Disclaimer: The show's Battlestar Galactica and Victorious and other associated copyrights are property of someone else and not me.

Saga of a Viper Pilot

Chapter 10 – Closer and closer

Authors note: A long one but we move the plot on a bit. I hope you like.

No one's pov.

Thanks to some quick and fancy flying the shuttle made it back to the Galactica in record time. Tori meanwhile stayed in back monitoring Cat's vital signs and giving the other passengers in need of medical assistance a second look over.

Upon exiting the shuttle in the Galactica's landing by there were three nurses and the Galactica's chief medical officer, Dr. Salik.

"I know we hadn't finished evaluating all the passengers of the Hermes, but I felt she needed immediate surgery." Tori said as Dr. Salik went to evaluate Cat.

After a few moments of examination, he looked up at Tori. "You made the right call. Without surgery, I'd doubt she'd last more than a few hours." He then turned to two of the nurses. "Get this patient up to surgery room 2 and prep her for surgery, Stat. I'll scrub up and meet you there."

The two nurses immediate rolled Cat away, followed by Dr. Salik.

The third nurse addressed the rest of the people from the Hermes. "The rest of you, follow me and I'll take you up to the medical bay where you can all get treatment. Afterward, you'll be transported back to your ship."

Jade started to follow Cat when Tori stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Jade. I know you want to stay with her. But there's nothing else you can do. She'll be in surgery for hours and even after that won't wake up for hours after that. She's in the good hands, Dr Salik is the best. On top of that we've got work to finish."

Jade paused and watched as her friend was rolled away with a lot of nervousness. She didn't want to abandon Cat, it just didn't feel right. But Tori's words managed to ease some of her worries. As always Tori's presence was a both a help and a comfort to Jade. It was a comfort that Jade was getting more and more attached to.

Jade took a deep breath and exhaled. "You're right. Let's get back on the shuttle and head back to the Hermes."

The pair flew back in the shuttle and quickly got back to work, surveying for damage and seeking out people in need of medical assistance. The work was long and grueling. So many of the people packed into the ships were living under miserable conditions. They finished the Hermes, made a run back to the Galactica with more injured and then headed to their next ship.

That ship was the Nabalus, which was a huge step up from the Hermes. The Nabalus was a small luxury cruise liner out of the colony of Picon. Immediately as they boarded some grouchy looking old man came up to Jade and poked his finger in her chest.

"You do something about those children."

Jade managed to keep her cool and asked. "What exactly are the children doing?"

"They're playing in the pool. Splashing around and laughing."

Jade's eyes narrowed. "So the children are playing in the pool. It's a cruise ship; I'd imagine they'd have a pool. Kids like to play in pools. I'm not sure of the problem here."

The man grew frustrated. "We've got sick and injured all over this ship. People are scared and have lost loved ones. I lost my wife. They are acting like this is a pleasure cruise. It's not appropriate."

Jade huffed and got in his face. "You know what, if the captain decides to open the pool for the children to enjoy for a short bit then fine. I'm sure they've had a rough time and probably deserve a break from all the horror that they've seen. So unless you need medical attention, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

The man's eyes bulged open wide as he quickly retreated back where he came from.

"Jade did you really need to yell at him?" Tori chided Jade in a semiserious fashion.

Jade ignored the comment and gave the team their assignments. Jade then turned to Tori. To answer your question. Yes I did. I have more important things to worry about then some kids in a pool. My bullshit tolerance is pretty low right now, so yes I need to yell at him. It made me feel better."

Tori smiled and put her arm around Jade's waist. She knew she was taking a chance in doing so but did it anyway. "You're still a bit stressed. Tell you what. When we finish I'll give you a massage. My sister Ara was a massage therapist and she taught me a few things. You'll feel much better."

Jade stood there for a moment thinking. As much as she hated to admit it, Tori's arm wrapped around her felt nice. Also the thought of a nice massage was rather welcoming.

"I'd better feel better." Jade said harshly as she started to walk again. Their work continued long into the day, with them shuttling injured back to the Galactia between when they had time.

As they headed back to the Galactica at the end of the day, Jade started to get a bit anxious. They had been so busy, they hadn't had a chance to see how Cat was doing. Upon arriving Jade and Tori hurried up to the medical bay.

