Rotten, worthless busywork.  How the hell does this crap accumulate so fast?  It'll end up on my tombstone, I know it.  ‘Jack O'Neill—he never did get caught up on the damned paperwork.'

Worst part is, I know exactly what's waiting for me, if I can ever escape from this hole in the ground.  And waiting and waiting, apparently.  ‘Please, General, Sir, can I go home now?'

This is not helping my concentration.

Ah, just what I need… not.

“Come!”

“Sir.”

“Carter… What can I do for you, Major?”

“Uh, Sir… I wanted to talk… to discuss… well…”

Hmm.  Been spending too much time with my archaeologist, Major?  Get to the point… man in a hurry, here.

“Yes…?”  I let the eyebrows go up.

“Ah, Sir…”  Damn, suddenly she's looking pretty fiercely determined.  “Sir, I'm not asking, and you're not going to tell, but I know.  And I'm watching!”

Oh, shit.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard, Colonel.”

“Yes, I did.  What I didn't do was particularly understand, Major.  Especially the watching part.”

She's got that ‘Dorothy' look on her face. 

“I just wanted you to know that I'm keeping an eye on things, Sir.”

“Ahhh… Just what things are we talking about, Carter?”

“Daniel.”

“Daniel?”

“Daniel.  And I'm not going to let you hurt him.  Sir.”

“ Hurt him?  What the hell makes you think I've got any intention of hurting him?”

“I know how vulnerable he is!  If you're just taking advantage of him, I'll… I'll… Well, I'm sure there's plenty I can to do make your life miserable!”

“Vulnerable?  Taking advantage of him?  Major, what the hell do you think you're babbling about?”

“You haven't exactly looked out for his feelings in the past, Sir!”

Whoa!  She'd pop me one if she thought she could get away with it.  Oh, Danny.  You do attract champions, don't you. 

“Look, Carter.  If I promise you I'll take good care of him, if I swear that I won't leave him crying in his over-priced bottled water, will you please go back to your lab so I don't have to send you to visit MacKenzie?”

“Just remember—I'm watching.  I'd hate to have to take this to Teal'c.  I don't think ‘don't ask, don't tell' will slow him down much!”

“Ah… no.  I doubt it would.  But trust me, it's not going to be an issue.  No hurting is going to happen, okay?”

She's staring at me, brows beetling furiously.  Holy shit. 

Finally, with a brisk, hard nod, she pivots on her heel and stalks out of my office.  She lets the door slam behind her.

F'r cryin' out loud.

*****

“I had the most bizarre encounter with Carter this afternoon.”

The man sitting Indian-style in the middle of the bed quirks a curious eyebrow at me.  I can't help but grin—he's obviously been waiting a while.  And I guess he figured he'd get a bit of a head start. 

Talk about incentive.  Hurrying to catch up, I yank my shirt over my head.

“She had a few things to say to me… about taking care of you.”

Daniel's enchanting smile twitches at his lips.

“Me, too.”

“She was worried about you taking care of me?  Now, why don't I find that a credible concept?”

“No, you idiot.  She was worried about me letting you get away with mistreating me.  Because I've been… without… for so long, I think.  You know, I can deal with her apparent belief that I'm innocent and naïve—though what she thinks I've been doing for the last 35 years I can't figure—but I have to admit to being a bit miffed about how desperate she evidently thinks I am.”

“What the hell did she have to say to you?”

The smile expands to a grin.  His gaze drops to the hands folded in his lap, and a gentle rose colors his cheeks.

“She was worried about me.  She said…”  The corners of his mouth are quivering. 

I can feel my own mouth stretching into a shit-eating grin.

“Danny, I can't figure out how you do it.  How the hell can you look demure as a goddam schoolgirl, sitting there buck naked?”

The grin graduates to laughter, his crinkling nose and sparkling eyes inviting and irresistible.  I can't help it—he's just too delicious.  Before I even have time to think about it, I'm on the bed with him, cradling those warm cheeks and kissing that soft, sweet mouth.

“I don't know many ‘goddam' school girls, Jack,” he laughs against my mouth.

The laughter dies as his arms slide around my ribcage, lips and teeth nibbling tenderly on my lower lip, tugging hands urging my body closer. 

“I've been waiting a long time, Jack,” he whispers between nips.  “A long, long time.”

“Oh, yeah.  Long time.”  Hot damn.  Definitely on the boil here.  “Carter…?”

“She said… she was afraid…”  His body is quaking with the effort of containing renewed giggles.  “She told me you were j… ust… using m…me.”

I'm outraged.  What the hell does she think… !

He's laughing again as he gently nuzzles my neck.  “Oh, Jack.  If this is getting used, I'll take it.”

One more tender kiss, then he pulls back, still quivering with laughter.  For a moment his gaze holds my eyes, then he flings himself back to sprawl on his back against the pillows.

“Hurry Jack!”  He lifts a hand to reach for me.  “Use me…”

Oh, yeah.  Hot damn.

*****

…I wanna spread the news,
That if it feels this good gettin' used
Oh you just keep on using me…
…'Til you use me up

'Use Me'
Bill Withers