His expression immediately changed from hunger to excitement.
Here we go, Daniel thought, hoping to contain his own outward annoyance.
"Hey Addy," the colonel greeted, standing. "Wanna beer?"
"Sure," she replied blushing. Cam quickly dashed into the kitchen to fulfill her request.
For all the beer you drink Ad, Daniel grumbled internally, deciding to just sit down and keep quiet. She heard a scoff, and glanced at the scoffer, Vala, who looked annoyed by the exchange as well. She could roll her eyes all she wanted to, but Daniel wasn't going to sit by her, lest he have his own fan club to deal with tonight. Instead, he sat down on the now empty couch, pointing for Adrienne to join him.
She didn't hesitate to go straight for her comfort zone: him.
̈Thanks,̈ he said quietly as she sat down beside me.
¨For what?" she asked, confused for a minute, as she saw the answer in the corner of her eye - Vala throwing her legs over the love seat and muttering to herself something along the lines of "Of course" and "Screw Jack".
Adrienne giggled, understanding.
"No prob shug," she replied smiling. Their exchange was interrupted by a happy Cameron racing out of the kitchen and handing Adrienne a beer.
"It's not your fancy beer but it's really not that bad, I promise," he said, quickly taking the seat on the other side of her.
Adrienne didn't even want to look over at Vala to see her reaction now.
"We drink beer with Cam?" Daniel couldn't help but tease under his breath. Adrienne rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach.
"Yes, we do. We are open to all sorts of experiences," his assistant answered, confidently, her fear from earlier seemingly gone.
She does fit in well, he thought.
From behind the couch, Sam was announcing the arrival of food and Adrienne turned to see her and Teal'c bringing pizza boxes, Jack following with paper plates and the remote control. He tossed the plates on the coffee table, much to Sam's annoyance, and turned to face the TV, activating the power and clearing his throat.
"Ok, considering what I've decided we're watching tonight, there needs to be a few ground rules set. The first one is that Daniel's not allowed to speak for the next three hours," Jack began. Adrienne started to laugh as Daniel's mouth dropped open, his face preparing for the fight that was bubbling up inside of him, but before he could speak, Jack activated the On Demand and looked over at Adrienne.
"That goes for you too, mini Daniel. I don't care if that monster's not real, if that god was really married to another god, if the damn pegasus starts tap dancing and singing in Chinese, nothing. We are SUSPENDING DISBELIEF! Are we clear?" Jack continued, now focusing his attention on the Cajun woman.
Confused, and a little frightened, Adrienne nodded quickly as he returned his attention to the screen to start the film. Sensing Adrienne's discomfort, Sam leaned over as she set down another pizza box, sighing out at her husband.
"Don't pay attention to him," Sam laughed, "He still blames Daniel for ruining it when we watched 'Troy'…"
"I didn't ruin anything, I was simply pointing out that that was Egyptian art made to be Trojan and it was a thousand years too late. A simple google search could have told any set designer that!" Daniel started to argue. Adrienne couldn't help it, erupting into laughter.
Jack whipped around, glaring, shaking the remote at his friend.
"I will kick you out, Daniel. I'm not screwing around. I want to see this and I missed it in 3D," he hissed, deadly serious.
Adrienne was about to die.
"I'd just like to point out were this a military film and ONE general had the wrong bar, star, whatever, you'd be all over that but if I am to point out any inaccuracy in MY field, then I've ruined the movie…"
"No one cares about YOUR field!"
"Pretty much," Vala laughed from the loveseat, Daniel shooting her a glare.
"I'll remember that the next time someone needs ME to get them out of trouble; that no one cares. Let's see how far you guys get with that attitude," the archaeologist shot as he sat back. But Jack was ready for that remark, it seemed.
"Well, considering how much trouble you get us IN to, but whatever, look, Daniel shut up, Vala shut up, Cameron shut up, everyone just WATCH the DAMN movie!"
Daniel was right, Adrienne thought, this is total madness. An idea popped into her head and she reached over for Daniel's hand, flipping his palm upward and directing his attention with her eyes down to their open hands. He looked at her baffled, so she widened her eyes, glaring down once more, signing into his hand.
Can you sign?
Daniel looked up at her and nodded yes, surprised she could as well. Winking, Adrienne set her hand beside his leg, signing the best she could with one hand, just spelling when needed.
We can talk all we want now.
Jack, however, was much more observant than Adrienne expected. She was just getting ready to ask Daniel if this film was that ridiculous 1980's remake when the general spun around once more, scowling at them before turning his attention to his wife.
