Define This!
Define This!
by Sandra
Title: Define This!
Author: Sandra
Email:MishaNova2000@aol.com
Status: Completed
Category: Sam and Daniel, and babble, if that's a category...
Spoilers: Eh...for lots for dictionaries, yeah.
Season/Sequel Info: Eh, it would work anywhere, since there's NOTHING going on...
Rating: G (must get back to smut, must get ba...)
Content Warning: Uh, words...many foreign words.
Summary: Daniel shows off his philology knowledge
Disclaimer: Don't own anything but my computer (no, actually, Gateway owns that...)
Author's Notes: Okay, I was bored (as always) and started going through all these quotes on life, love, eggs...you name it. Poof, got the idea. In addition, I'm a freak when it comes to languages, hence the babble in...characters and words that are probably making absolutely no sense to 80% of you. *waves to the other 20*...
Feedback: Sure
Archive: Do I get cookies?
Dedication: First off, to Rach, who keeps brining out the mushy part of my personality (yes, it actually exists!), and to Petra and Tomi, who are re-installing in me the belief that true, forever-love exists. Love ya!
"So, what's this mysterious project about?" I adjust my glasses as we walk up to Janet's driveway, trying to avoid the sprinklers.
"She didn't say...but it must be important if she needs our help." Sam shrugs slightly and presses the doorbell, her nose scrunching up as a small, cold raindrop hits it quite rudely.
"Carter, hurry up with that thing...I don't particularly enjoy getting my...hair...all frizzy." Jack grumbles from behind.
Sam shakes her head and presses the doorbell one more time with a composed grin.
"Ah, just come in, for crying out loud!" a rather irritated voice yells from behind the large wooden door. We exchanges glances and watch as the doors slowly open with a screech, spurred on by Sam's hands.
Jack groans and pushes us in, probably thinking what a bunch of wimps we are.
"It's only spring cleaning, won't hurt you...too much..." he mutters as we barely escape the heavy downpour.
Janet looks up from her vacuum with a sheepish glance and drops the massive thing to the floor with a loud thud.
"Well, it was about time you got here!" she dusts off her pants and looks up, yelling, "Cassie, they're here!"
With a reasonably earsplitting slam of the door, Cassie makes her way down the stairs, her bare feet rhythmically thumping against the plush carpet, ponytail bopping against her face as she tries to decide whom to tackle first.
I guess she figures that Sam is the most susceptible to displays of affection, so she runs to her, arms wrapping around her slim waist cheerfully.
Teal'c averts his attention to the mess in the living room, apparently having trouble deciding where to sit, shooting Janet an inquiring glance.
"Uh, I think we'd be better off in the kitchen...well, since not even Max can fit in there." She points to the pile of upturned furniture with an exhausted sigh.
"So, what's this project you told us about?" Sam asks as Cassie drags her into the kitchen, the rest of us following closely.
Cassie glances at her impishly,
"Well...it's kinda embarrassing..."
"Oh?" I claim a chair, suddenly getting a...bad feeling.
Cassie wrinkles her nose and takes a seat next to Teal'c, giving us all a strange look,
"Yes, it's for Psychology and..."
Our eyes are glued to the small figure as she squirms in her seat.
Janet flies into the kitchen, dragging a long cord with her and sighs,
"She's doing this project on what kissing is su..."
Cassie shoots her a mortified glance and then looks at Sam, blushing.
Jack scratches his head,
"Kissing? Who comes up with these assignments of yours?"
Sam eyes him coldly for a moment and then returns her attention to Cassie,
"So...how can *we* help?"
I lean against the table, supporting my head with my hands, thinking of that new edition of "The Crusades" I'd really like to read at the moment.
Kiss, huh? Let's see...kys, beso, baiser, koss, poljubac...
"You don't need us for...experiments, I hope." I cringe, blinking at her a few times as Jack grins. I bet he's more then willing to be a test subject.
Cassie's shoulders slump in embarrassment,
"Uh, no. I just need to do research on it...you know, get your opinions and so on..."
Teal'c stirs in his chair,
"You wish us to...talk of our...philosophies."
"Ah, yes...but I was hoping for some...stories...?" Cassie looks at us expectantly as Janet makes another trip to the living room, happy she's not under interrogation anymore.
Sam thinks for a moment,
"Well, what do you have so far...?"
Cassie takes out a binder,
"Well...uh, I have a...title?"
Sam observes the neatly written header,
"Kisses: Words which cannot be written." She reads, "Well...that's a good start."
Cassie looks at me as I start thinking about the meaning of the word unconsciously.
Hmm, kiss. One syllable. Function: noun. Used since the 12th century.
I glance at the silent table.