"She fine Jade. Don't worry." Tori said in a reassuring tone.

Entering the medical bay, they could see the place was still busy. A number of injured from the various ships were waiting to be treated. Spotting Dr. Salik examining a patient Jade walked up.

"How is she? My friend with the head injury."

He looked at Jade and smiled "Your friend pulled through just fine. I don't want to jinx it, but I expect her to make a full recovery."

Jade was overjoyed at the knowledge that Cat would pull through, so overjoyed in fact that she hugged Tori. It seemed like such a natural thing and Jade just did it.

"Told you she'd make it."

Jade lingered in the hug for another moment than turned to the doctor. "Is she awake, can I see her."

He shook his head. "No, she's still in recovery and hasn't woken up yet. Probably tomorrow. She's going to have on hell of a headache when she does. You can see her tomorrow."

At this point Robbie entered the medical bay. "Jade, I've been looking for you. I have good news. They've got you some quarters, its small put private and you'll have your own bathroom. It's near the grey squadron ready room. Delta deck, compartment 7, section 2. You can move your gear in any time, your name is on the door already."

Though Jade was very happy knowing that Cat was going to be alright, she was tired after a long day. She didn't mind it much, as Tori was with her the entire time. Jade knew that she could have gone off on her own, but she liked having Tori around. It was a bit selfish but Jade figured she was entitled. The news of her getting her own quarters was quite welcome.

"Thanks Robbie" Jade said as she turned to Tori. For a moment Jade could see a frown on Tori's face, but it quickly vanished. "I'm sure your sister will be happy that I'm out of there."

Tori nodded. "I can help you move then give you that massage. I promised you."

Jade smirked. "Yes you did and I plan to hold you to it."

Tori and Jade grabbed all of Jade's gear and transported them down to her new quarters. It was a small officers quarters, with a bed, desk, chair, locker and a tiny bathroom. But Jade was just happy to have her own space again. Jade took a few minutes to put things away then they grabbed some dinner. They didn't talk much during the meal, only discussing which ships they were going to survey the next day.

"Ready for your massage?" Tori said as they got up from the table, having finished their food.

Jade smirked. "I never asked, how much will this cost me?"

Tori grinned. "I never said it would. Come on."

Arriving back at Jade's room, Jade looked to Tori. "Ok, how do you want to run it."

Tori pointed to the bed. "Well it's late so, I'm guessing after this you'd want to go to bed. So just dress in your pajamas and lay face down on the bed."

Jade nodded, grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later Jade emerged wearing only pajama bottoms and holding the top in her hand. Tori seeing Jade's breasts, had to bite her tongue from grinning like an idiot. Though she was sure she was blushing.

"I figured it be easier if I didn't wear a top. Hope you don't mind." Jade said casually as she lay on the bed.

"Ok." Tori said, trying to focus on the task at hand. Her mind kept wandering other places.

Tori moved and sat on the edge of the bed next to where Jade was lying. In her mind Tori went over what her sister had taught her. Once that was done she slowly began to massage Jade's back.

Jade as she lay there, could feel Tori's soft fingers run up and down her back. Almost immediately she felt a sense of relief as the tension in her back seemed to slowly drain away.

"Thank you Tori. You're very good." Jade said softly.

"You're welcome. My sister was the expert, but she did teach me a lot. I paid close attention."

As Tori continued working diligently on Jade's shoulder and back the pilot became more relaxed. In fact she began to enjoy the feeling, a lot more than she'd thought.

"You do this for Zhara?" Jade found herself wondering out loud.

"Yes."

"Lucky girl."

"Thank you."

Jade didn't say anything else after this point. She in fact found the massage so relaxing she fell asleep and began to snore.

Upon realizing Jade had fallen asleep, Tori smiled and gently caressed Jade's back for a moment.

"You're so beautiful." Tori whispered in a barely audible tone as she then covered Jade up with a blanket. Tori took once last look at the sleeping Jade, then turned off the lights and left.

The next morning Jade woke up very refreshed. She was amazed how relaxing and nice the massage felt. In fact she found herself wondering where Tori was almost immediately after getting up. While she was still in mourning for Beck and the rest of her family, she found herself being drawn closer and closer to Tori. At first it was just for mutual comfort, but Jade started to wonder that morning if there was something else. It was a passing thought, which she pushed to the back of her mind and got ready for the day. She had more ships to survey today and Jade found herself looking forward to working with Tori again. She also found herself looking at Tori a lot.

