Author note: Thank you to those who have stopped in and left a comment. They are inspirational. This set is kind of a hodge podge; definitely random, but all set in the wake of 'Faith'.

Drabbles from Destiny

Lies

Eli was tired. And, not just physically. Being on Destiny was enough to drive anyone crazy. Hidden agendas, secret liaisons, and power plays were a daily occurrence. Definitely counterproductive. How about that? He sounded like Dr. Rush.

Sometimes he felt like he was watching parents fight. The trouble was, these parents were will to lie, cheat, steal, and kill to win the affection of the 'kids' they claim to protect. If they didn't figure it out soon, they may all end up dead in space…at the other end of the universe. It was still hard to wrap his head around.

Empty

Since their return from the planet, Chloe felt like she and Matt were ok. They had come to some kind of consensus. In some ways she felt like Matt just wanted to brush the entire take over attempt under the rug. He was mad at first, but Matt's anger was usually a cold and calculating thing rather than emotional. He doesn't want to talk about. He seems to just want to forget it. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that he wasn't over it. He had just set it aside, locked it away. That was dangerous.

Stubborn

"Why won't you talk to me?" Chloe pleaded. She sat up in bed and turn to his still form lying next to her. His back was to her, but she knew he was awake. And, ignoring her. "We can't keep going on like this.

Silence.

"This silent treatment is getting old. I thought we had gotten over this down on the planet. You seemed to want to talk to me again."

"That planet was a different place, Chloe," he said, back still to her. "It was a different circumstance. We're back on Destiny and the rift between us, our factions is still fresh."

"Then what am I doing here?" she said harshly. "Am I just someone to warm your bed? If you can't trust me then why did you let me come here and…"

He rolled over to face her. "That was your choice. I thought I could trust you, Chloe. I thought I see past your underhanded betray-"

"I don't have to listen to this," Chloe spat, dropping the covers from her naked body and hopping off the bed. "You are a f*cking bastard, Matt. A f*cking bastard."

He sat up and watched her pull on the familiar purple shirt and black stretch pants. She glared at him, tears welling in her eyes, and practically kicked her feet into her shoes. She left his quarters without another word.

He didn't make a move. He didn't know what to do or say. She had betrayed him. She had betrayed the Colonel. He never expected it from her. Their growing relationship was something he felt had pulled her to his way of things. He would protect her and she would support him. Apparently not. He felt a pang of sadness. Was she lost?

Stress

Lisa Park was a freaky scientist. But she was a fine scientist. Lean and mean. He was surprised by how forward she was in her attentions, but not sorry. His pining over TJ would have to stop given her pregnancy. Given whose baby it had to be, it would do no good to make a play for her now. Park had mentioned stress relief as the excuse for getting him in bed. By the time it was over, he wasn't sure if he was more stressed or more relieved. One thing was for sure, he wanted to do it again.

Smile

Anger, rage, a deep seated grief, resentment, and determinism swirled inside the mind of Dr. Nicholas Rush. The face put on this boiling cauldron of dysfunction was a gruff, ill tempered, arrogance. Even so, there are a few things that made him smile. Making progress on Destiny was his top priority, followed closely by being a thorn in the side of Col. Young. But, recently Rush had found another reason to smile: Chloe Armstrong. Their shared experience of alien captivity as well as their narrow escape had formed a singular bond. He looked forward to exploring their new relationship further.