Note: Though this is set in early season four, it was written before the season began and was not based on spoilers (aside from the fact that Sara would be back).
Observation
One cut marred her body. In his opinion, it was one cut too many. He knew she was broken, he knew she was scarred; the physical proof was not necessary. He was all too aware of the pain he was responsible for. The precise slit just below her jaw was hidden only when her chin was tipped downwards and her eyes gazed at the ground; a bitter irony holding no even keel. Her eyes were open as he looked at her and found himself once again fighting a seemingly endless battle with his own mind.
Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, the back of her head pressed into the pillow. She rolled over and hastily pulled the hair tie from her hair before settling her head back into its haven. He watched her movements, knowing this simple string of actions was not done in the need of physical comfort, but because it was something to distract her from the intensity of being watched, of him watching her. Guilty as charged.
* * *
One set of eyes made her fidget. She couldn't help it, his stare brought undeniable heat to her face, both a gentle warmth and a burning insecurity. She felt guilty when he whispered an apology, her restlessness obviously not as subtle as she would have liked. Who was she kidding, was there ever a time he hadn't been able to read her like an open book? Doubtful, but she hoped there had been. She brushed off his remorse with a shake of the head, bravely meeting his gaze in an affirmation of the superfluousness of his apology.
His body sat in the chair beside her bed, slumped down with invisible weight; bad for his back, thought the forgotten doctor in her. His eyes had - intentionally, for her - lost some of the intensity they had held just moments before, and his gaze had softened; yet empathy and worry were still clear. She touched a single finger to his face, just above his lips. Surprise imbued him, but he did not flinch; never would he with her. Eyelashes touched cheek as he looked down to see an unfocused vision of her skin on his. Mere moments passed before she suddenly let her hand drop from his face. As her finger left his skin, the green of the stone in the band circling her index finger illuminated the hidden emerald in his eyes. Sole witness to this, she released a soundless gasp.
* * *
One creak came from the wooden chair as she pulled him from it. She felt the caution ripple though his body as she tugged him down next to her. She smiled reassuringly and slid her tired body sideways ever so slightly; space was not necessary, there had always been boundless amounts of it between them. No more. Their foreheads and noses met as their extreme closeness blurred their sight of each other. A barrier it was not. They knew the other was there. They felt it. And that was enough.