"Separate them," he ordered.
Standing upright and shoving her hands to her hips, Sam rolled her eyes at him.
"Why? No one said a word," she replied, "just like you ORDERED sir…"
Frustrated, Jack walked over to the couch, pointing at Daniel's hands.
"Because the geeks have another way to communicate and that's just gonna lead to one of them saying something smart!" he accused, Adrienne and Daniel staring up at him in fear. Well, Adrienne stared at him in fear because Daniel was about to let it rip when Sam stepped right up to her husband.
"Jack sit down and start the movie," she ordered, pointing to an ugly recliner Adrienne had just now noticed, the only piece of furniture that didn't seem to belong in this lovely home.
Not arguing, Jack sat.
Adrienne tried not to laugh, the whole scene just made her love Sam so much more, feeling a tap on her leg, Daniel signing furiously.
Just wait. This is the opening act.
She glanced over at Daniel as he nodded slightly, and let herself chuckle, reaching forward to grab a paper plate and some pizza.
"He doesn't mean that you know. About you anyway. He just doesn't want to hear Daniel's whining," Cam leaned over to her, explaining, "Every time we watch anything historic, Daniel and Jack end up getting into some screaming match about whether or not it's accurate. It's pretty damn hysterical."
Adrienne was about to answer when Daniel leaned across her lap, much to her surprise, frowning at Cameron.
"I do not scream, Jack screams. He just doesn't like me to point out anything in anything," Daniel defended himself, hissing at Cameron, and then sitting up quickly to stare at the screen.
"See... just wait. The fun will begin..." Cam whispered, sitting back and taking a long drink of his beer.
"I can't wait." Adrienne answered, doing the same and no longer worrying about herself fitting into the mix. Now, she was much more worried about her bosses having a free for all at her feet that she would ultimately get sucked into…
A free for all that Daniel would suck her into for support.
Calmly, Sam went over and took a seat by Vala, while Teal'c sat crossed legged on the floor. Adrienne offered him her seat, but he insisted that the sofas were too soft. So, she sat back and enjoyed her pizza and beer, waiting for whatever Cam seemed to think would happen to happen.
Cam was exactly right, but she wasn't so sure if she'd use the word fun to describe SG1's movie night.
As the film's opening scene blasted to life - literally, blasted; Jack sure had one hell of a sound system in his living room -, Daniel was shaking his head already, grimacing at the screen. He flipped her hand over, signing furiously.
Apparently, her little plan was going to work well for them.
"Wrong, wrong, wrong," he signed, Adrienne flipping over his hand to respond.
"Duh," she replied.
"Not ONE damn word out loud, I'm warning you," Jack shot without even looking at the pair.
Scratch that, the plan might just continue to piss off Jack.
Annoyed, Daniel made a face and stood to get a soda, as Adrienne sat back to continue watching when she heard conversation from the love seat.
"That's the man from the blue people movie," Vala stated, Sam nodding in the affirmative.
"He's a terrible actor," she declared as she sat back on the cushions, glaring at Jack as she tossed her legs over the arm, "and he's not hot either."
"I thought he did well in Avatar, ValaMalDoran," Teal'c looked up from the floor, starting a third piece of pizza.
"He didn't have to act. That was a cartoon," she replied.
"No, it's hard to do the voice thing without the body thing," Cameron added, "I used to act in high school and a voice over's pretty damn difficult."
"Dammit, you guys! Shut up! I missed the entire first part!" Jack shouted from the lazy boy, pausing the film as laughter erupted behind him.
"And I'm the one that can't speak," Daniel replied snarkily as he exited the kitchen, two wine glasses in hand, evidently deciding to drink himself after all, "but let's not mention that."
With a smug look plastered across his face, the archaeologist walked back over to the sofa and handed Adrienne a glass looking over at Jack.
"Hades killed his family. That was the big guy. That's all you missed. Which is, as any idiot who completed basic high school world history can tell you, totally wrong," Daniel explained, taking his seat back beside Adrienne.
Jack shot him a glance.
"Just sit over there and do your sign language, look how smart we are, shit with Dr. Perky," Jack grumbled, turning back to face the screen.
Scowling, Adrienne leaned over to whisper in Daniel's ear.
"I don't think he knows my name," she muttered. Daniel backed up, peering at her strangely over his glasses.
"I'm sure he does," he assured her, but suddenly didn't sound so confident himself. "He has to..."
