Home
Author: JPBryant
Characters:
Sharon/Helo
Rating: Mature, for descriptions of violence,
language and sexual situations.
Spoilers: Through 'A
Measure of Salvation", everything after that is AU.
Disclaimer:
Not mine.
Summary: After rescuing Hera from the Cylons,
Helo and Sharon try to start a new life. Set after "A Measure of
Salvation", it goes completely AU after that.
A/N: The
seventh of seventeen chapters to the story, I'll be posting them as I
finish them. Thanks to wintergreen126, Lightn, and Jazmin22 - I can't
thank them enough for all the time they put into helping me with
this.
Chapter 7
The dusty planet rotated slowly beneath them, the Caprican sun peeking around the edge of the once brilliant crown jewel of the colonies. The bright greens and blues that Helo remembered from his time in orbit were only visible through occasional holes and cracks in the cloud cover that still enveloped the planet. He could see storm systems swirling through the atmosphere, carrying the rain he had come to know so well in the months he had called Caprica home.
He looked over to Sharon, waiting anxiously as her eyes darted from one screen to another, while Hera squirmed in his lap. The little girl was sitting too low to see out the cockpit glass, and the dark cabin of the ship offered little to occupy her. Grabbing the harness that strapped her and her father to the chair, she pulled on it in silent annoyance.
"Zero contacts," Sharon said, still reading the instruments. Helo could make nothing from the streams of light she stared at, but he could see the line of her shoulders relaxing the longer she looked. "There's nothing out there," she said.
Helo looked back down at the abandoned planet. They had prepared for the Cylons to be here, just in case, calculating backup jumps to outlying mining colonies and moons, ready to find another home if her people had returned. None of that would be necessary though; after destroying and then occupying Caprica, the Cylons had simply left it.
Now he and Sharon would reclaim the discarded world and try to make it their home.
"Let's go," he said.
Sharon pushed the ship forward, sending it gliding down towards the atmosphere. Sunlight spilled across the planet, pushing back the darkness as a new morning dawned on this side of the world, and night began on the other. Chasing the demarcation of light and dark, they descended into the first layers of the atmosphere and the ship began to tremble.
Pushing through the stratosphere, the ship lurched, pressing Helo and his daughter hard against the restraints. The trembling of the ship steadily grew into a violent shaking, a loud roar filling the cabin as they sliced deeper into the atmosphere. Flames licked at the trailing edges of the cockpit window, tiny blue jets of fire that appeared for only a moment before dying and being replaced by another.
And as quickly as the turbulence had come, it was gone. With a final bump, the vibration and sound that had filled the cabin disappeared, and Sharon leveled the ship. The sun was directly behind them now, and up ahead Helo could see the terminus line approaching fast. Cruising above the cloud layer, stars filled the velvet sky above them, until Sharon dipped the nose of the craft and sent them plowing into the cloud bank.
He could see nothing out the cockpit window except a curtain of gray, and as they outran the Caprican sun, the cabin fell into darkness once more. The dim interior lights of the ship reflected off of the tiny water droplets that formed on the outside of the glass, but there was little else to see. Glancing over at Sharon, he saw she was as calm as could be. She knew where they were going, and he knew she would get them there.
He looked down at the girl in his arms, dressed in a simple white nightgown bereft of any decoration or pattern. Something on the console in front of them had managed to capture her attention, and she stared intently at the Cylon display.
She still had yet to look at him or Sharon, always looking past or through them. And though he already loved her with every fiber of his being, he wasn't surprised that the feeling wasn't mutual. He only hoped that whatever damage had been done during the first two years of her life could be undone with time and affection.
Reaching out to take one of her tiny hands, she didn't resist or respond.
"We're almost there, Hera," he said.
