AN: So sorry for the delay. RL just keeps getting worse and I can't quite ever find the time to write. Hope you like it!

Chapter Four

Hammond cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him, although I didn't bother to remove my hand from Carter's back. "Colonel, Major, I want you going back through that gate as soon as humanly possible to have those damn things removed before you do anything dumber than you've already done with a roomful of witnesses. Unfortunately, I can't possibly send you back immediately because you've already had one fifteen hour mission today, whether you remember it or not." He collected his papers and glared at me.

I realized my hand had migrated from the small of her back closer to her shoulders, pushing up her shirt in the process and making what I was doing painfully obvious. With a disappointed sigh from both of us, my hand moved back to my chair. Carter's leg pressed against mine and I continued my earlier exploration with my foot where Hammond couldn't see it.

"You'll go back to P4X-884 at 0700. And because that piece of technology has apparently replaced the section of your brains that store good sense, I'll have you both placed in isolation quarters for the night." He smiled evilly as he reached for the phone to call for our captors to come haul us away.

"But, sir, there's nothing to touch in isolation quarters!" Carter looked at me with the saddest, most stricken expression I'd ever seen. I'm not sure which one of us whimpered, but it was truly a pathetic sound. She was so upset that she was on the verge of tears. And, I realized, she was on the verge of tears at the thought of being locked away from me. Well, sort of, anyway.

I decided I'd fake being in control of myself and spoke up with the most professionalism I could muster. "General, sir, since we're not being confined for a crime or a contagion, may we take some things with us?" I could see he wasn't quite sure what I was getting at, except that it was probably a ploy. "I have a Game Boy in my locker and I'm sure Carter has some sort of toys in her lab she can play with." I nodded at Carter who was bent over in her chair feeling the carpet innocently as she continued to secretly play footsie with me. I was truly appreciative of her multi-tasking ability. "I don't think having a genius like her sitting around bored is a good idea, if you catch my drift, sir."

Hammond sighed, still sure it was a scam. "I suppose that would be acceptable. But the SFs will accompany you and they are not going to leave you alone together at any time."

Carter sniffled at that, pausing her rediscovery of her chair.

Hammond's head cocked to the side thoughtfully. "I wonder why it seems to be affecting her more than you."

I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I felt it was a good idea to distract him so that my leg could continue to fumble against Carter's. If I was going to be separated from her all night, I figured I'd better get my fill of touching. Not that I could ever possibly get my fill of touching her. "Well, sir, honestly, I think I'm usually much more tactile. Everyone's always yelling at me for touching things." I nodded at Carter. "Especially her. Novelty might have a lot to do with it." I didn't mention that touching Carter would be rather novel for me. I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that my hand had somehow found a way to reach under the armrest to lay against her leg.

Hammond snorted. "Colonel, fascinating as touching each other might be right now, I assure you that you are still a candidate for courts martial." There was a twinkle in his eyes that told me he was well aware of where my limbs were.

"Yes, sir." But I didn't move them.

He dismissed us as soon as the SFs arrived. Hammond warned them about leaving us alone. I happily noted that they were new, relatively young guys. Young and new meant I could trick them into following my orders once the general was out of the room. I thought I saw the sparkle in Carter's eyes as well, but I might have been imagining it. She'd quickly been distracted by their sidearms. I tried to fight as long as I could, but eventually I had to give in and feel their jackets. One of them was softer than the other. I snickered to myself as I glanced at his left hand, remembering those painful days when I'd first been married to Sara and I'd had to go to work in my lilac-scented, fabric-softened clothes.

We probably looked rather ridiculous parading down the hall. One SF was in front, followed by me - while I continued to rub his shirt, then there was Carter, who'd stuck her hand in my hair and wasn't about to move it, and finally, the other SF who was pretending not to see any of it. When we reached the elevator, the first one turned around to look at me

"Sir? Where to first?"

I was about to suggest Carter's lab, but she had other ideas. She pulled at her collar with the hand that wasn't massaging my hair. "Um, sir, can we go change first?"

