Home for my Kara and Lee BSG love

Fic: It All Came Tumbling Down (56/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:09:30 GMT

Chapter 56

Kara listened to the soft hum of the ship as she lay in her bed, entwined with Lee who was sleeping soundly. Her head rested on his chest, rising and falling as he breathed slowly. There was nowhere else that felt safer, securer, than when she was curled up next to Lee. Not even insomnia could remove the warm smile that she held.

“I love you,” she whispered, a sentiment that was so easy to say when he was asleep, but no matter how true the statement was, difficult to say to his open and gazing face.

Gently she stroked the top of her foot up his strong calf making him stir slightly. For hours that night they had made love, followed by an hour of rampant frakking, to make up for lost time. It was tempting to slide on top of him now, to wake him up with a soft kiss, but then she heard a gurgle coming from the radio next to the bed.

As carefully as she could, Kara rolled herself out of the bed and walked into the adjoining room. Lena was sleeping soundly but Joseph had awoken and was sitting up in his cot, holding on to the bars. He looked up at his mother as she approached and held his hands up to her.

“Hey there,” said Kara with a smile and picked him up onto her hip. Joseph snuggled immediately into her shoulder and went quiet, sucking onto his thumb. “Just wanted me huh?”

Kara sat down on the small sofa inside the twins’ room and settled back into the cushions. Joseph would undoubtedly wake up if she left him in his cot, so it was pointless making the attempt. She could feel his soft breath against her neck, and she stroked his back gently.

Every night when she finally fell asleep, she dreamt of the same things. Far away stars surrounding the nebula. Every so often she would see two vipers flying side by side in the swirling clouds of gas, just drifting together in tandem. The stars then streamed past, the nebula getting smaller and smaller, past a supernova and a brightly shining comet. And then she could see it...

Kara awoke with a start, unaware that she had even fallen asleep, Joseph stirring in her arms as she flung her head up from the cushions.

“Frak,” she muttered, readjusting Joseph on her shoulder as he let out a small gurgle.

She had dreamt of stars and a faraway planet, its blue oceans glistening under a blanket of clouds. The skin on her forehead was clammy and she realised that she was shaking slightly, but then she had seen things clearly in the dream.

Stroking back the hair on Joseph’s head she said, “I think your mom has finally gone completely crazy.”

In one smooth movement Kara stood up from the sofa and went to place Joseph back in his crib, but when he began to stir she thought better of it. Instead she went into the main room and, holding onto him with one arm, she pulled on some slacks and then as quietly as she could, left the quarters.

The corridors at this time of night were dimly lit and nobody was milling about. The only people who were on duty were at their posts. Kara didn’t stop until she reached her destination, running on automatic, striding ahead on pure instinct as if she was being driven by some eternal force.

Rounding a corner, Kara paused outside a storage locker, looked around to make sure no-one else was around, and then pushed open the door. Joseph was now awake and looking up at his mother expectantly.

“I’ve spent some fun hours in this room with your father kiddo,” said Kara as she began to search, glad that he couldn’t understand her yet. “If I remember, what I’m looking for is in one of these boxes. Lee’s ass fell through it one time.”

Joseph reached out as Kara fully opened a broken box and stowed a few items in her pockets. “Ma...ma,” he said with a grin, his bright blue eyes staring up at her.

“Breaking the rules with your mom already kiddo? You know how to make me proud.” She placed a kiss to his head and then peeked out of the storage locker before exiting. In a sort of trance she made her way back to their quarters, thoughts of stars and comets in her mind.

oooo

Lee reached out instinctively in his half-slumbered state, waking immediately when all he found was an empty bed next to him. The sheets on the bed clung to his naked body, reminding him fondly of the night before when their bodies had intertwined perfectly. Lee frowned at the empty bed, drifting his sleepy eyes around the empty room. Slipping out of bed, he pulled on his slacks and entered the adjoining bedroom.

“Kara...what?” he yawned, running a hand through his hair.

“Not right now Lee,” replied Kara, dropping a paintbrush into a pot.

Joseph was sitting up in his cot, watching in wonder at his mother busy at work. There was paint everywhere and a mural developing on the wall.

“Kara its 0500 hours,” said Lee looking at the clock on the wall. “Isn’t it a bit earlier for decorating?”

“I said, not right now Lee,” replied Kara as she crouched down and dipped another brush into a pot of bright yellow paint. “I’ve got to get this done.”

“Sure, fine,” replied Lee, “’cause it’s completely normal to start painting the kids’ bedroom in the middle of the night.”

Kara paused, stepping back and looking up at the mural. “This is more than just a bit of interior design Lee.” She moved her open hand down the wall, barely a centimetre away as if she was trying to stroke it, and then added a yellow dash in the middle.

Joseph pointed at the mural and said “Sta.”

“I think you’re right kiddo,” replied Kara.

Lee frowned, “is this some sort of map?”

“I don’t know, I just dreamt about it. It feels familiar, like I’ve been there before.”

“Any idea where there is?” asked Lee, lifting Joseph out of his crib.

Kara looked at him seriously, “nope, do you think Fisk will mind?” She held his gaze for a few moments and then grinned, making Lee laugh.

“He might, especially when he has to keep coming down here to look for directions.”

Kara shrugged, “it might make him lose a few pounds though.”

Lee laughed again, “Perhaps that’s how we should present it to him? A map to Earth and an exercise regime.”

Kara dropped her paint brush into a pot and then sultrily walked up to Lee. “Still think I’m crazy?” she asked.

“Certifiable.”

Kara reached up a finger and streaked red paint down Lee’s nose, followed by a loud guffaw at the look of surprise on his face. Lee scrunched up his face, straining not to laugh.

“Shower?” he suggested, smudging the paint with his hand.

Kara turned back to the mural, picking her paintbrush back up. “I have to finish this first,” she replied.

Lee didn’t respond, and began walking to the small bathroom. He turned briefly to frown with concern as he watched his wife start painting again. Sensing him gaze, Kara turned to him and smiled.

“I’ll follow with Lena in a minute,” she said, holding his gaze for a few moments before turning back to the mural.

oooo

For Kara it seemed that she had been staring at the same star charts forever. She cricked her neck, the sleeves of her flightsuit tied around her waist. She pushed a few stray strands of hair that had fallen from its ponytail, behind her ears.

The CIC was busy as normal with various crew members manning their posts, Fisk stood beneath the dradis monitor. Kara chanced a quick glare at him when he wasn’t looking, hating the fact that she was still on emergency duties only, meaning she had to sweat her ass off in her flightsuit and not make up for it with the joy of actually getting to sit in her viper.

She glanced away as he looked over, gripping onto her pencil as he walked over.

“Still trying to find a route?” he asked.

Kara gripped the pencil harder, “obviously...sir.”

“Remember who you’re talking to Major.”

“As if I could forget that sir,” replied Kara, laying down her pencil. She took a deep breath to quell her rising anger and then continued. “I’m not going to find the path to Earth by just staring at these charts all day.”

“I hoped that when we reached the nebula you would know.”

Privately Kara had hoped the same thing when they finally reached it, but nothing had happened. She had dreamt constantly of the nebula, but nothing had become clearer until this morning. She would be damned if she was going to tell Fisk straight away about her mural. If she was going to convince the man that she wasn’t crazy, then keeping the mural a secret for now was for the best. “What, did you expect me to just start quoting directions as soon as we jumped?”

“I’d hoped for something more than just seeing you staring at star charts like before.”

Kara glared at his retreating back as he walked away. She could feel that he too was glaring, fed up with the lack of progress. She picked up the pencil, one quick throw and she knew she’d be able to hit him squarely to the back of his head.

It was the shout that came from Shaw that broke through her irritation. Kara glanced over at her, her mind having failed to process what had actually been said. The way she was glancing up at the dradis monitor answered. Two large red blips had appeared, and they were close.

Throwing down her pencil Kara pushed back from the consol and ran towards the exit.

As she went she heard Fisk’s booming voice, “where the frak did they come from? Action stations, set condition one throughout the ship. Thrace...” but then he stopped as he realised she was already gone.

Kara heard the claxons blaring mere seconds after she left the CIC. Shaw’s voice then came over the comm, “action stations, actions stations, set condition one throughout the ship.”

And then the lights in the corridor extinguished, blanketing everything in darkness. Kara paused, leaning up against the wall. The hum of the ship had halted and all that she could hear was the noise coming from her deep breaths. And then she could hear the throb of the ship as it powered back up, the lights coming back on.

Kara paused, her eyes looking up to the lights as they flickered slightly. Something wasn’t right, the ship was not meant to power down like that. She had never been on board a Battlestar that had done this. And then she felt a shudder, a deep rumble through the walls of the ship. They had been hit. The cylons were on top of them and she had no idea if they were capable of jumping away. Pushing away from the wall, she continued to run down the corridor at full pelt.

The hangar deck was in chaos when she arrived, with deckhands rushing about everywhere. Vipers were already being pushed into the launch tubes, many had already gone out.

She saw her viper waiting ahead, ready with the steps pushed up to the cockpit, her helmet at the top.

“Chief, get my bird out into the black now!” she yelled as she sped down the steep stairs onto the deck.

“She’s all set to go Major.”

Kara wasted no time, pulling herself up into the cockpit as the deckhands began to tow her to the launch tubes.

“What the frak is going on Chief?”

“Beats me sir, we were getting the first vipers out when we were plunged into darkness. Apollo was stuck in the tube until we could boot everything back up.”

“Is he out there now?” asked Kara as she pulled on her helmet.

“He is now sir, you’re going to be the last to the dance.”

“Excellent, I like playing catch up.”

“Good hunting sir.”

Kara pushed back the cockpit canopy, raising a thumb to say she was ready. She was hungry to get out into the fray. It seemed to take the deckhands a frustratingly long time to tow the viper towards the launch tubes. “Come on!” she yelled.

Finally she was towed into the claustrophobic tunnel. She felt the ship lurch as she was enclosed inside. They had been hit again.

“Come on!” she yelled again over the comm.

“Hang on sir, we’re still having trouble with our systems,” replied a voice.

Kara thumped her head back against the cockpit seat in frustration and then finally her ship rumbled to life. She raised her thumb up and then the g-forces hit, throwing her out into the black. The cylons were everywhere. Kara pulled hard on her stick to avoid a collision with a raider that was directly in front on her as she was expelled from the launch tube.

“Frak,” she exclaimed as the raider glanced off her undercarriage, making her spin out of control. The raider collided with the side of the Pegasus.

As she brought her viper under control, another raider exploded in front of her.

“Looking a bit burnt up there Starbuck,” shouting Kat over the comm, zooming through the wreckage of the raider with a whoop.

“Nice shooting Kat,” replied Kara, getting her bearings in check. She twisted her viper in the air, shooting down the nearest raiders that came anywhere near her gun sights. “But I’m better,” she whispered to herself as she took out another raider.

The comm system was alive with chatter, each pilot and the CIC shouting out updates. It was almost impossible to distinguish each individual voice. Kara pushed the noises away, focusing her sights forward. Nothing was going to stand in her way.

oooo

The hangar deck had erupted into chaos when the claxons had sounded. Lee had been checking over his viper at the time, getting ready for his CAP. Immediately he had thrown down his clipboard and had jumped up into the cockpit. Within seconds he was being towed into the launch tube, the hangar doors closing behind him, and then everything went black. The viper, which had been rumbling to life, went dead.

He had never felt so claustrophobic in his life until that moment. It was so dark that he couldn’t even see the visor of his helmet. And then the booth next to him sprung to life and then the ship rocked.

“Everything alright Major?” asked a voice over the comm.

“Just get me the frak out there.”

At last his viper sprung to life and he was thrown out into the battle. He was alone, with just the guns on his viper and the firing solution from the Pegasus. Raiders were bearing down on his position. He flipped his viper over, taking out the nearest one.

Shaw’s voice came over the comm, “Apollo, Pegasus, we have five raiders going after the Tylium ship.”

“Copy that Pegasus,” he replied, flipping his viper he stayed close to the hull of the Pegasus until he could see the Tylium ship ahead. It was taking heavy hits from raiders that had swarmed around it.

Lee took out the first two with ease, twisting out of the way as shots from a third raider came from behind.

“Apollo, you have a raider on your six,” said Showboat over the comm.

“I’m well aware of that” replied Lee, relieved that he was no longer alone. He saw the explosion from behind him. “Thanks Showboat,” he said, setting his sights on the next raider.

The traffic over the comm system became more and more jumbled as more vipers were launched and then at last he could hear the sound of Kara’s voice. Knowing she was fighting out here too made him feel somewhat safer.

The dark skies were alight with various explosions around him. They had destroyed numerous raiders, but still they kept coming. The Baseship was within firing distance, the Pegasus’ battery only just able to hold them off. The shells of various destroyed vipers were scattered about, creating a debris field.

“Pegasus, Apollo, we need to get out of her now!” yelled Lee. “We can’t hold them off for much longer.”

He didn’t get a response immediately.

“Come on Pegasus!” he shouted as a raider glanced a blow across his wing making him wince. “We’re getting frakked hard out here.” There was a raider in front of him, to the side and behind. He was surrounded. He spun his viper to the side to avoid the spray of bullets, feeling the shudder as something hit.

Another viper zoomed past in the opposite direction, seemingly at almost supersonic speed, followed by an explosion. Lee forced his viper over, end on end, seeing the same viper taking down another raider, the wreckage bouncing off the hull.

“Thought you could use some help Apollo!”

Kara’s voice never failed to make Lee smile, even when they were flying for their survival.

More explosions surrounded him, with cries of panic and screams of death coming over the comm. A pull of dread hit Lee’s stomach. They were dying one by one. When they had gone the Pegasus would be next.

And then the life line came as Shaw’s voice came over on the comm. “Tylium ship jumping away, all birds come on home, all birds come on home.”

Stinger’s voice was next, “Well what are you all waiting for, a written invitation? Everyone back to the beast immediately, emergency landings.”

Lee desperately tried to distinguish Kara’s voice over the comm and looked out for her as he headed for the deck. He spun his viper to dodge the bullets from another raider and came in hot, not caring that it would take the Chief days to beat the landing gear back into alignment. His head jerked back sharply as he hit the deck and then he felt the tug of the FTL drive kicking in.

There was silence on the deck. Lee looked around the landing pod, trying to find Kara. All of the vipers looked the same, they were blackened, scorched and covered in cylon blood. He was also aware that too few vipers had managed to land.

He was impatient to get towed back into the hangar, restless to see Kara again. All of the vipers were towed in as quickly as possible, scattered erratically across the deck. Lee pushed back his canopy, removing his helmet. His hair and forehead were sodden with sweat. His viper, like all of the others was covered in damage. Two large scorch marks marred the wing from where he had been hit.

Everyone looked shell shocked, looking around at each other to see who had made it. And then Lee saw the last viper being towed in. He should have known that Kara would be the last to land. Her bird was covered in the most blood, with blackened scorch marks along the side.

Lee was walking over when she stood up in the cockpit. Like the others, her hair was damp, half falling out of his pony tail.

“What the frak did you do to your ship Major?” asked Laird, crouching down and looking at the belly of Kara’s viper.

Kara shrugged, “toaster hit me.” She descended the steps, ignoring the damage and looking straight at Lee. He embraced her tightly.

“Thanks for saving my ass again,” he whispered into her hair.

“You’re ass belongs to me Adama, remember?” she whispered back.

Lee pulled back and looked into Kara’s eyes, but she looked suddenly pained. “You okay?”

“Just a headache,” she replied.

“Hit the deck a little too hard?”

“No, that was you nearly landing nose first.” She rubbed a hand to her forehead, but then seemed to shake away the pain.

They looked about the deck, wondering how many pilots they had lost. In the chaos no-one was sure who had made it. It was therefore an agonising task of checking off each pilot and seeing who was missing. Putting aside their need to be with each other, Kara and Lee helped the deckhands tow their vipers aside and assess the damage.

They had lost 9 pilots, 7 vipers and a raptor. There were minor casualties across the ship also, but no deaths. The ship itself was not breached but was probably in need of a serious paint job. Emotionally, everyone was exhausted.

Hours later Lee lay under his viper with various tools resting on top of his chest, trying to repair the damage that had been caused to the underbelly. Laird had spent hours trying to beat the landing gear back into place. Next to his viper was Kara’s, which looked just as distressed.

“Did you even try and land gently?” asked Laird as he continued to hammer at the landing struts.

“Wasn’t really thinking about it at the time to be honest,” replied Lee as he tightened a cog with his spanner. “I just wanted to get to the deck.”

“Well you certainly did that.”

A loud noise of metal hitting metal drew his attention away from the Chief. Kara was smacking the underside of her viper.

“Kara?” asked Lee.

She smacked it a few more times before tossing aside her spanner in frustration, rubbing her fingers to her temples. Lee rolled out from under his viper and crouched down beside her.

“You still have a headache?”

She didn’t answer, continuing to rub her temples in obvious pain.

“Kara?”

“The pain started as soon as we finished jumping,” she said at last.

“You’re just tired from lack of sleep.”

“No,” she replied, a look of dawning appearing on her face. “We’ve jumped the wrong way.”

Without another word Kara pushed herself out from under her viper and strode off with purpose across the deck. Lee had given up a long time ago trying to understand his wife, it was an impossible task. Dutifully he followed after her.

oooo

Kara had lost count of the number of times Fisk had stared at her with a look of disbelief. Lee stood by her side, his arms folded in front of his chest, frowning.

“Let me get this straight...” began Fisk in way he had so many times before, so Kara knew what was coming.

“You gave me one job sir, to find a path to Earth. Reading maps over and over again is not going to help that.” Kara shoved the charts away across the consol. “What I do know is that we’re going the wrong the way, don’t ask me how, but it’s better than having nothing. Jumping again won’t do us any harm.”

Fisk clicked his jaw, “and where do you suppose we jump to?”

Lee stepped in, shifting through the star charts. He pointed to a sector, “well, we jumped here, if we stay on this course then we would end up in this sector.” Kara looked confused as he poured through further start charts. She had never excelled at reading them back at the academy. “What if we head towards this sector instead?”

Fisk looked down at the charts and sighed, “I’m going to have some strong words with Admiral Adama when we get back to New Caprica, if we ever get back. I’ve started a separate ship’s log just for you two.” He rubbed his temples, “we’ll start plotting a jump, you two get down to the hangar and continue helping with the clean up.” He lowered his voice, “services for the dead will begin at 0900 hours tomorrow.”

Kara felt a pang of guilt in her gut. She had so been so intent upon the mission that she had forgotten about the battle they had just faced.

“Frakking Fisk,” she muttered as soon as they had left the CIC. She leant up against the wall, leaning her head back.

“If you were in his position would you believe us?” asked Lee. “One day he won’t back down.”

Kara muttered under her breath and they began to walk down the corridors, back down to the hangar deck to continue the clean up.

Two hours later and Lee was underneath his viper, Kara sitting on the steps to hers when Shaw’s voice sounded over the comm. They were warned to brace for an imminent jump.

Kara looked over at Lee as the ship shrunk in on itself and then jumped. The pressure in her head eased as soon as the jump had finished. Closing her eyes she breathed a sigh of relief, opening them to see Lee looking up at her with his bright blue eyes. She nodded her head. He was just getting up to speak to her when Shaw’s voice came out over the comm again.

“Majors Thrace and Adama report to the CIC immediately, Majors Thrace and Adama report to the CIC immediately.”

Kara pushed herself up and off the steps to the viper. Lee joined her as she strode across the deck and started to walk towards the CIC.

“The pain’s gone down hasn’t it?” he asked.

“Something’s different,” replied Kara. “Don’t ask me to try and explain it ‘cause I can’t.”

Lee held up his hands in defeat, “Kara, I’ve come to accept sudden comas, artwork in the middle of the night... kinda makes a person have faith that there’s another power out there turning the wheels.”

“Wow Lee, never thought I’d hear you accept that the Gods exist.”

“I never said that, what I meant is that there must be something out there.”

Kara placed a hand to his arm, “that’s enough.”

“I’ll always believe in you.”

“Aw, that’s sweet Lee, really.”

They both laughed as they walked down the halls of the ship. Kara felt easier, she knew know that they were heading the right way, who knew what lay beyond, but somewhere in front of them was Earth.

It All Came Tumbling Down (55/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:40:39 GMT

Chapter 55

Ford paced around the makeshift quarters with nervous energy. He was exhausted from the lack of sleep, caused jointly by the uncomfortable bed and Swanson’s continued snoring. He was well aware from looking in the mirror that his eyes were red with dark lines underneath. Now he was just waiting for Blondie to come so he could start his day.

At about 0700 hours the young politician had come for Langley and they had gone off together. Half an hour later Rugby had collected Swanson. Now it was 0800 hours and Ford and Biggy were the only ones left.

“You’ll wear a hole into the floor,” said Biggy as Ford continued to pace up and down.

“Can’t help it, I need to get out of here,” replied Ford as he rubbed his hands together and then made a few little jumps.

“Kat promised me she’d show me her bird today.”

“Lucky you,” said Ford with a pang of jealousy. “Blondie didn’t think to tell me what we’re doing.”

“Wanna swap? I kinda like the blonde, she’s seems more spunky.”

“Well if it makes you feel better, she requested you. Unfortunately none of you got your choice.”

“Shame, Blondie seems like a riot.”

“Not when she’s pushing you through a window she’s not,” replied Ford with a slightly pained smile.

Biggy smirked, “I would’ve loved to have seen that.”

The sound of the hatch opening halted their conversation. Ford recognised the small pilot from the day before, she motioned towards Biggy who leapt enthusiastically to standing.

“Seeya later mate,” he said and then walked out of the hatch leaving Ford alone.

Suddenly the hum of the ship seemed deafening as he sat himself down on his bunk to wait. Looking around he studied the angles of the walls, the pipes and vents. It didn’t look that futuristic, more like a giant submarine, and the principle was the same, only with the vacuum of space outside instead of the crush of the ocean.

The long seconds turned to minutes, dragging on for another hour. Ford had soon tired of listening to the hum of the ship and now he was laid out on his bunk, flipping playing cards into his open bag. A messy pile was beginning to scatter around it on the floor. He let out a board sigh and spun a card which bounced off the far wall.

He then launched himself up from his bunk and walked over to the hatch. It was locked so he banged on it hard with his fist. After a few seconds it opened and three marines were standing in the corridor.

“What can we do you for sir?” asked the middle marine. Ford glanced over at the translation machine which had been set up beside the door and then turned back to them.

“I’m going crazy in here. Where’s Blo…Major Thrace.”

“Hold on,” said the marine and walked around the corner leaving Ford standing with the remaining two, feeling awkward. Thankfully the marine returned quickly and motioned his head for him to follow. Ford pulled an excited grin and ran back into his quarters to grab his jacket before following the marine eagerly.

Part of him was annoyed at being kept waiting so long, but that feeling was suppressed by his excitement of starting his day. He had even spent most of the night trying to remember words that he had already learnt in their language. He believed he had mastered “hello” now in a number of variations.

The marine led him down a corridor which was slightly narrower than others and had many hatch doors leading off to unknown places, which Ford guessed might be living quarters. The marine stopped by a hatch and motioned with his arm to go inside. Ford was slightly apprehensive, not sure what was behind the door, and then he heard the squeal of a child.

He knocked politely and heard a harsh response, which could only have come from Blondie. Aware that the marine behind him was smirking, he opened the hatch and stepped carefully inside. The translator machine was hit with a barrage of sounds.

“No Seph, put it down,” said Blondie, her voice rising above the squeals.

The toddler just looked at her and carried on, flinging his arms about. He looked as if he was holding some sort of thick glove. Blondie was wearing a spacesuit. She didn’t greet Ford, she was too busy trying to stop her son running riot, whilst simultaneously trying to get her daughter dressed.

The little girl screamed and stomped her feet as soon as she was put down. Blondie had turned her attention to Joseph, taking the glove from his hand and lifting him up, balancing him on her hip. He struggled and whined, reaching out for the glove, determined to reach it.

“No, mom needs this or she’ll turn into a lump of ice out in space.” Ford had never seen Blondie looking flustered before. Her cheeks were red and she looked exhausted. Deciding to get out of the way he took a seat in one of the chairs that surrounded a little table. The quarters were small with two doors leading off. The main space consisted of a bed and a few items of furniture. The rest was scattered with clothing and worn toys.

The little boy struggled in his mother’s arms and reached out for the glove as she tossed it onto the table, “No, no, I wanna,” he wailed. The translator machine gave up trying to work out the rest of the garble the child came out with.

Blondie sighed and bounced him on her hip as he began to cry. The little girl, feeling left out started to do the same. Blondie looked ready to scream along with them.

Ford picked up an old looking teddy bear from the floor. He waved it at the little girl, “hey there, do you want to play with the bear?” He felt like an idiot, knowing that the child wouldn’t understand him and then get even more confused when a computer spoke to her. But it seemed to work. She stopped screaming, staring at him with apparent curiosity as she sucked on one of her fingers.

“Don’t stop,” said Blondie as she continued to bounce the little boy who was starting to calm down.

“Er,” replied Ford. He could see the little girl’s face was going red again so he continued to bob the teddy bear up and down, making stupid noises as he did so.

The volume in the room finally decreased and Blondie looked calmer. Ford looked up at her for a second and then felt the teddy being pulled from his grasp. He let go and the girl cuddled it to her. She then looked up at him with a determined look before slapping him on the leg.

“Where dada?” she demanded.

Ford was too shocked to respond, he just looked at the little girl in bewilderment.

She slapped him again, her voice even more demanding. “Where dada!?”

Ford let out a sharp exhale of breath as he saw the determined look on the toddlers face. “Hit first and ask questions later,” he said and then looked up at Blondie. “Wonder where you learnt that?”

“Lena, don’t hit our guests,” said Blondie.

“Where Dada!” squealed the little girl again.

“They’re not shy are they,” observed Ford. Most other toddlers would be hiding behind their mother’s leg right now, but this little girl was standing in front of him, stoic.

“They miss their father,” explained Blondie. “And they won’t let me forget it.”

Ford smiled at the girl. “Do you want to know where your dad is?” he asked. She looked at him strangely, sucking on a finger, but when the translator machine sounded she nodded. Ford rummaged in his pocket until he found a miniature model of the Earth. “This is my home,” he continued and showed the globe to her. “This is Earth.”

“Err?” said Lena.

“That’s right.” He twisted the globe around and pointed to a spot. “Your dad is here, it’s a place called England.”

“Gla” said Lena and pointed to the globe.

Blondie looked at the globe with a frown, “out of all the places to crash, Racetrack finds the smallest island on the planet.”

“It could’ve been a lot worse, believe me,” observed Ford.

Lena grabbed at the globe, saying “dada.”

Blondie shook her head, so Ford said, “this is too small for you sweetie, but I’ll tell you what, I’ll keep your dada safe in my pocket.”

The girl seemed to accept this proposition. She turned to her mother and said “up.”

“It’s time for nursery,” said Blondie. She leant down and struggled to lift her daughter whilst also holding her son. To the shock of Ford she then placed the girl in his lap.

Ford wasn’t sure which was scarier, Blondie’s watchful eye or the child grinning up at him, shouting “up.” He stood up slowly, carefully lifting the child as if she was a fragile vase. She could sense his trepidation, making things more difficult by squirming slightly.

He then followed Blondie as she walked out of the quarters and down the corridor until they reached what was obviously the nursery. Blondie placed her son down and he went running off towards some other children. Ford did the same with the girl. She didn’t run straight off but looked up at him.

“Dada?”

Ford patted his jacket, “safe in my pocket.” She then ran off to join her brother. Ford turned to Blondie. “Did you tell them I was the evil man who took their parents away?” he asked half-heartedly.

“No,” replied Blondie. “They just seem to sense things, scares the frak out of me.”

“They’re cute, and a chip off of the old block.” Blondie frowned at him. “Sorry, what I mean is, they’re a lot like you and their father,” he explained.

“Hopefully the good parts,” replied Blondie with a grin. “Come on, do you want to go out flying or what?”

She quickly walked off down the corridor. Ford jogged slightly to catch up and then fell into step with her. “Really?”

“Really. Not in my bird mind, but in a raptor.”

Ford had already flown in one of those, but he was still excited. “Thank you. After you were so late this morning I thought I wouldn’t get to do anything.”

“I’m not about to let Kat be the best host. I’ve stuck her doing maintenance all day.”

“That’s unlucky for Biggy.”

Blondie grinned, “it helps when you’re put in charge of scheduling.”

Ford nodded in understanding and said “thank you” again. He was now feeling really lucky to have Blondie as his escort, and regretted that he had not felt this way sooner.

As they walked down to the hangar deck, Ford tried to take everything in. The ship was amazing, and massive. He had been here before, but that didn’t stop the excitement bubbling in his stomach.

“Have you got my bird ready Chief?” shouted out Blondie to a man dressed in orange overalls.

“Over here sir,” replied the man, whose gaze was fixed on Ford rather than Blondie as he motioned over to the side of the hangar.

Looming in a space on the deck was one of the fighter jets, it was white and red and had obviously seen many battles. Scorch marks marred the underbelly and wings. Blondie stroked a hand across its side with a look of pride. Written just below the canopy was some lettering, which Ford guessed was Blondie’s name.

“What’s your callsign?” he asked. “If you have those, that is.”

“Starbuck,” said Blondie as she bent down to examine the hull. Ford smiled when he heard the call sign translated. “What?” she asked, standing upright with her hands on her hips.

“It’s just an interesting name to use. It translates to the same name as a character in a famous book on Earth. And it’s also a brand of coffee.”

Blondie stared at him hard and then continued examining her ship. “Chief, did you sort out that dodgy landing strut?”

“Months ago sir.”

Ford watched in awe as Blondie continued to look around the small ship and then ticked off a number of items on a clipboard. “I’m guessing that this only carries one?” he asked.

“Yep, but I wanted to show you what she can do. You’ll be going out with Chuck and his ECO.”

Ford looked over towards a familiar looking ship where two men in flight suits were standing. He followed them on board and took a seat at the front. The pilot looked at him uncertainly, but Ford didn’t care, he kept his focus upon Blondie as she took a seat in the fighter jet and pulled on her helmet, closing up the canopy. Her ship was then slowly towed over to a large airlock.

The atmosphere in his ship seemed tense, the pilot appearing reluctant to make conversation so Ford kept his eyes ahead until their ship had been hauled into the airlock. It burst to life as soon as the lift had reached the top of the airlock and then they were out into space. He had seen it before, but it was still the most beautiful sight Ford had ever seen.

“I wish you could be here with me to see this Carrie,” he whispered to himself, too quietly for the translator to work. He placed a hand gently against the glass. Swooping in close to the ship, came the fighter jet, pulling in just ahead of them.

“Frakking Starbuck,” muttered the pilot next to him, jerking at the controls and making the ship rock.

“Not getting jumpy are you Chuck?” laughed Blondie over the comm.

“Are you trying to give me a frakking heart attack?” he asked.

“Just keeping you on your toes.”

The pilot wasn’t annoyed, he just shook his head and smiled as Blondie’s ship danced in front of them. Ford had seen many birds in the sky before, but none that had been flown with such grace and beauty. He looked out at it with a look of awe on his face.

“You should see her in combat,” said the pilot. “Thank the gods she’s on our side.”

The tension in the little ship had eased slightly. The pilot weaved about, showing Ford what it could do whilst Blondie darted in and out of their vision. He was having so much fun that two hours flew by too quickly for Ford and before he knew it they were landing back on the deck.

As he exited the ship he could see Blondie sitting at the top of the steps to her jet. She was looking at a clipboard, seeming to tick things off half-heartedly. She had a new glow about her, which was probably from wearing a close fitting helmet, but Ford also put down to the thrill of flying again. She saw him approach and grinned widely, putting her clipboard to the side.

“So what did you think?” she asked enthusiastically.

“That we have a lot of catching up to do back on Earth. Nothing we have there flies as well as your ship.”

“This is just an old model, it was retired when the cylons first attacked us.”

Ford nodded, she had told him something about this before in their debriefing. “I think you’d like some of our jets though, even if they can only fly in the atmosphere.”

“Well maybe I’ll get a shot one day.” She stood up quickly and descended the steps, handing over her clipboard to a young looking woman at the bottom, who was dressed in orange overalls and looked obviously like a mechanic. She walked strongly across the deck, motioning for him to follow, a marine still keeping guard. They were half way down one corridor when she spoke to him again. “I’m gonna hit the head and then fill out some paperwork, the marine will have to show you back to your quarters for a while.”

Ford nodded, “and then what?”

Blondie shrugged, “I dunno, think of something.”

She then swaggered away leaving Ford behind, still in complete awe about what he had seen and done today.

oooo

Ford had been alone for a few hours when Swanson and Biggy returned to their quarters. He had spent the time updating his journal about their trip so far and was currently doing a series of press-ups on the floor. He had just broken out into a good sweat when the hatch door clanged open.

Coming to a stand, Ford grabbed his towel and wiped his face down. “Have a good day guys?” he asked.

“Absolutely frigging amazing!” said Swanson happily as he flopped down on his bed. “This ship is huge!”

“I hear you got to go out on a little flying tour,” said Biggy turning to Ford.

Ford tried not to look smug, “I might have done.”

“My guide, Kat, was spitting blood about it all day,” replied Biggy. “She was stuck doing maintenance.”

Ford laughed, “Blondie might have pulled a few strings.”

“Yeah? Well according to Kat, Blondie isn’t the hotshot she thinks she is.”

“Sounds like someone is jealous.” Ford got back down on the ground and started to do some sit-ups. “You didn’t see her out there. Fuck me she could make that ship of hers dance. Also, the pilot I was with said that whenever Blondie’s around, she’s always the top gun. He also mentioned that quite a few pilots are jealous of that.”

“Are we seriously playing “who has the biggest hotshot pilot supervisor?””

Swanson sat up from his bunk, “hey, at least you two have a woman to follow around. Rugby’s great, but half of the time he had to keep disappearing to look after his kid. He didn’t seem to want me anywhere near it.”

“Perhaps because you refer to her as an it,” said Biggy.

“Probably thinks you’ll want to analyse the poor kid,” added Ford.

Swanson went quiet, which they took to be an affirmation. Ford shook his head and continued with his sit-ups.

It was about three hours later when Blondie came to their quarters and took Ford out. This time he was first, leaving Swanson and Biggy looking on jealously. Langley hadn’t come back at all.

She led him to the Mess room where they grabbed some food and sat down at one of the tables. The room reminded Ford of any other officer’s Mess. It was now evening and many of the officers had gone off duty, which meant the drinking and smoking was in full swing. It was almost difficult to hear the translation machine, but Ford was starting to pick up a few words here and there.

“Does this remind you of home?” asked Blondie.

“Yeah,” replied Ford. “Back in the day, I was usually that one,” he added, pointing to one pilot who had his head tilted back whilst another poured drink through a large straw.

Blondie smiled, “but not anymore?”

“I left that life behind to move to the base you were held at. How about you?”

Blondie sighed, “not since the kiddies.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Nope,” she replied with a smile. “I did enough of that when I was younger to last two lifetimes. Back on Caprica I even got arrested for it a few times and thrown in hack.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

She seemed to be thinking about something with a fond memory, “once I dragged Lee down with me, years before we were together. I still remember the look on his face when he woke up in a police cell the next morning.”

Ford laughed, “good night?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a warm smile, which had a hint of slight sadness about it which Ford thought was best not to enquire about. “Lee started a bar fight, it was hilarious, and we got away with it. Pity we couldn’t go back to that bar again, it had a great view of the ocean and served the best ambrosia.”

“I wish I could have seen your home planets, seen how you all used to live. I’m sorry about what happened.”

Blondie seemed to think for a moment and then stood up from the table, motioning her head, “come on, I’ve got an idea.”

She led him down the corridors until they reached a large room, which looked almost like a cinema with rows of seats cascading down in front of a large screen.

“Debriefing room?” asked Ford.

“That’s next door, we use this for training mostly. Every viper is fitted with a camera so we can record their performances in combat and tell them what they’re doing wrong.” Ford took a seat at the front whilst Blondie walked over to a cupboard at the side. He was just about to ask her what she was up to when she said, “Before the attacks every ship in the fleet was sent a care package from fleet headquarters every month. It always contained some cheesy film about life in the Colonies, apparently it was meant to keep moral high.” Blondie looked at Ford sceptically and then continued looking, digging deep into the cupboard. “Ah hah, these look right. They’re not labelled, so it’s pop luck. Hopefully none of it is Hotdog’s porn collection. That kept us all entertained for about a month on the Galactica.” Ford laughed as she stood up and placed one of the disks in the drive and then sat next to him.

A large logo appeared on the screen with some writing underneath. Blondie then pressed on the fast forward button and he could see a uniformed male moving at high speed as he seemed to be talking.

“These films always started with a really long and boring speech by someone high up in the fleet, giving us a few updates and telling us repeatedly how important we were for the protection of the Colonies,” she explained. “We weren’t much frakking good when the cylons penetrated our defence mainframe and launched our own missiles against us.”

“No-one would have any chance, but yet this ship survived.”

Blondie un-paused the film without answering. Uplifting music played as footage played, showing what looked to be different areas of a large city. It looked modern and clean, but the hustle and bustle was not that different to Earth.

“This is Caprica City,” said Blondie.

They watched the entire film and then two others. Ford loved seeing the different places on each one, but it did feel morbid. All the people in these films were now dead. The fourth disk started, showing scenes from what looked to be a military base.

“Frak,” said Blondie. “This is Delphi, I think I’m in this film. For some reason they decided it would be a great idea to make a film at the academy one month. They followed three nuggets through training.”

“You?”

“No, I was one of their instructors.”

Different sites around the base appeared and then he saw Blondie walking by what looked to be a simulator, wearing a space suit and with the same swagger she still walked with. Her face looked softer, younger, than it did now and she had short hair. She also appeared to be making a point of ignoring the camera. She was then speaking to a group of rookies, followed by different interviews with the rookies, talking about their experiences and hopes for the future.

Ford turned to Blondie to ask her a question, but then noticed that she was looking up at screen sadly, her eyes slightly glassy.

“Do you remember them?” he asked softly.

“Every one,” replied Blondie. She pointed to one female who was speaking to the camera, “she was posted to the Galactica after qualifying second in her class. She died in the initial attacks. The cylons just switched off her viper, she had no chance, promising pilot too.”

“If the cylons reach Earth, what will they do?”

“I really don’t know.”

“Could you protect us with this ship?”

Blondie turned to him with a serious expression on her face, “probably not, but we would die trying.”

“You don’t even know us and have no idea what the people of Earth are capable of. How could you honestly say you’d lay down your life for us when every instinct would be telling you to jump away?”

“The hope of Earth has kept us alive for the past few years,” she replied. “I think we owe you one.”

She then stopped the conversation by walking over and changing the disks. She obviously didn’t feel too comfortable will such serious conversation. Ford could understand that, before he had moved over to the base he had left the thinking and politics to others. All he did was jump when he was told to.

Blondie returned back to the seat next to him and started playing the film. This one seemed different, the logo not appearing but instead a woman who looked to be a reporter started speaking.

“Frak, I didn’t know someone had brought this over to the Beast,” said Blondie. “This was a film made on the Galactica after the attacks,” she added by way of explanation.

“Really? Awesome, I was wondering what that ship was like.”

“It was filmed before we found the Beast.”

Ford could see that Blondie was looking up at the screen with disgust as the reporter continued, speaking about some disaster that happened on a ship called the Gideon. “What’s up, didn’t you like the reporter nosing about on your ship?” he joked.

“Yeah, that was bad enough,” replied Blondie and then pointed to the screen. “Finding out she was a toaster was even worse.”

“She’s one of them?” asked Ford shocked, the woman looked exactly human.

“No doubt she took all this footage and then sent it on to the others. The bitch tried to kill me nine months later.”

The film was entertaining, showing the military bond that he was used to and missed greatly. He had raised an eyebrow upon seeing Blue Eyes dressed only in a slipping towel as Blondie smirked in the background.

“Is that Biggy’s supervisor?” he asked as he watched a flailing woman being lifted onto a stretcher by Blondie and Blue Eyes.

“Yeah, she couldn’t hack the pressure, started taking stims.”

The footage continued and then something came up on the film that he did not expect. The cylon spoke about two pilots that had died shortly after filming, and then pictures of Blondie and Blue Eyes appeared.

Neither of them said a word and then the pictures faded to black, followed by footage of them during an obviously private moment. Blondie was giggling away as Blue Eyes tickled her relentlessly.

“Motherfrakker!” shouted out Blondie. “That model better pray to her singular God that we never meet again.”

“I’m guessing you hadn’t seen that end part?”

“No!”

The room was silent again for a few minutes before Ford felt brave enough to ask, “do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she replied quietly. Ford could see the pain on her face.

“You told me about being captured, I’m guessing that happened soon after this?”

“Lots of things did,” said Blondie. She then smiled privately to herself, “our kids happened shortly after.”

“Oh…right, so when you were captured…?”

Blondie turned to face him, “I had no idea until I woke up back in lifestation months later.”

For a moment Ford wondered what that must have felt like, to wake up to realise something so huge. “The only thing that had changed during my captivity was my football team losing the Premiership League. I couldn’t believe it, they were way ahead when I was taken.” Blondie looked at him sceptically, “I’m serious, I was heartbroken. The people of the Earth take their sport very seriously.”

Blondie then burst out laughing, “you’re really odd, you know that?”

“Carrie liked to remind me from time to time.”

Blondie jumped up from her seat and motioned her head, “come on, we can catch a quick triad game in the Mess. Someone might even let you have some of their ambrosia.”

Ford eagerly followed his guide. He had only known Blondie for a short time, but he already knew that apart from the strong fighter she appeared to be on the outside, she possessed a heart of vulnerabilities. He could read it in her eyes as he broke through her barriers. He felt that for some reason, she trusted him now, respected him as a brother-at-arms. He also felt that on this ship, with these people, was where he belonged.

It All Came Tumbling Down (54/?)

ruthkit — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:56:16 GMT

Title: It All Came Tumbling Down

Warnings: Some mature content used. AU but some material from all seasons

Characters: Kara/Lee of course!! some Karl/Sharon and all cast appear

Disclaimer:
I do not own the characters unfortunately they belong to to Ron Moore
and Universal. I'm just borrowing their brilliance!

***

I’ve only watched season four once, quite a while ago now, (for obvious reasons) so most of the rest of the story only follows bits of cannon that I can remember. (Though only the good bits :D) Again, thank you for all the reviews they mean so much, sorry if I haven’t responded to all of them.

Chapter 54

Lee and Kara felt as if they were the naughty kids in class as they sat together at the back of the Ready room. The front was full like normal with Kat sat right in the middle, listening intently. Kara slouched into her chair, her knee resting up on the bench in front of her. Lee at least looked like he was half listening to the debriefing.

Stinger was a good pilot and leader, but he lacked panache as the CAG. Kara couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her lips as he droned on about their next mission.

“Am I boring you Major?” he asked from the front. Kara could feel Lee’s eyes glance at her.

“No sir,” she replied, trying to suppress a grin. It had been a long time since she had been reprimanded in the Ready room by the CAG.

Lee leant in towards her slightly, whispering, “sorry for keeping you up last night.”

This time Kara did grin, whispering back, “you can wake me up like that anytime.”

They both giggled, which earned them a stare from Stinger. “Care to share the joke with the rest of the room?” he asked, glaring up at them.

“No sir,” they said in unison and the CAG carried on.

Kara whispered to Lee, “thought he was about to put us in detention.”

Lee smiled at his wife, taking her hand discreetly under the bench in front. He had been too wrapped up in her to hear Stinger asking him a question, earning him a nudge from Kara’s elbow. “Sorry, what?” he said and then realised that the entire room was looking over at him. “Sir,” he said sitting to attention.

“Obviously you’ve forgotten normal protocol whilst you were in charge of the ship,” said Stinger with a sneer that reminded Lee of when he had first come aboard the ship.

“No sir,” replied Lee, feeling Kara smirking next to him.

“As you were not listening, you’ve personally volunteered yourself for the landing party.”

“Thank you sir.”

Stinger then dismissed the room. Kara and Lee walked out together, the former holding back a guffaw until they were a few metres from the exits. “Aww Lee, you’re the worst at talking yourself out of trouble.”

“I haven’t has as much practice as some people,” replied Lee, glancing at her quickly.

“Mm? It was easy when you were in charge.” She was grinning wickedly in her way that made Lee go weak at the knees.

“I was a soft touch, and it helped that you always sat right within my eyeshot.”

“Liked that huh?”

“It was torturous,” said Lee, at which point Kara grabbed his arm, pulling him into side corridor and into a storage room.

“Really?” she said after placing a firm kiss to his lips as soon as the hatch door closed.

“Excruciating,” replied Lee and pulled the zipper down on her flightsuit, pulling the top half down. Their kisses were passionate as they pushed back up against some boxes. Kara pulled down Lee’s flightsuit off his arms, as he pushed hers over the curve of her hips. The feel of the boxes was rough as he lifted her slightly on top of them and then released himself from the confines of his suit. Scooping Kara towards him, he entered her swiftly making them both moan with ecstasy. Their rhythm was fast and erratic as they led each other towards climax.

Kara panted as she came down from her high. “We haven’t done this in a while,” she said with a grin, motioning to the dark cupboard.

“Bonus of having fewer responsibilities,” replied Lee, placing a kiss to Kara’s lips.

“You okay with that?” asked Kara. She didn’t really care that she was not acting as the CAG for a while, having never really wanted the responsibility in the first place. The attack against the Tylium mine years ago, when she had a busted knee, taught her that. But she was aware that Lee had always strived to reach the top.

Lee shrugged as he zipped his flightsuit back up, “yeah I guess, haven’t really thought about it to be honest, I’ve enjoyed flying with you again.”

Kara zipped up her own flightsuit, “hopefully it will only be temporary.”

Lee scrunched up his face, “I made a completely unauthorised FTL jump Kara, somehow I don’t think Fisk will be that forgiving.”

“Well my status is only temporary until I can prove I’m not crazy.”

“So never then?” replied Lee playfully.

“Hey,” said Kara feigning offence. She looked at her watch briefly. “We’ve got three hours until this mission, are you ready?”

Lee gave her an uncertain smile, “it’s been meticulously planned…”

“…But not by you or me,” finished Kara, she patted his arm. “You’ll do good, you have a good team. Just remember not to screw up or Sharon will kill your ass for losing her husband.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

Kara grinned playfully, “I’ll come and rescue you if you get stuck, don’t worry.” Lee looked serious for a moment, “what’s wrong?”

“I dunno,” replied Lee with a frown. “A cylon base, all the way out here? It doesn’t seem right and I refuse to believe that it’s unarmed and undefended.”

“All recon missions with the Blackbird have shown there’s no-one’s around, relax, it’ll be fine. If Sharon’s right and it really is their major resurrection hub, then destroying it would finally put us on an even playing field.”

Lee took his wife’s hand into his, stroking his thumb over her upper palm. “I love you Kara,” he said softly.

Not caring that they were in the corridor, Kara leaned in and gave him a long, firm kiss to the lips, their brows softly touching. “I love you too, now go get ‘em.”

Reluctantly Lee let go of her hand and walked off down the corridor towards the deck, leaving Kara, who watched, a look of concern washing over her. She felt her stomach drop, fearing that she wouldn’t get to see him again.

oooo

Lifestation – four months earlier

Kara tried to remain stoic as Philips plunged another needle into her arm. In the past twenty-four hours he had taken so many blood samples that she was starting to feel like a pin cushion. He had not gotten around to telling her any of the results yet, which was starting to make her feel edgy.

When he had finished extracting this sample he placed a pad on the new wound and Kara closed her arm, pinning it in place. “Is this all really necessary doc?” she asked. “I’m fine.” It was not the first time she had asked this question in the past day.

“You’re not fine,” replied Philips gruffly, in a voice that nearly imitated Cottle’s infamous growl. “People don’t just wake up from comas with the energy of ten men Major. It’s a freak of nature that has to be explored.”

Kara stared at the man, saying in a hard voice “thanks,” and then muttering “Kara Thrace, freak of nature extraordinaire.”

“I also need to work out why you fell into that coma in the first place, and merely stating destiny on your medical records is not going to cut it.”

Kara rolled her eyes, regretting the action soon afterwards as she was feeling slightly woozy from the loss of more blood. “Whatever doc, just hurry up with your tests, I have toasters to cook, kids to see and a husband to frak.”

“Not until I’ve had a look inside that head of yours,” replied Philips.

Kara shook away a sudden memory of her mother, telling her that she was stupid and there was nothing in her head. For some reason she had dreamt about her a lot in the past few weeks, rehashing the painful memories of being unwanted and unloved. Philips turned away from her so she hopped off the lifestation bed and started to make her way out.

“Not so fast Major,” said the good doctor. “I’m not finished yet. Until I’m fully satisfied that you’re fit for duty, you will be staying here.”

“No way,” replied Kara and continued. “I’ve had enough of doctors.”

“Just so you know Major,” he added as she neared the exit. “I have two armed marines standing outside with strict orders not to let you out.”

Kara sighed, it was useless to try and argue with the man. Doctors had always been like that, even when she was a child. After telling them over and over again that her broken fingers had been caused in an accident, they still insisted on interrogating her. “Fine,” she said forcefully and walked back over and sat down on the bed.

“Not here, I need to take a scan.”

She thought about arguing, but then slipped off the bed and followed the doctor without complaint. It was infuriating that only twenty-four hours ago she had been full of so much energy, doing what she did best. Now she was being treated like a medical experiment. This was only wasting time, she had to get out and help with the search for Earth. She couldn’t explain it, but something inside her head told her that she knew way.

The scanner made her feel claustrophobic and seemed to take forever as it took images of her brain. After what seemed like an eternity inside she started to fidget, nudging her shoulder in a vain bid for freedom.

“Keep still!” shouted out Philips from his work station.

“Frakking doctors,” muttered Kara under her breath refraining from wriggling and continuing to stare upwards. Philips could at least have put a picture up in here or play some damned music she thought. “How much longer?” she called out, but didn’t get a response.

Lee’s voice then reached her ears, making her relax slightly. “Is everything okay doc?” he asked.

“Everything will be fine,” replied Philips, adding “if your wife manages to keep still for a few minutes!”

Kara kept as still as she could, wanting to get out of the machine and see Lee again. Finally when she was released, she could see him, standing there with that slightly disapproving smile he had always saved just for her. He held out his hand and helped her sit up, not that she needed the assistance, and then pulled her into a hug.

“Hey,” he said into her ear. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m about to start glowing,” she replied, squeezing him close.

“The doc just needs to make sure you’re okay.”

Kara pulled away from him and looked deeply into his eyes, “I’m fine. I feel fine, I look fine, I am fine, end of story. This is just a waste time.”

“Kara…”

“Something amazing happened Lee.”

“What, Kara?” asked Lee anxiously.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life and I think it’s finally happened.”

“You’re destiny?” asked Lee. Kara smiled at him, happy that he was pushing his usual sceptical persona aside. He seemed to sense what she was thinking, “After everything that I’ve seen, and speaking to that priestess again, I’m much more of a believer now.” Their conversation was interrupted by Philips who coughed discretely to catch their attention.

“So what’s wrong with my brain doc?” asked Kara. “Too many g-forces and retina detaching moves finally knocked my senses out?”

Philips looked at her disapprovingly, “I hardly find this situation something to joke about.”

Kara rolled her eyes, “fine, please tell me what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing as far as I can tell,” he replied. “My previous tests found nothing wrong and confirmed you are not a cylon.”

“Well that’s good to know,” said Kara flippantly.

Lee, however, looked annoyed, “is that why you posted guards outside, because you thought my wife is a cylon?”

Philips was unaffected by his irritation, “actually Major, they were placed there because your wife keeps trying to abscond. I have never suspected her to be a cylon. I was ordered to do the test by Commander Fisk.”

“Frakker,” muttered Lee and then asked, “so there’s nothing wrong?”

Philips flipped through his notes and then glanced up at Kara. “The tests show that you are slightly anaemic, but nothing to cause alarm, it’s a common affliction of being placed on rationed food.” He flipped another page over and smiled, “I can confirm you’re not pregnant.”

“Frak doc,” said Kara. “Is there anything you didn’t test for? I’ve had my shots, there was no chance I could be.”

“Many of the shots have been replaced with placebo injections, President’s orders,” replied Philips with a smile.

“Frakking Baltar,” replied Kara and then hopped off the bed. “Seen as you’ve taken over a day just to work out I’m not a toaster and not about to pop out another kid, can I go now?”

Philips shook his head, “I’m afraid not, you’ll have to wait until the rest of the tests come back.”

“Motherfrakker,” voiced Kara to no-one in particular and sat back on the bed.

“Commander Fisk has also suggested that you speak to someone about your experience.”

“Uh-uh, no way doc. My last therapist tried to kill me.”

“I find it hard to imagine that there are few people who haven’t wanted to kill you,” said Philips as he wrote another note in his chart.

Kara stared at him hard until he got the hint and walked away. “Frakking doctors.”

Lee placed a kiss to Kara’s brow, “just give it a few more hours and you’ll be outta here.”

Kara wasn’t quite so optimistic, having told herself that lie about twenty hours ago. “Haven’t you got a ship to run?” she asked. “Or has Fisk decided to go soft on you?”

“Neither,” replied Lee. “Fisk busted me down to squadron leader, and that was him being generous.”

Kara remembered that Helo had mentioned something about a plan, “what did you do?”

Lee shrugged his shoulders, “you were going to die if we stayed by that gas cloud, Fisk wouldn’t allow the fleet to jump so I did anyway.”

“Wow Lee, that’s impressive, not even I’ve pushed the boundaries that far,” despite her words she didn’t sound that impressed. “It was completely insane, what if Fisk had you shot? What would Lena and Joseph have done then?”

“You were about to die Kara, I couldn’t let that happen without trying everything first. I don’t think I could have looked them in the eyes again if I hadn’t tried.”

Tears welled in Kara’s eyes, she leant up and placed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for saving my life.” She sat back on the lifestation bed, putting her feet up.

“Are you going to start co-operating now?”

“Considering you went all out to save my ass, it would best to make sure everything really is okay. Besides, it keeps me away from catching up with paperwork.”

“Actually you’ve also been bumped down to squadron leader, so you can forget about the paperwork.” said Lee.

“Nice,” replied Kara and settled her back into the pillows, trying to get comfortable. “Remind me to thank Fisk later will you.”

Lee laughed, he placed a kiss to Kara’s head and then left the lifestation, fully satisfied that his wife was back and hadn’t changed a bit.

oooo

Lena and Joseph were growing up so fast Lee was finding it difficult to keep up with them. Lena squirmed as he tried to get a comb through her ever thickening hair. In the past he could never have imagined being with his two children, tying up his daughter’s hair into little bunches.

“Dada, dada, dada,” she said over and over with delight. Lee still beamed with pride every time she spoke.

Joseph toddled over and handed Lee a toy for no particular reason and toddled away again, lost in his own innocent happiness.

“Aa aa?” asked Lena, which Lee took to be her attempt at saying mama.

“You’re momma will be here any minute, the doctor’s finished making her feel better now.”

The kiddies squealed happily as they heard the hatch door open, toddling towards Kara as she stepped in the room. She crouched down a scooped them into her arms, sitting down on with them on the floor. “Hey there,” she said. “I missed you both.”

“Aa aa,” said Lena.

“Sta,” said Joseph.

“Nearly kiddos, how bout saying momma?” asked Kara as she cuddled her children.

“Maaaa,” attempted Joseph, as he half chewed on a finger.

“Aaa, dada,” said Lena with a smile and pointing at Lee.

“Sure kiddo, why not,” shrugged Kara jokingly. “I mean, all I did was carry you around for 9 months, gave birth to you, look after you when you screamed all night.” Lena just grinned up at her mother, making Kara’s heart melt. She leant down and placed a kiss to her head and then did the same to Joseph. She smiled at Lee’s attempt to put Lena’s hair up, noticing that the bunches were wonky. “How have they been when I was asleep?” she asked Lee, who looked suddenly guilty.

“Helo and Sharon looked after them a lot, I…I couldn’t leave your side.”

“Lee…” Kara began, instead she got up off the floor lifting Lena and Joseph up with her and walked over to him. She placed a soft kiss to Lee’s lips. “Thank again for saving my life,” she whispered and then smiled.

“I figured I owed you one from all the times you saved my ass.”

“Aaaase,” said Joseph making Lee grimace slightly.

Kara rolled her eyes, “and you thought it would be me who teaches them all the curse words.” She bounced the twins on her hip and then sat them in their highchairs at the small dining table.

“So did the doctor find anything?” asked Lee as he picked up some toys from the floor.

“Considering he ran every single test possible, not much,” replied Kara sitting at the table. “Apart from being anaemic, having a low potassium level, vitamin deficiency, a cyst on one ovary and needing a filling in one of my teeth, everything’s fine.”

“But nothing to explain the coma?”

“Nope, I’m pretty much suffering from the same problems as everyone else on the ship.”

“Has he cleared you for duty?”

Kara shrugged, “yep, apart from being, as he quotes “certifiable,” he can’t see any reason why not.”

Lee left the quarters for a few minutes, bringing back with him some mush in two bowls for the twins and mush on two plates for him and Kara. Together they fed Lena and Joseph, getting them ready for day care. They had nearly finished when Kara’s name was called over the comm, ordering her to report to Commander Fisk’s office immediately. With a sigh she left their quarters and walked through the ship.

When she entered his office, Fisk was sat behind his desk and motioned for her to sit. “Welcome back,” he said cordially.

“Thank you sir,” replied Kara and took a seat.

“I’ve looked at the doctor’s notes, nothing but the same problems as the rest of us.”

Kara imagined that Fisk probably also had an elevated heart rate, high blood pressure and a damaged liver, but she chose not to voice that opinion. “Yes sir, am I cleared for duty?”

“I assume Major Adama has informed you of the new hierarchy?”

“Yes sir.”

Fisk nodded, “Stinger has been promoted to Major and will take over as the CAG.”

“Good choice sir,” lied Kara, she would have chosen Showboat.

“Shaw will temporarily take over as the XO.”

Kara nearly winced at that choice, again choosing not to voice her opinion, she was in enough trouble already. “So am I cleared for duty, sir?”

“I still have concerns. You woke up from an unexplained coma and then went out gallivanting in your viper. From my point view that’s insane.”

Kara shrugged, “I still kicked ass out there though…sir.”

Fisk raised an eyebrow at her, “we shouldn’t have been there at all, we should have still been orbiting the gas planet.”

“Well from what I understand, sir, is that if we stayed there, we’d probably all be dust right now.”

Fisk muttered under his breath and then moved on. “Your husband kept telling me that he believed your coma was caused by the pressure of some destiny. Excuse me if I find that hard to believe.”

“You think it’s easy for me to believe? I’ve had this thing following me my entire life, but finally it’s started to get clearer.”

“What is?”

“I’m not sure, but my instincts are telling me that we have to go a certain way to find Earth.”

Fisk leant back in his chair, pressing his fingers to the side of his temples and rubbing small circles. He was clearly having difficulty with the entire concept. He made a small moaning noise, “why can’t you people do things the easy and clearly logical way?”

Kara shrugged, “sometimes you’ve got to have faith.”

“Well I don’t have any of that, what I do have is a ship to run and hundreds of lives to protect.”

“We’re also searching for our salvation,” Kara reminded him. “That is the point of this whole mission, to find Earth.”

“Well I didn’t sign up for a mission where we would be directed by one pilot’s gut feeling, and I’m sure not many others did either.”

“Do we even have a direction to go in yet sir?”

Fisk seemed about to speak and then closed his mouth again, glancing across the room momentarily where a large pile of star charts were strewn about. “We were heading for the nebula,” he said at last but not very convincingly.