The Cylon transport slid out from beneath the clouds, and the lack of celestial illumination left the ground below them in near complete darkness. Sharon's hands moved over the controls as she brought the ship lower, allowing Helo to make out the faint outlines of the topography below. A snow covered mountain range stood out along their port side, the silver capped peaks standing out against the blackness of everything else. The ship flew parallel to the mountains, following the argent spine further west.
Lifting the ship over a smaller set of peaks, Sharon flew towards their destination. She had memorized the flight-path to the small mountain town before their first attempt to leave Galactica, and the memory had not faded.
"There," she said, looking out into the darkness.
Helo saw nothing at first, but as she lowered the ship to within a hundred meters of ground, he could make out the shapes of man-made structures below.
"Let's set down," he said, "Try to find a place for the night."
She nodded once and guided the ship towards the tree line, maneuvering carefully around the edges of the forest. Landing just inside the tree line, he could feel the craft sink into the soft turf below. Neither he nor Sharon made a move to rise from their seat, sitting in silence for a moment and staring out the window. Hera began to squirm again, pulling and tugging at the straps.
"Let me," Sharon said, standing up and reaching out to take their little girl. Sharon's eyes lit up and her smile returned as he handed Hera to her. "Hello, Hera," she said, her voice rising softly.
He watched silently as mother and child reunited once more, and seeing the smile on his wife's face brought one to his as well. The reality of the moment was almost more than he could believe; this was his life, and nothing, not even any regrets he had buried deep inside, could match the power of the scene before him.
He ran a hand over his daughter's hair and then headed to the back of the ship. Kneeling beside the crates of supplies they had transferred from the Raptor, he snapped open the latches. Sharon's footsteps echoed off the metal walls of the cabin as she walked up behind him and reached over to punch the latch release. The low pitched grinding of high tension gears filled the cabin as the back of the ship yawned open onto a dark, empty field. Warm air from outside mixed with the cool conditioned air of the ship, carrying with it the smell of wet grass he had come to associate with the planet. A small vibration shook the ship as the ramp hit the ground, the silence it left in its wake quickly permeated by the rhythmic tapping of falling water on the metal grates.
"Rain," Sharon said. She stood at the top of the ramp and looked out, Hera cradled in her arms.
He smiled as he continued his search through the boxes, pulling out a few blankets and some rations. Stuffing them into his flight bag, he stood and joined Sharon and his daughter in staring out into the night. On the opposite side of the field he spotted what appeared to be a white building atop a small hill, though in the darkness and rain it was impossible to see clearly.
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he prepared to head out. When his gaze passed over his daughter, he stopped, slipped the bag down and pulled out one of the blankets. With Sharon's help he wrapped it around their daughter to shield their child from the rain which would soon greet them.
"Ready?" he asked.
Sharon took a few steps onto the ramp in reply, and he followed quickly behind. The first drops of rain hit them and they began to jog across the field, long grasses bending and snapping as they made their way towards the building on the hill. The rain fell steadily, wetting his hair and seeping into the collar of his fatigues. Bundled tightly, Hera was kept close to her mother's chest as they covered the distance between the ship and the white building. Unseen obstacles beneath their feet threatened to send them to the ground with each step, but he kept his pace, focused on their destination.
Reaching the side of the structure, there were no overhangs or awnings to shelter them. With the rain beating down, they moved quickly around the edge of the building until they discovered a large set of double doors. Finding them locked, Helo kicked them in without a second thought, and led his family inside.
He closed the doors behind them as Sharon unwrapped Hera and dried off the rain that had penetrated the blanket. Pulling the lantern out of his bag, he turned back to the darkness and turned it on, lighting their surroundings.
A large marble statue sat in the middle of the room, a stone goddess dominating everything else and demanding attention. The white stone floors matched the walls, while four pillars supported the domed ceiling ten meters above them.
"A temple," he said.
He made his way towards the center of the room, the pure light of his lantern reflecting off the smooth floors. The shadows cast by the pillars splayed out as he moved forward to examine the statue, a goddess kneeling before a gilded fire, tending it for eternity.
