He found her in the food room, solemnly eating – or sipping – melted Ben and Jerry's.
He sighed, and sat down next to her quietly. Finding a spoon, he bent and scooped from her pint without hesitation.
"What kind is this?" He asked, going for the small talk he was always so comfortable with.
She didn't at him, just focused on getting the slush from the carton to her mouth and back again.
"Something with chocolate."
He nodded. Her inarticulation was a bad sign.
"It's good," he replied, sneaking a look at her face before helping himself to more of the ice cream.
"Yeah." Her voice had a strange note of surrender to it, weary, without real care for what she was saying. It was obvious her mind was somewhere else, probably a place where a young man named Fifth was locked into a betrayal she created for a lifetime.
"You know, chances are he isn't even aware of where he is, or what's happened to him. Thor said the device was supposed to slow time to almost a stop."
She shook her head, and he noticed her eye twitch slightly. "That's not the point."
He winced. "I know."
She sighed, and set down the ice cream. Her spoon followed. "There are lines we don't cross. Situations we don't take advantage of."
"There are times where we don't have that luxury."
She laughed, and hollow sound that had nothing to do with humor. And she nodded. Her eye twitched again, and there was fatigue on her face he hadn't noticed before.
His eyes found hers and held. He thought maybe he saw a concession made there, an unspoken agreement.
And maybe her shoulders weren't hunched anymore.
They sat there for a few more minutes, in silence, and when she rose to leave, he swore he felt her hand brush against his shoulder.
~*~
Story Notes: EMAIL: gene_este@hotmail.com
SEASON / SEQUEL: S6.
SPOILERS: 'Unnatural Selection'
ARCHIVE: SJA yes, as well as Helio, The Gene Pool, and probably anyone else that asks.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thought I'd try my hand at something other than a huge honkin' WIP. Short and sweet, this is one of the first of a long line of similar-themed fics, I just it isn't *too* ordinary. ;) *grin* For Suz, who is the constant object of envy. I took a page out of your book. TO SpamDanvs, NellBell, and JeanBean: You'll never read this, so why do you care?! ;p Feedback, constructive criticism, and flames are welcome. Hit me with your best shot.
SEASON / SEQUEL: S6.
SPOILERS: 'Unnatural Selection'
ARCHIVE: SJA yes, as well as Helio, The Gene Pool, and probably anyone else that asks.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thought I'd try my hand at something other than a huge honkin' WIP. Short and sweet, this is one of the first of a long line of similar-themed fics, I just it isn't *too* ordinary. ;) *grin* For Suz, who is the constant object of envy. I took a page out of your book. TO SpamDanvs, NellBell, and JeanBean: You'll never read this, so why do you care?! ;p Feedback, constructive criticism, and flames are welcome. Hit me with your best shot.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]