Jake made his way back down the line of men, but didn't stop to speak to her, just cast a quick look to her hand in Starbuck's, met her eyes for a brief moment before looking away. He took up a position near Boomer, asking him how the leg was.
He didn't need to say anything; the look was enough. It wasn't just that he didn't like this plan. He didn't like that he had to rely on Starbuck too. He didn't like that he had to depend on anyone, not even her. The first days on the Galactica, he had been even more concerned that most of what they received, their quarters, their food, even the clothes on their back had come through Starbuck. Jake had a hard time believing a Colonial would just do something to be nice. No, he was the one who had taught Rene about the economics of life. Everything has a cost, and Starbuck bothered Jake because he was the middle man.
She had tried to explain that Jake could ask for the things he wanted outright, that he could deal with Starbuck and the rest of those from the Galactica, but she knew she was blowing felgercarb through the fan with those words. They all went through Starbuck, and most of them, through her to Starbuck. The situation left Jake on uneven ground, half wanting her to get closer to Starbuck and wed him to the family, half wanting her to utilize Starbuck, and then toss him aside when he wasn't useful anymore for someone else.
The look he had given her as he went past was favoring the latter, saying plainly, "He'd better get us out of here because this isn't looking good."
No, it didn't look good. She had known Avery was a radical the moment she met him. Had it been her stuck here for three yahrens and she'd met someone in uniform with a viper, she would have demanded a ride off Caprica then and there. She would have done almost anything to make that happen, not just for her but for everyone. But Avery had hesitated and wanted them to return several more times before he would trust them. It hadn't made sense at the time. It was Boomer that pointed out that the Sewer Rats rescue had been drastically less than originally promised and that maybe we shouldn't think we were alone in such incidents.
Even having lived through Dante, she still found it hard to understand why in the midst of tragedy, others could think of ways to use and abuse people to further their own interests. But Jake understood. "Economics baby, we're just a resource, nothing more."
She looked back to Jake, wondering not for the first time if that was all he saw Starbuck as, a resource to be used and abused. She knew Jake wasn't that callous, not at his core, but he'd buried that core pretty deep since he lost Ari.
She felt Starbuck squeeze her hand and looked up to meet his gaze. He was not happy with her. She had known the price he demanded was loyalty. She had hoped since Starbuck spread his loyalties out amongst his many friends on the Galactica that he would understand she did the same with her family, but she wasn't naïve enough to not know that with Jake, it was something different. Starbuck had ditched all those whom he had once slept with, barely sparing more than a few words for Cassiopeia and Athena. He expected her to do the same. If he found out, no she realized, amend that thought, when he found out she wasn't going to do the same, he was not going to take it well.
"You okay?" His words interrupted her train of thought.
She had to focus to answer the question because to be brutally honest, she wasn't sure. Her head hurt from where she hit the ground after pulling the weapon from the guy carrying her. Her stomach was still threatening to crawl up her throat, and she swallowed to test how far down it was. She could use some more sleep as her feet were heavy. But she'd been through worse.
"Yeah. How much farther is it?"
"I don't know. Hey!" Starbuck shouted to get the attention of the big guy in front of them, the one who had carried her before. "Uh, I didn't catch your name. How much further do we need to go?"
The large man didn't stop walking, seeming to want to keep his distance. Rene couldn't blame him, she did almost shoot him. He looked back angrily. "Name's Paavo. Just five kilometrons or so." The angry look on his face faded when Starbuck thanked him. The man looked her over before he added, "I can carry your sister if she needs it."
Starbuck missed a step, a bit surprised at the confusion. "She's my wife, and if she needs to be carried, I will do it."
The angry look was back on Paavo's face before he turned away. "Suit yourself."
Wife. Starbuck had suddenly formed a strong attachment to the word as if it could weld them together like he seemed to want. She understood his desire for that. He had confessed to her on her second night on the Galactica that he was an orphan, even more so than herself. At least she remembered her mother, her father, her brothers. Starbuck had no memories of a home. She understood his wanting to hang on to what he had as tight as he could. She had sealed with him understanding that he would never truly feel like she was all his. She had used that insecurity against him, tweaking his jealousy to her needs. It was a fine line though to dance upon. For now, Starbuck was trying to hold on tight, and that magic glue seemed to exist in the word wife.
