Three Ficlets

[lls_mutant]

Title: That's Good Enough for Me
Summary: Helo and Gaeta share the last chocolate chip cookie in the universe.
Characters: Helo, Gaeta, gen



He'd been on Caprica for over a month, but the layout of the Galactica was so ingrained that he had no problem finding where he wanted to go, even though it wasn't a place that he normally went. Helo opened the lab hatch and knocked on the edge of the door. "Hey, Gaeta. You in here?"

Gaeta looked up from the computer. "I'm here," he said.

"Mind if I come in?"

"Go ahead," Gaeta said with a shrug. It wasn't the warmest reception, but it was a hell of a lot more than Helo was getting from anyone else on this boat. He entered the lab tentatively.

"Am I going to die if I touch anything in here?" he asked. "Chemistry wasn't my strong point in school."

"You'll be fine," Gaeta said, typing frantically. "Unless you mess up how I've got things ordered."

"Well, that was really the other thing I meant."

Gaeta finished typing with a flourish and then pushed the keyboard away. "Sorry about that. I was just- frak, Helo! What happened to your face?"

"Nothing," Helo said, rubbing self-consciously at the bruise.

Gaeta snorted. "Nothing my ass. Who did it?" He thought. "Tyrol?"

"You're good, I'll grant you that."

"Yeah, well, the only other guy I know on board who likes to hit people wouldn't have the guts to take you on," Gaeta said bitterly. "Have a seat if you like."

Helo sat down on the offered stool. "It's quiet in here," he said finally. "Peaceful. Not many places on this ship where you can hear yourself think."

"That's part of why I like it."

"You spending a lot of time in here?"

"A fair bit. I take it settling in from Caprica isn't going too well?"

"Something like that," Helo admitted. "I guess I can't complain, but…"

"Yeah. But." Gaeta's smile was sympathetic.

"Hey, listen. I heard some of the bridge bunnies talking about the virus, and something came up."

"I didn't-"

"They said you called her Sharon."

"Oh." Gaeta stopped his protest. "Well," he said finally, "that's her name." His brow furrowed. "Isn't it? Or is it?"

"It is," Helo confirmed. "And I know it's not a big thing. I know it doesn't mean much. But it means a lot to me, and I just wanted to say thank you."

"Don't," Gaeta said uncomfortably.

"Well, if you don't want me to," Helo said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a small package, "I guess I'll have no choice but to eat this cookie by myself."

"Cookie?"

"Chocolate chip," Helo said. "I brought it off Caprica. It's probably a little stale, but it's the last chocolate chip cookie in the known universe." He unwrapped it, and Gaeta eyed it covetously.

"Helo, I can't…"

"You can." Helo pushed it over to him.

"It's… Helo, it's a cookie."

"I know. And I know how you feel about cookies."

Gaeta shook his head. "These days, it's a bribe."

"It's not." Helo was starting to panic. "It's a gift between friends. Look, if it makes you feel better…" he reached over and broke the cookie in half. "I'll eat half, okay?"

Gaeta smiled at him. "All right." He picked up the half that was still on the desk and sniffed it. "Gods," he said. "A cookie. I know I shouldn't eat in the lab, but if I take it out into the hall, I'll be mobbed."

"You can stand to break a few rules," Helo prompted. "At least for a cookie."

"For a cookie," Gaeta agreed, and took a bite. His eyes rolled back into his head. "I should feel guilty," he said around a mouthful of crumbs, "but I don't."

Helo bit into his own half and grinned. "I don't, either."

***

Helo was eating alone. Felix stood in the door of the mess hall, watching him. He swallowed hard, and then walked over as casually as he could.

He couldn't do it. He walked by Helo's table and sat down by himself, focusing on his food. He felt the eyes of everyone in the mess hall on him, still speculating about the fact he was back in uniform so soon after New Caprica.

It was embarrassing in its way. When Helo had come back up from Caprica, he'd been able to search out Felix. He'd had the guts to do it, to say I know you've got reasons not to like me, but we're supposed to be friends. But no one had tried to throw Helo out of an airlock.