Kiss...an expression of affection.
My eyes land on Sam. Affection. Mother to child. Child to mother. Woman to man, man to...woman.
"Well, the best I can do is offer you a few quotes..." Sam says, voice laced with an apologetic tone.
"Eh...that will do...I guess." Cassie bites her bottom lip.
We, the supposedly mature adults exchange bashful glances, daring each other to go first. I'm positive Jack has a whole repertoire ready on this topic.
"Boy, am I glad you're not taking Sex ED..." Jack mutters and hunches over the table.
"Oh, I'm taking that next semester..."
We look at her.
Silence.
Janet sails into the kitchen again,
"So, any progress?"
"Not really. Well, okay, I have a quote...I think..." I frown, trying to recall something I read in a anthropology book the previous month, "Ancient lovers believed a kiss would literally...uh, unite their souls, because the spirit was said to be carried in one's breath. Does that help any?"
Cassie looks at me strangely,
"Sure..."
Janet starts the coffee,
"Daniel...you want to confuse a bunch of preteen kids...?"
"You can do better?" I ask, thinking again.
Kiss, a gentle touch or contact.
Kiss, a caress with the lips.
I look at Sam, picturing the little wheels in her smart head turning and spiraling.
Oh, also a small drop cookie made of meringue. And, uh, a bite-size piece of candy often wrapped in paper or foil.
Hershey's kisses...I'm hungry.
"Hmm, I think I can...ahem, few men know how to kiss well. Fortunately, I've always had time to teach them." Janet smiles sheepishly at us, brining 3 coffee mugs to the table, "What? I didn't say it, Mae West did." She puts up her hands in defense.
Jack grins,
"Oh, that's a real good role model...Okay, how about this? Some women blush when they are kissed, some call for the police, some swear, some bite...Oh, can they ever bite! Hmm, back on track...However, the worst are those who laugh...?"
"Is that from personal experience, Sir?" Sam bites down a chuckle.
"Major, I do read from time to time..." he gives her a warning glance, "Although I can't place a name with that."
"William Raye, Jack...you wrote it on the bathroom wall." I wrap my fingers around my newly acquired mug, "That the best you can do?"
"Kiss till the cow comes home?" Jack tries again.
I scoff as Janet rubs her chin in thought,
"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous..."
All eyes turn to her.
"What? I like Ingrid Bergman." She once again exits the kitchen, rolling her eyes along the way.
Sam looks at Cassie, shaking her head,
"We're not helping, are we?"
"Well, so far I got more answers from the Backstreet Boys CD..." she starts humming some dreadful tune, "I'd walk halfway around the world...for just one kiss from you..."
Teal'c shakes his head and stands up,
"I think I would benefit more from...this spring catharsis." He tilts his head, right eyebrow raised high.
"It's spring cleaning, Teal'c and yes, please help!" Janet whizzes past us, returning to the kitchen once again, a hand-vacuum gripped in her hand.
Teal'c makes his exit quickly, leaving us to stare after him enviously.
Jack taps his fingers on the table,
"Quotes, quotes, quotes..."
"The sound of a kiss is much softer than that of a canon...but its echo lasts a great deal...longer..." Sam sighs with a pensive frown, nervously playing with Cassie's binder.
"Never a lip is curved with pain that can't be kissed into a smile again." I give her a brisk smile.
"Oh, I read The Last Galleon." Sam looks back with recognition.
I look at her lips.
Kiss, mode of salutation, comes from its use to express reverence or worship.
She smiles sweetly, eyes shining.
Something I want to do at this moment.
No...what am I saying?
Jack licks his lips and whispers to Cassie conspiratorially,
"They're speaking French again. How about this one? If you're ever in doubt as to whether or not you should kiss a pretty girl, always give her the benefit of a doubt."
Cassie frowns,
"There's this guy in class that said the same thing and the teacher sent him to the principal."
"Oh, nice school system we have here." Jack shrugs, playing with the rim of his brown mug.
"Alright, there's this Chinese proverb that says...kissing is like drinking salted water...you drink and your thirst increases." I glance at Cassie as she writes it down neatly and nods to herself.
Janet storms into the kitchen,
"Okay...Cassie, where did we put the pliers? Teal'c managed to tie Max with the cable cord."
Cassie motions to one of the lower cabinets. Jack tilts his head to better see what Teal'c is up to in the next room.
Nice going, Jack. We're here trying to help a kid with homework, and all you're interested in is who's getting impaled with what.
Am I the only one who's trying to...help here?
Oh, kissing...I read recently that various parts of the body are kissed to distinguish the character of the adoration paid.
I tilt my head, observing Sam's lips before Janet's voice reaches my confused mind.