Kara nodded, “good place to start, and then what? That was the only marker we saw from Kobol, what if there isn’t another one when we reach there?”

Fisk rubbed at his temples again. “I swear the Adama family is going to be the death of me,” he said.

Kara smacked her lips together, “so can I return to duty or what…sir?”

“Don’t push it Major,” warned Fisk. “Emergency viper duties for now, the rest of the time you can look through these star charts and see if you can plot us a path to Earth, like you claim you can.”

Frak, thought Kara. “Thank you sir.”

“Perhaps when you can prove to me that you’re not completely nuts, I’ll put you back on active duty.”

Kara stood up from her chair and saluted sharply before being dismissed. Once she had exited the room she felt like screaming out, but seeing Lee waiting for her outside made her change her mind.

“Did you get your ass kicked?” he asked walking into step with her.

“I have to prove that I’m sane before he’ll put me back on active duty.”

“Frak, that’s going to be difficult, you’ve been crazy since the first day I met you.” Kara jabbed him in the ribs playfully with her elbow.

She looked at him and a pang of desire overcame her, “are the kiddies in day care?”

“Yep,” replied Lee.

“When are you on duty?”

Lee looked at his watch, “in an hour.”

“Good,” said Kara and then grabbed his wrist, pulling him down the corridor that led to their quarters.

Once inside their actions were swift, pulling open their clothing leaving them in a messy pile upon the floor, and then falling back onto the bed. Their movements had to be quick and precise, almost like a perfect viper manoeuvre, to arouse as much pleasure as they could in the limited time that they had. Afterwards they lay spent in the rumpled and damp bedsheets, curled in each-other’s arms.

oooo

Kara threw her pen across the consol in the CIC making two petty officers turn in her direction. It wasn’t just them who had stared at her, everyone on the ship seemed to look at her every time she walked into their vicinity. The look in their eyes told her that they thought she was an abnormality. Normally she would just brush off such looks and gossip with a brusque “what?” like she had done most of her life, but this time she did feel subconscious. The only other time she had felt like this was when she was pregnant, but now they seemed to eye her with some suspicion rather than pity.

She had only been confined to “map searching” duties for two days and already she was completely frustrated and fed up.

“It helps if you hold on to the pen if you want to write with it,” quipped Helo as he walked over to her. He leant down and picked up the pen.

“What are you doing here?” asked Kara.

“Came to see how you’re doing.”

“Fantastic.”

Helo held out the pen until Kara snatched it back and then placed it on the table in front of her. “You’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t try.”

“I can’t just plot a course on a frakking map,” exclaimed Kara.

“Well you’re gonna have to try Kara, because people are going to have difficulty believing it otherwise.”

“I never asked for this. All I want to do is fly my frakking viper.”

Helo looked at her sympathetically and then picked up the pen, holding it out for her. Kara looked at it for a moment before taking it from him. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see anything familiar on the star charts except the nebula, although something in her head told her that they were headed in the right direction.

“I can’t explain how I know where to go,” she said.

“What does your gut tell you?”

“It’s not my gut, it’s my head,” replied Kara holding her hand to her head and rubbing her temple. “Somehow it feels right that we’re going this way.” She then began to laugh, making Shaw glare at her from the dradis consol.

“What’s so funny?” asked Helo.

“Kara Thrace and her special destiny, sounds like a bad cover band,” she laughed again. “A destiny so special that not even she can work out how to complete it.” She looked up at Helo who was smiling. “If you don’t believe me after all the crazy stuff you’ve seen me do, then no-one else but Lee will.”

“My child is half cylon, Starbuck, something like that kind of makes you believe in the incredible.”

Kara nodded and then looked back down at the star chart, nothing screamed out to her and it was as frustrating as hell. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment, trying to think. Flashes of a nebula came to her mind, a viper coming through the clouds joined by another, and then she zoomed away until they were nothing but specks. Images of space and stars flew past her vision and then a large planet was there, areas of green land surrounded by vast oceans. She opened her eyes quickly, realising that she was leaning against the consol.

“Are you okay?” asked Helo concerned. “You seemed to zone out for a while there.”

Kara looked up at him. “I’m fine,” she said and pulled a star chart towards her. The right path was out there somewhere, she just had to find it.

Tbc…

It All Came Tumbling Down (53/?)

ruthkit — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:22:58 GMT

Title: It All Came Tumbling Down

Warnings: Some mature content used. AU but some material from all seasons

Characters: Kara/Lee of course!! some Karl/Sharon and all cast appear

Disclaimer:
I do not own the characters unfortunately they belong to to Ron Moore
and Universal. I'm just borrowing their brilliance!

***

Not sure if people are still reading this here, but oh well...

Chapter 53

Lee stood to attention in front of Fisk, sweat mottling his brow. He was nervous, afraid that Fisk would ignore his request, his plea, for help.

“So let me get this straight,” said the Commander sitting back in his chair. “You want this ship to jump early to a place as far away as possible?”

Lee nodded his head, his hand tightly intertwined behind his back. “Yes, as close to the red line that is safe.”

“And you’ve had this idea after talking to a priestess who told you that Major Thrace’s coma was caused by the pressures of her destiny?”

Lee’s face faltered slightly, knowing that it sounded incredible. “She needs to get away from here, now. If not, then…”

Fisk sighed, “Since the Colonies were destroyed I have found myself having to rely more and more upon faith.” He paused before continuing, “but I can’t risk the lives of the people on board this ship, too much is at stake. We will jump away, but not until the repairs have been completed in two days.”

“But she could die before then!”

“And we could all die if we jump unprepared.”

Lee wanted to argue but knew it would be futile, “and how far will we jump in two days?”

“The same as originally planned, any further is too risky.”

He clenched his fist behind his back, anger bubbling inside of him. Logic told him that Fisk’s call was right, but if it was Admiral Adama sitting in front of him then he knew the old man would not have hesitated to save Kara’s life. He would be damned if he was going to let his wife just fade away. He saluted sharply and walked swiftly out of the Commander’s quarters.

He didn’t stop walking until he reached the family quarter’s area, rapping on the hatch to the Agathon’s billet.

“What the word?” asked Helo as soon as he opened the hatch.

“The word?” said Lee unhappily, “the word is no, I am therefore going anyway.”

Helo stepped aside to let him through. Lena and Joseph were busy playing on the floor with Hera, far too entertained to turn around. Lee reached down and gave their heads a gentle stroke.

“And how do you plan on jumping away?” asked Helo, leaning up against the now closed hatch.

“All I need is a raptor and a distraction so I can get Kara on board,” said Lee. “So I might need some help.”

“That’s too risky,” said Sharon, who was crouched down by the children. “You could kill Starbuck if you take her away from lifestation, and without a doctor….”

Lee interrupted her, “but she could die if I do nothing.”

“The only other option would be to jump the entire ship away,” added Helo.

“Which could get Apollo shot for mutiny,” said Sharon coming to a stand, her hands on her hips.

“Cain’s not in charge anymore, so he might not shoot you,” replied Helo. “But you could face the rest of your life living behind bars.”

“And what if the ship comes under attack after we jump, and we’re not ready,” asked Sharon. “Could you live with yourself if people got killed for your cause?”

They were silent for a few moments before Lee said, “the ship’s ready. I’ve already spoken with the Chief and others who say that the ship is more than ready to stand and fight, Fisk is just seeking perfection which we will never reach.” He paced around the room, looking down at his children who were now looking back at him expectantly. “Doc says she’s weakening,” he said sadly. “If we stay any longer she’ll die, if I jump the ship away she has her best chance, but I could die.”

He sat himself on the edge of the small double bunk and cradled his head in his hands. He still hadn’t shaved since Kara had fallen into her mysterious coma and his beard was starting to look thick. He had barely noticed his shabby appearance, the only reminder being when either Lena or Joseph pulled at the coarse hairs. Gradually over the days Kara’s condition had weakened and doc Phillips was at a loss to explain why and still couldn’t provide any explanation for her condition. He had said that if she were to continue declining at the same rate, then she may die within the next twenty-four hours.

Lee was therefore convinced that the priestess was right and he didn’t think he could live with himself if his inaction allowed the death of the woman he loved. “I’m willing to take the risk,” he said at last. Helo and Sharon just stared back at him, the only sound in the room coming from the children who were innocently playing.

“We’ll help,” said Sharon after a few minutes making Helo frown slightly.

“I can’t ask you two to risk your lives for my quest,” said Lee.

“Starbuck helped save our lives, if it wasn’t for her we may never had gotten off Caprica, and if we had, I would have been shot for sure without her.”

“Sharon…” began Helo.

“I’ve made up my mind,” she replied pointedly. “Besides, if you want to make a long and accurate jump then you’ll need my help.”

Lee couldn’t believe the loyalty of the two people who stood in front of him. If anyone had asked him over a year ago if he could trust a cylon, his answer would have definitely been no. “Alright, but I take all the risk. You two stay in the background so, if it comes to it, you can deny all knowledge of my plan.”

“It shouldn’t be difficult,” said Helo. “You’re the XO. All you have to do is plot in the co-ordinates on the FTL drive when Fisk isn’t there. The crew and the Tylium ship will obey your orders.”

“You can then personally escort me to the brig,” said Lee. “I’d rather meet a pissed of Fisk when there’s a barrier between us.”

“We’ll take the twins and place the blame of your actions on grief.”

“I don’t want to risk the ship,” said Lee. “Pretend we’re running some training drills and have as many people on the deck as possible in case we run into the cylons.”

They each looked at each other in quiet contemplation before continuing to plan their next steps. If all went well, then in a few hours, as soon as Fisk went off duty at 2000 hours, they would put the plan into action.

oooo

After formulating the plan, Lee spent the rest of that evening continuing his constant vigil at Kara’s bedside. Philips had told him that she was continuing to decline. Lee wondered what would happen if she passed on, would she be destined to come back somehow? All he knew is that she wanted a different path and death was not an option.

His neck was slightly mottled with sweat as he checked his watch. It was 2000 hours, Fisk would be going off shift now. His heart was hammering in his chest from the nerves, knowing that tonight one of them could die.

Leaning forwards, he stroked back her hair. “There’s something I have to do tonight,” he said softly. “And I’m sorry if it means I will never be able to see you again, but you should know that I have to do it.” He leant down and kissed her brow. “I love you Kara, always have, ever since you opened that door.”

He stood, buttoning up the front of his duty blues. He still looked dishevelled, but he didn’t have time to smarten up his appearance. The CIC was empty apart from a skeleton crew. Earlier he had worked with Sharon to plot the best jump co-ordinates.

“What are you doing here sir?” asked Shaw from the dradis station, her face looking inquisitive.

“I’ve been avoiding my duties for too long,” replied Lee. He had hoped Shaw would be off-shift, but she had obviously scheduled herself in for an extra shift.

“Did you put it past the Commander?”

“No,” replied Lee. “But considering this is my normal shift, I didn’t think I would have to.”

Shaw eyed him suspiciously. “How’s Major Thrace?”

Lee smiled ruefully. “No better, but no worse either,” he lied.

Shaw nodded, “you can go back to her, I have everything covered here.”

“That won’t be necessary, you’re dismissed.”

“Sir…” she began but Lee cut her off.

“That’s an order Captain,” he replied dismissively and then turned his attention to the dradis monitor. Shaw lingered for a moment as if she was deciding whether or not to argue with him. Obviously thinking the better of it, she walked briskly out of the CIC. Lee then sent the crew member who sat in front of the FTL drive on an errand.

His way was now clear.

Picking up the comm he put himself through to the Commander of the Tylium ship who surprised to hear from the Pegasus at this hour.

“I’m transferring some new jump co-ordinates through to you,” said Lee. “Get your ship ready for an immediate jump.”

“I wasn’t told about a jump today,” replied the Commander gruffly. “Commander Fisk told me that we would be jumping in a few days.”

“We have reason to believe that an attack is imminent,” replied Lee, the lies coming easily to him. When he was a child he had been a terrible liar. Zak had been the opposite and managed to get away with his antics. Lee’s honesty only ended in him being grounded. Now that there was such much at stake, it was easy to lie.

“Intel?” asked the Commander sceptically. “Short of the cylons jumping on top of us, I can’t imagine what you mean by Intel. Where’s Commander Fisk?”

“This is the XO giving you a direct order. If you want me to go and wake up the Commander after he’s been on shift for twelve hours to confirm that, then I will.”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary. The ship is ready for anything, the jump co-ordinates are being inputted now, we’ll be ready to jump when you are.”

The Commander then hung up the comm. Lee stared around the CIC wondering if this would be the last time he saw this room. He had certainly not been an exemplary XO, probably even worse than a drunken Tigh. One or two crew members stared at him with curiosity as he walked over to the FTL drive and inputted the new co-ordinates, but no-one said anything, and why would they? Lee knew that the two crews all trusted him as a leader, knew that he always kept to the rules. Mutiny was more Starbuck’s style.

It was all too easy. The ship was ready, all he needed to do was trigger the jump. He stared at the consol long and hard.

“Oh my Gods,” shouted out someone from across the room which drew Lee’s attention away. The Petty Officer was staring up at the dradis. “Sir look.”

With a frown Lee looked up at the dradis monitor. Red blips that had not been there before suddenly flashed up, about three of them from what he could see. His heart racing, Lee shouted out, “set condition one throughout the fleet, now and prepare to jump.”

The claxons blared around the room as he saw more numerous red blips suddenly appear on the monitor.

“Shall we launch alert fighters sir?” asked the Petty Officer. “The cylons will be on us in three minutes.”

“No,” said Lee quickly. “Make sure no-one goes out.”

Another officer shouted out, “tylium ship is already away sir.”

“No ships have launched sir,” said the Petty Officer.

Lee dashed over to the FTL drive, this time not hesitating as he triggered the jump, feeling the pull hit him straight away. “Sit rep,” he shouted out as soon as the jump had finished.

He saw Shaw had come running back to the CIC and was standing at the dradis monitor.

“Did the tylium ship jump successfully?” asked Lee to the Petty Officer.

“Yes sir, the tylium ship has checked in, no reports of any damage.”

Lee could feel that his hands were shaking slightly. The cylons had jumped in right on top of them without sending a scout first. If it had been any other night then it would have taken them completely by surprise.

“What the frak?” said Shaw from her consol. “Sir, this wasn’t the jump I plotted, this has gone much further. I don’t know…this can’t be right.”

“Look into it Captain,” said Lee, but he knew it wasn’t a mistake. He gave her a set of jump co-ordinates. “Plot these into the FTL in case the cylons manage to follow us. You have the CIC.”

He ignored Shaw’s shouts for him to return and left the CIC, knowing that the Commander should never abandon his post just after a jump, but he needed to get to the lifestation. People were milling about everywhere having obviously reacted to the claxons, many looking as if they were now returning to their quarters.

He continued his walk to lifestation and walked up to Kara’s bedside, needing to be with her. Disappointment drained through him when he saw that she was still sleeping. Reaching out he stroked back her hair. “Come on Kara, we’ve jumped away from the gas planet, it’s safe to wake up,” he said softly.

He heard the click of the comm system turn on and Shaw’s voice echoed around the room. “Major Adama report to the CIC immediately, that’s Major Adama to report to the CIC immediately.”

Lee smiled slightly. “I have my own fate waiting for me,” he said and then leant down and gave Kara a kiss on the forehead. But instead of setting off for the CIC he sat down next to Kara and took her hand. “The kiddies are still getting bigger by the day and miss you like crazy.”

He ignored his name being called over the comm again. And then the claxons sounded, Shaw demanding that everyone get to battle stations immediately.

That did get Lee’s attention. Reluctantly he pulled away from Kara’s hand and ran out of the lifestation, instinct drawing him to the family quarters where he grabbed his flightsuit and helmet and then sprinted to the flight deck. Vipers were already launching when he reached there and others were being lined up. The crew had already been on alert so they had been ready.

“What are you doing here sir?” shouted Laird as Lee darted down the ladder to the deck.

“What I do best, flying a viper,” replied Lee. “Get my bird ready.”

“Yes sir,” said Laird enthusiastically and then barked out some orders to some deckhands.

Zipping up his flightsuit, Lee was ready for a fight.

oooo

On the periphery of her mind, Kara could hear alarms blaring. For what seemed like forever she had lain here in the light, which gradually had darkened making her feel weak and alone. The only thing that kept her gripping tightly onto life was the sound of Lee’s voice. He had told her he was going to do something and might have to leave her. She didn’t know if she could hold on without his strength.

And then the alarms had sounded and the pressures around her eased slightly. And then the alarms had sounded again.

She jolted awake, nearly sitting bolt upright. For a few moments she sat confused, holding her head in her hands and then looked around. She was in a bed in lifestation with tubes sticking out of her.

“Frak,” she said to herself.

How could the same crap happen to the same person twice she wondered and then pulled the IV out of her hand, wincing slightly at the pain. She made a point of looking down at her belly, relieved to see that history wasn’t completely repeating itself again. It was also a relief not to have to pull a tube from her throat this time.

Also, unlike last time, she didn’t feel disorientated or weak, quite the opposite. She felt more alive than ever, realising now that the alarms were not in her mind, but telling her the cylons were attacking. There was no-one shouting out “actions stations” so she was already late to the dance.

Kara started pulling out the various tubes that had been attached to her body, noticing the catheter last.

“Frakking sadist doctors,” she muttered, holding her breath as she pulled it out and then swung her legs straight over the side of the bed. It was as if she had gotten the best night’s sleep in her life and it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Philips came out of his office as she walked across lifestation, looking flabbergasted. “Major!?”

“I’m fine doc,” replied Kara, continuing to walk out of the room.

“Like frak you are, get back to your bed so I can check you over.” She didn’t stop. “If I have to, I’ll get the guards to force you back in.”

“I’d like to see them try.”

Kara threw open the doors to the lifestation. The claxons were still sounding around the ship and she wondered how long it had been since the cylons attacked. They should still be at the gas planet, so why wasn’t the ship ready to jump away?

Energy flowed through her body and she ran down the corridor to her quarters, grabbing her flightsuit and helmet. She saw that Lee’s were already gone. He must be out there already. She pulled on the flightsuit quickly, zipping it up over her lifestation smock and then pulled her hair into a ponytail.

Within minutes she was on the hangar deck.

“Get me my bird Chief,” she yelled.

Laird looked even more shocked to see her than Philips, standing and staring at her. Everyone else seemed to have stopped to look at her too.

“Quit staring and get me my frakking bird Chief,” she yelled again. “I’m not a frakking ghost.”

“Perhaps you should go back to lifestation sir,” he said after signalling to a deckhand.

“What’s happening out there, why haven’t we jumped?”

“The FTL needs to be spooled up again and the Tylium ship is having difficulties sir.”

“Then get me the frak out there Chief or I’ll push my viper to the launch tubes myself.”

The deckhands finally started to tow her viper across the deck, which was practically empty of ships. The Pegasus has launched everything at the cylons and she could hear the sound of the ship’s firing solution.

“Frak,” she muttered to herself, all too aware that people were staring at her. “Come on!” she shouted.

Finally she was sitting inside the confines of her cockpit and was being towed into a launch tube. Laird was in the launch control room and she gave him a thumb’s up.

“Apollo’s out their flying solo sir,” he said. “Good hunting Major.”

Kara loved the sensation of the g-forces as her viper launched out. Outside the ship, the scene was chaotic. Vipers were flying everywhere amidst numerous raiders and there was a baseship looming close-by, nearly in firing distance.

Kara directed her viper straight into the middle of the action, keeping her eyes peeled for Lee who was flying without a wingman.

Over her comm she heard Shaw’s voice, identifying her viper and then saying, “you have made an unscheduled launch, please identify yourself pilot.”

“Pegasus this is Starbuck, feeling good and ready to kill some toasters.”

She ignored what Shaw said next as she took out the nearest raider without blinking and then spun her viper to take out another. And then she saw Lee ahead of her. He was chasing down one raider but another was suddenly joining in the chase behind her.

“Frak!” she heard him shout. “I have a toaster on my tail.”

Without a wingman there was no-one to protect his ass. Kara didn’t flinch as she pushed her viper hard at the raider, not pausing as she blasted it away, the wreckage bouncing gently off the hull of her viper, a few large drops of blood splattering over the cockpit canopy. Lee then took out the raider he was chasing.

“Thanks,” he said over the comm. “Thought that one had me.”

Kara smiled widely, “you’re welcome.”

There was a momentary pause and then Lee said, “Kara?”

“The one and only,” she replied with a grin, thrusting her viper over so that she was now in formation with him. Lee twisted slightly in his cockpit, the shock evident on his face and what looked like a dishevelled beard. “Keep your eyes ahead Apollo, we’ll talk about it later. I’ve got your six.”

In perfect formation they pushed ahead, directing their fire at the nearest raider that didn’t stand a chance. Their vipers danced with each other as they blasted away three more in quick sucession. The baseship was nearing quickly and the firing solutions of both large ships were now focused on each other.

Racetrack’s voice sounded over the comm, “Going in to launch missiles, I need cover to draw away the baseship’s firing solution.”

“Racetrack, Apollo,” said Lee as he glanced over with a grin towards Kara. “Copy that, creating a diversion.”

They pushed their vipers over, heading towards the raiders that had just launched from the baseship, close to the firing solution.

“We’re gonna have to be quick,” said Lee. “You ready for it?”

“I could ask you the same question Lee, when was the last time you were out here?” replied Kara with a chortle. “Just don’t stop moving.”

“Yes sir,” replied Lee with a laugh.

Four other vipers were also following in their wake, punching forward hard towards the twelve raiders that had no idea what was about to hit them. They powered through, guns blaring. Blood and metal flew apart, washing over their vipers as they continued in their assault.

As expected, the baseship drew away some of its firepower from the Pegasus to focus upon them as they decimated the line of raiders.

As he dodged and weaved quickly, starting to retreat, Lee shouted out, “now Racetrack, now!”

“Missiles away,” replied Racetrack. “Pulling back now.”

“I’ve launched everything I have,” added in Sharon. “Also pulling back.”

“Apollo to all vipers, let’s get out of here. All vipers draw back from the baseship,” said Lee.

“Copy that,” said Kara, pushing her viper towards home. She wove and dived, taking out a raider that crossed her path with a loud whoop. From behind her she could see a bright flash and then numerous cheers sounding over her comm.

Flipping her viper over she saw the beautiful sight as the baseship began to break apart. The Pegasus continued to fire until it was decimated. The few remaining raiders, pulled away and then disappeared in a flash. They had won.

“This is Pegasus to all pilots,” said Fisk. “Come on home.” His voice was commanding but carried a hint of jubilation.

“You heard the Commander everyone,” said Lee, looking over towards Kara. “Head on home, there’s some well-deserved ambrosia waiting for us.”

“Looks like you got beaten up pretty bad,” said Kara on a private comm line as she looked at Lee’s viper. There were scorch marks marring the underside of the chassis.

“I was flying solo for a while.”

“Never again Lee, I promise,” replied Kara, holding up her hand to the cockpit in a vain attempt at reaching out towards him.

“I might not be able to fly again after this,” replied Lee, as he too touched the side of the cockpit.

“Why’s that?”

“Let’s just say you’re a bad influence on me and save the explanation for later.”

They were the last two still out with the stars as they angled their vipers to the deck, coming in for a combat landing. Their undercarriage bumped down hard until they came to a standstill.

“Pegasus this is Apollo, everyone is on deck, no-one is behind me,” said Lee.

Kara leant her head back against the seat as she felt the pull of the FTL drive kicking in. As she decompressed, her head felt even clearer and she breathed a sigh of relief.

oooo

Kara smirked as her viper was towed onto the deck, seeing doc Philips standing in wait for her, his arms folded in front of his chest. He didn’t look happy. She knew she was in trouble, but didn’t really care.

Blood was splattered all over her viper, all the way from the nose and up to the tail. It had been an intense fight and the adrenalin was still pumping through her body. Various crew members stared at her as she pushed back the cockpit canopy and removed her helmet, followed by a few cheers.

She heard the roar of Helo as she stepped over the cockpit onto the small ladder. He lifted her up, carrying her down the remaining steps.

“It’s so frakking good to see you Starbuck,” he said. “I was sceptical of Apollo’s plan, but…”

“What plan?” asked Kara, but she was too elated to press the subject further. With the advantage of being held above Helo’s tall shoulders, she could see across the deck. Lee was jumping down his ladder and moving quickly towards her. She wriggled in Helo’s arms until he let her go and then weaved through the elated crowd towards Lee.

They fell into each other’s arms with a deep embrace, Kara nestling her head upon Lee’s shoulder until the presence of doc Philips pulled her away.

“I told you I’m fine,” she said but Philips didn’t budge. Turning back to Lee she said, “Looks like I’m being dragged away.”

Lee gave her a kiss. “You need to get yourself checked out Kara.”

“Why is everyone overreacting?” she replied with a shrug. “All I did was collapse from that headache, it’s gone now.”

Lee glanced at Philips and then back at her. “You were in a coma for over a week Kara.”

She hadn’t realised she’d been unconscious for so long. “Oh, well, I’ll just follow the doc’s orders then,” she said with a smile.

Lee shook his head in apparent disbelief of his wife’s nonchalance. “I’ll follow with the kiddies, they miss you.”

Kara leant in and gave him a soft a kiss and then walked away with Philips. She had a swagger in her step as she walked through the cheering crowds, still celebrating their victory. She smiled wickedly and turned back to Lee shouting out, “loose the beard!”

She then carried on walking towards lifestation, ignoring Philip’s disapproving stare.

oooo

Lee stood outside Fisk’s quarters taking a deep breath, bracing himself for a difficult meeting. Despite his trepidation, he was still buzzing from the battle and seeing Kara again. Lena and Joseph had been excited that their mother was “feeling better,” as he had put it, but he hadn’t had a chance to take them to her yet. He was just shaving off his beard when he heard his name being called over the comm, ordering him to report to Commander Fisk’s quarters.

He took another deep breath and then knocked on the hatch, entering when he heard Fisk’s voice. The man did not look too happy as he sat behind his desk, but on the plus side, he didn’t have a military contingent with him. Lee saluted sharply and stood to attention.

“Sit,” said Fisk pointing to the chair in front of his desk. Lee sat down quickly.

“You asked to see me sir?”

“I’m puzzled about something Major, perhaps you could help me make sense of it.” Fisk was now staring at him. “I was going to congratulate you for your prompt actions when the cylons came, but then Shaw informed me that we didn’t jump to the co-ordinates she had inputted that morning, in fact we jumped a lot further…”

“Sir, I…” began Lee but Fisk held up his hand to cut him off.

“Then I spoke to the Commander of our Tylium ship and he informs me that you gave new co-ordinates to him before the cylons came along.”

“Sir I can explain…”

“Then I think back to a conversation we had this morning, about a certain Major who was lying in a coma until a few hours ago. You can appreciate that I am starting to look upon this with suspicion.” Fisk’s tone of voice told Lee that he already knew what he had done. “And coincidentally a training op was in progress on the deck, so virtually all of our pilots were in flightsuits and on the deck. I appreciate that you went to the trouble of trying to ensure the safety of this ship.”

“This was all me sir, I take full responsibility.”

Fisk nodded, “not that I believe you, Helo was far too quick to provide an explanation, but I will accept your admission of guilt and not look further at any other people.” He paused before speaking again, “You could have endangered this entire ship.”

Lee suddenly felt a pang of guilt, “I’m sorry sir, but I had to do something.”

“What you did was tantamount to mutiny, if Cain was here she would’ve already had you shot! You abused the position that I had entrusted you with.”

“I’m sorry sir, and I’m willing to face any punishment you deem necessary.”

Fisk sighed, “This is why the military banned relationships amongst ranks. They cause people to make irrational decisions. You have put me in a difficult position. On the one hand you have committed a heinous criminal offence, which would normally mean expulsion from the Colonial Fleet and lengthy imprisonment. On the other hand, we are now living in different times. We’re out here alone with no reprieve, so I can’t just throw you off my ship and we only have a small brig. Further, if I lose an officer, everyone suffers. I also have to accept that on some level you were right, we were sitting ducks out there and if we hadn’t of been ready, we may have lost many lives in the attack. Then again, you were also wrong. When we jumped, we were also attacked, even if it was only by one baseship. You are very fortunate that we only lost three vipers, with all pilots managing to punch out in time.”

“So what are you going to do?” asked Lee, and now he was nervous.

“For now the moral on the ship is at its highest and I don’t want to spoil that. Having you shot or thrown in the brig will only give me one very pissed off Starbuck and would lower the moral over the entire ship. Not to mention that I would have to face your father when we get back.” Fisk leant back in his chair. “You’ve shown that you cannot be trusted in a position of responsibility on this ship and for that I’m busting you back down to pilot status, Starbuck too for that crazy stunt she pulled earlier and ignoring Doctor Philips orders. If anyone asks, you’re both back to pilot status for launching your vipers without permission. Now get out of my sight.”

Lee didn’t need asking twice, he quickly stood up, saluted sharply and then walked out of the room. He paused for breath outside and sighed with relief. He then set off towards lifestation without any feelings of regret for his actions.

It All Came Tumbling Down (52/?)

ruthkit — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:36:40 GMT

AN: I’ve been terrible at responding to reviews lately (and posting regularly) so I just want to send a big thank you, they are very much appreciated and help keep me motivated.

Chapter 52

Caroline had stared up at the trail left by the ship until there was nothing left, feeling a burning ache in her chest as the ship had lifted off and flown away, not knowing if the pain would stop until Ford came back.

Even when twenty minutes had gone by, after her colleagues had all disappeared inside, she stood there, staring up into the clouds. But she was not alone. Standing forlorn next to her was Blue Eyes who seemed to be harbouring the same emotions as her.

It wasn’t until thirty minutes had gone by, when Howell came out and walked up behind them, that they stopped.

“They’ve made contact,” he had said, making Caroline and Blue Eyes turn round, finally taking their eyes away from the skies. “Everything seems fine.”

“Have they found their people?” asked Caroline trying to mask the desperation in her voice. She tried to hide her love for Ford, but knew Howell could see right through her.

“Yes,” replied Howell with a smile. “And they jumped away with another ship.”

“They actually did a faster than light jump?”

“Looks like Ford and the others will go down in the history books.”

Caroline was beaming with pride, concern and a slight pang of jealousy as she imagined what Ford was seeing right now, wondering if he was looking at one of the planets she had only been able to see through a telescope. She wished she could be with him, sharing in the incredible.

She turned her gaze towards Blue Eyes, trying to ascertain what he was thinking. The man looked lonely. Howell nodded his head towards him and walked away leaving them alone.

“You okay?” she asked staring up at him, waiting for the translation.

The man’s eyes were magnetic as he looked down at her and Caroline imagined he could draw any woman in if he wanted to, but if she had learnt anything over the past few months, it was that this man was fully dedicated to, and in love with, his wife.

“I’m fine,” he replied in almost a whisper.

“They made the jump. That’s good right?”

“Yep,” replied Blue Eyes but he still looked lost.

She figured he was missing his wife and children. “Hopefully this mission will go fine and then you’ll get a chance to go home.”

He didn’t respond straight away, staring up at the clouds again. “I hate being left behind to wait,” he said at last and Caroline could see the sadness in his face.

“Does that happen a lot?”

Blue Eyes smiled ruefully, “too many times.” With his head bowed he walked slowly back towards the base.

Caroline suspect there was a lot she didn’t know about their guests’ long journey to Earth. She followed behind Blue Eyes until she was surrounded by the warmth of the base. He was waiting with a security detail to be escorted back to his room so she walked with them, aware that the man seemed to be eyeing her with suspicion.

“Are you still going to be watching us all the time?” he asked as they walked through a series of corridors.

“Not as much,” replied Caroline.

“So what are we going to be doing here whilst we wait?”

She had to be honest that she had no idea. They had been too wrapped up in getting the ship ready to decide what to do with the guests that were left behind. “I’m not sure.”

“Great,” replied Blue Eyes blandly.

They were silent for the rest of the walk back and Blue Eyes had entered his room without another word to her. She had watched through the glass as he flopped down onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling before pulling something out of his pocket. It was the photograph of him, Blondie and the two toddlers. He looked at it longingly, his eyes seeming to well up, and then held it to his chest.

Turning around, Caroline walked away in shame.

oooo

Battlestar Pegasus

Ford rolled over uncomfortably on the small put-up bed making it squeak loudly. He had not been able to sleep all night, lying there listening to the soft hum of the ship. It was enough to drive anyone crazy. He could tell the others were asleep, he could hear their deep breathing and someone was badly in need of some snore aid.

He looked at his watch. It was only 0500 hours. He still had a couple more hours of boredom before the others woke up. Then they would have nothing to do except talk. This wasn’t how he had envisioned his dream adventure.

With a sigh he flung his feet over the side of the cot and grabbed at his travel bag. In the dark he changed into what he hoped was matching slacks and a t-shirt. He then took one of the translators and walked to the door, opening it as quietly as possible.

There were five marines standing outside, all armed. The nearest held up his hand and shook his head at him.

Ford held out the translator machine. “They said I could take a walk with an escort,” he said.

The marines looked at him with a hardened stare from under their dark helmets until the machine finished translating. Ford only noticed that the marine furthest away was female as she spoke out. “It’s only 0500 hours.”

“Well you five are awake and I can’t sleep.” His fingers were crossed down by his side, hoping that their commanding officer had told them that he was allowed to have a walk with an armed escort.

After a few moments the woman spoke out again. “This way,” she said and Ford eagerly followed. He noticed that another marine followed behind them. “Where would you like to go?” she asked.

“Erm,” replied Ford, which the translator obviously had difficulty translating. “I don’t really know, can’t I just wander about?”

The marine seemed to fall into step with him, letting him know that he was now in charge of their destination. “Just keep to the corridors,” she said sternly.

The corridors were quite open, but stacked on either side were a number of crates making it seem smaller. For 0500 hours the ship was surprisingly busy, with a number of crew members wandering past, each one giving him a long stare. After a few minutes he saw two people round the corner wearing spacesuits identical to those belonging to Brunette and Legs. The man had dark hair and a helmet tucked under his arm and the woman was shorter, her hair swept tightly back.

They stopped in their tracks when they saw Ford, eyeing him with wonder before carrying on past. They were quick and the translator only partially caught their conversation. He wasn’t sure it was translating correctly though as the woman seemed to bizarrely address the man as a hotdog.

“So where’s the best place to go on this ship?” he asked his marine contingent as he rounded into another bland corridor. “You guys have got to unwind somewhere.”

“That would be the Mess,” the woman replied rather shortly. “There are two on the ship, one for the officers and the other for the enlisted.”

Despite having a translator as an intermediary, Ford could still decipher the meaning behind the woman’s words. She was telling him that he wasn’t welcome in either.

“I am an officer you know,” he said with a smile, stopping briefly. The woman stared hard at him. “I may not have fought in your war, but I have seen combat on Earth, was even a prisoner of war for a time. So, please, cut me a little slack.”

He carried on walking without waiting for a response. He was completely lost, but didn’t really care, anything was better than listening to loud snoring all night. The corridors started to narrow slightly and Ford imagined he must have reached either the aft or fore of the ship if it was designed in any way like a boat or submarine.

“Where are we?” he asked, suddenly hearing a soft thudding noise.

“Some facilities for the officers sir,” replied the woman.

Her address didn’t go unnoticed to Ford, realising that she obviously had a mutual respect for people in the military. There was a pause in the thudding and then it started again. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ford walked towards the noise, peering into a hatch which was ajar and ignoring the marine’s request for him to step back.

He recognised Blondie straight away even though she was dressed in exercise clothing and was covered in sweat. It was somewhat comforting to see a familiar face that wasn’t asleep and snoring. She hadn’t noticed his presence as he watched, continuing to thump and kick the punch-bag that hung from the wall.

“Hey,” he said loudly to catch her attention.

Blondie spun around, her body looking alert. He was about to speak again but she placed a finger quickly to her lips and then pointed down to the corner. Asleep on the floor were the two young toddlers he recognised from before, wrapped up in blankets, stirring slightly.

Blondie swiped up a towel, wiping her face. “What are you doing here?” she whispered, nodding to the marines behind him.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he whispered back. “It’s also been a while since I’ve shared a bunk room.”

Blondie nodded.

“Why are you awake at 0500 hours?” he added.

“The kiddies were refusing to sleep, deciding to give me hell instead.”

“I’m really sorry, I had…we…” he felt the need to apologise again, the guilt digging at him.

Blondie shook her head, throwing back down the towel. “So are you going to spar with me or what?”

It took him a few moments to realise what she had asked, “sorry, what?”

She threw some knuckle protectors at him, “you’re in the military, so you must know how to spar.”

“Yeah, but not with a woman.”

Blondie rolled her eyes, “you lot are so backwards.” Before he’d had a chance to react, she crouched down, sweeping her leg out and connecting with the backs of his legs sending him sprawling backwards. He felt the wind knock out of his chest.

Collecting himself he looked up, seeing Blondie standing above him. She was definitely a formidable looking woman.

“Ouch, that hurt,” he said bluntly.

“You obviously aren’t trained very well either,” she said, a large grin across her face.

“I wasn’t exactly ready for that.”

“You’re military, you should always be ready,” she held out her hand, helping him up.

He removed the translator machine from over his shoulder, placing it within earshot. He was dressed for exercise so he had no excuse, but flashes of being pushed through a glass panel played in his mind, putting him off sparring with this particular woman. He imagined she liked to fight dirty and bend all the rules.

He slipped on the protectors, “how about we take out our sleep deprivation on the punch-bag instead?”

Blondie shrugged, motioning him over. “Be my guest.”

Taking a few deep breaths, Ford’s attention focused on the punch-bag. He not only had his own personal pride to prove, but he also had to show that his planet wasn’t full of undertrained wimps. His barrage of punches and kicks were strong and controlled, sending the punch-bag swinging. Every few minutes he paused, allowing Blondie to take over. The sweat was soon collecting on his brow.

“You sure you don’t want to spar?” asked Blondie as she laid a few quick punches in quick succession.

“Sir,” called out one of the marines catching their attention. He was pointing to the corner where the two children looked to be waking up. Through their sparring with the punch-bag they had forgotten to whisper.

“Crap,” said Blondie, pulling off her gloves and walking towards them.

“Momma?” asked the girl sleepily. “Momma!”

“I’m here,” replied Blondie crouching down in front of them. They both gripped onto their mother tightly as if they were afraid that she would disappear. “Come on kiddos let’s have a shower.” She took their hands and started to walk out of the gym just as they started squealing.

“Sorry,” said Ford.

“Stop apologising for everything,” replied Blondie sounding exasperated and then turned to the marines. “Take him back to his quarters.”

Ford couldn’t help but look disappointed. “Are we going to be stuck in there all day?”

“My debriefing starts in two hours, I always make them quick.”

With a smile she walked out of the room, her children pulling on her hands wanting attention.

With a sigh Ford motioned to the marines, “after you.”

oooo

When Ford returned to his shared quarters he found Biggy sat up on his bunk looking fresh as if he had slept for hours.

“Hey,” said Ford as he strode in and flopped down on his bunk which nearly buckled in protest.

“Where have you been?” asked Biggy folding his arms, reminding Ford of a disgruntled wife.

“Sorry dear, I went for a walk,” he replied mockingly.

“A note would’ve been nice, for all I know you’d been dragged away for an interrogation.”

“Trust me, if they come in and try to drag me away, I’ll be sure to make a lot of noise about it.”

Biggy looked unimpressed, pausing before saying, “So they just let you wander around the ship then?”

“With an armed guard, this is a big ship.”

“Excellent,” said Biggy as he pushed himself up off the bunk and headed towards the hatch.

“I wouldn’t fancy your chances,” said Ford, stopping the man in his tracks. “Blondie ordered the marines to bring me back here. Perhaps leave it a couple of hours.”

“Great, so all we get to do is sit around here and listen to Swanson snore all morning.”

“Hey,” came a muffled voice from the other side of the room. “I have a nasal problem.”

“If you’re awake,” said Biggy loudly, “then why the fuck are you still snoring?”

“I’m up, I’m up.” Swanson shuffled in his blankets until he was sitting up, his hair up at all angles. “Jeez, I feel like I’ve gone back in time to when I was at scout camp.”

Biggy motioned his head towards Langley, “is he up or still sick?”

“I was trying to sleep,” said the fourth member of the room, who with a huff sat up.

From his uncomfortable bunk Ford sat and watched as the others idly chatted, gradually rising from their beds and one by one going through the shower. Ford had gone last, nearly screaming out when the freezing cold water hit him, the flow only lasting for about a minute. He figured the ship must be on rationed water and he had gotten the tail end. He was grouchy when he returned to the room.

“Enjoy the cold shower?” asked Biggy. “Kinda takes me back to my academy days.”

“Yeah, well, I remember now that there was a reason I left active service.”

By 0900 hours a crew member had arrived with breakfast. The food was terrible, nearly making them all gag. Ford remembered back to when their “guests” had first awoken and eaten. They had scoffed it down with relish. Now he knew why. Even the poor canteen food from the base was better than this crap. There was no flavour and it had a rubbery texture. He wondered how they could live like this.

The beverages were okay though and Ford was amazed that the warm drink had actually resembled their coffee. Despite their planets being so far away, there was somewhere which grew the equivalent of the coffee bean.

“Makes you wonder doesn’t it?” said Swanson taking a swig from his mug.

“What?” asked Ford taking another mouthful of stodge with a grimace.

“Whether coffee beans actually originated from Earth, this is pretty much identical.”

“I’ll make sure to add that to the long list of questions to ask,” replied Ford with a smile.

“You’re very sarcastic this morning,” said Biggy. “What’s up?”

Ford shrugged his shoulders, “I’m bored. I want to get out of this room and start being useful. I’m shocked our guests didn’t go crazy from staring at the same four walls for months.”

“Well it’s a good thing I brought these with me,” replied Biggy pulling out a pack of cards and a bag of chips from his duffle. “Fancy a bit of Hold’em?”

Ford laughed. He hadn’t thought he would get the chance to sit around and do nothing for hours. Biggy had obviously packed for every eventuality. They all circled around one of the beds and Biggy shared out the chips and dealt out the first round.

“Okay,” said Biggy. “None of us have any cash, so let’s make this an imaginary pot. Fifty quid buy in and twenty-five for a re-buy. Winner takes all when we get back home.”

Ford felt more at home as they began to play, remembering back to his days in the army. He had lost lots of money over the years playing with his comrades, but it had been worth it. It was the way everyone always bonded together, even if it did lead to the occasional fight or argument. The difference here was the presence of coffee over beer and the lack of stogies.

oooo

“Raise you one hundred,” said Biggy with a grin.

They had been playing for hours and the pot in front of them was full. Swanson had crashed out long ago and Langley, to give him credit, had hung on until this round until he had thrown all his chips in before the middle cards had been dealt. Now he was looking ashen and Ford could tell he had nothing. All he needed to gauge now was what was going on in Biggy’s head.

The man was a mystery, his tactics changing constantly. Ford kept his face neutral as he looked at his cards. He had an ace high flush. It was a fair hand but could quite easily be beaten.

“Call,” he said without emotion, throwing in his chips. His mind was so focused on the game that he didn’t even care that their lunch had arrived, hearing the hatch door open.

“Not going to raise it huh?” said Biggy. He grinned and then pushed his chips forward. “All in.”

Ford faltered, not sure what to do.

“He’s bluffing,” said a female voice from behind them making them all jump, her words quickly translated.

Ford turned around to see Blondie standing there, her arms folded in front of her chest. She was dressed in what looked to be a uniform, which he had seen a few others wearing around the ship. It was dark blue and she had a pin attached the chest, which looked like their version of a set of pilot wings. Her long hair was swept back tightly. It was the first time he had seen her look as if she belonged in the military, having only really seen her in tracksuits before.

He had been staring at her so long, almost enthralled, that he had forgotten what she had said. “Sorry, what?” he asked.

Blondie smirked. “I said, he’s bluffing.”

It took Ford a few moments to realise what she meant, saying “oh.”

He was shocked that she had worked out that they were gambling. She looked sure of herself, a small smile on her lips. Turning back to his cards, he looked up at Biggy and then pushed in his chips. “All in, can’t ignore the lady.”

Biggy slapped down his cards face up with less gusto then before. He only had two pairs and by the look on his face, he already knew that he had lost. Langley quietly placed down his pair of kings and shrunk away. A small smile tugged at the side of Ford’s mouth as he threw down his cards and then tipped the pile of chips towards him with glee.

He looked back at Blondie and pulled a mock salute. She shrugged her shoulders with a smile and then untwined her arms.

“You’re needed,” she said motioning her head and turning to the hatch.

Forgetting the high of the poker game quickly, they pushed up off their beds and scrambled towards the hatch after Blondie who led them down the corridor. Ford walked into step with her, trying to keep up as she strode quickly.

“How did you know he was bluffing?” he asked.

“Everyone has a tell,” she replied.

“So I guess you have similar games where you’re from, I’d like to learn them.”

“Sure, if you want to lose everything you own.” Ford turned his head to Blondie, seeing that she was grinning. He wondered if there was anything this woman hadn’t mastered yet.

“So what’s this meeting about?”

“My debriefing has finished, told you I’d keep it short.”

“What did you tell them exactly?”

Blondie shrugged, “we jumped, crashed and ended up finding you. It’s pretty simple.”

Their conversation stopped as they entered what looked to be a small conference room. There was a large table that lined the far end of the room and then up the sides, and there was also what looked to be flags on the walls. In the middle of the room, inside the U shaped table were four chairs where they sat themselves. Straight ahead of them was the man they had seen before, who looked as if he was in charge. Blondie sat herself to his left and another woman who looked almost oriental, with long dark hair, was on his right.

Rugby gave them a small wave from his seat. Like Blondie, he too was dressed in a dark blue uniform now and looked much more military than before. There were a few others in uniform sat around, one female who Ford recognised from that morning, and there was one person sitting in a suit who looked far too young to be in a position of responsibility.

They all seemed to stare at each other for a few moments before the commanding officer turned to Blondie.

“How do these things work?” he said pointing to the translator.

“Just talk like normal and they will do the rest,” replied Blondie.

“Right,” said the commander, looking unsure. “On behalf of the Colonial Fleet, I wish to welcome you again to the Battlestar Pegasus.”

Out of instinct Ford and Biggy rose to their feet and saluted before being motioned to sit. Swanson gave a small wave and Langley remained silent.

“I see two of you are clearly military,” said the commander.

“Yes sir,” said Ford, trying to sound as formal as possible. “I’m Major Ford and my comrade is Squadron Leader Colin Bigsby a pilot in the Royal Air Force. My other companions are Dr Swanson a leading scientist and Greg Langley a representative from our government.”

The commander glanced at Blondie who shrugged.

He continued, “I’ve had a chance to speak to my two officers, and I am satisfied that my crew have been well treated and that you do not pose an imminent threat to my ship.”

Ford glanced at his comrades and then turned back to the commander. “That’s good to hear.”

“I’m Commander Fisk and this is my acting XO Kendra Shaw.” Ford could see Blondie rolling her eyes when he mentioned the woman to his left. “So what are your plans here?”

“Um,” was all Ford could think of to reply at first, quickly adding “to learn and form diplomatic relations.”

“When are you expected back?”

“Twenty-eight days, if that’s okay with you?”

Fisk nodded his head and then appeared to think for a moment. “You’ll each be assigned an officer to be your escort around the ship along with a guard. When you are not with them, you will be back in your quarters is that clear?”

They each nodded their head in understanding.

“Right,” continued Fisk. “Considering you two already seem to get on,” he said looking towards Ford, “you’ll be paired with Major Thrace.”

A muffled chortle came from Blondie, making Fisk turn to her.

“Something funny Major?” he asked sternly.

She looked to be suppressing a smirk as she replied, “the first time we met I threw him through a glass partition.”

“That wasn’t in your report.”

Blondie shrugged, “it didn’t seem important.”

Fisk then turned to Ford, “care to tell me what prompted one of my officers to feel the need to push you through a glass partition?”

“Um,” replied Ford, seeing that Blondie was trying not to laugh. “She slammed one of my comrade’s head into a table, then knocked him out, stole his gun and escaped from the room holding someone hostage before disappearing into the base. I had the misfortune of finding her.”

“Jesus,” whispered Biggy next to him.

Fisk turned to Blondie, who gave him a “what?” expression in response, and then turned back to Ford. He didn’t look surprised. He cleared his throat before continuing, “Well you two will get the opportunity to know each other even better.”

It didn’t escape Ford’s notice that Blondie’s shoulders slumped slightly, feeling a little offended.

Fisk then pointed at Biggy, “As you’re a pilot I’m partnering you with Kat. The scientist can stay with Helo,” he added, pointing at Rugby. Ford figured that the commander was using their call signs instead of their real names. “And the politician can be accompanied by our Quorum representative, Billy Keikeya.” The young man, who looked far too young to be a politician, gave them a small wave.

“Any questions?” asked Fisk.

“What can we do on the ship?” asked Ford.

“Anything, just don’t get in the way or blow her up,” the commander replied. “We are still on active duty, I’m sure your companions will show you how to do something useful.”

He stood, indicating the end of the meeting and walked out of the room followed by the oriental looking woman. The shorter pilot, Kat, walked up to Biggy and shook his hand.

“I hear you’re a pilot,” she said. “Want to see what a real bird looks like?”

Biggy looked like he was a dog with two tails, saying enthusiastically, “most definitely.” He had a bounce in his step as he followed her, turning to Ford briefly and saying, “this place is awesome.”

Rugby guided Swanson out of the room, the pair already vaguely familiar with each other. The politicians met with a firm handshake and left the room talking quietly to each other, which left Ford with Blondie. She was still sat in her chair, slouched back, her arms folded in front of her chest.

“So… I get to be shown around by you then?” said Ford with a smile.

“I wouldn’t feel too honoured, I asked for the pilot,” she replied unfolding her arms.

“I’m hurt,” said Ford placing a hand to his chest. “So you didn’t tell your commander about your little escape bid then?”

“Nope, I find it’s better to leave out those details.” She shrugged, “I wasn’t exactly following protocol.”

“I get the feeling that you rarely do.”

This time Blondie grinned, “So my husband keeps reminding me.”

“He didn’t seem surprised about it at the time.”

Blondie stood up from her chair and guided him out of the room. Once into the corridor their marine guard followed on behind.

“I’m sorry I held your girlfriend hostage,” she said as they rounded a corner.

“Sorry?”

“She is your girlfriend right? I mean, people say that Lee and I were obvious, but you two…”

“Yeah, kind of,” replied Ford thinking about the soft touch of Caroline’s skin. “Since the night before we came here.”

“Oh,” said Blondie looking surprised.

Ford realised that he and Caroline were more like Blondie and Blue Eyes then he had originally thought, except thankfully Caroline held nothing akin to Blondie’s volatility. He didn’t know if he could handle a woman like that, and admired Blue Eyes for managing it.

He followed just behind the formidable woman, trying to keep up as she swaggered down the corridors like she owned them. He was in her element now, and one thing was certain, it was going to be an interesting 28 days.

It All Came Tumbling Down (51/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:06:54 GMT

Chapter 51

“What do you mean she’s grounded?” asked Fisk angrily, throwing down a star chart forcefully onto the table in front of his sofa. Lee was stood on the other side, his hands clasped behind him, standing alert.

“I’ve grounded her sir,” he replied.

“She’s my best pilot, not to mention my CAG, there better be a damn good reason why.”

“That heavy raider she saw yesterday didn’t appear on the cockpit footage.”

Fisk leant back on the sofa and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Are you telling me she’s was hallucinating out there?”

“I don’t know sir,” replied Lee resignedly. “All I can say is that she doesn’t trust her nerve out there at the moment.”

“Everyone gets shaky behind the stick sometimes. I need my CAG out there, no arguments.”

Lee scrunched his fingers together behind his back. He needed to stay strong for his wife. “My wife doesn’t get shaky behind the stick, not even when she was a nugget on her first flight. Sir, please listen to me. I can’t fully explain why, but please trust me. She needs to stay grounded for the time being.”

Fisk stared him down for a few moments before looking down at his charts. “If it was Cain sitting here now you wouldn’t be asking for this.”

Lee squared his shoulders, “with all due respect to Admiral Cain sir, I don’t believe we would be here on this mission if she was still in command. We’d be off hunting the cylons or already destroyed trying. You’re the one that is in command now.”

Fisk sighed, “I knew when I first read Thrace’s record that she was going to give me a permanent headache.” Lee smiled briefly. “How long for?”

“I don’t know sir.”

Fisk sighed again, “fine, but I hope you know I’m putting a lot of faith into you two. Don’t make me regret it.”

Lee felt his body relax slightly, “thank you sir.”

“Who do we replace her with as CAG for the time being?”

“I believe Starbuck can still perform her duties on board sir.”

Fisk shook his head, “if she can’t fly then she’s also not fit for active duty. Let her rest for now and we’ll review the position in a week.” Lee nodded his head once in understanding. “Alright, dismissed. Let Stinger know that he’s the CAG until Thrace comes back.”

Lee saluted sharply and then walked out of Fisk’s quarters promptly. He knew Kara was going to be upset with being taken fully off duty.

It was 1200 hours so he walked straight to his quarters, hearing the sounds of their children before he reached the hatch and then stepped inside. Normally when he opened the door he would see Kara smiling down at them happily, but today she seemed to be staring off into the distance.

“Dada,” squealed Lena as soon as he stepped inside, making Kara turn towards him. She looked as if she had just been pulled out of a trance, faltering for a few moments before smiling at him.

“Hey,” she said softly. “What did Fisk say?”

“He wasn’t happy, but he agreed,” replied Lee picking up Lena who had toddled over and gripped his leg. “The catch is that you’re not to resume any duties until your better.”

“You better take this then,” replied Kara blandly, seeming not to care that she was being pulled fully from duty. She stood up from her chair and walked over to a cupboard high up on the wall. She took out her sidearm and held it out to him. Ever since Lena and Joseph had started crawling she had taken to placing her sidearm up there, removing the clip every time.

Lee placed Lena back on the floor. “I don’t think Fisk meant for you to hand that in.”

She shrugged, her voice still unanimated, “Just take it Lee, please.”

His voice nearly cracked as he took it from her hand. “Kara you’re scaring me.”

He could see the tears pooling in her eyes and she walked over to him, placing a soft kiss to his lips. “It’s going to be okay,” she said in a soothing voice.

He wished he could understand, possess faith deep enough to believe it. “I’m afraid of what’s happening to you.”

“It’s okay Lee, I promise. We’ll always find a way to find each other.”

Lee swallowed hard, she wasn’t making any sense. It was as if she had been holding a previous conversation with someone else entirely and expected him to catch up. Pooling his strength, he remembered that he didn’t have to understand what was happening, but he did believe in her.

“Do you need some rest?” he asked as she gripped the sides of her head with her hands.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied weakly. “It’s just a headache.”

“If it’s still there tomorrow then I’m dragging you to doc Phillips, no arguments.”

“Agreed,” she said pulling a mock salute.

With a frown, and feeling slightly defeated, Lee turned around and walked back out of the quarters to continue his shift, a feeling of foreboding dread weighing down on his shoulders.

oooo

Kara barely noticed the day and night go past. She wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, but everywhere she looked she seemed to be staring into oblivion. The only thing that kept her barely conscious was the sound of her children playing happily, warming her heart.

That night she didn’t sleep, choosing to get up and sit in the children’s room, just watching as they slept peacefully. Her headache still pounded throughout her head, but that was nothing compared to the disturbing invisible force that kept pushing her to go back out into that storm. It was like an obsessive compulsive urge, an irrational need to fly her viper until it hit the hard deck, crushing the life out of her.

She didn’t fear death, but desired life more and everything inside her resisted the temptation.

By the time Lee awoke at about 0700 hours, Kara had already been through the shower with Lena and Joseph. If only for a few minutes, the warmth of the water cascading down over them felt comforting. She was sitting feeding them breakfast, just like she always did, trying to look normal to Lee, but really she was running on automatic.

“Hey,” he said and walked over to give her a kiss.

“Dada,” squealed Lena happily.

“Good morning my Little Lee,” he replied with a smile and swooped down to give her a big kiss to her forehead, followed by Joseph.

“Tah,” his son replied, half sucking on his finger.

“How are you feeling?” he asked Kara, sitting next to her.

Kara smiled as convincingly as she could, “a lot better, headache has finally subsided.” She didn’t know why she lied to him, but she felt compelled to protect him from the truth. She was feeling worse. Part of her wanted to go and see Phillips, but then she knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything. This type of headache could not be cured by a pill. It was the weight and pull of fate that was causing it.

Lee placed a kiss to her head looking slightly more relaxed, “glad to hear it.”

“When are we leaving here?” she asked in a small voice.

“In a couple of days I believe.”

Kara nodded, wanting to cry. She wasn’t sure if it was the location or time that was affecting her. At least if they jumped away she would know.

She carried on feeding Lena and Joseph like normal as Lee got ready and then left for his shift. It felt strange not having to be on duty and she had certainly never expected to be acting as a full-time mum. The hours dragged past as she just sat there watching them play, not fully able to join in because of the excruciating pain that pounded through her head.

“Dada,” said Lena happily as she gripped a crayon unsteadily, scribbling on the piece of paper in front of her.

Kara felt her cheeks flush as she looked down. Lena had managed a big scribble in blue.

“Is it hot in here or is it just me?” she asked making her children look up confused.

Kara stood and walked over to the hatch door, pulling it slightly ajar to let in a breeze. She closed her eyes as gently the air blew into her face, making her hair sway. A sudden flash of the mandala came to her mind, swirling before blinking into another image, an apartment she hadn’t seen in a long time. Briefly she saw her mother sitting at her dining room table, cigarette in hand, before the sound of her children brought her back to the present.

They were looking up at her with eager eyes.

“Stah,” said Joseph and held out his hand.

Kara walked over to them slowly, looking down at their scrap of paper. She felt her breathing falter as she saw that Joseph had scribbled his red crayon in the middle of Lena’s blue scribble. The mandala screamed out at her again, swirling round and round.

She was confused and disorientated. Was she supposed to even be here now? Should she have already hit that hard deck, blowing herself apart? The possibilities were crushing her mind.

“Stah?” squeaked Joseph as she gripped the side of her head, trying to push away the pain.

“No, no, no, no,” she stammered out, shaking her head. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she looked at her children, her heart aching for them. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered before her vision blurred. She could see her mother’s apartment again and a blonde child crying with blood dripping from her nose.

Reaching her hand up to her face she could feel a dark thick liquid.

“Please,” she begged to the Gods. “Please don’t make me leave them.”

Her vision cleared again, seeing her children who had started crying. They were reaching out their pudgy hands towards her, and then everything went black.

oooo

Lee stretched out his neck as he stood in the CIC. Words couldn’t describe how boring his job had become. He was a pilot, needing the adrenalin boost that came from negative g-forces to keep him motivated. He was not meant to stand behind a dradis consol. Already the lack of exercise was taking its toll and he could feel his duty blue slacks feeling slightly tighter. After he had escaped from the cylons the waistband had been loose, needing a belt to stop them from falling down.

“How was Major Thrace this morning?” asked Fisk casually after he walked in for his afternoon shift.

“A little better sir,” replied Lee with a smile. “She might be fit for duty sooner than expected.”

“I’ll let Phillips decide that.”

“I thought you’d be happy to have her back on duty sooner rather than later?” asked Lee with a frown.

“Of course I would, she’s my CAG and best pilot, but I also don’t want to see her flying into the side of the ship because she wasn’t ready.” He looked down at some star charts, telling Lee that the conversation was over.