"Hestia," Sharon said, from behind him. "Goddess of hearth and home."
Helo studied the stone figure, remembering the temples he had visited on Geminon during shore leave. This shrine couldn't compare to the opulent displays he had seen there, but at this moment, the simplicity of this shrine spoke to him in a way others had failed.
"Hestia," he repeated, turning back to Sharon and smiling.
But Sharon didn't reply, preoccupied with trying to wipe every last drop of rain from her little girl. Hera seemed oblivious to the attention.
"She hasn't said a word," Sharon said quietly, running the blanket over Hera's nearly dry hair, ignoring her own saturated hair and clothes. "Not a sound even."
Helo walked back to the two and kneeled beside them. He heard the worry in Sharon's voice, though he didn't feel it himself; he had prepared himself for the worst, and silence was far from that. Hera placed a curious finger in her mouth, and wandered away from her parents on unsteady legs, moving with purpose towards the statue in the middle of the room.
"She's been through a lot," Helo said, reaching out and running a hand over Sharon's back.
"Yeah," she agreed halfheartedly, her eyes following Hera.
Looking around the room, it seemed as good a place as any to start from.
"This will do for a few days," he said, looking back to Sharon. "I'm gonna go back to the ship and get some supplies."
His words brought Sharon's focus away from Hera, and she turned to face him. "We'll be here," she replied with a small smile, reaching out and squeezing his hand.
The dash back to the ship was as wet as the first. His pants were soaked from through the tall grass, and he was grateful for the warm summer air that counteracted the cool rain. Jogging back up the ramp of the ship, he shook the rain from his hair, running a hand through it to wipe away the remainder.
Searching through the crates, he grabbed some dry clothes for him and Sharon. At the bottom of one box he had put away the few articles of children's clothing he had scrounged up, but it was obvious now that they were too big for his daughter. She seemed small for her two years, much smaller than he had expected, and that worried him more than her continued silence.
Staring at the over-sized clothes and the problem they presented, he smiled to himself, thankful for the new worries in his life. He had left so much behind, but everything he had everything he needed.
Throwing more supplies into his bag, he stepped back out into the rain, scanning his surroundings as he made his third trip across the field. They had landed at the edge of the town, and he could see a few more buildings in the distance to his right.
He pushed open the broken doors, feeling slightly guilty about the method he had used to enter the temple earlier. Doing his best to put the doors back on their hinges, he turned to see Sharon sitting against one of the pillars, a blanket beneath her. She had stripped down to her tanks, leaving her wet fatigues spread out to dry on the floor. From this angle he could make the out the very faintest of bulges in her mid-section, the beginnings of their second daughter. Sharon's eyes were locked on their first child though, who now wandered from pillar to pillar, studying each one with a critical eye.
"She's a curious little girl," Helo said as he approached. He took a seat beside Sharon, just off the blanket so as not to get it wet.
"Curious about everything but us," Sharon said, unable to hide the trace of dejection in her voice. Neither of them had known what to expect, but it was obvious that Sharon's hopes had been higher than his.
Looking at Hera, he wanted nothing more than to run up and hug her tightly. But he knew she needed time as much as they needed her.
"Be patient, Sharon," he told her softly.
Sharon moved closer, ignoring his wet clothes and wrapping her arms around his. "I know."
Hera's interest in the pillars had diminished, and she waddled back to the stone goddess, her shadow joining Hestia's. Sitting in the silent temple, Sharon hugged Helo's arm tightly as her gaze moved from their daughter to him.
"In the morning I'll start the search for somewhere more permanent," he said, his mind wandering to the coming days. "There were some structures up on the ridge that-"
Before he could finish, Sharon's lips covered his, cutting him off. Her hand rested on the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. The corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile as she slowly broke the contact.
"Not in front of the kids, Sharon," Helo whispered, bringing his hand to rest on her stomach and flashing a smile of his own.
She laughed, and the sound filled his soul, reminding him why he was here.