The evening after their impulsive ceremony, she had expected Starbuck to have some sudden doubts when the excitement wore off. It had been exhilarating popping the surprise upon his friends. Waiting on Adama's answer had been like a jump off a cliff into a river, expecting the water to be cold and the landing hard. The landing had been soft and warm making the jump worth it. The Commander upon learning she was pregnant had been all for the eventuality of a sealing, and he like Rene, seemed to prefer it to be a quiet affair. Starbuck said he didn't care about a public ceremony and all that went with it. She knew that was a lie he told for her benefit. He may not consciously realize it, but he wanted the recognition. It rankled him that no one thought he could do it, commit and exceed as a husband. He wanted to be the hero and prove them all wrong. There would be some public announcement by Starbuck eventually. She wasn't totally sure when, or where or even what, but she braced herself for it. It would be epic like he was.
That evening after the ceremony and the drama of asking for permission to come to Caprica, they had gone about the simple tasks of cleaning up after a dinner. When the dishes were washed, put away, the chambers set back in order, and everyone dispersed to their own quarters, she had waited for the compunction that Starbuck would have about their hasty decision. She sometimes forgot that Starbuck was a romantic. She had met so few in her life. Once in their chambers, the door locked, he had reached for her hands, pulling her to him slowly, softly kissing her as his hands cradled her face. She gave in to the kiss, letting it melt the tension and insecurities of the talk with Adama. Starbuck had pulled back, a large smile on his lips as he looked into her soul. She searched his eyes for the tinge of regret or fear. An electric tingle sizzled into her as she saw he had none. His smile was one of joy. His thumb stroked her cheek as he whispered the words, "My wife."
She shivered at the possession he implied in those words. It was frightening, but he pulled her close to him, his lips taking in hers, and she knew for him the possessive word "mine" that he whispered into her lips was a promise of protection.
She had closed her eyes so he wouldn't see her doubts. She had tried to let the fear wash over her as Starbuck removed her tunic, and then bent down to unbuckle her boots. She stepped out of them into a whole new realm that she thought she had prepared for. It was an alien landscape and the only thing that kept her taking those steps towards the bed was that Starbuck took them with her, shedding his own tunic. The touch of his skin held the promise of a warm spring day and new life to come.
Starbuck had perfected the art of unbuckling his boots without reaching down, letting his feet do the work and soon she found his hands tugging her pants off as she did the same for him. This she knew, the terrain of their bed was familiar territory. That was what she reminded herself as he said the words again, "My wife," as he lowered them both to the bed.
Her heart beat fast as she tumbled into the rhythm of this dance. But he had brought his hands to her face again, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Slow down. We have forever." She held her breath, willing her body still while her heart trembled. It was agonizing how slowly his hands moved, his kisses so soft, she wasn't sure whether his lips actually touched her skin, or if it was just his warm breath upon her. He wanted to sip the ambrosia slowly, while she wanted to gulp it down and refill her glass. She gasped in surprise as his hands brushed her chest as his lips found the vulnerable pulse point in her neck. He seemed to be claiming every inch of her as his. She tried to not interrupt his explorations, but his words sizzled in her like sparks from an exposed wire. "My wife," he whispered over and over.
She tried to join in, his words reminding her to go slowly, they had time, but did they? She knew how short life could be, and also how ironic. She had been worried about Starbuck's apprehension at their new status. Instead it was she that was anxious about what they had done. Starbuck seemed to revel in the change, that was until the next morning filling out the official paperwork. She guessed that for him, a graduate of the academy and permanent ward of the state, the paperwork was more symbolic than the actual vows.
At times, she thought he tossed out the word to remind himself of what they were to each other, as if he needed to remind himself. But at other times, it was a proclamation, a claiming of what should be his. If she needed to be carried, he would do it. She was his, she thought to herself, her body anyway. The rest of her, well that was another matter. Some part of her would always belong to someone else. The question at times was who or what? Some part of her had been left here on Caprica and she supposed that's partially what the trips back here were about, finding herself again. Some part of her would belong to Dante even though she didn't want that. Some part would always be Jake's. But also, parts of her were for her kids', including the one she carried. Starbuck had mentioned he liked a large crowd of people around him. Well he got that and more when he called Rene his.
Starbuck's voice jolted her out of her reverie of their wedding night. She was brought back from the warmth of their sheets to a cold wind that was beginning to increase. "Do you need a break?"
"Huh? Uh…" she looked around not recognizing the landscape. Had they walked that far in that short of time? No, she had zoned out most likely, or worse. She felt the tightness of her face letting her know her fever was climbing.