Lee was feeling slightly happier today. Seeing his wife deteriorate had cut away at his heart. That night had been the first night that week when he hadn’t been awoken by her nightmares, pained by her evident distress. Even though she still looked the pale, her headaches had stopped and Lee felt that she had gotten past the worst of whatever was affecting her.

“When are we going to jump again sir?” he asked after a number of minutes.

“The planet is providing the best cover possible while we complete our repairs, so another week perhaps.”

“A week?” asked Lee shocked. “I thought the original plan was for only a few days?”

“I’m getting numerous reports telling me the wear and tear is worse than originally thought. It makes sense to hide out here for the time being.”

“And what if there is a heavy raider out there?”

Fisk looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “do you still believe there might be? Because I haven’t seen one, nor did anyone else but your wife who’s declared herself unfit to fly.”

“Nevertheless sir, we should still stay frosty, just in case.”

“We’re always frosty Major.”

“How’s Stinger doing as the CAG?” asked Lee with curiosity. He had hoped that Fisk would allow him to over the CAG duties instead, but evidentially the ship needed an XO.

“He’s getting back into it slowly I believe. I was going to head down there now whilst they hold the afternoon briefing. Perhaps it would make you feel better if you gave them a lecture on staying frosty.”

Lee didn’t bite back, merely following the Commander out of the CIC to the Ready room where they addressed the pilots. Despite their early reticence towards Kara when she first became the CAG, they all appeared to hold genuine concern for her wellbeing. Even Kat refrained from making any snippy comments. Lee had assured them that she was just unwell, but would hopefully be back on duty soon.

“Are you satisfied now?” asked Fisk as they exited the ready room and stopped outside in the corridor.

Lee wanted to sigh, “Yes sir, I apologise if I came across as if I didn’t have faith in the pilots. All I meant is that we should be ready to jump at any moment.”

“Shaw programmed in the co-ordinates for the next jump last night. If we so much as catch a whiff of the cylons then we’ll be out of here.”

Lee nodded. He felt a tug at his slacks, pulling his leg forwards to stop it. “Perhaps we can have some training drills whilst we’re hanging around here?”

“That’s a good idea…” began Fisk but Lee was distracted by the feel of his slacks snagging again.

“What the…” he said and looked down behind him, shocked to see his son standing there gripping the cloth of his uniform. “Seph, what…?” Lee’s heart started hammering in his chest, something was wrong, very wrong.

“Stah,” said Joseph looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

For a moment he was too shocked to move then Fisk shouted out, “go, go!”

He sprinted off down the corridor towards his family quarters, seeing that the hatch door was ajar. The sound of wails reached him immediately. Knowing it was Lena squealing inside he pushed open the hatch quickly.

Kara was lying on the hard metal floor, her blonde hair splayed out with Lena pulling on her hand. Within seconds Lee was down by her side shouting out her name, but there was no response. Blood from her nose had spooled out down the side of her face and onto the floor. Too much blood for a mere nosebleed. He was almost afraid to place two fingers to her neck to check for a pulse, but was relieved to feel the gentle rhythm underneath his fingertips.

“Dada,” sobbed out Lena, but Lee was busy trying to ensure that Kara was still breathing. The blood bubbling at her nose told him that she was.

The tears flowed down his cheeks as he softly stroked back some of her hair off her face. “Kara, please answer me.”

He was about to scoop her into his arms when he heard Fisk shout out “no.”

“What the frak do you mean no? We need to get her lifestation now!”

He looked up to see that the Commander was looking concerned, holding Joseph against his hip. “We don’t know what’s happened, so moving her could cause more injury.” He didn’t wait for an answer, he turned and picked up the telephone on the wall and dialled. “This is the Commander we have a medical emergency, send medics to the Adama family quarters stat.”

Joseph started wailing in Fisk’s arms until he placed him on the floor. The boy toddled over towards his mother, sitting himself down by her leg.

“Kara please answer me,” begged Lee, ignoring Lena and Joseph’s continuous wails.

It seemed to take forever for the medics arrive, taking Kara away on a stretcher with Lee running alongside. For the moment nothing else mattered to him, he had to be by his wife’s side, and there he remained as the days dragged past.

Doc Phillips was none the wiser about what had caused Kara’s coma. He had performed test after test, which revealed nothing. A brain scan showed that there was brain activity, which looked like she was peacefully dreaming. As far as Phillips could ascertain, she had not suffered from a stroke, aneurism, hematoma or brain damage and he was at a loss to explain a diagnosis. No-one could say with any certainty what had happened in her quarters. There was a bruise to her head, but Phillips suspected that had occurred when she collapsed. She had lost a lot of blood from the nose bleed, but not enough to induce a coma.

Phillips had merely said that she appeared to be “lost” in her own consciousness.

From his constant vigil, Lee had watched her sleeping. He had been sitting there for five days now, every night dreaming that he was seeing his wife hit the hard deck in the storm and blowing apart. It didn’t make sense. That had not happened, they had avoided it.

It was now the afternoon, about six hours after Fisk had demanded that he return to work. Lee had felt a pang of guilt when the commander had mentioned Lena and Joseph, but as much as he wanted to be with them, he couldn’t leave Kara’s side.

He felt the presence of someone standing next to him and turned his head, seeing Helo standing there.

“I never thought I would have to see her like this again,” he said making Lee turn his head back to his wife’s bed. She looked soundly asleep as if nothing was wrong and would wake up any moment. “But it was different then.”

Lee reflected for a moment, remembering that Helo had been there during Kara’s last coma.

“At least she’s not hooked up to a machine this time,” added Helo sadly, the memory obviously painful. His eyes fixed on Lee’s, “she’s beaten the odds before.”

“I don’t know what happened,” croaked Lee in response. “One day she was fine and the next…this.”

“What did she say before it happened?”

Lee thought back, trying to remember everything she had said. “She had lots of headaches, a nightmare about her mother…”

“Why would she have a nightmare about her mother?”

Lee realised that Kara must not have told Helo about her frakked up childhood. “It’s a long story, never mind. She saw that phantom heavy raider out in her viper. She told me that if she went out there again she would basically end up flying down into the atmos of that gas planet, killing herself. She even got freaked out by a picture Lena and Seph painted.”

Helo frowned, “that’s weird.”

“Which part?”

“All of it, but especially the bit about the kiddies.”

“She asked about the colours they had used. When she collapsed they were drawing something similar.”

Helo paused for a moment as if he was mulling something over, giving it serious consideration before speaking. “I saw that,” he said quietly. “And they’ve painted these over the past few days.” Out of his pocket he pulled out two sheets of paper holding them out to Lee. “There’s more. This pattern is the same one that Kara had painted on her apartment wall.”

Completely covering the pages was the same pattern in blue, red and yellow. “Oh my Gods,” muttered Lee and took hold of the pages, staring intently down at the images. He traced a finger of the largest circular pattern, which seemed to have a stick person drawn in the middle. “They’re too young for this.”

“Hera added the person in the middle,” replied Helo and Lee removed his finger from the page.

He could feel tears pricking his eyes, and as much as he tried to refrain from crying in front of Helo, he felt them trickling down his face. “What’s happening to my family?”

“I don’t know, but I might be able to get some help…if you’ll allow it.”

“I don’t care Helo, I’ll try anything.” Lee brushed the tears away with his sleeve. “I’ve been a lousy father the past five days,” he added. Guilt was wracking his body, guilt for stopping Kara from flying and the abandonment of Lena and Joseph. He wondered if his wife would ever forgive him.

“They’re fine,” said Helo. “You’re hardly in the state to cater for their every need, so leave that to me, Sharon and Meg.”

Lee laughed briefly, “I never thought I would have a cylon for a babysitter.” Helo didn’t respond and Lee felt another pang of guilt that he had offended someone who was helping him so much. “Or as a friend and comrade,” he added. “Thank you.”

Helo’s shoulders seemed to relax slightly. “Hera’s enjoying having two children to play with, I’ve never seen her laugh and smile so much.”

“They have that effect on people.”

As if on cue he heard the familiar gurgle of Lena and Joseph. He strained to turn in his seat, seeing them standing at the front entrance to lifestation, both gripping on to Sharon’s hands.

“Is it okay?” she asked softly and Helo motioned them in.

“I’m sorry Apollo,” said Helo. “They need to see their parents.”

Lee felt the guilt rock through him as his children pulled away from Sharon and ran over to him. He lifted them both onto his lap and gave them a hug, some of the pain lifting away from his body.

“Dada,” said Lena and pulled at the small wisps of his beard.

Joseph pointed over to Kara’s bed and said, “stah.”

“Yeah that’s right,” replied Lee. “Your mom is sleeping at the moment.”

There was no way that at not even 14 months the twins would understand what was happening, but he could still see the sadness on their faces. It still amazed him how intuitive they were.

“Come on, let’s go and see your mom.”

As he stood he lifted both of them onto his hip and walked them over to the bed. He could see the slow rise and fall of her chest beneath the bed sheets, her eyes softly fluttering as if she was dreaming. Phillips had tried everything to wake her up, but nothing had worked.

Gently Lee sat down Lena and Joseph onto the bed next to her, holding them against him, continuing his vigil.

oooo

One day later

Lee was surprised when he saw the Priestess Eliya walking into the lifestation. He had not seen her since Lena had been sick, when she had prayed over his daughter. The woman walked up to Kara’s bed and stroked her hair back softly.

“I knew our paths would cross again,” she said and then placed a kiss to her forehead.

Lee stood up from his chair and walked over, passing the cot where Lena and Joseph were enjoying an afternoon nap. “I didn’t know you were on board the Pegasus,” he said standing on the opposite side of the bed.

“I was not,” replied the priestess with a smile. “I was journeying on board the Tylium ship. They needed a priestess to help with their faith on such a long journey and I knew I would be needed here again.”

“How?”

“This woman’s destiny has been written out in the stars since the beginning of time.”

“And her destiny was to fall into a coma?” asked Lee sceptically.

The priestess smiled again, testing Lee’s patience. “The destiny has been set out, not the path. Some paths are stronger than others to follow, many seem like the easiest route, but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily right.”

“Such as blowing up under the pressure of a planet’s atmosphere?” asked Lee not sounding convinced.

The Priestess looked puzzled, “No-one knows the paths except Kara herself. Is that what she believed was going to happen?”

Lee felt himself blushing slightly with shame, “yes and she asked me to ground her, so I did.”

“Perhaps Kara no longer wished to take such a perilous path any more. There was something much stronger keeping her here.” The Priestess motioned over to the twin’s cot. “Sacrifice may not seem logical to many, but it is written of throughout our history. That may have been the clearest path to Kara at one time, but not anymore. You changed everything.”

“I’ve dreamt of her, like I am her, flying into that storm. I…I can’t believe that could…”

“There is a strong bond between you two, that much is clear. Such a bond stretches to your children.”

Lee held up his hand, “before you continue you should know that I don’t believe in the Gods…”

The Priestess’ smile did not falter. “But yet they will always believe in you, which is why they have entrusted you with one of their most precious gifts. Hasn’t she always trusted in you, confided in you what she hides from everyone else?”

“You speak as if you know her.”

“I have only met Kara twice in my life. The first time was when I prayed over your daughter.”

“Then…how…?” he was willing himself not to believe in the fantastic.

“Exactly Lee Adama.”

“Then what has happened to my wife?” he asked, his shoulders slumping.

“I do not know with any certainty. She may have resisted a very strong path. The weight of destiny pressing down is a powerful thing for a mortal mind to handle. As long as we are here it was continue to press down.”

“So what is her destiny?”

The Priestess stroked a hand through Kara’s hair again, “only she can answer that.”

“Right,” replied Lee. “One more question.”

“Only one?”

Lee ignored her jibe and walked over to the twin’s crib. He picked up their painting and took it to her. “What’s this?”

The Priestess looked at it closely, “it looks like the Eye of Jupiter.”

“The what?”

“It is an ancient symbol, believed to be a marker upon the route to Earth.”

Lee felt his heart start to quicken. This was all too much for him. The realisation of what everything meant was starting to dawn upon him. He believed, knew, that Kara was destined to find Earth and this was the proof. Flying into that gas planet had been part of that journey, but Kara had chosen a different path because of them.

He guessed the Priestess was trying to tell him that they needed to jump away from the gas planet and to continue the journey to the nebula.

Convincing Fisk was going to be the difficult part.

oooo

The light was beautiful, surrounding her like a protective blanket. She wasn’t dead, that much she knew. But where she was, she had no idea.

On the periphery of Kara’s mind she could feel Lee’s presence. He was her guide home, always there, her anchor to life.

As long as he was there with their children then there was no way she would pass over to the other side.

It All Came Tumbling Down chapter (50/?)

ruthkit — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 21:38:09 GMT

AN: It’s actually been a long time since I’ve watched Maelstrom so I’ve made it up myself… ;-)

Chapter 50

She could feel the swirling storm drawing her in, urging her to keep going until the pressures on her viper were too great and tore her apart. But the thrall was too much for her, the colourful pattern of yellow, red and blue that had haunted her every footsteps, was too powerful to pull away from. This was the end of her life, scattered amongst the stars, the light blinding her eyes as peace and resignation overtook her.

“Kara,” she could hear Lee say from afar.

“It’s okay,” she replied as she let go of all the fear from her past, embracing the light. “I’m not afraid.”

“Kara!”

“I’ll see you on the other side,” was the last thing she said before the light swarmed around her, her viper buckling under the pressure and fracturing in a ball of flame.

The only sounds that remained in the light were Lee’s shouts of “no!” as she headed off into the unknown, the pain etched in his voice.

Lee jerked awake violently from his dream as he felt the tap on his arm, shaking him back into consciousness. He felt stiff and groggy as he sat up in the uncomfortable chair, his heart hammering in his chest. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and then the constant beep of machinery reminded him. How could he forget?

The lights in lifestation were dimmed, looking almost haunted, and a medicinal smell hung in the air.

“Major,” he heard on the periphery of his mind.

The dream he had been having was still playing over in his head. It had been the same every night since he had lost her. Sometimes he was watching from afar as his wife disappeared into the clouds and then exploded. Other times it was as if he was her, but the outcome was always the same and he was powerless to stop it.

“Major!” he heard again and jerked his head upwards seeing Fisk standing above him.

The man looked worried, his eyes betraying his exhaustion. Lee straightened himself up in the uncomfortable chair and raised a hand to his chin. He had a five day growth of a beard forming. “Sorry sir,” he said.

“No offence, but I’ve not seen you like this since we found you half dying on that heavy raider.” replied the Commander. “You look like hell.”

Lee didn’t respond, merely sat back in the chair, refusing to move. He had been sitting here for five days now, only leaving the chair when he needed to use the head.

“Your babysitter is needed for her other duties and everyone else is busy filling in for…” he stopped himself. “Everyone else is occupied.”

“I can’t leave here,” was all Lee could croak in response.

Fisk sighed, “Your children need you right now, they have no idea what is going on.”

“And we do?”

“I also need my XO back on duty.”

Lee looked up, his eyes red raw from the lack of sleep and tears. “I’ve lost my wife…” he said in a weak voice. At the moment he didn’t care about his duties as an officer. All he cared about was getting his wife back. The guilt was eating away at his soul.

Fisk looked at him with sympathy, “You think I don’t know what that feels like? It took me months to come to the realisation that my wife must be dead down on Caprica.”

“This is different.”

“Yes it is. You know what’s happened to your wife, I don’t. You also still have your children, a gift few people have.” Lee didn’t acknowledge his words so he continued. “I tell you this now, if…when, she comes back then she will be pissed off to know that you sat here wasting away for weeks just watching her die.”

Those words hit home. Staring across from his chair, Lee looked on at the figure lying prone in the hospital bed, her golden hair splayed across the pillow. Various tubes and wires were attached to her sleeping form. Gently her chest rose and fell underneath the covers, the only signs life.

Lee’s mind was decided. He sat back in his chair ignoring Fisk who, knowing he had lost, walked away.

Lee was resolute. He was not going to leave the lifestation until his wife came back to him again. Leaning his head in his hands, he continued his constant vigil again.

oooo

Two weeks earlier…

Kara swooped the spoonful of mush towards Joseph and with a giggle he swallowed the food down obediently, slapping his hands against the table with glee. Mealtime seemed to be his favourite time of day at the moment and Kara was cherishing every moment of it.

“You like that mush?” she asked with a crinkle of her nose.

Joseph replied with a big grin and slapped his hands again. Lena, on the other hand, stuck out her tongue and made a noise.

“Me too kiddo,” replied Kara to her daughter. “But you’ve gotta eat it I’m afraid. When we find Earth, I promise I’ll get you something better.” She held out the spoon for her daughter who took a mouthful, looking up at her mother with bright wide eyes. “That’s my girl.”

“Dada?” asked Lena, which had been her first full word and seemed to be her answer to everything at the moment. Lee was still beaming with pride about it.

“Dada’s working, so you have me this morning,” replied Kara with a smile, spooning some more mush into Joseph’s mouth.

“Dada?” asked Lena again.

“How about saying momma?” asked Kara and then tried to mouth it out for her.

“Dada,” said Lena happily.

Kara’s shoulders drooped slightly and said jokingly, “fine kiddo, have it your way. But if your dad doesn’t wipe that smug grin off his face, your momma might have to do it for him.”

Joseph squealed excitedly smacking his hand against the bowl of mush and sending it flying over the table. This thoroughly impressed him and Lena and they both clapped happily. Kara was less amused at the mess, but she couldn’t help but smile at the laughter from her children.

“Come on, we need to go in search of some more now. We’ll leave this mess for your dad to clear up.” She lifted them both down from their highchairs and walked them out towards the Mess hall.

It was rare when Kara got the opportunity to spend a morning with her children, so she was all too happy to extend that time into a visit to fetch more food before taking them to the nursery and starting her shift at 1200 hours, followed by her CAP at 1500 hours.

It had been four weeks since their first encounter with the cylons. Since then they had seen one raider, but had managed to destroy it before it had a chance to report in. The Pegasus has successfully managed to plot a course around the star cluster, which had gone supernova soon afterwards, and there was another jump planned for 1200 hours. The days seemed to take ages to go by because of the boring monotony, but at least the stress of the first encounter had gone.

The Mess hall was quiet when they entered, with only a few officers who were waiting for their afternoon shift to start. Joseph gripped onto her hand tightly as he toddled along with Lena obediently holding on to his other hand. They sat quietly together at their own table, eating the extra rations Kara had managed to procure.

“Morning Starbuck,” said Showboat walking over and taking a seat opposite. She waved to the twins who giggled back. “Damn Starbuck are you sure they’re your kids? They’re far too sweet.”

Kara smiled, “they must get it from their dad.”

“Dada?” asked Lena looking up inquisitively and holding out her spoon.

“Your dad’s working, remember?” replied Kara. Lee had been on shift since six am.

“That’s too cute,” said Showboat taking a seat opposite. “You’re a daddy’s girl are you?” she cooed at Lena who grinned widely. “She’s going to be the master of manipulation with Apollo when she’s a teenager.”

“He’ll love it.”

“Ollo?” asked Joseph chiming in.

Showboat grinned, “Were you trying to Apollo?”

Kara pulled Joseph onto her knee and placed a kiss to his head, “no way is Apollo going to be your first word kiddo.”

Showboat laughed, “You should have seen the look on Apollo’s face last week when he told me Lena said dada. Feeling left out are we?”

“No, I just want to show them the right way,” replied Kara jokingly. She paused a moment, pushing away a headache that was starting to form, and then continued on a more serious note. “You ready for the next jump?”

“My viper’s prepped and good to go just in case.”

Kara nodded. Showboat was due to fly CAP with her at 1500 hours and they would both be on alert and down on the hangar deck by 1300 hours. She looked down at Joseph who was wriggling in her lap.

“Ollo,” he said again as she let him down onto the floor.

Showboat laughed, “how ‘bout saying Starbuck Seph?”

Joseph looked at the Captain with wide eyes, “tah?”

“Don’t encourage him Showboat,” said Kara as she stood up from her chair and took her children’s hands. “See you down on the deck in 30.”

“Okay sir,” she replied and waved at the twins as the small family walked out of the Mess hall.

Kara didn’t want to have to drop off Joseph and Lena at the small nursery, wishing that they could stay together all day. She felt a twinge of emptiness as she left them, hearing their happy giggles as they started to play with toys with the other children.

A dark weight suddenly seemed to land upon her shoulders, pushing her down as she walked away. She didn’t want to leave their side.

Reluctantly she walked quickly to her quarters to change into her flightsuit and then headed to the hangar deck. It was busy as normal when she arrived, with many deckhands preparing the vipers for the FTL jump.

Kara walked around her bird, checking that all the components were intact and in good working order. Anya had finally been released back on duty following her accident and was assisting her.

“She’s looking good,” said the young deckhand. But for an inexplicable reason, Kara found herself checking the viper again, looking over everything with precision. “Are you okay sir?” asked Anya, when she had finished her second sweep.

“Sorry?” said Kara looking up, her mind distracted.

“You seemed to be miles away,” replied Anya with a smile, holding out her clipboard which contained a checklist.

Kara took it swiftly and then signed off on everything, initialling at the bottom. “Thanks,” she replied shortly and then sat herself down on the steps to her cockpit.

She couldn’t explain the feeling that had suddenly overcome her body and mind. One moment she was fine and happy with her children, the next minute she felt as if the entire universe was watching her. A strange feeling nagged at her mind, telling her that she needed to do something, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what.

It was only the sound of Shaw over the comm system that brought her mind back to the present. She was telling the crew that the co-ordinates for the next jump had been entered and the one minute countdown had begun. With each second the nagging sensation pressed heavier and heavier upon Kara’s shoulders, even making her brow mottle slightly with sweat. The pull of the FTL drive made her stomach lurch more than normal and then it was over.

“Sir?” asked Anya. “Sir?”

“What?!” shouted out Kara in response making the deckhand step back slightly. A few eyes from the deck turned in their direction looking shocked at her outburst.

“You don’t look well sir, are you sure you’re okay?”

Kara wiped away the sweat from her brow. She felt hot as if she was getting a fever. “I might be coming down with something, no biggie.”

“Do you want to call a replacement for your CAP?”

“What? No…no fever is going to keep me out the sky.” She pushed herself up from the steps as she heard Shaw giving them the all clear. “I’ll be back after my briefing,” she called over her shoulder as she strode off.

Anya looked on puzzled as Kara walked away across the hangar deck, the weight of the Worlds on her shoulders.

oooo

Lee walked through the corridors of the ship with a slight bounce in his step as he neared the nursery. He had been on the early shifts all week and had missed getting up with the kiddies and feeding them their breakfast. Lena had also said her first word, “dada,” which had made him beam with pride.

Their latest FTL jump had gone as smoothly as could be expected. The system they had jumped to was in no way extraordinary, just more space. Fisk had ordered some time for repairs considering the cylons had failed to show up in the last few weeks, so the Pegasus had neared a gas giant planet for some cover. The only disadvantage was the radiation from the planet, which interfered with their dradis, but that disadvantage could also prevent the cylons from seeing them should they decide to jump into the area. Extra CAPs would be essential for spotting cylons early and Lee planned to volunteer his services to assist. It had been far too long since he had been in a viper.

He looked at his watch. It was 1530 hours. Only thirty minutes ago Kara had set off on her CAP with Showboat. He had smiled as she reported in, but her usual pilot banter was missing for some reason.

Lee entered the nursery and crouched down by his children who were playing happily. They were painting with their fingers, sharing the same piece of paper.

“Dada!” said Lena and crawled over to grab his leg.

“Whoa there,” he replied with a smile. “Your dad will get in trouble if he gets paint all over his uniform.”

Of course Lena didn’t understand and continued towards him. Luckily one of the carers picked her up gently and carried her over to a sink in the corner to get cleaned up. Joseph meanwhile held up their piece of paper with a grin and Lee took hold of it. There were various colourful fingerprints around the page and some splodges of colour in the middle.

“Tah,” said Joseph with a grin.

“Is this for me?” asked Lee.

“Tah,” repeated Joseph.

“Is it a star then Seph, is that what you’re saying?”

“Tah.”

One of the carers walked over and guided him to the sinks where his sister was still being cleaned up. “He’s being saying that all day.”

Lee laughed, “Knowing Kara she’s given up on getting him to say momma and moved onto Starbuck.”

“You know your kids are very advanced for their age,” said the nurse as she brought the now clean twins back to Lee. “They both painted exactly the same thing today, which is rare at so young.”

“They do have an overachiever for a mother,” replied Lee. “She’s very artistic.”

“Well they certainly take after her.”

Lee lifted Joseph onto his hip and took Lena’s hand. “I’m hoping they don’t inherit her right hook though.”

He was about to walk out of the nursery when he heard his name called over the comm, demanding his return to the CIC. With a sigh he placed Joseph back on the floor with the carer and walked quickly down the corridor.

When he arrived Fisk was staring at the dradis with a frown.

“What’s going on?” asked Lee, also looking up at the monitor. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“Starbuck said she had a visual of a heavy raider in the upper atmosphere of the planet,” replied Fisk.

“Why haven’t we gone on alert status?”

“Well so far your wife is the only one to have seen it. She just went diving straight after it and stopped communicating with us.”

The comm system crackled, “Pegasus, this is Showboat. I’m losing my visual on Starbuck, she keeps going down into the atmos.” Lee could hear the slight panic in her voice. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Fisk turned to him, “if she keeps going the pressure will crush her ship like a tin can.”

Lee stared at him and then slid a comm headset over his head. “Starbuck, this is Pegasus do you copy?” Silence. “Report in Starbuck, what do you hear?”

He only heard Showboat’s response, “I can’t see her Pegasus, I…”

Lee gripped the side of the consol and made a silent prayer before speaking into the headset again, “Kara, please answer.” Fisk looked at him with concern. “Kara.”

There was a crackle and then finally he heard her voice, “I keep losing it Pegasus.”

“Do you have a visual?” asked Lee.

“No, Lee…I, can’t…”

“Then come back to the ship and land your bird Kara, please.” He had tried to hide the emotion in his voice, but his distress was clear.

There was an agonising pause and then Showboat’s voice came over the comm again, sounding relieved. “Pegasus, Showboat, I can see her. She’s coming out of the atmosphere and is heading for home.”

Lee leant up against the consol with relief, his stomach feeling slightly nauseous. Fisk looked over at him, looking serious.

“Either your wife is right and there is something down there,” he said. “Or she’s gone completely crazy.”

“I’ll have a word with her sir and see what we can get from the cockpit footage.”

Lee wasted no time. He walked out of the CIC and made his way to the hangar deck in the desperate need to see Kara and hold her.

oooo

Kara stroked her hand down the side of the pristine looking viper. She was sure the heavy raider had collided with her in the storm, and positive that she had followed it doggedly through the clouds. Then she had lost it and all she could see was the bright mandala in the skies that had followed her like a shadow her entire life.

“I’ve looked over every inch,” said Laird. “There’s no new battle damage, nothing. Are you sure you were hit?”

“I’m not frakking crazy Chief,” she replied and then for a moment she stepped back and thought about it. Was she going crazy? There was no damage, so she can’t have been hit. Ever since they had jumped, she had developed a headache that thumped through her head, telling her over and over that she needed to do something. “Just do me a favour and get the cockpit footage will you,” she demanded and threw the sleeves of her flightsuit off her arms.

“Kara,” said Lee as he strode across the deck looking slightly out of breath. “Are you okay?”

“Apparently I’m going crazy.”

Lee looked puzzled and she didn’t volunteer an explanation, striding out of the hangar deck quickly making everyone move in her wake.

She could feel Lee following behind her as she sped through the corridors, only giving up when she locked herself in their small bathroom. She stripped off her flightsuit quickly and settled in under the lukewarm shower, trying to shove images of the gas planet out of her head. She had been so sure, had felt, the heavy raider ricochet off the side of her viper. All of her instincts had then told her to chase it down, to plunge deeper and deeper into the atmosphere.

Flashes of the yellow, red and blue pattern had followed her all her life like a shadow, and now she was frakking hallucinating about it in the outer atmosphere of a gas planet, only minutes away from hitting the hard deck. Something willed her to continue, to keep flying into oblivion. Was that what her “special destiny” really was? To blow up on the other side of the galaxy at her own volition? If it was, then the Gods really did have a bad sense of humour.

She felt a pang in her gut. She didn’t want to die, couldn’t bear not to see her children grow up, to hold Lee again. Tears stung her eyes and flowed down her cheeks, mixing with the water that had already gone cold. This couldn’t be her destiny she hoped, but the pain that resonated through her head willed her to go back out there.

When she finally emerged from the head having changed into her duty blues, she found Lee sitting in their room on the floor, with Lena and Joseph playing about in front of him.

“You okay?” he asked, concern etched across his face.

“Just a headache,” she replied and took a seat on their little sofa.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“Not now,” she replied softly and cradled her head in her hands.

“Hey,” said Lee more cheerfully. “The carers at the nursery think the kiddies might have some artistic talent already.”

“Yeah?” said Kara and looked up at him with a smile, some of the pain easing.

“Look what they drew.” Kara felt her heart leap in her chest as Lee held up a piece of paper. Splodged across the front in paint was the pattern again, circles of blue and red with yellow in the middle. “Kara?”

She could feel the sweat mottling her brow as she stared at the images, willing them to go away.

“Kara, what’s wrong, you’re worrying me?”

“Lee, please tell me what you see on that paper,” she replied, a few tears trickling down her cheeks, her headache pounding again.

He stared at her for a moment and then finally replied, “looks like a couple of circles of colour.”

“What colours Lee,” said Kara, her voice sounding harsh.

“Yellow, red and blue.” Kara gasped slightly making Lee frown. “What’s going on Kara?”

“I don’t know…I think it’s just a headache.”

“Lie down and have a sleep.”

Kara shook her head, “I have too much to do.”

“Not any more, XO’s orders,” he guided her to the bed and she laid down obediently, covering her head with her pillow. He knew something was seriously wrong, but wouldn’t press her now. “I love you Kara,” he said and stroked her arm.

She removed the pillow from her face briefly and said, “I love you too, never forget that,” before turning over and closing her eyes. A few minutes later her breathing slowed and she appeared to be in a deep sleep.

Softly, Lee scooped up Lena and Joseph and took them out of the room to let his wife sleep in peace.

oooo

Lee was awoken as he felt Kara tossing over wildly in her sleep. She had been deeply asleep for hours since crashing out. It was now the middle of the night and she was still dressed in her uniform. Lee thought she must be coming down with some sort of fever. He reached out his arm and turned on the lamp above their bed.

The bed sheets were sodden with her sweat and he could see a look of distress on her face. Gently, Lee stroked her arm, saying her name softly.

She awoke with a start, her breathing rampant.

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Lee. “It was just a nightmare.”

Sitting up, Kara pushed back her damp hair, her breathing slowing back to a normal rhythm.

“Frak,” was all she said.

Lee sat up, his voice nearly cracking as he placed an arm around her shoulders. “Please tell me what’s going on,” he asked desperately.

Kara looked towards him and stroked a hand down his face, “I don’t know, I wish I could tell you, but I really don’t know.”

“What was the dream about?”

“My mum of all frakking people.”

“Really?” asked Lee slightly shocked. Kara had once told him about her abusive mother back on Caprica, but the woman had never really come back up into conversation. “What happened?”

“I was a little girl again and she was mad with me for something, hurting me. Then she was telling me that I had to be strong and kept going on about special destinies.” She paused, taking a deep breath as she looked down at her hands, playing with her finger. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This morning I was fine and then when we were jumping…I dunno.”

“Remember what you said to me the other week? It’s just a dream, don’t worry about it. We’ll see Phillips in the morning and he’ll probably confirm that you’re just getting a cold or something.”

Kara nodded her head, but she didn’t really believe his words. The dream had been something more. It was as if she had been watching herself as a third person as her mother punished her. Gently she rolled back down onto the mattress, nestling into Lee’s side. Her head was still pounding from her headache and she felt as if she was floating about a metre off the bed. Closing her eyes, she silently prayed to the Gods to help her.

The following morning after taking the kiddies to the nursery, Kara and Lee went to the Ready room to play over the cockpit footage from the day before. They had been doing this only a few weeks before, when they had seen the raiders gunning for Kara, but today they could see nothing.

“I swear it was there Lee, I saw it.”

“I believe you Kara, but I can’t see it on the cameras, I’m sorry.”

She rewound the tape and played it again, this time in slow motion. “This doesn’t make any frakking sense.”

“Are you sure it hit you?”

“Yes I’m frakking sure,” she replied harshly.

“There’s a lot of turbulence down there.”

“I’m not some half-assed nugget Lee. I know the difference between turbulence and a frakking heavy raider hitting me.”

Lee took the remote from her and paused the disc. “Well it’s not there now. So either the camera is broken, you’re mistaken or….”

“…I’m crazy,” added Kara, looking at him with a small smile.

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Come on Lee, how long have we known each other? Six, seven years? You must have seen this coming.”

Lee laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. He then fell silent and just stared up at the screen. What he hadn’t told her, what he was afraid to tell her, was that the images of the gas planet that danced about on the screen in front of them looked exactly like the storm from his dream. The same dream that he had been having every day for the past few weeks. He had looked up into the eye of a maelstrom once before as a child and now he was seeing it again and it seemed to be consuming his wife.

“Lee,” she interrupted in a small voice.

He turned to her, “yeah?”

“Don’t let me go out there again…please,” she asked. Lee’s brows furrowed with perplexed concern as he saw a tear escape and roll down her cheek. “Remember on our wedding night, you said that you would pull me back if I asked you to?”

“Kara, I don’t…”

“I’m asking that of you now. Ground me, whatever, just don’t let me go out there.”

“It’ll be fine. Hey, I’ll even fly your wing if you want me to, just don’t let this ground you.”

Kara looked at him seriously, “Lee if you let me go out there, I don’t think I will be coming back.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t explain it. All I know is that something keeps calling me to go out there, wanting me to keep going down into that storm.”

Lee placed a hand on her arm, “that will kill you Kara, the viper can’t take the pressure.”

“I know Lee, that’s why I need you to ground me. Please.”

The look on her face was enough to make Lee’s heart melt. Slowly he nodded his head, “I’ll tell Fisk that you’re grounded until further notice.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a small smile and leant her head on his shoulder. She wasn’t afraid of the storm. She had always feared death, had run away from it and cheated it, but not anymore. Now she embraced life and could finally feel true happiness. Now all she feared was being apart from her husband and children.

She stared up at the screen seeing the colours of the mandala staring down, an image which she had always known and which her own children were now painting. Feeling the safe embrace of Lee’s arm around her shoulders, she prayed that she would finally be free.

To be continued…

It All Came Tumbling Down (49/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:26:07 GMT

Sorry for the delay, a holiday, birthday and exams got in the way and kept me busy, lame excuse I know

Chapter 49

The warmth of the bed sheets were comforting and cosy as Lee fell out of his deep sleep. He had been dreaming of a swirling storm, much like the ones that used to batter Caprica occasionally. When he was a child he had once sat out in the living room and gazed out through the large windows as the debris flew past and watched as the eye of the storm had destroyed the house behind. His dream had been like that too, looking up into the eye of the storm. He had just shouted out “no” in anguish before his mind had woken him up. The hammering of his heart was only eased by the warmth of the bed and the body that was snuggled against his side.

Opening his eyes he saw the now long blonde hair of his wife strewn across his chest. It was always the most beautiful sight to wake up to and softly he placed a kiss to the top of her head. She stirred and raised her head.

“You okay?” she asked slightly groggily.

“Yeah, just a bad dream, go back to sleep,” he replied softly.

But Kara raised herself up onto her elbows, looking at him intently. “I was only half asleep anyway, kept dreaming about that frakking baseship.”

“Again?”

It was the third time that week that she had dreamt about it. The nightmares about their captivity had subsided significantly after months of orbiting New Caprica, but since the Pegasus had jumped away from the fleet they had increased again. Doc Philips had put it down to the stress of waiting for the unknown.

“It wasn’t so bad this time,” said Kara with a yawn and rested her head back down onto his chest. “You?”

“I think I was dreaming about something I saw when I was eight. Do you remember that massive storm which crippled half of Caprica?”

Kara looked up at him slightly confused, “not really, I can’t even remember where I was living when I was eight.”

Lee turned his head and looked towards the clock. It was 0500 hours and they only had one more hour in bed until they had to get up for their shift. “Never mind, it was probably nothing.”

“It’s just a dream Lee, the other week I dreamt my viper turned into my old hummer.”

Lee chuckled, “bet that was difficult to fly.”

“Nah, not with me behind the controls, flew like a dream, even had the gun I used to keep under the seat.”

She grinned up at him and Lee felt his heart melting all over again. He stroked back her hair and then pulled up towards him for a deep kiss, which she returned in kind. Slowly he rolled her off his chest and onto her back, positioning himself between her legs. He leant in and kissed her softly, their already naked bodies flush together. Slowly he positioned himself and then entered her making her moan slightly into his mouth.

Gently and sensually he moved within her, whilst continuing his dance with her tongue. The sensation was enough to make even the most terrifying of nightmares disappear, all pain forgotten as he made love to his wife. The sound of her moaning with pleasure beneath him made it near impossible to hold his resolve, speeding up gradually as he could feel his peak rising.

“That’s it,” she moaned below, tossing back her head and arching her back in ecstasy. “Yes.”

He couldn’t hold it any longer, burying his head into her neck his pace quickened and quickened until finally he tipped over the edge and released inside of her. Then they just lay there together beneath the bed sheets, satiated in each other’s arms.

“Do we have to get up?” asked Kara with a pout and looking at the clock, which was nearing 0600 hours.

“You don’t want the XO to kick your ass do you?”

Kara grinned mischievously, “mmmn, sounds good.”

Suddenly she rolled them on the bed so Lee was below her and she was straddling his chest. Lee reached up his arms, stroking his hands up the sides of her waist. To stay in bed for another few hours was deliciously tempting and he nearly relented, but sense prevailed. Sitting up quickly, Kara slid back into his lap with a grin. He placed a firm kiss to her lips.

“Come on, do you want the shower first?” he said.

“Nah, you can go. I’ll get the kiddies, they’re probably up already.”

Lee got up from the bed, strode across the room and into their small bathroom and turned on the shower. They were on strict rations, especially as they had an exhaustible supply now. They had been out in unknown space for five weeks now and the mission was going smoothly, a little too smoothly, which had succeeded only in making everyone on edge. They had seen nothing of the cylons. Every time they jumped, the ship had been on full alert status, but nothing had materialised. Fortunately no-one seemed to be taking their reprieve for granted and everyone expected it was only a matter of time before they saw the cylons.

Lee wrapped his towel around his waist as he brushed his teeth, looking up at the steamed mirror. It reminded him of the storm. Pulling his eyes away he concentrated on brushing his teeth, only daring to look back as he shaved his face. It wasn’t even that scary a dream and he wasn’t sure why it had disturbed him so much. Splashing his face with water, he tried to drown away the images, then he heard the voice screaming out again and he pushed back violently from the sink.

“Get a frakking grip Lee,” he said to himself.

The sound of his wife’s laughter coming from the main room was enough to pull his concentration back to reality. With a deep breath he left the head seeing his wife crouching down in front of children who were in their highchairs.

She was making noises at them, “Mo…mo…mo.”

Lee grinned, all thoughts of the dream forgotten. For the past few weeks the kids had been getting closer to formulating proper words and Kara seemed determined that they say “momma” first. It wasn’t going to plan.

“Da?” said Lena with a finger in her mouth.

“Frak,” muttered Kara quietly.

“Be careful or that’ll be their first word,” said Lee and walked over to them, leaning in towards Lena. “Dada?”

Lena scrunched up her face.

“Don’t confuse her Lee, she wants to say mom, don’t you Little Lee.” The girl just looked up at them in wonderment.

Kara stood up went into the bathroom leaving Lee with the kids. He was amazed that they had managed to fall into a half organised routine every morning like a proper little family. After they were washed and dressed, one of them would go and get breakfast from the mess hall.

They both knew, however, that the cylons were bound to turn up one day and disrupt everything.

oooo

It was 0800 hours when Kara reported to Fisk’s quarters for the morning meeting. At least he had coffee ready, which took the boredom of it away.

“We’ve got four days until our next planned jump,” he said taking a long slurp of his coffee. He looked tired as if he hadn’t slept in ages and littered around the room were scattered numerous star charts. It certainly looked different from Cain’s reign.

“I’ve got tight CAPs planned until we leave, two hours each,” replied Kara, lavishing the strength of the coffee.

“So short?”

“We’re very open to attack here so I considered shorter CAPs would keep the pilots sharper.”

Fisk nodded, “do we have enough resources for that?”

“Pilots we have plenty of, most of them are climbing the walls most days and Laird can turn around the vipers quickly.”

“Good,” relied Fisk. “Keep on it.”

“I was also considering some training exercises, considering we have time.”

“I’ll leave that to you to organise,” the Commander replied.

Kara nodded, the large man looked worn out. “You okay sir?”

“Fine Major, how are your pilots holding up?”

Kara took a gulp of coffee, “everyone looks as if they’re not sleeping. They’re all on edge. I believe most of them would prefer the cylons to turn up just to get the first encounter over with, especially the new nuggets.”

Fisk nodded his head in understanding, “perhaps they’ve given up.”

“The cylons? I doubt it, they’re just busy searching for Earth like us,” said Kara with a shrug of her shoulders. “We’re bound to bump into them one day.”

“Just keep your pilots frosty,” said Fisk gruffly. “Dismissed.”

Kara sighed as she left the Commander’s quarters. Making sure the pilots stayed frosty was easier said than done. She wasn’t meant to be their moral officer. She loosened the zip slightly on her flightsuit to stop it chafing at her neck and walked into the Ready room. Everyone stood to attention as she walked in and stood at the front lectern.

“At ease,” she said with a yawn. Looking at her watch she addressed them again, “briefing starting at 0900 hours.”

The room was packed full of pilots, many of whom had resorted to sitting on the floor at the front. Kara walked over to the side and poured herself another cup of coffee and return to the lectern. Everyone was looking at her intently. She took a sip of the bitter tasting coffee.

“Right…” she began.

And then the claxons blared around the room. Everyone jumped in their seats, but didn’t rise straight up, the shock evident on their faces.

The sound of Shaw echoed over the comm system a second later, “set condition one around the ship.”

“What do you want, a frakking written invitation?” shouted out Kara as she left her coffee and made quickly towards the exit. “Move it people.”

Everyone then decided to move, jumping up from their seats. The claxons still blared as she ran down the corridor and grabbed her helmet from the quarters and sped down towards the deck. She could sense others were following. The adrenalin was pumping through her veins. It had been far too long since she’d had the pleasure of blowing a toaster out of the sky.

She sprinted along the gangway and down the steps. “Where’s my frakking bird Chief?” she yelled, seeing that he seemed to just be standing to one side doing nothing. She was vaguely aware of Kat also yelling to them from just behind.

Something wasn’t right.

“Chief, what the frak? We need our birds, we’ve got toasters flying up our ass!”

The man looked guilty and then Kara realised why. Out from the side stepped Fisk who looked as if he was holding a stopwatch. Behind him was Lee with a frown on his face. Kara lowered her helmet to the deck and then folded her arms in front of her chest. There were a number of pilots around her and still more running down from above, late to the party.

“What the frak is going on?” said Kara, ready for a fight.

“Remember who you’re speaking to Starbuck,” said Fisk.

“Sorry sir, what the frak is going on sir?” she repeated. From behind Fisk she could see Lee motioning for her stop, knowing that her blood was boiling.

Another few pilots joined them from above, including Hotdog and Duck.

“You’re late,” shouted out Fisk to them and they hurried up looking confused. The claxons then stopped and Shaw told the ship to stand down from alert. “What if this was a real emergency? We’d be getting our ass frakked while you two take nearly ten minutes to get ready, not good enough. You all started in the same place, so how can half of you make it in good time and the rest of you can’t?”

Kara glanced behind her at the pilots who were looking very sheepish. The Commander had a point though, it wasn’t good enough. In the time it had taken to get them down to the deck they should have already been in the launch tubes. She was pissed off and embarrassed.

Fisk continued, “You’re comrades on CAP would’ve been alone out there waiting for you.” He then turned to the rest, “Starbuck and Kat, excellent times, and half of you got down here in reasonable time. The rest will need to be put through some training exercises…”

The claxons sounded again breaking him off and echoing around the hangar deck.

Fisk looked up confused for a second and then Shaw’s voice sounded over the comm. “Action stations, actions stations, set condition one throughout the ship, this is not a drill.”

Everyone moved at once, the pilots surging forwards to their birds, the deckhands moving to their positions and Lee running towards the ladder up to the gangway with Fisk close behind.

“Laird get my bird in that launch tube now!” shouted out Kara as she ran up the steps of her viper and into the cockpit. She was already performing her start up when the deckhands swarmed around her, beginning the tow her to the launch tubes. Next to her, Kat was doing the same, her viper seconds behind.

“At least the toasters won’t be expecting us to be this ready,” she shouted out.

She was right, the cylons probably wouldn’t have been expecting such a large barrage of vipers to launch together and so quickly. “Good hunting everyone,” said Kara as she threw on her helmet and pushed her canopy closed.

Down the length of the hangar deck she could see vipers being towed forwards to their launch tubes, another line already forming behind them. The adrenalin was pumping through her body even faster now and her blood was boiling. She was more than ready to take on these frakkers. Focusing her mind, she honed her senses, getting ready to go in for the kill.

She sprung her viper to life as soon as she was in the launch tube, signalling that she was ready to go. The g-forces of the launch made her determination pump faster and then she was out into space, seeing the baseship and its raiders in the distance whilst other vipers swarmed around her.

“Alright everybody,” she said into her comm. “Standard formations, let’s show these toasters a frakking bad time.”

The vipers all converged into a standard pattern and she had Duck flying her wing. Over the comm Kara could hear everyone psyching themselves up for the battle. The distance between them and the enemy was closing fast.

“Sure you’re ready for this Starbuck?” joked Kat over the comm. “Hasn’t it been nearly two years since you’ve tried to blow a toaster out of the sky?”

“Still manage to blow your ass out of the sky every training exercise,” replied Kara with a grin. “It’s been a long time for all of us, so let’s remind these toasters who owns the top gun trophy.”

She heard Duck laughing over the comm, “perhaps they’ll retreat when they realise they’ve got Starbuck after them again.”

“Perhaps I should paint it in big letters down the side of my viper.” They then went suddenly silent as the raiders closed into range. “Good hunting,” was the last thing Kara said before they swarmed on the enemy.

oooo

Lee was the first to reach the CIC from the hangar deck, having sprinted flat out all the way. He had stormed in, shouting out for an immediate sitrep.

“One baseship sir,” replied Shaw from below the dradis monitor. “She’s launched raiders, they’ll be on us in eight minutes.”

“Frak,” replied Lee. “Spool up the FTL drive.”

“Already done sir, the tylium ship is doing the same.”

“Good, make sure we have the tylium ship covered.”

“She’s hiding behind us sir,” said Shaw as she dashed across to her post.

Fisk then came running into the CIC, looking worn out from the short run. He shouted out orders just as the vipers were launching and getting into formation. They watched together as the blips neared each other on the dradis monitor, listening to the battle ready banter coming from the pilots. Lee longed to be out there with them, to feel the adrenalin rush through his body, but instead he was stuck in the CIC, watching and listening, his fingers gripping the side of one of the consols.

He heard his wife say, “good hunting,” and then the battle began.

There was frequent chatter over the comm, followed a few seconds later by Kat shouting out “splash one, frak yeah!”

A few moments later and he heard Kara’s well known thrilling whoop, “two more little toasters down.”

“Frak Starbuck,” shouted out Duck. “How the frak did you do that?”

She didn’t respond to him though, shouting out “aww come on it’s like these frakker aren’t even trying, third one sent back to the toaster factory.”

“Do you think they’re past their warranty?” asked Duck with a laugh.

There were more calls of downed raiders, all blending into one, but Lee’s ears were attuned to distinguishing his wife’s voice and any sounds of distress.

“Frak, there’s so many of them,” shouted out one pilot.

“Keep it together guys,” said Kara. “Start drawing them back to the beast.”

More toaster blips seemed to be appearing to replace their fallen comrades. Lee heard Fisk shout out, asking when they would be ready for a jump. Shaw had responded with “about ten minutes, the tylium ship thinks it has the problem sorted.”

But Lee’s attention was brought back to the dradis monitor as he heard Duck’s voice over the comm.

“Starbuck, watch your six, you have two on your tail, engaging.”

Lee felt he was unable to breathe as he heard his wife cursing, followed by a loud battle cry. He imagined her performing a high-g manoeuvre, flipping her viper over to take on her pursuers. He smiled as he heard her gleeful whoop, knowing she had once again pulled off the impossible.

His heart sunk when he heard her curse loudly.

“Starbuck do you copy?” he heard Duck say. “krypter krypter, Starbuck’s spinning out of control.”

“I’m okay!” he heard her finally shout out.

Lee could feel his head lifting up off his shoulders, hearing his heart beat hammering through his ears. It was an intense fight out there, but from what he could tell, they hadn’t lost a single viper yet.

“The tylium ship has spooled up its FTL drive,” said Shaw. “She’s away.”

“Good,” replied Fisk. “Bring our pilots in and prepare to jump.”

Shaw spoke into her comm system, informing the pilots to turn back and head for home. It took a few moments before they saw the blips on the dradis moving away from the action. The Pegasus launched its firing solution, protecting them. Finally Lee heard his wife’s voice.

“Pegasus, Starbuck, heading in now, there’s no-one but toasters behind me.”

Lee saw the smile form on Fisk’s face. It was a rare sight to see the large man visibly relax. He then felt the familiar pull of the FTL drive kicking in and then releasing. Looking up at the dradis monitor there was no longer any blips closing in.

Finally, after five weeks, he breathed a sigh of relief.

oooo

Her viper had hit down on the deck with a satisfying thud behind the others. The adrenalin was still pumping around her body, but she was feeling at ease. The tension of when they were going to meet the cylons had been wearing heavily on everyone’s shoulders and now it was released.

Kara pushed back the cockpit canopy as soon as she was towed out onto the deck. She was a little confused as a number of people had turned their attention to her viper.

“You look like you had fun out there,” said Showboat with a grin, her helmet under her arm.

Kara stood up and over onto the steps, seeing immediately what Showboat was talking about. All up the sides of her viper were blood splatters from one of the raiders she had destroyed. There had been two close on her tail and she had flipped her viper over tightly, blowing them both apart as they zoomed past. The debris of one had clipped the side of her viper hard sending her spinning away and through the blood splatter she could see the dark black scorch marks and a large hole.

Laird was stood to the side, his hands on his hips, looking displeased as he surveyed the damage. “What the frak did you do to my ship Major?”

The damage was enough to make even Kara frown. Everyone else’s ships looked relatively unscathed apart from the normal battle marks. “It’s like they knew I was back in the skies,” she said with a grin, trying to joke off the near miss.

“I’ll say,” said Duck. “It’s like they were gunning for you out there.”

“That’s impossible Duck, why would they suddenly do that?”

“You single-handedly destroyed one of their baseships, something like that, they’re bound to remember. You also went out there and blasted two away with one shot.”

Kara shook her head, “toasters don’t hold grudges Duck.” She looked at the damage again, remembering how many of the raiders had gone for her. It wasn’t all of them but a significant amount. “Laird give me a copy of all the cockpit footage when you get it.”

“Sir?”

“Just do it,” she said and walked away from the deck shouting out a few orders behind her.

A few hours later and Kara was sat alone in the Ready room, flipping through reels of film from the confrontation with the cylons. Laird had brought it to her just as she had finished her shower. She was still on alert status, so she had dressed back into her flight suit.

The footage from her viper was shaky and due to the speed of her manoeuvres she was finding it difficult to distinguish which vipers had been after her. She leant forwards, twisting her head to try and see the raider as she spun over her viper, smiling broadly when less than a second later it was destroyed, its blood splattering over the lens of the camera.

“Helo told me you were in here,” said the voice of Lee suddenly from behind her.

Kara spun in her seat, “hey.”

“Nice move,” replied Lee, nodding his head to the camera.

“It was pretty awesome” said Kara turning back to the footage. She stood up and changed the disc before sitting back down again. She frowned when she started watching the footage from Duck’s viper, which was sat just below and behind her wing at first.

She was aware that Lee had moved to sit next to her. “Care to tell me why you’re watching everyone’s cockpit footage, or should I just guess it has something to do with the viper sitting down on the deck looking as if it’s been the victim of a massacre.”

“It looks worse than it was Lee.”

“That footage would suggest otherwise, it was close.”

“That’s not what worries me,” replied Kara and focused her attention back on the footage. The two raiders had seemed to come out of nowhere, falling into formation right on her tail. “They went right for me.”

“I think you’re ready too much into it, they were just going for a target.”

“Look,” she said and rewound the tape backwards, slowing it down. “See where they came from?” She walked over and pointed at the corner of the screen. The two raiders were flying almost parallel before suddenly changing direction towards her. “They had their guns on Showboat before veering away, passing right in front of Duck and then onto me.”

“Okay, put it this way, how would they know it was you?”

Kara shrugged, “Reputation? I was the one blowing most of the toasters away. Either that or they just read the name on the side of my ship.”

“From that far away? I doubt it. I have a better idea, perhaps they were going for the ship that was clearly the top gun.”

She rewound the footage again, seeing that the two raiders changed course just as she destroyed another one. “Maybe you’re right, but it’s still something they’ve never done before.”

“You think they’re starting to become more aware, remembering?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I’m pretty screwed though if they start remembering who blew them up,” she added only half seriously.

“Don’t Kara,” said Lee with a wince. “I nearly had a heart attack when you went into that spin.”

“Duck was panicking, I only ricocheted off the toaster, and I had it completely under control.”

“I don’t doubt that, but if the toasters are starting to become more aware then we need to monitor their movements, watch the camera footage after each encounter.”

“Is that an order?” asked Kara playfully with a grin on her face.

“Does it need to be?” asked Lee looking a little confused.

Kara shrugged, “no, I just miss you bossing me around, it was boring not being able to wind you up with my insubordination.”

Lee pulled her to him for a hug, placing a kiss to her head. “You’ll always be my hot shot problem pilot.”

“Is that a promise?” Kara leant forwards into Lee and placed a soft kiss to his lips before he could answer. “So where are we going next XO?”

“We have a few more jumps before we reach a star cluster, which Fisk wants us to navigate around.”

“Won’t that take longer?”

“Yes, but the radiation levels inside the cluster are probably immense, plus it’ll only take us about three more weeks to go round it.”

“Then what?”

“Just another long sequence of jumps until we reach the nebula.”

“And then we just sit there and hope the next marker to Earth appears?”

“Something like that yeah,” replied Lee with a small smile. “Come on, you have some pilots to train about time keeping.”

Kara groaned and she stood up from her chair and made to leave the room, “that was so embarrassing, I’m gonna strangle Hotdog when I see him.”

She then walked out leaving Lee alone in the Ready room. He walked over and stuck in the recording from Kara’s viper, watching it closely. Her control of the stick was incredible, each movement beautiful as she blasted away two raiders with one shot and then devastated any enemy that came into her sights. She was truly amazing and Lee even found his heart racing as he watched the viper flip suddenly end on end to take on the vipers that were on her tail. The debris came at her unavoidably jerking her viper away sharply at an angle.

He paused the tape at that moment, wanting to rewind and watch the whole sequence again. Fumbling with the remote, he hit the wrong button making the footage step slowly forwards, creating a blur on the screen. Looking up, Lee was mesmerised by the black and white swirl that was now displayed in front of him. It reminded him of the storm again, his eyes gazing forwards into the eye.

He felt a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach and knew instinctively that something was coming.

It All Came Tumbling Down (48B/?)

ruthkit — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:43:24 GMT

Slowly their ship turned away from the planet and looming even closer to them he saw a large ship. The pictures he had seen of her did not do justice its true size. It was massive and looked almost menacing with its long body with two wing-like extensions on the side. Up ahead he could see the other smaller ship heading towards the beast.

“We are so behind on Earth,” said Ford leaning forward in his seat, his eyes focused on the ship as they neared her.

“But at least you still have Earth,” said Blondie. “Which is more than what we’ve got.”

Ford felt a sudden pang of guilt and sadness at her words. In his excitement about the mission he had forgotten that the ship in front of them was probably what their guests would consider to be their home.

There was a crackle over the comm system and another male voice sounded over. “Starbuck, this is Pegasus Actual do you copy?”

“Copy that Pegasus, this is Starbuck.”

“Are you on a private comm?” the male asked, his voice holding a tone of authority and Ford guessed he was Blondie’s superior.

“Erm, no sir,” she replied and glanced at Ford briefly. “Switching now.”

Ford couldn’t fully hear the next conversation between them, which mainly consisted of Blondie listening. At one point he could see her rolling her eyes. At other points she spoke quietly into the comm, which the translator couldn’t pick up.

“Copy that sir,” she said loudly and then straightened in her seat.

“What’s the verdict?” asked Rugby from the back.

“Well, we’re allowed to land,” she replied, “but he didn’t sound too happy.”

“He never does.”

“Everything okay?” asked Ford.

“The Commander is just never happy unless he’s handing me my ass on a plate,” replied Blondie.

“Sounds like me and him will have something in common then,” he replied with a smile, which made Blondie laugh.

She thrust the ship forwards, heading for the ship. As they neared, Ford could see the true enormity of the ship. It must carry hundreds of people yet it had no windows and certainly looked like a ship ready for battle. Blondie steered the ship into the wing like structure, before slowing and lowering until Ford could feel the clunk as they touched down.

Blondie grinned at him and then unharnessed her seatbelt, slipping into the back. “Everyone okay?” she asked. Ford struggled with his belt for a few minutes before finally setting himself free.

In the back he could see that Langley looked ashen, but he had managed to hold his stomach. Blondie took away the helmet and passed it back to Rugby.

“It’ll take a few minutes to tow us to the deck,” she said.

The others all unfastened their belts and Swanson went to take a look out of the front. His face looked as eager as ever.

“This is fantastic,” he said.

There was a series of clunks and then Ford realised that the ship was being lowered down. A series of doors then opened, which he guessed was the airlock. A number of people in bright orange uniforms entered and duck down in front of them. The ship then shuddered suddenly and moved slowly forwards. The room they were towed into looked massive with dozens of people milling about, mostly wearing the same orange jumpsuits, but others looked to be wearing the same spacesuits as Rugby. The ship was being towed through the middle of a line of ships that Ford recognised from the photograph of Blondie and Blue Eyes. They all looked battle worn with scorch marks all over.

And then they stopped.

Various eyes were looking right at him from the outside, gathering around the ship. He was starting to appreciate how their guests must have felt being watched every day in wonderment. Then he noticed that surrounding the ship, all dressed in black, were a number of people with guns.

The hatch door of the ship opened and Blondie stepped out first onto the wing, signalling for them to stay on the ship. Ford couldn’t see what was happening outside as he had moved to the back. A few moments later and Blondie returned, motioning them out this time.

Ford looked around the large room as he stepped out, trying to take in everything that was around him. The room was full of people who looked to be wearing a variety of uniforms. From up above, walking along a gangway, were a few people wearing a smarter blue uniform. One of them was much larger than the others and seemed to be flanked by some guards. He then walked quickly down some steps to the deck and Blondie walked up to him saluting sharply.

Ford stepped down from the wing and tentatively walked ahead of his comrades who seemed to have shied away and bunched next to their ship. The imposing man in blue, who appeared to be Blondie’s superior, walked past her and up to him. Ford wasn’t quite sure what to, so he reverted back to his training and saluted. The man appeared taken aback slightly.

“Frak, they even salute like us,” he mumbled, obviously not expecting Ford to understand, but the translator picked it up.

“And they can understand you too sir,” said Blondie with a smirk.

