It begins.
Title: We Are The Good Match
Characters: Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon, CF; Captain Sharon "Boomer" Tyrol
Time Period: We'll be at this reception foreeeeever.
Summary: Every fire starts with a flame. I light up, when I look in your eyes.
Boomer took Helo’s hand. “The pleasure is mine, sir,” she said. He rolled his eyes at "sir," just like he always had, and it was nice to see that some things never changed.
He led her to the dance floor, putting his other hand on her waist as she rested hers on his shoulder. They could get to pleasantries in a moment, but she need to say something important first: “Look, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am that I let Percy get away.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “He has this weird thing about Kara and Sam, so he’s been kind of a handful lately. I shouldn’t have left you with him.”
“Oh, no,” she said. “A kid I can handle. I just hadn’t realized how drunk Chief was-”
“Wait,” he said, stopping her. “You still call your husband Chief?”
“I'll call him Chief until the day I die,” she said with a shrug. “I mean, come on. You were there for our vows.” She’d let out a Ch- before she caught herself, though not before all of the attendees heard, much to general amusement.
“True,” he replied, then shook his head. “Can you believe that’s the last time we saw each other? How’s Lola?”
“Great!” she replied. “But she’s hit the question stage now, that’s for sure. We should exchange pictures-Starbuck told me you have a little girl, too?”
“Hera,” he replied. “She’s two. Light of my life.”
“Hera,” Boomer repeated. “Pretty name. Is she here?”
“We named her after my sister, and no,” Helo said, “I’m not in the habit of inviting one babymama to my other babymama’s wedding.”
Well, of course. Another baby would mean another woman. But Starbuck hadn’t mentioned that Helo was seeing anyone. “Are you and she…? Her mother, I mean.”
“No.”
“Ah, one more broken heart left in Karl Agathon’s wake,” she tried to tease.
“Something like that,” he said, uncharacteristically terse. And it had been awhile, but it was always easy for Boomer to tell when she’d somehow stumbled into an uncomfortable subject with the usually cheerful man. A change of course was in order.
“And your…ah,” she stumbled over the question for a moment, looking down and back up, “…your pilot?”
He caught her eyes and grinned that grin that always lit up his whole face. She'd missed that smile. “You’re jealous!” he said.
“No.”
“You are!” he replied. “Look at you.”
“I am not, Helo!” she protested, but even she knew the pitch of her voice was giving her away.
“Well, it’s cute. And you’ll be happy to hear that since you mustered out I haven’t been assigned to the same pilot for more than two months.” She had to admit, she was happy to hear it. Until he opened his mouth again: “Like I told you the day you got on Galactica, I’m the ECO they give to nuggets just until they don’t need training wheels anymore.”
It was true that he’d told her that, but all the same she let go of his hand and she smacked him on the arm. “We flew together for over two years! You just haven’t hit a grove with anyone else!” Instead of putting her hand back, she linked it with the other, around his neck, and he shifted so that both hands were around her waist.
“We’ll go with that,” he teased. “But I do miss flying with you.”
“I miss flying with you,” she replied. “My civilian navigator isn’t half as much fun. The only card game he ever wants to play on long flights is Triad.”
“What!” he exclaimed. “No Crazy Eights?”
“No! And we’ve never once had an in-chair dance-off!”
“A real shame, Boomer.” He shook his head, mock ruefully. “Sounds like you need to get yourself back in the military.”
She smirked. “Maybe you need to get out. Move to Picon, get a job at Merx. I get to request my own crew, you know.”
“It’s a pretty dream,” he said. “But I’m Fleet to the core.” The song ended, and he released her. “Thanks for the dance, Boomer.” She hadn’t realized how close they’d been until they let go. It was like she could feel the place where his hands had been. A bit wistfully, she realized that that had been the closest she’d been to another man since she’d married Chief. But Helo wasn’t really just another man. He was her…her Helo. For two years, they’d been two parts of a whole, like the right hand and the left.
“Wait,” she said, catching him by the hand, his right hand in her left. She caught a peek at Chief in the corner, drunk as a skunk, still lolling his head in time to the music even though the next song hadn’t started yet, eyes closed. “I was going to head out the back for a minute for some air. Do you want to join me?”
She could see his indecision, even if she didn’t know where else he could possibly have to go. But then he nodded. “If we go through the kitchen, I could drop off this card I need to give to a waiter,” he said.
“Sounds like a mission,” she replied.
