December 4th
He is standing in the doorway, watching her walk up the driveway, face impassive- that careful blankness it takes on around her. She stops a few feet away from him, standing on the edge of the porch as her gaze pulls away from the ground and up to his eyes.
“I’m taking the mission.”
It is not a question, but a statement. She isn’t looking for his approval or hoping he’ll veto her decision. She knows as well as he does that there is no one else who can do this.
When he doesn’t say anything and his expression does not change, the hint of defiance fades from her eyes. If he turns and closes the door, she will know that what they have means nothing.
She has to know.
And then he steps down, and his arms wrap around her as she relaxes against him. She listens to his heartbeat, strong and steady, as he holds her and breathes in the light scent that says ‘Carter’.
When she breaks the stillness and tries to speak, he kisses her. Soon the rest of the world slips away as he holds her tightly, discarding all the doubts and hesitancy that might have stood between them.
There are no neighbors to see him lead her into the house, or to wonder at the strangeness of their touch… as if it almost hurts to be this close after years of only brushes and glances.
If she survives this suicide mission, he is willing to face the consequences- because it will mean that she is alive.
Afterwards, they sleep peacefully: she with no thoughts of dying, and he with no thoughts of being left behind.
Deus Ex Machina
“I’m taking the mission.”
It is not a question, but a statement. She isn’t looking for his approval or hoping he’ll veto her decision. She knows as well as he does that there is no one else who can do this.
When he doesn’t say anything and his expression does not change, the hint of defiance fades from her eyes. If he turns and closes the door, she will know that what they have means nothing.
She has to know.
And then he steps down, and his arms wrap around her as she relaxes against him. She listens to his heartbeat, strong and steady, as he holds her and breathes in the light scent that says ‘Carter’.
When she breaks the stillness and tries to speak, he kisses her. Soon the rest of the world slips away as he holds her tightly, discarding all the doubts and hesitancy that might have stood between them.
There are no neighbors to see him lead her into the house, or to wonder at the strangeness of their touch… as if it almost hurts to be this close after years of only brushes and glances.
If she survives this suicide mission, he is willing to face the consequences- because it will mean that she is alive.
Afterwards, they sleep peacefully: she with no thoughts of dying, and he with no thoughts of being left behind.
Deus Ex Machina