“Right,” said the man, seemingly unsure of what to say. “I’m Commander Fisk and I welcome you to the Colonial Fleet.” Ford saw Blondie roll her eyes and he tried not to laugh. “You will be our guests here, but until I finish debriefing my two officers you will be confined to some quarters.”

Ford frowned slightly, “okay, how long will that be for?”

The Commander looked puzzled, then Blondie stepped forwards so he could hear her translator. Ford repeated his question.

“Hopefully not long, but let’s not forget that you’ve held six of my people for months and we have no idea what was done to them, or is still being done to them.”

“I assure you that your people are fine and being taken care of,” replied Ford cordially.

“We’ll see, follow me.”

The Commander turned and walked away, followed closely by Blondie. Biggy walked up beside him and together they followed.

“How are you holding up?” asked Biggy quietly.

“This whole thing, I never imagined…” whispered Ford in response.

“You had the best view getting here. All I could see was Langley deciding whether or not he was gonna puke.”

“We’ll all get our chance.”

“I want to get out in one of them,” he said pointing to the fighter ships.

“Well at this rate we won’t be going anywhere fast.”

“At least they’re not holing us up in their equivalent of the brig.”

“Yet, I think that might depend upon what those two tell them,” said Ford just as they stepped through a doorway that took them into a corridor, which had numerous metal crates stacked on both sides.

“But they won’t have anything bad to say would they?” asked Biggy. “I mean, I heard they were locked in a room for a while and I guess they were questioned, but under the circumstances…”

Ford winced slightly, “there was one incident.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Blondie tried to escape.”

Biggy chuckled, “come on, what harm could one woman do?” Ford looked at him, his eyebrow slightly raised. “Seriously? Wow, what happened?”

“She pushed me through a glass partition and then I thumped her in the face.”

“That’s where she got the mark,” said Biggy motioning to his face.

“I’m not proud of it.”

“Never suggested you were.”

The group ahead seemed to slow down slightly letting them catch up. The Commander seemed to have stopped to speak to a woman who was in a spacesuit with short blonde hair. Ford moved next to Blondie and she nodded at him.

The corridors seemed like a maze, with long stretches and then many that branched off in no particular order. He had once been on board a Royal Navy Aircraft carrier for a few weeks, which had been very similar. This ship, however, was much bigger and the corridors were much wider and less claustrophobic. On the aircraft carrier, though, there had been the option to go up to the deck and see sunshine. This beast was a lot more like an enormous submarine.

Up ahead he saw a few people rounding the corner, one of whom had two children holding her hands. Ford heard the small gasp come from Blondie and then she darted forwards. The children let go of their minder’s hands and scuttled towards her shouting “momma.” Within seconds Blondie was down on her knees and scooping them into her arms, hugging and placing kisses to their head. It was if he was seeing a radically different woman, far removed from the brash person who had slammed someone’s head into a table.

“Where momma go?” squeaked the little girl, her ringlet hair in pigtails. She looked as if she was starting to cry.

“I’m sorry,” said Blondie placing another kiss to her head. “Momma had to go away for a while, but I’m back now. I’ve missed you so much.”

The little girl was now crying and Ford felt very subconscious that he was intruding on this personal moment.

Blondie pulled the girl into a hug. “I’m so sorry sweetheart,” she said, her voice cracking.

“Where dada?” asked the little boy with a sniff and tugged at Blondie’s jumpsuit.

“Dadda’s still away, but he wanted me to give you both a big hug for him.”

“Want dada,” squealed the girl.

“You’ll see him soon, I promise.”

Ford turned his head away slightly, feeling ashamed that he had been partly responsible for diving up a family.

“I bet seeing that makes you feel like the biggest arsehole,” commented by Biggy quietly, which Ford chose not to respond to. The man was right though, he did feel like the biggest arsehole ever.

“Want dada,” squealed the girl again and stomped her feet. The little boy just stood there beginning to cry.

Blondie got to her feet, scooping up the girl into her arms in an apparent attempt at calming her down, which seemed to fail as she continued to squirm about. The boy jumped up at his mother, tugging at her clothing, sobbing “up, up, momma.”

From behind Rugby brushed past, with a little girl holding shyly onto his hand, who Ford guessed was his daughter. She looked like her mother and completely ordinary despite her unusual lineage. Ford didn’t think he would ever be able to get his head round the logistics of it all. Rugby scooped up the boy onto his hip, seeming to calm him down, which made Ford feel like an even bigger ass for not thinking of that first. Blondie seemed to give her comrade a “thank you” gaze before turning to her Commander.

“Permission to take these two back to my quarters before reporting for my debriefing sir,” she asked as the girl tugged at her hair.

“Permission granted,” he said with a frown, seemingly uncomfortable with the children. “You have until 0900 hours tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you sir,” she replied, struggling to hold onto her daughter who was wriggling about and getting agitated. She turned quickly and walked briskly down the corridor with Rugby following along.

The Commander turned to the rest of them with a small smile, “having children on board was not my idea.”

Ford resisted stepping back from the man. He was all too acutely aware that they were now alone with strangers on a foreign ship with no chance of escape and their only links had disappeared down the corridor. He had come to know their guests quite well, but this man he couldn’t read at all. The others must have been feeling the same, because Ford felt their presence close to him.

“This way,” said the Commander and motioned them down the corridor. They hesitated. “Please.”

They were led down a series of corridors until they reached a door which had two people standing outside, both holding guns. The door opened automatically and they were motioned inside. It was surprisingly spacious and four put-up beds had been laid out.

“This is just a temporary measure,” said the Commander. “I have to debrief my two officers and then we can discuss how to go forward. You will be confined here until tomorrow, but I will arrange to have an armed escort should you wish to have a walk about the corridors. I’ll have some food brought to you shortly.”

The man didn’t wait for a response, merely turned and walked away and closed the door leaving them locked inside. The room was eerily silent, with the only sound coming from the hum of the ship.

“Can I throw up now?” said Langley weakly after a few minutes.

Ford turned to the man who looked ashen and appeared to be sweating. “Knock yourself out.”

Langley dashed through an adjoining door, followed a moment later by the sound of him retching making Ford turn up his nose.

“This is to be expected,” said Swanson sitting himself down on one of the bunks.

“The scientist is right,” added Biggy. “Their military protocol seems similar to ours. In these situations we’d want to question our men first before deciding what action to take. They’d be asking them exactly what we know about them.” Ford nodded his head, thinking the same. When he had been rescued from captivity he had been questioned for four days about what had happened. “Listen,” continued Biggy. “What did they tell us?”

“You mean you don’t know?” asked Ford with a frown.

He shrugged his shoulders, “someone pulled me off an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Mediterranean, only telling me that I was needed for a highly classified mission with the promise I would get to fly something really cool. It was only when I reached the base that they told me about your alien friends, who, may I add, look very human. I was expecting something green.”

“Shit,” muttered Ford a little too loudly. He gestured his arm towards Langley who was walking in from the bathroom. “None of you thought to tell him what he was getting himself into huh?”

Langley looked a little taken aback. “But that’s what I was told too. The mission was to establish communications with an alien civilisation.”

“That’s it?” asked Ford incredulously.

“Well, yes, isn’t it?”

Ford looked over at Swanson and could tell the man was thinking along the same lines as him. He had not been privy to the interviews with Blondie and Blue Eyes but he had been fully debriefed and then present at the larger hearing.

“So are you going to tell us or just leave us guessing,” said Biggy folding his arms in front of his chest. “What have I let myself in for?”

“Won’t these people be listening to what we say?” asked Swanson pointing upwards.

“How?” replied Ford. “We have the translators, and the other two are with Blondie and Rugby who seem occupied for the time being. Besides, they know everything anyway.”

“So what is everything,” said Biggy impatiently.

“They are human, pretty much, apart from a few evolutional differences.”

“What? How is that possible, we’ve never gone out into deep space?”

“They said they were searching for us, that Earth is said to be their thirteen Colony. Some of their ancestors chose to go out on their own and create a new civilisation. Blondie was shocked and looked upset when I told her that we had never heard of the Twelve Colonies.”

“Twelve Colonies?” asked Langley.

“Twelve planets.”

“Wow,” said Biggy. “There’s a huge flourishing civilisation of humans out there? They could teach us so much, become a new home for us too, the possibilities are endless.” Ford nearly grimaced at his words, glancing over at Swanson who looked down sadly. “What are you missing out?” continued Biggy.

Ford took a seat on one of the beds that creaked from his weight. “Their entire civilisation was wiped out, billions of them dead. This ship was one of a small number to get away with only about fifty thousand survivors.”

The air escaped from Biggy’s mouth. “How?”

“They created machines which rebelled against them, found a way to infiltrate their defences and launched their own nukes against them.”

“I think I need to be sick again,” said Langley and disappeared into the bathroom.

“It gets worse,” said Ford with a dark smile. “These machines also know about Earth and they’re looking for us too.”

“I think I’m going to join Langley in the head,” said Biggy after a minute of taking in Fords words and then walked away.

Ford sighed and laid down on the bed with his arms behind his head. The day wasn’t going quite as he had planned it and his body felt tired.

“That could have gone better,” commented Swanson as he sat down on the bed adjacent to his.

“What was I supposed to do, sugar coat it?”

“I’ve watched those interviews, you can see the emotion in those people’s eyes as they told us about their extinction, we can understand it. None of that was conveyed in what you told those two. They’re probably laying all the blame on them for the threat that now looms over us.”

“Regardless of what those two think, the rest of the world is going to blame these people if those robots come, but at least we can have their allegiance to help fight them off.”

“They’ve been running for years because they lost. What makes you think they could win now?”

Ford shrugged, “our resources and man power combined with their technology?”

Biggy emerged from the bathroom, “as long as I get to fly one of those fighter ships I’m happy with any alliance.” Ford sat up slightly to turn to him. “Hell, I’m amazed that we haven’t destroyed ourselves yet, so let me train in one of those vipers and I’ll help blow those robot things out of the sky if they come.”

Ford relaxed back down onto the bed with a smile and closed his eyes, at least he had Biggy back on board. He felt absolutely exhausted even though it was only early afternoon. He had plenty of time for a quick nap.

Closing his eyes he thought of Caroline, wondering if she was looking up at the skies wondering what he was doing. One day he would bring her on board this ship. He imagined them walking together along the shores of an ocean far away on another world, the water lapping at their feet.

All he had to do was get through the next 28 days.

It All Came Tumbling Down (48A/?)

ruthkit — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:41:00 GMT

Chapter 48

Ford could feel his stomach flipping over and over as he pulled on his jumpsuit, zipping the front up firmly. He could sense that the others also felt the same way and the room was silent. He could almost feel Caroline’s presence waiting for him outside and felt a pang in his stomach at the thought that he wouldn’t see her for weeks.

Biggy suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, pulling him out of his private reverie and saying “cheer up.” He was the calmest looking one out of them.

They both then turned as the door to the room opened and in walked Blondie and Rugby. The former was wearing the same kit as them but Rugby was wearing one of the spacesuits with a helmet under his arm.

“How comes he gets one of those?” asked Biggy jovially.

“Just in case,” replied Ford. “The other one was damaged when we were experimenting with it.”

“And the owner’s tiny,” added Blondie via the translation computer.

“So is Skulls,” said Rugby tugging at the collar. He looked very uncomfortable and the fit was obviously tight.

“You ready?” asked Blondie with her arms folded over her chest.

The men all said yes in reply, but Biggy was the only one who was convincing. Blondie and Rugby on the other hand looked raring to go. Ford glanced over at Greg Langley. He had been the quietest one and had spent most of the preparation time just staring at the wall.

Ford took a deep breath and then neared Blondie. She had her own handheld translation device so he said to her quietly, “just remember not to betray our trust.” The woman seemed a little insulted by the accusation and Ford almost wished he could take the comment back. “My back still hurts from where you shoved it through that window,” he said with a smile.

This time the woman laughed, “don’t worry, I’m not going to try anything. I’m not that suicidal.”

Ford glanced over at Rugby who chuckled, making him feel as if he had missed some sort of private joke. It had seemed like years that their guests had been held here, but the faint bruise on Blondie’s cheek, reminded him that in fact it hadn’t been long at all. Their individual personalities had ingrained themselves on his soul, but there was still so much to learn.

“Ready?” he said.

Blondie nodded and then addressed the room. “Remember, touch nothing on that ship, even if it beeps at you.”

“Especially if it beeps at you,” added Rugby.

“Exactly,” continued Blondie. “You have no idea how to run the systems on the raptor, no matter how smart you think you are, so don’t frakking try it.”

She had successfully silenced the room again.

“Thanks for that,” replied Ford and then stepped aside so Blondie and Rugby could walk out first. Straightening his shoulders, he followed out behind them, trying to hide the nervous wreck he held inside.

The ship loomed in the distance, surrounded by members of staff who had come to watch the off. He saw Caroline standing there watching him and everything inside of him wanted to walk over and take her into him arms. But he knew he would never be able to let her go again if he did. Instead he gazed longingly at her and then boarded the ship.

The sound of the hatch door closing seemed deafening in the small metal enclosure. Ford had walked straight up to the front of the ship where Blondie joined him and took the seat next to her. Rugby sat in the chair next to all the panels and the others took seats in fold down chairs near to the hatch door. He had never felt so claustrophobic before.

There was a hum as the power in the ship was spooled up and all of the panels came alight. Ford didn’t fully listen as Blondie and Rugby started flipping buttons and seemed to be going through a pre-flight checklist.

“Right,” she said after flipping one button. She stood and turned towards him, pulling the seat harness over his shoulders and attaching it at the front. Ford couldn’t help the slight flash of desire spark through him as she leant in close, which was soon pushed out as she tugged forcefully on the belt, knocking the air out of his lungs.

“Was that really necessary?” he asked.

“Nope,” she replied. “But then again, this is the first time I’ve had to strap someone else in myself.”

Ford found himself tugging on the belt. Blondie then squeezed through the gap and went into the back of ship. Ford could only twist his head round slightly to see what was going on. Both she and Rugby were strapping the others into their seats.

“Are you okay?” asked Blondie and Ford could see she was talking to Langley, who looked decidedly pale.

“I’m just…” he replied weakly, “a little scared of flying.”

“So you decided to volunteer for this mission?” said Blondie. Even through the translator machine, Ford could hear the exasperation in her voice.

“I thought I would be fine, I’m sorry.”

“Do you want off?”

“No, please, no, I just might need something if I throw up.”

Blondie sighed and walked over to Rugby, grabbing his helmet and turning it upside down, placing it in Langley’s lap. “If you throw up, make sure it’s in that.”

Ford frowned, “I thought we needed…”

“Just don’t tell anyone,” replied Blondie and leant in towards Langley, pointing at her eyes to make him focus. “Hey, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“How many take-offs out of the atmosphere have you done?” he asked over the rim of the helmet.

“Honestly? In the past few years, not many. I’m a viper pilot, but I used to train people how to do this. Don’t worry I’ll make the take-off text book perfect.” That seemed to bring some of the colour back into the man’s face.

Blondie and Rugby continued to do their checks and then took their seats. Blondie pulled the seatbelt harness over her shoulders and attached it at the front.

The raptor rumbled to life and Ford felt his fingers digging into his seat. Glancing out of his side window he could see Caroline and Blue Eyes had moved back and were watching on looking forlorn. He closed his eyes briefly and then turned to Blondie. “Text book right?”

“Relax, we’re already off the ground.”

Ford spun his head to glance out of the window, seeing that they were already a few metres off the ground. Blondie made it look effortless as she turned the ship as they continued to rise and then pushed forward on the throttle. The g-forces felt like the start of a fast rollercoaster in his stomach and then the clouds were streaking past them. As they hurtled into the atmosphere, Ford found himself imagining what the first astronauts felt like as their rockets blasted off into the unknown.

Quickly the ride got bumpy and he found himself looking up in awe as they left the blue skies behind and the blackness of space surrounded them. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He flicked his eyes towards Blondie who seemed unaffected, concentrating on her controls.

“Putting her into a standard orbit,” she shouted out to Rugby. “You see anything on dradis yet?”

“Not yet,” replied Rugby who was also flipping switches.

Ford glanced out of his window, watching the world go by. It looked so peaceful up here with England looking so tiny from this far away.

“Is this what you were expecting?” asked Blondie.

“I don’t feel any weightlessness.”

“What did you expect? To float about the ship? Frak, your planet really is behind.”

Ford ignored her jibe, choosing to stare out of the windows as the Earth went by below. “They’re not here are they?” he said at last after about an hour.

“It’s a big frakking sky out there.”

“But a big ship would be hard to miss,” he observed.

“The Pegasus won’t be here, they’d send a raptor to watch and wait.”

Ford looked at her briefly and then turned back to the windows. “Nice of you to share that information before we took off.”

“I thought it was obvious.”

“Have we at least communicated with the base?”

“Yes, Helo did that whilst you were staring out the window.”

Ford glanced back at her, seeing that she was focused on the path ahead. He had never met someone that could be so wonderfully abrasive before, and he found himself looking forward to seeing what she was like amongst her other crewmen, especially those whom she answered to.

“We’ve got something,” said Rugby from the back of the ship.

Blondie spun her head round towards him, “friendly?”

“Hang on…I’m getting a Colonial transponder signal.”

Blondie turned to Ford with a quick grin, “told you.” She then slipped headphones, with a comm device attached, onto her head. As he looked at her, he could see out of her window, a shadow appearing.

“Oh my god,” he said and pointed to what looked like a ship which was identical to theirs.

Blondie turned quickly to look out of the window and then they heard a crackling over their comm system. It was a man’s voice.

“This is raptor 295, please identify yourself.”

Ford felt slightly panicked and his stomach twanged with nerves, which was only slightly eased by the smile that grew on Blondie’s face.

“I never thought I would be happy to hear your voice Stinger,” she said, continuing to glance out of the window at the ship which was getting closer and closer.

The man’s voice, who Ford guessed belonged to this “Stinger” person, spoke again. “Starbuck? Is that really you? You look as if you’re ship is drifting, is your axial position altered?”

Blondie laughed, “that would be a negative Stinger, we are not under duress. We do have some interesting passengers here though.”

The ship was now cruising parallel to theirs and Ford could see the occupant in the front, but he couldn’t really make out his features due to the helmet he was wearing.

“What the frak are you wearing sir?” asked the man looking in at them.

“Long story Stinger. Looking forward to sharing it back on the Beast though and not out here,” she paused and then said in a wobbly voice. “Stinger, my kids…”

“Causing havoc sir, but they’re fine.”

Ford saw Blondie’s shoulders visibly relax. He had no idea whether the translator was incorrect or not, but it sounded as if she had referred to their ship as the beast giving him an uneasy feeling, but before he could voice his concern the man spoke again.

“I’m sending over the jump co-ordinates to you now.”

“I’m getting them through,” added Rugby.

“What do you want me to tell Fisk?” asked the male.

“That we’re friendlies and not to blow us out of the sky,” replied Blondie, sounding only half serious.

“Who else is with you?”

“Oh, just me, Helo and some people from Earth.”

Ford found himself frowning slightly, not quite sure if the pilot banter he was hearing was normal, or if they would land on their ship and have a gun thrust in their faces.

“And the others?” asked the male.

“Back on Earth. Listen, tell Fisk that we’ve all come unarmed, but with supplies, including toothpaste.”

“Okay Starbuck, spooling up our FTL now.”

The other ship seemed to move away and with a sudden flash it was gone.

“Holy shit,” exclaimed Ford, “did they just jump away?”

“Yep, and we’re going to follow,” replied Blondie. “You ready Helo?”

“Ready on your mark,” responded Rugby from the rear.

“Get ready everyone, this can feel a little strange the first time. Langley, you still got that helmet?” She smiled widely to herself with a shake of her head when there was a muffled response from the back.

A little strange was an understatement. Ford could feel his stomach being turned inside out, his body compressing inwardly and then with a sudden flash he decompressed again, his head feeling as if it was floating. Stretching out beyond them he could see a planet looming ahead. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Everyone okay?” asked Blondie out loud.

“Oh my god, is that…that’s,,,” said Ford staring out at the beautiful planet. “This is…wow.”

“Mmmm,” replied Blondie. “Believe me when I say, finding uninhabitable planets gets really boring after a while.”

“I’ve seen pictures of this planet since I was a kid. I mean, its Saturn, I never imagined I would get to see it this close.”

Blondie seemed to glance at him quickly with curiosity but then corrected herself and looked back at her controls. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

To Part B

It All Came Tumbling Down (47B/?)

ruthkit — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:23:17 GMT

The explosion had been deafening and everything after had seemed to happen in slow motion. One moment she had been ticking another box on her clipboard and next there was suddenly smoke everywhere and the sound of people yelling.

Kara had directed everyone off the deck, ordering a complete evacuation. Several people had looked injured, but could walk the short distance beyond the containment doors. She was about to seal the room when she saw her deckhand Anya, scrambling on the deck having lost her footing. Kara had promptly run back in and dragged her out, sealing the deck after her. The fire crews had appeared quickly, putting out the fire fast, the ventilation shafts taking care of the smoke.

She was sat on the floor with her head resting up against the wall when Lee came. He had clearly run all the way.

“It’s not as bad as it sounded,” she said.

“Are you okay?” he asked crouching down beside her.

“Just took in a bit of smoke, I’ll be fine,” she replied with a cough. “You didn’t vent out the deck.”

“It was contained.”

Kara looked at him for a moment, “are you sure, or did you hold back?” She regretted her insinuation as soon as it left her lips. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It was contained and I wasn’t prepared to vent the deck until there was proof it was spreading.”

Kara coughed sharply making her lungs sting slightly. She pushed herself up from the floor and walked towards the hangar deck.

“You should get yourself checked out by doc Phillips,” said Lee.

“I’m fine,” said Kara dismissively as she surveyed the damage. Fortunately it didn’t look too bad.

“Do I have to make that an order?”

Kara turned to her husband and with a cheeky grin saluted, “yes sir.” She had missed him giving her orders, which she was used to responding to with mock insolence.

Walking up the corridors everything seemed normal as if nothing had happened. Lifestation was slightly busier with a number of nurses rushing around. Their casualties seemed to be light and no deaths had been reported. The most injured seemed to be her deckhand with a leg injury.

She waited for a few minutes before cursing under her breath and making her escape. She was starting to feel better anyway. Turning the corner she walked towards the nursery, hearing the cries of the children before she even entered.

“What’s happened?” she asked one of the carers who was holding a crying Joseph.

“The explosion scared them that’s all,” she replied and then handed him over to Kara. He stopped crying as soon as he was in his mother’s arms.

“Hey there,” she cooed into his hair. “The bang was on the other side of the ship, it’s okay.”

“Most of them got upset,” added the nurse. “It used to happen a lot before we found New Caprica.”

Kara nodded, she hadn’t appreciated how strange and scary the noises on a Battlestar could be to a small child. She sat in one of the small chairs and cradled her son lovingly. Lena seemed pretty unaffected and continued to play happily on the floor.

“I thought you’d ignore my order,” said Lee and Kara turned to see him standing in the doorway.

“Checking up on me huh?”

“I learnt a long time ago that it was a waste of time to chase you up,” he said with a grin. “I came to check on the kids.”

“They’re fine,” replied Kara. “How much damage is there?”

“The Master-at-arms is looking into it, looks like a dropped ordinate went off. Fortunately the damage appears to be minimal and our casualties are light.”

“Anya hurt her leg, I had to drag her out.”

“I think she was closest to it,” he paused for a moment. “I’ve got to get back, Fisk’s heard of the incident and is on his way back.”

“You’re first time in command huh?”

Lee chuckled, “yeah. I’m really looking forward to telling Fisk that the ship blew up in my first two hours of command.”

“It’s not your fault Lee, at least it didn’t go off when Fisk was down on the deck.”

“I’ve got to get back to the CIC before he arrives.” He leant down and gave their children a pat on the head.

Kara took a deep breath, speaking before he left. “If that fire hadn’t been contained you would’ve had no choice but to give that order Lee, regardless of whether or not I was down there.”

He looked down at the floor briefly, “but it was contained.”

“This time. You just need to make sure you’re prepared to make that order.”

Lee walked over to her and placed a kiss to her brow. “I don’t think I would ever be prepared for it Kara, but if it meant the safety of the ship and these two, then I’d make it.”

Kara stood with Joseph in her arms and gave Lee a soft kiss to his lips. “Thanks for agreeing to kill me if necessary,” she said with a grin which made Lee laugh. “Now go and tell Fisk you’re sorry for blowing up his ship.”

Lee grimaced slightly and reluctantly walked away leaving Kara with the kiddies. She handed Joseph to one of the carers and said goodbye, explaining to them that their mom had to work.

She walked back to the hangar deck, which was starting to look like normal again, apart from the sectioned off area where the explosion had occurred. It was always amazing to see how the ship continued to work as if nothing had happened only an hour before. On the way, Kara had dropped into the head to wash the smoke off her face, and she was ready to carry on, ignoring the slight burning sensation in her chest.

“You okay sir?” asked the Chief.

“Peachy,” she replied and picked up her clip board. “Right, who’s next to arrive?”

oooo

Adama surveyed the damage in the cordoned off area of the hangar deck, visibly frowning.

“It looks, and sounded, worse than it was,” said Lee who was stood just behind him next to Kara.

“It was too close,” replied Adama. “Remember the last time one of these ordinates exploded on the deck?”

Lee nodded glumly, he remembered it too well as the pilot’s ready room had been virtually empty afterwards, only another few minutes later and he and Kara would probably have been killed too. Adama looked up at them and then around the hangar deck, giving everything a long appraisal. There was a definite sadness in his eyes. Slowly he walked across the deck, nodding to everyone he passed. Out of respect they all stopped what they were doing and saluted.

Today was the day that the Pegasus was leaving the fleet and he was saying goodbye to everyone. Kara and Lee followed him as he walked through the ship. It filled Lee with pride to see the admiration his father held throughout the ship, especially amongst the former Galactica crew. He would miss him and a sudden sadness struck through him.

He felt Kara’s hand in his as they walked behind the old man who circled the corridors until he came to the CIC. As soon as he entered, Shaw shouted out “Admiral on deck.” The room stood to attention.

“At ease,” said Adama and walked over to Fisk. “Is your ship ready?”

“As ready as she’ll ever be sir,” replied the Commander.

Adama nodded, “then start preparing for your first two jumps.”

“Yes sir,” replied Fisk and nodded to Shaw who turned to start the preparations for the FTL jump.

Adama picked up the comm system and got ready to address the entire ship. Kara patted Lee’s arm and then walked quietly out of the room, leaving him to stand and watch his father.

“This is the Admiral,” he said down the comm, which echoed around the ship. “Set condition three throughout the ship. In twenty minutes you will be flying out into the unknown, be prepared for anything you could face out there. The rest of the fleet will be waiting and expecting you all back in two years.” He paused for a moment. “Good luck.”

Lee could see the emotion in his father’s eyes as he replaced the comm and took a look around the CIC. Lee followed him out into the corridor, where everyone had now stopped what they were doing and were stood to attention to let him through.

All of the corridors were the same. When they neared the hangar deck area, they saw Kara standing there with Lena in her arms and Joseph gripping onto her leg. Lee could see the tears pooling in her eyes as Adama walked up to them slowly. She passed over Lena into her grandfather’s arms.

Crouching down, Adama placed her on his knee and brought Joseph in closer. He then placed a hand a couple of inches above Joseph’s head, “you’ll probably be this big when I next see you.”

“Paw?” asked Joseph as he sucked on a finger.

“And learning to answer your parents back,” he said with a smile. “Take care of them for me.” He brought them both in for a hug before passing them back to their mother.

Kara then handed Lena and Joseph to Meg and followed Lee and Adama down to the hangar deck where a raptor was ready to disembark. Kara and Lee stood next to the wing of the raptor to watch him leave.

“Two years,” he said with a hand on Lee’s shoulder.

“Dad I…”

“Two years,” he repeated and then pulled his son into a tight hug. He then turned to Kara, holding a hand to her cheek before pulling her into a hug.

Taking a step up onto the wing of the raptor, he took a long look around the deck.

“Admiral of the fleet leaving the ship,” said Lee loudly and saluted his father along with Kara. He felt a sharp pang in his stomach as he disappeared on board the raptor and the hatch door shut. They carried on watching as slowly it was towed away into the airlock.

Kara placed a hand to Lee’s arm and said softly, “you’ll see him again Lee, in two years.” He smiled at her, aware that the deck was starting to get busy. “Now get your ass up to the CIC, there’s only ten minutes to the first jump.”

oooo

“FTL jump in fifteen seconds…fourteen…thirteen…” The ship was eerily quiet apart from the sound of Shaw’s voice that sounded over the comm system.

“Twelve…eleven…ten…”

The tension amongst the crew showed in all their faces as the countdown got lower. In the CIC, Lee couldn’t help but continue to stare up at the dradis monitor, his stomach turning in spirals.

“Nine…eight…seven…”

Down on the hangar deck, Kara sat on the steps to her viper, her helmet ready in the cockpit. She could feel the sweat mottling on her brow and her heart was beating fast as she listened to Shaw’s voice.

“Six…five…four…”

Kara swallowed as she felt the familiar tug of the FTL drive starting to pull her inwards.

“Three…two…one…”

The decompression was quick as the ship finished it’s jump. Kara’s heart was now beating even faster and she could see from look on Kat’s face, who was stood opposite her, that she was feeling the same. Kara glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been ten seconds already and there was just silence on the ship.

In the CIC, Lee kept staring up at the dradis. There was no-one but them, the Tylium ship and their escorting raptor on the edge of the nebula.

“Get ready for the second jump,” ordered Fisk.

“Entering the co-ordinates now sir,” said Shaw.

Lee gripped his hands onto the edge of the console below the dradis monitor. The minutes dragged on as he waited, watching as the blip representing the raptor jumped away back onto the other side of the nebula, leaving them all alone.

“All hands prepare for the second FTL jump,” said Shaw at last and she started the countdown again. “fifteen…fourteen…thirteen…”

Down on the hangar deck, Kat fidgeted next to her viper. “Just frakking jump already,” she muttered.

“Twelve…eleven…ten…”

Kara fiddled with the ring on the end of her dogtags, psyching herself and getting ready to run up the steps to her cockpit and start fighting.

“Nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…”

The pull of the FTL drive kicked in again.

“Three…two…one.”

After the decompression the ship was silent, nothing stirring as they sat and waited. They were all alone now. Kara kept watching the clock, still fiddling with the ring on her dogtags.

The seconds ticked by, which then turned into minutes until finally Fisk addressed them over the comm. “Reduce alert status to condition four.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as alone the small fleet of two ships started coasting through space, venturing out into the unknown.

It All Came Tumbling Down (47A/?)

ruthkit — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:21:19 GMT

Chapter 47

Kara tapped her pen against her clipboard impatiently, dismayed that a bunch of pilots, who were supposed to be experts in formation flying, seemed incapable of moving their belongings from one ship to the other.

“Hey,” she shouted out at Hotdog as he dropped his box of belongings to the deck. He looked at her contritely, but the annoyed look on her face was enough to make anyone want to run away fast.

“Sorry Starbuck,” he said quickly and then scrambled everything back into the box.

The last few days had been chaotic enough, with trying to reorganise the ship so everyone could fit, but today was the main moving day and complete and utter anarchy was the only way to describe it. Kara was ready to smack someone hard over the head with her clipboard.

They also had to move supplies and find space for them. The Chief had spent hours moving around the craft on the hangar deck to make room for the extra vipers and raptors. Fortunately, the Pegasus was larger than the Galactica and could fit more in.

“Hurry it up Hotdog,” she shouted out as the unfortunate lieutenant sent his pyramid ball bouncing across the deck. “You’re in officer’s quarters two, there’s a bunk ready and a locker.”

As the Pegasus had lost a large majority of their crew, there were a number of free bunks, especially in the officer’s quarters. It was still going to be a tight squeeze though, with extra put-up beds erected in some of the bunk rooms. But no-one seemed to be complaining, they were all too eager to get out there and meet their enemy head on.

Kara turned away from the fumbling Hotdog as she saw the hatch of another raptor opening up. She ticked off Kat, Racetrack, Duck and Skulls off her list as they disembarked. They each stopped in front of her and saluted.

“At ease,” she replied with a shake of her head. “The Beast isn’t that formal.” They all relaxed and took a look around them. Many had never spent much time on board the Pegasus and they looked at it as if it was all shiny and new. “Kat, you’re taking Apollo’s old bunk in the senior officer’s quarters”

“Thank you sir,” she replied and started to walk away.

“Kat,” said Kara a little quieter. “I didn’t say this, but watch your back in there.”

The Captain nodded her head in understanding and then walked away across the deck. Kara had settled in on the Pegasus now, having been there for months, but she was still weary around some of the crew members, especially with those who had shown their unwavering loyalty to Cain and her ideals.

“Racetrack and Skulls,” she continued, “you’re in officer’s quarters three. I’m afraid you’re going to have to fight it out over who gets the last bunk and who gets the put-up.”

The two lieutenants looked at each other and then dashed across the deck, evidently choosing to race it out. Racetrack looked to be winning. She was fast and well worthy of her callsign. Kara turned to Duck who was the only one left.

“You’re in luck,” she said. “Cain didn’t allow any the crew to form relationships, so there’s a billet for you and Nora.”

“Thank you sir,” he replied with a small smile. “I hear congratulations are in order for you too.”

Kara nodded her head above her clipboard, “married quarters six, just follow the corridors until you can hear the nursery.”

Duck nodded and then walked away across the deck. Kara had been a little surprised that he had volunteered for the mission. After his marriage to Nora everyone had expected him to request a transfer down to the planet.

She scanned her eyes around the busy and noisy hanger deck and quietly cursed to herself. No-one seemed able to organise themselves. All she had to do was ensure her pilots got to where they were meant to be, but at this rate she was going to end up organising it all.

“Chief, what the frak is this?” she yelled, pointing to a pile of boxes.

“Erm, food supplies sir, from the planet.”

“Well what the frak is it doing here in the middle of the deck?”

“Some deckhands offloaded them from a raptor.”

“And no-one thought to put them where they’re supposed to be?”

Laird shrugged and then carried on directing a viper that was being towed in. Kara sighed and hauled two boxes into her arms, tossing her clipboard on top. She walked unsteadily out of the hangar deck and made her way down the crowded corridors. Everywhere, there were boxes stacked up high, most of which, Kara imagined, would remain there for the duration of the two year mission.

She booted open the kitchen door abruptly, shouting “make a hole” to the kitchen staff before dumping the boxes on top of a large work surface.

“What are they?” asked a woman with a slightly accented voice, which was sharp and full of distain.

Kara stared the woman down. She was pretty and slight, but looked as if she permanently carried a very large chip on her shoulder. Kara guessed this must be the infamous Kendra Shaw who had once been a key member of Cain’s crew, but had then been knocked down to kitchen duty. “Food supplies, and there’s plenty more down on the hangar deck, so why don’t you get your guys to get their asses moving and bring them up here.”

Shaw folded her arms in front of her chest, not at all intimidated by Kara, “why don’t you ask them?”

Kara smiled briefly, “do I have to make that an order or would you prefer it if I have you knocked down to latrine duty?”

The woman scoffed briefly and unfolded her arms before walking away. Kara wasn’t sure if she was walking away to carry out the orders, she doubted it. Grabbing her clipboard she walked out of the kitchen and took the long way back to the deck, which took her through the living quarters area. It was complete chaos.

When she walked past the senior officer’s quarters she saw Kat squaring up to Stinger. As soon as she walked up to the doorway they clocked her and moved apart. Kara privately laughed to herself, she had definitely been a bad influence on the young captain. “Is there a problem Kat?”

“No sir,” she replied and stood to attention.

“At ease Captain,” replied Kara and stepped into the room. “Care to tell me why you two looked as if you were about to knock heads?”

“It’s nothing sir,” replied Kat, her shoulders relaxing slightly, but she kept her head bowed away.

“Right.” Kara wanted to sigh. Normally she would have been the first to find out everything, but now she had been the CAG for so long and out of officer’s quarters, that she was kept in the dark. She glanced over their shoulders to the lockers before walking through the crowd of officers, spreading them in her wake.

“Wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Stinger has decided to take up two lockers would it?” she continued, kicking the locker shut and then turning back to them. “I know your ego already takes up enough room Stinger so I’ll make this easy for you. Move your crap or I’ll have it all chucked out of the airlock.”

“Yes sir,” replied Stinger with a glare towards Kat.

Kara made towards the exit before turning back with a grin, “oh and Stinger, next time I will let her kick your ass.”

She left the bunk room with a smirk and then made her way to her own quarters. Lee was sitting at the table with papers spread out in front of him, which she recognised as a number of standard reports. She walked in and leant her arms on top of the back of his shoulders.

“Hey,” he said, stroking a hand to hers.

“Are you sure you really want to give up flying for this?” she asked with a purr and placed a kiss to his hair.

“I’m starting to wonder,” he replied and threw down his pen, turning in his seat so he could see her fully. “How’s moving day?”

“Don’t ask. I just had to stop Kat from knocking out Stinger.”

“Still insisting on using two lockers is he?”

“You knew about that?”

Lee shrugged, “when I first came on board I had nothing and didn’t really care about it. He let me have a small corner once I had some uniform.”

“I would’ve knocked his ass down.”

“Mmm? Cain’s ship was very different remember?”

“True, she probably would’ve had you out of the nearest airlock for striking a superior officer. Did you ever get your locker back to yourself?”

Lee shrugged again, “I didn’t care. I had everything I wanted here.”

“That’s sweet Lee, really,” replied Kara playfully.

“Hey,” said Lee and then pulled her forward so she was in-between his legs. He lifted up her tanks slightly and then placed a soft kiss to her naval. Kara let out a soft moan.

“I think I’m going to enjoy the morning briefings with the XO,” she said with a grin.

Lee lifted his head from her stomach, “actually Fisk has already reallocated that job to himself.”

“Frak.”

“You didn’t think he would let us off that easy did you?” Kara shrugged, she had figured as much. “So how’s the moving really going?”

“I’m getting close to punching somebody. Have you filled the gaps in the CIC yet?”

“Nearly, just have Hoshi’s position to fill.”

“Anyone fit the bill?”

“Only Kendra Shaw.”

“Frak Lee, she’s a liability. She makes my insubordination seem like child’s play and she’s on something stronger than the ambrosia.”

“She’s the only one qualified enough for the position.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Lee smiled at her and then placed another kiss to her stomach making her moan again. Kara brushed her fingers through his short hair, holding him at her stomach. “Frak Lee.”

“How long have you got?”

“No time at all, there’s probably a bunch of nuggets standing around the hangar deck looking lost.” She pouted slightly and then stepped back, wishing that she could stay. “We’ll finish this later, wouldn’t want to piss off Fisk this early in the mission now would I?”

oooo

Lee had laughed as Kara picked up her clipboard and walked out of the quarters with a grin. He turned back to his paperwork. It was difficult to concentrate when he was so aroused, wanting her back in his arms. He fidgeted slightly, trying to keep his mind focused and away from thoughts of his amazing wife. It was a near impossible task.

He fidgeted again as he looked at the deficit in the crew. Despite the large number of crew members coming on board they were still short of some key personnel. Pilots they had in abundance, but they would be redundant if there was no-one skilled enough to steer the ship straight and avoid jumping into the middle of a sun. In his opinion, Kendra Shaw was really the only choice to replace Hoshi. He was aware she was a loose cannon, but then he was used to dealing with women like that. Having two on board could prove quite explosive.

After pencilling in Shaw’s name onto his report, Lee left the quarters and started to make his way towards the CIC. As he rounded the corner he came face to face with Sharon. She stopped in her tracks and looked almost shy in his presence. Lee remembered the last time he had been this close to her. How could he forget? He had held a gun up in her face.

Neither seemed to move, then suddenly Lee felt a tap on his leg. Looking down he saw Hera pulling at the knee of his slacks.

“Hey,” he said with a smile and the little girl looked up at him before shying away behind her mother’s leg.

“She’s shy of strangers,” said Sharon.

“My kids are getting to that stage too.” Lee couldn’t believe that he was discussing parenting with a toaster, but then again that is what made Sharon so different from the others. It was strange to see her outside the confines of her cell. “Did you find your quarters okay?”

“We’re just heading there now.”

“Oh right.” The conversation felt so strained and part of Lee just wanted to brush past her and walk on. “If you have any problems, you come and see me or Starbuck okay?”

“Yes sir,” she replied with a small smile and then walked around him.

Lee quietly sighed and then turned to her, “lieutenant.”

“Yes sir?”

“You may want to think of a new callsign. I don’t think the name Boomer really applies to you.” Lee hoped that was enough of a white flag and was relieved when he saw her face relax slightly.

“I will,” replied Sharon and then walked around the corner. Little Hera looked at Lee as she went, making a small wave.

Unlike the rest of the ship, the CIC was quiet. Fisk was stood over the schematics table, looking at a number of star charts. He nodded as Lee walked up and saluted before standing next to him.

“Do you have our first jump co-ordinates sir?” Lee asked and looked down at the star charts.

“The Admiral only wants a short jump to start with, just beyond the nebula. One of Galactica’s raptors will jump with us to ensure everything is working smoothly. Then we will start to head towards the Lagoon nebula you allegedly saw in that cave.”

“We did see that nebula sir. It was definitely one of the markers on the way to the Earth.”

“I don’t doubt that you saw it, I’m just sceptical that what you saw was really a map.”

“Then if you don’t mind me asking sir, why have you agreed on such a risky mission if you don’t believe we actually have a map to Earth?”

“Because I need to do more than just orbit a planet until the cylons show up and there’s a slim chance that your group hallucination might just point us in the right direction.” He looked down at his maps and frowned. “What would you do if we found Earth? Would you want to stay there?”

“Erm, I don’t know sir,” Lee was a little taken aback by the personal question from such a closed off man. “I suppose one of my biggest regrets was not seeing all of the Twelve Colonies before they were destroyed, so I’d probably choose to explore a bit before settling on a place.”

Fisk nodded and then turned back to his maps, his indicator that the time for personal questions was over. “Did you sort out our personnel problem?”

“Sort of sir.”

“If that sort of involves reinstating Shaw back to her former position then you can think again, she’s a liability.”

“She’s the only one that is really suitable for the job.”

“She also had a meltdown.”

“I’ll make her my own personal responsibility. If she fraks up, I’ll handle her,” said Lee resolvedly.

Fisk gave a brief and deep chuckle, “use to handling women like that are you? Well I hear you used to keep Thrace on a tight leash when you were the CAG, so I’ll release Shaw to you on probation. But believe me, if she fraks up so much as once, or turns up on duty with a fuzzy head then she’s back in the kitchens.”

“Yes sir.”

“The same can easily go for you and your wife. I will not accept lateness or sloppiness. Cain used to run a tight ship when we were out at war and I intend to keep that up.”

Lee was tempted to roll his eyes at the man. He would never run as an efficient or terrifying ship as Admiral Cain. “Yes sir.”

“Right, you can take over the CIC for now, I have a meeting with the Galactica’s XO in thirty minutes.”

The large man then walked off. Lee knew what he really meant by “meeting with the Galactica’s XO.” He would be meeting with Tigh for a drinking match and exchanging ship secrets.

The CIC felt suddenly silent and Lee realised that he was in charge. He felt a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach as the nerves hit home. Sure he had been in charge of a room full of pilots before, but this time he was responsible for the entire ship.

“Are you okay sir?” asked Hoshi from his station.

“Yes,” said Lee with as much confidence as he could muster. “Carry on with what you were doing.”

He was unsure of what to do. Generally his father stood around, telling others what they should be doing, but today the ship was doing nothing but orbiting a planet. He dumped his paperwork onto the schematics table and began looking at the star charts. The nebula he had seen on Kobol seemed so far away and they knew it would take many perfectly calculated FTL jumps to reach. They were also going out into the unknown wilderness so each jump would get harder and harder to plot.

Lee studied through the charts one by one until they began to make sense. He was starting on his third cup of coffee and wondering how many shots of ambrosia Fisk and Tigh had already downed when he felt the deep rumble echoing through the ship that sent his coffee slopping over the rim and onto the table.

“What the frak?” he said out loud. “Sitrep!”

“I’m not sure sir,” said Hoshi and began flipping buttons and speaking into his headset.

“Not good enough lieutenant.”

Another voice from across the room sounded out, “sir, we have a reports of an explosion and fire down on the hangar deck.”

Lee’s thoughts suddenly flashed to his wife and then his instinct told him to get down there stat and find her. He was about to start running when the voice of Hoshi brought him back to reality.

“What are your orders sir?” asked the lieutenant.

Lee paused for a moment, “get fire crews and medical personnel to the hangar deck now.” He dashed over to the diagnostic panel, seeing that only one area was flashing up red.

“Do you want us to purge the deck?” asked Hoshi again, which would entail sealing off the deck and venting out all the oxygen, maybe killing everyone still inside.

“What? No, no, the fire looks contained.” He stared at the picture of the ship with the one flashing red light for what seemed like forever, willing it to turn off. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the comm buzzed behind him. He picked it up quickly, “sitrep.”

The sound of his wife’s voice was like music to his ears, even if she did sound slightly hoarse. “The fire’s been contained and is being put out now.”

“What caused it?”

“Not sure yet, probably a faulty piece of equipment from the Bucket.”

“Any injuries?”

Kara paused for a moment, “Yeah, a few minor casualties from what I can see.”

“Are you…” Lee corrected himself, he couldn’t be the concerned husband right now. “I’ll be down on the deck in a minute.” He hung up the phone and walked across the room, “Hoshi you have the comm, any concerns or any more explosions and you call me, got it?”

“Yes sir.”

“I’m going to assess the damage.”

He strode out calmly, but he could feel the clamminess in his hands which he kept clenching. He had only been in charge of the ship for a few hours and already part of it had blown up. As soon as he was clear of the CIC he began running.

Part Two

It All Came Tumbling Down (46/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:15:04 GMT

Chapter 46

Lee felt jubilant as he walked down the corridors of the Galactica, nodding to various crew members who he passed and bouncing on high as he walked. His father had summoned him on board for a meeting, but he had been meaning to come over anyway. He had yet to tell him about the engagement to Kara and had kept the happy secret for three days. They planned to perform the ceremony as soon as possible.

He rapped on the hatch to Adama’s quarters, waiting for the gruff “come in,” before walking inside. Adama was sat behind his desk and Lee was surprised to see Fisk sitting the other side, trying his best to hide the displeasure at his scuppered plans.

“Morning,” he said cordially. “You sent for me?”

He was slightly perplexed that Fisk hadn’t shared a raptor with him for the journey over, especially considering their limited Tylium supply.

“Take a seat Major,” said Adama, showing him that they were on formal terms for now. Lee nodded and took a seat. “Thank you for coming at such short notice.”

“What’s going on?” asked Lee, though he had a feeling he was about to find out anyway.

“As you are aware, I had a meeting with the President three days ago,” he began. “Due to recent events in the fleet we have decided that the fleet needs hope, something to work towards.”

“I agree sir,” said Lee.

“I didn’t ask you here for your opinion, but I appreciate it. The decision has already been made. In two weeks Commander Fisk will be taking the Pegasus beyond the nebula and resuming the search for Earth.”

Lee didn’t respond this time. He was shocked that the result of one meeting was such a massive decision. He didn’t know quite what to think. One thing was certain, it would be risky.

“I take it from your silence that you were not expecting this?” asked Adama.

Lee paused before finally speaking, “so the entire crew of the Pegasus will be detached from the fleet, leaving only the Galactica behind to protect the planet?”

“Not the entire crew,” replied Adama. “This mission is risky and voluntary for both crews, which is why I have called you here.”

“Me?”

“Colonel Garner has already decided to stay with the fleet. Commander Fisk has shortlisted you for the position of interim XO.”

“Me?”

“It was a short list,” added Fisk. Lee was still completely taken aback. He and Fisk had clashed a lot recently, and had half expected to be thrown into the brig at any moment. “It was either you or someone Garner threw back to doing kitchen duty.” Lee nodded, he was aware that they disliked Kendra Shaw even more than they disliked him and Kara. “You’ll keep the rank of Major for now, but I’ll be expecting you to act with the proper decorum of an XO.”

Lee couldn’t help but smirk slightly, knowing exactly what Fisk was referring to.

“Which, while I’m here,” Fisk continued. “I wanted to bring up this subject again …”

Adama nodded his head in understanding, “I’m well aware of your complaints Commander and plan on addressing them. Do you have anything to say Major?”

Lee raised his eyes towards his father, “yes sir, I would like your permission to get married to Major Thrace.” He could see the emotion well up in the old man’s eyes. His words sounded like an official request, but the old man clearly understood that his son was really asking for his approval.

“Permission granted, will that satisfy you Commander?”

Fisk muttered a curse under his breath before saying, “under fleet regulations that is acceptable.”

In his mind, Lee had a large grin on his face, but he kept his face neutral, “thank you sir.”

“And what about the mission?” asked Adama.

“Do I really get a choice?”

“Yes, this will be purely voluntary and risky. You’ll be on your own out there with the cylons.”

“It’s not just up to me sir. I’m not going to leave the kids behind if Ka…if Major Thrace wants to stay.”

Adama nodded, “You have until tomorrow when I’ll be addressing the crew. I will also be making Sharon Agathon a full member of this crew. She’s already volunteered for the mission along with Helo.”

“You’re not serious?” asked Lee incredulously. “On the Pegasus?”

For a moment he forgot he was sitting next to Fisk who shifted in his seat. “She will be treated as a full member of my crew, Major,” he said.

“If you’d excuse us Commander,” interrupted Adama. Fisk looked ready to argue back but he rose to his feet sharply and stormed out of the quarters after saluting. When he was gone, the old man turned to his son, “Lee…”

“I’m sorry dad, but I’ve seen what they’ve done to cylon prisoners on the Beast, it’s inhumane.”

“You forget Lee that I’m intending to merge the two crews. She’ll have the backing of the Galactica crew and Fisk.” Adama paused to let him know that was the end of the matter and Lee could see the emotion in his face again. “She said yes?”

Lee grinned, “yeah.”

“Congratulations son.”

“Thanks, we’re planning on going down to the planet and getting a priest by the end of the week. Will you be there next to me?”

Adama sniffed, “it will be an honour. Your mother would have loved to see it too.”

Lee chuckled warmly, “she didn’t exactly warm to Kara when they met.”

“Your mother was a different woman then, they both were. She would be happy for you.”

Lee looked down at his hands and reflected for a moment on how many people they had lost in the attacks and the years after. He wasn’t sure if was prepared to see more lose their lives, what if it was Kara who was shot down next?

“What is it Lee?”

“It’s a risky mission dad, why now?”

“Because I believe the fleet will die, regardless of whether or not the cylons find us. As crazy as Baltar is, he’s right. The fleet will most certainly die out if we do not start procreating within the next few years on a large scale. The fleet is also on the brink of a rebellion far greater than Zarek’s sorry attempt.”

“The fleet’s falling apart,” observed Lee.

“We no longer have the urgent need for survival pushing us along, especially amongst the people on the Battlestars. I’m giving the fleet something to hope for again.”

“And if it fails?”

“Then we’ll have to hope Baltar’s other measures actually work.”

His father was looking older by the day, a fresh moustache starting to grow. He needed a war too, but then he would be staying behind. Apart from the riskiness of the mission, Lee also feared that he would never see his father, alive, again.

oooo

It would remain a mystery to Kara, how the simple task of feeding a toddler could create so much mess. Either they would turn away from the spoon at the last moment, sending the gloop up their cheek or they would take it into their mouth only to dribble most of it out again down their front. All this they did with a look of being most entertained.

“Come on kiddo,” she said as Lena twisted her head away, far more interested in what her brother was doing then in eating. Kara sighed, giving up and throwing the spoon into the bowl. “Come on, mom has work to do.”

Not that anything was pressingly urgent. All they did now was fly endless CAP after CAP, their usefulness becoming redundant. It was depressingly dull. The only excitement coming from combat training exercises, at least then the adrenalin would start to pump around her body. She looked at her children as she guided them out of the quarters and they toddled by her side, gripping onto her hand. They were never bored, amused by everyone and anything.

After dropping them off at the little nursery, she walked to the Ready room where everyone was already sat out in the chairs waiting for her.

“At ease,” she said and poured herself a cup of coffee before standing behind the lectern. Looking at them all she could see the same boredom in their eyes, wondering who would be next to crack like Sykes. “Do I even need to say it?” she said to the room.

“CAP as always sir?” replied Showboat from the back of the room.

“Exactly, the cookie goes to Showboat”

“That’s if there were any cookies,” added Stinger. “Seriously sir, those people on the surface need to get their heads out of their asses and start producing more food.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that on Captain,” replied Kara with a yawn. She looked at her watch and the clock in the room, which were perfectly in sync as always. “The time is 0918 hours for the start of the briefing.” She took another sip of her coffee before speaking again. “You guys know the drill, normal CAP rotation. Remember to stay frosty out there, you never know when the cylons will decide to drop in and say hi.”

“Cause they’ve been known to do that over the past year,” smirked Stinger.

Kara wanted nothing more than to agree with the former CAG, but she showed restraint. “We’re pilots in the Colonial Fleet people, it’s our job to protect the rest of the fleet, so keep on your toes, there’s no room for frak ups. On a more fun note, we have our training exercise worked out for next Monday to hone your combat skills. Nuggets from both ships will be set against the more experienced pilots and then you’ll all get a shot at trying to shoot down the squadron leaders and yours truly.” At last the room seemed to look slightly more alert and interested in the prospect of playing war. But their excitement was soon lost again as the normal formalities continued.

Predictably, the rest of the briefing was dull before Kara dismissed everyone. She then set about updating the pilots’ board and drawing up the next rota.

“Hey,” she heard suddenly from the back of the room and turned to see Lee standing there, his blue eyes bright in the light of the room.

“That was quick,” she replied and chucked her pen down on the lectern, turning to him with a smile.

“It was a brief meeting. Do we have time for a chat?”

Kara hated those words. A “chat” was generally something she tried to avoid, usually because it entailed her having to face a subject she would rather run from. But she trusted Lee. “Sure,” she said and motioned to the seats and Lee joined her, taking her hand into his. “Did you tell the old man? Was he angry?”

“He was happy Kara, very. But that’s not what I need to ask you about.”

“Okay,” she said tentatively. “But I can’t be held responsible if I listen and then decide to run through that bulkhead.”

Lee chuckled, “it’s nothing bad I promise, just something I’ve been asked to do.”

Kara listened with a slight frown as he told her about the meeting and the mission, only speaking when he had finished. “What did you decide?”

“I haven’t. I said it’s not just up to me.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Helo and Sharon have already volunteered and I think my dad will be talking to certain key crew members individually, but then everyone else will be asked tomorrow.”

“And what do you want to do?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, it’s a big decision, which is why I came to you.”

“Lee, I think you and I both know that I’m not the best person for making rational decisions.”

“Please Kara, if anything happened….if any happened to you and I forced you to go…I…”

“I understand.” She paused for a moment, sitting and thinking over the ramifications of such a mission. It was at least another ten minutes before she spoke again. “Did I ever tell you how I ended up teaching at the academy?”

“Weird place to start, but no you didn’t.”

“I got into trouble on the Triton, not because I went out of my way to cause trouble, but because I got bored and complacent. All we did was endless CAP after endless CAP, much like we’re doing now. I got rude and abrasive and stopped thinking about my actions before I did them.”

“Sounds familiar.”

Kara smiled, “well I managed to piss off the Commander, so she stuck me supervising some of the nuggets and apparently I had a flare for it. After my year on board was up she wanted me off the ship and made sure no-one else wanted me either, but she find a position at the academy. I think she thought grounding me might keep me out of trouble.”

“So it was half punishment, half honour?”

“I suppose. Turns out she was right and at least I still got to fly and use the combat SIMs every day, gave me something to wake up for.”

“So what’s that got to do with this mission?”

“I’m saying if we go on like this, it’s only a matter of time before people, including me, start frakking up. I need to get out of this endless cycle and if you’d asked me over a year ago if I wanted to go on a mission like this, then I would have said frak yeah, bring it on.”

“And now?” asked Lee with a frown.

“Part of me needs to get out there Lee, but there’s another part of me, the part that’s so different now. There are other things that mean so much more to me than the adrenalin rush of combat.”

“So you think we should stay?”

Kara could hear the slight disappointment in his voice, “I don’t know. If we go, the cylons could attack. I’m not afraid to lay down my life, but Lena and Seph… But on the other hand, staying and orbiting around New Caprica, we’re like sitting ducks and it’s only a matter of time before the cylons find us and then we’re really frakked. So I don’t know. I’m stuck between wanting to protect them and needing to get out there and fight for their protection. What do you want to do?”

“Before the other week I had no idea how quickly the fleet was falling apart. This mission, finding Earth, is still our only hope.” He paused for a moment and squeezed her hand. “And I don’t think we can do that without you.”

Kara frowned, “what do you mean?”

“I’ve never been much of a believer in Pythia and the Sacred Scrolls, you know that, but what I’ve seen and been witness to in the past few years has made me believe that you are the key.”

Kara didn’t know what to say. Flashes of Leoben and her mother came to her mind, telling her she had a special destiny. “Wow Lee, that’s uh…”

“Deep? Kara, you took down an entire baseship singlehandedly.”

“I still don’t know how I did that, remember?” Sometimes she still dreamt of the chaos of voices that had bombarded her mind before everything went black, but she still couldn’t make out any individual words or make any sense of what happened.

“Also,” Lee began, “and this may sound crazy, but back when I was on the Pegasus without you, for some reason, I just knew where you were. You led me back. Do you know when I had this revelation? About six months before I found you.”

She looked into his dazzling blue eyes and knew what he believed. She had felt it too, felt that he was still alive when everyone else thought he was dead. It hadn’t been a desperate belief, she had felt it in every facet of her soul.

Leaning forwards, she placed a kiss to his lips. “Then it’s decided, we go. Wouldn’t want to get in the way of my special destiny,” she said with a grin.

She then leant her head onto Lee’s shoulder, hiding her slight frown. She had grown up hearing her mother’s incessant ramblings about her supposed “special destiny.” To her it sounded more like a bad name for a cover band. She had suffered for it, grown up thinking she was being punished for it and considered it to be a curse.

Now she was going to face it head on and she was terrified of how much more she would have to suffer for it. Or worse, she feared how much the people she loved would suffer.

oooo

Kara stood at the doorway to Helo’s quarters, watching as he chased little Hera around the room. It was the following day after hearing about the mission and she had been summoned on board the Galactica along with Fisk and Lee in order to address the crew. She hadn’t been told officially yet, but she guessed she would be maintaining her role as the Pegasus’ CAG.

Watching the room, she laughed as the toddler ran underneath the table making Helo hit his head as he tried to follow her.

“Not funny Starbuck,” he said rubbing his head. “Care to give me a hand?”

“It’s far more entertaining to stand here and watch.”

“Thanks Starbuck that’s really helpful.” He turned his attention to his daughter, “come out Hera, you have to go nursery.” But the tot just laughed back.

Kara walked up to the table and bent down to see Hera. The little girl looked at her, squeaked, and ran out towards her father and hid behind him.

“Well that worked,” said Kara standing up.

“Thanks,” replied Helo and lifted his daughter onto his hip.

“So I hear you and Sharon have volunteered for the Pegasus mission.”

“It was Sharon’s decision, the old man wanted a cylon expert. How about you?”

“We’ve decided to go too.”

“Hey that’s great,” said Helo and then looked at her. “What is it? You look like you want to ask me something.”

Kara smiled, “what’re you doing tomorrow?”

“I hear Baltar is planning some sort of big party to boost morale, or planning just to get people drunk enough to like him again. I doubt Sharon would be welcome so I’ll probably stay here.”