I stared at her while I pondered her question. Hammond had objected to us being out of uniform during the briefing, but surely he didn't expect us to stay in uncomfortable, itchy clothes all night. I smiled. "Good idea, Major." I turned to the SFs. "Locker room."

We all piled into the elevator. I was grinning at the mere thought that I was about to get out of my stiff clothes. I noticed that Carter was grinning away too, although from the playful glint I thought I saw in her eyes, she was grinning for another reason altogether. When we reached the locker room, the SFs tried to decide how best to follow the generals orders. Much to my chagrin, they decided that one of them would come in with me while the other waited with Carter in the hallway; then we would swap. I was going to argue, but I couldn't come up with anything better than their idea sucked because I wanted to be alone in the locker room with Carter.

The single SF smiled broadly as he nodded at Carter. "I guess I'm waiting with you, ma'am."

Carter narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth and it took all of my strength not to plug my fingers in my ears in anticipation of her scream. But she didn't scream. She simply shook her head. "I'm sorry, that's just unacceptable. Under no circumstances are either one of you going to accompany me while I change."

I folded my arms across my chest and nodded, pretending that I wasn't kicking myself for not thinking of that angle. The SFs glanced at each other, obviously trying to come up with another plan. I smiled, seeing my chance. "We'll go in and get changed and you guys wait here to watch the door."

"Um-" The lilac-scented one bit his lip, trying to find a respectful way to argue with a superior officer.

The other one spoke up. "General Hammond said we weren't supposed to leave you guys alone."

Carter nodded. "You're absolutely right. But I won't be alone. Colonel O'Neill will be with me. And he won't be alone because I'll be with him."

I patted her heartily on the back while nearly shoving her toward the locker room. "Exactly. You're following orders." I was right on her heels when the door closed behind us. "God, you're brilliant."

She spun around and I was expecting a comeback of some sort, like how had it taken me so long to realize that. But she said nothing. She only shoved me back against the door and pressed herself against me. "Well, the general didn't specify that we shouldn't be alone together."

I grinned as I inhaled her fairly intoxicating scent. "Next time I give you an order, I'm going to have to be very careful with my words."

She leaned forward and nuzzled against my neck, causing my knees to nearly give out. She stretched up on her tip-toes to whisper in my ear. "To be fair, I don't usually look for loopholes to avoid following a direct order."

Before I lost complete control, I decided to turn the tables on her, leaning in to nibble on her earlobe. "Lucky me."

I felt her legs fold and her weight settle into my arms. "No way. Lucky me."

Then we didn't feel the need to say much of anything. There were a few moans and even a couple squeals, the squeals were all from Carter, I swear. The only problem was, with our heightened senses, we kept getting distracted. I think we spent a good ten minutes just staring at our hands and marveling at how nice they felt when we interlaced our fingers. Just when things were starting to get interesting - as in, right when we realized that the skin contact from removing both of our shirts was as amazing as holdings hands was - the SFs knocked on the door.

"Sir, ma'am, is everything ok in there?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Carter chose that moment to suck on the spot below my ear that normally made me nuts, making my guttural moan of 'oh, yeah' sound particularly inappropriate. She giggled and I wanted to chastise her, but then she raked her nails down my back and I immediately forgave her.

At some point after that, I decided I absolutely had to taste every inch of her skin and the best way to do that, was, in fact, not leaning against the door. I carefully maneuvered her over to the benches and was trying my best to delicately lower her onto her back while she was kissing me senseless, not that I was particularly sensible at the moment. Finally, she was settled and staring up at me with the most unbelievably sexy look on her with her with hair all disheveled from my own hands. I smiled down at her, fully intending to consummate our relationship right there in the locker room.

She looked up at me, her eyes widening the slightest bit. And then her mouth moved.

But it was a decidedly masculine voice that hollered. "Colonel O'Neill, just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

I held Carter's eyes for a brief moment before I carefully untangled myself and moved to the far end of the bench. I couldn't look at the general. I just couldn't. For all my posturing and breaking every rule in the book, I didn't actually want to get court martialled. I dropped my face in my hands and fervently began to wish that none of it had ever happened.