Janet takes out the small pliers and stops at the door,
"Oh, I remembered a Bible quote just now...Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Oh, well, I'm sure that doesn't help..." She mumbles with a dismissive motion and backs out of the kitchen once again.
Cassie writes it down nonetheless, looking up at Jack,
"I'm fresh out, kid..." he supplies, curiously eyeing the living room doors, "Okay, I have a final one, and then I'm off to save Teal'c..."
Sam and I exchange glances as Cassie grips her number two pencil,
"A legal kiss is never as good as a stolen one." Jack says simply, his attention now fully diverted to the scene in the living room as Max yelps and a loud groan originating from Teal'c reverberates around the house.
"Guy de Maupassant." Sam and I sigh simultaneously as Jack runs out of the kitchen.
Cassie interrupts with an impatient sigh,
"So, all this kissing stuff..."
"...Is giving me a headache." Sam rubs her eyes, "You'd think something as simple as a kiss wouldn't be hard to explain."
I start massaging the bridge of my nose, sliding down in the chair only to jerk up again as Sam's legs unintentionally touch mine.
"Uh, well, if the most famous writers were stumped, why should we have an easy time with this?"
Cassie looks at us, a tad disappointed,
"Uh, so, you guys don't know much?"
"Oh, it's not that, it's just that it's...hard to explain." I quickly respond, looking at her. I doubt she'd want MY opinion on the given topic at the moment.
Sam leans on her hands, her lovely lips glistening as she speaks,
"Well, Shakespeare had no trouble with it. Have you read Romeo and Juliet, Cassie?"
"No, mom said I'm...too young...but we did watch the movie with Leo..."
Sam smiles brightly, lips curving into a beautiful smile.
Kiss...to kiss the lips is to adore the living breath of the person saluted.
Oh, boy...
I *have* to stop glaring at Sam, my teammate...friend...a girl with extremely attractive lips...Gods...I finally cracked.
"Okay...well, there's a quote in there..." Sam freezes, interrupted by my voice.
Rude, I know, but sorta necessary at the moment. If I hear her say it, I'll probably stand up and announce that I want to kiss her right here, right now.
"...And steal immortal blessings from her lips; who, even in pure and vestal modesty, still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin." I give her an attentive look, "That one?"
"Yeah, that one..." She eyes me strangely.
Oops...
Cassie scribbles it down,
"Kisses...sin...okay, got it."
"Oh! Oh! You may conquer with the sword, but you are conquered by a kiss...or something to that effect." Sam trails off and runs a hand through her hair, nudging Cassie to write it down before they both forgot. I watch her blond locks, pleading with my brain to remain there, but of course...my gaze strays to her lips again.
They're so expressive, you know...And, uh, as much as it pains me to admit...kissable.
Jack is gonna skin me alive.
Violent barking ensues, Jack's laughter and Janet's cursing clearly heard in the kitchen as Cassie frowns,
"I should see what they're breaking in there." She stands up with a sigh and disappears through the door.
I clear my throat, absentmindedly staring at a drop of coffee on Janet's table that's rapidly drying. That's gonna leave a stain. Speaking of stains...
"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves." I mutter, thinking about a bar incident Jack put Teal'c and me through.
Sam grins,
"Let me guess. Another one of Colonel's bathroom quotes?"
I chuckle softly,
"No, he actually etched that one into a barstool...but, I think it has some merit..." I give her a boyish look.
"Oh..." she looks into my eyes, adding with a somewhat shy smile,
"I wish she had trouble with astrophysics, not this..."
I give her a sympathetic glance,
"Or archaeology..."
Sam smiles as the tips of our outstretched fingers almost touch across the oak table,
"Is not a kiss the very autograph of love?" she says.
Yes, yes, it is.
I look up timidly,
"Never heard that one before."
Oh, Gods...kiss.
Kiss, function: verb. Middle English, from Old English cyssan...or Old High German kussen.
Kiss...to touch with the lips.
Sam shifts in her chair, playing with her bottom lip nervously.
Kiss...to touch gently or lightly...to salute or caress one another with the lips...to come in gentle contact...
I need a glass of water.
Sam looks at me, eyebrow raised,
"Don't tell me you don't have at least a hundred of these...with all the reading you do, you must have come across some...ahem, literary aspects of..."
I smile as she blushes, my eyes linking with hers.
Why is she so...attractive?
No comment, brain, please.
And body...you shut up too. That was a rhetorical question.
"Love and electricity are one and the same, my dear...if you do not feel the jolt in your soul every time a kiss is shared, a whisper is spoken, a touch is felt, then you're not really in love at all..." I look at her, quickly adding, "C. J. Franks, Freshman year of college."