“Fancy taking a trip down to the planet with me?”

“What’s the occasion?”

Kara grinned, “I’m getting married.”

Helo’s face lit up immediately, “about time.”

Kara playfully rolled her eyes, “You know I never like to do things the simple way.”

“I’m really happy for you. Who’d have thought that we’d both end up married with kids huh?”

“Well, we both did it the wrong way round, so it’s not totally out of character.”

They walked together down the A shaped halls of the Galactica, making their way to the nursery. The ship was a lot more claustrophobic than the Pegasus and Kara could see why the Beast was considered the best ship for the mission. But the Galactica would always feel more homely and welcoming to her, the crew like a little family.

A few hours later and the entire ship gathered in the hangar deck. This was Adama’s place of choice for addressing the crew for a funeral or for a motivational speech. Kara and Lee stood at his side, with Laura on the other as he took his position in front of the eager looking crew. He paused to look at them all.

“Over the years since the cylons took away our Worlds I have come to think of each and every one of you as my family,” he began in his booming voice which sent a small tingle up Kara’s arm. “We have fought together, survived together and mourned together. I am proud to call myself the Admiral of the best and bravest fleet there has ever been in the history of the Twelve Colonies. But I fear I have let you down. I made a promise to you all. I promised you Earth. Many of you question the truth of my words all those years ago, wonder if I was just giving you all the gift of hope, a hope which I abandoned when we found this new world. But I tell you this, it does exist! Many of you thought Kobol was also a myth, but we found her, and on that planet we stood on the face of Earth and looked up to see her 12 brothers looking down. Earth is out there and I intend to find it.”

Kara found herself reaching her little pinky finger out so she could secretly touch Lee’s hand. Discreetly he moved slightly sideways towards her so he could take her hand fully into his. They looked at each other briefly before Adama continued.

“I am giving you back your hope. As of next week the Pegasus will be leaving the rest of the fleet with a Tylium ship for two years and continuing the search for Earth.” He paused as there were many murmurings between the crew members. “I’m giving you all a choice. You can stay here or go with the Pegasus.”

He turned to Kara and nodded. Letting go of Lee’s hand she stepped forward and walked down the middle of the hangar deck, a roll of tape in her hand. With a loud noise that echoed around the room she attached the end of the tape to the floor and walked back to Adama, making a long line across the floor.

“I don’t expect you all to make your decisions now, but you need to start thinking. All those who volunteer for the mission stand to my left over the line,” said Adama and motioned his arm. “All the rest stand to my right. If you are undecided, stay in the middle for now but I expect your answer within a day.”

He stepped down from his lectern as an indicator that he was finished. Everyone seemed to look at themselves for a moment, undecided on what to do. Kara and Lee led the room, walking together past the line and standing to the left. Helo then joined them, but Laura stepped onto the right hand side. Then suddenly the whole room moved.

Kara held onto Lee’s hand as the room surged, intermingling with each other and then splitting into two. No-one stayed in the middle and only a few dozen went to the right. Kara saw Cottle walk reluctantly to the right and then nod at Adama, thinking that those two must have come to some sort of agreement. The fleet still needed a doctor. It was mainly the elder members of the crew who had decided to stay, including Tigh and his wife, but there were a few surprises. The Chief and Cally had walked to the right along with Gaeta. Kara had expected to see the majority of the pilots stepping up, like her, they needed the fight.

“It’s going to be a full ship,” she whispered to Lee.

“Someone can have my bunk,” he replied with a smile.

The room went silent as Adama stood on the lectern again. He seemed to look emotional as he looked down at Lee and then at the room. “I’ll expect you all back in two years with the location of Earth and lots of stories to tell.”

“So say we all!” shouted out the Chief from the right side of the room.

“So say we all!” repeated Adama, which was echoed around the room as everyone continued to shout.

Kara gripped firmly onto Lee’s hand as she felt the hope bubbling inside her again, making a silent prayer to the Gods that her “special destiny” wouldn’t come at too high a price.

oooo

Lee tugged at the collar of his tunic for what seemed like the millionth time. He was excited and happy, but he also felt clammy from nervously sweating. He had imagined a day like today for years but could never have imagined he would actually get to marry the woman of his dreams. He had been in relationships with other women, but none of them he had loved as deeply as he did Kara.

“You look about ready to keel over,” said Helo who was standing next to him, both of them looking out over the fleet encampment towards the area where raptors would land. Since they had been looking, two had landed, but they weren’t sure if Kara was in one of them.

“I feel like I’m about to keel over,” replied Lee and pulled at the neck of his tunic again. “Frak, do they make these things this tight on purpose?”

“Try getting married in one and having a stinking hangover,” replied Helo. Lee pulled at the bottom of his dress uniform sash, trying to adjust it so it was more comfortable. “You’re not having cold feet are you?”

“What? No, not at all.”

“Just scared she won’t show then?”

Lee pulled at his collar, “a little, Kara is a known flight risk.”

Helo laughed briefly, “she’ll be here, probably in slacks though, but she’ll be more comfy than you.”

“It wouldn’t matter to me if she turned up in her gym kit.”

They paused as they continued to look out over the encampment. It was a few minutes before Helo spoke again. “I feel it’s my duty to warn you that if you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down and break your legs.”

“Nice to know, thanks. But no offence, Kara would do a lot worse first.”

They paused again, neither one knowing what to say to each other. Helo had always been Kara’s friend. Lee barely knew him and wasn’t sure if he had been forgiven for shoving a gun into his pregnant future wife’s face, the third time they had met.

“I hear Sharon is being made a member of the crew again, it’s about time,” he said at last. “If they’re any problems on the Pegasus let me know.”

“Thanks,” replied Helo simply.

Lee felt his stomach turning somersaults as he waited, glancing at his watch and seeing Kara was twenty minutes late. He continued to tug at his collar until finally he saw a flash of blonde in the distance coming his way. He smiled broadly as she neared, a look of enthrallment on his face, which glancing to his side, he saw Helo sharing.

“Well I never thought I’d see the day,” said Helo and Lee remembered that he had missed Colonial Day.

As she got close, with Adama, Roslin and the kiddies by her side, he could see her fully. She was wearing a long silken white gown that slightly trailed on the floor behind her. It was simple but flattering and her hair was slightly curled.

“Sorry we’re late, Joseph decided he needed the head again,” said Adama as Kara walked up and took Lee’s hands into hers. She was glowing, with the hint of a mischievous glint in her eye.

“You look shocked Lee,” she said with a grin, her eyes focused on his.

Lee nearly stuttered as he replied, “I thought seeing you in a dress was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Kara shrugged, “well I figured as we’ve had a funeral and all.”

Lee kissed the top of her forehead and then they turned to the priest, their hands still entwined. The priest nodded his head and then began.

“We are here today to witness the joining together of Kara and Lee in their sacred union. There are too few days like today since the end of our worlds and exodus from the Twelve Colonies. It therefore gives me great joy to see a union between two young people who have already been blessed with two children. This union is made before the Lords of Kobol and whomsoever they choose to unite let no-one else separate.”

Kara and Lee kept their focus on each other as the priest went through the initial formalities and then addressed them directly.

“I now ask you both to make your vows to each other. You are already holding hands, so I only ask you both to turn to each other now. Do you, Leland Joseph Adama, son of William and Carolann, take this woman to be your wife? To love her, cherish her and promise to be faithful to her until death parts you.”

“I do.”

“And do you, Kara Elena Thrace, daughter of Dreilide and Socrata, take this man to be your husband? To love him, cherish him and in the witness of the Gods, promise to be faithful to him until death parts you?”

“I do.”

“Then it gives me great pleasure to announce that under the laws of the Twelve Colonies and in the witness of the Lords of Kobol, you are now husband and wife.”

Their kiss was soft, their foreheads flush together before they turned and laughed at the whistle that came from Helo. They had attracted a large crowd of colonials, including members of crew that had come down for Baltar’s festivities.

The celebrations around the encampment started quickly, the drinks soon flowing and the music playing as soon as Baltar finished speaking. Kara and Lee had chosen to miss his speech, choosing to put Lena and Joseph down to sleep in a tent that had been allocated to them for the night. Megan was also down on the surface to look after them for the evening.

Kara and Lee spent most of the night dancing amongst the other colonials before sneaking off away from the camp and towards the edge of the lake.

“You’ve got to give Baltar some credit,” said Lee as he laid out his tunic so they could sit down out of the dust. “He sure knows how to throw a party.” They could still hear the sound of music and laughter from far out where they were.

“Earth had better be warmer than this,” said Kara as she snuggled into his side. Lee placed his arm around her and placed a kiss to her head. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I do have a special destiny,” she responded and planted a kiss to his lips.

They were silent for a moment as they watched out over the calm waters, which Lee considered to be the only real beauty on the desolate planet.

“I’ve got something for you,” he said. “I know we agreed not to try and haggle with the black market for rings, so I got these made.” Out of his pocket he pulled out two rings and held them out in his open palm.

Kara looked shocked, “how’d you manage to get them made?”

“You have Chief Tyrol to thank for that. He made them out of some spare parts.”

“Really?” she asked and took one hold of one. They were the same size and looked identical, apart from a very slight difference in colour.

“Do you remember when you saved my life by pushing my viper to the deck?”

“How could I forget, you said I was beyond insane.”

“You were. Anyway, the Chief kept a few damaged parts from the undercarriage of our vipers for prosperity.”

“I wondered where that went,” said Kara with a smile as she turned the ring over with her hand.

“That one’s from your ship.”

Kara reached out and took hold of his dogtags. She undid the clasp and then slid on the ring before clipping it back together. “Can you promise me something?” she asked.

“Anything, you know that.”

“Don’t let me do anything crazy.”

Lee chuckled slightly, “you mean anything crazier than usual?”

But then Kara looked at him seriously, “please Lee, just promise me if I ask you to pull me back, you’ll do it.”

Lee tilted her chin up towards him, “I promise,” and then he placed another kiss to her lips.

Kara grinned, “Just be prepared for a lot of attitude.” She playfully pushed him backwards so his back landed on the floor and position herself above him, swooping in for a kiss.

Lee reached up and began to lift her dress above her knees and then up and over her head, pushing himself up so he could place a soft kiss to her breast bone. He had known what Kara had meant, had seen the fear in her eyes as she asked him to make that promise. He feared the same thing too, could feel it bubbling inside of him. But tonight he left that worry behind. Tonight it was only about the two of them as she pulled the tanks from over his head and pulled down his slacks. They were both exposed to the cool night air, the sound of the lake lapping behind them as Kara lowered herself down onto him, beginning a gentle rhythm. Reaching up, Lee stroked a hand down between his wife’s breasts as she panted above him.

For tonight the fates of the worlds could wait.

It All Came Tumbling Down (45/?)

ruthkit — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:43:51 GMT

Present from Santa Claus J

Chapter 45

Their clammy flesh slid together in a perfect motion, their lips meeting in a slow caress. Their bodies flush together as they moved within each other in a steady rhythm. The soft moan escaped from Kara’s lips as Lee stroked a hand down her arm making her nerve endings tingle.

“I missed...” he said, placing kissed to her jaw. “...you...so much.”

He sat on the edge of the bed with Kara in his lap, her legs entwined around his back. Her eyes closed, she tilted her head back as he continued to kiss his way up her jaw then nipped the bottom of her earlobe making her gasp. Quickly she twisted her head back to his, sucking in his bottom lip between her teeth. Their pace quickened slightly as the low buzz of pleasure echoed through their bodies, but still they took their time, devouring each other slowly.

“Lee,” she moaned, his name rolling so easily off her tongue. He was kissing her neck now as they began to tremble, the release sparking through them. “Oh Gods, Lee.”

Their breathing came in short pants, their foreheads together as they came down from their high. For ages they just sat there, still entwined in each other’s arms, held together by their warmth.

“My gods Lee...” said Kara at last, drawing back so she could look him in the eyes. “That was...I need to get myself nearly killed more often.”

Lee placed a soft kiss to her nose and then traced a hand down her cheek. It had been two days since Zarek had held her hostage and a dark purple bruise still marred her cheek. Doc Phillips had also placed her thumb into a temporary splint after painfully ensuring it had popped back into the socket correctly.

“Never again Kara, please.”

She placed another kiss to his lips and stroked her fingers through his short hair. “I’m fine Lee.”

“You had to dislocate your own thumb to escape from a venting airlock, it was too frakking close,” He replied, shifting slightly within her making the shockwaves burst through her stomach again.

Kara moaned slightly and then brought her lips to his again. “Mmm, I love it when you talk about medical stuff when I’m sitting on top of you.”

Lee chuckled slightly and stroked back her hair, cupping her face. “I love you Kara Thrace,” he said and placed another kiss to her lips. He could feel himself hardening within her again and slowly she moved her hips against his. The pressure built within him immediately. Still coming down from the time before they reached their peak again, hugging each other close as they gradually tipped back over the edge.

Their breathing was ragged as they came down again, with only the sudden motion as Kara caressed her leg up his waist, bringing Lee back from the skies. The grin upon her face was devilish, “mmm, still love me?”

“Nah, I’ve had my fill now,” replied Lee teasingly, making her playfully slap him on the arm in response. Their giggling noises echoed through the room as Lee sat up from the bed with Kara still in his arms and then turned them so her back flumped down on the bed. He was already nearly ready for another round.

The sound of a soft gurgle coming through over the radio was enough to make them pull reluctantly away from each other.

Kara pouted, “Frak, they never wake up during the night.”

Lee stood up and she rolled off the bed, quickly throwing a towel around her and going into the adjoining room. Joseph was standing up in his crib, gripping onto the side and looking irritable. He reached out for Kara as she leant over and took him into her arms. He calmed as soon as he was out of his crib and nestled his head into her shoulder.

“Hey, what was up?” she cooed as she carried him into the other room.

“Someone’s probably overexcited about turning one tomorrow,” said Lee throwing on his slacks. “And wanted to make sure we didn’t forget.”

“As if I could,” she replied, stroking the head of her son who had already fallen back asleep with his thumb in his mouth. There was only one word that could accurately describe how Kara was feeling about her children’s impending first birthday and that was “denial.” She couldn’t believe how fast they were already growing up. “Is it that time already?” she asked Lee who was carrying on getting dressed.

He looked at his watch, “it’s 2200 hours, Fisk will have my ass if he catches me here.”

Kara merely nodded, the disappointment evident on her face. Theirs was the worst kept secret relationship in the fleet, but still they had to sneak around. “Frakking Fisk, can’t your old man do anything?”

“It’s Fisk’s ship Kara.”

“Yeah, and your father just happens to be the Admiral of the entire fleet.”

“He can’t make one rule for us and another rule for everyone else,” he turned to her and walked over, placing a firm kiss to her lips. “Believe me, I wish he could change the rules for everybody.”

Kara turned away and walked back into the adjoining room with Joseph. By the time Lee had pulled his tanks over his head and pulled his boots on, she had returned empty handed. He too hated what they had to keep doing. If it were up to him, he would have moved into the quarters months ago.

“I think they’re going to keep waking me up all night,” said Kara glumly.

“Look, there might be a way we could share quarters,” he replied, pulling on his off-duty shirt.

“Really, and what’s that?”

Lee shrugged, “married officers are entitled to a billet.” The silence in the room was deafening as his words sunk in. “Speak to me Kara,” he added at last.

“About what? I don’t know what to say to that Lee.”

This wasn’t quite how he had planned to broach this subject and it was literally blowing up in his face in the form of a pissed off looking blonde. He shrugged again in attempt to make it sound as if it had just been a passing comment. “It was just an option.”

“A frakking option?” her words were sounding more and more angry and Lee knew he had just made matters worse. “You make a lame ass proposal and now you’re saying it’s just an option?”

“Kara...I....” he stuttered. In the past few months he had seen a completely different Kara, but now as she stood before him, he saw a glimpse of her old self, the person who was about to run very quickly in the opposite direction. “Look, Kara, what’s the point in all this if we don’t?”

Her next words were slightly softer, “so it was a proposal?”

“What? Yeah I suppose.”

“So we can share a billet and keep frakking?” She rolled her eyes as Lee tried to think of a response, “right.” She then stormed away into the adjoining bathroom and slammed the door shut, followed by the noise of the hatch being dogged.

Lee just stood there for a few minutes not quite sure at which point it all went wrong. After kissing the kiddies goodnight he exited the quarters, smart enough to give Kara enough time to cool down.

The officer’s quarters were still abuzz with activity as he slumped into his rack, trying in vain to ignore the noises around him.

“You’re late,” said Stinger from his rack. “Fisk’s goons have already been down here, he’s gonna have your ass.” Lee had already guessed as much. “Was it at least worth it?”

Damn straight it was, up until their little spat. He nodded and the turned to the pilot, “hey Stinger, you were married weren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me, do you ever start understanding them?”

“Nope, and you’re doubly screwed with a woman like Starbuck.”

“Right, thanks.”

Lee looked up at the roof of his rack, ignoring the sound of Stinger laughing, and looked up at the pictures which smiled down at him. He played over and over in his mind what had happened and could only come up with one conclusion. He had frakked it up completely and a lot of repair work was needed.

oooo

Kara knew the day would come when her own children could outrun her. She could barely keep up with the over eager Joseph as he padded down the busy corridor, especially as she had to carry Lena on her hip. He had barely been walking unaided for a day and already he was shooting off in front, stopping every few paces as his legs gave way and his butt hit the floor.

“Make a hole,” she yelled to the gathering of crew members ahead, who spread out to let them through. Joseph was just crawling up to standing when she caught up and held his hand as he toddled off again, this time slightly more steadily. They probably didn’t understand that today was their first birthday, but they sure were excited, especially as she’d told them gramps was coming to visit.

Lena gurgled in her ear, sounding irritated and pointed at her brother as if she was annoyed about having to be carried.

“You’re not quite walking yet,” said Kara by way of explanation. “I’d let you crawl, but remember when Roslin comes aboard you have to wear the nice dresses she got for you.” Not that Lena minded wearing the dress, she seemed to love them, but Kara had at least managed to make her compromise with a blue one instead of pink.

They rounded the corner and entered the hangar deck just in time to see the raptor being hauled in. Kara felt her stomach lurch when she saw Lee standing in wait just ahead of them. Joseph tugged on her hand and squealed out making him turn around.

He smiled immediately and swooped down to pick up Joseph. “Hey there little man,” he said and then his eyes locked with Kara’s. “Did he walk here all on his own?”

Kara smiled at him, “yeah, practically dragged me here.”

Lee stepped over to her slowly and took her hand softly into his. “Kara...” he began but the sound of Adama and Roslin exiting the raptor made them all turn their attention away.

After greeting each other they all made their way back to the quarters. Adama and Roslin were on board the ship for more than just to celebrate the twin’s birthday. They were due to attend a meeting in a couple of hours with Fisk and Baltar. Kara and Lee had not been privy to the subject matter that was going to be discussed, but it sounded important.

Kara didn’t even know why she had gotten so mad with him. It had been so unexpected. Not that she would ever admit it to herself, but she had imagined Lee making an over romantic mushy proposal which he had spent too much time thinking over. She hadn’t imagined he would suggest it as a way so they could shack up together without interruption. Their argument had played over and over in her mind all night and it was pissing her off.

She couldn’t help the furtive glances she made towards Lee, hoping to catch his eye, to let him know she was sorry for overreacting. But his attention was focused on Lena who was using his tanks to pull herself up to standing with a little assistance. Joseph, meanwhile, was exploring the room with Roslin walking closely behind. Adama was sat in quiet contemplation, watching the scene in front of him.

Kara smiled as Lena squealed happily as she landed on her butt.

“Hey don’t worry, you’ll catch up with your brother,” said Lee helping her up again. “You were sick for ages remember.” But Lena didn’t seem satisfied with that, a look of determination on her face. “You look exactly like your mother when you’re concentrating,” he said as she lifted herself up again.

Their daughter made a few tentative steps with Lee holding her arms before she fell forwards. Kara just sat and watched them in silence, her eyes glancing briefly over at Adama who was still deep in thought.

“You okay sir?” she asked but he was still in deep concentration. “Sir?”

“What do you hear Starbuck?” he said turning her way.

Kara smiled, “nothing but the rain.”

“How’s the hand?”

Kara flexed her thumb which was still in a small splint, “I’ve had worse.”

“That whole situation shouldn’t have happened,” he replied solemnly. “I apologise.”

“It’s fine, really, how could you have known?”

“I should have been aware of what was happening on my ships.”

“We all should,” replied Kara as she lifted Joseph onto her lap as he toddled over. “It was obvious something was going on, but no-one had any idea of the scale.”

“Well I’m going to make sure it never happens again,” and with that he stood up and walked over to Joseph, picking him up off Kara’s lap. “They deserve more for their first birthday, we all do.”

Kara frowned, not quite sure what he meant. The worry marks were evident upon his brow but he carried on bouncing Joseph on his hip and then swished him around as if he was a viper making the tot squeal with delight.

For the rest of the visit Adama was the same, mysteriously quiet and contemplative. Whatever was eating at him, he wasn’t willing to share with them. After a couple of hours he disappeared with Roslin to the secret meeting leaving Kara and Lee alone.

Joseph was snuggled in his mother’s arms, exhausted from running around and Lena was still on the floor determined to walk about.

“It seems like yesterday when they were born,” said Kara.

“I wish I’d been there.”

“Me too,” she replied adjusting Joseph on her hip. “I was frakking terrified, didn’t help that two cylons tried to kill me first.”

“Don’t Kara.”

She felt the heat to rush to her cheeks and for a few moments she didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry about last night,” she said finally, her face contrite.

Lee’s face softened and he walked slowly towards her, stroking back her hair and placed a kiss to her brow. “I care about you Kara. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

“We picked the wrong career,” replied Kara with a small smile. “Talking of which, don’t you have a CAP to fly?”

Lee glanced at his watch, “frak, yeah I do.”

“I’ll be relieving you in three hours, but I’ll finish at nine.”

“Can I see you after?”

“I’ll be expected to see you here with the kiddies.”

Their kiss was brief and then he was gone leaving Kara all alone. Fortunately Lee seemed to have forgiven her for the way she had reacted to his proposal, but then again he seemed to have completely forgotten about it, which made the sinking feeling of disappointment return to her stomach.

oooo

The problem with flying a CAP was it gave a pilot far too much time to sit and think. It could be extremely frustrating and Lee had found himself cursing loudly into his helmet, which had only succeeded in causing spittle to fly onto the visor. He could only come to one conclusion, he’d frakked things up. Kara hadn’t run yet, but it was clear she wasn’t willing to broach the subject again. The most annoying thing was that he had planned a proposal in his head, back when he had first found out about their children. He’d had it all planned, a perfect night out on Cloud Nine and then he would take her out onto the fake green lawn which they had laid out on together so many years ago, before she had drenched him with the hose. Then he would pop the question. Now he had probably ruined it.

“Frak,” he shouted into his helmet again just before the Pegasus sounded in his ear. He turned on his comm system, “Pegasus, Apollo, I copy you.”

“The next CAP is just launching, do your last sweep and prepare to come in,” said Hoshi.

“Copy that Pegasus,” said Lee with a sigh. He could imagine Kara now, sitting in her viper as it was towed into the launch tube and waiting before the g-forces took hold and the viper was thrown out into space.

He landed as her viper began its first sweep around the fleet. He was barely concentrating as the deckhands went through the motions, ticking off his landing checklist without even looking. It wasn’t until he was walking across the deck that he saw his father standing up on the gangway looking down. He climbed up the steep steps quickly and took a position next to him, looking down at the commotion below.

“Laura’s sitting with the kids,” said Adama.

Lee nodded, “are you going to tell me what that meeting was about?”

“I had another complaint from Fisk. You were late to your quarters again last night. I thought I told you two to be more subtle.”

“It’s not quite what you think dad,” replied Lee, still staring down at the deck. “I would’ve been back on time but we had an argument.”

“After Fisk contacted me I expected you two to be behaving differently today.”

“What do you mean?”

“You both seemed distracted. What happened?”

“I proposed,” confessed Lee and he could feel his father turn towards him. “It didn’t go quite to plan, well, I didn’t plan to do it at all.”

“And it shocked her?”

“I don’t think she was too happy that I suggested it as a way of sharing a billet at night.”

“I see,” replied Adama and then turned back to stare at the deck. There was a pause before he spoke again, “did I ever tell you how I proposed to your mother?”

“Erm, no, the only stories you used to tell me were about flying a viper. That story about the cylon war kept me awake at night for months.”

Adama chuckled, “it was a true story. Anyway, we were out for dinner when your mother told me she was three months pregnant with you. My response was “well I suppose we should get married then.””

“What did she say to that?”

“She said yes and that was it.”

“Oh. No offence dad, but that doesn’t really help, Kara didn’t say yes.”

“And you know what happened to us, we got married for the wrong reasons.”

“But I don’t want to get married just so we can share a billet. I love her.”

“And I loved your mother, but I don’t know what she really wanted when she said yes,” he paused. “Try again, but do a better job of it this time.”

Lee laughed, “I don’t think I could do much worse, apart from cuffing her to a viper until she says yes.”

Adama turned to him, “just remember who you’re going to propose to, good luck son.” He then walked away silently, leaving Lee alone on the gangway.

He looked back down at the deck and sighed. He needed to fix this and quickly. Looking down he suddenly had an idea. He sprinted down the steps back to the main deck.

“Hey, Chief,” he shouted out. “Can you do me big favour?”

oooo

Kara was exhausted when she finally got the go ahead to make for home. She wanted nothing more than to see her children on their special day, tuck them in to the little cribs and then try and make some amends with Lee.

She landed with her usual precision and waited as the deckhands slowly attached their equipment to tow her viper in. She pushed her canopy back and pulled off her helmet, which was promptly taken. She wasn’t in the mood for talking to her deckhand and started ticking off her checklist without even glancing up.

The hangar was unusually quiet for 2100 hours. Normally there would be people still milling about everywhere. The silence was eerie.

“Anya, where the frak...” began Kara but as she turned her head there wasn’t a deckhand standing at the top of the ladder. “Lee, what...?” He was standing there, a stupid grin on his face and she felt her heart start to race. She was suddenly very aware that there were only a few crew members around, all of whom were looking over intently at them.

“Kara...”

“Lee,” she warned, really uncertain about what he was going to do.

“I’m not moving until you hear me out,” he said still grinning. “Kara, I love you.” She felt her heart race again and her face started to blush. “And I’m sorry about last night, that wasn’t how I wanted to ask you.”

“It’s fine, really,” she replied and stood up in the cockpit.

Lee held up his hand, “I’m not finished. I don’t want us to have to hide this anymore. I don’t care if everyone here frakking knows it. I’ll scream it out to the entire frakking ship!” His voice was getting louder and Kara eyes opened wider in disbelief.

“Lee, you’re crazy.”

“I don’t care,” he grinned. “KARA THRACE...”

“Lee, sssh!” she shouted out with a wide smile and stepped over the canopy so that she standing only one step away from him. He was embarrassing the frak out of them, but she couldn’t help but love the look of eagerness on his face. “This is beyond insane.”

“And I’ll keep shouting until you agree to marry me.” She didn’t know quite how to respond and she could feel tears pooling in her eyes. “I warned you, KARA THRACE, WILL...”

She darted forward quickly, placing a firm kiss to his lips, her hands cupping his face. When she pulled away he was looking at her intently.

“Is that a yes?”

She kissed him firmly again and then suddenly he lunged forwards hoisting her over his shoulder. Kara couldn’t help the squeal that escaped her lips as he lifted her up off her feet and started to walk down the ladder.

“Frak, Lee, put me down!”

“Nope.”

She struggled briefly as he walked across the deck and then gave up, but then he didn’t put her down when he walked through into the corridors.

“Lee, put me down.”

“No way, I’m getting you back to quarters before you change your mind.”

“I won’t!”

“Not going to take that risk.”

As he walked her through the corridors, many faces turned their way. “Fisk will have our asses for this.”

“I’ll just tell him you fainted.”

“Sure, right, really believable Lee.”

Lee didn’t relent, walking them all the way to the quarters. Meg ducked out quickly, bemused by their entrance and informing them that the kiddies were already asleep, having been exhausted after such a busy day.

Lee lifted her up off his shoulder and dropped her down gently onto the bed. His heart melted as she smiled up at him.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he pulled her up by her arms so she was sitting. “You didn’t just say yes because you were under duress?”

She reached forward and kissed him, “I didn’t actually say yes Lee.” He felt his stomach drop as if he had stepped off a tall building, his face looking forlorn. Kara grinned, “Frak Lee, you’re so easy.”

Lee looked aghast and then quickly pulled her hips forward so she flew back down on the bed with a guffaw. “I’m so going to get you for that.”

“Mmmn? Your face was a picture.”

He lay down next to her, curled up against her side and stroked a finger down her face, over the cheekbone that was flushed as she smiled up at him. “Shall we do it soon?”

“What do you want?”

“I always imagined something small and secluded, just us and close family. Of course when I imagined it, I was back on Caprica and the sun was shining and warm.”

“That sounds just right. It’s the summer season down the planet so we could do it in a few days.”

“I’ll tell dad,” replied Lee and placed a kiss to her lips which she responded to, arching her back off the bed. His hand trailed down the side of her body and over her hip before moving back up again, raising her tanks over her navel. Pulling away from the kiss he moved his lips to her stomach, placing kisses and tracing a line with his tongue.

She gasped in return, arching her back higher and inviting more. “Gods, Lee!”

Sitting up quickly, Kara pushed away Lee’s shirt and bit down gently on his shoulder before removing the shirt completely and then his tanks. Their lips met in a slow caress, their bodies moving closely together. Tearing their clothes asunder they slowly laid down on the bed, their legs entwined as slowly they pleasured each other.

Lee rubbed his thumb firmly across her nub, making her gasp, moving her hips up to meet him.

“I want you, now,” she whispered as shockwaves hit her.

He didn’t need asking twice, rolling them so he was in-between her legs, just hovering above until slowly he entered her. Their rhythm was slow, devouring each other gradually. Bit by bit they moved faster as the pressure grew between them.

Kara let out a moan as she rolled them over, taking a position above, straddling him with a smile. They paused briefly and then slowly and torturously she started to grind her hips against him. He rose up towards her, stroking his hands down the sides of her waist as she moved, their rhythm getting faster and faster until the pleasure washed through them in a wave of ecstasy.

As her body came down from its high, she leant forwards so her lips could reach his in a soft but firm kiss. Their bodies entwined, they fell into a light sleep.

It All Came Tumbling Down (44/?)

ruthkit — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:34:25 GMT

Chapter 44

The observation room seemed so empty without Caroline sitting and watching their guests like she normally did. Tonight it was Ford who sat just watching them from the gloom of the dark room, just sitting there and looking in through the windows.

The reason he was up here at this time of the night was that he couldn’t sleep. For hours he had tossed and turned with various thoughts rushing through his mind until finally he gave up and walked down to the observation room. It had been ages since he had been here. He wished he could blame the absence on being too busy to visit, but in all honesty he had been avoiding Caroline. It wasn’t that he didn’t like seeing her but he was feeling guilty.

The team going up in that ship had been chosen. Everyone on the base had volunteered for the honour and Ford had known for a while that he was going to be one of them. But about a week ago he had found out that Caroline was not going with them and knew she was going to be devastated. The powers that be seemed to think only one scientist was needed on the mission and they had gone with Swanson.

Personally Ford was also apprehensive about the mission, despite his excitement. It would be risky and they were putting a hell of a lot of faith in people they knew next to nothing about, except they had been wiped out by an enemy that was still hunting them down.

He sipped at his mug of coffee savouring the warm bitter taste, holding the liquid in his mouth for as long as possible. And then he heard the noise that seemed to be coming from one of the rooms. It was a low murmuring sound that told him someone wasn’t having a good time, more like a bad dream. He neared the glass and peered through into the rooms individually until he found the source. It was coming from Blondie, who turned over violently in her sleep. This can’t have been her first nightmare because Blue Eyes didn’t stir, even when she jerked up awake holding a hand at her chest.

“What’s wrong with her?” asked a voice from behind him, which made Ford nearly jump a mile.

“Fuck, Swanson? What the hell are you doing up here?”

“Same as you I’d imagine,” replied Swanson as her peered into Blondie’s room. He turned back and obviously saw the puzzlement on Ford’s face. “I couldn’t sleep. The, ah, powers upstairs told me yesterday that I’m going to be on the mission.”

“Scared?”

“On the contrary, I’m so excited I can’t get my brain to shut off.”

They both watched as Blondie carefully slipped out of the bed, placing the duvet back over Blue Eyes before walking to the table and taking a seat. In the dark they could clearly see that her back was covered in sweat and she was visibly shaken. Ford knew she was a very strong person and therefore it must have been a terrifying dream to affect her so much.

Perhaps Caroline’s influence was rubbing off on him, but he couldn’t help walking out of the observation room and into the corridor. There were armed guards on duty so he knew he was safe, despite how unwise what he was doing was. The lights in the corridor were already dimmed. He walked up to Blondie’s door and typed in the security code making the door open up. Her head rose towards him straight away and she scrunched up slightly in the chair. Ford motioned for her to exit, pointing to his mug of coffee as a temptation. She hesitated understandably, glancing quickly over at Blue Eyes before leaving the room. Ford guided her into the observation room, turning on a few of the lights as he went.

“Are you crazy?” asked Swanson, as Ford grabbed a blanket and passed it over to the woman. “We’re just going to let her wander around in here?”

Ford shrugged as he set about making three cups of coffee. “It would help if you set the translator machines up.”

Swanson stared at him incredulously for a moment and then set about turning the equipment on as Ford carried on making the coffee. Blondie just watched them uncertainly, her face wan and she was still shaking. She seemed unsure of what was going on, her body on alert to defend herself. Ford turned to her and smiled warmly, handing her a mug. He was fully aware that giving such a volatile woman a mug of boiling fluid was potentially dangerous, but for some reason he trusted her.

“Thanks,” she said making Ford do a double-take. He had been learning as much of their guest’s language as he possibly could to be ready for the mission, he hadn’t figured they would start learning English themselves.

Blondie stepped away slightly and sat quietly in Caroline’s comfy chair, curling herself into the blanket. She took a sip of coffee from the mug and then looked up at the two men who were staring at her. Ford had already learnt the word “what?!” that escaped her lips.

Swanson pulled out of his trance and continued to hook up the machine, finally pressing a switch. “You’re all set,” he said and then picked up his mug, taking a seat on the edge of one of the tables.

Ford nodded and dragged a chair so he was sitting just in front Blondie. For a few minutes they all seemed to sit silently, just staring at each other in the dimly lit room, until Ford finally spoke. “Are you feeling better?” he asked.

After the translation had finished Blondie took a sip from the mug, “than what?”

“That was a pretty intense nightmare you were having.”

“So you decided to bring me out here for more questioning?” Her brashness made Ford want to react but he stayed calm. “What do you want to know? How frakked up we all are to suffer from nightmares?”

“No,” replied Ford amiably. “I just thought you might need a cup of coffee, but if you would prefer it back in your room...”

Blondie glanced down for a moment, blowing into her coffee before responding in a quieter voice, “I’m fine.”

“It really didn’t look that way to me. Look, I’ve fought as a soldier in two wars. I know the horrors that can affect people in such a way.” Blondie didn’t respond. “Does it have something to do with the scars on your back?”

Silence.

Ford leant back for a moment. “When I was twenty-one I was out on my first tour when my patrol was ambushed. They killed over four of my comrades straight away and then took the rest of us as captives. I was only one of three people to be rescued alive. The nightmares still haunt me.”

Blondie seemed to study him for a moment, as if she was deciding if he was lying or not. Ford had never retold that story to anyone, had never brought it up, but somehow he found it easy to speak to this woman. He reckoned that they probably had a lot in common.

“Lee and I were captured,” she said at last.

“By those cylon things?”

“Yeah,” she sipped her coffee. “They took us on board their ship, making everyone believe we were dead, they even had a frakking funeral.”

“They tortured you?” asked Swanson from his perch.

Blondie turned to the man and nodded making him bow his head slightly.

“How’d you escape?” asked Ford.

“No-one’s been able to work that out,” replied Blondie and then took a larger gulp of the coffee.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the Galactica found the Baseship we were being held on and it was dying. They found me hooked up to one of them, probably the pilot.”

“They can do that?” asked Swanson.

“Apparently, I don’t really know. All I remember is a lot of chaos then nothing,” she said with a shrug. “I woke up from my coma ten weeks later.”

“And they have no idea what happened to you?”

“Nope.”

Ford sensed that she was holding something back, her demeanour guarded. The notion that a human could be hooked up to a computer was incredible and he wondered what else had transpired to bring them here.

Blondie stood up quickly, her body no longer sweating and walked to the glass panels, peering in at her room. Her husband was sitting up on the bed looking evidently worried about the location of his wife. He knocked on the window hard with his hand shouting out “hey.”

“So this is what you lot do all day, just watch us,” said Blondie placing her hand against the glass. “Do you get a kick out of it?”

“It’s not like that,” replied Ford walking up so that he was next to her. “We’ve told you before...”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve never met a person born on another planet before, I get it.”

Swanson had also walked up to them, standing about a metre behind. “Have you found life on any other planets?”

Blondie turned towards the scientist making him step back slightly. “Nope, it’s dead out there.”

The lights in the room brightened making all three of them look over towards the entrance. Standing in the doorway was Caroline looking completely taken aback. She stared for what seemed like ages at Blondie before finally speaking. “What’s going on?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” replied Ford. “Its 4am why are you up?”

“You’re asking me that? Why the frak are you up?”

Ford was incensed he stormed across the room forcefully pointing for her to follow, which she initially ignored. He turned to her, his voice angry, “don’t make me have to give you an order Carry, this is a military establishment and believe me I can.” He didn’t know why he was so angry, his reaction involuntary.

Caroline flushed and stormed out of the room, brushing past him as she went. Ford glanced over at Swanson and Blondie briefly before following in her wake.

oooo

The shock of seeing Ford, Swanson and Blondie standing together in the observation room had overwhelmed Caroline, followed by her intense anger at being shouted at by Ford. He was now dogging her footsteps as she stormed away. All she had wanted to do was wake up and be there when their guests awoke, but they had beaten her to it.

“Will you stop?” shouted out Ford from behind, but Caroline kept moving through the corridors. “Hey.”

“Fuck off, Ford. How could you do that to me?” She was biting back the tears that were starting to pool in her eyes.

“Do what?”

She could sense he was catching up as she stopped at a security door to swipe her access card across the readout. She didn’t have time to walk through the opening door before Ford grabbed her arm and spun her round, their eyes meeting with deep intensity.

“Do what Carry?” repeated Ford.

Caroline forced her arm away, but her eyes still focused upon him. “How could you talk to me like that in front of them?”

“What? Do you really think that woman cares?”

“Yes I do!”

“Why? Explain it to me Carry.”

This time she tore her eyes away and tried to twist away. “You wouldn’t understand.”

She only made it a few steps before her dreams were cruelly torn away.

“You’re not going Carry.”

She understood his meaning instantly and this time she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. For the past three months she had wanted nothing else but to head for the stars and now that dream had been torn away in four harsh words.

Ford’s voice was softer when he finally spoke again. “I’m sorry Carry. Look, I...”

Caroline wiped away the tears that had streaked down her face, with her sleeve. Ford had gone quiet but she was still very aware of his presence behind her. “Swanson?” she asked, but part of her didn’t want to know how close she had been to her dream.

“The powers that be feel he’s more suitable for this mission.”

“Of course he is. I mean, I’ve only been a part of this since that ship crash landed in our back yard, but apparently that means nothing.”

“Of course it doesn’t, it’s just...”

“That I have tits?”

“What? Are you kidding me, it has nothing to do with you being a woman.”

This time Caroline turned to face Ford. She could feel the heat in her cheeks burning through her. In her mind she was convinced that was the reason why. She was too weak to go on the mission. “Just stay away from me John.”

And with that she turned and walked swiftly away, her heart throbbing in her chest.

oooo

Ford’s emotions kept fluctuating between anger and guilt. He was still reeling from Caroline’s accusations and then the disappointment written across her face wouldn’t leave his mind. It was now early afternoon and she had not appeared in the observation room again and no-one knew where she had gone. As much as he tried he couldn’t push her away from the forefront of his mind.

When he had returned to the observation room, Blondie had been returned to her room with another cup of coffee. Swanson had berated him for leaving him alone with the woman, reminding him of her penchant for slamming people’s heads into tables. He had been terrified of her as she started laughing upon Ford and Caroline’s hasty exit, up until she apparently said to him, “and everyone always said Lee and I should just stop kidding ourselves and frak.”

Swanson explained that she had then requested to be taken back to her room and spent the rest of the morning sitting with Blue Eyes, snuggled up against him on the bed.

Now they were being led into Howell’s office. This time they didn’t use any restraints to transfer them, trusting that they would behave, which they did. Ford had seen Blondie glance over at him briefly as they entered the office. It was if she was ashamed of something. Perhaps she hadn’t meant to tell them so much that morning.

Howell sat behind his desk as he addressed them. “We’ve agreed to attempt a mission to your ship.”

After the translation, Blue Eyes responded, “I guessed as much from the work we’ve been doing to fix up the raptor.”

“We’ve also agreed that one of you will pilot the mission along with four people from here as an escort.”

Blue Eyes nodded, “I understand, but for this type of mission we require a minimum of two pilots.” Howell leant back in his chair and sighed. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want your people to be left to fend for themselves if something happens to the only pilot.”

“Okay I concede to your point. We have in mind...”

“Before you say anything, I’ll tell you now that the two pilots will be my wife and Karl Agathon.” Ford saw Blondie turn towards her husband swiftly, clearly shocked.

“You’re not really in a position to be making any demands.”

“We want to go home just as much as you want to get in contact with our people.”

“Lee...” whispered Blondie, but he squeezed her hand softly in response before addressing Howell again.

“There are three children up on our ship who’ve been deprived of both parents for too long.”

Ford watched as Blondie squeezed her husband’s hand tightly. He looked over at Howell and nodded his head to show him he agreed with their guests. They both knew for the sake of establishing a relationship with these people there had to be some compromise.

“So be it,” said Howell. “What will you need?” he added addressing Blondie.

Blondie drew her attention away from her husband and back at Howell. “Nothing, you’ll leave the piloting to us.”

“Then you’ll need to see your team. Ford behind you will be one of them.”

Blondie didn’t turn around like Ford expected so he stepped forward. “I’ll take you down to the ship to meet your team.”

He guided her down to the cargo area of the ship where the mission team was waiting. He also asked for Rugby to be brought up, who arrived shortly afterwards looking a little confused.

“This is your team,” he said indicating the three people who were standing in front of the ship in what could only be described as mechanic’s overalls. “You’ve met Swanson before, he’ll be the scientist for the mission. The Foreign Minister you met before doesn’t consider himself fit for the mission so he’s sent his aide, Greg Langley. And finally we have Squadron Leader Colin Bigsby, also known as “Biggy.” I think you two will get along well, he’s one of our best RAF pilots.”

“Hi,” said Biggy confidently and held out his hand which Blondie took. He shook it firmly which seemed to surprise her. Even though both were military they didn’t greet each other as such.

“What do you fly?” asked Blondie, seemingly interested in finding someone similar.

Biggy seemed a bit confused by the translation computer and took a moment to get his bearings, “Typhoons mainly, but you probably have no idea what that is. It’s a fighter attack jet. I’m looking forward to seeing these vipers you fly.”

“Perhaps my Commander will even let you fly one.”

Biggy’s face lit up at that prospect. “That would be an honour.”

“I guess your birds can’t fly beyond your atmosphere.”

Biggy laughed, “unfortunately not.”

Ford interrupted the pilots as they had to get a lot done in a short space of time. They were running against a clock, knowing that their guest’s ship would only stay in the area for a limited time, if it was still out there.

“Right listen up and listen carefully,” he said. “We’ve agreed to this mission in an attempt to establish relations between our two people. The plan is to leave the Earth’s atmosphere and attempt to establish communications with your ship.”

“What if the Pegasus is not within communication distance?” asked Blondie.

“We understand that your ship has the capability of making a faster than light jump.”

Blondie nodded, “how long can we stay out there before we’re expected back?”

“If we find your ship and communicate back to Earth successfully then 28 days, but we only have six hours before we’re expected to establish that communication. Is the faster than light systems working?”

“Should be, but we’ll soon find out if it’s not.”

Her words weren’t very comforting. “Right, over to you then.”

“To what?” asked Blondie looking confused.

“To tell us what you need us to do on this mission.”

“Frak all, and that goes for all of you. No-one is to touch or do anything without permission is that clear?” The four of them murmured in response. “Is that frakking clear!?” she shouted commanding their full attention. This time they replied “yes” with conviction. “Good, because this ship is like nothing you’ve ever flown in before. You don’t know its workings and you don’t know how any of the controls work. One wrong move and you could emergency jettison the hatch and that would really frak us up good.”

“Trust me when I say none of us will touch anything.”

“We’re far from trusting each other don’t you think?”

Ford smiled briefly, “perhaps, but then you can understand the big leap of faith we’re taking here too.”

Blondie shrugged and continued shouting out orders at them as if she was instructing a bunch of cadets. Rugby just stood by with arms crossed, quietly laughing to himself. He evidently had seen Blondie perform this kind of spiel before and Ford wondered if she had indeed drilled cadets before.

He looked up briefly to see if Caroline was watching from above like she usually did, hoping to see her standing there angelically like normal, but today the gangway was empty. His stomach dropped again from the guilt, remembering the crushed look that had shown across her face. Looking at the people who were going on this mission, Ford could concede to her point. They were all men between the ages of 25-35, two of whom were military trained.

Ford sighed and whispered under his breath, “It should have been you Carry.”

oooo

The following day was spent conducting tests and drills and the excitement in the base was growing by the minute. It was now early in the morning with only six hours left before “blast off” as Ford liked to call it. He hadn’t even attempted to try and sleep, the butterflies turning somersaults in his stomach. He had never been as nervous as this before in his life, despite everything he had experienced. This feeling was more of a nervous excitement, an itching to get on that ship and out to the stars.

The training and drills had gone well. Blondie had taken the lead with everything, talking them through emergency procedures and the basics of space flight. It seemed pretty simple and had evidently been a common mode of transport in their Colonies. What she did spend a long time explaining was what she called their FTL drive. Apparently the effects could make your body feel as if it was being compressed inwards and could cause disorientation, but she did assure them that she was used to the effects.

Through his inability to sleep, Ford had wandered to the observation room. The doors were shut, but from tonight they were no longer locked. He sat alone watching through the glass for the last time. As of tomorrow he would be amongst their people, no longer just the observer, but a stranger in another world. He wondered what they were like, if he would be locked up and studied or merely accepted. The possibilities were endless.

He looked on through the glass with longing, the look on Caroline’s face still playing over and over in his mind as he watched. No-one seemed to be able to sleep tonight. Brunette and Legs had been laughing and joking about flights they had taken together. Rugby and the robot had been quiet, just curled up together on the bed. Blondie and Blue Eyes were also curled up together on the bed, just holding each other and talking quietly.

“You be careful out there,” said Blue Eyes gently stroking back the hair from his wife’s cheek.

Blondie smiled, “my taste for heroics wore off a long time ago Lee.”

“Promise me Kara.”

She sat up and placed a kiss to his lips, “I love you Lee and I promise I won’t do anything crazy.”

“And no retina detaching moves either,” replied Blue Eyes with a smile.

“Aw, and I was planning to barrel roll my way out of the atmos.”

“Kara,” stated Blue Eyes only half seriously. “I expect a text book perfect take off and flight.”

Blondie knelt in front of him and saluted, pulling a silly grin, “yes sir.”

Blue Eyes laughed and sprung forwards, grabbing and pulling his wife’s legs so that she fell back onto the bed with a loud guffaw. He then lowered himself between her legs, placing a kiss to her forehead. “Hug them for me.”

Blondie’s face turned serious, “of course.”

Their kisses then deepened, making Ford feel as if he was intruding. He stood up from his chair and turned to leave. Standing in the doorway was Caroline, stopping him dead in his tracks and making the breath catch in his throat.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked softly.

“Can’t get my mind to switch off so I came here.”

“Did it help?”

In the glow of the dimmed light, Ford thought he had never seen Caroline looking so serene. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she had removed her usual doctor’s jacket. The most beautiful he had seen her was out in the snow as their guests played, her cheeks glowing from the cold.

“A bit,” he said at last. “But they make me realise I’m missing something in my life.”

“And what’s that?”

“Look at them, through all they’ve been through they’re still united, still in love with each other.”

“Now you know why I spend so much time here.”

She was looking at him intently, her eyes boring through to his soul. Ford felt his heart clench in his chest when he realised he wouldn’t see Caroline’s face or see her smile for four weeks, or worse, never again. He found himself stepping nearer and nearer until he could reach out and stroke her cheek with his hand. She didn’t move away, her eyes staring into his as he leant in and placed a soft kiss to her lips.

She deepened the kiss, their tongues entwining and Ford wished this moment would never end. Gently she pushed him back into the room, kissing their way until they were laid out on the floor.

“Am I what you really want?” asked Caroline softly as she lay above him.

Ford placed a kiss to the tip of her nose and then rolled them so her back was on the floor. Kneeling above her he slowly unbuttoned her blouse as Caroline looked up at him with a smile. Folding aside the cloth he stroked a hand down her chest and to her stomach before she rose up to meet his lips, undoing the buttons on his shirt. They slowly kissed as they pushed their clothing away from their shoulders.

The moan escaped from Caroline’s lips as Ford placed a soft kiss to her collarbone, pushing aside her bra strap. Quickly he reached a hand up to the table and pressed the remote that shut the doors to give them some privacy before caressing his tongue down her chest.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” he said in between kisses.

Caroline focused her eyes upon him as she reached behind her, undoing the clasp on her bra and dropping it to the floor. Ford stroked his hands up the curve in her hips and the side of her breasts, flicking a thumb across her nipples. He had never been more nervous with a woman, had never cared enough about anyone to want to make it special. He laid her down on top of the discarded clothing and stroked a hand down her stomach and unbuttoned her trousers, pulling them down. “You’re so beautiful,” he smiled and placed a kiss to her stomach.

“It’s about time you noticed,” she replied with a smile.

“I’ve always noticed, believe me Carry.”

She curled a leg around him, pulling him in closer and unzipped his fly. They kissed and caressed, taking in as much of each as possible and fixing it in their minds, memorising every curve, every moan until finally Ford lay above her between her legs, their naked bodies flush together. Caroline raised her knee, stroking a foot lovingly up his thigh as he stroked back her hair before placing another kiss to her lips and entering her slowly.

Their pace was gentle, savouring each moment as he moved inside of her, kissing his way along her jaw line. Each movement was ecstasy. Gradually his pace quickened and the heat bubbled inside until he heard her soft moan, followed by a gentle convulse which pushed him over the edge. He held himself within her, their foreheads touching as they waited to catch their breath, their flesh clammy from the heat of their bodies.

As much as he wanted to stay in this position forever, Ford eventually rolled to the side. They laid together, their bodies entwined upon the discarded clothing and awaited the morning that would split them apart.

oooo

The morning air was crisp from the cold as the ship was towed outside into the outer enclosure of the base. No-one had slept that night, all in quiet contemplation of this moment.

Caroline had wrapped herself up in a thick coat, her arms wrapped around her to keep in the warmth. She couldn’t stop smiling inside as she remembered the feel of Ford’s body against hers, but now she was losing him and a dark shadow lingered in the back of her mind, telling her she might never get to see him again. It was that thought which made the tears want to trickle down her cheeks.

She felt a presence beside her, but it wasn’t her Ford. Turning her head to the side she saw Blue Eyes standing there, also wrapped in a thick coat and staring on at the ship. He turned to her and nodded his head. Words didn’t need to be exchanged between them, they understood each other completely.

They were the ones being left behind.

Various scientists and members of staff walked back and forth with boxes of equipment and translator machines, loading up the ship in readiness for the journey. They all then stood to the side along with everyone else from the base to watch history unfold.

From inside the base, Blondie suddenly exited closely followed by Rugby and a guard. He was wearing Leg’s suit and looked to be uncomfortable with the helmet under his arm. Blondie was dressed in overalls which were bright blue. They were closely followed by the rest of their crew. Ford and Biggy looked quietly confident, but Swanson looked nervous and Greg Langley looked ready to throw up.

They didn’t have the capacity or the space to equip each person with a full spacesuit, but their guests had assured them it would not be necessary. Test after test had been performed on the ship and it was ready.

Blondie walked up to Blue Eyes as they approached the ship. Caroline could see the anguish in her face as her husband stroked back her hair and placed a kiss to her forehead. Her heart lurched when Ford walked past, their eyes meeting in a long gaze. Her head felt suddenly heavy and her body numbed as he had to turn away and walked onto the ship, the hatch door closing slowly afterwards.

There was a pause that seemed endless and then the ship came to life, slowly lifting off the ground making Caroline shield her face from the dust that blew up into the air, the sound deafening. And then it turned above them, the boom of the thrusters resounding through the base as quickly it flew away, up and into the clouds.

For ages she just stood there, watching the skies with Blue Eyes next to her, knowing that all she could do now was sit and wait.

It All Came Tumbling Down (43/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:14:17 GMT

Chapter 43

Kara had no idea how long she had been unconscious for as she awoke in another cell on the floor. She was no longer with the others and her hands were now cuffed behind her back. She remembered seeing Zarek standing in front of her, waiting for him to make his move before the blow came to the back of her head, then everything went dark. Now she had a splitting headache, but she couldn’t reach up to see if there was a bump or worse blood.

She cursed herself for being too impulsive. She should have waited until she had more of a plan, but then again there had been too much uncertainty to formulate a good plan. Now at least she knew a bit more of the layout of the Astral Queen, even if she didn’t know exactly where she was now. And, despite the cot being removed from the cell, she would probably sleep easier without Baltar’s incessant talking.

She managed to shuffle uncomfortably onto her side into a position so her arms stopped falling asleep and curled up into a slight ball. But her arms began to tingle anyway as she fell into an uncomfortable and restless sleep only to be awoken a couple of hours later by a loud bang against the door to her cell. Kara jolted, pushing herself up and turned towards the cell door.

Zarek was standing in the now open door and staring down at her.

Shuffling to a sitting position Kara glared back at him. Her head was still throbbing and she could feel dried blood sticking to her skin above her lip. A dull burning throbbed through her nose and she knew she must look a state.

“What the frak do you want?” she said after a few moments of staring him down.

“I told you that I had no desire to hurt any of you, but then you went and tried to escape.”

“And I was really going to trust the word of a convicted terrorist whose method of spreading his message usually involves blowing up buildings.”

Zarek blinked slowly, a slight smile forming on his lips before he responded. “Sometimes people have to be sacrificed for the greater good.”

“Yeah, everyone else except you huh?”

“I’ve been fighting for people’s rights before you were even born.” Kara rolled her eyes, readjusting her hands behind her back. It would be possible to free herself from the cuffs and strangle the idiot that stood before her, but the chance of getting killed soon afterwards was too high. “I’m a freedom...”

“I know exactly what you think you are, I read your book in college.” Zarek looked taken aback. “What? Surprised that a hot-shot pilot like me went to college?”

“I’m a little surprised you can even read.” She didn’t rise to the bait, knowing that he was trying to rile her up. “And what did you think of my book?”

“That it was the biggest pile of self-righteous crap I’ve ever read.”

“Really? Most people admire me for it.”

“Well most people are idiots.”

“One of those people was Major Adama.”

“Was that before or after you held him hostage?” Kara smiled bitterly, “look I’ve seen what’s left behind because of your actions. My mother was stationed on Sagittaron for nine months when I was a kid to help repair your damage. If you really want to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, join the Colonial fleet, actually put your ass on the line for once.”

Zarek nodded, not in agreement but mere acknowledgement. “Well I’m afraid it’s your ass on the line for now. I’m sorry.”

Kara scowled as he stepped outside the cell and nodded to the two marines who had been on the raptor. She recognised them but couldn’t bring their names to her mind. She began to struggle immediately as they approached, swinging out her leg to the back of the nearest marine’s knee making him buckle. But with no hands or arms to steady herself, the marines quickly subdued her, hoisting her up to standing and pulling her out of the cell.

Zarek was now standing in the corridor with a roll of tape in his hand, tearing off a strip with a loud ripping sound. One of the marines grabbed her by the hair, tilting her head back slightly as Zarek walked over and placed the tape across her mouth.

“It’s time to say hello to the boyfriend,” he said.

Kara barely had the chance to frown before the hood went over her head, plunging her into darkness.

oooo

No matter how hard he tried, Lee hadn’t slept at all that night. He had ended up sitting on the small sofa just watching Lena and Joseph as they slept in a cot together. He hadn’t told them where their mother really was, not that they would have understood anyway.

All night he had pondered the words of his father over and over again. He was right, they had lost perspective. If they had been paying attention they may have noticed what was going on amongst their crew, discovered the feelings of mutiny that had spread like a plague.

He smiled warmly as he walked up to the cot and peered inside at their children. He couldn’t have wished for more. He would never change anything that he had shared with Kara over the past few weeks, but he knew things had to change. They needed to learn some discretion. If their relationship was ever going to survive then they would need to keep completely professional whilst on duty.

It was looking at Lena and Joseph that stopped him from stealing the Blackbird and risking a suicide mission to the Astral Queen. He wouldn’t risk leaving them without parents because he was too damn impulsive. Kara would probably kick his ass too if he tried, she was adept at looking after herself and would not impressed by any of his attempts at heroics.

A knock at the hatch door pulled him away from his reverie. Frowning he walked over and opened it up with a loud clunk, forgetting that the doors on the Galactica were heavy and definitely louder. He was shocked to see a very pregnant Cally on the other side with a grin on her face.

“Morning Sir.”

She looked enormous, and with her small frame Lee was concerned she was about to topple forwards. He had heard she and the Chief had requested to leave for New Caprica, which had been denied. “Cally, morning, what can I do for you?”

“The Admiral sent me to babysit so you could go to the CIC stat.”

“Right,” said Lee. Nice of him to call first.

“He said it was urgent.”

Lee felt the slight panic radiating through his body. Urgent attendance in the CIC was rarely a good thing. Luckily he was already dressed. “Thanks Cally,” he said grabbing his duty blues jacket and dashing out of the door. He ran down the corridor to the CIC seeing immediately that the room was a hive of activity. He peered through the crowds looking for his father, finally finding him in the small adjoining room. He was surprised to see Laura Roslin standing next to him.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Zarek just sent over a transmission,” replied Adama, his forehead rumpled, which told Lee he was a mixture of concern and anger.

“What did he say?”

“Not much, just that he would be sending over a video transmission in 10 minutes. There’s two minutes left.”

Lee nodded, he turned to Laura wondering what she was doing here.

“The Quorum has turned to me,” she said as if she was reading his mind. “They have no leader at the moment so they’ve come to me for advice on what to do.”

“Well this wouldn’t have happened at all if you were still President.”

Laura smiled, “perhaps, but I believe Zarek was just waiting for an excuse to launch a coup. Baltar’s ineffectiveness as President is just one of them, especially when he was pushed out from acting as the Vice President. He preys upon disquiet.”

Laura had obviously been giving this some thought. “So what is the Quorum saying?”

“Many are wondering whether or not the fleet would be better off without Baltar.”

Lee sighed, “surely they’re aware that Zarek has two other hostages, one of them the Caprican representative?”

Adama interrupted, “I will not have a terrorist dictating the future of this fleet. We will get all three back alive. Do we have a plan ready yet?”

“Only one full of holes sir,” admitted Lee. They had all been working on it until late into the night but they had failed to come up with something plausible. What they had really lacked was some of Starbuck’s out of the box thinking.