Except maybe Tyrol.

Felix looked at his tray, and swallowed hard. Of all people, of everyone on this ship… he shook his head. He looked back up, and he noticed Helo was watching him.

Waiting.

Do it. Just get up and do it, Felix told himself. He took a deep breath and closed his hands around his dishes… and then noticed what he had on his plate.

He'd been indifferent to food for so long that he hadn't even noticed what he'd picked up from the line, but now he saw it. The sight of it, small and unassuming, made him smile and then stand up and make his way over to Helo's table.

He put the cookie on the table and pushed it over. "I know there's no chocolate chips, but it's not half bad, if you want it."

Helo smiled, and picked the cookie up and broke it in half. "We can share."





Title: The Company I Choose
Summary: After the humans escape New Caprica, John ends up back on the basestar. And he's not entirely convinced that that's where he wants to be. From Here On the Hill, Halfway Up, Halfway Down




She was chewing gum. He hated that, and he knew she knew it. So he stared down at the page he was writing, ignoring her presence the best that he could. It didn't work.

"You," the Six said, leaning on her forearms on his desk, "are in trouble."

"I see no reason why I should be," he said, not pausing in his writing. His hand moved across the paper in precise motions, spelling out notations and memories.

The Six laughed. "Really? You see no reason why you should be? After everything that Gaeta did? He was your special project, wasn't he?"

"Hardly a reason for me to be in trouble."

"No," she agreed. "A lot of us should have picked up on it. You weren't the only one fooled. But you know what I think?"

"I have no interest in what you think."

"I think you wanted to be fooled. I think you wanted to let him go."

He looked up at her, and she smiled at him. Her smile was edgy and mocking, and he thought she looked a lot stupider than she intended. "What I want is my own business, and hardly relevant to anything."

She snorted. "You were around the humans too long, brother. It doesn't work like that, and you know it." She blew a bubble and then smirked as it popped. "Tell me. What's your name?"

"John," he said without really thinking, and then furrowed his brow.

"Yeah, see? Before New Caprica, you would have said you were a One or even a Cavil, but you never would have called yourself John."

"So the name grew on me."

"Mmm. Whatcha writing?" She reached in fast and snatched the paper off John's desk before he could react. She read it, her eyes widening. "What is this? You're putting it all on paper?"

"I'm trying to assess where it went wrong."

"Yeah, well it's reading more like a dirty romance novel." She flipped the page over, and her eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. "A very dirty romance novel."

"Give it back.." He took it from her with a sour glare. "It's my own business."

"Your own business. You sound more and more like a human every day. You don't watch it and you're going to find your brother Ones boxing you."

He froze. "Is that a threat? Or a warning?"

The Six shrugged. "Take it the way you want to take it. But either way, I'd be ready if I was you."

John stared at her for a long time. "Thank you," he said finally, once the dryness of his mouth let him speak. "I'll bear that in mind."

"Good idea." The humor leeched from her expression. "I owed you. Now you owe me."

"If you say so," he said, but he felt himself nodding.

She smirked once more, and then left. He looked back down at his paper, and then crumpled it in his hand. She was right- this was not a good idea. He'd be a fool if he didn't know what the others were thinking, and he definitely had to be careful.

But that night, he couldn't resist projecting Felix next to him once more.





Title: Sunny Days Sweeping the Clouds Away
Summary: Sam becoming an elementary school teacher in Atlantis (makes a heck of a lot more sense if you've read The Space Between Us



Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

The pyramid ball hit the packed dirt, stirring up little clouds of dust. Sam watched it, trying not to think of the Colonies. If he did his calculations right, today would have been Jean's birthday.

"What are you doing?"

Sam turned, nearly pouncing on the distraction. A little boy was watching him. Sam smiled at him.

"It's a pyramid ball."

"Neat." The boy studied him. "My name is Gaius. Who are you?"

There was some relief in someone even having to ask that question. "I'm Sam."

"Oh."

He tossed the ball from hand to hand. "Want to play?"

Gaius looked a little troubled. "I don't know how."