Seeing the brown haired med tech on the flight deck waiting, brought a smile to Jade. "I didn't even remember you leaving.'

"You fell asleep and looked so peaceful. Oh before I forget. I stopped up at the med bay. Your friend Cat is stable and is still asleep. If you want we can check up on her when we finish for the day."

That brightened up Jade's day just a bit more. After collecting her team, Jade got them in the shuttle and set off to survey more ships. As she had the previous day, Jade kept Tori at her side. She had just gotten very comfortable with having her around.

"Jade, I'm curious. I've flown in shuttles before, what's it like to fly a viper?" Tori asked during one of their trips shuttling injured to the Galactica.

Jade thought for a moment and an idea came to her, which she filed away for later. "It's a bit like a rollercoaster, but one you can control. It's quite a ride."

"Sound's kind of fun."

"It usually is, except for the times when Cylon's are trying to kill you. That does take some of the fun out of it."

The rest of the day went as expected; Jade and her team surveyed 3 more ships for damage and injured. Tori and Jade found that, while their personalities were very different, they worked well together.

At the end of their duties, they returned to the Galactica and headed up to the med bay to check up on Cat. They had placed her in a small recovery room and could see she was still asleep.

"She should wake up any time. Her vitals are all normal, no signs of any complications." Tori said as she examined Cat's chart.

Jade pulled up a chair and sat down next to Cat's bed. "I think I'll wait here for a while."

Tori nodded. "I need to finish some paperwork. So I'll be gone for a bit. If you want I can put it off and stay with you."

Though a pleasant sounding idea, Jade didn't want Tori to neglect her duties for her. "No, that's fine. Cat and I will be ok."

"I'll catch up with you later Jade." Tori said a she left.

Jade sat there quietly next to Cat's bed for a long time. She wanted to be the person who had explain all the terrible things that had happened. At least a friendly face could give all the bad news.

Jade's patience was eventually rewarded as Cat suddenly began to moan and move around. Jade sprung up from the Chair and grabbed Cat's hand. "Cat. Cat. Can you hear me?"

A very groggy Cat slowly managed open her eyes and fight her way back to a waking state. She had a horrible headache and as her eyes began to focus she realized she was in a bed in a strange room.

Cat then looked to Jade with a puzzled expression. "Amber?"

A pained expression went across Jade's face for a moment, before she answered. "No Cat. It's Jade."

"Where am I, Why does my head hurt so much."

"Cat, there's no easy way to say this. You're in the med bay of the Battlestar Galactica. Please lay still. You were badly hurt."

Cat reached up, felt the bandages on her head and looked at the cast on her leg. "What? How? The last thing I remember was coming home to visit and relax. I just finished recording an album and came back to the old home town to relax. I remember some ships in the sky, but thought it was something to do with the peace treaty."

Jade sighed. "There was no peace treaty. The Cylon's tricked us. Other than the Galactica the fleet's been destroyed. The 12 colonies, they're all gone. The house you were in, it was hit in the initial attack. Right now the Galactica and some 220 ships carrying survivors are fleeing into deep space."

Cat's jaw dropped as her face turned white. "All gone?"

"All gone. The fleet, Gemenon, Amber, Mara, Beck, our home town. It's all gone."

Cat looked around. "How did I get here? I don't remember."

Jade smiled weakly. "You owe your life to Mr. Ohm. He survived the attack. I met with him when I went to check on Amber and Mara. He was very kind and gave me the strength to go on. He and another survivor, were walking through what was left of the town, when the other man's dagget started barking and ran to a house. They investigated and found you in the rubble. You were barely alive. They found a working hover car and raced to get you to the last evacuation ship. They made it just in time."

Cat now looked even more overwhelmed. "Where is he, I need to thank him."

Jade sadly shook her head. "He stayed behind. He knew if he went, some younger person may not be able to go."

Cat at this point just started to cry, in which Jade sat up on the bed and held her distraught friend. A few moments later Tori came in. She wondered if she should stay and began to back out of the room. Jade motioned for her to stop.

