Fic - Home: Chapter 20
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 fleeing back to Caprica, the life Helo and Sharon have made for their family is threatened when the fleet returns. The final installment of the story. Parts one and two can be found here and here.
A/N: The twentieth of twenty-two chapters, I'm not sure how well the story stands up without knowledge of the prior chapters. For that matter, I'm not sure how well the story will hold up for anyone but me. :) More notes at the end of the story.
Chapter 20
The rain beat down viciously against the roof above him, fueling the panic that ran through his veins.
He tried to shout her name, but his voice was drowned out by the crashing thunder that rolled across the forest and through the barn. The golden light that had once bathed the loft had vanished, replaced by the violent fury of the dark clouds above.
She had been there. He knew she had been there beside him.
Terror filled him as he searched, running from the barn and into the storm. Blinking through the rain that soaked him, he found that every direction lead nowhere and every path only took him further from her.
He tried once more to call out her name, and the world ceased to exist.
---
Sleep, when it did come, was in fits and starts, and never for more than a few hours at a time. Dreams that quickly turned into nightmares often left him walking through the night rather than sleeping through it.
In the dead of the summer night he made his way up the mountain; after years of walking the path, he needed no light to guide him. Above him the stars shined brightly, cutting a swath through the blackness of space. Unseen in the grasses and underbrush along the path, insects buzzed and clicked as he passed.
He wasn’t sure what time it was when he reached the grave of his youngest daughter, but it didn’t really matter; he would stay until daybreak regardless.
“Hello, Hestia,” he said, stopping short of the cairn. Heavy winds had managed to blow over some of the rocks, and he carefully piled the marking stones back into place.
Taking a seat on the ground, he stared up into the night and waited.
---
Tossing the broom to the ground, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and dropped to the floor. Back pressed to the pillar, he looked around the temple to study his work. After a year of neglect the small temple had been in desperate need of cleaning when he arrived. A layer of newly fallen orange and gold leaves had covered the floor, with cobwebs filling every crevice and corner of the dusty room.
Grabbing his water thermos, he tipped it back and took a long drink. Before the fleet had returned, he had come by once a month to sweep the floors and brush away the insects that had made their home here. Now, five months since Sharon had left, the chore was almost complete.
“I thought you would be at the Raptor.”
He turned to look towards the familiar voice, wondering how the Eight had tracked him down. Standing in the doorway, her long summer dress skimmed just inches over the floor, its white and red floral pattern seeming perfectly in place with the simplicity of the temple.
Looking back to the statue of Hestia, he took another drink.
“Not really much point,” he said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “Nothing to hear but static.”
She slipped her sandals off as she stepped into the room. Her clothing seemed light for the weather, but he supposed it wouldn’t be long till they were all in coats and boots, getting ready for the winter.
“That’s never stopped you before,” she said as she walked over and took a seat beside him. “What’s changed, Helo?”
He shook his head, annoyed at the probing question, but more annoyed that she made him think about the answer. Meeting her eyes, she somehow seemed younger to him than Sharon; as if she lacked the trials of life had left Sharon with her razor sharp edge. The contrast and reminder summoned the resentment that always accompanied her presence.
“I came here to be alone,” he replied, picking up his thermos and taking a drink before he said anything more.
She reached out to rest her hand gently on his shoulder. “Helo, I’m here because-”
“I said I came here to be alone!” he repeated angrily, standing up to get away from her. “Why do they send you? Don’t they have bigger things to worry about than my mental health? Don’t they know you’re the last person I want to see?”
She said nothing for a moment, her gaze turning to the floor as she waited for the heat of his words to pass. “Nobody sends me, Helo,” she said finally, her voice a whisper.
Closing his eyes he turned away, immediately regretting the undeserved anger he had directed at her. Taking a deep breath, he tried to match her calm. Outside the temple, a gust of wind pushed the dead leaves across the ground, the sound carrying through the silent room.
“They’re not coming back,” he said, admitting it out loud for the first time.
She shook her head slowly. “It was a one way mission.”
Rubbing his eyes, he stared at the wall. “And Earth is too far for any of our ships.”
She said nothing, but he knew the answer.
He looked around the small temple, finally clean after hours of work. Resting against a pillar, he remembered the weeks that his family had called this place home.
“Do you know what keeps me awake?” he asked, looking back at the Eight. “It’s that I could be with them. Instead of standing here, talking to you, I could still be with them. If I’d just listened to Sharon and gone to the ship…”
Silently the Eight stood and made her way over to him. Reaching out once more for him, he made no effort to escape as she took his hand in hers.
“If you had listened, then I would be dead,” the Eight said quietly, cupping his hands in hers. “Along with everyone else who survived. You and Sharon and Hera would have hid while what was left of our people’s hopes had died.”
Her hands were warm and soft against his, her dark eyes searching his as she tried to comfort him. A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. And for every reason she wasn’t Sharon, there was another she was.
Pulling his hands from hers, he picked up his bottle of water and headed for the door.
“I need to go.”
“Helo,” she called after him. “Wait.”
Stopping in the doorway, he couldn’t bring himself to look back.
“I came to tell you something,” she said, her voice echoing through the empty temple. “The Six who was with the Viper pilot, the one we saved that first day. The liaison officer.”
“Yeah?”
When she said nothing more, he finally turned back to look at her. Standing in the middle of the temple, a flood of emotions flitted across her face before vanishing and leaving a small smile in their wake.
“She’s pregnant, Helo.”
--- End Chapter 20 ---
Go to Chapter 21...
