Title: Defining Love

Characters: Hamilton Holt and Sinead Starling

Rating: K+

Summary: "If you're the smartest girl in the world, then tell me, how do you define love?"

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! What's your definition of love?

"How do you define love?"

Sinead Starling was taken aback by this question, especially since it was asked by the ever-so-manly Hamilton Holt.

"What?" she asked. Hamilton leaned back and folded his hands over his head.

"If you're the smartest girl in the world, then tell me, how do you define love?" he asked smugly.

"Why do you ask, anyway? What's it with you and love? Anyone you… you have your eyes on?" Sinead answered back with an equal amount of smugness in her tone.

"Is it bad to ask? Me, like anyone? Please, Sinead. A girl needs a big X Factor for me to like her. Besides, since you're so smart ass and all, and a bit too confident with your intelligence, I think it's time I test you about your intelligence… and your feelings." Hamilton explained. Sinead rolled her eyes at his shallow reason, but you can't back down from a Holt once they've challenged you – especially if you're an Ekat.

"Well then, Hamilton, I guess I could say that love is a sort of… affection, a strong one at that, for someone you're, er, attracted to. To some people, love is unquestionable – confusing, yet you just know that you're in love. To others, love is just ridiculous – people making silly little nicknames, telling each other sticky sweet words that they were meant. In the end, they end up feeling broken. Love is a feeling you can't get rid of, no matter how hard you try. It's hard to tell and to show how much you love someone, but they find a way to do so anyway. It's ironic how much people find it so silly, but when they do fall in love, it's a completely magical and amazing thing. They fall too fast, too hard. I've never gotten my hopes up with love, because it's hard when I do get my hopes up. I don't want to feel the way Amy felt when she brought her hopes up with Ian and… well, you know the story. Love's complicated, but falling into its trap can seem so simple sometimes that I wish I'd fall in love and forget the world." Sinead told him, her voice breaking at the end. Hamilton didn't intend her to answer what she feels, just a scientific whatnot he would fall asleep to.

"Did you ever fall in love?" he asked.

"I… I don't really know. I guess I did, but it's complicated." Not to mention, it was a forbidden love, she wanted to add. "Why, have you?" she asked. She looked at him curiously, like a child badly wanting to know the answer to a simple question.

"No. I just… wanted to know how love is really like." Hamilton answered reluctantly. He sat up straight again. Sinead tore her eyes away from him and continued solving formulas for her experiment.

There was a tension between them for awhile, Sinead's lengthy answer to his primary question hanging in the air.

"It must've been hard." Hamilton said.

"What?" Sinead asked in astonishment.

"Falling in love then falling out of love. It must've been hard." Hamilton replied casually.

"You know, falling in love isn't that bad. You get to learn lessons you can't get from books nor experiments, and it teaches you how to be stronger." Sinead told him. She couldn't believe that she was saying these things to Hamilton Holt, but she let herself go with the flow. It's not everyday she gets to spill out her feelings.

Hamilton scoffed. He shook his head and folded his hands behind his head. "Like I said, it'll take me some time to fall in love. The girl needs to have a big X Factor." He said smugly.

Sinead shook her head. She smirked and said, "Think about it Hamilton. What is your definition of love?" and returned her focus back to her formulas.

I do not own nor have an affiliation with The 39 Clues. I also apologize if this story was quite trashy; I haven't written fanfiction for almost a year.