Drabbles: Painted Lies (Rewrite), A Blanket Full of Doubt
These drabbles have been sitting around my hard-drive for over a week. I figured I'd post them, to get rid of some of the clutter in my "to do" folder. mazikea, don't worry, I didn't change your favorite line.
Painted Lies ("Conversion" interlude, 100 words, rewrite of Painted Lies)
Elizabeth pulls the last of her pancake makeup from her dresser drawer and opens it. The bruises blossoming around her neck throb as she rubs the makeup into her skin, but gradually disappear. She dislikes wasting supplies like this, but she has seen the anger in her people's eyes.
"It wasn't really him," she insists.
"Of course not," they reply, but they don't truly understand. They haven't stood beside him watching his self-control slip from his grasp.
When she returns to the control room, Rodney asks, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she lies, as always.
This time, they believe her.
*
A Blanket Full of Doubt ("The Eye" interlude, 100 words)
John feels oddly delicate, like he'll break if he breathes too deeply. But he doesn't know quite what to do about it, so he sits quietly beside Elizabeth and watches as she speaks to McKay in low tones. Her hair is still wet from the rain, and he can see the shivers rippling up her spine. He wants to pull her onto his lap, wrap himself around her, settle his chin into her shoulder.
But McKay is the one who puts an arm around her. When she leans into his touch, John tries to control the twisting in his gut.
Painted Lies ("Conversion" interlude, 100 words, rewrite of Painted Lies)
Elizabeth pulls the last of her pancake makeup from her dresser drawer and opens it. The bruises blossoming around her neck throb as she rubs the makeup into her skin, but gradually disappear. She dislikes wasting supplies like this, but she has seen the anger in her people's eyes.
"It wasn't really him," she insists.
"Of course not," they reply, but they don't truly understand. They haven't stood beside him watching his self-control slip from his grasp.
When she returns to the control room, Rodney asks, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she lies, as always.
This time, they believe her.
*
A Blanket Full of Doubt ("The Eye" interlude, 100 words)
John feels oddly delicate, like he'll break if he breathes too deeply. But he doesn't know quite what to do about it, so he sits quietly beside Elizabeth and watches as she speaks to McKay in low tones. Her hair is still wet from the rain, and he can see the shivers rippling up her spine. He wants to pull her onto his lap, wrap himself around her, settle his chin into her shoulder.
But McKay is the one who puts an arm around her. When she leans into his touch, John tries to control the twisting in his gut.