Adama nodded, “keep on it.”

The crackling sound of static broke through their chatter and echoed around the room. Everyone drew their attention towards the monitor at the side of the room. Since the end of the attacks it had been seldom used and before that it had only been used when receiving messages from Picon headquarters. Now all they could see was an open room which Lee recognised to be part of the Astral Queen, where, he didn’t quite know. The silence was tense before they could hear quick shuffling footsteps coming closer.

They held their composure as a person dressed in a suit with a black hood over his head was dragged by the arms in front of the camera and forced down onto his knees. He wasn’t alone for long and Lee felt his stomach drop as a female figure, unmistakably in a Colonial Fleet uniform with a hood over her head, was also dragged in front of the camera. Her hands were cuffed behind her back and she was thrown roughly to the floor, landing in a heap before being forced back up to a kneeling position.

“Zarek?” said Adama with a boom.

There was another crackle before the voice of the man himself came over the comm system. “Good morning Admiral.”

“What are you doing Zarek?”

“I thought you would like to see two of my guests.”

“I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, I will not negotiate with a terrorist.”

Zarek laughed slightly, “we’ll see.”

There was a pause and then the hoods were lifted from the “guests” heads. As they expected, it was Billy and Kara kneeling there, the latter looking as if she had been through a battle of her own. There was mottled blood under her nose and what appeared to be a bruise on her cheek. She was also the only one who had tape covering her mouth. Lee could guess what had happened, imagined that typically Kara had tried to escape but had been evidently unsuccessful.

Adama frowned, “I’m well aware of whom you have on your ship Zarek, but my position hasn’t changed.”

Lee couldn’t hold back any longer, whispering into his father’s ear, “he’ll kill her dad, you need to do something.” He got a pat on the arm as a response, which wasn’t very comforting.

Zarek spoke again, “well I’ll make it easy for you.” A few moments later the guards stepped forward swiftly and grabbed Billy and Kara under the arms dragging them backwards through a hatch which was opening behind them. The struggled as they were dragged before being dumped unceremoniously to the deck. The guards then stepped back as the hatch doors shut tight and then a beeping noise sounded. “The airlock has been set for a slow vent. I reckon they have about thirty minutes of air left and forty minutes until the outer doors are fully opened.”

Adama glanced at Lee briefly, saying in a low voice so only he could hear, “sometimes you have to roll a hard six.” Lee frowned as his father turned back to the monitor, “then I give you thirty minutes to back down and release your hostages before the Galactica destroys your ship.” He indicated to Gaeta who then cut the transmission. “Start making a slow course headed for the Astral Queen and set condition two around the ship.”

“Dad, you can’t...” began Lee. “You’d seriously consider killing Kara?”

“This isn’t just about her son,” said Adama looking pained. “Being in command sometimes means having to make the most difficult decisions and sacrifices.”

“What did you mean...?”

“It means that in thirty minutes this situation will be resolved one way or the other.”

Lee stared at the now blank monitor, hoping that his father was bluffing or that Kara could pull something out of the hat within the next thirty minutes.

oooo

She could already feel the cold seeping through her and she knew immediately that she was in an airlock. If she could imagine Zarek’s plan correctly, then he was making her and Billy slowly suffocate to death. Admittedly, Kara had thought of better ways to go out.

She pushed herself up to a sitting position, seeing Billy next to her looking downtrodden. Frustrated she gave him a swift kick to wake him up, gesturing her head towards him. Thankfully he seemed to get the hint quickly and removed the tape from her mouth, which stung like hell.

“You okay?” she asked, even though she was the one who had obviously been beaten up.

“As well as I could be considering.”

Kara looked around the airlock. The internal controls had probably been overridden so there was no chance of getting out. Except via the back exit and that wasn’t really an option. She struggled with her cuffs, which had made her wrists sore and bruised. “Frak.”

“What is it?”

“We don’t have long,” she replied, trying to formulate some kind of plan.

“Are they really going to kill us like this?” asked Billy, hugging himself to keep in the warmth.

“I wouldn’t put it past Zarek, but then again it would’ve been easier to just put a bullet between our eyes.”

“That’s not very comforting.”

“Hey, I’m not going to sugar coat it for you, we’re pretty frakked right at this moment.” The last thing she needed was a liability clinging to her for comfort. She sat trying to gauge Zarek’s plan. It was weird, when he visited her in the cell he hadn’t come across as wanting to kill them all, just use them as leverage. She glanced around, noticing that there were no cameras inside the airlock. “You’re not squeamish are you?”

“Not really, why?” asked Billy, looking at her earnestly.

Kara shuffled where she sat and took some deep breaths. She had wanted to avoid this scenario, but her options were running out. Taking a few more deep breaths she grabbed her left thumb with her right hand.

*Snap*

The crippling pain resonated through her entire hand and up her arm making her feel nauseous and slightly faint.

“What was that?” asked Billy looking at her intently. “You’ve gone really pale.”

“Shut up,” gasped Kara as she fumbled with her cuffs, each even slight movement agonising. Finally she managed to free her left hand from the cuff. Rolling her shoulders she cradled her injured hand, the cuffs still hanging off her right wrist.

“How’d you manage that?” asked Billy.

“How’d you frakking think?” winced Kara. She hadn’t done this since she was a teenager, a time she wished she could forget. Gripping her broken thumb with her right hand the pain gripped through her again as she snapped it back into place. Spots danced in front of her eyes and she found herself falling backwards before jolting back again, alert.

Billy’s face seemed to have gone paler than hers and he was going slightly green. “I can’t believe...Are you okay?”

“Frakking fantastic,” she replied and pushed herself up to standing and walked over to the control panel. The room was now starting to get very cold and the air was feeling thinner. She remembered back to her training when her class had been required to perform simple tasks with minimal oxygen. She had played triad with Helo and couldn’t stop guffawing throughout the entire exercise. Now was different and she had to concentrate fully as she looked at the panel. The last thing she wanted to do was accidently press the open airlock button when trying to turn off the override. Really she had no idea what she was doing, but it was worth a shot.

The sound of the inner hatch doors opening drew her attention quickly away from the panel as the fresh air whooshed in and she could breathe properly again. Stepping back from the hatch Kara drew her hands behind her back as she was still in the cuffs, clenching her right hand around the metal to form a makeshift knuckleduster. She didn’t think she had managed to open the doors, so it must have come from the other side and that meant something had changed.

Sykes walked in flanked by other guards and was staring right at her. They were all armed, with their weapons aimed right at them.

“Decided not to suffocate us to death after all?” she said with a sneer.

“For some reason the boss has had a change of heart,” replied Sykes getting closer. “Something to do with the old man threatening to blow up the ship.”

“That’s Admiral Adama to you Sykes.”

“He wasn’t half the person that Cain was, he doesn’t deserve the title.”

Kara clenched the handcuff tighter in her right hand and flexed the other to try and get the movement back. “As if anyone would really listen to a pilot who barely passed basic flight.”

“You’re the one who trained me Starbuck,” he replied, emphasising the last word with a bite.

Kara twisted her head to the side and smiled, “hmmm and I wanted to fail you before the final test but I was overruled.”

Sykes stepped up into her face, trying to stare her down. “Because Starbuck knows all of course,” he said disingenuously. “What was it you made us call you...God?”

“There is one thing that I can’t seem to work out,” replied Kara unflinchingly, tightening the cuff around her hand even more and motioning with her other hand, telling Billy to stay down.

“Oh really, and what couldn’t the great Starbuck work out?”

“Why you killed Ensign Pittman.” She saw his face falter at hearing the woman’s name. For the past few hours she had been piecing things together, joining the dots. Ensign Pittman and Sykes had been friends, spending a lot of their time together in the Mess. She and Lee weren’t the only ones who had created rumours on the ship. Trying to push him further, she pressed on, “what happened, did she find out what you’re planning or were you so frakking stupid that you thought she’d understand?”

His eyes faltered again, glancing away momentarily from her accusing gaze. The moment was enough, swinging her cuffed hand up, Kara connected sharply with Sykes’ nose making him jerk backwards. Biting through the pain in her thumb she simultaneously grabbed his armed hand, twisting it violently and snapping the bone, making him scream out in agony. The other guards had no time to react as she raised his injured hand, crushing his finger onto the trigger and taking out the nearest guard. Pulling the squealing Sykes towards her with her free arm, she used him as a shield as she snapped his wrist around again, shooting the second guard down before twisting the gun fully out of his hand.

The last guard was already shouting for her to lower her gun, aiming his own weapon. Kara held Sykes firmly to her, ignoring his whimpers as she squared off with the scared looking guard.

“You broke my frakking arm,” wailed Sykes, his voice high pitched.

Keeping her eyes firmly on the guard, she squeezed her arm tighter around Sykes’ neck, telling him to shut up. She had the upper hand, a clear shot with another shielding her and she wasn’t about to back down, her face daring the guard to try and make the first move.

“Drop it,” said the guard, his voice wavering.

“He’s all yours Billy,” she replied.

The unfortunate guard barely had time to glance down before Kara planted a single round to his head, sending him sprawling dead to the floor.

“You bitch,” squeaked Sykes.

“I’m going to make sure you pay for Pittman’s death,” she whispered into his ear before striking him hard to the side of the head with the gun. Her assault had lasted less than a minute, but the silence filled the airlock as if it had been silent for hours. Turning around, Kara looked down at Billy who was frozen to the spot, looking at the scene of destruction. “Next time actually go for the gun.”

“I...I...”

“On second thought maybe not.” She held up her gun, aiming it towards the open hatch as she crouched down by each of the guards, taking their weapons in turn. “Think you can use one of these?” she asked turning back to Billy again and holding out one of the guns to him.

The former President’s aide looked up at her before standing to his feet and taking it from her. “Do you have a plan?”

“It’s pretty simple, get off the ship and shoot anyone who gets in the way.” She paced carefully to the edge of the hatch door, the gun held down as she peered round into the room. It was empty, the former occupants now lying either dead or unconscious in the airlock. She edged around the door with the gun raised, scoping the dynamics of the room.

“What if the Admiral decides to blow up the ship?” asked Billy as he followed her.

The former President’s aide was sweet, but he sure was irritating. Kara needed to concentrate on getting out of this tin can and didn’t need some kid holding her back. “He won’t. Keep a look out,” she ordered and walked up to the nearest consol. Billy seemed slow to respond until she turned and nodded him over to the exit door, rolling her eyes as she went back to the consol. She cursed as she began flipping a few buttons on what she hoped was the communication controls, but the systems on this ship were very different from a Battlestar. She knew the comm had to work though because Zarek has transmitted a message to the Galactica only about fifteen minutes before.

“I think I hear someone coming,” whispered Billy, his gun aimed out of the door.

oooo

Lee couldn’t stop looking at his watch as the seconds ticked by agonisingly slowly. He wasn’t sure if his father was bluffing or not, but he did know that the Galactica was getting closer and closer to the Astral Queen by the minute. It was killing him to think of Kara slowly suffocating in that airlock, gasping for breath in the cold.

If he ever saw Zarek again he would squeeze the life out of him.

The crackle of the comm system echoed through the CIC making Lee glance up quickly towards his father whose brow was wrinkled in concern. Perhaps Zarek was calling to say he had given up. The crackle then went dead to everyone’s disappointment, followed shortly by the crackling sound again.

Lee’s heart raced as suddenly through the static he heard Kara’s blunt voice powering through. “Well if you see someone, frakking shoot them.” There was a knocking sound which he imagined was Kara hitting the comm system, not realising that she had already made it work.

Adama picked up his communicator phone, speaking strongly, “Starbuck, this is Galactica do you copy?”

The sudden sound of gunfire echoed throughout the room before the line went dead again.

“Starbuck?!” yelled Adama.

Lee didn’t wait for the order that Adama shouted at his fleeing back as he ran out of the CIC, sprinting down to the hangar deck. He stopped marines in his wake, ordering them to follow until at last he found Chief Tyrol.

“Tyrol, I need a raptor ready stat,” he shouted.

“The old man beat you to it. I have two being prepped now.”

As the raptors were being dragged out Lee ran to the arms locker, donning body armour, helmet and grabbing a gun before running straight onto the raptor. He took a seat at the front next to Racetrack who was piloting. The launch was swift, bypassing the usual protocol and they were out into the vacuum of space within minutes. Fortunately the Galactica had neared the gap so the Astral Queen was straight ahead.

“Punch it in hard,” said Lee to Racetrack.

“I’m going as fast as we can sir,” she replied.

“Bullshit, I could get out and push us faster.”

“Do you want us crash and burn in the hangar sir?” she replied more irate this time.

“I don’t give a frak, just get us there.”

He ignored whatever she muttered under her breath, keeping his eyes peeled on his target, willing the raptor to go faster.

It was the hardest landing he had ever experienced, the raptor jarring on impact. Immediately Lee jumped up from his chair, following the other marines as they exited with guns raised. The other raptor landed soon after them just as hard and more marines disembarked followed by Kat and Hotdog. Lee signalled to them, directing them over to the other side of the hangar.

They were swift and precise as they moved through the ship, meeting little resistance that they couldn’t dispel of quickly. A few had made them dive for cover before they were taken out. Lee found himself entering the main hall where the majority of cells were held. He signalled to two marines to cover them from the upper level and carried on along the middle row of cells, his gun raised. The sound of gunfire echoed through the room as his team took out any resistance.

He could hear the sound of Baltar’s voice before he reached his cell. He was shouting out asking what the frak was going on. As Lee neared he signalled to the marine behind him for some bolt cutters.

“Major Adama, thank the Gods it’s you,” whined Baltar as Lee stood in front of the cell door, cutters in hand.

Lee looked at lock. There was no way to cut through it and it would take ages to cut through the metal mesh that made up the cell walls. “Please tell me we shot someone who has the keys,” he said to the marine next to him.

“I’ll ask sir,” replied the marine and ran off down the corridor.

“Why has it taken you so long to get here?” asked Baltar as Lee started to try and cut at the wires anyway. He gave the President a long stare to shut him up.

He heard the marine returning a few minutes later at a jogging pace. “I’ve got a key sir,” he said and opened the door.

As much as Lee wanted to help in the search for Kara, he had to get the President out of there and fast. Grabbing him by the arm he frogmarched him out of the cell, ignoring his protests, and guided him down the row of cells quickly with his gun raised until they reached the hangar deck. He shoved him on board the raptor quickly, pushing him to the back.

Lee made to exit the raptor again but Racetrack’s raised voice stopped him, “where are you going sir?”

“To search for the others,” he replied as if it was obvious.

“You can’t leave me,” added Baltar as he sat himself in the corner of the raptor.

“Sir, we have to get him out of here stat,” said Racetrack. “I shouldn’t take him by myself in case there’s resistance.” Lee was torn, he wanted to find Kara and make sure she was alright, but the sound of gunfire echoing around the ship told him he needed to get Baltar out of there. “Sir, we have to go. Now!”

Lee nodded and pressed the button to close the hatch, “take us out Racetrack.”

oooo

Kara had to give Billy some credit. He had taken out two guards that had come running to the airlock. It was a pity that his gun had then jammed, so she had taken out the other three who had followed.

She had no idea where they were going exactly as they travelled down the maze of corridors for what seemed like hours. Being hit on the head and blindfolded had turned her sense of direction around and she no idea where Baltar was being held or where the main hangar deck was. They were also vastly outnumbered and she had needed to duck back on numerous occasions to avoid getting shot.

As they entered another room she could suddenly hear the sound of distant gunfire resounding through the ship. They weren’t alone anymore.

“You still with me Billy?” asked Kara before they rounded another corner.

“Is that gunfire I can hear?”

“Yep, the Galactica might have gotten my message after all. Come on.”

The sound of gunfire acted as a guide, letting them know in which direction they needed to go. Using caution she paused at one corner, signalling to Billy to get down. There was a voice and it was getting closer and closer. Kara stood flush to the wall, the gun held up against the approaching intruders, her body on edge. Her reactions were quick; shooting up at the ceiling when she released it was Kat rounding the corner just as she pulled the trigger. The woman’s reflexes kicked in and she spun round immediately aiming her gun at Kara, but Hotdog knocked her arm away just in time as she pulled the trigger.

“Frak Kat it’s me,” said Kara, her gun still held up to the ceiling.

“Sorry sir,” replied Kat.

“Have you found Baltar?”

“Apollo’s team is heading that way.”

“Lee here?” asked Kara, wanting nothing more than to see him. “Get Billy out of here to the raptor and I’ll head towards Baltar.”

Kat shook her head, “I’m under orders from the Admiral to get you out of here straight away.”

Kara wanted to protest but she knew she had to keep her head. Nodding she followed Kat down the corridors, recognising some of the areas from her previous visit. They ran through the cargo area where she had fled before and the main hangar deck was indeed at the end through a large set of doors. They arrived just in time to see one of the raptors starting its engines to leave.

Kara and Billy were hauled onto the raptor, the hatch door shutting straight after. There was a pause as the other raptor took off first.

“Who’s on that raptor?” asked Kara, hoping that it was Lee and she wasn’t leaving him behind.

“Baltar and Apollo with Racetrack piloting,” replied Kat from up at the front.

Kara had sat herself down in one of the passenger seats, her head leant back in relief. It had been a very long twenty four hours, which were all starting to catch up with her at once. The exhaustion was hitting in as the adrenalin wore off and her body ached, most of all her left hand which had swollen painfully. She longed to see Lee, to have him hold her in his arms. Closing her eyes she willed the raptor to go faster, smiling when finally they hit the deck.

She was the first to step out of the raptor when it landed and walked down the wing. She ignored the medics who came to offer her aid and walked across the deck in search of Lee’s raptor. Finally she clocked him and not caring who was watching she smiled as she walked right into his arms. Their embrace was warm and deep, leaving no-one who was watching in any doubt that they were together.

Leaning into her neck Lee whispered, “I missed you.”

The tears pooled slightly in Kara’s eyes and she smiled into his shoulder, “I love you.”

Lee moved back slightly so they could see each other, stroking her hair back softly before placing a kiss to her brow. “I love you too.”

From up above Adama looked down at his son and Kara with Laura at his side, a smile forming on his face.

AN: I would like to thank everyone for all the support throughout this story. As you could probably tell, I’ve been finding it more difficult recently to post regularly and I apologise for that. Work has been crazy the past few months and I barely have time to eat let alone write. Even though I still have many ideas I’m not sure how much longer I can keep going with it, but I am determined to finish. Thanks again

It All Came Tumbling Down (42/?)

ruthkit — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 15:19:25 GMT

Chapter 42

The Astral Queen loomed ahead, unwelcoming and somewhat sinister looking as it orbited New Caprica. Kara laced her fingers behind her head, staring down the barrel of Sykes’ gun. She wasn’t afraid, but she was pissed off, her displeasure written across her face.

“Sykes...”

He flexed his gun, “shut the frak up Starbuck and move to the back.”

“How about you remove that gun from my face first?”

He chuckled slightly, “nice try.”

Kara glared at him, cursing him with her eyes, when suddenly a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her forcefully out of the chair and through the gap to the back. The motion was so quick and so strong that she lost her footing between the seats, stumbling as the marine shoved her over towards Baltar and Billy. The former was complaining, demanding that Zarek tell him what he was doing.

The Vice President motioned for them to sit, “please, we have no intention of harming any of you. This should be a temporary situation and I ask that you remain calm.”

Kara looked on, her fingers still laced behind her head, glaring at Zarek as one of the marines patted her down, removing her holstered gun and the knife she always strapped around her ankle. She was all too aware of the many rifles aimed at the back of her head.

She watched as Baltar asked Zarek what he was planning to do only to be made to sit on the floor facing the wall whilst one of the marines yanked Billy’s arm and made him do the same, which he did without question. Kara stood stoic. She glared at the Vice President, her annoyance still evident across her face. She seemed to unnerve him slightly, despite his being armed and protected by two marines.

“You too,” he said calmly, flexing his gun slightly.

“You may want to check the safety on that,” she replied making him retract the gun to take a look. Seeing that the safety was already off he quickly aimed it again making her smirk as she turned to sit with her other captors and face the wall. As she suspected Zarek was a weak man, always making his minions do all the dirty work, really he was an amateur.

Baltar’s breathing seemed to be quickening slightly as he turned his head slightly towards her, “it may be an idea if you didn’t wind up the people with the guns.”

Kara breathed out heavily and rolled her eyes. Ignoring what was going on behind her as their captors conspired together, she pondered her own situation. How the frak had she missed what was going on? There had been clues in the past few weeks. Members of the Pegasus’ crew had been constantly restless, people murdered and mysterious Mess room brawls. But she had been too wrapped up in her own happiness to notice, not that she regretted any minute, but now she was trapped. She knew that she was just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the real target was Baltar. She and Billy were just incidental captives and that put them in a very bad situation.

It was going to be a very long couple of hours.

oooo

Lee entered his father’s quarters, smiling when he saw the old man sitting at his desk with Lena and Joseph sitting on either leg as he showed them his model ship. He had been building it since before the end of the Colonies and it fascinated his grandchildren.

“This type of ship used to sail on the ocean,” he said to them. “You’ve never seen an ocean before but many of our home planets used to be covered in oceans. See these big sails, the wind used to make the ship move.”

“Gwah?” asked Lena pointing at the front.

“That’s the front of the ship.”

Adama looked up at Lee as he walked up to the desk. As soon as they saw him, Lena and Joseph reached out their pudgy hands wanting a hug. He had been away for less than two days, but that was long enough for them to miss him.

“I think they’ve had enough of this old man,” said Adama.

“Never,” replied Lee knowing that the babies were always excited to see their grandfather. “Were they a handful?”

“Not really, Laura helped out.” Lee couldn’t help but be a little shocked, raising an eyebrow slightly. “She was visiting Cottle for a check-up.” Lee raised his hands to indicate that he wasn’t insinuating anything, though he suspected his father was crazy about the former President. Lee leant over and took hold of Joseph who was stretching out his arms and desperate for attention.

“Where’s Kara?” asked Adama, still holding Lena on his knee.

“She drew the short straw and is escorting Baltar’s raptor back to New Caprica.” He bounced Joseph on his knees holding onto his little pudgy hands.

“How are you two doing now?”

Lee suppressed the large grin he wanted to pull, “we’re doing good.” He and Kara had agreed to keep their relationship under wraps for the time being. He was about to add something when suddenly the phone rang out.

Adama hoisted Lena onto his hip and then walked over, picking up the receiver. “Adama...I’ll be right there.” He hung up quickly, evidently annoyed. “We’re needed in the CIC immediately.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Lee following his father out, struggling to keep hold of Joseph who was wriggling around.

“We’ve lost communication with Baltar’s raptor and it’s diverted away from the planet.”

They quickly dropped off the twins at the day-care room and dashed to the CIC which was bustling with activity. Dee was busy making repeated requests for the raptor to respond.

“They launched before my raptor,” said Lee as they walked over to central consol where Tigh was standing, “I heard Ka...Starbuck over the comm system and everything was fine. There are two marines on board.”

Adama looked unconvinced. He glanced briefly up at the dradis before turning back to Tigh. “Tell me everything from the beginning.”

“The raptor took off normally,” said Tigh. “Starbuck transmitted their destination signal. They seemed to be on target for the first ten minutes then they went off course. They’re not answering us. The CAP has been deployed to their position.”

“Fire a warning shot across the bow.”

Tigh nodded and transmitted the message to the CAP. Kat was all too happy to be the volunteer, communicating afterwards that the ship still hadn’t stopped.

Lee had a really bad feeling. If Kara was still in control of the raptor, then there was no way she wouldn’t have answered by now. There were so many possibilities as to what had happened, none of them good. There could have been a depressurisation, in which case all of them were dead or someone could have taken over the ship.

There was a distinct crackle that echoed over the comm system and then Lee heard music to ears as Kara’s voice resounded around the CIC. “Galactica, Starbuck, copy you over.”

Adama grabbed up the telephone comm, his face stuck in a permanent frown, “Starbuck this is Galactica actual, where the frak do you think you are going?”

“Oh you know me sir, fancied a little detour.”

Lee could tell from her voice that everything was not okay, she was angry and not portraying her usual cheerful banter.

Adama also was not fooled. He thought for a moment before saying, “your drifting, is your axial position altered?” It was a code for asking whether or not a pilot was under duress. The CIC was silent as they waited for an answer which seemed to take forever to come.

“That would be most definitely sir, by four degrees.” The sound of a hand slapping flesh echoed throughout the room followed by the sound of muffled voices and a struggle before the comm line went dead.

Lee desperately wanted to leap forward and grab the comm, call them back and offer a deal, but he couldn’t. Adama was furious, barking out orders to various crew members.

“So she’s under duress?” asked Tigh.

“She answered the code,” replied Adama. “By four of the occupants. I’m guessing the other hostages must be the President and Billy Keikeya.”

“So that leaves Zarek and members of our own crew?” asked Lee, shocked that their own crew mates would do something like this. His father didn’t answer, his face showing the hurt from the betrayal. “What do we do now?”

“We let them land,” replied Adama. “We cannot risk the life of the President.”

“And Kara?!” added Lee, his voice full of concern and panic.

“We keep our heads.”

Lee felt deflated as he watched the blip from her raptor continue its course before merging with Astral Queen and disappearing.

oooo

She could still feel the sting across her cheek as the raptor docked, a dull burning from when the marine had struck her with the back of his hand. It hurt like hell and was probably already starting to bruise. It had been Sykes who had recognised Adama’s code, raising the alarm as she answered. Despite the pain however, it had been worth it. At least the Galactica now knew what was going on.

Unfortunately though, Zarek hadn’t been satisfied with her just lacing her arms behind her head and had her placed in cuffs, fortunately in front of her body.

They were frogmarched together through the Astral Queen. It had been about two years since she had stepped foot on this ship, walking through that airlock and into Lee’s arms. The shock when he had kissed her and said he loved her. Fond memories that were now blighted as Sykes seized her arm, pushing her along faster.

The Astral Queen was still considered a prison ship, home to a number of inmates who had committed crimes in the fleet. Kara recognised Palladino as she was taken through the still occupied area, who stared at her from his cell. Back when Zarek had taken Lee and a few others hostage many years ago, there had been many inmates. They were all gone now, but it was clear that his influence still prevailed. The few wardens stood aside and let the new captives be taken through to another area where there were fewer cells.

“Welcome to my old home,” said Zarek and motioned for the marines to bring their captives forward.

Foolishly Sykes released his grip on her arm slightly. Seizing the opportunity, she clasped her cuffed hands together and swung back her elbow hard into his throat sending him spluttering to the floor. A number of arms grabbed her within seconds, kicking out her legs and partially dragging her into one of cells. Baltar and Billy were guided into adjacent cells on either side.

Her cheek was still throbbing from the raptor and now she could feel bruises forming all over her body, but it was worth it to see Sykes still coughing on the floor. She rolled her eyes as she lay down on the uncomfortable cot, realising that it was next to Baltar’s who was already muttering to himself. If Zarek didn’t kill him, she might have to.

“I’ll say again,” said Zarek from the other side of the bars. “I have no intention of harming any of you, but try to escape and you will be killed.” He seemed to address the last towards Kara.

“Then why are we here?” shouted out Baltar.

“For the good of the fleet,” he answered. “Somehow the Quorum couldn’t decide about you yesterday and I intend to correct that.”

He walked away, flanked by a number of his goons and the two marines. Sykes managed to drag himself to his feet, still holding his throat and skulked away.

Kara sighed heavily on her bunk, trying to block out Baltar’s mutterings. She turned her head towards Billy who was sitting up on his bed with his head in his hands.

“Hey,” she said. She hadn’t really spoken to him since Cloud 9 when Lee had been on a “date” with Dee. He had been a bit of a mess then, pining over same person Kara wanted nothing more than to hit in the face. He had come onto her after drinking a wide mixture of drinks. “You get over that hangover?”

“I threw up in Laura Roslin’s tent.”

Kara stifled a snigger, “oops.” She looked over at him, seeing that he was buried in his hands again. “Hey, I’ll get you out of this.”

“I’m just trying to work out how the same thing could happen to the same guy twice.”

Kara had to concede the point. This was the second time Billy had been held captive here. “Look, just sit tight like last time, people like you have a tendency to get shot.”

“Great, thanks Starbuck, that’s just what I’ve always wanted to hear.”

The cells fell quiet, each person contemplating their situation, the only sound coming from various footsteps of people who were guarding their cells. It was coming up to evening and Kara had not slept much in the past few days. She yawned, looking from side to side at her fellow captives. They both looked anxious. As much as she was concerned about her predicament and missed Lee and their babies, she wasn’t panicked. She was trained to deal with such a situation and knew the importance of staying calm.

Eyeing her surroundings she took in every guard, every turning and door within her eyeshot. She would be damned if she was just going to lie there and let events unfold around her.

oooo

Lee paced around the CIC with impatience. It had been hours since the raptor had disappeared and it was now 2200 hours with no word, no ransom, nothing. Adama was still watching the dradis monitor, waiting for someone to contact him with their demands.

They had worked out that Zarek must be behind the kidnapping with the two marines and probably Sykes having mutinied against the fleet. Events from the past few weeks were starting to make sense. Cooper was a good friend of Sykes’ and had been part of the brawl that had ensued in the Pegasus’ Mess. He was meant to have been on raptor duty for Baltar’s tour.

Lee clenched his jaw, opening and closing his hand into a fist in an attempt to control his anger. He wanted nothing more than to travel to the brig on the Pegasus and start cracking some heads until he got all of the information he needed.

“You’re starting to wear a hole into the floor,” said Adama gruffly.

“I can’t just stand here and do nothing,” he replied with anger. “I can get a team over there in thirty minutes...”

“No.”

“Last time...”

“Last time was different. Zarek was a prisoner himself then, now he has professional help, contacts and weapons. If we go there we’ll be seen and the prisoners most likely killed.”

“Well why don’t I take the Blackbird over, they’ll never see...”

“Lee,” shouted his father said in a voice he hadn’t heard since he was berated as a child.

The entire CIC turned in his direction, their eyes knowing. He turned away, pacing over to the tactical station, kicking the edge with his foot. He could feel his father’s gaze burning at his back.

“Sir,” came the voice of Dee through the silence. “Sir we have an incoming message from the Astral Queen.”

“Put it through to actual.”

“He will only talk to the entire CIC sir.”

Adama muttered, clearly pissed off and nodded to the petty officer. There was a short crackle followed by the voice of Zarek.

“Good evening Galactica,” he said with a tone of smugness.

Adama raised an eyebrow, his hand lent against the dradis consol. “I’ll make this clear to you only once Zarek. I do not, nor will I ever, negotiate with terrorists.”

“Who says I am a terrorist?” replied the voice. “I’m a political idealist, ensuring the future of the fleet.”

“Any person who takes the elected President of the Colonies hostage in order to fulfil his own political agenda is in my book a terrorist and you will be treated as one.”

There was a pause before Zarek continued, “And I’ll make this clear to you. I intend to make President Baltar account for his crimes against the fleet, for the people who have suffered under his regime. If you attempt to approach or come aboard this ship I will start killing hostages, there are plenty of people currently taking up residence here.”

Lee flexed his fingers as the mutterings erupted around the CIC, which Adama stopped with one gesture of his arm.

“I’ll reiterate,” said the Admiral. “I will not negotiate with a terrorist and the fleet will not hear what you have to say.”

He could hear the short sound of laughter, “we’ll see. I have some very interesting new guests here.”

Lee couldn’t help the “Zarek,” that came out of his lips which was returned with a glare from Adama. He motioned for him to leave the CIC but he stood his ground.

The short laughter could be heard again, “I thought the son of Zeus would be there. Did you enjoy your trip to Cloud 9?”

Lee couldn’t help himself, “Zarek, I swear if you...”

He didn’t get the chance to answer before the arm of a marine circled his neck, another pinning his arm and dragged him backwards.

“Zarek!”

He was dragged away out of the CIC, the marines still half dragging him down the corridor to the shock of onlookers.

“Get the frak off me,” he yelled struggling like mad. “That’s a godsdamned order.”

“Sorry sir,” said one of the marines. “We’re under the orders of the Admiral, who far outranks you sir.”

It was useless to keep struggling against the highly trained marines but he did so all the way to the brig before being dumped unceremoniously onto his ass. He only had time to pace around a number of times and bang on the bars repeatedly before the marines came back and escorted him out. This time he went quietly until they left him just inside Adama’s quarters.

His father was sitting at his desk and walking up to him, Lee felt as if he had been transported back to his childhood. The dreaded walk, which he knew was going to end in him being in trouble.

“Dad...”

“Sit down,” interrupted Adama, his voice stern. Lee obeyed straight away. They stared at each other for a few moments before the old man’s face softened slightly. “You messed up,” he said. “You gave a terrorist leverage.”

Lee nodded in understanding, ashamed of himself.

“But I get the feeling he knew all already. How long?”

“Sorry?”

“How long has something been going on between you and Kara?”

Lee looked down, feeling that this was going to get worse than the lecture he’d been given in the Pegasus’ brig. It was useless to try and lie; his actions had already betrayed his feelings, “since Lena was in lifestation.”

Adama nodded, “and Cloud 9, which Zarek referred to?”

“We weren’t exactly subtle.”

“Whilst you were on duty and representing the Colonial Fleet?”

Lee stared at his hands, realising that they hadn’t exactly been behaving professionally, but then again he wouldn’t have changed any of it. “Yes sir.”

“Neither of you have been very subtle for a long time, being late for meetings, disappearing during your shifts. Do you really think I don’t hear of everything that happens on my ships?”

This was definitely worse than the brig lecture. Lee shrugged, “we’ve been happy.”

“I don’t doubt that and I don’t give a frak if Commander Fisk complains, we need relationships to keep this fleet going. What I do care about is two of my chief officers losing perspective. You are both Colonial officers, your sole duty is to protect the fleet, regardless of the sacrifices you may have to make.”

Lee reflected for a moment, “I don’t know if I can.”

“Then you should step away.”

“And if it were my kids who were in danger, would you make me step away then?”

“Children are different, they don’t understand the risks, Kara does.”

Lee stopped staring at his hands and looked up at his father, “I love her dad.”

“I know son, but you need to keep your head. She’ll be fine. If anyone can get themselves out of a hostage situation, it will be Kara.”

Lee nodded.

“Now get out of here, you can stay in guests quarters tonight with Lena and Joseph. I already have Helo and Kat formulating a rescue plan involving the Blackbird.”

Lee nodded and stood up from the table, leaving the room without another word. He had never really talked much to his father when he was growing up. He had always been the man he had hero worshipped from afar, wanting to be him, to live up to his expectations. Lee had lost that worship now that the Worlds had been destroyed, but he had gained something more, a father and a part of him would always be thankful for that.

And his father was right, he needed to keep his head.

oooo

Through her training at the academy, Kara had acquired an uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere and despite the uncomfortable cot bed and being in handcuffs in a stuffy cell, she had fallen asleep quickly. Dreaming of a beach far away where she and Lee were helping their children build towers in the sand, the sound of laughter brought her warmth.

The disadvantage of the academy training however, was that in these situations her body was always on alert, ready to jump to action if necessary, which made her a light sleeper. Her happy dreams were abruptly cut through by the sound of a voice talking nearby. She jerked away and yawned, rolling her eyes when she realised it was Baltar who had woken her up.

She felt uncomfortably hot. Unable to remove her duty-blues jacket due to the cuffs she had to make do with undoing the buttons. Her tanks underneath were starting to get sodden from the sweat.

“What do you mean?” said Baltar seemingly to thin air, his Aerlon accent prominent. “And you really think I am in the position to do that do you?”

Kara sighed and rolled onto her side so she was facing Billy’s cell. He was sitting up and looking wide awake. He glanced at her as she rolled before turning his attention back to the door of the cell. The poor kid didn’t seem to be doing too well.

“And what do you suggest I do?” said Baltar to his phantom just as Kara was about to fall asleep again.

She huffed and rolled back onto her back, “Will you shut. The frak. Up!”

“Sorry?” asked the President his attention now drawn to her.

“Gods, you never let up! Who the frak are you talking to anyway? Little imaginary toasters?”

“Wh...what?”

Kara rolled her eyes and turned onto her side again, the last thing she wanted to know was what was going on in Baltar’s head.

“I seriously doubt...what are you talking about?”

“Frak!” It was useless trying to sleep and Kara shuffled her body up to sitting. “You know for a genius you are really frakking crazy.”

“I prefer the term eccentric.”

“Whatever. So have you always been crazy, or only since the cylons came?”

Baltar paused and then changed the subject. “So when are your people going to come and rescue us?”

Kara shrugged as much as her handcuffs would allow, “if I know the old man then he’s already told Zarek that he won’t negotiate with a terrorist.”

“That’s it?” asked Baltar incredulously.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t blown up the ship yet.”

“And you’re happy just to sit back and let him do that?”

“I don’t know if you’ve actually realised, but I’m locked in a cage in frakking handcuffs, surrounded by armed people. But please do tell me, genius, if you have a plan.” Despite her words however, she was of course formulating a plan. But the actions of those guarding her were uncertain so a lot of her plan would need to be thought up on the spot. Her cuffs were least of her worries.

“I’m surprised Major Adama hasn’t already forced his way on board.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Please. Don’t make the genius have to explain that it’s obvious you two are more than just friends and colleagues.”

She didn’t deny it. “Lee knows what’s good for him.”

“Meaning?”

“That he knows better than to be an idiot and try and come here like some frakking hero.” Though knowing Lee the opposite was probably true

Baltar snorted briefly, “Yes I’m sure.”

Kara rolled her eyes and laid back down on her cot, trying in vain to get comfortable.

“So that’s it, you’re just going to lie there and let Zarek kill me?”

“Yep, saves me from doing it.”

“Great, well that’s just great.”

Kara sighed, scrunching up into the foetal position. She was extremely uncomfortable, her wrists chafing and sore from the cuffs. She was in no mood to listen to Baltar, but the man just wasn’t getting the hint.

“I have been trying to help the fleet you know.”

“Sorry, are you talking to me or the phantom again?”

“New Caprica won’t survive until we start procreating.”

Kara shuffled on her side. There was a bed spring which was particularly sticking out and uncomfortable. She twisted her body so she could just reach it under the thin mattress and started to bend it back and forth repeatedly. “Perhaps people need a bit more than just orders to start frakking.”

“Like what?”

“Like some hope,” she sighed as the spring jabbed her in the finger and she lost her grip temporarily. “When the cylons came we had a goal, finding Earth. Now people have nothing but the reality that they will probably die out anyway regardless of whether or not the cylons find us.”

“They’re becoming stagnated?”

“Exactly,” she replied only half listening, smiling in victory as the piece of metal snapped free.

“We need to continue searching for Earth,” he stated in response.

Looking down at the piece of metal she tucked it into the lining of her jacket. “I’m not your military advisor, but like I said, people need hope.” Ignoring Baltar’s continued conversation she closed her eyes and pictured the set up of the room, pretending to sleep. The two guards were on two hour rotations. Most of them were obviously amateurs and stayed in the one position, but still she would need to act fast.

It was a couple of hours later when she opened her eyes, having refrained from falling asleep. It had to be about 0300 hours now and Billy was fast asleep on his cot. She pretended to roll over in her sleep and faced Baltar who mercifully had also gone to sleep. Carefully she fed the piece of metal wire out of the lining of her jacket and painstakingly started twisting it about in the lock of her cuffs until finally she heard a small click and they came loose, liberating her hands. She rubbed at her sore wrists, grimacing at the red scratches that encircled them.

Twisting her head towards the guards she nearly laughed when she saw they were asleep. Definitely amateur. All she needed was a gun and to get out of her frakking cell. Using the piece of metal she set about trying the lock as quietly as she could. If she thought the cuffs were difficult, this was even harder and she found herself wishing that the academy had taught them these sorts of survival techniques rather than just dumping them in the middle of nowhere with nothing but emergency gear.

Glancing up at the guards frequently she smiled as the lock finally clicked and opened up. The guards had not awoken but she heard a shuffling on one of the cots. She turned to see Baltar sitting up. Pressing a finger to her lips she indicated for him to get back down, which thankfully he did without question.

Keeping low she ducked out of the cell, closing it shut behind her and sped down the corridor until she could duck behind some other cells. It was only then that she realised the flaw in her plan. She hadn’t planned beyond this point and had nowhere to go. Taking out the guards was too risky, one was bound to raise the alarm or shoot her before she could finish the job. Cursing under her breath she continued down the corridor. It was at least worth trying to escape though.

She had barely managed to make her way down another corridor when the alarms sounded.

“Frak,” she cursed, ducking sideways into what looked to be a storage area. Sprinting as fast as she could, which wasn’t her speciality, she headed for cover. The sound of heavy footsteps and voices neared. Using various storage containers she ducked and dodged out of view, hearing a group of armed guards go past.

“She can’t have gotten far, she’s unarmed too,” said one of them.

Kara had faced worse odds. Glancing around the corner she saw the area was clear. She figured she must be nearing the hangar deck where she should be able to find a weapon and then fight her way back to Baltar and Billy.

She dashed across the silent room alone.

The blow came hard and fast at her side as the marine rammed into her, knocking her to the floor. The air blew completely out of her lungs as she skidded across the floor with one of the treacherous marines on top of her. She had been taken completely off guard. Rolling over she attempted to fight back, but she knew she was frakked as the marine was joined by other guards, each holding weapons.

The strikes came quickly to her body as they subdued her struggles with force, knocking the wind out of her again, the pain radiating through her body even as she curled up into a defensive ball.

“That’s enough,” came a voice finally and the blow stopped. But then she was pulled up by her hair until she was up on her knees.

Facing Zarek, she felt the warm blood stream out of her nose and awaited her fate.

TBC...

It All Came Tumbling Down (41/?)

ruthkit — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:20:27 GMT

AN: Phew just managed to finish this chapter before I went on holiday. US here I come J! Can’t believe I’ve been married a year now, seems like only yesterday when Kara was slamming Simms head into a desk *sniff*

Chapter 41

It felt as if he was entering an interrogation chamber when Lee walked into the room. The Galactica had just used one of the conference rooms for this type of incident, but the Pegasus had a designated room specifically designed for questioning. It was always locked up and Lee had never seen such a room on the Atlantia, though he did know the Master-at-Arms had their own office. But that didn’t stop him wondering if this was an invention created by Cain, he wouldn’t put it past her.

The room was sparsely furnished except for a chair in the middle with a microphone in front. If it was designed to intimidate, it was working. Cautiously Lee went over and stood before the chair, half expecting leg chains to spring out from nowhere. Sergeant Miller was even scarier than Sergeant Hadrian from the Galactica; standing tall he was at least 6’3 and heavily built. Hadrian was also standing at the far side of the room, staring intently at him with Garner at her side.

“Please take a seat sir,” said Miller.

Lee looked up at him for a moment and then sat down, feeling all of the eyes staring at him. It had been two days since the dead ensign had been found and Kara had been interviewed already. She had warned him about the closeness of the room. Her solution had been to turn the chair around so she could lean her arms on the back. Apparently Garner had been less than pleased.

Unfortunately it was Hadrian who stepped forward to begin the questioning. “Can you please state your name and rank for the record please sir.”

“Major Lee Adama.”

“Major Adama, can you explain for the record where you were between 2200 and 2300 hours on the night of Ensign Pittman’s death.”

“I was in Major Thrace’s quarters taking care of our children as she was on a double CAP.” He glanced over at Garner who was staring him down intently, making him feel very uncomfortable.

“I see,” said Hadrian, her voice slightly disbelieving. “Did you know Ensign Pittman?”

Lee shrugged, “of course. I was the CAG for a while and she was a raptor pilot.”

“How well did you know her?”

“Not at all, she was a raptor pilot, that’s all I knew.”

“Did you ever associate with her out of duty?”

“Err, I think we played cards once.”

Hadrian paced slightly about the room as if she was getting ready for a kill. As the seconds went by, Lee found himself fidgeting slightly in his chair.

“Major,” she continued at last. “I wonder if you can clear something up for me, because from talking to your bunk mates it appears no-one knows where you have been sleeping for the past week. As far as they’re concerned you’ve not spent a single night in your quarters.”

The room was definitely getting smaller, “Err...”

“I think we need a lot more than “err” Major,” said Garner stepping forward.

It was useless to lie as there was sure to be someone who could say he wasn’t working. “I’ve been staying in Major Thrace’s quarters.”

“Doesn’t the non-fraternisation policy mean anything to you?” Garner’s voice was now harsher. “You already have one mark for this on your record, involving the same officer no less.”

“We have two children together who are a handful,” he added, thinking now would be the best time to start lying. “I’ve been helping out a lot and sleeping on the sofa.” Though his lie only stretched to where he had been sleeping

His questioners stepped back slightly, their faces looking completely unconvinced.

“And Major Thrace can confirm this can she?” asked Hadrian.

“Of course,” replied Lee, hoping to hell that she would come up with the same lie. But he knew he needn’t worry. If anyone could come up with a convincing story it was Kara. “Look, if you’re trying to accuse me of something just say it.”

Miller stepped forward, “we’re not accusing you of anything Major, just trying to ascertain everyone’s whereabouts for the past week. You can go back to your duties.”

“That’s it?” asked Lee a little shocked. The way his interrogation had begun, he had expected to be there for hours.

“I will of course be speaking to Major Thrace,” added Miller.

Before Lee could leave, Garner walked right up to him so they were nearly nose to nose. “And believe me I will be keeping a close eye on the two of you. From now on you are to sleep in your rack unless Major Thrace is on duty.”

“Yes sir,” replied Lee with a salute, silently cursing him. He also knew that Garner would go as far as checking the officer’s bunk room in the middle of the night.

“Dismissed.”

Lee wasted no time getting as quickly out of the room as possible.

oooo

In the middle of the night Kara rolled over in her sleep, her body reaching out instinctively for Lee, but he wasn’t there. The disappointment roused her from her slumber and she looked longingly at the pillow he had slept on. She missed having him in bed next to her.

It had been three days since Garner’s interference and as expected Lee had heard the hatch door open to the officer’s quarters at random times of the night. She hated the man for taking Lee away from her. Of course that hadn’t stopped them from seizing every moment they did have together, even if that meant ducking into a cupboard.

The next morning Kara was tired, and after dropping the twins at day care, had gone in search of Lee. She smiled to herself when she saw him in the bunk room, his concentration focused on a scuff on his duty blues jacket. He was busy scrubbing at it in his locker when Kara approached him from behind, nipping at his ear. Lee nearly jumped a mile making her guffaw.

“Getting jumpy aren’t we?” she mocked.

“Frak Kara, you scared the life out of me,” he replied, but he wasn’t angry, rather the opposite.

She pouted, “aw, I haven’t scared you away for good have I?”

Lee smiled and then walked over to the hatch door, dogging it shut, “Garner hasn’t thought to check up on me during the day.”

“Well Garner isn’t firing on all cylinders. You know Adama, it’s been a long time since you’ve frakked me in your rack.”

“That’s because it’s cramped and only built for one.”

Kara pulled a sideways smile, “you know I like a challenge.”

And with that they didn’t need any more talking or convincing, quickly pacing up to each other and ripping off their uniforms in a frenzied passion, their kisses deep, tongues entwining. They didn’t stop until all of their clothing were in a pile on the floor, pushing back until they were in Lee’s rack, not caring as Kara knocked her head on the one above.

There was a lack of space, but Kara pushed her hand up against the top of the rack, riding Lee slowly as he lay beneath her, panting for breath. He reached his arms up, stroking up the curve of her hips and up her waist until he could cup one of her breasts with his hand.

Afterwards she lay down blissfully on his chest, feeling the up and down movement of his breathing.

“Frak what Garner says,” she sighed into his chest. “Let him throw us in hack, ‘cause I’m not stopping this.”

Lee stroked her hair with a smile. He was about to agree with her when the sound of the hatch opening echoed through the room along with the sound of voices. He pulled the curtain shut quickly whispering, “frak.”

“I thought you dogged the hatch,” replied Kara, very aware that their clothing was in a pile outside the rack. They may as well have painted a neon sign on the rack with the word “frakking.”

They heard laughter just outside the rack and then Stinger’s voice, “didn’t anyone warn you Apollo? Cain had all the locks removed from the bunk rooms.”

Kara couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her lips, burying her head in Lee’s chest. He had to admit the situation was kind of funny. “I do now,” he called out.

“Who’ve you got in there sir?” said a voice they recognised as belonging to Narcho.

Stinger answered for him, “well considering I’ve been looking for the CAG everywhere, I’m guessing I finally found her.”

They were rumbled, and the two pilots were unlikely to leave until they came out of hiding. Kara looked at Lee and gave him a kiss before answering them by shoving her hand through the curtain and clicking her fingers. Stinger got her meaning, passing their clothing to her hand. She pulled her cropped top over her head and slipped on her briefs and then exited the rack, standing face to face with Narcho and Stinger, “what?!”

“Nothing sir,” replied Narcho. “Just not very subtle in the middle of the day that’s all.”

“Fisk is looking for you sir,” said Stinger.

“Great,” replied Kara pulling on her duty blues. “Is there a problem Captain?” she asked when the raptor pilot kept looking at her.

“No sir.”

“Good, then get back on duty, and I don’t expect to hear about this in the Mess room at lunch.” Stinger saluted and left whilst Narcho walked to his locker, opening it up with a crash. Kara looked over at him annoyed, before turning back to Lee. “I should go and see what Fisk wants,” she said and left swiftly.

She couldn’t help the slight panic that gripped her mind as she walked down the corridors, an irrational fear about becoming public. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with Lee, far from it, but the old Kara was still inside her somewhere, telling her to run and fast. She pushed away the feelings, remembering the feel of his touch and smiling inwardly.

Despite having to be near Baltar, she was really looking forward to going to Cloud 9.

oooo

Two days later and their raptor docked with Cloud 9. It was evident that despite Kara’s warning, the gossip about her and Lee had spread, but at least Garner hadn’t found out so at least they had shown some discretion. Generally there was an unwritten rule that what happened in the bunk and mess rooms, stayed in those rooms wherever the commanding officers were concerned.

Kara furtively glanced at the seat opposite her, noticing that Lee was doing the same and smiled. Despite Garner’s embargo on sharing quarters they had still found plenty of time to see each other in private.

Security on Cloud 9 was going to be tight, with no fewer than four marines and two officers guarding the President at once.

“So are you two gonna to be making moon eyes at each other for the entire two days?” asked Narcho a little too loudly.

“Frak off Narch,” replied Kara, looking away from Lee reluctantly.

Stinger kicked the lieutenant lightly, “watch it Narcho.”

“I just want to know if I’m going to be spending two days watching them that’s all, makes me miss my old girlfriend,” he crossed his arms over his chest and looked the other way.

Everyone went suddenly quiet as the longing was evident on his face. “Cylons?” asked Lee.

“Yep, just like everyone else. She was visiting her grandparents on Tauron at the time.” He sniffed briefly and then shrugged the memory of her away. “You two are lucky.”

The raptor jolted to a halt as they completed the docking procedure and everyone disembarked. It had been a long time since they had come to Cloud 9 during the “daylight” hours. The sun seemed to be shining and the grass looked radiant. As the four of them waited for Baltar to arrive, they wasted no time, studying the surroundings before finding a secluded area to lie down on the grass. Here they didn’t have to worry about being caught by a superior officer and Kara dared to lay with her head resting on Lee’s chest.

“I guess you two are going to work together,” asked Stinger lazily, lying on his back with his arms behind his head as if he was actually sunbathing.

“Yep,” replied Kara. “Is that a problem or do you have a real desire to work with Apollo?”

“No offence Apollo but I’ll stick with Narcho.”

Lee thought about responding but he kept quiet, focused on stroking back Kara’s hair that was splayed across him like a sun rising across the horizon. He was in heaven, the artificial sunlight baking his face. He had lain in the sun with Kara like this before, back on Caprica, but she had been lying on top of Zak. He had dreamt of being with her then and now it was a reality he felt as if he was dreaming.

He wasn’t ignorant though, knowing a relationship with Kara would never be a walk in the park. When they were friends she had never been easy to read, her triad face working wonders in social situations as well as during the game. He’d already given up trying to work out her moods.

It had been obvious she wasn’t happy about being caught by Stinger and Narcho. But he hadn’t quite expected her to be standoffish with him, but then the next day between shifts they had made love slowly in her quarters. Lee made a decision as he lay there on the grass that he would give up trying to guess what was going on in her head.

oooo

Baltar arrived on board a couple of hours later as if he was some sort of returning hero. The masses of reporters followed him as he exited the raptor flanked by four marines. Kara and Lee were on the first watch, standing slightly back from the throng. Baltar nodded at them as he walked past with his usual arrogant air. Kara wasn’t impressed, turning to Lee and rolling her eyes.

Unlike when they guarded Laura, Baltar had the four marines surrounding him in the auditorium as he addressed the Quorum. Kara preferred it that way, at least standing to the sides she was not in the firing lines this time. Originally they were meant to stand behind him as Baltar didn’t want to seem too guarded, but then a well placed bucket of grease thrown by a protester on one of the Tylium ships changed his mind.

The political talk was long and boring. Lee was listening for the most part but Baltar’s hypocritical talk about “acting for the good of the fleet” made him want to cringe. He looked across the room, seeing Kara yawn.

Smirking to himself, he moved his communicator to his mouth, “not enjoying Baltar’s speech?” He was positioned slightly closer to Baltar than her, with a number of reporters standing around, so he kept his voice low.

“I think I would rather listen to Garner shout at me all day.” He could see her yawning, trying to hide it with her communicator.

“It’s politics Kara, you should be interested,” he said half-heartedly.

“Wake me up when he’s finished.”

Baltar continued with his self-important speech about the fleet, spewing more and more arrogance as he spoke. Even after the Quorum made a 6 to 6 vote of no-confidence, he continued rambling and even Lee found himself becoming bored. Billy had recently become the representative for Caprica, the youngest ever, and voted most decidedly against the President.

“I can’t believe you frakked this guy,” joked Lee. He could see Kara’s mischievous grin in response even from the other side of the room.

“Mmmmn, I don’t think the vice President was too happy when I screamed out your name though.”

Lee nearly choked on his own phlegm, starting to cough uncontrollably and drawing far too much attention to himself. He could hear Kara’s laughter through his ear-piece as even Baltar stopped his speech and looked over at him, turning back when Lee raised a hand to say he was okay.

Spluttering slightly, he managed to get himself under control, “seriously?”

“Why do you think he was pissed off with you the next day? You should have seen his face, it was priceless.”

“I’d rather not think of a post-coital looking Baltar.”

“Aw don’t worry Lee, I was literally thinking about you the entire time.”

“You could have told me about this back then you know.”

“You were busy yelling at me remember. Besides I really wanted to forget about him as quickly as possible.”

Lee glanced at the reporters to make sure they were not overhearing, “so was fantasy sex with me just as good?”

Kara laughed, “nowhere near. Hey Adama you still owe me a date by the way.”

Lee smiled warmly at the memory. He had asked her out on a date just before the cylons had taken them. He’d promised to take her to the Rising Star, a promise which he had broken. “I may not be able to manage the Rising Star tonight.”

He could see Kara shrug, “here will do.”

“You know, I am the son of a newly promoted Admiral and I can pull some strings to get us a room.”

“Now you’re talking Adama, with no kids or superior officers to worry about,” her voice was low and sultry, “we could make as much noise as we want.”

“Frak Kara, are you trying to make me embarrass myself again?” he replied, feeling himself starting to harden.

“I can help you with that if you want,” obviously seeing him pace slightly from side to side.

“Not helping Kara.”

Thankfully Baltar finished his speech and started to walk out of the auditorium, his bravado not quite so confident anymore. Kara and Lee met up in the middle and walked behind him. As the press descended they stood side by side, their fingers gently touching so no-one could see. The contact was enough to send tingles up their arms, which was definitely not helping Lee’ growing situation.

“You’re coming out of your pants,” she whispered, her little finger hooking around his.

“Whose fault is that?”

“Sure you don’t want me to help?”

Lee suppressed his laughter, “I think you’ve done enough.”

It was another agonising twenty minutes before Stinger and Narcho took over and they were relieved. Lee had quickly grabbed her hand as they walked away, ducking into a secluded alcove. Their kisses were passionate, their hands entangling into their hair as they pushed back against a wall.

“Gods you drive me crazy,” moaned Lee in between kisses. He was fully hard now, pushing against the zipper of his fly.

They were carefree as they ducked deeper into a tree-lined enclosure and Kara lowered Lee’s zipper, taking him in hand before lowering down to her knees.

They were completely unaware that they had been seen ducking away, didn’t see and didn’t care as Tom Zarek walked slowly away, shaking his head.

oooo

It had been years since they had seen so much food on one plate. The rations on board the Battlestars had been bad before the end of the worlds and had gradually depleted over time. High protein and carbohydrates were the usual, forgoing taste for necessity. But here on Cloud 9 they actually had meat and something resembling a vegetable.

“Where did they get all of this?” asked Kara, noticing that everyone in the restaurant had the same meal. Before the attacks this would have been a top restaurant with a “to die for” menu.

“They’re actually breeding livestock down on the surface,” replied Lee taking a large mouthful. “It’s not too bad, actually has some flavour.”

Kara pushed her food around on her plate uncertainly, “seems wrong to be eating this much.”

“Seriously, Kara? I’ve never known somebody to shuffle down as much as food as you,” replied Lee with a smile, remembering a time when he gone on a double-date with her, Zak and a girl he was seeing back then. His girlfriend had eaten half a salad, whereas Kara had wolfed down a fully loaded plate in half the time it took him to eat his.

Their date wasn’t perfect. Technically they were back on duty again until midnight but luckily Baltar had chosen to take in a meal with a group of ladies and some Quorum members. Kara and Lee had seized the opportunity to eat together, clothed in their dress greys it was as if they had gone out properly.

Kara took a scoop of food and swallowed it down, “okay, not too bad, not sure what it tastes of though.”

“No, and I don’t think you’re supposed to ask.”

Kara laughed as she took another couple of mouthfuls. “So, pretend I care about these so called politics, what happens now the vote has split?”

Lee scrunched up his nose as she spoke with her mouth half full. Her bad habits really hadn’t changed a bit and it made him love her even more. “They vote again tomorrow, if that’s a draw then their application fails and Baltar’s free to continue frakking up the fleet.”

Kara glanced over at the President, “look at him, he looks as if he’s won already. If the frakker isn’t talking to himself, he’s talking about himself. Did I ever tell you of the time I caught him jerking off in his lab?”

Lee nearly choked on a piece of meat, “you’re kidding me?”

“Wish I were, he was talking to his phantom friend whilst he was doing it.”

“Are you trying to put me off my food?” he said, pushing his plate away, suddenly not hungry any more.

Kara guffawed, “sorry.” She held out her fork piled with food as a peace offering. Without caring if anyone was watching Lee leant over and took the fork into his mouth, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Baltar’s table had turned towards them. Lee tried to smile innocently, wondering what they were looking at.

They drew back slightly, realising they were being too obvious. They finished their meal talking quietly until Baltar decided he’d had enough and wanted to go dancing. They followed him up to the large ball room, watching him as he walked in with a woman on each arm and headed straight for the dance floor.

Kara nearly stopped in her tracks when she entered the room, seeing a group of crew members from the Galactica gathering at the bar. She spotted Dee straight away mingling in the middle and the woman spotted her too. Kara rarely felt jealous, but the petty officer looked gorgeous, dressed in a long gown and fixed up hair. She suddenly felt very subconscious about her appearance, brushing her hand against a mark from dinner.

Lee waved briefly across to the bar and then held out his arm, saying with a cheesy smile, “would you like to dance?”

Kara felt her cheeks blush slightly as she hooked her arm into his, “pity I’m not in a dress this time.”

