Distance from Isolation

John's cock was firm and warm in her hand, deceptively solid. She stroked him long and slow, covering the full length of his shaft. It wasn't the touch he preferred, but the beginning was for her. The end was for him.

Lifting his hips, he thrust into her hand. She tightened her grip and shortened her movements, concentrating on the area just beneath the head. She wanted to strip him bare, make him gasp and tremble. Say her name. They'd done this enough times that she knew that wouldn't happen, no matter how quickly or firmly she stroked.

John's eyes were open, but she doubted he was seeing her. She suspected that he only kept them open because some previous lover had criticized him for closing them. More than once, she had considered telling him it was okay to close them, but she never did.

His eyes fell shut when he came, silent as always, his cock pulsing in her hand while the rest of him remained unnervingly still. Then he smiled and kissed her, turned her onto her back and knelt between her legs.

His touch was assured, gentle, skilled. All surface and no depth, it left her feeling hollow.

***

Rodney walked into the briefing room with a half-finished piece of fruit in one hand and his laptop in the other. He started talking before he'd even reached his chair, in spite of the fact that he hadn't swallowed his last bite of fruit.

"I thought Canadians were supposed to be well-mannered," John said, interrupting him.

"Whoever told you that?"

"Swallow, Rodney."

Rodney swallowed, somewhat ostentatiously, and John grinned at him. It was the grin that only Rodney ever received. Everyone else, Elizabeth included, got the easy, amiable grin, the one that was assured and skilled. Rodney McKay got the genuine one, the one with depth and feeling.

She wondered if Rodney was even aware of the difference.

She wondered if John was.

Rodney took a large, crunchy bite of the fruit in his hand and smiled his close-lipped smile. John responded with an affectionate half-shake of his head.

Elizabeth looked around the table, her eyes settling on Rodney, and cleared her throat. "Now that everyone is here, shall we begin?"

Rodney nodded, his expression apologetic. She knew he was apologizing for being late, but the last thing she wanted was an apology from Rodney.

Elizabeth forced herself to smile. In her head she heard John gasp, heard him say Rodney's name. Clasping her hands in front of her, she said, "What have you got for us?"