Weir didn't look at all mollified, but Sheppard was at least a little less pale than he had been. He didn't quite look so stunned, anyways. McKay did, though. His forehead was furrowed and there was a definite look of distraction on his face. Melony wiped her eyes again. It probably wasn't as funny as it was, but she couldn't help herself. Their reactions had been priceless.

"When you've finished your coffee, Colonel," Weir said, frowning slightly in her direction. "Go and get a check up from Doctor Beckett – and take Kale here with you." She turned to the Light One, and her expression was now much calmer – she was a diplomat, after all. "It's routine for us to check everyone who comes back from an away mission – or anyone they bring back," she explained. "It won't hurt, and it's fairly noninvasive."

"I'm ready," Melony said, standing up. She'd wanted a reason to go see Carson, anyways, and this was as good as any. "Kale?"

He nodded, and stood as well.

"We'll get some temporary quarters set up for you," Elizabeth told him, smiling and looking at Sheppard – delegating the job to him. Sheppard nodded. It would definitely give him something to do.

"Thank you, Doctor Weir." Kale said, bowing formally. "It was a pleasure meeting you, and I do hope I will see you again." He gave her a light, almost seductive smile, and Weir felt her cheeks flushing slightly. If the women Light Ones were as charming as this male was, it was no wonder the away team had – no, that wasn't an excuse for being so reckless, she decided. Sexual attraction aside, they were not supposed to be spreading pollen – they were supposed to be finding trading partners. Not bedmates. Or whatever they'd- anyways...

"You will see me again," she promised him. "And I'm looking forward to it."

Diplomatic.

Kale smiled, and allowed Melony to lead him out of the room, smiling at those in the room who were watching – and receiving more than a few smiles in return.

Weir looked at Ford, who was still grinning although he was hiding it as well as he could in his coffee cup.

"Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am?"

"Don't you have a patrol or something to be doing?"

"No, ma'am," he said, shaking his head. 'I just came off-" he realized that she wanted him to leave, then, and started nodding. "Come to think of it, I do have a report to write about all the... um... activity... we saw on our... patrol..." Through the very boring already discovered hallways of Atlantis. He stood up, gulping down the last of his coffee. "I'd better get to it."

He turned and headed for the door, but heard Weir's first comment to Sheppard and McKay before he did.

"Are you two out of your minds...?"

Ford grinned, shaking his head again. As tempting as the Light Ones had been, he was glad that Colonel Mitchell had been hurt during that trip and he'd felt it was his responsibility to keep an eye on her. Otherwise he'd probably be getting chewed out, too. He'd have to remember to thank her for breaking her leg – or to thank Kale for dropping her. One or the other.

OOOOOOOO

"Doctor Weir seems like a very competent leader," Kale said as he and Melony walked towards the infirmary.

"She's doing a good job here," Mitchell agreed. "They got a lot more than they expected when they gated here, and she's done well by those that she brought with her."

"She's very attractive."

Uh oh – he's in lust...

Melony smiled.

His people all have light hair and eyes. He probably can't help himself – she's completely different from the females he knows.

Which was probably why Teyla had attracted so much attention form the Light Ones as well, since she was dark in coloring as well.

And you with your hair even paler than theirs and eyes just as blue... Talon said, feigning regret. They probably didn't even notice you

Well, she knew better than that, of course, but her injuries had prevented her from the need to make an excuse to avoid such physical exertions. She wasn't entirely ready for a tryst – and when she was, she already had the man picked out to be with. And his hair wasn't blonde, either.

Carson looked up when Melony and Kale walked into the infirmary, and he felt yet another stab of jealousy when he saw her smiling – at something the Light One had said, probably. He frowned, knowing he was being childish and unable to help himself. Couldn't she spend a little time with him? She'd been away for what seemed like forever – although it'd only been a day or two – and he'd missed her.

Her smile lit up her eyes when she saw him, and Mitchell made a beeline for the doctor with Kale right beside her.

"Carson, we're reporting for our physicals, now," she said, hopping up onto one of the tables. "Do you have time?"

"Of course."

He called another doctor over – they didn't have any patients just then, anyways, and it'd give his staff something to do. He introduced Kale to the other doctor – and the nurse who had accompanied her – and then sent them off to give the alien a quick check up – which left him (not coincidentally) alone with Melony.

She noticed this, too, of course, and smiled.

"Alone at last..."

How could he be angry when facing her like this? He smiled – although it was slightly forced – and hesitantly reached out and touched her hand.

"Rank has its privileges." He told her.

She laughed, and took her hand out of his. Before he could get hurt because she didn't want him touching her, he realized she'd only done it so she could reach out and pull the side curtain closed, telling him without words that she wanted a little privacy. He pulled the rest of the curtain closed, able to reach it far easier than she could, since he was standing and she wasn't.

Then she took his hand again, pulling him closer, until he was standing between her knees where she sat on the edge of the examination bed. Close enough to her that he could feel her warmth and could practically hear her heart beating. She leaned toward him, resting her cheek against his sternum, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly – almost possessively.

"I missed this..." she said softly.

He ran his hand through her silky hair and pulled away just enough so he could kiss her – which he did. Soundly. He couldn't have been more pleased at her response to the kiss; she returned it and deepened it – as if she truly did need him as much as he needed her. No matter that she'd been with naked boy for the last two nights, doing who knew what...

His kiss became almost as possessive as his embrace had been, and Melony pulled away in surprise. She'd never felt such urgency from him before, and was a little alarmed. It wasn't like she'd been gone for weeks, after all.

"Carson?"

He flushed, realizing that he had allowed his anxieties get the best of him, and had probably overreacted a little – maybe a lot. He brushed his hands along her cheeks, dropping a butterfly kiss on her lips but not pressing it any further.

"I'm sorry..."

She smiled, and pulled his head down for a better kiss than the butterfly one, her lips possessing his for just a moment.

"I'll survive."

Knowing that if they kept going in the manner they were, he was never going to get her physical done – and already he was going to have to keep the lower part of his body behind a table or some other piece of equipment until he got his reaction to her nearness under control – Beckett kissed her once more, quickly, and then pulled back

"I'd better give you that check up, now..."

She was well aware of his reaction – she couldn't miss it, after all – and she loved him for it. Loved him period, she decided, surprised by the realization.

Finally admitted it?

What?

Oh, please... Talon's voice was amused, and smug. You've loved him for a while, now, even if you wouldn't allow yourself to say it – even in your head

She smiled. Maybe she had...

"Your blood pressure's a little higher than it normally is," Carson said, pulling her attention back to him.

"Well... there are extenuating circumstances," she reminded him, forcing herself not to blurt out what she'd just realized. She wasn't going to tell him she loved him, only to have him feel forced to say the same thing. She could wait. "Take it again in a few minutes..."

He smiled, and she felt a flutter in her heart, and was glad he wasn't checking her pulse just then.