They walked out onto the dance floor and linked arms with Lee placing a hand on top of her hip. “You look beautiful.”

Kara blushed again, berating herself being so weak. Only Lee Adama made her feel so nervous, part of her feeling that she didn’t deserve to have the heart of such a man.

“You two just don’t know how to keep a low profile do you?” said Stinger walking over with Narcho at his side. They too were wearing their dress greys.

“What are you doing here,” asked Lee. “You’re not on duty until midnight.”

“Decided to let the two of you have some time to yourselves, besides there’s a lot of ladies here tonight.”

They didn’t want to argue back, dashing across the dance floor and out towards the room Lee had pulled strings to secure for them. It was down a maze of corridors that all looked the same. They took their time, occasionally stopping to share kisses, the passion building up and up.

“Holy frak this room’s huge,” shouted out Kara when they finally reached their destination. She searched around like an excited schoolgirl. “They’ve got a huge bath tub!”

“Really?” asked Lee running into the bathroom to join her. “I can’t remember the last time I had a bath,” he added as Kara bent over to turn on the taps. He couldn’t resist, encircling her waist with his arms, pulling her to him and kissing the back of her neck.

She twisted in his arms, turning to face him. All apprehension was forgotten as she looked into his eyes, feeling only happiness as she kissed him slowly, their tongues entwining. They made short work of their clothing until they were completely naked in each other’s arms.

“Gods you’re perfect,” said Lee as he stroked a hand down her chest.

“Mmmmn, what’s your favourite part?” she purred in response.

Lee gave her a quick appraisal before smiling and stroking a hand down her cheek, “you’re smile.”

It was the right answer, and he was rewarded with a gentle shove backwards into the room and onto the large double bed. She straddled him slowly, biting her lip as she sunk down on top of him, closing her eyes in ecstasy.

“Gods Kara,” he moaned as slowly she rocked her hips, taking him in deep. His hands stroked up the curve of her waist and up the sides of her breasts, stroking his thumbs across her nipples making her gasp and rock her hips a little faster.

She felt the waves of pleasure washing through her body, building and building until at last she felt the explosion rock her body, gasping out “Oh...Lee!”

Hearing his name being cried out, Lee couldn’t hold it in any longer, coming inside of her hard. He closed his eyes as the pleasure washed through him, relaxing back onto the bed. He felt the weight of Kara lift off him as she hopped down off the bed. Opening his eyes he saw her standing radiant in front of him before pulling him up of the bed and into the bathroom.

“Come on, I want this bath.”

They both thanked the Gods that the fleet had found a stable water source as they dipped their feet into the perfectly lukewarm water, soaking into the bubbles. The tub was large enough for both of them to fit comfortably. Kara sat with Lee in front so she could rap her legs around him and pull him to her. She nibbled at his ear, taking in the surroundings of the perfectly dim lit room. No-one had ever treated her like this, as if she was special. The sinking feeling that she wasn’t good enough crept back in.

“Lee can I ask you something?”

He leant his head round so he could see her, with an adorably eager look on his face, “sure.”

“Why me?” she asked seriously.

“What do you mean?”

“You could probably have any number of women in this fleet.”

“I doubt that,” he replied obviously trying to keep the mood light, but she could see the panic in his eyes.

“Trust me Lee, the Pegasus has been inundated with requests for your donation.”

“What are you trying to say Kara?”

She took a pause, rubbing her tongue across her teeth, slightly ashamed at having brought up the subject. But then she had promised herself she would try and be honest with him. “I mean you’re a good person Lee, the best, so why have you fallen for the foul mouthed problem pilot, you could have anyone. Take that ballroom today, full of beautiful, well presented women who would make a perfect little wife.” She couldn’t believe she had used the “w” word. Lee turned in the water to face her fully. Gods he looked amazing, built like Apollo himself. “What do you see in me?” she added.

He chuckled slightly to himself, which wasn’t quite the reaction she was expecting, thinking that she had managed to frak up again. “Well, you’re not half bad to look at,” he said in a mocking voice making Kara smile and roll her eyes playfully. “And you are the top gun in the fleet and fill a cropped top nicely.” The last comment earned him a playful slap. His face then went serious, cupping her face with a wet hand, “or maybe I just love you.”

Kara felt as if she could burst into tears, her eyes moistening slightly. “Really?”

“You had me from the first moment you opened that front door remember? I love everything about you, even the parts that drive me crazy.” He leant forward and gave her a deep kiss, “I love you Kara Thrace.”

Kara smiled, a tear escaping her eye, as she leant forward into him and deepened the kiss taking him into her arms, and pushing away her fears into oblivion.

oooo

The following morning she could still feel her cheeks glowing, holding her happiness deep inside next to her love for their children. She had missed them over night and was looking forward to seeing them again. She couldn’t believe in a couple of weeks they would be turning one.

After getting the evening off, they had agreed to pull a double on their next protection duty and had been following Baltar around all day. Their furtive glances at each other getting them through the next few hours.

Unfortunately it was a good day for Baltar too, the Quorum’s vote coming out at another draw. The President was home and dry and looked very pleased with himself as he walked towards the raptor, seeming to look into nothingness as he walked.

Kara and Lee met with Stinger and Narcho in the hanger deck. Today they were all back to their duty blues.

“Who gets to take the President back planet side?” asked Narcho.

“Thanks for volunteering Narch,” replied Kara.

“No way, that’s not fair, we covered for you yesterday.”

“And made up for it today whilst you two went swimming and sunbathing.”

“Hey,” interrupted Lee. “We’ll draw straws,” he said grabbing a fallen stick he had grabbed from the gardens. “Short stick has to go with Baltar.” He turned around and snapped one before holding them out evenly in his hand. Each person took a stick.

“Aw frak,” moaned Kara as she lost. “See you in a couple of hours.”

She waved off at Lee and walked grumpily onto the raptor, sitting herself in the front with Sykes who was piloting at the helm. “Afternoon sir.”

“Just get on with it Sykes.”

She had to endure Baltar’s endless babble for two days and now she was in a confined space with him too. The raptor was full, with Zarek, two marines she didn’t recognise fully and Billy who was the new Quorum representative for Caprica. All the latter wanted was a lift back to New Caprica and looked as pissed off about it as Kara.

Kara rested her head back against the seat, closing her eyes briefly and thinking about the previous night. Lee was in love with her. The feeling warmed her heart, making her smile as they disembarked.

Opening her eyes she saw nothing but the vacuum of space and the protective nebula. “Frak Sykes, where are you going?”

“New Caprica as ordered sir.”

“Well don’t you think we should have a planet in front of us, or do I need to teach you basic flight again?”

“I know what I’m doing sir.”

His voice was even and calm, turning the raptor towards a number of ships.

Kara sighed, she hadn’t realised Sykes was this big of an idiot, “frak, just change the controls to me, I’d rather not spend six hours getting there.”

Glancing away briefly she heard the distinctive click of a safety-catch suddenly disengaging, not having enough time to react as Sykes levelled his gun up at her face.

“What the frak are you doing?”

“Raise your hands Starbuck and walk to the back of the raptor, now.”

“No frakking way,” she replied, turning her head towards the other occupants. The marines and Zarek were both aiming their guns at Baltar and Billy.

Turning back Sykes flexed his gun, “I’m not frakking around sir, raise them now or I’ll blow your brains out across this raptor.”

Looking into his cold eyes, surrounded by armed and ready guns, she raised her hands behind her head interlacing her fingers. Glancing out of the window she saw where they were going.

Looming ahead of them was the Astral Queen.

It All Came Tumbling Down (40B/?)

ruthkit — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:01:24 GMT

The Ready room was louder than normal when Lee entered for the afternoon debriefing and sat down in the front row. After leaving Kara’s quarters he had flown a three hour CAP with Showboat. He didn’t really need a viper, since that night with Kara he had been flying high. He had never felt this happy or fulfilled with a woman before.

“Hey Apollo,” shouted out one of the pilots, Jeffers. “Where the frak have you been? There’s an empty bunk where you used to sleep.”

“Working,” replied Lee cordially.

“Yeah? Who on?” added Narcho.

The raucous laughter filled the room and even Lee fought hard not to smile. At first none of the Pegasus’ crew had welcomed him, but he had warmed to them slowly over time. It was Showboat who leant in and nudged him with her elbow.

“Seriously Apollo,” she whispered. “You look as if you’ve been floating on high all week, who’s the lucky lady?”

It was at that moment that Kara chose to stride confidently into the room. Lee’s head lifted straight away, smiling slightly as she glanced furtively back at him. An exchange that was oblivious to everyone else in the room, except for Showboat.

Patting his arm briefly she whispered, “I’m happy for you mate,” just as the room quietened down.

Kara stood behind the podium and Lee noticed immediately that the glow on her face from earlier had gone.

“You’ll be pleased to know that Garner’s training exercise for tomorrow has been cancelled,” she began, which was followed by jubilant whoops from around the room. “But...” she continued with a smile over the cheers. “We’re on protection duty for the man who likes to call himself President.” This time everyone groaned in unison. “He’s down to visit every ship still in orbit. Fisk had assigned Apollo, Narcho, Stinger and myself to cover his overnight visit to Cloud 9.”

“Sure, that’s fair,” called out Joker from the back. “How comes you get the luxury ship?”

“Because I’m the best, and I also get to designate the rest of you out. So congratulations Joker for being the first assigned to the Tylium ship. I’ll be sure to ask that you’re berthed with all the machinery.” She ignored the curse that was muttered from Joker at the back, chancing a glance at Lee and winking, “anyone else want to try and piss me off?”

The room seemed to be in good spirits, with no-one taking Baltar’s imminent visit seriously, and talking wildly. Luckily Kara looked up just in time to see Fisk and Garner walk into the room. “Attention on deck!” she called and stood to attention, everyone else jumping to their feet in unison.

“At ease,” said Fisk as he walked to the podium. “I wanted to make sure you manage to address everyone in relation to Baltar’s new decree.”

“As if I could forget,” muttered Kara.

“Good, then you won’t mind if I watch for myself.”

Kara sighed deeply, “President Baltar has actually been doing something.” Ignoring the cough coming from Garner she continued. “Basically it doesn’t matter if cylons find us or not, we’ll be wiped out anyway.” She suddenly had the entire room’s attention. “According to Baltar the highest percentile of survivors are aged between 35 and 45, with the second highest being 25 to 35. The lowest group is under 25. In other words we’re frakked unless people get frakking.”

Garner shifted on his feet. It was obvious that he was less than pleased at the way Kara was addressing Baltar’s new decree.

“The President is in the process of solving this problem, implementing a new system in the hopes of dramatically increasing the population.” She paused for a moment, getting to the crunch. “Every person in the fleet capable of conception is now required to contribute to the population.”

Everyone went silent so Fisk stood up and approached the podium. “That includes all military personnel.”

Now the mutterings around the room started again, many holding dismayed gazes.

“Is Baltar ordering us to start frakking each other?” shouted out Narcho. “Cause I’m game for that.”

Kara suppressed a smile, glancing at Lee who seemed unfazed by her words. “Not quite. In order to survive the gene pool needs to be spread out as far as possible, meaning there should only be one man to one woman.”

“Frak that,” shouted Sykes.

“Watch your mouth Lieutenant,” ordered Fisk, nodding to Kara to continue.

“Don’t worry Lieutenant, you’re not being asked to suddenly become married, but everyone in the fleet who is capable is expected within the next five years to produce an offspring. He’s not asking everyone to become parents, just contribute.”

“In what way?” shouted out Sykes again.

“Do you really need me to draw you a diagram Sykes? It involves a cup and some dirty magazines.”

Showboat was rarely vocal in briefings, but chose to speak out, “and what about those of us who can’t fill a cup? I’m a pilot, which I can’t exactly do if I’m knocked up.”

“That’ll be up to you. You can either donate to someone or take nine months downtime,” Kara shrugged, “after that it’s your choice.” In truth she didn’t like Baltar’s latest idea, not that it affected her, she’d already done her bit twofold, but it could be risky to down a large number of their pilots.

Fisk began walking to the exit, followed by Garner, “thank you Major, you look like you have everything in hand.”

It took only a few seconds after the Commander and his XO left before everyone started shouting out at once and Kara let them for a while. They had a right to be annoyed about the situation.

Deciding they had been given enough venting time she shouted out “hey!”commanding silence. “That’s better, now I don’t like this much either, but this comes from the President, so make a choice. He’s not asking you to start frakking now, but within the next five years. We’ve already been inundated with requests for “donations” from people planet side, so even you, Sykes, might have a choice.”

“I don’t need any help, sir,” replied Sykes with a sneer.

“Whatever Lieutenant, now get back to work, dismissed.”

The room filed out quickly and nosily, with everyone talking intently about Baltar’s scheme. No-one noticing as Lee lingered behind, closing the hatch.

Kara smiled wickedly as he turned back towards her and leant against the door. “Did you like my little sex education talk?” she teased as she walked towards him, a little swagger in her step.

“I wouldn’t really call that an education Kara.”

She pulled a modest shrug and then leant into kiss him, ripping down the sides of his flight suit, “really?”

Lee laughed as they continued to kiss, gently pushing Kara back until they were in the seating area, ducking behind the chairs. The beginnings of a relationship were always great, barely able to keep their hands off each other, finding out the many ways to pleasure each other. Lee was especially good at that last part, kissing his way up her jaw line.

“Gods I love that,” she moaned, loving the feeling as he stroked his hands up her chest and cupping the sides of her breasts through her uniform. She wanted more, wanted him to rip her clothes off right there and then on the floor of the Ready room.

“I want you,” she whispered in his ear.

“Here?” asked Lee with a smile, receiving a nip to the ear in response. “Risks turn you on then?”

“Mmmm yeah,” she moaned as Lee moved his hands down to the top of her slacks, undoing them before sliding them down slightly, kissing down the front of her briefs agonisingly slowly. Then pulling down her slacks over her butt he pushed aside her briefs and proved why he deserved the call-sign of a god.

For Kara the next few minutes were pure ecstasy until finally she screamed out, “My Gods Adama!” as an orgasm rocketed through her body.

Lee looked up at her with a big satisfied grin

“Frak Lee, where did you learn to do that?”

“I don’t think you really want to know the answer to that one.”

Kara giggled, “no, not really.”

Quickly she pulled her slacks back up and straightened her uniform. As much as they both wanted to continue what they were doing, she had a security detail to organise and a CAP to fly in a few hours. Before they left, Lee approached her slowly, stroking a hand down her cheek.

“You’re flushed,” he said and kissed her before opening the hatch and sneaking out.

oooo

The moment in the Ready room was playing over and over in his head as Lee walked to the officer’s head. He’d not had a chance to have a shower since his CAP and he was still sweaty. Not only that, but he desperately needed to have a cold shower to calm his body down.

He had a bounce in his step as he entered the head and couldn’t help the smile that he wore across his face. He made short work of ripping off his flight suit and throwing it in the locker.

“Where the frak have you been?” asked Showboat as she came out of the shower scrubbing at her hair, a small towel covering her modesty. “I thought you were right behind me.”

Lee merely smiled in response as he pulled off his tanks and added them to the locker so that he was down to only his briefs.

“My gods, you two didn’t do what I think you did?”

He laughed briefly, “What would that be?”

“Frak in the Ready room.”

“Not quite,” replied Lee, taking down his briefs and barely covering himself with his towel. No-one on board Battlestars particularly worried about nudity, and they had all seen each other in states of undress at some point. He remembered his first shower on board the Galactica, just after they had escaped the cylons, but before they had kept coming every 33 minutes. Kara had never been shy either, strutting through the head wearing nothing, making many glances, including his, turn her way. He’d needed a cold shower that day too.

“I love the start of relationships,” continued Showboat, “nothing but frakking with a bit of talking.”

“Listen, we would like to keep this private, so could...”

“Oh no worries, I won’t say anything, but it doesn’t take a genius to work it out.”

Lee had to concede the point. He and Kara used to create enough rumours before they had finally done something about it.

As the water cascaded down his back, he couldn’t help the feeling of euphoria that still gripped his body. He never could have imagined that he would finally be with her, waking up and finding her entwined with him, sound asleep. Kara had never come across a cuddler, but every night she rolled into him, snuggling into his side.

Fresh from his shower, he was walking to the hangar deck to do some work on his viper when he heard the shouts from around the corner. Picking up his pace, he rounded the corner just in time to witness the fight sprawling out of the officer’s mess, a mass of limbs flying everywhere.

“Hey!” he shouted out, darting forward to try and split up the brawl only to be immediately pushed back, but he leapt forward again, noticing that Stinger was also trying to separate the fight from the other side. The Captain was grabbed and thrown suddenly forward, colliding sharply with Lee and sending them crashing into a table, ending up in a pile on the floor on top of each other.

The marines came soon after, separating everyone and dragging them to opposite sides of the room. Lee was still in a heap on the floor, and pushed off Stinger who was nursing a bruised jaw.

“What the frak was that all about!” he shouted, realising that he’d hit his head hard on the wall as he fell. Gripping the back of his head he stumbled slightly sideways.

“Whoa, are you okay?” asked Stinger, leaping up to his feet and stopping Lee from keeling over.

“I’m fine, just smacked my head,” he said, drawing back his hand and seeing blood. “Frak,” he muttered before turning back to the offending officers. He noted Cooper and Joker were part of the pack, along with some other junior pilots. Raising his voice again, Lee shouted, “I repeat, what the frak was that all about?!”

Everyone went silent, choosing to look at the floor rather than their superior officer.

“If I don’t get an explanation within the next thirty seconds then you’ll all be taken down to the brig.” Slowly he counted, despite his dizziness, all the way until he reached thirty, and then nodded to the marines. In all, six officers were escorted to the brig, each one bearing injuries, but neither willing to rat the other out.

Lee gripped the back of his head, wincing at the pain.

“You should get that seen to,” said Stinger, whose nose had started to bleed.

“It’s nothing, just going to have a bitch of a headache. Any idea what that was all about?”

Stinger hadn’t been his biggest fan, but in recent months they had gained a mutual respect. “I’m not sure, I heard the words Baltar and then all hell broke loose.”

“Right, frakking Baltar.”

“You don’t like him either huh?”

Lee looked at him knowingly, “probably for a very different reason.”

“Ouch,” replied Stinger, using his own imagination to guess what had happened. “I’ll report this to Fisk, let him decide what to do with them. I’ll make sure two counts of striking a superior officer are laid against them.”

Lee shrugged, “it was the wall that hit me really.”

“Yeah, after I was thrown into you.”

Lee didn’t respond, merely kicked at the nearest chair absently before walking out of the room. He had two kids to pick up from day care and an icepack to find.

oooo

Her CAP was boring, dragging along with endless monotony. Her wingman, Narcho, was spending the time either in silence or moaning about what had been said in the Ready room.

“I mean seriously, what does he hope to achieve?” he asked her over the private comm.

“The survival of the human race?” asked Kara in a bored tone of voice.

“By forcing babies on people, that isn’t right.”

“Since when did you grow a conscience Narch?”

“You may like kiddies Starbuck, but I don’t want any.”

“I didn’t exactly plan those little kiddies...”

“Yeah, I heard you just decided to frak your CAG one day.”

“Watch it Narcho, I could easily blow you out of the sky before you have a chance to apologise. What I’m trying to say, is that I didn’t plan them, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Whatever Starbuck, I just don’t want to be forced into it.”

“You’re not,” she couldn’t believe she was defending Baltar. “Just make sure you do something in the next five years.”

For the rest of the CAP Narcho was silent, refusing to speak to her like a child having a tantrum. Kara had rolled her eyes when he didn’t respond to her order to head in.

She was relieved to be back on deck, pushing back her viper’s canopy and undoing her safety harness.

“Starbuck,” a voice called out and she looked down to see Garner standing next to her viper.

“Everything okay sir?” she asked, trying to piece together in her head if she had been more than just tardy that morning.

“Six of your pilots have been sent to the brig, I need you and Narcho to fly another CAP.”

Frak, “is this part of my punishment sir?” she asked unable to stop herself.

“Watch it Major and get your ass back out there.”

Muttering, Kara stood up in her cockpit and made to climb over the side.

“Are you deaf?” shouted Garner.

“No, but I’ve had two kids, so unless you want my CAP to get messy, I suggest you let me use the head.” She didn’t wait for his response, jumping down the ladder quickly and striding off with purpose towards the head, dividing people in her wake.

At least Narcho was slightly more talkative on their second CAP and stopped moaning about the state of the fleet.

“Okay, my turn,” he said during another round of name that movie starring actors that are all dead. The morbid title had been added after the cylons attacked. “Romantic chick flick, Picon, starring Holly Hayworth.”

Kara yawned inside her helmet, making it mist up briefly. It was nearly 2300 hours and she was exhausted, “dunno, give me another clue.”

“Aw come on Starbuck it was a classic.”

“You lost me at “romantic.””

“Okay another clue,” he thought for a moment. “Most slushy ending to a movie ever, even had me in tears.”

“You’re such a girl Narch.”

“Hey, it was sad.”

She actually remembered the film well, not because she liked it, but because she had seen it with Lee and Zak. She had laughed her head off when Zak was the only one to cry at the end, whereas Lee had just looked like he needed to vomit. It had been another reminder that she and Zak were really nothing alike compared to her and Lee. “Journey to Picon.”

“See, you have seen it.”

“Everyone saw it Narcho.”

It was 2300 hours when they were finally released from their CAP. It was an eerie time to be pulled onto the deck. The main lighting was off making the place look gloomy and there were only a few deckhands on duty. No-one was running around frantically, calmly pushing two other vipers out to the launch tubes to begin the midnight CAP.

Kara yawned widely as she sat at the top of her ladder, ticking boxes as her deckhand looked over her viper. She was too tired to pay any particular attention to what the young deckhand was saying, who looked just as exhausted. She had made a point of learning the deckhand’s name after being caught with Lee. As far as she could tell, the woman hadn’t spread the gossip.

“When are you off duty?” asked Kara.

“Same as you,” replied Anya a little meekly.

“Right,” yawned Kara. “I think this crap is all done then, don’t you?”

“Sir?”

But she didn’t have time to answer as a blood curdling scream came from across the other side of the deck making Kara nearly fall off her ladder. Seeing a few deckhands gathering beside a raptor she ran over, the hairs on her arms standing on end, her heart racing. “What the frak is going on?” she asked a distraught looking deckhand who merely pointed to the raptor.

“I was just doing some repairs underneath.”

Kara grabbed a torch from one of the equipment trays and bent down by the raptor, “if this is just a frakking rat or something,” she mumbled as she lay down on her side. Narcho was beside her, also peering under into the darkness as she shone her torch. At first she saw nothing, but then the light caught suddenly on a hand, making her flinch backwards, rolling onto her back. “Fetch doc Phillips, now! And the Master-at-Arms, no-one is to leave the deck until told otherwise!”

She looked at Narcho and knew he was thinking the same thing, what the frak was going on?

oooo

It was nearing 0200 hours when Lee finally heard the hatch to Kara’s quarters open. He’d stayed awake, hearing that Garner had sent her out on another CAP. Besides he had a headache, which no amount of aspirin could take care of. He was still holding an icepack to his head, trying to dull the pain.

Turning to greet her, he noticed she looked ashen straight away. Throwing down the icepack he walked straight to her and she collapsed her head into his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Kara?”

“Bad frakking night.”

“What happened?”

“Ensign Pittman’s dead, we found her under a raptor on the flight deck.”

Lee took her by the shoulders and pushed her away from his neck so he could see her eyes. She was clearly upset. Placing a kiss to her forehead he asked, “how?”

“Doc is going to do an autopsy, but the strangle marks around her neck were a big giveaway. What happened to your head?” she asked pointing to the icepack, needing to change the subject.

“Got in the way of wall.”

“I hear we have people in the brig.”

“Yeah, none of them will say what the fight was about.”

Gently Kara took a look at his head and winced, “bet that smarts.”

“Yeah, especially if you keep prodding it like that.”

Kara pouted, “want me to kiss it better?”

Lee laughed, making his head hurt more. They made quick work of getting ready for bed, settling on the mattress. Lying on their sides, they were too exhausted to do anything else, their fingers stroking and entwining with each other.

“Something’s going on Lee.”

“I know,” was all he replied.

There was definitely something stirring in the fleet, but they had no idea what. Whatever it was, it was guaranteed not to be good. But they pushed those thoughts aside as gently they entwined together under the bed sheets, safe in each other’s arms.

It All Came Tumbling Down (40A/?)

ruthkit — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:59:31 GMT

AN: sorry for the delay, I have no excuse except being busy J

Chapter 40

The warm water cascaded over her shoulders, splashing down onto the tiled floor before being sucked down into the drainage system to be cleansed and recycled. Kara slicked back her hair, loving the feeling of the warm water splashing down on her face. Even though they had settled on a planet with a constant water source, the ship was still subject to rationing. After much debate however, Adama had agreed to increase shower lengths to fifteen minutes maximum. It was a luxury, and she savoured every moment.

She felt the warm and comforting arms suddenly encircle her waist, smiling as Lee placed a soft kiss just below her ear. Another place he had found to make her gasp. She turned around in his arms so her breasts were flush against his bare chest, the water cascading over their heads as she placed a kiss immediately to his lips.

“Morning,” replied Lee with a smile, holding her face gently with his hand.

Kara kissed him again before saying with a purr, “mmmm good morning.”

They continued to kiss as the water flowed over them until suddenly it switched off leaving them dripping wet. Lee reached out of the cubicle and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around Kara. They wished they could use his water rations too, but then they would have to explain to Garner, who was in charge of rationing, why Lee was deciding to take his showers in Kara’s quarters.

It had only been a week since their amazing night together and they were sure the rumour mill was already working its way around the ship. It was hard to cover up the fact that Lee hadn’t spent a single night in his rack and during the day seemed to be walking on air. They knew it was only a matter of time before their secret was exposed, but for now they didn’t need to care about the inevitable.

“Did you get the kids off to the nursery okay?” asked Kara as she scrubbed the towel over her hair. Due to the merger of the two crews, Adama had insisted that a nursery be installed on the Pegasus, it was smaller than the one on the Galactica, but Lena and Seph loved it there with four other children to play with.

“Yeah, I don’t think they even noticed I had gone,” replied Lee, looking at himself briefly in the steamed up mirror. His attention was drawn back to Kara as she threw her towel over his head and exited the bathroom. He didn’t need asking twice, following her out into the bedroom. His breath caught in his throat as she stood in the middle of the room with her back to him, completely naked except for the towel she was still using to dry her hair. He waited at the hatch, admiring her from afar before his desire took hold and he walked over, encircling her waist with his arms and placing a kiss to her neck, making her moan slightly and dropping the towel.

She hooked her arm around his neck and turned her head so that their lips just met in a soft caress. Slowly she turned in his arms so that she was against his chest, their eyes only inches apart. “Garner’s going to have my ass if I don’t get moving,” she said, leaning in for another deep kiss.

“Mmmn? Who cares, you can’t do anything to please him.”

Kara grinned mischievously, pushing him back onto the small sofa and then straddling him. She could feel him against her thigh, more than ready for her. “I really am a bad influence on you,” she said as she placed a kiss to his jaw before moving up to his lips.

“The worst,” he replied as their kisses intensified, their desire for each other nearly at bursting point.

Kara couldn’t help the small squeal that escaped her mouth as he nipped suddenly at her ear, “frak, Lee, I want you now.” No longer caring about the meeting she was already late for, he lifted her up into his arms, moving them swiftly over to the table and placing her butt firmly onto the edge.

She had a wicked smile on her face as her legs encircled him and lent back slightly to give him access. Cupping his arms around her to hold her up, Lee entered her swiftly, unable to take things slowly. The fact that this was the position in which they had first made love was not lost on them as they started a steady rhythm. This time, however, they were not afraid to watch the pleasure wash over their faces as the orgasms took hold, cherishing the moment and not afraid to show how much they wanted to be together.

Their breathing quickened as the pressure built up, the sweat pouring down Lee’s back as he started to thrust faster and faster until finally Kara cried out, “oh Gods, Lee!” And then he couldn’t hold himself back any longer, pulling her flush to him as he came hard, drowning out his moan into her hair as the shockwaves arched through him.

After a few minutes he could finally speak again, “Gods, Kara...that was.”

She pulled him to her for a firm kiss, before pulling away again, suddenly serious. “I really have to go now, I’m nearly 30 minutes late.” As if on cue, a voice sounded over the comm system, ordering her to go immediately to Garner’s quarters. Kara pouted, “frak.”

“You’d better go.”

“Great,” said Kara as she reluctantly got down from the table and reached for her uniform. “Listen if you can’t find me later, Garner’s probably had me thrown in the brig.”

“He’s not that bad,” replied Lee, grabbing his wash kit as he needed another shower.

“He’s had it in for me ever since Fisk made him the XO, and he’s definitely still convinced we sabotaged that ship.”

“Well at least he’s right about something,” said Lee with a smile, remembering the night when they had moved the Colonial refugees over to the Galactica. They had barely gotten away with the small act of sabotage and Garner made it obvious he thought it had been down to them.

As soon as Kara finished doing up the buttons on her duty blues she swaggered over to Lee, a glint in her eye, “I’ll see you later,” she said and gave him a quick kiss before dashing out of the hatch.

Halfway down the corridor she looked at her watch and cursed. She was over 30 minutes late. Perhaps he really would throw her ass in the brig this time. Shrugging her shoulders, she realised that she really didn’t care. For the first time in her life she felt like a complete person. It still amazed her how the things she had never searched for or wanted had happened, and above all was making her happy. She never would’ve imagined having a family could bring about such a change in her.

She braced herself as she wrapped sharply on the hatch to Garner’s quarters, wincing slightly as he angrily told her to enter. Walking in with a confident stride she stood to attention, all too aware that Fisk had decided to join them for the morning meeting. Back on the Galactica her meetings with Tigh had been just as tedious, but his mood was nothing compared to Garner, at least with the former they had finally developed a mutual respect.

“What time to do you call this?” he asked angrily, staring at his watch.

“I’m sorry sir, I got sidetracked.” Definitely sidetracked, but she wasn’t about to tell him the real reason why.

“When I arrange a meeting for 0900 hours Major, that’s the time I expect you to be here, standing alert and not like you’ve just stepped out of a shower.”

Or like she’d just been frakked hard by the D-CAG. Kara bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from smiling at the memory, still feeling the freshly frakked flush in her cheeks. “It won’t happen again sir,” she said without much conviction.

“You’re damn right it won’t happen again, Major. I don’t know what discipline you were taught over on the bucket, but here we obey orders. If one of my deckhands ever pulled a stunt like this...”

“I think she gets the picture Colonel,” interrupted Fisk lazily, as if he too really didn’t care what the XO thought.

Garner had been an odd choice for XO, having started his fleet career very much at the bottom as a deck hand. He was obviously a skilled engineer, but useless as a leader and tactician and Kara felt he had no business being in command. The rumour around the ship was that he had reassigned one of the leading officers from the CIC to mess duty, just because he didn’t like her. For a moment Kara imagined having that as her punishment, frak it would drive her crazy.

“You’re not going to have your normal meeting today,” added Fisk as he gulped down some coffee, which Kara suspected contained more than just coffee. “Word has come up from the President that requires our attention.”

“What does he want?” asked Kara.

“That’s the President of the Colonies you’re talking about,” interrupted Garner harshly.

“Yeah,” replied Kara, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. “We go way back.”

The room went quiet as Fisk looked between them, commanding silence.

Kara sat down obediently opposite him, “so what’s the word?”

“I’m sure you’re aware there’s been some disquiet in the fleet?” That was putting it mildly. For the past week all of the workers down on the planet had taken strike action, refusing to continue building until their demands were met. Fisk clearly disliked Baltar too, holding him to blame for the death of Cain. “Well it looks like Baltar actually trying to be Presidential for once and has made some decisions.”

Kara raised her eyebrows in surprise. Baltar could easily go down in history as the most inactive President ever, barely making any decisions or passing new laws, choosing to spend most of his time shacked up with different women.

“He’s arranged a number of visits to the orbiting ships,” he continued. “Hoping to spread morale or some shit like that.”

“Great, with his popularity it’ll be a breeze to arrange his security detail,” replied Kara sarcastically, dreading where this conversation was going.

“Good,” said Fisk, obviously ignoring her tone. “Because he’s requested my top officers to be part of his security team and I understand that you did the same for the former President.”

Kara sighed, “that was a long time ago on Cloud 9,” but she remembered well those few days, standing behind Roslin in the auditorium.

“Well rumour has it the Quorum’s planning to make a vote of no confidence on Cloud 9, they’ve called a hearing.”

“Ah, thought there must be a purely selfish reason why he would suddenly take an interest in the fleet. I can start making arrangements straight away.”

“Good, share out the protection duties with the other officers. I want you and Major Adama to be part of the team on Cloud 9 as you have experience dealing with the open auditorium, and from what I hear you both stopped a suspect with a stealth gun last time.”

Kara tried to hide her smile at the thought of spending some time with Lee on Cloud 9, even if Fisk’s praise for their handling of the security last time was slightly misplaced. Discovering the man carrying the stealth weapon had been a fluke after Lee involved himself in a brawl, which had gotten her a punch to the face.

“There’s more,” he added and threw down some papers. “Consider it your punishment to address the other officers on this issue.” With a frown, Kara cautiously picked up the papers, aware of the grin on Garner’s face. It didn’t take her long to get the gist.

“Oh you’ve got to be frakking kidding me.”

To Part B

It All Came Tumbling Down (39/?)

ruthkit — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:25:17 GMT

Chapter 39

Their vipers rocked gently as they headed out away from the fleet in perfect formation, the wings staying barely inches apart.

The fleet was behind them with New Caprica looming to the right. There wasn’t much to see up above in the orbit. The planet was nothing compared to its namesake. Neither of them had spent much time flying CAP around Caprica, but what they did remember was a beautiful sight. Kara had also had the misfortune of seeing her after the nuclear bombs had decimated the surface, causing a cloud of dust to fill the once clean atmosphere. New Caprica, on-the-other-hand was bleak, with the only temperate areas located around the equator, the rest looking like a cold and mountainous labyrinth. Baltar must have been kidding himself that they could ever make this planet their permanent home.

Kara turned her head to the side and looked on into Lee’s viper, feeling her stomach lurch slightly. No-one had ever had this effect on her before. She had always been the one in control of relationships, even the completely frakked up one she’d had in college with a guy she was happy had burned on Caprica with the others. But Lee Adama could make her lose herself completely.

He turned to her and smiled.

“Think we should head back?” said Kara into her comm system, which had been set to ship-to-ship transmissions only.

“Do you think the Pegasus is missing us?” he joked.

“Somehow I doubt that.”

They were only metres away, separated by the freezing vacuum of space, but they could feel each other’s presence. They hadn’t flown together since that wonderful moment in the nebula when they had found each other.

Suddenly through their helmets they heard the Pegasus calling, interrupting their moment by telling them they had gone beyond their CAP boundary.

“Pegasus, Starbuck, copy that,” she said continuing to smile towards Lee.

“Shall we?” asked Lee, a question that Kara had continually wanted to shout at him yes, for frak sake yes.

“Fisk will have our ass if we don’t.”

“Come on, I’ll race you back around the Pegasus.”

Kara laughed, “Oh, you’re on Apollo.” She hit her thrusters hard over, spinning end on end and punching in towards home with Lee hot on her heels, goading him over the headset as she went.

They had been out on CAP for nearly the last six hours, with only one break for re-fuelling. Everyone else had pulled double shifts when Lena was sick and the two weeks after for her recovery, and they were starting to payback that time. It meant they hadn’t gotten to see each other a lot as they swapped time between Joseph and Lena, the latter who was still being kept in lifestation under observation. But today Lena was finally being released and they had organised a party, so it had been an excuse to fly together, something which Fisk usually frowned upon.

When at last the six hours were up, their vipers were pulled onto the deck one after the other. As their canopy’s pulled back, their attention was not on the deckhands who brought over the ladders. Their gazes were on each other, watching as they stood up in the cockpit and stepped over the side. The desire that had been building up within them throughout the CAP was burning.

“Sir?” said a female voice bringing Kara’s attention back to her duties.

“What?” she asked, her tone a little harsher than the deckhand deserved.

“Sir, you need to sign off on your checklist.”

“Frak,” she replied and grabbed the clipboard. Her gaze flicked up towards Lee, seeing that he too had been caught by an eager deckhand. Kara quickly went about doing a brief inspection of her viper, it wasn’t as if they had seen any action so there was nothing to note. She sighed as she ticked the boxes before handing back the clipboard and quickly started to dash away, seeing that Lee was already walking off through the side exit.

“Sir..,” began the deckhand again.

“What?!” shouted out Kara spinning back.

The deckhand seemed to shy away slightly, “you forgot your helmet sir.”

Kara bounded over sheepishly and took the helmet muttering “thanks.” She walked quickly across the deck, ignoring the inquisitive glances in her direction, and followed Lee’s footsteps through the side exit instead of going the shortcut up the ladder.

Dammit, why did he leave without me? She thought getting frustrated as she turned a corner. Suddenly she felt a tug on her arm, pulling her forcefully to the side and through a doorway, but she wasn’t scared, instead she was already smiling as Lee thrust her against the wall of a small storage room, their lips meeting passionately, not stopping for breath as their tongues caressed.

“Six hours,” gasped Lee as he pulled away, forcing the zip on her flightsuit and pulling it down at the sides so she could free her arms. “Do you know what you do to me in six hours?”

Kara smiled mischievously as she grabbed at Lee’s already unzipped flightsuit and pulled him to her. His hands stroked up her body as they kissed again, wishing that she wasn’t in the flightsuit at all, but that would be going a step beyond what they had been doing for the past two weeks.

He left her lips, placing kisses along her jaw line and then to her neck making her gasp. She reached up her hands to his chest and then ripped down the sides of his flight suit, feeling her hands along his strong arms.

A sudden noise from out in the corridor pulled them apart, frozen in place they waited for the noise to dissipate, but whoever it was seemed determined to linger outside the storage room door.

“Frak,” whispered Kara, sweeping back the loose strands of her hair.

They stood chest to chest, neither daring to make a move as the noises continued outside the room. Thankfully, even though the lights were on, no-one had attempted to come inside.

After a while everything went silent, indicating that whoever it was had moved on, but the moment had gone. Sense overtaking their passion.

“We should go,” whispered Kara, acutely aware of Lee’s proximity. “Your dad will be arriving in the next hour.”

Lee nodded in disappointed understanding, leaning back in he pressed a firm kiss to her lips. As they pulled away their eyes locked, their noses brushing at the tip. “Kara...”

He had that look in his eyes, the look he had when he was about to ask something of her. But this time she wasn’t going to duck and run away, holding her gaze.

Lee was trying to muscle up the strength to ask her, to ask where this was going, if it was what he hoped for. He had a whole speech planned in his head, but she had him completely tongue tied. All he could manage was, “Kara, we keep doing this...I...”

Kara swept her hair back in frustration, he was right, they had kept doing this. Ever since the kiss they had shared in doc Phillip’s quarters they had continued to dart into the nearest storage closets and dark side corridors, every rare free moment they were alone together. The desire was burning at them both, eating away at their resolve.

“Kara...”

The sudden screech of the metal as the hatch wheel turned made them push apart quickly. Lee reached up and hit the light as Kara dived down into the corner behind a box. Lee however, wasn’t quite so quick and the light from the corridor poured into the room.

“Sir!?” squeaked the shocked young deckhand who had been assisting Kara before. “I’m sorry...I...I didn’t realise you were in here.” She started to back up then asked shyly, “erm, why are you in here sir?”

“Err, I was just looking for...my helmet...here it is,” he said with a smile and grabbed it up off the floor, darting out and leaving the deckhand looking confused. She shook it off and stepped into the room to continue looking for the supply she needed, switching on the light only to leap back in surprise as Kara appeared suddenly from out of the corner.

Kara zipped up her flightsuit and grabbed her helmet as she started to walk out of the room, turning to the gobsmacked deckhand. “If you’re expecting a lame ass excuse for why I’m in here, you’re not going to get one,” she said bluntly. They had been busted completely so it was pointless trying to hide that fact.

“Um, of course sir.”

Kara sighed as she was about to exit, “Look, I would appreciate it if you kept this quiet.”

“Of course sir,” saluted the deckhand, still looking completely bemused.

“Right,” said Kara unconvinced. She had marched quickly down the corridor and around the corridor before she couldn’t contain herself and burst out laughing.

oooo

At 1600 hours Kara entered the lifestation, nodding to Philips in friendly acknowledgement. She would always be indebted to him and Cottle for helping to save her daughters’ life. Lena was sitting up in her little cot, no longer attached to any machinery and looking content playing with her teddy-bears. Megan was sitting watching over her, standing when Kara came over having dressed down after her shower into slacks.

“Hi sir,” she said as cheerfully as ever.

“Hey Megan, thanks for looking after her.”

“No problem, I’ll see you at the party.” She then stood up and jaunted happily out of the room.

It had been a difficult couple of weeks. Not only had they to endure the agony of seeing their daughter looking so ill, but they’d also been banned from leaving lifestation, kept away from Joseph for fear of spreading infection. At last, eight days ago, they had been allowed to leave. Today would be the first time that the twins were allowed to be reunited. It was evident that they had missed each other deeply.

“Hey there,” said Kara, smiling as Lena reached up her arms for her mother. She lifted her out and sat her down on the nearest bed. “Okay kiddo, we’ve got the former President of the Colonies coming over for your party, so we’d better wear one of the nice dresses she sent over last month.”

Lena grinned as if she was very happy with that proposal. “Thought you’d like that,” she added, holding out three dresses. “Okay, we have three choices, all pink, pink with a lot of yellow and yellow with a lot of pink.”

Lena wriggled around with glee, slapping her hand on the all pink dress with a smile, “mmwah da.”

It was always the pink choice. “You must get that from your father, because it sure as hell doesn’t come from me,” she teased.

Once dressed, Kara attached a small matching bow to the top of Lena’s head, into her ever growing soft brown curls. She picked her up into her arms and bounced her on her hip just as Cottle came over and handed Lena her blanket and the teddy-bear Showboat had given to her.

“I don’t want to see you back here again,” he said to the little girl in the kindest voice he could manage, which was still gruff. He then addressed Kara, “can I go back to my ship now?”

Kara smiled, “thank you doc.”

“I worked so hard to bring this little one into the world that I’d be damned before I lost her to illness.”

Kara patted him on the arm as she left the lifestation, he would never change, which was oddly quite comforting.

oooo

It was only a small party, but at least the family quarters on the Pegasus were larger than on the Galactica so everyone just about fit. Adama, Roslin and Karl had travelled over with Megan and Showboat joining them. Based on the prejudice that was ripe on the Pegasus it was decided that Hera should stay with her mother.

Lee sat crossed legged on the floor with Joseph in front, holding onto his hands and helping him to stand up onto his feet. He wasn’t strong enough to stand on his own yet or walk, but he seemed exited to be up on two feet, giggling away.

“Gawa dah.”

Lee couldn’t believe they were nearly eleven months old, another six weeks and they would be turning one. It was amazing how fast time flew by, before he knew it they would be answering him back, and if they took after their mother, he was in trouble.

Roslin smiled down from the sofa, “They are growing up so fast.”

Lee wasn’t used to seeing her without her usual suits, “yeah and more mischievous.”

“They get that from their mother,” added Adama.

Lee laughed in agreement, thinking fondly about Kara’s grin when she was plotting something. Shaking away his longing thoughts, he focused on Joseph, helping him walk forward two paces before collapsing down onto his legs, his butt cushioning him. Lee smiled as he watched his son pull himself back up immediately by grabbing onto his slacks, unsuccessfully attempting to stand back up until Lee lifted him onto his feet, rising to his own and continuing to hold onto Joseph’s hands, holding onto them gently above his head. Joseph’s grin widened as he took two supported footsteps forward, with his father stopping his legs from collapsing.

Just at that moment he heard the hatch door opening and Kara stepped through holding Lena in her arms. As everyone walked up to greet the little girl home, Lee lifted Joseph into his arms. “Do you want to go and see your sister?” he asked.

“Bwah,” gurgled Joseph in response, his hand grabbing at Lee’s dogtags.

They went over together towards the small crowd, his eyes meeting Kara’s warmly. After everyone had welcomed Lena back, they placed the twins on the floor together who immediately set about playing with their toys, obviously happy at being reunited.

The afternoon and early evening went by like a breeze. Even Karl and Roslin seemed in ease of each other’s company, even though the latter had been responsible for faking the death of Hera, a devastation that Kara and Lee had come to appreciate too closely in the last few weeks. The talk of the room mainly evolved around the twins, but gossip about the fleet crept in. Apparently Baltar was becoming very unpopular, his “extra-curricular” activities and laziness when it came to the needs of the fleet was getting to everyone. A few weeks before, Zarek had left the planet’s surface and not returned. Rumours were circulating that he had resigned as Vice President and others were saying he had been pushed out by Baltar only to be replaced by other “unsavoury” members of the fleet.

It had been a year since his inauguration and the discovery of New Caprica and the settlement still looked like a glorified camping site, with a tiny market and a few ships dotted about. They had begun building a larger more permanent structure, but it had clearly been intended for some other use rather than just housing.

Politics was not generally a topic Kara really got involved in, usually acting as the muscle. Her mind wandered to the man sitting opposite from her, thinking back to the way he had held her in that storage room. She wanted him; needed him.

He looked over, their furtive gazes lingering as Roslin spoke. The heat building between them was oblivious to everyone else in the room, to all except Karl who noticed their frequent exchange and smiled inwardly to himself.

Despite her initial excitement and bubbly behaviour, Lena’s energy soon waned and she yawned tiredly, wiping her hand under her eyes.

“Come on little one,” said Kara and lifted the little girl from the floor. She was nearly asleep on her shoulder by the time everyone said goodnight. Joseph however was still wide awake and pulling on the bottom of Karl’s slacks for attention as Kara carried Lena into the next room. After she changed her into a romper suit she laid her down into her crib. She was already fast asleep and dreaming. Kara stroked a hand through her hair. “I love you,” she said with a smile and then turned out the light.

It was only early evening, but it was clear that the party was finished with the exit of one of the central guests. Adama called up the Galactica to send over the raptor to take them back and Lee went with them down to the hangar deck with Showboat.

She missed his presence immediately, keeping herself busy as she cleared away the few plates and mugs, getting them ready to be taken back to the Mess. It was a relief to have her family back again but there was something still bothering her, making her slam around the plates a little harder than she should.

“Is everything okay sir?” asked Megan as she played with Joseph on the floor.

“Yeah, great,” replied Kara unconvincingly. But then she saw Joseph staring up at her expectantly, as if he was wondering what was up. His gaze was enough to melt anyone’s heart. “Hey kiddo, mum’s sorry, she didn’t mean to be grumpy.”

She lifted him up and into her arms; he too was starting to look sleepy.

“I think he’s had a busy day,” said Megan.

“Yeah, why don’t you head off, have the evening to yourself and I’ll put him to bed.”

Once she was alone, and alone she felt, she set about giving Joseph a bath and getting him ready for bed. She was about to put him down for the night when he started wriggling about as if he was determined not to go to sleep for fear of missing something. “What’s up Seph? You were sleepy earlier.”

She only got a gurgle in response followed by a little yawn.

“So you are sleepy huh?”

But after several turns about the room he was not settling down. “Come on, give me a break kiddo,” she said without any bite. It was clear Joseph was sleepy but unable to drop off to sleep, crying softly. He hadn’t done this for months. “You missing your dad already?” she asked, conveying her own sentiments. She bounced him over her shoulder gently and done what she hadn’t needed to do for months, quietly sung to him one of the few Colonial lullabies that she knew.

She felt her heart rate accelerate before she saw him, hearing the familiar sound of the hatch door being pushed further open. Turning she saw Lee standing in the doorway.

“I didn’t know you could sing,” he said with a smile.

Kara pulled her most modest looking smile, “everyone has a skill.” Joseph was still over her shoulder, but was now asleep, his breathing slightly heavier.

Lee lingered in the doorway. He had been standing there for a few minutes just watching Kara gently sing their son to sleep. He couldn’t leave things this way any longer; he needed to be with her and he needed to man up and let her know this.

Their focus remained on each other, with Kara gently rubbing Joseph’s back.

She willed him to come across the room, her gaze softening, inviting. She was just placing a kiss to their son’s head when Lee finally started to move slowly towards them. Kara had never felt this nervous before as he stroked a hand over his son’s head, his eyes fixed on hers. She could nearly feel the desire burning within them as he leant in and slowly their lips met in a soft caress. They didn’t stop until Joseph wriggled slightly, pulling them apart but my mere inches.

“I’ll just put him to bed,” said Kara quietly. Her meaning was clear; so they could be alone together. She walked reluctantly away to the adjoining room, returning a few minutes later alone, pulling the hatch to behind her. There was a communicator between the rooms should the twins make any noise.

Lee was standing exactly where she had left him and wasted no time crossing over to him, placing another kiss to his lips, her hand reaching up to cup his face. As they slowly caressed, Lee stroked up her arms until his hands were over hers and then he pulled away. The look on his face was suddenly serious.

“What is it?” asked Kara.

“Kara I...” he began, his thumb stroking her hand as he held her. “There’s something I need to say first.” Kara could feel her heart racing again, half passion, half worry that he was suddenly going to pull away or ask for something she couldn’t give.

He was clearly a nervous wreck when he began again, “Kara, if we do this...I can’t lose you again.” Pausing, he seemed to find some strength, “if we do this you should know that I’m not going to let you go again, this is it, no take backs. We stop denying what’s between us. So if being with me is something you can’t do then tell me now and I’ll step away, we’ll continue to be friends but nothing more, with no resentment.”

She could feel his hands shaking slightly and she felt a knot tightening in her stomach. Her breathing deepened as she lowered Lee’s hands and stepped backwards slightly so she could see him clearly. His face look dejected already, which wasn’t quite what she intended.

Apart from becoming a mother, this was probably one of the most difficult things she had ever had to do having always lived her life with everything closed inside, never fully telling anyone what she felt, relying upon pure action. “Lee, you know what sort of person I am. I never quite grasped the principle of monogamy growing up...” She paused, that wasn’t quite how she meant it to sound. “Lee, since you and I...since we...I haven’t been with anyone else, no-one. Not because I couldn’t but because I didn’t want to.”

Lee’s face seemed to soften slightly, it wasn’t the most romantic of sentiments, but coming from Kara it was better than some of the finest Caprican love poetry. It had nearly been two years and neither of them had even entertained the notion of being with someone else.

As wonderful as it sounded he needed to be sure, “did you mean what you said before, when we were torn apart?” When you said you loved me.

There was a pause as the tears pooled slightly in Kara’s eyes and then she stepped forward and stroked a hand down his cheek before kissing him, slightly firmer than before. Lee felt her answer as she pulled in closer, her hand reaching into his hair. Lee’s arms moved up her back and then down again. His kisses spread up her jaw and to the top of her earlobe making her moan.

“Gods, Lee,” she whispered stroking her cheek into his as he continued to nip slightly at her ear.

“What do you want?” he whispered back making the hairs on her arm tingle.

Her voice was clearer as she said, “it’s been two years Lee, I think you know what I want.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead before moving back to her lips. Their actions sped up as the desire for each other intensified, the heat between them soaring as they pulled off each other’s shirts into a pile on the floor, which was soon met by a set of tanks as Kara swiftly lifted Lee’s over his head. She smiled wickedly as she reached her hand up over his strong abs, biting her bottom lip as she gripped his strong arms, pulling him into another kiss.

He was desperate to see her body again, pulling off her tanks as they kicked off their boots. And then Kara met his gaze as she slowly pulled off her crop top. It took all of his resolve not to push her up against the wall straight away. Instead he reached up her body, stroking a thumb over her breasts.

Kara gasped as he reached down and took one nipple into his mouth, nipping at the teat. She wanted to push him back onto the bed, but then he kissed her again before scooping his hands underneath her butt and lifted her into his arms. Immediately she wrapped her legs around him, pulling his lips to hers as he carried her to the bed, placing her gently down on the edge. Kara lay back, propped up by her elbows, inviting him in.

They both knew this first time would be quick, their resolve unable to hold back any longer. Their desire had been aching for this moment for so long.

Quickly Lee unbuckled his slacks as Kara did the same and then she lifted her butt allowing him to pull them off in one swift pull. Clambering onto her knees she grabbed the front of Lee’s slacks pulling him forward into another sensuous kiss and then slowly she reached inside, cupping his behind before pulling them down along with his briefs, releasing him. He was already hard and ready for her, gasping as she grabbed at his length.

“Frak Kara,” he moaned into her mouth. “It’s been two years remember.”

Kara grinned mischievously, releasing him she cupped his face and looked into his eyes. The grin went, replaced by softness. “I want you.”

He didn’t need telling twice, scooping her up, he got onto the bed, placing her back down so she was on her back with her head on the pillows. Slowly he traced kisses up her stomach, making her back arch from the pleasure, and then up her breast bone until he was at her neck, his body fully ensconced between her legs. He stroked back her long hair gently. The only thing dividing their flesh was her briefs.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Gods yes, please,” she purred, raising her butt in invitation.

Lee made short work of her briefs, tossing them to the side and then returned to her mouth, meeting in another passionate kiss. She could feel him against her inner thigh, pressing against her and wanting access.

She looked at him as she reached down and took him in hand, guiding him to her. He entered in a slow and smooth movement, harnessing all of his will not to release straight away. It was a sensation they hadn’t felt in so long. They paused just taking in the moment and then Lee leant in, placing a kiss to her lips as he slowly thrust himself deeper inside. Kara gasped, tightening around him as slowly he continued to thrust, his strong arms either side of her, placing soft kisses to her neck and jaw line.

It was amazing. They had frakked before on many occasions, but it had never been like this. Kara raised her knee slightly higher, her foot hooking slightly on his behind. A soft moan escaped her lips as he suddenly thrust slightly deeper, the shockwaves exploding within her in waves.

He continued, his pace quickening bit by bit until she could feel his body shaking.

“Lee,” she moaned as he buried his head into her neck, biting down slightly on her soft flesh as he climaxed, holding it deep inside her before his body finally relaxed.

His body felt euphoric, the sensation amazing as his orgasm buzzed through his entire body. It was the firm pressure of a kiss to his cheek that made him lift his head from her neck, kissing his way up softly before raising up onto his arms, taking in the beautiful woman who lay below him, smiling warmly with her golden hair spread over the dark pillow. He couldn’t resist dipping in again, softly kissing her lower lip, their tongues meeting in a slow caress.

“Gods, Lee,” she gasped as he switched the kiss to her ear, making a mental note that this was one of her most sensitive spots. Reluctantly he rolled off to the side, his hand stroking across her breasts. And then she turned towards him, her knee hitched up across his.

There was something so peaceful written across her face, something Lee had never seen before. He felt her finger trace a line across his chest, sending tingles up and down his body.

She wasn’t normally speechless, but the pleasure was still washing through her. After a few minutes she could finally find the words, “wow Lee that was...”

Lee didn’t let her finish, placing a firm kiss to her lips before pulling away with a goofy smile on his face. “Do you know how many times I’ve dreamt of this moment?”

Kara smiled warmly, “did it live up to expectation?”

He stroked her face, his smile more serious, “left it for dust.”

Even though this wasn’t the first time they had been together, this was the first time that they had truly made love. He wanted to study her body, learn every curve, every spot that made music to his ears as she gasped in pleasure.

“I’m not quite the same as I was,” she said, as he stroked one hand down her stomach, the other entwining with hers.

“What do you mean?” asked Lee, only seeing perfection. Kara brushed her hand down her stomach to indicate a few faint lines. “You mean these? They’re the most beautiful marks in the world Kara, this is where you grew our babies.”

She didn’t know that Lee could ever say something so sweet and mushy, making her grin widely. “That’s cute Lee, really.”

Lee laughed, “Too sickly sweet?”

“Just promise me one thing Lee.”

“What’s that?”

“No pet names.”

This made Lee laugh again, feigning shock, “you mean I can’t call you schnookums from now on?

Kara burst out laughing. “Not unless you want my foot to kick you in the ass,” she said jokingly.

“I might like that though.”

Kara guffawed again, only Lee Adama could make her laugh as if she was a teenage girl. But then she went suddenly serious when she saw the scar on his neck. Gently she reached up, tracing a finger over the raised skin. Lee took hold over her hand, removing it from his neck, and placed a kiss to her palm.

“It’s fine.”

“Lee, I think you and I both know that the cylons did a good number on us,” she said.

They were both silent for a moment, both reflecting on what they had been through together. It was a time in their life which they had both vowed to try and forget, but there was something oddly comforting to share the memory together. Lee traced a hand over her shoulder, gently rolling her onto her front, his hand stroking down the barely visible lines that criss-crossed down her back then softly placing a kiss to her shoulder.

Kara felt the tingles washing through her body, all the way to her toes. Rolling Lee onto his back she straddled him in one quick swoop. “They didn’t beat us Lee,” she said as she leant in to kiss him, her tongue licked gently at his top lip.

He felt his hands down her body, stopping at her hips and gripping her firmly. They closed their eyes, taking in the pleasure as Kara lowered herself down slowly, taking him inside her again. The orgasm shocked through her immediately. Gasping she opened her eyes, looking at him intently as she started to slowly rock her hips in a steady rhythm.

This time they lasted longer, her pace gradually quickening as the waves shocked through her one after the other, until she had to push her hand up against the wall to keep her steady, quickening until she saw the look of ecstasy wash over Lee’s face. His sudden release sent a bolt of lightning striking through her, making her spasm as she leant in for another kiss.

Completely spent she collapsed down into his safe embrace.

They lay there in each other arms, wholly satisfied together. Eventually Lee heard her gentle breathing deepening slightly as she fell asleep. He stroked back her hair lovingly. He had seen another side of her tonight, another hidden depth to the woman he loved.

He knew it was the wrong time to think of his brother, but he thought back to something Zak had said once, just after he had decided to propose. Lee had been happy for him, despite his jealousy, but questioned whether Kara was the sort of person who could fall in love.

“You don’t understand Lee,” he had said, “There’s a whole other side to her. Maybe at first she wasn’t committed to me, hell I wasn’t either, but then after I took her on that surprise holiday back to her home town on Picon, something changed. She was the same Kara, but something changed in her eyes and when she looks at me, it’s as if I’m the only person alive in the Worlds.”

Lee had laughed at his brother’s sentiments. But he had been right, Kara had loved Zak back then.

But now she was in his arms and he knew finally that she loved him without the need to be explicit.

Stirring she awoke from her slumber, a little dazed until she lifted her head and saw him, a smile spreading across her face just for him, and he knew then what it felt like to be the only man in her existence.

Oh yes, he finally realised what it felt like to be loved by Kara Thrace.

It All Came Tumbling Down (38B/?)

ruthkit — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:18:31 GMT

Cottle and Phillips looked at each solemnly, the latter stating, “She’s forming a rash.”

Cottle nodded, “we need to lock down the ship immediately, no-one is to enter lifestation. If there’s an emergency then they stay here. We can’t afford to let this spread.”

“What about the people who have never had this? There are kids on the ship now.”

“Anyone who hasn’t had it needs to be confined to quarters, any sign of infection, get them here stat.”

Pulling back the curtain just enough to allow them through, Cottle and Phillips stepped out into the main room leaving two nurses behind.

Kara was still in Lee’s arms. He had wrapped the blanket around her and was desperately trying to keep himself together. As soon as the curtain opened his head darted up and Kara pulled away slightly.

No-one spoke for a few moments.

Kara saw the solemn look on Cottle’s face and began to shake, “oh Gods.”