"Oh." She simply says, sapphire eyes focused on mine intently.
Kiss...cskol,, suudelma...
Kiss, kissing, kissable, kissing a friend, kissing a loved one, passionate kiss, friendship kiss, Judas kiss.
There we go...something to cool me down.
Judas kiss. An act of treachery. Alluding to the apostle Judas, who betrayed his Master with a kiss.
Betraying...
Betraying a friendship. Betraying Sha're. Betraying myself.
Why aren't my hands listening to me?
Ever so slowly, they move until they are peacefully resting on hers.
She takes a deep breath, eyes not once breaking contact with mine as she softly starts reciting,
"Okay, sophomore year of high school...Then I did the simplest thing in the world. I leaned down...and kissed him." she whispers, "And the world cracked open." The last word almost lost as I blink at her, thinking about the palpitation in my chest.
Brain...work, please. I promise I won't overwork you if you think of something intelligent to say.
"The soul that can speak through the eyes can also kiss with a gaze...Gustavo Adolfo Becquer." I hear myself saying, our eyes locked in an intent gaze.
Something else. Something else! Hurry!
Hockey. Jack likes hockey. I *think* I like it. Hockey's popular in Canada. People speak French in Canada. Embrasser is French for kiss. Zoen, polibek,kyssa, poljub, koss, bacio, beijo, kyss, chusana...
Ah...okay, okay, stop! I command you to stop!
My brain doesn't obey most of the time, and this is one of them.
I slowly lean toward her, the edge of the table digging into my stomach and watch her lips. They're slightly moist, glistening under the dim kitchen light and oh-so very beautiful.
They softly part, and the blue eyes close trustingly.
I'm about to kiss her, huh?
Brain, you in? Check.
Body...okay, a little less enthusiastic, please! Check.
Okay, we're all in agreement. Kiss, it is...
I gradually tilt my head, lips parting, heart loudly pounding in my chest as I close in--
"Okay, mom just gave me another one...it's kinda corny, but I like it! Don't wait to know a girl better to kiss her; kiss her, and you'll know her..." the doors burst open and Cassie flies into the kitchen excitedly, then freezes, "...better."
Sam and I jerk away abruptly, wearing uncomfortable and utterly confused expressions on our faces.
I collapse back in my chair as Sam carefully returns to hers.
Okay...this is for the best...isn't it?
If we kissed...everything would have changed...ruined, right?
Then...why do I feel like someone just took away my puppy?
"Uh..." Cassie raises her eyebrows and cautiously pulls out her chair, sitting down as her eyes dart from Sam to me.
"Yeah...that's...a good one, Cassie..." I breathe out, fingers wrapped around my mug tightly as I take a sip of coffee.
It's cold now...how long has it been standing out. 5 minutes? Eternity?
"Right. Anyway, Jack said he could use some help in there, so...you have any more quotes I can use before you go and strangle Max?" Cassie taps her pen on the table, licking her lips.
I adjust my glasses and nod,
"Yes...It's from Thomas C. Haliburotn..." I give her time to write it down, "There is the kiss of welcome and of parting, the long, lingering, loving, present one; the stolen, or the mutual one; the kiss of love, of joy, and of sorrow; the seal of promise and receipt of fulfillment." Exemplary soliloquizing, I finish, voice strangely soothing and yet strained at the same time as Sam's blue eyes observe my face.
"Thanks..." Cassie hurriedly writes it down, "...receipt...of...fulfillment...I like this one."
I press against the doors, turning around to award Sam with a parting glance,
"I'm glad I could help." I exit the kitchen, leaning against the doors.
I hear Cassie sigh,
"Sam, you okay?"
"Hmm? Yes, I'm fine..." Sam's voice sounds somewhat... dissatisfied. I wonder if someone took her puppy away, too?
"Mom said to ask you about some Midsummer thing...?" Cassie asks as I'm about to walk away and stop eavesdropping.
Sam laughs and I stay glued to the door.
"Sydney King Russell?"
"Yes...?" Cassie sounds unsure.
I hear Sam say quietly,
"I think your mom is sadistic in a way..."
Cassie giggles,
"I know...she makes me walk Max at 5 in the morning."
I can just imagine the look on Sam right now. Her blue eyes shining, lips curved into a loving smile.
Cassie asks, humor still present in her voice.
"So...what's the verse?"
I smile and walk away slowly. No need to stay. I already know the verse. I whisper to myself,
"Out of a world of laughter, suddenly I am sad. Day and night it haunts me," I stop to look at the rain outside absentmindedly, "The kiss I never had..."
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Sandra
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Define This!
by SandraSite Navigation
Support Heliopolis