Now curious himself, Daniel looked back over at Jack who was watching the film intently, wondering if Jack indeed knew Adrienne's name. In fact, he'd never heard the man use it. Settling back himself, sipping the white wine Adrienne had brought to the celebration, Daniel tried to force himself to watch this awful film when the doorbell rang.
"What in the hell is it now?" Jack asked, pausing the movie. Confused, he peeked over at his wife who was shrugging as Vala leapt up, walking over to the sofa, holding out her hand.
"That's mine, I need some money," she declared flatly, her hand still presented open in front of the occupants of the sofa.
"For what?" Cameron asked.
"For my dinner," she replied, shoving her hand to Cameron and then Daniel.
"We have dinner Vala," Adrienne responded, pointing to the pizza.
"I don't eat that crap," she said, now shoving her open hand at Adrienne.
"I did," the Cajun replied, Jack sitting up in his chair glaring at her.
"Dr. Perky, did you just call my pizza crap?" he demanded. Adrienne started to panic, but Vala turned to answer him in her stead.
"Yes," Vala answered for her, turning to Jack, "it's the same damn crap we get every damn movie night. It's awful. I ordered real food, now someone give me $20 so I can eat it!"
Shaking his head, he pointed to Daniel, who promptly refused to take out his wallet as well.
"I already paid for one woman to eat tonight," he replied, cocking his head at Adrienne, who promptly elbowed him.
"You wouldn't stop at the bank!" she shouted, Vala forgetting the twenty dollars, her jaw dropping.
"Wait, we're buying Addy jewelry AND dinner, when in the hell did you two start sleeping together!?" she demanded, Adrienne's jaw dropping, Daniel nearly spilling wine on himself before his face screwed up in anger.
"What, are you jealous?" he spat and at the very moment those words crossed his lips, without any further warning, and as Cam had promised, all hell broke loose.
Adrienne really wasn't sure how it happened, but a few insults shot back and forth turned into an all out war, with Vala and Jack shouting at one another, Cameron trying to keep the peace, all the while Daniel sat back on the sofa smirking smugly. Adrienne was backing up from the screaming, and also strongly debating slugging Daniel for egging on Vala's insane idea that she and him had any interest in one another, Sam laughing the entire time like this was a completely normal evening, when an awful smell hit her, making her nose wrinkle and her face screw up.
It must have hit Jack too.
"What in the hell is that stench!?" Jack shouted, interrupting his telling Vala to stop turning his movie night into a three-ringed circus, whipping around, searching for the source.
It was then that Adrienne realized there had been one voice silent in this entire debacle, Teal'c, at this moment a man on a mission, marching between Jack and Vala to hand her a box of food, Arabic lettering scrawled on the top of the paper lid.
"Here is your dinner ValaMalDoran. The odor is unbearable and you now owe me twenty dollars... which I will not forget," Teal'c stated, returning to his place on the floor.
Without so much as a thank you or even a smile, Vala took the box and stomped to the love seat where Sam was already making a face, not eager to share her space with this evidently more acceptable meal.
Still frowning, Jack started back for his recliner, looking like he wanted to say something, anything to anyone, but he just pursed his lips in silence.
"Can we just watch this so it can be over?" Daniel broke the awkward moment, the general's rage redirecting at his old friend.
"Shut up Daniel," Jack spat, but he hit play, resuming the film.
Adrienne waited until Jack looked at the screen to lean her head over to Daniel's.
"Jealous? Seriously?" she teased, Daniel hiding a laugh.
"If the movie doesn't get any better, I might put my arm around you, just to see who explodes first…" he chuckled, getting elbowed for at least the third time tonight.
"Coo yon," she muttered, rolling her eyes. If everyone on the base that thought she was hot after him realized how often he came knocking on HER door to chat, well, that would just make them think worse than they already did.
Trying not to dwell and finally starting to pay attention, Adrienne made every effort to focus but the movie was damn awful, just like Daniel had said it would be. She started to sign into Daniel's hand, getting in a few short conversations here and there, but she couldn't keep up with how bad the movie was, so eventually she just gave up and scooted closer to him.
"I'm literally dying over here," she finally whispered, setting her head lightly on his shoulder.
"I'm glad I'm not alone and look, they're enthralled," he answered, not shrugging her away. Turning her head slightly, Adrienne peeked over at the group and saw that every last one of them was watching the screen - and bad CGI - intently.
Except Sam.
She was sitting on the loveseat, having thrown her feet over Vala, reading a book.