"Can you catch?" Sam asked. He tossed the ball gently to the boy, who made a valiant grab at it but missed. "Good try," he said encouragingly. "Throw it on back."

They played for over an hour, until a woman found them. "Gaius! There you are!" Sam wasn't imagining that she drew back a little when she saw who her son was associating with. She cleared her throat. "I hope he wasn't bothering you."

"No. No, not at all, actually. He's got a good arm," Sam said, smiling at Gaius. Gaius smiled back at him. He had a great smile- wide and uninhibited.

"Well, thank you," Gaius's mother said awkwardly. "I appreciate it."

"Any time," Sam said, and he was surprised to find he meant it.

***

Within a week, there were twenty little kids who came to play pyramid. Sam wasn't quite sure how it happened, but every day at five o'clock they were there, gathered around him and clamoring for the ball. It was chaos, but it was a hysterical sort of chaos. Sam loved it.

"What the hell is this?" Saul demanded one day when he saw them.

"Want to see something hysterical?" Sam asked with a grin. "Watch."

He threw the ball, and the mass of kids shrieked and ran after it. "Wait for it," Sam said. The ball bounced above their heads for a bit, and then someone managed to toss it down to the other end of the playing area. And the mass ran after it.

"Isn't that great?" Sam laughed. Saul just shook his head.

"You're insane," he said.

"What? You never coached Kara's peewee pyramid team?"

"Like I said," Saul said, "you're insane."

"Maybe," Sam said. But he watched the kids with a smile.

***

It took a month before he had a true peewee league organized. He coached one team, Figurski coached a second, and two women from the Outlander coached the other two. There were regular practices, which consisted more of teaching the kids how to take turns, how to basically handle the ball, and how not to all swarm the ball, but the basics of teamwork.

"You know," Gaius's mother said after a game, "this is so good for them."

"The semblance of normality?" Sam asked.

"Well, yes," she said, "but more than that. It's the basics of education. Almost like a preschool."

"Really?" Sam asked, surprised. He thought about it. "Have they even set up a school yet?"

"Not so much," Gaius's mother sighed. "There just hasn't been time, and I think most of the teachers have passed."

"Really?" That was chilling.

"It will happen," she said, "Oh well."

"Yeah." Sam thought about it more. "Yeah. I guess."

***

The sunsets on this Earth were beautiful. Sam had a vague memory of sitting on a sand dune, Kara's head on his shoulder, watching a sunset. But Kara was out there somewhere, exploring the planet, climbing her mountains. Now he sat on a grassy hill, looking out as the sunset painted the burgeoning settlement in pinks and purples.

"What are you doing all the way up here?" a familiar voice asked.

Sam turned, giving a half-smile to Saul. "Not much else to do. What about you? Where's Ellen?"

"Came up looking for some berries that one of the Eights told me about," Saul said. "Thought they might ferment well." Sam snorted. "Well, you can't tell me you're enjoying the whiskey that everyone's drinking now."

"Not really," Sam admitted. He leaned over and picked a blade of grass. "Hey. Do you remember much about Earth? The first Earth?"

"No. Why? You picking up anything else?"

Sam shook his head. "No. I just keep… I keep wondering…"

Saul sat down with a little groan. "Wondering what?"

"Nah. It's nothing."

Saul sighed, pulling his legs up and resting his elbows on his knees as he looked out over the settlement. "I'm not good at this sort of thing," he said finally, "but you know, I am your father-in-law."

Sam laughed. "Yeah. I know. I guess… do you think Kara and I ever would have had kids?"

Saul chuckled. "You think I know? I didn't even remember I had a daughter, and the little I do remember…" he shook his head. "Let's just say I'm not sure we had any heart-to-heart chats about it."

"I believe it." Sam sighed, leaning back on his hands. "You know, I remember Kara saying something, that Cavil wiped our memories, but not who we are. It makes me wonder…"

"Not much sense in wondering."

"I guess," Sam said. "Just wish I could remember who I was supposed to be."

