As Lee Adama lay flat on his back, he didn't think the situation could get any worse. "I'm sorry. I think I broke it," he finally said in defeat.
He heard the laugh of the crewman who was helping him with the Viper. Scratch that. It was a crew woman under that orange jumper, specifically Specialist Cally with the doe eyes, pretty smile and easy laugh. She wasn't just a pretty girl, either. When they'd been aboard the Astral Queen with the prisoners, she showed her true mettle.
"Leave it to a pilot to frak the engine," she said, kicking his booted foot, "but that's why you have us."
Cally got on her back and slid under the Viper beside the CAG. After poking around with a few of the tools, some engine oil leaked out, dripping on both of them. Unlike some women Lee had known before the apocalypse, Cally wiped her face and continued doing her job. It was that lack of pretense that he liked about her.
"I think I'll go get the book," Apollo said to her as he went to find the service manual. He'd managed to find one that had all the details about the ship.
"No need," she said simply. "I see the problem. I never thought you would give up so easily," she said as she started to fix it.
"Well, I don't know as much about this as you do," he admitted. Yes, the captain tried to help in fixing the Vipers, but the level of specialized knowledge was a reason why the pilots were one group and Chief Tyrol's group was another.
"I learned from the best," Cally replied as she finished. She stood up and took the book from Lee's hands and showed him what she'd done.
"That's not so hard," he said as he admired her work.
She shoved the book into his chest with a smile. "Then why didn't you do it the first time?"
"I was trying to see if you knew what you were doing," he said with a smile.
"Right," she said sarcastically as she started to put her tools away.
Before he could say anything else to her, Chief Tyrol walked over to him. "Captain!" he said with a salute. "Will you be going to the Lupercalia celebration this evening?"
"No, Chief, I have to keep watch here in case there are any Cylon scouts. Some downtime would be nice, but I don't have that luxury," Apollo said.
"Downtime?" Cally's interrupted with interest. "Sounds great! Do we get to go to this party, Chief?"
"A few yes, but I need some of you to stay and work," Tyrol replied with a face that made it clear Cally was one of those people.
"Yes, Chief," she said with a sigh and went to her next task.
Lee stared at her wishing they both could have some reprieve from the demands of their jobs. He rubbed his neck and walked off the flight deck to go get some of his work done.
It was hours later after the revelers were all back from the Lupercalia party that Specialist Cally got off her shift. The President did have a nice idea to continue observing the fertility festival because they really needed it now. Cally wasn't stupid, though. Yes, they needed to be fertile and make babies, but that could wait until they found a usable planet. Otherwise, there would be no place to put the people.
As she was navigating her way back to her rack and thinking about a population explosion, one particular person collided with her. It was Lee Adama in his casual clothes and he had a pair of boots in his hand. Looking down, Cally saw that they were not his own because he was already wearing his.
"Sir? Whose shoes do you have?" she asked as she looked up at him.
Apollo smiled wide showing off his full set of straight teeth. It was one of the few times she remembered him looking happy. Usually he was burdened down with something even when he was joking with her as he was earlier in the day.
"Specialist, where's your rack?" he asked urgently.
"In there," she said slowly, not sure what the CAG was doing.
"Take me there. Now!" he added before he quickly slipped out of the light of the hall into the shadows of one of the doorways.
Cally then noticed Lieutenant Thrace hobbling down the hallway in her general direction, and she wasn't wearing any shoes.
"Have you seen Apollo?" Kara asked her.
"He said something about finding a rack, Sir," she answered in partial-truth. "Do you need to find him?"
"No, I need my boots!" Starbuck said. "If I don't get my shoes back, he won't have to worry about future fertility celebrations because I'll castrate him myself!"
Cally giggled at the thought, and Kara shook her head in exasperation before stomping back in the opposite direction.
"She's gone, Sir," she said to Lee who was hiding in the shadows.
His eyes danced with mischief when he came back into view. "That's the second time today you've saved me."
"It's what I do," she said saucily. "Anyway, I was going to my rack."
Lee watched Cally walk to her quarters, and he had a plan form. First, he ran to put Kara's boots in the one place she wouldn't expect them to be—her locker. Then he took the chocolate treat he'd been saving and went back to find the pretty deckhand.
Cally didn't expect to see the CAG again after she left him in the hallway. She was sitting on her bed wearing her sleeping clothes, but she couldn't fall asleep. His knock got her scrambling off the thin mattress with a guilty expression on her face as if she should have known he was coming.
"I'm off duty. Relax! I just thought I'd share something with you," he said as his hands were behind his back.
"What is it?" she asked suspiciously. She worked with men all the time, and she knew better than to trust anything immediately.
He tipped his head and looked at her with an enigmatic smile. Since he didn't give her any clues, Cally rolled her eyes and went back to her bed.
He walked over, putting his arm up against the top bed, and leaned in with menace. "Maybe this will interest you," he said as he held out the small package of chocolate.
"By the Lords!" she said with eyes wide. "Where did you get that?"
He snatched it back from her curious reach. "I can't tell you. Want a piece?"
She licked her lips, letting him know without words that she did. Taking his liberties, Lee sat down on the bed right beside her. Then he divided the package in half, giving an equal share to Cally. After they were done, they both sat shoulder to shoulder, neither one saying anything for a while. Lee kept looking at her, though, which was unnerving.
Finally, Cally asked, "What is it? Do I have something on my nose?"
"No. I was just thinking of the Astral Queen. You were really brave, and really scary," he added when thinking of the man's missing ear. "I'd hate to get on your bad side," he laughed.
She waved her hand in a dismissive motion. "Nothing to worry about. You're the CAG, and I'm a crewman. We don't mix."
Cally didn't mention the Chief and Boomer. His crew knew about it and supported him until the Cylon bomber came. Then it was a test for them all. She felt sorry for Tyrol to let go of someone he clearly loved.
"Yeah," Lee said. He knew the rules about fraternization like everyone else did. As the CAG he was expected to be the spotless model for the other pilots. "Maybe in a different lifetime."
"When we find Earth," Cally said with one of her secret smiles.
"Count on it," he said as he took her hand in his. He squeezed her hand and then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "It's a date."
"Yes, Sir!" she said with a laugh as she watched him leave her quarters.
That would be a sight to see—Specialist Cally with Captain Adama. It could happen, though. It was the post-apocalyptic civilization now, and it's not like anyone had ever expected that destruction to happen.
Cally tucked the thought in the back of her mind as she settled in for sleep.