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 fleeing back to Caprica, the life Helo and Sharon have made for their family is threatened when the fleet returns. The final installment of the story. Parts one and two can be found here and here.
A/N: The twentieth of twenty-two chapters, I'm not sure how well the story stands up without knowledge of the prior chapters. For that matter, I'm not sure how well the story will hold up for anyone but me. :) More notes at the end of the story.
Chapter 20
The rain beat down viciously against the roof above him, fueling the panic that ran through his veins.
He tried to shout her name, but his voice was drowned out by the crashing thunder that rolled across the forest and through the barn. The golden light that had once bathed the loft had vanished, replaced by the violent fury of the dark clouds above.
She had been there. He knew she had been there beside him.
Terror filled him as he searched, running from the barn and into the storm. Blinking through the rain that soaked him, he found that every direction lead nowhere and every path only took him further from her.
He tried once more to call out her name, and the world ceased to exist.
---
Sleep, when it did come, was in fits and starts, and never for more than a few hours at a time. Dreams that quickly turned into nightmares often left him walking through the night rather than sleeping through it.
In the dead of the summer night he made his way up the mountain; after years of walking the path, he needed no light to guide him. Above him the stars shined brightly, cutting a swath through the blackness of space. Unseen in the grasses and underbrush along the path, insects buzzed and clicked as he passed.
He wasn’t sure what time it was when he reached the grave of his youngest daughter, but it didn’t really matter; he would stay until daybreak regardless.
“Hello, Hestia,” he said, stopping short of the cairn. Heavy winds had managed to blow over some of the rocks, and he carefully piled the marking stones back into place.
Taking a seat on the ground, he stared up into the night and waited.
---
Tossing the broom to the ground, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and dropped to the floor. Back pressed to the pillar, he looked around the temple to study his work. After a year of neglect the small temple had been in desperate need of cleaning when he arrived. A layer of newly fallen orange and gold leaves had covered the floor, with cobwebs filling every crevice and corner of the dusty room.
Grabbing his water thermos, he tipped it back and took a long drink. Before the fleet had returned, he had come by once a month to sweep the floors and brush away the insects that had made their home here. Now, five months since Sharon had left, the chore was almost complete.
“I thought you would be at the Raptor.”
He turned to look towards the familiar voice, wondering how the Eight had tracked him down. Standing in the doorway, her long summer dress skimmed just inches over the floor, its white and red floral pattern seeming perfectly in place with the simplicity of the temple.
Looking back to the statue of Hestia, he took another drink.
“Not really much point,” he said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “Nothing to hear but static.”
She slipped her sandals off as she stepped into the room. Her clothing seemed light for the weather, but he supposed it wouldn’t be long till they were all in coats and boots, getting ready for the winter.
“That’s never stopped you before,” she said as she walked over and took a seat beside him. “What’s changed, Helo?”
He shook his head, annoyed at the probing question, but more annoyed that she made him think about the answer. Meeting her eyes, she somehow seemed younger to him than Sharon; as if she lacked the trials of life had left Sharon with her razor sharp edge. The contrast and reminder summoned the resentment that always accompanied her presence.
“I came here to be alone,” he replied, picking up his thermos and taking a drink before he said anything more.
She reached out to rest her hand gently on his shoulder. “Helo, I’m here because-”
“I said I came here to be alone!” he repeated angrily, standing up to get away from her. “Why do they send you? Don’t they have bigger things to worry about than my mental health? Don’t they know you’re the last person I want to see?”
She said nothing for a moment, her gaze turning to the floor as she waited for the heat of his words to pass. “Nobody sends me, Helo,” she said finally, her voice a whisper.
Closing his eyes he turned away, immediately regretting the undeserved anger he had directed at her. Taking a deep breath, he tried to match her calm. Outside the temple, a gust of wind pushed the dead leaves across the ground, the sound carrying through the silent room.
“They’re not coming back,” he said, admitting it out loud for the first time.
She shook her head slowly. “It was a one way mission.”
Rubbing his eyes, he stared at the wall. “And Earth is too far for any of our ships.”
She said nothing, but he knew the answer.
He looked around the small temple, finally clean after hours of work. Resting against a pillar, he remembered the weeks that his family had called this place home.
“Do you know what keeps me awake?” he asked, looking back at the Eight. “It’s that I could be with them. Instead of standing here, talking to you, I could still be with them. If I’d just listened to Sharon and gone to the ship…”
Silently the Eight stood and made her way over to him. Reaching out once more for him, he made no effort to escape as she took his hand in hers.
“If you had listened, then I would be dead,” the Eight said quietly, cupping his hands in hers. “Along with everyone else who survived. You and Sharon and Hera would have hid while what was left of our people’s hopes had died.”
Her hands were warm and soft against his, her dark eyes searching his as she tried to comfort him. A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. And for every reason she wasn’t Sharon, there was another she was.
Pulling his hands from hers, he picked up his bottle of water and headed for the door.
“I need to go.”
“Helo,” she called after him. “Wait.”
Stopping in the doorway, he couldn’t bring himself to look back.
“I came to tell you something,” she said, her voice echoing through the empty temple. “The Six who was with the Viper pilot, the one we saved that first day. The liaison officer.”
“Yeah?”
When she said nothing more, he finally turned back to look at her. Standing in the middle of the temple, a flood of emotions flitted across her face before vanishing and leaving a small smile in their wake.
“She’s pregnant, Helo.”
--- End Chapter 20 ---
Go to Chapter 21...