Starbuck kept hold of her hand as he reached in a pocket pulling out the stims he had. She wanted to swallow them down right then, but he let go of her hand, handed her just one and the water bottle. She drank greedily, not caring it might be their last.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"We only have about two kilometrons left to go. We can slow it down some, they don't seem to be following."
"Because they don't have to," she heard Jake's voice mumble and wondered if she just thought he said it, but Starbuck's back stiffening let her know she hadn't imagine it.
"And why is that Jake?" Starbuck said annoyed.
"Because we're just walking into their camp. Makes their job a whole lot easier."
Starbuck sighed at the comment and she could feel him gearing up for a witty comeback. "Jake, would you stow it," she said loudly. "Make yourself useful, would you? Sing a song or something to make this hike a bit more enjoyable. I would rather walk to my cylon slaughter to some music, not to you two fighting, alright?" She wiggled her fingers out of Starbuck's and stomped ahead.
"Yes ma'am," she heard Jake's snide voice before he broke into song, one of the Fabulon four that he knew she hated because of the incessant repetition. "In the town where I was born lived a man who sailed the sea and he told me of his life in the land of submarines…."
Much to her surprise, Starbuck joined in. She rolled her eyes. "Great, you two finally find something to agree on and it's annoying me. Just great."
Despite her jibe, the singing did help to make the last of the hike bearable. The songs Jake chose at least had a beat that fit the cadence of their boots to the ground, plus if Jake's mouth was busy singing he couldn't complain as much. The stim woke up her brain enough to realize that Jake didn't really have a plan for going back for a raider. She knew he just felt more comfortable with the city around him and sewers beneath his feet to crawl into. Here in the hills, he felt they were too exposed and had nowhere to hide. This wasn't his turf.
They lost much of their cover the higher they went, as the fires set by the Cylons had done their damage to the vegetation. In three yahrens some of it should have grown back, but it hadn't. It was as if the Cylons had set fire to these hills multiple times over the yahrens. It might be true. Cylons had no need for trees or shrubs, or humans for that matter.
Those were the dark thoughts that occupied her as Jake and Starbuck sang. Why would the Cylons keep a human encampment for three yahrens? On her last days on Caprica before Dante's arrival, she knew that their time was ticking down. It wasn't just that when they took a person out of the camp for interrogation they didn't come back, especially those in any kind of uniform, be it warrior or security force or janitor. The centurions had discussed it openly. Their mechanized minds didn't understand that humans might be easier to control if they thought there was some hope of living longer.
It was in those last days before Dante arrived that she had understood what hell would be like, and maybe why they hadn't all rebelled against Dante. They had been intimate with what could be worse than a depraved Commander. How any of them made it she couldn't really say, other than by sheer luck, but the cost had been high. As the people died around them, many of her friends died in other ways. Nik changed from the happy-go-lucky life of the party to the silent shadow. One day he'd stopped working, sat down and just waited apathetically for a blast from apulsar rifle to take him out for laziness. Weirdly, it hadn't happened, as if he had become some kind of wraith that the Cylons couldn't detect once his will to survive had gone. He was still alive technically and she knew he was waiting for them on the Galactica, but also in a way he was still waiting listlessly for that pulsar blast. During those last few days on Caprica as the chaos and panic rose in the camp each time a centurion opened the gate, she wondered if maybe Nik had the right solution to the problem. There was no fighting the Centurions, not without a weapon of some kind. Maybe death would be easier if they just accepted their fate and welcomed the Reaper instead of fearing him.
She learned a lot about humans from her Cylon captors, enough to keep her going—at least she thought so—as the days were still a blur in her mind. But she absolutely remembered the warrior who had found a large rock, shaped it into a spear point of sorts, and when the centurion came for him, was able to use that rock to smash its chest. Sparks flew as he hacked at the power supply on the cylon's back, and even when the machine collapsed to the ground, kept going. He had the head off and in his hands before the rifle blast ripped through his chest.
And there was the kid, no larger than Jason at the time, who chewed through the wire fence creating a hole just big enough to crawl out. Her eyes had followed him as he ran and disappeared in the dark. She and Jake were debating if Lara and Jason were small enough and brave enough to get away when another kid beat them to the gap in the fence. He was halfway through when his clothing hung up on the wire. He kept struggling even as a centurion reached down for him, his shirt ripping and he dropped to the ground and fled. They all cheered as they watched him flee into the darkness. The fence was electrified after that and she watched as many of the adults chose the deathly grip of electrocution rather than the grip of the centurions. She knew Nik contemplated it as he would edge closer and closer to the fence, claiming it was because it was warm. They all knew better and made sure he was not left alone. Even now on the Galactica, they rarely left him alone.
