Fic: The Buzzing of Bees

[lizardbeth]

BSG Vignette

Pairing: Helo/Sharon

For the stagesoflove "Exploration of a Relationship through the Five Senses", Prompt 2: Hearing

Spoilers: LDYB2
Rating: PG

Summary: Sharon won't listen.

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica is copyright to people who are not me. This was written only because there's a big 'ol gap just begging to be filled, and I certainly didn't make any money from it. The first line is poached from the ep.

WC: 560 words

A/N: I had to cut quite a lot to get this remotely close to the challenge word limit. Hopefully I didn't gut the emotion right out of it. crosses fingers

Back to Part 1




"I'm not giving up so frakkin' easy!"

To Sharon, it's nothing but sound. Helo's voice, the hum of the circulation system, and the drone of the engines is all one noise.

He comes back the next day.

"Sharon, talk to me, please..."

She remembers bees. Even after nuclear holocaust, they were searching for flowers, and one of them kept buzzing near her ear.

Day after day, Helo comes to visit her and she ignores him. She wants to tell him to give up, let her go. But she's too numb to speak. Blank. Like an empty channel on the wireless.

Helo's tactics change, turning chatty about President Baltar and the new planet they're apparently going to settle (confirming her belief in the general stupidity of humans). She doesn't care about the Fleet or Baltar.

She thinks she doesn't care about Helo either.

Until the day he doesn't come.

Kara Thrace does. Sharon stares upward.

Kara knocks on the glass. "Give it up, Sharon. I've been in hack often enough to know you can hear me."

Sharon can hear, but that doesn't mean she has to listen. There are three hundred and fifty-two rivets in the ceiling.

"Fine," Kara says. "I'm gonna talk anyway. I'm sorry about your baby; I am. I understand that it's tough for you. But it's tough for Karl too, and what you're doing to him is unforgivable."

Hearing "Karl" attracts her attention. Sharon never thinks of it as his name. It sounds strange.

Kara's voice turns low and biting. "You're killing him, do you care about that at all? I can barely get him to eat. I had to pull him off CAP because he's such a frakkin' mess. So you know what? I'm going down to New Caprica and I'm going to take him with me. Because if you won't help him -- I will."

Suddenly she's looking at Kara. It's Kara's game face -- Sharon has no idea if she's bluffing or not. Probably not.

Kara bares her teeth a little, satisfied. "Sam and I will teach him to play decent Pyramid. And he'll meet some nice girl from Aeliron. The memories of his Cylon girlfriend will get buried and good riddance."

"No," Sharon whispers. The word takes her by surprise, but she means it. She stands up. "No. You can't take him away."

Kara feigns surprise. "Why not? You certainly don't give a frak. I don't think you ever really did. It was all about the baby -- get the human to get you pregnant. But now there's no baby, so the human's irrelevant trash -- "

"No!" Sharon shouts. Kara's words are sharp, cutting through the muffling insulation and exposing her pain again. "That's not true!"

"Prove it."

The words seem to echo long after Kara's gone.

Helo comes the next day. He looks terrible, too small, and hangs his head.

"I can't do this alone," he murmurs. "Tell me what else I can do. Please, Sharon..." his voice trails off in defeated misery, and he rests his head against the cell wall, one large hand flat against the glass.

All through his words she's moving toward him. He doesn't hear her movement, staying slumped and still.

"Helo." Her voice cracks. But he hears. Their eyes meet, and she remembers their promise: together.

"Helo," she says again. "Don't go."

She raises her hand and matches his, almost touching.

Suddenly, tears slide down their faces, as they press their hands together.

In silence.


to Part 3: Lack of Perfection

Comments

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

hey Bob, Thanks!

It had to be Kara, really. There's no one else that Sharon would listen to, and probably no one willing to talk to her.

But yeah, my read on Sharon is that she's basically overwhelmed. Grief is isolating enough as it is, but when you add to it that Sharon is still learning how to be an individual, it must be that much worse.

It's not going to be easy for them, but I firmly agree with you that Sharon and Helo are hope. So, rest assured, no sad death!fic from me. :)

btw, friended you. I didn't know until I looked at your lj that your wife's Chinese. I'm the white half of a mixed couple, too. (see icon for our rugrat) Probably one reason Helo/Sharon speak to us so strongly, eh? :D

[weissman.livejournal.com]

I think you hit that right on the nose, My I friend you also. It a pleasure to met you by the way! You son looks amazing!!!

Is your name Beth

Bob

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

Thanks, yes, he's our little cutie. :)

Friend away!
Beth

[weissman.livejournal.com]

Hooah!

Bob