"Only thing you can do is do is be who you want to be." Tigh said it with even more conviction- and more peace- than he had the first time Sam had heard him express the sentiment. "Not much else you can do these days."

"Yeah."

They watched the sun set in companionable silence.

***

"All right," Sam told the kids as he held up the ball. "Tomorrow, I want you to come an hour early. You get a class with me, and then you practice with your team. Got it?"

The kids gave a yell of assent, and Sam wondered if he was insane.

***

The weather was getting colder, and soon pyramid games outside wouldn't be practical for a bunch of little kids. Sam decided to take it to President Zarek.

"The thing is," he said, "a school should have been set up long ago."

"There are a lot of things that should have been done long ago," Zarek agreed ruefully. "And only so much time to do them in. Do you have a suggestion?"

"I know it smacks of New Caprica," Sam began, "but maybe a tent?"

"And get the schoolhouse built in the spring, after the utilities have been laid down?" Zarek mused. "That's what we've intended. If you want to take over education until then-"

"Whoa," Sam said, holding up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA. I did not say I wanted to take over education. I just-"

"If not you, then who else?"

"There have got to be some teachers left somewhere. There's thirty-nine thousand people, for God's sake!"

"And very few of them were teachers. If you want it, the job is yours," Zarek said with a shrug. "Actually, unless you can come up with a reason why it shouldn't be, the job is yours."

"I'm a Cylon!" Sam protested.

"You can read, right? Add? Subtract?" Sam nodded. "Then I don't see what being a Cylon has to do with it. Make yourself useful."

Sam sighed. "Yes, sir." But the truth was, the idea made him excited, even as it terrified him.

***

It wasn't easy, but nothing in Atlantis was. And at the same time, Sam found that he really, really enjoyed his new job. He liked the wide-eyed innocence of the children, the funny things they would say and the way they asked questions. (Although some days he could deal with a few less questions.) And they wore him out- enough that he could fall asleep easily without thinking about Kara for hours on end.

He hadn't fully realized just how much he'd set up a school until a father came in to see him.

"The thing is," the father, whose name was Neil, explained, "it's my son. He's too old for your classes, but I'd really like to see him educated. Even if he ends up farming, there are things he should know. History, literature… things that shouldn't be forgotten."

"I agree," Sam said. "But the thing is, the little ones keep me busy enough."

"Well, I figured that. I couldn't teach high school," Neil said. "But I could sure handle middle school. Maybe you could find a couple of high school teachers as well."

"Guess I could," Sam mused. "Got any suggestions?"

Neil shrugged. "What about some of the people coming down from the ships?" he asked. "They'll need something to do."

***

Sam wasn't sure how to approach Gaeta, and eventually decided to hell with games. He himself would do better with a direct approach, and he had a feeling Gaeta might, too.

"The thing is," he said, sitting across from Gaeta at a table in what was a cross between a dining hall and a restaurant, "I can't do the high school kids. I don't want to. I like teaching the little ones. But I need someone who knows math and science and history… someone who was a good student."

"A good student doesn't mean a good teacher," Gaeta said slowly. He poked his meat with his chopsticks. "Don't know why you'd think of me."

"Well, for one, you get that about the student and the teacher," Sam said. "That right there says something. But… frak, Gaeta, I'll say it- what else are you going to do?"

Gaeta cringed. "I don't need to take this job just because I'm crippled."

"You don't need to. But you're a good fit for it, and it's a good fit for you. So why are you fighting it?"

"I don't know. You shot me once?"

"I promise I won't do it again. Especially in front of the students." Sam sighed. "Come on, Gaeta. I said I was sorry. Can we let it go? Come teach with me. Shape the minds of the future. Mold our tomorrows."

Gaeta cracked a smile. "You've been taking rhetoric lessons from Tom."

"Is it working?"

The smiled widened. "Yeah," Gaeta admitted, pushing his meal away. "It's working."

***

He had wanted kids. In time, Sam remembered that. He'd wanted children, Kara had been ambivalent, and he'd hoped like hell one day she'd change her mind. Not the healthiest basis for a relationship, but he supposed he and Kara had never been that healthy anyway.