Changing into the dry tanks and sweats he had brought back from the ship, he joined her on the blanket. Together they watched their daughter, until the little girl grew tired and found a spot beside them to sleep. They made her as comfortable as they could, using spare clothing for a pillow and placing another blanket over her. And when their daughter finally dozed off, Helo and Sharon followed her, finding the peaceful sleep that had eluded them for so long.
---
Walking just inside the tree line, he looked out onto the fields of wild grain that filled the valley. The clouds had parted at dawn, and the midday sun tried to penetrate the canopy above him. The green leaves that shaded him contrasted sharply with the yellow fields of dried grass and the azure blue sky. He stared out to the horizon, admiring the rich blue heavens that Caprica had once been known for.
Silence followed him as he walked the edge between forest and field, only the occasional click or buzz of an insect echoing through the air. Looking down at his watch, he saw it had been four hours since he left Sharon and Hera. The time on the watch was wrong, and though he was sure Sharon or the ship could provide the right one, it seemed unimportant; time had become completely relative.
There was a sudden rustling in a nearby tree, startling him. He took an involuntary step backwards, then watched as pair of birds flew out from the branches, fleeing from Helo's presence. He watched as they sailed across the field, riding the warm air. They weren't the first birds he had seen this morning; he had stopped for a few minutes earlier in the day to watch a large bird of prey circling alone over one of the fields.
During his walk it had become clear that birds weren't the only living things that still called this valley home. A few small rodents had crossed his path as well, scampering from tree to tree, while butterflies and moths floated in numbers above the fields of grain.
There was no doubt that here, above the fallout line, life continued. It was a thought that brought mixed emotions from Helo.
The mountain range had been spared the radioactive fallout that would poison everything and make existence impossible. The food and water would be free of nuclear contamination, and anti-radiation meds would only be necessary for trips down to lower altitudes. These were all good things.
But if the rodents and birds had survived the radiation, then his fellow humans might have as well; humans that wouldn't know or care that Sharon was different than the rest of her people. Humans that might make things very complicated for him and his family.
Realizing he had stopped walking, a new, subtle sound registered in his mind. Joining the clicking of a nearby insect was the sound of flowing water. He turned, searching for the source but failing to find it. Pushing through the underbrush, he headed deeper into the woods, following the sound as it grew in volume. Walking up to the crack in the ground, he knew the shallow stream would be unimpressive before he even saw it, but he could care less how it appeared; access to fresh water was essential, and this was the first he had found all day.
Kneeling into the dirt, he dipped his hand into the clear, cold water and brought it up to wash his face. A thin layer of sweat and grime had accumulated from the hike, and he took the opportunity to remove it.
A small growl from his belly sent him searching through his flight bag. Pulling out a protein bar, he fell back on his rear, taking a seat beside the stream. Unwrapping the unappetizing meal, he took a bite of the bland bar, chewing it thoroughly before choking it down. He hadn't been surprised when Hera had turned her nose up at the offering this morning, and he had made it one of his objectives to find something more palatable for his daughter.
Staring into the stream, he watched where a small drop off created a continuous eddy in the water, and his mind wandered from his daughter to Sharon.
She had been ill when he left, another bout of morning sickness taking its toll, and though she had smiled for him when it ended, it was only for show. He thought of her trying to recover on the stone floor of the temple, and the thought pushed him to his feet. Throwing the half-eaten bar back in his bag, he prepared to move on.
Food for Hera, and a bed for Sharon, those were his goals; he would have time to rest afterwards. Though he knew he could find both easily enough in town, there was no safety there, not until they knew for sure that the Cylons had left, and left without any humans to fill the void. Until then, he would continue his search here in the outlying hills.
Turning away and taking a step back towards the fields, a glint of light from further down the stream caught his eye. He peered through the trees, craning his neck to try and find the source of the reflected light, but the underbrush and foliage hid it from his view. Taking a few steps down the stream, his feet sunk into the sandy bank as he went to investigate.