Picking up her head, Adrienne noted that Sam was staring in her direction, making a "shhh" gesture with her index finger.
Giggling, Adrienne tapped Daniel and pointed over to Sam, catching a wink as he grabbed her palm and signed.
Don't alert Jack
She nodded and tried to watch the movie yet again, making mental notes of things to talk to Daniel about later, especially since she was sure that as soon as they got into the Jeep he would start tearing into the film and probably end up at her place and crash on her couch.
Sipping her third glass of wine, she scooted herself closer to Daniel since Cam kept leaping from his seat whenever the hero killed a monster, which was often, and pretended to pay attention.
"See Sam, this is why I want a 3D TV! How amazing was that and it could have been that much better!" Jack declared as the credits rolled, slamming the foot rest of the recliner back into place. As to not be discovered, though Daniel was fairly certain that Jack knew, Sam quickly stowed the book under the love seat, smiling at her husband as if she had watched the entire film.
"Well, I think it sucked," Vala declared, standing as Sam moved her legs.
"It was most excellent, O'Neill. We must find another of these Greek epics for another movie night," Teal'c declared as he stood to stretch. Cameron was nodding his head in agreement and standing to start to clean up while Daniel remained seated, shaking his head.
"Please no," he pleaded, "please let me pick once. I promise, it won't be a documentary, it'll actually be something entertaining that doesn't kill brain cells…"
The archaeologist started to stand himself, to follow Jack to the kitchen and plead his case, when he felt a weight against him. Looking to see what was impeding his advance, he saw Adrienne leaning against him, fast asleep on his arm, cuddled close to him. His heart started to race, ok Adrienne falling asleep, hanging onto him when they were alone was one thing, she was just Southern, but…
He peeked up to see that everyone was looking at him.
Looking at them...
"See, even Adrienne got bored, and she's the perky one, remember?" he joked quickly, trying to play it off, but he froze, not wanting to leap up and let Adrienne fall to the sofa but feeling incredibly awkward as she lay over on him.
"Well that's just so cute," Vala spat, rolling her eyes and grabbing her smelly Afghan Kabob box from the coffee table to make her way into the kitchen. Cam muttered something under his breath and followed, empty pizza boxes in hand.
As quickly as it happened, the embarrassing moment passed and everyone else stood, starting to clean up. Feeling that the attention was no longer on them, Daniel tried to gently rouse his assistant.
"Ad, Adrienne, wake up," Daniel shoved her lightly. Moving slowly, Adrienne sat up, rubbing her eyes, sniffing in lightly, her allergies getting the best of her.
"I fell asleep didn't I?" she asked.
"Yeah," Daniel answered, finally able to stand again, which he did quickly, trying to act as if he had been assisting with the clean up all along. Fully awake, Adrienne glanced up at him, realizing what had happened.
"I fell asleep on you, didn't I?" she inquired, growing red in the face.
He nodded in the affirmative.
"Oops," she said, "Sorry, you have a comfortable arm."
"No, it's ok. I think it only bothered Vala. That being the case, I should be thanking you," he answered smiling. Pushing past her embarrassment, Adrienne stood as well and started to assist in the clean up. Sam met her at the kitchen door as she was taking the wine glasses in, greeting her with a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Hey, I've got those. But, thanks," Sam said. Adrienne just smiled, still mortified about not only falling asleep during the movie, but on Daniel no less. She started to turn, when Sam grabbed her arm, carefully pulling Adrienne aside.
"FYI - when Jack picks, I'll let you know in advance you can sit over by me with a book. He never notices. Just for future reference..." Sam smiled evilly and Adrienne's eyes brightened, understanding that she had been invited again.
That she was part of the group.
That they wanted her there.
That she belonged.
"Unless of course, you prefer your current seat," she added, winking at her before walking off.
"Wait, no, it was -" but Sam was already in the kitchen.
Dammit, Adrienne thought, That was an accident. I can fall asleep anywhere.
Daniel was cleaning up the rest of the living room area when Jack walked over to him.
"That was slick," Jack said.
"What was slick?" Daniel asked, confused.
Jack shook his head; Daniel was completely hopeless.
"Nothing. Nothing. Anyway, I don't think you're capable of selecting a film we won't hate so next time it's your pick. If it sucks, you owe me a case of beer. Of good beer. I think your little assistant will know good beer, so you can ask her to help you when you lose," Jack challenged.
"Fine, and if it's a good pick, you stop Rodney from stealing my assistant, all of the time, to do his work. It's hard to get anything done when you keep letting him interrupt me, take her, and then interrupt me some more," Daniel requested.
