A/N: Okay, I don't intend for this story to be a songfic- but music will be making an appearance every now and then. It is a natural part of life and it throws a little flavor into the mix. Let me know what you think!!!
Chris waited by the elevators, dressed for her evening out with the team. She wore simple jeans and a button down shirt that was just sexy enough to be different from her usual dress. She really needed to get her own place, she decided, but had no idea where to start. Maybe she could ask Daniel to help her. Oooh, wouldn't Kinsey love that?!
"Hey, you ready to go?" Daniel asked as he joined her. "Wow, you look nice."
"Thanks, you look good, too." She returned, and he did. Dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket with a blue shirt on underneath, he looked positively mouth-watering.
"Thanks. Jack is driving Teal'c and Sam, and they said to go on, they will meet us there. We have orders to grab the best table and at least two pitchers of beer." He said and she laughed.
"I think we can do that." She followed him onto the elevator and they rode up in comfortable silence. When he led her out to his car and opened her door for her, she smiled. Chivalrous, too, huh? Nice.
"So, where were you before you came here?" he asked as he started the car.
"Area 51 for about 6 months, before that I was at home on a sort of sabbatical." She said.
"Been doing this long?"
"What, jumping into ultra secret military projects and completely rearranging everyone's jobs and agendas?"
"I wouldn't put it that way, but, yeah…"
"About 4 years. I started at a project in Washington and progressed from there." She said and he nodded as he drove.
"Moving up fast, then."
"I suppose." She shrugged. "Of course, I didn't move up nearly as fast as you. First doctorate at 19, second by 20, going from poster boy to laughing stock and then to galaxy traveler. And you're still a pretty young guy."
"Guess you read my file, although I'm not sure about the 'young' part."
"Yes, I did, and you're still fairly young. You are only about 8 years older than me." She said.
"What?! But that means you are-"
"Ah, don't say it!" she said, quickly cutting him off.
"Well, you look fantastic for... your age. Wow." Daniel breathed and Chris felt her cheeks start to burn. "Here we are! Place looks kind of busy tonight. I hope we can get a decent table." He said and then went around and opened her door for her, offering his hand to help her up. They walked inside and were thrilled to see a large group leaving from the back and they quickly claimed the table that was vacated. The waitress arrived just a Jack, Sam, and Teal'c walked in and joined them.
"Um, two pitchers of beer- whatever is on tap is fine." Daniel said and the waitress left, giving him a sideways look as she walked away. He didn't seem to notice, but Chris took note of the one-sided exchange.
"Hey, guys! Glad you were able to grab this table! Man, it is packed!" Sam said loudly over the noise around them. The waitress soon showed up and they passed around glasses of beer. Chris grinned at the way that the friends talked; insulting, but all in fun. Daniel took quite a bit of ribbing from Jack in silence, but boy when he did fight back, he was vicious! She relaxed, enjoying herself thoroughly.
"…then Peter Pan went flying over the audience and started throwing up as she flew. Man, talk about chain reaction!" Chris finished to much laughter.
"Wow, heck of a change going from theatre to this!" Jack said and she nodded.
"Yeah, but then again, theatre is all about budget and trying to figure our how to improve or fix things with as little fuss as possible. So, maybe it was a natural evolution." She answered and he nodded.
"Hey, Carter, I like this song- wanna dance?" Jack asked and Sam, who had had just enough alcohol to not over-think the situation, nodded and joined him on the dance floor. Daniel watched them, but Teal'c looked at Chris. She was also watching Jack and Sam dance, but had a wistful look on her face. Teal'c carefully moved his leg under the table and kicked Daniel to get his attention. Daniel yelped and looked at the alien, who, using his eyes, indicated Daniel to look at Chris.
"Oh, um…Chris, would you like to dance?" Daniel asked, instantly glad that he had. Chris smiled brightly and nodded a bit shyly. Daniel stood and offered his hand, leading her out to the floor. He carefully took her in his arms and started to sway. He rolled his eyes as the slower song ended almost as soon as they began, but then smiled as another, more upbeat song came on. Frank Sinatra sang "The Way You Look Tonight" and Daniel looked at Chris. "So, can you swing dance?" he asked casually.
"Actually, yes. Learned it when I was in theatre in school." She said and he smiled at her, surprised, and began to dance her around the floor.
Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.
"Sir!, Look!" Sam said and Jack looked over.
"What the- I didn't know he could dance!" Jack said, amazed. Daniel and Chris were dancing like old pros, Daniel leading her around the floor effortlessly. They were good and looked good together.
"He told me once that one of his foster moms had made him take classes when he was in high school as an extracurricular activity." Sam said. "I just didn't realize that he was so good! And, look at Chris! She can really dance, too."
"No kidding…" Jack said.
With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.
"O'Neill, what is this type of dancing called?" Teal'c asked.
"What? Oh, um, swing, I guess." Jack answered as he and Sam sat back down at the booth. Looking around briefly, he saw that everyone in the room was now watching the couple glide smoothly over the floor.
Daniel was amazed at how well Chris kept up with him, as if they had been rehearsing for weeks. He pulled back slightly to look at her and she gave him a bright smile.
"You're really good" he said, a bit breathless.
"Only as good as my lead." She replied and he smiled back.
"Let's really give them something to watch, then." He challenged and she nodded.
Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.
"Holy cow! Look at them go!" Sam gasped and Daniel and Chris picked up their pace. The rest of the bar was now silent, focusing on the two impromptu dancers. As the song came to a close, they slowed and took a deep breath in unison. The bar broke out into wild cheers and the two blushed, heading back to their table.
"Wow, that was great!" Chris said as she plopped down into her chair and Daniel fell into his beside her.
"You two were amazing!" Sam said, handing them each a glass of beer. Daniel waved his off, opting for water, but Chris gladly drank hers, knowing that Daniel was driving her tonight.
"It was an impressive display of swing dancing." Teal'c complimented.
"Thanks…wow, I haven't done that in a while." Daniel said.
"Me neither! It was fun!" Chris added.
The conversation for the rest of the night revolved about their dance and how each of them had learned, continuing between them as they departed a little while later. Chris was starting to feel the effects of the beer and didn't want to feel bad the next morning. They said their good-byes, making sure that Jack was okay to drive, then left. Daniel drove her to the base and even escorted her to her room out of politeness.
"Thank you for inviting me tonight, Daniel. It was wonderful! I had a lot of fun!" she said.
"I did, too. I'm glad you came. Maybe we can do it again sometime." He said, suddenly flashing back on his first date with a girl and he suddenly became nervous standing there with her. Chris smiled at him and saved him from his momentary torment by reaching up and giving him a hug and a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"Good night, Daniel." She said and went into her room.
"Good night, Chris. See you tomorrow." He replied and turned and left, curious as to why his cheek was tingling slightly.
A/N: And the shippiness begins. I would really, really like some more reviews (Thank you, Adri1577!!!). Anyway, stick with me as the saga continues!!!