He pushed aside a low hanging branch, and found what he was looking for in more ways than one. Sunlight bounced off the glass windows of a log cabin, its bleached wood blending perfectly with the forest surroundings. One-story high, the building appeared to be in good shape, with no obvious signs of damage or disrepair. Chopped wood was stacked neatly alongside one wall of the cabin, and in back he saw a green tarp draped over a pair of gas tanks.
He jumped to the other side of the stream and made his way up to the building. Half-way there, his foot snagged on something beneath the thin layer of dead leaves that covered the forest floor. A black cable came up from the ground as he tried to untangle his foot, kicking up a line of dirt and leaves that led to a nearby tree. He stopped and traced the cable with his eyes, following it along the ground, around a tree, and up into the branches. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he peered up into the tree top, and saw a dozen silver-blue panels strung between the trees twenty meters above him.
Helo smiled at his good fortune. With fresh water, gas, and solar power, the well concealed cabin was exactly what he was looking for. He thought it might take weeks to find something so ideal, and here it was only four hours into his search.
The front door opened with just a push, and upon examination he found it had no lock at all. No need, he guessed, in a place as remote as this. Wooden floors creaked as he stepped into the front room, a faint musty odor filling the air. The room was in good order, with a table and chairs occupying one corner and a fireplace occupying another. The rough hewn timbers on the outside of the cabin gave way to polished and stained timber inside. Through a doorway to his left, he could see the corner of a bed in the next room, and directly ahead he could see into a small kitchen.
Walking into the kitchen, he tried to imagine Sharon and Hera living inside these walls. It wasn't luxurious, but Sharon wouldn't care and neither would Hera. He smiled as he thought of his little girl, wandering from pillar to pillar the night before, examining the stone with her hands as much as her eyes. He wondered it the polished beams of timber would provide as much entertainment for her.
Opening the cabinets he found them stocked with non-perishables. He reached down to the gas stove and turned it on, a blue flame catching as the igniter clicked once. Moving over to the sink, Helo turned the handles expecting nothing, and found exactly that.
Searching through his bag with one hand, he walked out of the kitchen and back into the main room, stopping to examine it once again. It wasn't impressive, but he wasn't looking for impressive.
He pulled out his radio as he moved towards the attached bedroom, eager to tell Sharon of his find.
"Sharon," he said, clicking on the radio and stepping into the bedroom.
Mid-stride, he stopped with one foot in the room and one still out. A soft brown carpet covered most of the floor, and the burgundy covers on the bed were neatly tucked in, ready for the room's next occupant. Sadly, the former occupants had yet to leave.
"What's up?" she said, her voice coming in with just a trace of static over the radio.
He stared down at the three bodies on the floor, reduced to nothing more than bones and clothes. The carpet beneath them was stained black from the decay, and the smell of death that had blended with the other odors before, now came to the front of Helo's mind. Two of the skeletons were entwined near the bed, one set of bones much smaller than the others. The third sat alone beneath the window, staring at Helo from across the room.
"Helo?" Sharon asked.
Stepping out of the room, Helo walked back to the kitchen, trying to hold back the bile rising in his throat.
"Nothing," he said over the radio. "Just wanted to see how you two were doing."
Opening the cabinets, he grabbed everything that looked like it might appeal to a two year old, throwing the food into his bag.
"We're fine," she replied, her voice growing concerned. "Are you okay?"
Moving quickly out the front door, he didn't bother to close it behind him.
"I'm fine," he said, jumping over the stream and heading back towards the edge of the forest. "I'll be back before dark."
"Alright. Be careful, Helo."
Helo stopped and turned back to look at the cabin, only to find that the underbrush and foliage that had hidden it from him before did so once again. And that was fine with him. There would be other houses.
---
He returned to the temple as the last rays of the sun peeked over the mountains, trying his best to fix the broken door one more time before giving up and turning to his family.