"Sure," Jack spat, "whatever you say."
He took the pizza boxes into the kitchen without another word.
Pretty soon, everyone started to leave and Daniel signaled to Adrienne it was time for them to go as well. Waving to him that she understood, she stopped and thanked Sam and Jack for having her and headed out to the Jeep, the look in her eyes joyful and happy. Letting her exit ahead of him, Daniel stopped at the door, looking back over his shoulder at his friends.
"Thanks. That meant a lot to her, really. She doesn't always feel like she really belongs here. She feels like an intruder," Daniel said quietly, making sure Adrienne didn't hear, though he was fairly certain she hadn't as he watched her get into his car..
"She's sweet; I like her and we were glad to have her," Sam replied, making her old friend smile.
Leaning around the door to Jack who was standing by his recliner, another beer in hand, Daniel waved again, shouting, "Jack, I'm leaving. Bye!"
"Bye, and bring your girlfriend back next time," he yelled in return, "She's not so bad."
"She's not my girlfriend," Daniel replied, not as loud, hoping Adrienne hadn't caught that. That would just give her more fuel to harass him with later. Not giving Jack anymore fuel either, Daniel shut the door and pulled his keys from his pocket to take his assistant home.
Sam stood at the door for a moment before turning around, her lips pursed.
"He's clueless," Jack declared, taking a seat again in his chair.
His wife didn't reply at first, walking over to get the glass of wine she left out for herself.
"They're practically attached to one another," Jack added, Sam taking a seat on the sofa near his chair.
"I know," she muttered quietly, "I've noticed."
"Not what you had in mind?" he asked, his wife shaking her head.
"Not in the least."
"Don't worry," Jack said as he sat back, "it'll cool off. Hell, he couldn't even make it work with Vala. And Teal'c said when they were on the-"
"I know what Teal'c said," Sam interrupted, "I know what happened, to all of us. But this just feels different somehow. They're different. There's some other connection there."
"Nah, I read the file, and I told you I'd heard of her. Probably something Daniel shoved in my face to read. She's here to work. Hell, I get coherent mission reports now and that was even before we put her on the team, back when she just DID reports and research," he declared, taking a swig of beer and cutting the TV back on. "There's nothing to worry about."
"I hope not…" Sam whispered, sipping her wine and trying to relax, unable to shake the image of Adrienne, curled up against one of her closest friends, and Daniel, who was never one she imagined to be there - with someone, like that - sitting there as if there was nothing unusual at all.
"Dat was fun," Adrienne uttered through a yawn, her accent thick, as Daniel shook his head.
"Yeah, I bet. You got a nap," he teased, making her reach over and shove him.
"We should watch it, ya know. We could try tah pick out the inaccuracies. Make a list…"
"Compare it to Troy," he added with a wink, Adrienne beaming, "see what's worse…"
"Dat, mah friend, sounds like a date," she declared, yawning a second time. Daniel laughed as he looked back out on the road.
"You're really on this dating thing, aren't you?" he asked, nerves flying through him. He wasn't sure why it upset him so badly. She was his friend and she was just kidding. He was kidding. But…
"I jus' think it's so weird how jus' being friends wit ya makes everyone automatically assume we're dating, ya know?"
Daniel nodded, "Yeah, I do."
"Anyway, wanna come hang out tonight? I'm awake now," she offered, but Daniel didn't seem as excited.
"Rain check?" he asked, "I have about ten hours worth of errands to take care of and only from twelve to five tomorrow to get them done."
"Need help?" she offered. But, Daniel shrugged.
"You're welcome to come. But it's groceries, getting the oil changed in here and having it looked over, I need socks, boring stuff."
She started to laugh, but yawned. Daniel knew that, even if he didn't have a pile of things to accomplish tomorrow, Adrienne would last about ten minutes before he would be covering her up as she passed out on her floor and would play hell waking her up tomorrow.
"See, you're bored thinking about it," he joked instead.
"Yeah, I guess I've got sum things tah do myself. Can't keep goofin' off wit ya. And I really need tah call Aunt Barb…" she muttered, yawning again.
"How goes the wedding planning?" he asked, Adrienne making a face.
"I dunno, dat's why I need to call-" she was still frowning as he took the last turn, heading into her parking lot.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he questioned, his assistant staring on.
"Ya remembered…"
"Yeah," he replied, sarcasm in his tone. "You told me. I listen. That's how conversation works."
