Title: Far Away
Author: shehasadestiny
Rating: K
Tagline: Been far away for far too long
Summary: Helo's imagined return to Galactica. In no way does this story reflect the episode where the producers/writers actually put him back aboard the Galactica. Song fic set to Nickelback's "Far Away"
Spoilers: Miniseries, most of season one
This time, this place
Misused, mistakes
Too long, too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just once chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know
You know, you know
Karl C. Agathon stepped out of the Raptor, tired and dirty, worn-out, but completely happy to be home. "Good to be home," he said softly, watching the people run around in the hangar deck. It was vaguely reminiscent of chickens without heads, running around by pure reflex. He breathed in the oily smell and suddenly realized just how much he'd missed the Galactica. Then he saw Sharon Valerii out of the corner of his eye, and his mouth dropped open . . .
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
And you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
Sharon was his love; and he'd thought she'd died back on Caprica after coming back to save his life. But he'd been wrong, and here she stood, radiant in her Fleet fatigues and standing next to the Chief. He watched her shake her head with a smile. "No," he heard her say, "I miss him a lot, but . . . there really isn't anything I can . . ." She stopped when Chief pointed behind her and she spun. Her face turned white, and then, after a long moment, she ran across the hangar deck and launched herself at him. "HELO!" She buried her face in his neck as he staggered backwards a few steps, arms thrown carelessly around her in an attempt to keep his own balance. "Sharon?"
On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know
You know, you know
"Helo, I missed you!" she said, tears streaming freely down her face.
"You—you did?" He frowned. "But you . . . you were back there on Caprica, just before . . . just before I left . . ."
The Chief was watching them, a more-than-jealous expression on his face, and Helo could feel anger burning in his stomach. "Sharon, maybe I should . . . maybe I should leave for now, and go see . . . the rest of the pilots."
"No!" her reply was vehement and she pulled out away from him to stare him in the face. "You aren't leaving my sight."
"Yeah." He disentangled himself from Sharon and saw once more the cold look Tyrol was giving him. "I'll just go . . . see Starbuck, you know?" He turned away, anger burning even stronger in his stomach, but now it was accompanied by the pain of knowing she'd chosen Tyrol in his absence.
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
And you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
Helo dropped to his knees in front of his locker and put his head against the cold metal door. She'd chosen him. The Sharon on Caprica had chosen to be with Helo, but this Sharon, this Galactica shell . . . she'd chosen Tyrol. He hadn't even been gone more than a month and already she was talking about his "loss" as soon as he'd stepped back home. He heard the door open, but he didn't care who saw him like this, not anymore. Not since Sharon had . . . well, thinking back on it, she'd been having a thing with Tyrol, but she'd known he loved her. She'd known.
So far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know
You know, you know
He felt the hand on his shoulder, but he didn't move. A quiet, "Karl?" Still, he didn't move. He didn't care who saw him anymore . . . he just wanted to be left alone for a very long time. It would take longer than he had any hope of living for the wound that had just been opened to heal. "Karl, look at me." He didn't move. "Go away."
"Helo." It was Kara; even after a month, he still recognized her voice.
"Go away, Kara." He didn't open his eyes. "Just go away."
"Helo, listen to me!" She squeezed his shoulder, but he ignored the sudden jerk of pain.
"Go away."
"LISTEN TO ME." She jerked him around, forcing him to open his eyes to fight a sudden wave of nausea.
"GO AWAY!" he roared. "I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS WITH YOU!"
She growled. "You idiot! I'm trying to talk to you about you coming back, and here you are, moping over Sharon. She's gone, Helo. You've just got . . . to accept it." He could hear her choking herself off.
"No, Kara. She's right . . . she's right here."
She watched him close his eyes again. "No. She's gone. Just like Zak Adama, she's gone. You'll never see her the way you did before, ever again."
I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving
Hold on to me and
Never let me go
Karl "Helo" Agathon sat in the Raptor, watching Sharon "Boomer" Valerii go about her usual duties. He wanted to scream at her, but he kept quiet. He didn't say anything when the sensors picked up DRADIS contacts, he just tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at his screen. She gave him a weird look, "Helo? Something wrong? Did you lose your voice?" He shook his head. "Then why aren't you talking to me?"
"Because I'm afraid I'll yell at you," he answered quietly before getting back to analyzing who the DRADIS contacts could be.
"Yell at me?"
"Yeah." He looked back at her. "About . . . Tyrol." He swallowed hard and went back to his work, intending not to answer her the next time she spoke.
"Helo, it's . . . it's not like that anymore." She clenched her fingers tight against her leg.
"The DRADIS contacts are civilian aircraft. I think we're headed in the wrong diretion to be doing a CAP."
"You're not listening!" she screamed.
He clapped a hand to his head. "Don't yell at me."
"Then just get it through your thick head that it's not like that between the Chief and I, and it hasn't been for about a week. I've been so . . . depressed about not having you with me that my flying has gotten worse, the Chief and I split up, and everything is just . . . different."
"Good for you."
Been far away for far too long