AN: Looks like there's going to be one or two more chapters to this. Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter Five

I thought for a moment that my prayer to disappear had been answered. There was dead silence. Even the blood that had been pounding through my veins from the rush of touching Carter and the shock of seeing Hammond had quieted. I waited longer than I felt I should have to for him to say something. I waited longer than I felt I should have to for the SFs to haul me away to the brig. Eventually, curiosity won out and I peaked through my fingers to see if my prayer had made Hammond disappear.

No such luck. Hammond's eyes fixed on mine immediately. I thought I'd been on the receiving end of some extremely angry stares in my life, but they were nothing compared to the look Hammond was giving me. Out of fear that looks could actually kill, I glanced at Carter. She'd managed to sit up and pull on a shirt, thankfully, but she still looked far too kissable for my mental health. Her hair was sticking up in all directions. Her lips were swollen. Her cheeks were flushed.

I stood up, belatedly realizing, and only after I saw Carter, that a general had entered the room and that I should stand. Unfortunately, standing up moved me closer to Carter. And once I was there, I noticed that faint perfume that was inherently Carter - soap and shampoo and something else. And of course that perfume - which, for the record, I had previously been damn near immune to - was particularly powerful. Even as I stood there, with Hammond glaring at us, I felt myself shifting closer. I wasn't sure what I thought I was going to do, what with Hammond there and all, but I couldn't help myself. I actually felt the sleeve of her shirt touch my bare arm.

Hammond narrowed his eyes so far that they nearly closed. "Colonel." His even, measured tone gave me the idea that I was in so much trouble that I really ought to care. I almost started to, but Carter shifted a little bit, allowing her arm to press lightly against mine. Hammond grunted and shifted his weight, giving me a fairly frightening image that he was about to charge us like a bull. "Colonel O'Neill, I want you to go over there. Now." He pointed across the room.

I glanced at the area. It was woefully lacing Carter-ness. I frowned and decided to risk Hammond charging me. "May I ask why, sir?"

If the man was ever going to blow a gasket, it was at that moment. "Why?" He crossed the room to stand directly in front of me. Again, I normally would have been concerned about the multiple counts of disobeying a direct order that I was facing, but Carter shifted closer as she pitifully tried to cower behind me. I turned my head slightly to peek at her. That only made matter worse. "Colonel, may I have your attention, please!"

For just one moment, I contemplated cowering behind Carter. I winced. "Sorry, sir?"

"You're sorry? I just caught you having sex with your second-in-command after disobeying a direct order to stay away from each other and all you have to say is 'sorry?'"

Common sense would have told me to be quiet and let him vent. That is, if I'd had any common sense. "We weren't having sex, per se, when you walked in. Not yet, at least."

He actually did charge me then. Maybe he was just going to get in my face and yell, but I only saw a snarling bull and I was waving a red flag. So I took a huge step back, accidentally shoving Carter in the process. Carter bumped into the bench, lost her balance and grabbed the closest thing with which to steady herself: me. Not expecting Carter's dead weight, I fell back, sending both of us careening over the bench and onto the floor.

We both lay there stunned for a long time. The trouble with an enhanced sense of touch is that a fall like that really, really hurts. Nonetheless, I scrambled off of her as soon as I recovered from the shock. Carter unsteadily climbed to her feet, rubbing the back of her head with one hand and that forearm with the other hand.

Seeing her injured, and that spellbinding dazed look of hers, I completed forgot about Hammond. I turned to face her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

She looked up at me, glanced at my hand where it rested on her shoulder, and then turned back to me with a heated stare. Apparently, she'd forgotten about Hammond as well. A sexy grin slid across her face. "I'm just fine, sir."

I started to smile back. "Good." We both leaned forward.

"Colonel! Major!"

I turned away from Carter, stunned at my own behavior, flabbergasted by Carter's.

Hammond glanced back and forth between us. "You really can't control yourselves, can you?" Neither of us bothered to respond. "Major Carter, with me. Colonel, you're spending the night in a holding cell. Major Carter will be placed in one as well as soon as I'm certain you're locked up."

I bit my lip, wondering if there was a particular reason why he was going so easy on us. Carter dutifully followed him to the door, staring back at me over her shoulder sadly as she went.

Hammond stopped halfway through the door and noticed that Carter's steps had shortened and slowed. "Major Carter!" Her shoulders slumped as she caught up with him. Hammond glared at her, but she didn't notice because her head was hanging. His eyes met mine instead. "And don't think for one second that there won't be a punishment for this behavior."

I watched Carter swallowed hard and nod, thinking he was talking to her. "Yes, sir." I'd never heard anyone sounding so forlorn and it nearly broke my heart. So Carter unhappily trailed Hammond down the hall. As the door was closing, I stretched my neck to watch her as long as I could. Her hand played along the wall as she walked. I could imagine the feel of the concrete beneath her fingers. Just thinking about it made me reach out and feel it for myself.

Apparently Hammond was a big fan of overkill. Either that or he was particularly angry or perhaps he thought I might make some sort of an attempt to get to Carter, which I decided after the fact might have been worth it. Whatever he thought, I personally found the five SFs he sent to escort me to my cell to be excessive. Because really, without Carter around to distract me, I could just as easily amuse myself by touching everything on my way to the cell. Once I was there, however, I had to pace myself for fear I'd run out of things to touch long before morning.

Not one to take advice from anyone, including myself, I had examined every surface in the tiny room twice within an hour. I sat down on the stiff, uncomfortable mattress in my itchy pants and cursed myself for having wasted the opportunity to change into something else. But thinking of what I'd been wasting that time doing brought a smile to my face and, for a moment, I didn't care.

I'd kissed Carter. I'd touched Carter. And she'd quite thoroughly enjoyed it. Few people have ever seen such an incredible smile as the one that was plastered on my face at that moment. Unfortunately, I immediately realized how grossly inappropriate my actions had been. And then I remembered how it came to pass that we hadn't made it further - Hammond. I was so going to get it. Carter would probably get a sharp reprimand, but I knew Hammond had a soft spot for her. Everyone had a soft spot for her. I blamed it on the dimples. I, on the other hand, didn't have any dimples and I didn't have big blue eyes that I could bat shamefully and therefore get Hammond to blame someone else for my actions. I was so going to get it. I hung my head and spent the night berating myself.