Sharon stood over Hera with arms crossed over her chest while their daughter played on the blanket, stacking the packs of rations she had rejected earlier in the day. Watching from the door, the similarities between mother and daughter were obvious to him, though they continued to differ in the level of attention they paid to one another. While Sharon's eyes followed Hera's every movement, the little girl still seemed oblivious to her mother's presence. He hoped that it had not been that way all day, but looking at Sharon's expression, it seemed likely that it might have been.
"Hey," he said softly as he approached.
"Hey, babe," Sharon replied, keeping her eyes on Hera.
"You okay?" he whispered. Stepping behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and lightly massaged them.
"Yeah," she said, glancing over her shoulder to smile at him. When she did, he could see dark circles forming under her eyes, and her skin seemed to have lost some of its color.
"You're sick," he said, leaving no room for her to deny it. Her morning sickness had been bad in the days leading up to the rescue, and it was only getting worse. "Lay down, Sharon. Rest."
"I'm fine," she insisted, turning back to Hera while reaching up to capture one of his hands. "Any luck?" she asked.
He didn't answer, unsure if he should let her change the subject so easily. He was used to her refusing his help, refusing to show any sign of weakness except in the quietest, most private of moments. For so long she had done it out of necessity, building up walls to protect them from the slings and arrows of humanity. But the walls served no purpose now, and she carried their child. He had more to worry about then offending her fierce pride.
"Come on, Sharon," he whispered, wrapping his arms gently around her waist and pulling her over to the blanket. "Let's rest."
Relenting, she let him guide her down to the floor, where he gathered another blanket and placed it beneath her head. Propping himself up on an elbow, he smiled down at her and waited patiently for her to do the same.
"I'm fine, Helo," she insisted once more, unable to keep a small smile from her lips. She glanced over at Hera quickly to check on her, then looked back to Helo and repeated her question. "Any luck?"
Helo looked at Hera, to see her attention was fixed firmly on the ration packs Sharon had given her to use as building blocks. Her white gown was beginning to get dirty around the hem and knees, and he realized finding clothes for the child would be a challenge.
"I found some food she might like," he replied. "Some crackers, some dried fruit, a little candy. Did she eat anything while I was gone?"
"I pulled the all the crackers from the rations," Sharon said, looking a little guilty. "She was starving."
Helo laughed at the image his mind conjured; perfectly practical Sharon opening every ration they had to feed her daughter; it was funny how that side of her vanished the moment someone she loved was in need.
"She actually looked at me when I gave them to her," she added hopefully. Leaning up on her elbows, she returned to watching Hera. "I take it you didn't find anything worth leaving this place for?"
"No," he replied after a moment. He pushed away the memory of the cabin before it could haunt him again. "I'll try again tomorrow."
She nodded slightly in silent acknowledgment.
With Sharon still watching Hera, he rolled onto his back, and stared up into the domed ceiling. The light from the lantern was limited to a horizontal field, leaving the ceiling with only the ambient light reflected from the white floors and walls. He stretched his legs as he peered into the shadows, knowing another night spent on the stone floor would do little to relieve the tightness in his calves and thighs. In a couple of days his body would be used to the prolonged effort, though, and he did his best to ignore the aches.
"What do you think Kara's doing right now?" Helo asked, the question coming to his mind and lips before he realized it.
Sharon kept her eyes on their daughter, and at first he wasn't sure if she had even heard his question. But then she turned to Helo and smiled. "She's probably screaming what a frakker you are."
"Yeah," he agreed.
Still smiling, she laid back down beside Helo. "Or maybe she's trying to convince the Admiral to come rescue us."
Helo laughed again, surprised at how easily it came. Here they were, alone on a dead planet, by their own choice, and he was able to laugh in a way he hadn't been able to for months. He wrapped an arm around Sharon and pulled her tight, closing his eyes as he breathed her in.
--- End Chapter 7 ---