"Huh," she muttered as he pulled into a space.
"Huh what?"
She paused for a moment, making another face before shaking her head, grabbing her things and opening the door.
"Nothin', jus'…" she started again, pausing for a second time before exiting the vehicle, "Thanks," her words were clear, accent under control, "For doing that."
"Listening?"
Adrienne nodded. "Yeah dat. Alright, I'm gonna crash. I'll catch ya Monday, shug, K?"
"Try to be on time?" he teased, a middle finger shooting up in his direction.
"Smartass cooyon," she grumbled. "Thanks for driving, though. If listenin' to ya smart mouf is the price I gotta pay, then next time you shoving ya ass into Apollo."
He was gonna snipe back but the door slammed, a tongue stuck out in his direction, his assistant walking confidently to her front door. He waited until she was safely inside and for the door to close behind her before driving off, eager to head to bed himself.
Adrienne walked through the lab door on Monday, only seven minutes late - record - to a large vase of flowers on her desk. She frowned, glancing over at Daniel's desk, which was empty. She had no idea where in the hell he was to ask him where in the hell these things had come from; when it hit her.
She blushed furiously.
Peeking over her shoulder to ensure that she was alone, Adrienne yanked the card from the small plastic holder. Granted, she really didn't care for flowers. They died and she found that kinda depressing.
But, if that tall hot Satedan had sent them to her...
He'd walked her back to her on-base quarters last week.
Maybe?
Excited - ugh - she didn't need to worry about this kind of thing in her life, but he was so handsome. And flowers wouldn't hurt would they? What a way to start the week. She'd had a great weekend, got stuff done, and now this!
She slipped the card from the envelope, flipping it over as she bit her lip to read the message.
Not sure how I could get along without you any more.
Now burn this before anyone else knows that I'm admitting it.
Daniel
"Not Ronon..." she trailed, puzzled, flipping over the card. It was then she noticed more text on the front and a ribbon tied around the vase.
Happy Administrative Professionals' Day
But, he had written something else underneath that.
(Late, I know, but I saw it on my calendar while I was bored at the mechanic's and figured you were used to things not being on time :) )
"Well, that's sweet," Adrienne heard behind her. She turned to see Sam entering, smiling as she approached with a folder in hand.
Adrienne just stood there, dumbfounded.
"He does that lately. I think he saw somewhere that when you're being a jerk flowers make up for it."
That made Adrienne laugh.
"He's been civil. Trust me; I'd let 'im know otherwise,'' she giggled, still a little puzzled by the vase, by the entire damn thing.
"Well, I don't see him here, so can you guys take a look at this when you get a chance?" the general asked, setting the file on her desk as Adrienne just started on.
Finally, the Cajun nodded.
"No problem," she replied but her answer was soft, Adrienne still completely taken aback by the gift.
Daniel got her flowers.
Granted it was for a professional recognition holiday, one that honestly she had no idea existed, but evidently he hadn't missed. But, he had gotten her flowers; a LOT of them nonetheless.
You two are different Addy, there's something else going on. Trust me, I dated the man...
She went to say something to Sam, shoving Vala's stupid ideas out of her own head, things her friend had said when she called her yesterday while Adrienne was at the mall, when she noted the general was gone, the figure in the doorway none other than the man himself, flushing.
Was he flushing?
"They didn't have orange lilies, but I thought the white ones were nice, there's not a lot out for a few weeks, apparently. Season change and all."
Adrienne made a face.
"Orange?"
"That's your favorite color right?"
"How do you know that?"
"Uh," he made a face right back, crossing over to his desk, "you told me. Remember, I listen."
"I did?"
"Yeah, the night you decided to psychoanalyze me," he said, sipping his coffee, looking nervous as if he had done something wrong.
"No," she blushed herself. He had remembered. Why did he remember a detail like that? And her cousin's wedding. She was back to her nerves from Saturday night. And Vala's words on the phone. And Sam's.
He was so sweet.
Sam had been right.
"You're right; it is orange. I love orange."
"Next time, then," he answered, stammering. What in the hell was happening to him? "You ready for our 10 a.m.?"
"Yeah," Adrienne redirected. "Just let me pull up my notes."
Her dark eyes caught just one more glimpse of the flowers, her heart beating a touch faster, the Cajun trying hard not to overanalyze a kind gesture.
Or a movie night.
Or a conversation.
Right now, what Dr. Adrienne Rowan needed to worry about was her career.
She shook her head, grabbing her tablet and walking over to his desk.