He didn’t want to remarry, even though he knew Kara would never begrudge him that. He was happy- happy with the children, happy on his own, happy with this life. It was more than he thought he had the right to ask, and a redemption he hadn't dared hope for. And as the little school grew into something formal- as they gained a building, gained a few more teachers, added students- he felt like he was the man he was meant to be. And even if this wasn’t what he was meant to be, this was what he wanted to be.

And really, that was all that mattered.

Comments

[ivanolix.livejournal.com]

Cookies! Eee! That's so Helo, both to bring it back, and then to share it with Gaeta. Aww. And then Felix, slightly awkward, but doing a good thing. :-)

And Sam with kids is just far too cute! I had him coach a mini-pyramid team in one of my fics, too...it must be something about his character. ;-) I can easily believe that he would start to care about education, too, and convince people to get something done. And that he'd be fully happy with that life, even without Kara; Sam has always struck me as the guy who would fight for what he thought was best, but could make himself truly happy anywhere.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I had fun with these- they were all POVs of characters I don't often write.

Sam is fun with kids. I can't blame you for writing Meet Your Storm. He's just so cute with them!

[trovia.livejournal.com]

Aww, I read the fic about Helo and the one about Sam, and both of them were very cute. Especially Sam with the kids. Not much I can say about them, but they just made me smile.

You might want to have a look at the first line of the first fic. I think you meant Helo was on Caprica for over a year? I got really confused there for a moment.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Smiles is what I was going for, so I'm glad I succeeded.

Nope- I meant Helo was on Caprica for over a month (probably should have been more like 2-3)- when he met Athena. I don't think he was down there for a year, was he? Just a few months.

[trovia.livejournal.com]

Well, he was down there for a season. I never checked how long that season supposedly was. Also, I see!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Well, I figured Athena still wasn't showing by the time she got back. For some reason 56 days is sticking in my mind, but I might be wrong. (I am way too lazy to look it up right now ;) )

And with the age discrepencies in Caprica, Howard gleefully points out that a Caprican year might not be 365 Earth days :) So we could both be right, which means (oh geeze) women could be pregnant for a YEAR or more! ICK!

[trovia.livejournal.com]

Howard is a smart man.

Well, as long as it's not more than one year... ;) Heh.

[geekbynight.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the second one! I could think about it for a while; it was pretty insightful and makes me want to go back and read Here on the Hill again(I think I may have re-read that story more than any of your other ones).

Interesting that One is going by John now and writing out what happened on New Caprica( Judging by Six's reaction I'm assuming with all the dirty details ;). I didn't suspect that he would be projecting Gaeta either. It was very surprising to see that One was in to deep as well, probably because Here on the Hill was from Gaeta's point of view so I didn't really consider how much of an effect it had on One.
It drives home that Gaeta and John both got too involved on New Caprica. They were both letting one fool the other to an extent.

Bubblegum chewing Six is as awesome as she was in The Plan. And I really like that you didn't give her a human name, it fits well with her attitude towards humanity.

The last one with Sam was very cute but also a bit bittersweet. Thanks again, I enjoyed these very much.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

You know, I have no idea about what the hell was going on with John myself. There are so many different scenarios I can imagine. Was it the same copy the whole time? (With this coda, it was.) Did the copy get boxed after the bombing, and then a second copy sent in? Was it the Cavil we know the whole time? Any of the time? Was it different copies every single time? I honestly can't decide.

If she hadn't gotten me last year, I SO would have had grey_sw remix me this year. Because I can't imagine that she wouldn't have gone straight for that story, and I would have LOVED to see her version of it.

Thanks again!!!

[grey-sw.livejournal.com]

If she hadn't gotten me last year, I SO would have had grey_sw remix me this year. Because I can't imagine that she wouldn't have gone straight for that story, and I would have LOVED to see her version of it.

*blush* I probably would have gone for it, too. :) I have the same "can't decide" problem you do, though; I like the idea that John is just one lonely Cavil who got too close, and I like the idea that he's a whole bunch of different copies playing relay-race with Felix as the baton. :D Either way, I loved this second glimpse at the story. The idea that John would want to write it all down (and Six would snark at it) is perfect!

