Title: The Barista- 12- Library Repose
Category: Drabble, Humor
Season: Season 2
Rating: PG

I felt a nudge against my back and shifted my face deeper into my pillow, not that it was a very good pillow mind you...

"Just five more minutes mom." I mumble without looking up. I hear a decidedly male laugh behind me.

"Can't say anyone has ever said that to me before!" I sit up groggily and eye the blurry figure next to me in confusion.

"Daniel?" My voice sounds like a cross between Lucile Ball and Kermit the Frog. Ugggh.

"Got it in one." Daniel says grabbing a chair and pulling it into my little cubicle space. I notice Daniel is dressed in khaki pants and a god-awful tweed blazer. It even has the elbow patches! Geeze Daniel, you can SO do better than that. Despite the ensemble, he looks delectable as always. Has he been working out? I shake my head to clear my licentious thoughts.

Daniel eyes the half dozen books strewn across the table and gives me a wry smile. At least I think it was wry. I seem to have lost my glasses...

"Looking for these?" Daniel says with a wide grin as he hands me my spectacles. I rub my eyes tiredly before putting them on. Instantly the room snaps into focus. The guy who invented glasses must have made a mint!

"Much better." I say with a yawn. I look at Daniel still confused.

"What are you doing here?" It's funny how you associate certain people with certain places. Daniel is strictly Victor's Coffee shop and it was very strange to see him out of his element. Than again, a library is probably just as much a central domain...

"Probably the same as you I imagine- research." I nod and take a moment to look around; the library is utterly devoid of life. True, some may argue that libraries are always that way but this time there's truth in that statement.

"What time is it?" I ask glancing at the empty spot on my right wrist. Dead watch battery.

"Half past ten." Daniel says. I must look slightly perplexed, for he felt the need to elaborate. "At night." I lean back into my chair with an audible 'oof'. 10:30?! That must mean I had been asleep for over two hours! Very unlike me. And the Librarians let me sleep? Very unlike them.

"I caught sight of you snoring away shortly after I got here." Daniel began.

"I do NOT snore." I reply haughtily. Well, I don't.

"Right." Daniel says with a soft smile. "Funny, Sam says the same thing on missions..." Missions?

"Daniel, the Graduate Library closes at 8 pm! How come you're still here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Ms. I find......" Daniel picks up one of the books lying open on the table "Legends of Ancient Babylon?" I am pretty certain Daniel was going to make a crack about my reading choices being more entertaining than socializing or sleep but that thought apparently has fled. He stares at the book and then at me with unmitigated awe. Or something bordering on awe- it is very unsettling.

"Daniel?" I ask slightly concerned. He wasn't going to go all flakey again was he?

Daniel shakes his head. "Kira, one day you and I are going to have a nice long conversation. It may not be for many, many years, but I promise you we'll have it. Even if I have to ask the President himself for permission." Now it's my turn to blink. President? As in The President?

"Right." I say clearly not understanding a damn thing he's saying. "So why again are you here Daniel?"

"I have an agreement with the library to borrow some of the books from the MacIntyre Collection." Of Course! I mentally give my forehead a resounding wack. John MacIntyre was a well-known Classics' linguist who could reportedly converse in over 40 languages by the time he was 50. He was a gentleman archaeologist, Adventurer, Scholar and all around amazing guy. He vanished in the Central African desert right before WWII.

"I actually have a key to the building." Daniel says in a whisper. My eyes go wide. NO WAY. What the bloody hell do you do in that mountain Daniel?!

"What about you?" Daniel asks. Huh? What about me what?

"What are you doing sawing logs in a closed library?" I have the good grace to blush.

"One of the Librarians is a friend of mine. She's convinced the others I'm harmless and I can now stay here and study until they are ready to lock up for the night." Again I look at my naked wrist. "Which will probably be really soon..."

Daniel slaps his hands on his thighs and stands up. "Obviously you are pulling an all-nighter Kira Meyers." Daniel says matter-of-factly. "How about I buy you a cup of coffee and you tell me why." I give Daniel one of my rare 100-watt grins.

"Actually Daniel, I don't drink coffee."

"You don't WHAT?!" Daniel shouts looking at me as if I were suddenly possessed by some soul-sucking alien who happened to be resigning in my brain.

"I don't drink coffee." I state again. "Can't stand the taste." He continues to stare at me incomprehensively. "I do love the smell though." I say feeling the need to offer him something.