Their numbers in the camps had dwindled significantly by the time Dante arrived. Had he not come, would they have lasted yahrens? She doubted it. So why these people? What use did the Cylons have for them? It was that thought that was driving Jake to want to go back. With each step closer to Avery's objective, she wanted to take twenty in the other direction.
Lords she wished she hadn't come back. She ground her teeth as the regret ate at her. She wasn't sure if she could live with what had already happened to Boomer. Had he been shot down or drowned in that lake, she couldn't have faced Starbuck again. If she got anyone else injured or killed from her stupidity, she wouldn't live with that. She felt the plan form in her mind, counter to the one Starbuck was forming. Her hubris demanded that later, after they were back on the Galactica, she'd have time later to appreciate the fact that somehow she knew that Starbuck wouldn't let her come to harm. In a way, that was the worst-case scenario: she would make it, and someone else would die. If it was anyone other than Jake or Starbuck, she'd at least wait until the baby was born and then she would do what was necessary to keep from living with that guilt.
But if it was Jake, she wasn't sure she would wait that long. If it was Starbuck, she knew there was no point in thinking on that. If Mister Lucky didn't make it, well it was because they all were dead first.
As if he could read her thoughts, his hand reached down to hold hers again. "By this time tomorrow we'll be back home where we'll get a secton just to sleep, and we will wake up just long enough to shower and eat, then back to bed. You'll see."
She nodded praying he was right. She felt the reassurance of Jake's hand on her back as he teased, his voice a bit friendlier than before. "Is that what happens after they give us our gold clusters? Or do we just salute and go back to another training?"
"I will sign you up for the trainings I give on rest and relaxation. I think you might actually pass that one on your own."
Starbuck flashed him a smile and wink to let Jake know he was joking. Rene wondered what she had missed in the last kilometron to make the two suddenly get along. Jake's hand to the back of her neck, searching for skin contact let her know the comradery was all for her benefit. Starbuck's smile faded as he and Jake must have communicated something with a look.
"We go much further and you are getting a ride, Pretty Lady." She didn't argue with him as her legs burned as bad as her stomach.
They crested another hill and quickly followed it down to where the trees filled a small ravine providing some cover. There was a stream where Avery's men knelt to drink and refill their canteens. Boomer knelt to do the same, but Starbuck reached out to stop him.
"We don't have a choice, buddy. We need water, no matter how tainted it might be." Starbuck's sigh seemed to echo off the walls of the canyon.
Avery found them as they filled their canteens. "There's an old mine just at the bottom of this canyon. We can hold up there until nightfall."
"I'd like to get eyes on our objective before nightfall." Starbuck drank, wanting to only take a little, but found himself guzzling almost half the canteen. The water was blessedly cool and his headache abated a little at the taste of it.
"I can take you there and back. Let you have a look-see."
Boomer didn't hesitate. "I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. You are staying with Rene and resting. And Jake, you're not coming either."
"You said we should stick together." Boomer flung Starbuck's words at him, and he caught them and flung them right back.
"Yes, we should, but you made the decision to let Apollo and Max go. You know we need some information before we go into this blind. So, I'm going to do that while you all rest up for the grand finale later. That's an order."
"You don't outrank any of us, so stow that felgercarb, Bucko."
"Oh? Well as I recall from my trainings, the healthiest gets to make the decisions."
"That would be Jake." Boomer cast a look to the young warrior who frowned.
"And I say we go back," Jake voiced his opinion as he reached for Rene, wrapping an arm around her.
"And that is why I led the mutiny, claimed command and now I say what goes. This is why you don't let Apollo leave the group. As well as clearly outranking me, he keeps my rebellious nature in check," Starbuck said as he pointed a finger, tapping it into Boomer's chest. "No more debate. Lead the way, Avery, and let's get moving while we have some daylight."
"Starbuck," Rene pulled at his hand, drawing him closer as she stepped away from Jake's protective arm. "I don't think we should split up."