“Boomer and Helo ride again.”
Characters: Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon, CF; Captain Sharon "Boomer" Tyrol
Time Period: We'll be at this reception foreeeeever.
Summary: Every fire starts with a flame. I light up, when I look in your eyes.
Boomer took Helo’s hand. “The pleasure is mine, sir,” she said. He rolled his eyes at "sir," just like he always had, and it was nice to see that some things never changed.
He led her to the dance floor, putting his other hand on her waist as she rested hers on his shoulder. They could get to pleasantries in a moment, but she need to say something important first: “Look, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am that I let Percy get away.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “He has this weird thing about Kara and Sam, so he’s been kind of a handful lately. I shouldn’t have left you with him.”
“Oh, no,” she said. “A kid I can handle. I just hadn’t realized how drunk Chief was-”
“Wait,” he said, stopping her. “You still call your husband Chief?”
“I'll call him Chief until the day I die,” she said with a shrug. “I mean, come on. You were there for our vows.” She’d let out a Ch- before she caught herself, though not before all of the attendees heard, much to general amusement.
“True,” he replied, then shook his head. “Can you believe that’s the last time we saw each other? How’s Lola?”
“Great!” she replied. “But she’s hit the question stage now, that’s for sure. We should exchange pictures-Starbuck told me you have a little girl, too?”
“Hera,” he replied. “She’s two. Light of my life.”
“Hera,” Boomer repeated. “Pretty name. Is she here?”
“We named her after my sister, and no,” Helo said, “I’m not in the habit of inviting one babymama to my other babymama’s wedding.”
Well, of course. Another baby would mean another woman. But Starbuck hadn’t mentioned that Helo was seeing anyone. “Are you and she…? Her mother, I mean.”
“No.”
“Ah, one more broken heart left in Karl Agathon’s wake,” she tried to tease.
“Something like that,” he said, uncharacteristically terse. And it had been awhile, but it was always easy for Boomer to tell when she’d somehow stumbled into an uncomfortable subject with the usually cheerful man. A change of course was in order.
“And your…ah,” she stumbled over the question for a moment, looking down and back up, “…your pilot?”
He caught her eyes and grinned that grin that always lit up his whole face. She'd missed that smile. “You’re jealous!” he said.
“No.”
“You are!” he replied. “Look at you.”
“I am not, Helo!” she protested, but even she knew the pitch of her voice was giving her away.
“Well, it’s cute. And you’ll be happy to hear that since you mustered out I haven’t been assigned to the same pilot for more than two months.” She had to admit, she was happy to hear it. Until he opened his mouth again: “Like I told you the day you got on Galactica, I’m the ECO they give to nuggets just until they don’t need training wheels anymore.”
It was true that he’d told her that, but all the same she let go of his hand and she smacked him on the arm. “We flew together for over two years! You just haven’t hit a grove with anyone else!” Instead of putting her hand back, she linked it with the other, around his neck, and he shifted so that both hands were around her waist.
“We’ll go with that,” he teased. “But I do miss flying with you.”
“I miss flying with you,” she replied. “My civilian navigator isn’t half as much fun. The only card game he ever wants to play on long flights is Triad.”
“What!” he exclaimed. “No Crazy Eights?”
“No! And we’ve never once had an in-chair dance-off!”
“A real shame, Boomer.” He shook his head, mock ruefully. “Sounds like you need to get yourself back in the military.”
She smirked. “Maybe you need to get out. Move to Picon, get a job at Merx. I get to request my own crew, you know.”
“It’s a pretty dream,” he said. “But I’m Fleet to the core.” The song ended, and he released her. “Thanks for the dance, Boomer.” She hadn’t realized how close they’d been until they let go. It was like she could feel the place where his hands had been. A bit wistfully, she realized that that had been the closest she’d been to another man since she’d married Chief. But Helo wasn’t really just another man. He was her…her Helo. For two years, they’d been two parts of a whole, like the right hand and the left.
“Wait,” she said, catching him by the hand, his right hand in her left. She caught a peek at Chief in the corner, drunk as a skunk, still lolling his head in time to the music even though the next song hadn’t started yet, eyes closed. “I was going to head out the back for a minute for some air. Do you want to join me?”
She could see his indecision, even if she didn’t know where else he could possibly have to go. But then he nodded. “If we go through the kitchen, I could drop off this card I need to give to a waiter,” he said.
“Sounds like a mission,” she replied.
“Boomer and Helo ride again.”