"How can you work in a coffee shop and not drink coffee?" Daniel asks completely baffled.

"You work at a military base and aren't military." I counter. Daniel just shakes his head. Match point to Kira!

"Can I offer you some sort of sustenance Ms. Meyers?" Daniel asks. In reply my stomach growls. I blush. Damn. Can't actually remember when I last ate. That's not a good sign is it?

"Food it is." Daniel says carefully stacking my papers to one side and book marking the pages in my open textbooks.

"Wendy says she'll leave a note and make sure nothing here is touched until you return tomorrow."

"Wendy?" I ask raising an eyebrow in question.

"Closing Librarian."

"Ah." Together we stack up my assorted books and I grab my coat. Daniel sees me itching to take some of the papers home.

"They'll be here in the morning Kira. Promise."

"And if they aren't?" I ask worriedly.

"If they aren't, I'll write your paper for you."

"You'll write a paper on the fall of Babylon and the subsequent rise in war-like city states?" Daniel paled ever so slightly as I said this but stood firm.

"Yep." His eyes twinkled as he regained his composure. "And I'll make sure to put in plenty of typos and bibliographical errors."

"Oh no you won't!"

"You ARE only an Undergraduate Kira." Daniel says matter-of-factly.

"Only for another year." I counter.

"Another year?" Daniel looks at me out of the corner of his eye. We're currently going down the stairs of the library and it's rather dark. "I thought you're a sophomore."

"Technically I am but..."

"But?" We reach the bottom of the stairs and head right towards the parking lots.

"But between the AP credits from high school and taking at least 18 credits a quarter here... I'll be graduating this time next year."

"That's great Kira!" Daniel says giving me a big smile. Had we not been alone in a darkened parking lot, he just might have hugged me again. Ah well, I'll just imagine that he did later when I think back over this night....

"So then what are you going to do?" Daniel opens the passenger side door and then walks around to the driver's side. I sigh. Chivalry. Guys from my generation SO could use lessons from one Dr. Daniel Jackson.

"I haven't quite decided." I say honestly snapping my seat belt into place. It's funny how totally safe and comfortable I feel with Daniel. "I'm leaning towards becoming an Archivist or Classics Librarian but don't know if that will be exciting enough for me."

"Libraries can be exciting." Daniel says defensively.

"Daniel, I am considering getting a PhD in Library Science. You're preaching to the choir here.

It's just I want to become a true Specialist, you know? I have lately been reading everything I can on Babylon, Assyria and Mesopotamia and am just in love with the language and culture that emanated out of that region."

"Uh oh Kira." Daniel said in a voice that was definitely trying hard not to gloat. "Sounds suspiciously to me like you may want to become an Archaeologist."

"Nahhh." I say resolutely. "I'm not interested in old rocks and buildings."

"You can find some pretty interesting things among old rocks and buildings." Daniel has that far away look again. Must find out one of these days what he finds so intriguing about ancient pottery. Ancient communications are MUCH more interesting.

"What I mean," I say. "Is that I am so enthralled by the words and stories the ancient peoples left behind, that there is more than enough to occupy a dozen scholars lives without my having to worry about their houses and left over cooking utensils." Daniel scoffs.

"There's a little more to it than THAT Kira."

"You know what I mean Daniel." I say trying to explain. "Haven't you ever just wanted to be the definitive expert in something before?" A ghost of a smile crosses Daniel's lips.

"Maybe."

"Well I do!" I say. My stomach chooses that moment to gurgle in agreement.

"Then one definitive Ancient Civilizations Scholar you shall be Ms. Meyers!" Daniel says as we pull into May's. It's not nearly as hick as it sounds. Good food and, of course, an Italian espresso machine for those needing to indulge in an after supper pick-me-up.

The rest of the evening passes pleasantly as Daniel regales me with tales of past digs and adventures. He has done a HELL of a lot. Unfortunately, I also learn he's older than I thought. Only by a couple of years, but I was really hoping we'd be within a decade. No such luck. Twelve years isn't THAT much of a difference, right?

Daniel drops me off at my apartment around midnight and sternly advises me to get some sleep. I almost laugh aloud; Daniel doesn't really have a commanding presence if you know what I mean.

"I'll try Daniel." I say sincerely. Considering all my research is back at the library, I probably WOULD go straight to bed.

"Good night Kira." Daniel says as he waits by his car until I open my front door. Like I said- the perfect gentleman. I give him a small wave and head up the stairs.

My dreams are SO not going to be G rated this evening.