He began to make a flip remark, but she squeezed his hand twice, stopping him just as he opened his mouth. "Does it matter? You are going to do this regardless of the details." He began to open his mouth to object, so she dove in with the weapon that would work. "You need the element of surprise and if they see you and Avery, that's blown. You said it yourself, we should stick together. I would worry too much about you." He sighed, opened his mouth again. "You need the rest too, my husband."
The word was as effective as a hand grenade, stopping him dead in his argument. She hadn't used the word before, maybe because she knew it held some power over Starbuck.
"I'll take Wyatt and take a final look," Avery inserted. "They're right. You look done in. Trust us to do this. You're doing enough."
"Please, don't leave me," Rene whispered, knowing it was overkill, but if they were going to do this, they were going to do it together.
Boomer's words declared the debate over. "Let Avery do it. He'll report back and we'll all go under the cover of darkness."
"Let me get this straight? You want to do this without eyes-on recon?" Starbuck asked quietly, taking Boomer aside.
"Intel is intel. Avery and his men have been planning this a good long time and if anyone wants this to succeed, it's him. Trust him to do his part."
Starbuck lowered his voice. "Trust him with our lives? As much as I want to rescue these people, I think we need personal eyes on the encampment before we try to infiltrate it, Boom Boom. My eyes. As far as being seen, well the whole point of recon is NOT being seen."
"Listen, Starbuck, Boomer's right," Jake said, joining them. "Avery is more than capable of providing intel, and more importantly, what you all need now is some rest before we storm the enemy's camp. Nobody here is operating at one hundred percent, certainly not Rene, Boomer or even you! We should sit tight and recover from the trek we just made. Let Avery and Wyatt do the recon. They're used to roaming these hills, running away from Cylons, not sitting on their butts in a Viper for centars on end."
"I think I resent that remark," Starbuck muttered, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man.
"I think I resemble that remark," Boomer admitted with a wry grin. "Besides, if we get lucky, Apollo will find us before then. If we head back to the last ridge, we can leave him a sign he could see from the air to find us."
Starbuck let out the heavy sigh he'd been holding, turning back to Avery and Rene. "Alright. Agreed. Boomer and Rene, follow Avery's men into the cavern, get some rest. Jake, join me on the ridge and we'll see if we can give Apollo a sign."
Rene squeezed his hand, whispered a "Thank you," before letting go and following Boomer down into the ravine. He watched her as the line of men disappeared behind a pile of brush that had blown to the bottom of the canyon, effectively camouflaging the entrance to a mine shaft. Starbuck waited until the last of the men had entered the cave before turning to Jake, Wyatt, and Avery who had joined them with another of their men, Earl.
"I want a complete report when you get back, Avery. Tell me where the airfield is and what is between us and a Raider. I want to know how many centurions there are, how many centons it takes for them to patrol the perimeter, strategies for penetration, where the petrol dump is . . ."
"I know what I'm doing, Starbuck," Avery insisted, cutting him off. "Your friend is right, if anyone wants this to work, it's me. I'll come back with so much intel, it'll make your head spin."
Starbuck sighed, clearly not liking ceding control. "Keep out of sight."
"We will," Wyatt replied, patting Starbuck's arm in reassurance. "Earl will help you guys with your signal. Leave the rest to us. Then make sure you get some rest so we can kick their metal astrums later."
Starbuck nodded, gazing after the two men as they headed out. Reluctantly, he turned back to the task at hand. "Grab some rocks, the lighter in color the better. We're going to draw an S on the top of that ridge, and make it look as natural as possible, and yet not."
"So how is he going to notice it if we make it look natural?" Jake asked as Earl started collecting rocks. Starbuck reached in his pack pulling out a few glow sticks that hadn't been utilized.
"After dark, once we're on the move, this should help to draw his attention." Starbuck pulled out his knife, cutting a hole in the glow stick, pouring the liquid onto the rock he was holding. It didn't take them long to arrange an S, a little larger than six metrons on the ground. He hoped Apollo would find it, and the Cylons would not. He scanned the skies above, partly pleased they were clear as far as he could see up to the oppressive cloud cover, not pleased that the hoped for viper didn't materialize when he needed it.
When his eyes dropped from the sky, he found Jake staring hard at him.
"What?" Rene had been right, he needed some sleep as the headache had started up again, threatening to explode his temples every time he leaned down to place a rock. His patience was non-existent.
"Nothing," Jake answered, but he didn't look away.