Sam's school was also really cute. I like how it begins with Pyramid, and ends with high school... that's Sam to a T.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I know- that's the problem with the One's side. Both are so compelling and interesting, and they tell such a different story depending on how you want to go with it.

Thanks so much!

[safenthecity.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love all three of these! The cookies were precious, they really were. And the second one- I liked getting to see inside John's head, because he was such a mystery to me in Here On The Hill, I honestly didn't know what he felt for Felix. And I still don't, but at least now I know he felt something. And the Six giving him that warning was chilling.

And Sam! Oh, my boy Sam. ♥ I love this relationship you gave him with Saul, (and makes me wish even more that canon had acknowledged that marrying Kara had practically made him Adama's son-in-law) and the way being a teacher just sort of happened, rather than it being something he intended. And him approaching Felix using TomSpeak, that made me grin. Such lovely little snippets of life.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! The cookies are all rebelliousrose's fault- she gave me that prompt. I liked it, though. The One on Here On the Hill.... I still don't know what he felt, to be honest. :) I would love to see the other side of that story. It's funny, because I really don't know it. I can't decide. I love the idea that it was one copy- John- and he basically did the same thing as Felix and got too involved, but kept to his mission and it sort of tore him up. But I also really like the idea that there were more than one copy involved in this, or that something else was going on. I can't decide.

And I'm glad you enjoyed Sam. I LOVE the idea of Sam and Saul forming a little relationship (and I agree about Adama!), and I have to admit I LOVE writing ficlets in this universe. I just like making all my favorites happy :)

Thanks so much! :)

[blue-crow.livejournal.com]

This is a small thing but the Tighs are like the best in-laws in the universe and I think I love them as Kara's adoptive parents more than like... anything else in my adopted version of BSG.

These were all cute but the third was really my favorite. Sam and little children is adorable.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

LOL. Thanks! (In this universe, they're not Kara's adoptive parents- they're her parents :) )

Glad you enjoyed them!

[blue-crow.livejournal.com]

Even better. That's actually how they are in my AU version. I wish they really were!

[kappamaki33.livejournal.com]

These are awesome! With the first one, my favorite part was your call-back to Felix being the first one to call Athena "Sharon"--it's a great little moment in the series, and it works so well as a bridge between Helo and Felix.

The second, I'm in agreement with other commenters that getting into John's POV is very interesting. It's cool to see that he got sucked into the relationship too far, too, and I do feel a little sorry for him here when he projects Felix next to him in bed. (Though I think maybe I should be especially glad you went the fade-to-black route with the sex in "Here on a Hill," if Tough Six of all people thinks it was "very dirty"...)

The third--eee, Sam! I loved pretty much everything about this. I love how Sam doesn't want the responsibility, but he takes it on because nobody else will, and he's *Sam*. I love how much joy the kids loving Pyramid, and then the kids in general, bring him. The Saul-Sam relationship is great (and he's finding something to distill! :) ). The conversation with Gaeta was great, too--how Sam was straightforward and up-front about the fact that, really, Gaeta would have limited options for what he could do with his life on Earth. And then the way you wrap up the theme with those last two lines--YAY! Thank you so much!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I had fun writing these. :)

Maybe the Six was just shocked that a One was writing porny material? :) It's a little more comforting. But yeah, Felix/John had to be fade to black anyway.

I'm glad you liked the third one. I liked your prompts- the Space Between Us universe is just such a happy place at that point. Well, if I'm not writing Tom and Hoshi walking into a support group like I keep threatening to do. I wanted to work in something about a wedding ring, too, but it wasn't right timing wise. ::Sighs, and debates writing that wedding because DAMN IT- it deserves to happen::

Thanks! :)

[kappamaki33.livejournal.com]

::Sighs, and debates writing that wedding because DAMN IT- it deserves to happen::

Um, hell yeah, that needs to be written!! They do deserve some happiness.