"Cat I want you to meet someone. She saved my life. This is Tori Vega. A survivor from the Battlestar Acropolis. She's a med tech and was the one attending to you after we found you."

Cat smiled and after composing herself, reached out to shake Tori's hand. "Pleased to meet you Tori. Thanks for saving Jade. She's a dear friend."

Tori shook her head. "It was nothing. I'm just glad you're ok. I'm a huge fan of your music."

After making a quick check of Cat's vitals, The three just began to talk. Jade of course, told her entire of survival. Jade and Cat then reminisced about told times, working at the resort. Tori would tell of life in Sagitera and after an hour all three knew each other very well and were good friends.

After an hour, Jade excused herself for a few minutes to use the rest room, Leaving Cat alone with Tori.

"You like her don't you Tori?" Cat said with a smile.

Tori suddenly blushed and grew nervous looking. "Oh my. Is it that obvious? I…I'm. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I noticed. I could tell by the way you look at her."

Tori looked slightly relieved. "Can I make a confession?"

Cat nodded. "Shoot."

"Back on the Acropolis, I had a huge crush on Jade. She was a pilot and I was just a nobody med tech. She didn't even knew I existed. I would go on the flight deck, just to see if I could see her. When I found her in that closet on the Galactica, she looked so broken. I couldn't believe I was the one to help her. We've been spending some time together and…." Tori paused for a moment. "I know she just lost this Beck and he sounds like a good guy. Maybe I'm taking advantage of the…"

Cat interrupted. "You've done wonders for Jade and you're a wonderful person. I suspect on some level she knows you like her and I think she likes you back. You two have attached on each other for mutual comfort. I can't promise you something will, but if something does develop, then that's great."

Jade then walked back in with a smirk. "Talking about me weren't you."

Cat gave Tori a wink. "As a matter of fact we were."

Dr Salik walked in at this point. "I'm sorry ladies, but visiting hours are over. I have to examine Cat and she needs some rest.

Both Jade and Tori said their goodbyes and left.

"I know it's late but do you want to join me for Dinner?" said Tori which was a welcome suggestion to Jade. They went down and both had a quick and enjoyable dinner. Jade talked more about her home town and what life was like there.

When dinner was over, The pair headed out until they got to the corridor where they had to go separate ways.

"We should be able to survey the last of the ships and be done tomorrow." Jade said.

"Ok."

Jade paused as if she wanted to say something but then wordlessly shook her head. "See you tomorrow Vega."

Tori sensed that Jade wanted something else. "Is there something else you wanted Jade?"

Jade shook her head. "No. It's nothing."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Come on. Spill it."

"I can't ask you."

Tori walked around to block Jade's progress. "Ask!"

Jade suddenly began to look rather bashful. "I liked your massage. But it's not appropriate for…"

Tori grinned. "As a member of the medical staff, I will need to see that you are stress free to perform your duties. Come on Lieutenant."

Jade couldn't believe she asked it. She had enjoyed the massage so much, she wanted more. She was quite happy to get another one. That and she just wanted to keep spending time with Tori.

A few minutes later Jade was once again on her bed, with the top off. As she did yesterday Tori slowly began to massage her back. But every once in a while Tori would just gently caress Jade's back. She knew she was taking a huge risk, by straying over the line and was prepared to stop at the first sign of resistance by Jade. But Jade didn't, she just made some happy moaning sounds.

Jade was enjoying feeling Tori's touch on her back. As the massage went on, Jade realized it was becoming less and less of a massage and more like something else entirely. She had grown so close to Tori in the last few days. With each passing day the pilot's feelings for Tori grew deeper and more complex. Here now, with Tori gently running her hands on her back, Jade found that her heart began to beat faster.

All of a sudden Jade sat up and faced Tori, looking her directly into the eyes. She had never been attracted to a woman before and it just down dawned on her that she was indeed attracted to Tori. There was something about her warm comforting presence that she couldn't get enough of.

Tori was startled by Jade suddenly sitting up and was deathly afraid that she had done something wrong. "I..I..I'm sorry Jade. I shouldn't have done that."

At that moment, something in Jade's mind clicked into place. Without a second's hesitation, Jade quickly pressed her lips against the still startled med tech.