"Just spit it out, Jake. You think my plan is complete mong, I get it. Right now I'm not any happier about it than you are." He gazed back towards the trees where Avery and Wyatt had disappeared. "But face it, pal, yours was suicidal."
Jake shook his head. "Just trying to figure out how you got so lucky. I mean, you honestly think Apollo is going to find this, find us, and we are going to be able to sneak in, rescue a bunch of people and fly a raider out of here, just like that. It's idiotic, and yet, Lords help me, I think if I laid a wager on our failure, I'd end up sitting in the OC buying you drinks with your winnings. Why the frack is that?"
Jake's words were an honest question, no hint of malice or sarcasm, but with a heavy dose of incredulity mixed in. Starbuck tried to give him an honest answer, but he found himself mimicking the sewer rat shrug. "Don't know. Experience? Training? Determination maybe? Dumb luck sometimes is just that. I know I can count on my friends, maybe that's the difference. Whatever it is, I'll take that wager and I promise not to gloat too much when you pay up. Come on. We need some rest if we are going to pull this off. You swear your men saw a raider there?" Starbuck directed his question at Earl who had been quietly standing guard while the two warriors worked.
"I swear. You swear you can get us all off this planet if we let your wife take that raider? You won't all just fly away and forget us?" Earl glanced up at the sky as it rumbled, threatening to pour on them again.
"I swear." Starbuck considered making a wager with Earl as well, but once this mission was over, he didn't want to sit and have a drink with any of these men. He wanted to go back to the Galactica and never deal with them again. He looked at the grim landscape around him. He found himself wishing he would never see Caprica again.
They hiked back down the ridge in silence and made their way to the mine shaft. The shaft was long and narrow, and the men were lining the tunnel, their backs against the rock as they sat. The few fires that were going sputtered, the flames whipping with the breeze that seemed to blow up and down the tunnel. It was not as dark as the previous cavern as cracks in the ceiling let light through.
"Should we be worried about the roof coming down?" he asked Earl.
"It's held this long. Get some rest."
"Yeah, I need some since I was so rudely awoken this morning."
He didn't wait for Earl's reply, moving down the tunnel searching for Rene. He found her leaning her head against Boomer's shoulder, attempting to sleep. He took off his pack and sat down beside her, waking her with the motion. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her over to him. He didn't need a fire to warm him up. She was warm to the touch. She didn't settle into him though as he pulled her close.
"I want to talk to you," she said looking up to him.
He suppressed the sigh. In the past those words were never followed by anything good, not when uttered by a woman he was with. He couldn't overpower the instinct to avoid however. "We should get some sleep. We can talk later."
"No. Now." She started to get up, and he reached to pull her down, but she shook her head at him. "Outside, please."
It was the 'please' that worked on him, how she uttered it in almost the pleading voice of a small child. He was having a hard time saying 'no' to that 'please'. He knew he'd need to eventually or she would get her way this whole marriage. Yet he found himself nodding and rising to his feet with her. They walked out of the mine into the murky light of day, the clouds swirling, the wind beginning to blow as the storm brewed. She pulled him along the stream under the bows of oak saplings along the bank where the stream widened.
Once under the cover she pulled him to her, her lips finding his as he leaned down. He didn't think to resist as her kisses turned from soft to greedy. He didn't think to question what was going on until her warm hands were sliding under his tunic.
"Hey," he broke off the kiss. "You wanted to talk?"
He tried to pull away a little, but her lips were still drinking him in, and her hands were still sliding up his back. His lips went back to hers until a roll of thunder seemed to remind him of how exposed they were under a threatening sky with Cylons hunting for them.
"Hey, we should go back in," he mumbled into her lips, but his boots weren't moving in that direction. He felt her hand slide to unbuckle his holster, heard it thump on the ground as it fell, and her hands reached for his belt. "Rene," he whispered, "we should…" but he didn't know what they should be doing and all thought left him as her hands found him. He tried to lean back, to pull away, but the hand under his tunic on his back held him close.
"Please," she purred the word that was his weakness, "if we are going to walk into a cylon slave camp, I want to do it with the memory of this. I need this."
It was a strange bargain, one of the strangest of his life, but he couldn't deny her. If they were about to die, he'd rather die with this as his last thoughts. He didn't resist any longer, pulling her down to the soft bank of the stream. They shed as much of their clothing as was necessary, and not much more as the cold breeze blew the saplings around them.
"We're not going to die," were the last words he whispered to her as he let his body remind her they were still very much alive and had everything to live for.