Cottle stepped forward immediately sensing what she thought had happened, “she’s alive, she’s very sick but I think we got to her in good time.”

The tears started to pour again, but this time with relief. No matter how much she had gone through in her life, nothing compared to the pain that echoed throughout her body, clutching at her heart like a vice. It took all of her resolve and strength not to collapse to the floor. And then she felt Lee’s comforting arms holding her again. How could he stay so strong?

“What’s wrong with Lena?” asked Lee weakly.

“I may need to run a few tests, but it looks like Tauron fever. Ordinarily it shouldn’t be serious, most people will have it during their lifetime, but it can be serious for babies and adults and Lena’s had a particularly bad reaction.” Cottle paused as the news sunk in.

“Will she be okay?”

“The next few nights will be critical. I need to know if you’ve both had Tauron fever, as you know it’s highly contagious.”

“I had it when I was eight,” said Kara softly.

“And you?” he said addressing Lee.

Lee didn’t know, he didn’t remember suffering from it, though he did remember Zak having it when he was only five. Lee had looked after him as his father was away, reading him stories whilst he was laid up in bed, a horrible rash spread across his face and hands, which he had tried desperately not to scratch. “I don’t know,” he said at last.

“I need to know, because if you haven’t then you’ll need to be isolated.”

“I’m not leaving doc.”

Cottle nodded, he had figured as much. He made a mental note to contact Adama later, who should know. The last thing he needed was another critically ill patient.

Kara pulled herself away from Lee and faced the good doctor. He had always been open and honest with her, and right now she needed to know the truth, “am I going to lose my baby girl?” she asked, straining to stop her voice from cracking.

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” he replied.

Kara nodded, unable to stop the tears that kept welling up in her eyes. “Can we see her?” she asked in nearly a whisper.

Cottle nodded and motioned them over to the curtained off area. Kara and Lee quickly followed, desperate to see their daughter. What they saw shocked them. The little girl they knew so well had always so bubbly with a big grin spread across her face as she played without a care in the world. But now she was in a small incubator, laid out on her back with her head turned to the side, tubes sticking out and a ventilator inside her mouth.

“Hello sweetheart,” said Kara as she stroked back her soft dark hair, which had grown longer in the last month and had started to curl. She then took her little hand in hers and sat down in a small chair that was beside the incubator.

At first Lee didn’t know what to do. He feared to get any closer, an irrational fear that if he did she would be torn away from him. Pushing that thought away, he muscled up all of his inner strength and took a seat next to Kara. Her eyes were focused on the incubator, the blanket falling away from her shoulders. Lee pulled it back up gently and then she turned to him. He could see the pain in her eyes, making his stomach surge even more. Suddenly she reached out her hand and took his, squeezing it gently before turning back to their daughter together, their fingers entwined.

oooo

Kara and Lee kept their constant vigil next to Lena’s bedside for the rest of the night and throughout the next day. Neither Cottle nor Phillips went off duty and the entire lifestation was focused completely on the small child.

The Pegasus had been locked-down with no-one allowed to leave the ship under any circumstances. The Galactica had taken over all of the CAPs and general shuttling duties to the planet. Adama had been the only person to board the Pegasus, piloting over a raptor in the early hours of the morning. He had gone straight to Kara’s quarters, knowing that Joseph would be missing his parents. His grandson seemed irritable, gurgling and pointing towards Lena’s crib. It was amazing how intuitive the twins were, always aware of what was going on.

Adama walked up to the doors of the lifestation, which was sealed off with two marine guards standing outside. In his arms he held Joseph, who was now sleeping soundly over his shoulder. Through the glass he could see across the room, just making out his son and Kara sitting side by side in front of an incubator, their eyes focused and their hands clasped together.

He signalled to Cottle who came over and picked up a phone just before the glass doors. Being a state-of-the-art ship, the lifestation had been designed specifically for contagion isolation, with the only means of communication into the room being through the phone system. Only in the instance of fire or another fatal hazard would the doors open to let someone out.

Adama picked up the other receiver, “how is she?”

“No better,” said Cottle seriously. He was desperate for a cigarette, but wouldn’t spark up until Lena was awake and crying out for her mother. “But no worse either.”

Adama nodded, “this little man doesn’t seem to be infected at all.”

“That’s good to hear. There have only been two other cases on the ship, so it looks as if we contained it in time.”

“No-one will leave until we’re sure,” said Adama feeling Joseph stirring on his shoulder before letting out a small wail. “Hey there,” said Adama with a smile and replaced the telephone receiver. He looked into Joseph’s bright blue eyes as he pulled away from his shoulder.

“mwah daw da,” he gurgled incoherently.

“That’s right, mum and dad are behind that door. They’re looking after your sister, she’s poorly, but the doctors are going to make her better again.”

“Mmu?”

“That’s right kiddo,” he said and bounced him in his arms. It still amazed him how much Joseph looked like Lee when he had been a baby, the same inquisitive look in his eyes, wanting to know and be involved in everything.

He made another glance through the glass, seeing even from a distance that Kara and Lee looked absolutely drained. He knew all too well the pain of having a child ripped away, a pain that never went away, never diminished, but that gradually over time learnt to live with and go on. There wasn’t a day that went past that Adama didn’t think of Zak, but he also thanked the Gods, despite being an atheist, for bringing Lee back to him twice.

“Come on Seph,” he said as softly as he could into his grandson’s ear and walked away down the corridor, praying silently to the Gods that Lena would be okay.

oooo

“No arguments,” said Cottle decisively. “You’ve both been sitting here for nearly twenty-four hours and you,” he said addressing Lee, “haven’t slept in nearly forty-eight. You’re not going to help your daughter by getting sick yourselves. You can use Phillips’ quarters, which is just over there, anything happens and I’ll come and get you straight away.”

They knew once the doc’s mind was made up that it was pointless to argue and reluctantly they stood up from their vigil. Kara stroked the back of Lena’s hand and leant down to place a kiss to the top of her head. “Hey there, mum isn’t going far away okay? I’m just going next door. If you need me I’ll be here straight away. I love you.” Her head was pounding as she pulled away, watching as Lee did the same and then turned to Cottle. “You won’t leave her will you?” she asked.

“Either myself or Phillips will stay with her at all times,” replied Cottle softly. “I promise.”

Kara nodded and walked towards Phillips’ quarters slowly, the blanket she had been given the day before still hanging loosely over her arms. She floor was cold under her bare feet but she didn’t care, didn’t notice as Lee lagged behind to talk to Cottle briefly. She was completely numb, her body on the verge of collapse.

As she entered the quarters she pushed the hatch door so it was slightly closed.

“Lords of Kobol hear my prayer,” she whispered desperately, tilting her head up to the ceiling and squeezing her eyes shut, allowing a few tears to escape out. “Don’t take my daughter away, she needs your help, please. Take me instead, but don’t let my daughter die.”

She heard the hatch door creak open suddenly and she finished her prayer in silence, wiping away at her tears. She could feel Lee’s gaze burning into the back of her head and the room had gone eerily silent, neither knowing what to say. They had sat together for hours without saying a word, all of their energy focused on their daughter and now they didn’t know how to break the silence.

She could sense him getting closer behind her until she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

Gently Lee placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to say the most comforting words he could find, “it’s going to be okay Kara.”

She felt the fire suddenly surge within, making her spin round and push him away violently, shouting out with fierce despair, “how do you know that!?”

“Kara,” uttered Lee, shocked to see her lose control so dramatically, hammering away at his chest as she pushed him away.

“She’s just a baby,” she screamed, her voice cracking and then she buried her head into his chest, her remaining energy completely spent. Lee wrapped his arms around her tightly, shocked at her outburst. He had never seen her so distraught, it was breaking his heart and he didn’t know what to do. Holding onto her, he placed a kiss softly to the top of her head. Kara pulled back slightly and looked up at him as he planted another kiss to her forehead and then to her cheek, before their lips met firmly in a small series of caresses ending in another deep embrace.

“I can’t lose her Lee.”

“We won’t,” whispered Lee. “She’s strong and stubborn just like you.” He stroked back her hair and placed another kiss to the top of her head.

“I should have taken her to lifestation sooner, it’s my...”

“Don’t,” he interrupted. “Don’t do that yourself Kara, its no-one’s fault, no-ones, okay?”

Kara stepped back, defeated. Lee didn’t understand. Her life had always been a series of mistakes, accidents. It had followed her throughout her life, plagued her every footsteps and now she had brought the curse upon her own children. As much as she tried to tell herself it wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help but come back to that. She looked up at Lee, his eyes bright blue from the artificial light, gazing upon her with concern. Squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to quell her tears she whispered, “Lords of Kobol hear my prayer...”

Lee listened intently as Kara prayed. He had known she was religious, but this was a private moment he had never seen before. Stepping in closer he closed his eyes and listened to her words, willing the Gods to listen despite his atheism.

“You need to get some sleep,” whispered Lee after they had been silent for a few minutes.

“I can’t,” uttered Kara. She was absolutely exhausted, her body ravaged but she knew she couldn’t sleep, feared to fall asleep.

Lee reached out and took Kara’s hand and then pulled out a bottle of pills from his pocket and poured out one tablet into her palm, “Cottle gave me these. I used to take them after...when I first came to the Pegasus, they work really well.”

Kara looked at the tablet for a moment as the desire for oblivion overcame her. Quickly she brought her hand to her mouth and swallowed the tablet whole. The effect was quick and she soon found her knees buckling from the exhaustion. Lee swept her up swiftly into his arms, her blanket draping and dragging on the floor, and carried her over to the bed, placing her down gently. Ordinarily he would have expected her to fight off such help, but she was already falling asleep. He sat on the edge of the bed watching as the tablets fully kicked in before placing a kiss to her cheek and walking across the room to pick up the phone.

After a few rings he heard the gruff voice of his father on the other end, he had obviously been asleep.

“Dad,” uttered Lee, the exhaustion evident in his voice.

“Lee, has anything happened?”

“No change,” he replied, his voice weakening. “Dad, I can’t...”

Adama paused as he heard the muffled sniffs down the receiver, “you have to son, you’re a father now and that means you have to face anything that happens to them, no matter how hard.”

“How’s Seph?” asked Lee, trying to pull himself together.

“Missing his sister, but he’s fine. Get some sleep Lee.”

Lee sniffed, “what if I lose her dad?”

There was a pause before he answered, “you can’t think like that son, just be there for her.”

“I know dad,” he replied and then hung up the phone. Lee paused for a moment, burying his head in his hands. He had only known of his children’s existence for a few months, but that was enough to have formed an unbreakable bond. It was killing him to see his daughter looking so ill.

Looking across the room he saw that Kara was still laid out on the bed and snoring gently. Lee walked over and pulled the bed covers over her before lying down on the bed next to her. As if she could sense he was there through her slumber, Kara rolled over, spreading her arm out over his chest.

It felt so right to have her lying in his arms, something he hadn’t had the pleasure of since before the cylons had taken them, when they had shared Kara’s rack during the short week they had been together.

Closing his eyes, Lee said softly to himself something which he had never done before, “Lords of Kobol hear my prayer...”

oooo

Cottle walked over slowly to the entrance of lifestation. It usually took threatening memos and bribes to get people in the fleet to come and see him for their physical checkups, but in the last two days he had had frequent visitors. The entire crew had been curious about what was going on with little Lena Adama and others just wanted to send on their best. Showboat had visited three times, each time talking to Cottle through the intercom phone. On her last visit she had deposited a teddy-bear that she had won in a triad game.

Picking up the phone he nodded his head at the woman standing on the other side of the glass, “unless this is an emergency I can’t let you in.” His voice was gruff and he had been coughing heavily from nicotine withdrawal. He was puzzled as to why Sarah Porter, the Gemenese Quorum representative, wanted to get in.

“I’ve brought with me the Priestess from the Rising Star, Eliya. If the parents will allow it, she would like to pray over the little girl.”

Cottle refrained from rolling his eyes, “I seriously doubt that they will.”

Another woman rounded the corner and took the handset away from the Quorum member. She was a middle-aged woman dressed in ornate robes, which reminded him of Elosha. “I would most be grateful if you could ask,” she said in a kind and distinct voice.

Cottle sighed, “Hold on a moment.” He walked over to Kara and Lee who were again sat in front of the incubator, clasping their hands together. Cottle whispered something in Kara’s ear making her turn towards the entrance. She stared at the woman for a few moments and then nodded. The good doctor then returned to the entrance and pointed the woman to the air locked entrance.

Once inside she bowed her head and said, “thank you kindly.”

“If you upset or disturb them in any way, I will have no qualms in throwing you straight back out again.”

“I was under the impression that this place is quarantined.”

Cottle muttered under his breath and walked away, he had a serious headache developing and he desperately needed a cigarette. He walked slowly away to Philips quarters. It was nearly 2300 hours and it was time for a shift change. He had contemplated ordering Lee and Kara to get some sleep again, but knew that this would fall on deaf ears.

Little Lee had still not shown any signs of improvement.

oooo

Kara had welcomed the soft mannerisms of Eliya when she had come over and asked to pray for Lena. She knew that Lee was not a believer, but he had squeezed her hand in consent. Silently the woman had stood on the other side of the incubator, closing her eyes in seeming meditation.

It was at around 0200 hours that Lee found himself drifting off slightly; dozing with his head slumped back against the small sofa that had been provided to replace the hard chairs. Kara remained awake, still holding her daughter’s little hand.

“You need to wake up sweetheart,” she said softly. “I know what it’s like to feel so alone in your dreams, not knowing whether to stay or move on...but I’m here...” Her tears had dried up after getting a night’s sleep, but now two fresh trails trickled down her cheek.

“She is a strong little girl,” said Eliya with a warm smile. “And lucky to have two such loving parents.”

“Yeah,” said Kara, flashes of her own mother and Lee’s coming to her head.

“She feels your strength, it is part of her.”

Kara lifted Lena’s hand slightly and placed a kiss to her palm. Part of her wanted to scream at the priestess, ask why the Gods had done this to an innocent child.

“When was the last time you went to the temple child?” Kara looked at the woman suddenly. “I know you have faith and that you pray, but when was the last time you practised that faith?”

Kara thought back to the last time she had entered the temple in Caprica City, it had been two days after she had found out about her mother’s death, having travelled back from the Triton. Her mother had been dead a few days before someone had found her, all alone laid on her bed. “A long time ago,” she replied.

Eliya reached out her hands and Kara didn’t resist as she clutched hers firmly, “the Lords bless you my child.”

Kara closed her eyes, allowing a few tears to escape as the priestess continued in her prayers, saying a blessing for her and the twins. She then began quoting parts from the Scrolls of Pythia before ending with a birthing blessing for Lena and Joseph, a ceremony that Kara had planned to do for her children, but had refrained until she had broached the subject with Lee, knowing that he was an atheist.

“Thank you,” said Kara with a small smile when Eliya had finished.

“Never forget your faith Kara. You have many difficult journeys ahead, you have always known this. The time will come when you have to make a choice; there are no right or wrong answers, just different paths.” She then bowed her head and went to sit calmly in a chair a few metres from the incubator, seeming to be in deep meditation. What she had said was no different to the many other priestesses and oracles before her, and it was still very frustrating the way they always seemed to speak in riddles, never giving her a full answer. What path was she supposed to take?

Kara walked back to the incubator and stroked back Lena’s soft dark curls. She was looking more and more like Lee every day, her smile the only feature she had obviously inherited from her mother.

She felt the soft hand rest on her shoulder and looked round suddenly, coming face to face with Lee. He reached up and wiped away the stray tear that had flowed down her face. Slowly she raised herself onto her tiptoes and placed a long and soft kiss to his lips before sitting back down on the small sofa and continuing her vigil. Lee settled in beside her, placing an arm across her shoulders.

It was at about 0400 hours when Cottle re-emerged from his slumber, walking up to check on the incubator. He smiled slightly at the small child’s parents slumped over on the sofa. Lee was sat upright with his head swung back, snoring slightly and Kara was curled up next to him, her head in his lap and a blanket draped over her. Lee’s arm was laid across her protectively and Cottle could see how comfortable they seemed in each other’s arms.

He continued his checks, noting the slight colouration that had returned to Lena’s cheeks and said a silent prayer himself.

oooo

The first thing Kara became aware of was the stiffness in her neck after a mercifully dreamless sleep. She had obviously slept in an awkward position, which was sending spasm down her back. As she moved she could feel Lee’s legs stirring and then remembered that she had fallen asleep in his lap.

And then a small gurgling sound came from beside her.

Suddenly springing up from the sofa, Kara and Lee darted over to the incubator just as Cottle came whizzing over. Their hearts were racing as they saw Lena kicking her little chubby legs about, her blue eyes open and alert, looking about the room with curiosity.

It took all of Kara’s resolve not to burst out crying from the relief at seeing her daughter awake and letting out a small croaking wail past the ventilator. Cottle came over and placed a stethoscope to her chest, smiling with relief at the wriggling child. He detached a number of tubes and removed the ventilator making Lena cry out at the top of her lungs.

It was the most beautiful sound they had ever heard.

“Can I?” asked Kara looking up at Cottle. She desperately wanted to hold and comfort her little girl.

Cottle reached into the incubator and gently scooped up Lena into his arms before passing her over to Kara. She stopped crying the instant she was in her arms, looking up with bright blue eyes at her parents. If it wasn’t for all of the tubes still attached, she would have looked as if nothing had ever been wrong.

“Hello my angel,” she cooed and smiled down, unable to stop the tears pooling in her eyes. She sat down into the chair by the incubator with Lee next to her and gently rocked her daughter to sleep.

Reaching out Kara took Lee’s hand into hers. Turning to him their eyes locked for a long moment before turning back to their peacefully sleeping child.

It All Came Tumbling Down (38/?)

ruthkit — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:16:20 GMT

I warn readers that there is some sensitive material in this chapter, which some may find upsetting. However, I don’t like to leave things sad...

Chapter 38

Lee awoke suddenly in his rack when his alarm buzzed above his head. The small alcove that made up the only space he could call his own, was dark from having the curtain drawn closed. He turned on the small lamp above his head and smiled immediately when he saw the numerous photographs staring down at him from above. A few months before Kara had given him a selection of photographs of Lena and Joseph and he had stuck them all up on the ceiling to his rack, this way he could see them every time he opened his eyes.

Pulling back the curtain, he reluctantly pulled himself away from the photographs and flung his legs over the side of his rack. The room was bustling with activity as the midday shift was changing places.

“You look like hell Apollo,” shouted out Narcho who was only wearing a towel around his waist and drying his hair with another. He had obviously just finished the early shift and three hours straight in a flight-suit had a tendency to make a person very sweaty.

“Thanks,” replied Lee, yawning widely into his hands.

“You on the late shift last night?”

“Yeah, had some problems with my viper so stayed to fix her, didn’t get to bed until 8am.”

“Ouch, four hours sleep. Why don’t you stay in your rack for another couple of hours?”

“I wish, but there’s about a mile high pile of paperwork with my name on it,” replied Lee suppressing a groan. He walked to the end of the room and opened his locker, grimacing at the bags under his eyes. He had been working nights a lot lately as Kara had been doing double shifts during the day. Apparently Fisk wanted all of his pilots to go through some retraining, which she had been given the sole responsibility of managing. She was exhausted and the twins were becoming a handful, especially as they had started to grab and pull at anything they could get their little hands on.

Lee was half asleep when he walked down the Pegasus’ corridors towards her quarters. The passageways were more open and vast on the Pegasus, and he found himself missing the A shaped halls of the Galactica.

He was already dreading his late night CAP that was due to start at 0000 hours, which no amount of coffee could wake him up enough for. Doing paperwork was one thing, but flying circles around a sleeping fleet could be exceptionally boring. Back on the Galactica he had looked forward to those long nights, especially as he had a tendency to sign Kara up for the same shifts. He could talk to her for hours over the comm system. But now he was stuck with the Pegasus crew, who had been drilled into staying silent whenever on CAP. Apparently Cain hadn’t been fond of idle chatter.

He could hear the crying from one of the twins as he pushed open the hatch door and saw Kara busy bouncing Lena on her shoulder as she paced up and down the room, her hair in an untidy ponytail and looking exhausted. Joseph was playing contently on the floor, seemingly unaware of his sister’s distressed cries.

“Everything okay?” asked Lee, smiling as Joseph reached out his arms excitedly for his daddy and then carried on playing. “What’s up Little Lee?” he added softly as Kara handed over his sobbing daughter.

Kara threw him a pained look, the bags under her eyes just as heavy as his, “she was up all night, doc Phillips thinks it’s a cold.” She grabbed up her duty blues jacket and threw it on, not bothering to do up the buttons.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Kara flung back her loose strands of hair and grabbed a pile of files from the table. “Great,” she said a little unconvincingly and then looked at her watch, “frak, Fisk is going to have my ass.” Quickly she bent down and gave Joseph a kiss to the top of his head making him gurgle happily, slapping his little chubby hand into his lap. She then walked up and did the same to Lena, but only received a sniffle in response.

Kara looked on at her little girl sadly, stroking her head gently. “Get better little one,” she said soothingly. Her gaze then met with Lee’s, their eyes locking.

It always made Lee’s heart beat slightly faster when she stood so close.

They held the gaze a little too long and he couldn’t help but reach up and tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear, stroking a finger briefly down her cheek.

“I have to go,” she whispered and reluctantly pulled herself away, leaving Lee bouncing Lena gently in his arms.

He stood staring at the hatch door for a few moments and then realised that Lena had fallen asleep over his shoulder, “hey Little Lee,” he cooed, not caring about the drool his daughter left on the shoulder of his duty blues.

oooo

It was at around 1800 hours when Kara wanted to give up and scream at the other pilots. Fisk had decided that everyone on the ship, from the marines all the way up to the senior officers, needed retraining and it was driving her mad. It was also evident that the reason Fisk was ordering this shake-up was not because he had taken the time to assess if it was really needed, but to keep everyone busy so he wouldn’t have to deal with them. An approach that was completely the opposite from Cain’s and it didn’t command much respect.

Despite her exhaustion, it was another four hours before she was able to return to her quarters, just as Lee was prepping to start his next CAP. When she had finally finished grilling Lieutenant Sykes about his poor landings, Lee had just begun going over his check list with a deckhand. All they had managed was a nod to each other; anything more would have started the gossips talking.

With all of their time taken up with extra shifts, they had barely been alone together and it was getting harder and harder not to let her longing for him show. Kara had spent many a night dreaming about that moment of passion a few weeks before, waking up suddenly feeling nothing but desire for him, wanting him in the bed with her, but she had had to settle for satisfying herself.

“Hey Megan,” she said with a yawn as she walked through the hatch.

“Alright Starbuck?” replied Megan as cheerful as ever.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” asked Kara rhetorically. “How are the little ones?”

“Lena’s still grouchy.”

“Frak, did she cry all day?”

“No sir, she was just quiet.”

Kara frowned and walked into the adjoining room after dismissing Megan. Lena and Joseph seemed to be contently asleep in their cribs. She hated missing out on putting them to bed. Letting the side down on the cribs, she gave each of her children a kiss to the top of their head. It still amazed her how much she loved them. For most of her life she had never made a secret of her resolve never to reproduce, but now she couldn’t imagine life without them.

After splashing some water on her face, Kara quickly brushed her teeth before collapsing into bed and falling into a restless sleep. The nightmares had subsided in the last few months, the terrors that had haunted her now diminished. But tonight she dreamt of that cage again. Not the torture, but that moment when Lee was dragged away from her, screaming out as they pulled him away. Over and over again she saw the moment when she reached out through the bars for his hand, telling him that she loved him.

She awoke with a violent shudder, entangling the bed sheets between her legs, but at least she wasn’t dripping with sweat like when she’d had her other dreams.

With one quick stroke she combed her hair back with her hand. “Get a grip,” she muttered to herself and then looked at the clock to the side of the bed. It was nearly 1500 hours, which was later than she thought, having expected Lena to wake up at least every couple of hours.

The silence in the room however, was not a comfort and Kara felt a pull in her chest, telling her to get up. She pushed the sheets aside and flung her legs across the side of the bed before pushing off with a yawn and walking over to her baby’s room, flipping the light switch on in the main room to provide illumination.

She could just make out the soft gurgle coming from Joseph as he stirred in his sleep. “Hey kiddo, I hope your dreams are better than mine,” she cooed, tickling the bottom of his foot gently, making him wriggle slightly but continue in his deep sleep.

Smiling she turned to Lena, and then her heart stopped.

Little Lee seemed to be half awake, her body still and her breathing heavy. For a moment Kara was frozen to the spot, with no idea what to do. And then she sprung forwards, placing the back of her hand against Lena’s brow.

She was burning up.

Kara wasted no time scooping her up and ran out of the quarters, holding Lena flush to her chest, not caring if she was only wearing a single tank and briefs. Even as she ran down the corridor her baby did not stir, no cries coming from being abruptly woken up.

It didn’t take her long to reach lifestation and burst through the doors, ignoring the nurse who asked sweetly if she could help.

“Doc!” she yelled out at the top of her voice.

“What’s the problem?” asked the nurse again, sensing something was wrong.

“Doc!”

A hatch adjoining the room opened and Dr Phillips dashed out, knowing instinctively that someone was in need of immediate medical help. “What’s happened?” he yelled and crossed the room quickly to Kara.

“Something wrong,” cried Kara desperately.

Phillips swiftly took the bundle from her arms and took a quick glance at her before moving quickly over to a bed. “Get the other nurses and doc Cottle, stat!” he shouted to the on-duty nurse.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” cried Kara again, as she reached out for the bed, desperate to see her daughter.

“You need to step back,” said Phillips without taking his attention away from Lena. He motioned to one of the nurses who had appeared and she walked towards Kara.

“You need to let the doctor do his work,” she said sweetly, putting her arms out to turn Kara away, but she was shrugged off.

“No, she’s my daughter and I want to know what’s wrong with her!” the tears were pooling in her eyes, with a few strays streaking down her cheeks.

“And the doc is trying to find that out for you, but you need to let him work.”

“Please,” her voice now diminished to a sob. “Please help her, she’s my little girl.”

“We will,” said the nurse softly with a comforting smile and grabbed a blanket off the nearest bed, wrapping it around Kara’s shoulders. “I’ll send someone to your quarters for your son.” The nurse then immediately ran back to the bed, which was now surrounded by lots of medical staff who had pulled over different items of machinery.

Kara couldn’t move, could barely breathe as the medics ran around her, shouting out medical jargon. It was as if the world had suddenly gone into slow motion, each second agonising and all she wanted to do was hold her daughter and tell her it was going to be okay. But she didn’t know if she would be okay and the pain was gripping at her heart.

Everyone was rushing to help Lena, the beeps coming from the heart monitor the only sign that the little girl was alive as the doctor couldn’t rouse her. Phillips placed his stethoscope to her chest again and shook his head uncertainly at the nurse.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“I’m not sure,” he replied quietly, continuing to work. Paediatrics was not his speciality as it was considered unnecessary when training to become a doctor on a Battlestar. “I need Cottle here.”

“He’s on his way,” said another nurse. Phillips looked up at her; she knew that glance, it meant the little girl might not make it. “Shall I get Major Adama here too?”

Phillips nodded quickly, and then injected a needle straight into Lena’s arm.

She didn’t stir.

oooo

Lee had lost count of the number of times he had circled around the same ships. CAPs were even more boring now there were even fewer ships. Before being torn away from the Galactica he had enjoyed the playful banter that came through his headset from Kara, making him feel alive when the fleet was surrounded by so much death. When she had not been with him on CAP, he had passed the time by looking at the ships, smiling to himself as various people watched out into space, curious to see the vipers.

A voice suddenly came over his comm system as he was doing another sweep past Cloud Nine, “Apollo, this is Galactica do you copy?” It was the voice of Dee, speaking softer than normal.

Why was the Galactica cutting in thought Lee, “Copy Galactica, this is Apollo, what’s up?”

“Apollo, we’re sending Hotdog out to take over your CAP, you’re to return to the Pegasus immediately.”

He could hear a slight sniff over the comm, but that didn’t stop his frustration, “What? Galactica, Apollo, what the frak is going on, I’m not due in for another half an hour.”

Lee then heard the voice of his father coming over through his headset and knew immediately something was wrong.

“Son, Lena’s been rushed to lifestation...”

He didn’t hear the rest, didn’t need to. Flipping his viper end on end as if there was a raider on his ass, he punched the throttle for the Pegasus. He didn’t care about his trajectory as he entered the landing pod, barely making the trap as the viper landed hard. The sweat was already pouring over his body from the fear, his stomach feeling suddenly nauseous.

It seemed to take the deckhands forever to start hauling his viper to the hangar and he was losing impatience, shouting out “Come on!” as loudly as he could into his helmet and thumping his hand sideways into the canopy. “Come on!”

At last the airlock closed behind him and the hangar deck doors opened. Immediately he threw back the canopy and jumped up in his seat to standing, ignoring the shouts from various deckhands for him to wait until they had finished towing the viper in. But he ignored them, unclasping and throwing his helmet away, he jumped over the side down to the deck, not stopping to check himself and sprinted across the room and out into the corridors. He was a fast sprinter and ignoring everyone else, didn’t stop until he had reached the lifestation, barging through the double doors.

And then he stopped running, his heart pounding heavily in his chest as he took in what was happening.

Nurses were rushing around everywhere and doc Phillips shouted out various commands. He couldn’t see his daughter, just the backs of various people and machinery. The rarely fast moving figure of Cottle came running through the door into the room past him and rushed over, nudging a nurse abruptly out of the way.

And then he saw Kara. Standing a few feet away, her gaze was fixed on the bed even as a nurse swept the curtain across. A blanket hung loosely over her shoulders, her hair was lank and falling out of its ponytail and tears were already drying up on her cheeks, only to be met by fresh ones.

No words needed to be said to know the pain they were both sharing. Lee walked up to her slowly, his mind still in a daze and placed a hand to her shoulder. But she continued to stare at the curtained off area as if she was in some kind of a trance.

Lee wanted answers, wanted to know what was wrong with his daughter. He shouted out to the nearest nurse as she walked into lifestation, “what’s going on?!”

The woman looked taken aback. “I don’t know sir,” she stuttered.

“Not good enough, I want to know what’s happening, now,” his voice starting to crack. The nurse rushed away and he looked over to Kara, but she stood unmoved. His voice was weak as he reached out for her hand, “Kara?”

This time she turned her head to him, her eyes red and blood shot. As soon as she saw him her face crumpled, her bottom lip trembling as she began to cry. Lee pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, feeling her body shaking slightly as she cried, muffling the noise into his shoulder.

Part Two

It All Came Tumbling Down (37/?)

ruthkit — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:03:12 GMT

Sorry this chapter is a little late, but hurrah to me for starting my new job and finally qualifying. Only downer is that the new job is keeping me very busy at the moment, but I shall try and keep up the regular (ish) posting J

Chapter 37

There was a large gathering in the cargo area as the marines were debriefed on their duties for the day. In the middle of the large room still stood the ship, which was surrounded by computer experts who were all trying to hook up their computers. So far they had had no success. The problems were that firstly, they couldn’t get the power in the raptor to switch on and secondly, the computer systems were completely incompatible with anything they had. It was incredibly frustrating to have so much technology at their fingertips without being able to harness it.

Swanson was leading the team that was attempting to hot wire into the alien systems without success. In another meeting, the powers-that-be had agreed that now was the time to get their guests involved. They would be brought up two at a time to work on repairing the ship and would be constantly flanked by three marines each. Further marines would also stand guard around the room. They knew it was risky to allow their guests to use potentially dangerous equipment, but without them they would probably never get it to work.

Brunette and Blue Eyes were the first to be brought up with Ford and three other guards escorting them. They both gazed around the large room as they were brought inside before fixing their eyes on the ship. Brunette whispered something to Blue Eyes and he nodded in response.

Swanson walked up excitedly to the guests and ushered them over to the ship enthusiastically. A translation computer had been set up in front of the ship so that he could talk to them. Others had also been set up around the room.

“Thank you for coming up here,” he said with a keen grin and shook their hands. He didn’t seem to care about the strange glances they gave back at him as the machine translated his words.

“We didn’t really have a choice,” replied Brunette sharply.

“I’m sorry?” asked Swanson innocently.

“We didn’t ask to be brought up here,” added Brunette. “Like always, you lot just came into our rooms and took us away without telling us anything.”

“Oh, right, well err...”

“That’s enough, Lieutenant,” said Blue Eyes stepping in, making Brunette look away. He then turned his attention back to Swanson, “what can we help you with? You have us all dressed up here so I’m guessing you want us to help you with something.” Before being brought up to the cargo area, Brunette and Blue Eyes had been given some of the onsite engineer’s overalls, which were all-in-one and dark blue with a zip down the middle.

As soon as the translation had finished Swanson smiled, “we seem to be having a bit of trouble talking to your ship.”

“Well that would be because we locked down the computer.”

Swanson nodded, “Right, I figured as much. Could you unlock it?”

“Not until you tell me why.”

Ford stepped in, aware that their guests had been kept in the dark since the last meeting. “We want to try and get in contact with your people.”

Blue Eyes stared at him for a moment before answering, “so you believe us now?”

“Our caution has never really been about whether or not we believe you, but if we can trust you. You wouldn’t be up here if we still considered you to be an imminent threat.”

“And the dozens of armed guards?”

“We’re not completely naive,” said Ford with a smile. “You have technology we cannot even begin to comprehend, which our own computers cannot decipher, so understand our caution.”

Blue Eyes nodded and then turned to Brunette, “are you okay with this or do you want me to look at the raptor?”

“I can look after my own bird sir,” she replied sharply.

Blue Eyes looked at her with disapproval, “then assess the damage she took in the crash and get back to me.”

Ford watched as Brunette saluted sharply. She hesitated slightly and then walked over to the ship flanked by her marine guards. “What the frak have you done to my bird?” she exclaimed a few minutes later, her hands on her hips.

“You were in a crash, remember?” said one of the other engineers.

“Yeah, but it didn’t look this bad before you stripped it apart,” she ranted, not caring that the computer was having difficulty keeping up. “The safety panel is missing underneath, which is pretty much suicidal if you don’t know what you’re doing, there are wires going everywhere inside, and why the frak did someone attach wires to the soap dispenser? Some frakker has also readjusted my chair; it took me weeks to get that thing just right.”

She soon had the other engineers running around after her, pulling out the superfluous wires whilst she made comments about everything they did. Ford watched on slightly amused, this was the most he had seen Brunette interact with someone since her capture. She was evidently quite a feisty woman, not that different from Blondie. He wondered if all of the women from the “Twelve Colonies” were as strong minded. If they were, it could make things very interesting. He liked that sort of woman; it was what he like so much about Caroline.

A few hours later and Blue Eyes was busy assisting Swanson, explaining what each individual piece of equipment was and what it was for. Ford walked over as they reached Blondie’s table.

“So this is your wife’s property?” asked Swanson as eager as ever.

“Yeah, she always likes to be over prepared.”

“She was carrying three guns, why did she need the knife?” asked Ford stepping in.

“Sometimes you run out of bullets,” answered Blue Eyes with a small smile.

“Right, so this clothing she was wearing looks to be a bullet-proof type of vest. Looks like she was heading into some action, care to tell us about that?”

“Not really.”

“Your wife told me before that your ship had made an emergency jump which brought you here, what was going on?” asked Ford persistently.

“I thought you were done with the endless questions?”

Ford picked up one of the handguns from the table, knowing there were no bullets in the chamber, examining it thoughtfully before putting it down again. “It just concerns me that’s all. So can you unlock the computer for us?”

Blue Eyes seemed to think for a moment and then picked up an object from his wife’s table before walking over to the ship. He stepped inside, closely followed by Swanson and Ford, with the marines standing just outside. He walked up to what seemed to be the main computer systems for the ship and slotted in the object before flipping a sequence of switches.

It took only seconds for the consol to power up and then the ship emitted a low humming sound as it came to life.

Ford laughed briefly, “I don’t know how many times I’ve stared at that object and wondered what it was for.”

“You would never have broken the code even you had known,” replied Blue Eyes. He sat in the chair in front of the consol and began flipping more switches until a screen lit up, which reminded Ford of their own radar system.

“What is that?” asked Swanson.

“Dradis,” replied Blue Eyes. “This should tell us if any of our ships are in the vicinity or any enemy ships.”

“There’s nothing coming up.”

“No, because we’re on the surface of a planet with too much interference. It was a long shot anyway.” Brunette then entered the ship and walked over to the front seats. After watching their guests being locked up for weeks on end it was strange to see them taking control, interacting with each other normally. “Racetrack, how is she doing?” asked Blue Eyes.

“They’ve frakked it up sir. I’m not sure if I can get her off the ground again.”

“Well, keep trying, or we’ll never get back to the Pegasus.”

“Yes sir, but I need more help. See if you can get Skulls up here.” Brunette then walked away out of the ship and down the wing. She then used a board to slide in underneath the ship.

Blue Eyes continued to fiddle with a number of switches. A few moments later and Ford could hear a crackling sound. He watched as Blue Eyes grabbed what looked to be a headset and spoke into the microphone, “Pegasus this Major Adama do you copy? Pegasus if you’re out there please respond.” But there was no response.

Swanson felt the disappointment wash over him, “so they’re not out there?”

“Not necessarily, this only has a limited range. If you want my opinion, you’re going to have to fly the raptor out there to get a signal.”

The ship went quiet for a few moments before Ford spoke, “so you’re suggesting we simply fly a ship out of our atmosphere and into space. I hate to inform you but I’m afraid we’re running low on astronauts.”

“Well you have six people in your custody who all know how to fly her.”

Ford laughed slightly, “right. I said we trusted you, but letting you loose with a ship, I don’t think so.”

“Then we might never communicate with our people.”

Ford stood back in silence as Blue Eyes continued to try and get the communication systems up and running. After a few minutes he left the scientist with Blue Eyes and the marine guards and strolled out of the ship to the cargo area.

He knew that another conversation was needed with his superiors.

* * *

A few hours later and Ford found Caroline in her usual place, sitting observing their guests. She seemed to spend hours in her armchair just watching, even if all they were doing was sleeping. Brunette and Blue Eyes had been allowed to stay with the ship for several hours before being taken back to their rooms.

“How are they doing?” asked Ford.

Caroline looked up to him from her chair and smiled, “fine, Brunette is sleeping soundly. Looks like the little trip down to the cargo bay did her some good.”

“She did a lot of work. I think the ship belongs to her.”

Caroline nodded, “her and Leg’s names were on the side.”

“Blue Eyes kindly informed me that all of them know how to fly the ship and to take it out beyond the Earth’s atmosphere is the only way they would be able to communicate with their people,” he said expecting her to be shocked at the suggestion.

“Perhaps it is,” said Caroline.

As much as Ford trusted and wanted to believe their guests’ story, it was so incredible and he had no idea what was really going on in their minds. Caroline on the other hand seemed to trust them without question or reservation. “I’m guessing you think we can trust them to go out in a ship?”

“With an escort of course. If you’d allow a few of them to take the ship with a marine contingent they wouldn’t want anything to happen to the comrades still kept back here, so they’d behave.”

Ford didn’t respond, he hoped as much. Looking on inside the rooms he saw through one of the windows the outline of two persons in Blondie’s bed. “Are those two at it again?” he asked.

“Yep, hence why the lights have been dimmed down.”

“Do the higher ups know about this yet?”

“No, why?” asked Caroline unsure what Ford was getting at.

“You’re a scientist and a doctor Carrie, and surely well aware of the repercussions of allowing two people to have sex.”

His use of the word “sex” made the hairs on the Caroline’s am stand on end, “They’re adults and know what they’re doing.”

“Or does part of you hope that a certain something will happen?” he was nearly whispering into her ear now, but his words did not seem playful anymore and they irritated her.

“What the frak are you insinuating?”

“Frak? Shit, you’re even beginning to talk like them now Carrie, what’s the matter with you?”

“What?” she replied with a shrug. “It sounds politer I guess.”

“How long have we been friends Carrie? I know when something’s wrong, you sit here day after day just watching.”

“I’m fine,” she replied unconvincingly. Ford looked at her intently, in a way that made her feel as if he could read her mind. “I’ve been thinking a lot that’s all.”

“About?”

“About what I want to do with my life.”

“What do you mean, what to with my life? You’re what, 28? You’ve already reached the top of your career and you’re a qualified doctor and scientist. What more could you possibly want?”

“To be out there,” she said gesturing to nothing in particular.

Ford chuckled slightly, but not happily, “you want to go out into space?”

“Their lives out there seem so exciting, living on other worlds, seeing other stars.”

“Their worlds were completely destroyed, everyone they had ever loved were killed, and they’re living and working just to survive.”

Carrie felt the guilt hit her, “you think I don’t know that? Perhaps “exciting” isn’t the word they would use, but for me, it’s where I want to be.”

Ford walked back up to the glass partitions, looking in at their guests. Blue Eyes and Blondie seemed to have settled down and were lying entwined in their bed even though it was only early evening.

What he couldn’t say to Caroline was that he desired to be far away too. Before he had come to see her, he had been in a meeting with his superiors. He had put forward Blue Eye’s proposition.

It had been accepted in part.

Ford had volunteered immediately for the mission, whatever it would end up being. They hadn’t arranged all of the details yet, merely giving him the nod that he would be on board that ship when it was launched. They were already considering having one of the guests escort them into the atmosphere, that guest being Brunette. She seemed the least volatile out of the six. Ford wasn’t quite so convinced, sometimes the silent ones could suddenly flip, but he hadn’t voiced this opinion.

“What are you thinking?” asked Caroline suddenly behind him. He turned and met her gaze, a little too close to be safe.

“Just thinking about the future.”

His attention was suddenly drawn back to the rooms as Blondie shuffled out of the bed pulling a blanket around her as she went. Despite covering up her modesty she then dropped the towel when she reached the shower cubicle and turned on the water. A few moments later Blue Eyes joined her. They stood flush against each other face to face, hiding each other as the water cascaded across them, their foreheads together.

Ford had to walk away from the windows, feeling as if he was invading their privacy and also seething with jealousy at their happiness. He wondered how they had met, what journey they had gone through together to reach this point. He selfishly hoped that the path hadn’t been completely smooth, that way people like him had a hope of finding someone so special.

“Look Carrie, there’s...” he began but was interrupted by Swanson as he came storming into the room.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said loudly and then did a double take at the windows. “Hello, who put those two together?” he said with smile, “I need to come up here more often.”

“What’s the problem?” asked Ford guiding Swanson away from the windows. It took him a moment to draw his attention back.

“Well, as you know our “guests” didn’t have a very private landing.”

Ford and Caroline both nodded in agreement. Unfortunately the ship had appeared on radar over the English Channel, but it didn’t come into eye-shot below the cloud line until it was over London. Even more unfortunately, it had been captured by a Japanese tourist who was filming Tower Bridge. The footage had been leaked all over the internet before it could be stopped. Thousands of conspiracy theory websites had been set up with millions joining in the discussion of what the mysterious UFO was. The Government had acted quickly, locking down the footage and releasing a statement that the footage was merely a light aircraft in distress that was trying to land at Stanstead airport. But the public were not convinced.

“So what’s the problem?” asked Caroline.

“The ship crashed on the edge of a forest. What we didn’t know at the time was that a camera had been set up in some undergrowth to film the wildlife.”

“Shit, didn’t someone check the area?” exclaimed Ford, ready to kick someone’s incompetent arse.

“Of course they did, but it was a fair distance away and disguised to fool animals, but the zoom on the camera was pretty good.”

“What’s the damage?”

“We’ve already locked down the person who released the footage, but with today’s internet it’s already spread. We’ve got an expert deleting as much as they can, which is just adding fuel to the speculation that the footage is legitimate.”

“What can you see?”

“The ship making an impossibly hard landing, but still staying in one piece laid out on its side. Then one by one, each of our “guests” climbing out of the hatch, pretty much uninjured. If the footage had stopped then we could have got away with it, seeing as they look human.”

“But...”

“But then the army turns up, followed by many people in bio-hazard suits. Fortunately the area was sealed inside big tents so all the camera can see is a big white canvas and you can’t see our “guests” being taken away in a bio-hazard vehicle.”

“Great, the conspiracy theorists should be going crazy right now.”

“There are about three hundred of them staging a sit out in front of Westminster; they’ve got banners and are screaming for the Government to tell them the truth.”

“Perhaps we should tell them,” said Caroline and then walked away out of the room leaving Ford and Swanson staring after her.

“She’s ah, tenacious.” said Swanson. Ford didn’t respond as he carried on watching the exit where Caroline had stormed away. “Is she seeing anyone by any chance?”

That grabbed Ford’s attention, “what? Um, yeah I think she is, very serious, been with him for years.” It scared him how easy the lies came out.

“Too bad. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to the chiefs. They want some more theories on spaceflight, the likelihoods of getting the ship up into space blah blah blah.”

“Is that within the remit of your expertise?”

“No. I’m just making educational guesses. As far as I’m concerned the real experts are behind that glass.” He shrugged his shoulders, took one last glance towards the windows and then started to walk away. “They’re not shy are they?” he said rhetorically and then left.

Ford couldn’t believe his jealousy at hearing another man voice his interest in Caroline. He’d liked her since he met her, but had never stomached the courage to do anything about it. What if he went away to the stars and never saw her again?

That thought stayed with him long into the night and through to the next morning.

***

The following day it was the turn of Blondie and Mr Robot, who had now been re-nicknamed by Caroline to Rugby due to his love for the sport. They were brought up to the cargo area to work on the ship. Even though they now knew their guest’s real names and called them such to their face, they still continued to use the nicknames when out of earshot.

The marine guards had been given a lecture to be extra vigilant around the female, reminding them of her escape bid a few weeks earlier.

It was clear when they were brought to the cargo area that Blondie and Rugby were good friends. They had greeted each other warmly and laughed at each other’s overalls. When they reached the translation computers Ford greeted them. All night, his last conversation with Caroline had played over and over in his head and he was tired and cranky.

“There are many guards in here,” he said, addressing Blondie. “And just so you know, I’ve made sure you have two extra guards just following you. One false move and you get a tranquilizer dart straight in the butt. And believe me when I say it can make you go numb for ages.”

Blondie grinned, “awww thanks, I’m flattered you’ve gone to so much trouble just for me, really.”

Ford could appreciate what Blue Eye’s saw in her. Apart from obviously being attractive, she definitely had a magnet personality.

He looked on as Rugby nudged her and then asked. “What did you do Kara, or can I guess?”

Blondie grinned again, “I may have made a little escaped bid.”

“A little?” interrupted Ford harshly. “You knocked someone out, took another person hostage, wreaked havoc throughout the building and let’s not forget pushing me through a pane of glass.”

Rugby didn’t seem to be shocked by Ford’s revelation, instead he chuckled slightly, “I figured when all the alarms sounded that it would have something to do with you.” Blondie nudged him back and they walked over to the ship.

They set about repairing the ship straight away. Rugby concentrated on the inside of the ship, whilst Blondie went around resealing and checking the hull. The marines had stepped away slightly and grabbed a fire extinguisher when she turned on the blow torch, but her attention seemed to be totally focused on repairing the ship and not making her escape.

Ford was wandering around the room when he heard Blondie letting out what he could only imagine was a number of expletives. He walked over to her and saw her struggling with a panel. “Can I help?” he asked, but the translation computer was too far away to translate. It worked best when around the front of the ship. Ford was about to go and fetch one of them when Blondie grabbed his arm and motioned to the large panel. He grabbed hold of it and pressed down as she welded one side into place, before motioning his hands away as she welded the rest.

He then followed her as she walked back round to the front of the ship. She also seemed to be aware that the translation computer was around at the front.

“Thanks,” she said without much conviction.

“You’re welcome,” replied Ford. “So, um, you seem a bit...” He cut himself off, not quite sure what to say. He would have liked to strike up a normal conversation, but she didn’t seem in the mood for a general chat.

“What?” she asked after the machine had translated.

“Tetchy,” he finished, but the computer had difficulty translating. “Sorry, I meant irritable.”

“Try being locked away, kept from your own children,” she said, trying to turn away from him and walk away, but he followed her doggedly. Blondie seemed to try and continue working on the ship, getting more and more frustrated as Ford tried to talk to her, to apologise.

“Will you just talk to me?” he asked again, not entirely sure why he was pursuing her so intently. He was irritable and part of him wanted to pick a fight with someone.

Blondie seemed to be trying to ignore him and walk away but the marines stopped her from going too far. “Frak,” she cussed.

Impatiently Ford grabbed at her arm and pulled her towards him, she retaliated straight away landing a strong right hook to his jaw that knocked his head backwards sharply. The marines acted fast, grabbing for her and tackling her straight to the floor without a struggle.

“Hey,” came a call from inside the ship and Ford turned to see Rugby coming out. Despite his foreboding presence the marines quickly blocked his path. He pointed to Ford, “you’re the one who wouldn’t leave her alone.”

Ford conceded the point and signalled to the marines to step away from the woman who was still on the floor. Ford held out his arm and she grabbed it, rising from the floor quickly. “I apologise,” he said sincerely.

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied and dusted herself down. Rugby seemed contented that things had calmed and went back inside the ship. Blondie also carried on working, kneeling down by a dented panel at the side. “I swear this was dented before we crashed, it should be fine.”

“I don’t think the powers-that-be will take you at your word on that,” said Ford half-heartedly, trying to lighten the mood, whilst at the same time nursing an aching jaw.

“Well I doubt any amount of paint will fully cover up the many scorch marks, but she’ll fly, trust me on that, these things are very resilient,” she said with a smile and wrapped her knuckles on the side.

“Did the marines hurt you?” asked Ford, feeling suddenly guilty.

“No, I’m built of more resilient stuff too.”

“I hope we can get in contact with your ship soon, you’re children are up there aren’t they?”

Blondie nodded, “Lee and I always knew this might happen, but...” she shook her head as if trying to get rid of the thought, “never mind.”

“Come on, let’s get rid of that dent and then we’ll try and paint away the scorch marks,” he said as friendly as possible making Blondie laugh slightly.

“Hey, what happened to the tranquilizer shooting me in the butt threat?”

Ford smiled at the woman as she jested, “didn’t want to waste a dart.”

They started to work on the dent, but then Blondie went suddenly serious. “So are we going to be allowed to go home or not?” she asked with a touch of sadness.

“I hope so,” was all Ford could reply.

Up above there was a galleried walkway that encircled the entire cargo area. It was above the floodlights that lit up the room, which meant it was difficult to see Caroline looking over the banister, watching. She had seen how Ford had practically wound up Blondie, deserving the right hook that she had given him. The woman had not struggled as the marines grabbed her and pinned her to the floor.

Part of her wanted to go down and slap Ford hard around the face, another part was to take hold of him and ask what was wrong and the final part of her just wanted to grab and kiss him.

Quietly Caroline backed away from the banister and walked back to watch the rest of their guests in their rooms, the solitude bringing comfort.

***

It was later that evening when everything seemed to calm down. The guests had feasted on a large roast dinner, which had gone down very well with all of them. Caroline was now watching as they were now relaxing and resting in their rooms, but this evening she was not alone. Relaxing in chairs next to her was Ford and Swanson, the former seeming to have cheered up a bit and the latter digging into his own helping of roast beef with Yorkshire puddings.

The higher powers were too busy arguing between themselves to care about what their guests were doing anymore, so Caroline had allowed Rugby to spend some time with his wife and Legs was allowed to visit Brunette. It was nice to see them looking happier as they ate their dinner. Afterwards Legs and Brunette sat talking at their little table, obviously friendly but nothing more.

Blue Eyes sat up at the end of the small bed with Blondie curled up in his lap. He stroked his hands through the ends of her hair as they watched the silent TV screen. Blondie didn’t seem to be watching much as she doodled away on the paper Caroline had given to them weeks earlier. She looked to be drawing a sketch of her children.

Everyone’s attention was suddenly drawn to a caption stating “breaking news,” which flagged up on the television screen. Blue Eyes sat up more alert and tapped Blondie on the shoulder, making her drop her pencil, as they saw the blurry image of their home ship flash up on the screen.

Ford quickly dashed over to their own television set and switched it on with the sound turned up to loud. The slogan “hoax or proof” flashed up underneath a well tailored female reporter. They had missed the beginning of her spiel, listening in as the footage suddenly flashed back to the image of the ship.

“Amongst rumours and speculation, this amazing footage was captured by an amateur astronomer mere months after video footage of an unidentified aircraft flying over South East England,” she said. “The image is currently being scrutinized, with some saying it is just a hoax but with others claiming this is actual irrefutable proof that there is life beyond our World.”

“Shit,” exclaimed Ford. He knew too well that the picture was indeed that of the ship their guests had called the Pegasus. It also meant that the ship had returned recently, perhaps it was still up there?

They watched on as did Blue Eyes and Blondie as the reporter talked through the various images that had spread like wild fire throughout the internet. Caroline wondered if the couple were thinking the same as them, whether they realised just how much their crash-landing onto the planet meant for the inhabitants of Earth. Were they familiar with life from other worlds too? Were there other aliens out there that were completely different from them? She knew that those answers would only come when their guests contacted their people.

But then what would the rest of the world do? One thing was for certain, nothing would ever be the same again.

It All Came Tumbling Down (36/?)

ruthkit — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:45:57 GMT

Chapter 36

It had been a long time since Kara had set foot upon Cloud 9. The last time had been on Colonial day nearly two years ago when she had left with Baltar. This time she wasn’t wearing a dress, choosing black slacks and a silky fitted shirt. Her hair was also a lot longer now, flowing just beneath her shoulders, a length she had not kept since entering the fleet academy. Kara was usually against dressing up for a night out, preferring combats and tanks, but today felt as if more effort was needed especially because everyone else on Cloud 9 was dressed up. She’d even put on a little bit of makeup.

Racetrack and Skulls had been on duty and transported her over. During the trip they’d happened to mention that they had brought Lee over earlier. As if she could forget.

Kara couldn’t remember the last time she had been allowed some proper “r & r.” In the first year after the attacks she had been over to Cloud 9 a lot, concentrating on meeting random people she hoped never to meet again. The ship was just as she remembered with a wide open space that was designed to feel like the outdoors. She saw the spot where she had sprayed Lee with the garden hose, laughing and giggling like school children as they chased each other around on the grass. Kara laughed inwardly to herself at the memory; no-one could make her smile quite like Lee Adama. There was a large bar and banqueting room where they had had a few drinks before taking out some heavies. That day seemed like an eternity ago, remembering the look on Lee’s face when he had seen her in that dress. She had lost count of the number of times she had wished that day had ended differently.

The main banqueting room was closed off for VIPs only, so Kara would have to make do with the other bar, which was situated in the lower decks where most of the military tended to hang out. The room was loud when she entered and a few men she didn’t know turned their heads towards her in appraisal. She ignored them and scanned the room looking for a group from the Galactica. Lee had told her that he was coming to Cloud 9 with a few people, though he hadn’t been specific as to whom, but Kara could guess. At first she wasn’t going to join them, but then Fisk had ordered her to go after she had yawned three times during his debriefing.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw him sitting on the other side of the room, not because she had seen him, but because he was alone with her. Part of Kara wanted to walk over and slap him hard around the face, but the fight had gone from within her and she walked over to the bar and ordered a strong drink, it would be her only drink. The barman came over shortly afterwards with her drink, which she slurped at lazily, willing herself not to look over towards Lee. She refused to show any weakness in front of him.

Her hand was still in a soft cast, which was due to be examined the next day, so she held onto her glass with her left hand trying not to draw attention to herself.

“What’s a lovely woman such as yourself doing sitting here all alone?” came a slightly slurred voice from a dishevelled looking man as he sat in the chair next to her. Kara ignored him, focusing her concentration on the drink. “Hey, I’m talking to you sweetheart.”

“Frak off,” she replied bluntly.

“Hey sweetheart, I was just being nice.”

Kara turned towards him. He wasn’t bad looking and about a year ago she would have welcomed his advances, but she was not interested in anyone at the moment, “well thanks but no thanks.”

“You’re beautiful,” he slurred and lunged forward to put his arm around her. Kara reacted instinctively and grabbed his arm, twisted it and planted his head into the bar top. “What the frak, you crazy bitch,” he yelled out as she let him go and he darted away to the other side of the room. Many faces were suddenly turned in her direction.

“What?” she barked out and sat herself back down at the bar.

A few minutes later and she felt another presence behind her. She braced herself, ready for another confrontation.

“If I had known that you’d end up sitting alone like this then I would never have let you go,” said a friendly voice that Kara instantly recognised. She turned around on her bar stool and came face to face with Anders. She’d lost track of him since turning him down, hearing that he had requested and been granted a transfer to the Galactica.

“Hey Sam, do you want a drink?”

“You’re not going to face plant my head into the bar are you?”

Kara smiled and motioned to the seat next to her. The barman brought him over a drink, a familiarity which made Kara guess that he was a regular.

“So how are you doing?” he asked after taking a sip.

“Great,” she replied without conviction.

“And the kiddies?”

Kara smiled, “they’re great, getting big now and crawling around like crazy.”

“So are you going to tell me why their father’s sitting over the other side of the room with Dualla when he could be here with you?”

“Why don’t you go over and ask him.”

“Okay, obviously a touchy subject,” said Anders taking another gulp of his drink. “When you took your dogtag back, I just assumed that...”

“Well you were wrong.”

They went silent, continuing to drink their drinks until Anders had finished his. “I still care about you,” he said leaning towards her slightly. “If you ever want to give it another go...”

Kara turned to look at him, shocked at his proposition, “I don’t think that would be very fair on you...or me.”

Anders nodded, looking disappointed, “because of Lee?” Kara smiled into her drink as she took another slurp. “Listen will you do me a favour?”

She looked at him puzzled, “what?”

“Don’t end up like him,” he said and pointed to a man at the end of the bar. She recognised Billy who was looking exhausted and downtrodden. “He comes here all the time, just sits there and stares at his drink all night. Now there is a guy with a broken heart.”

“Hmmm, no wonder, he used to go out with Dee.”

“Ah,” replied Anders, seeming to clue in to what was going on.

“So what about you Sammy? There must be thousands of women in the fleet who would love to shack up with a former C-Bucks star.”

Anders shrugged, “no-one special.”

“Aw come on, what about that other member of the resistance, urm Barolay. She liked you.”

Anders laughed, “Err Kara, I think you are more of her type.”

Kara nearly spat out her drink, “Oh. Frak, my dradis is way off these days.”

“That’s what having babies will do.”

That was too true. The old Starbuck would never let her emotions take control. “Go and have a good night Sam, I’ll be fine.”

“And leave you on your own?”

“I think I can survive. Besides I have Billy here for company.”

Anders looked over at the forlorn former president’s assistant and shook his head, “just do me a favour Kara, don’t get into a bar fight.”

Kara laughed and gestured for him to leave. He placed a kiss to the top of her head and then scampered back into the throng.

Once he had gone Kara chanced a glance across the room and saw Lee staring straight back at her. She smiled and raised her glass to say hello, but then he looked away, turning his attention back to Dee who placed a hand on his arm.

Kara had seen enough, she stood up from her barstool and walked over to Billy. She knocked her glass against his, “To hopeless cases.”

******************************************************************************

Lee kept looking over towards the front entrance, hoping that Kara would changed her mind and decide to come over to Cloud 9 for some “r & r.” In his opinion she couldn’t get here quickly enough. He had come over under the false impression that they were going to be with a group of people, but when he had entered the bar Dee had been sitting alone.

They had casually talked for a while, but now Lee was getting impatient.

“So how come you came over alone?” he asked trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. He wanted to know the answer, but then that meant taking his eyes off the front entrance.

Dee looked down disappointed, “I thought it would be nice to spend some time alone.”

Lee felt a sense of foreboding dread wash through him. “Dee,” he said as kindly as possible, in fear of making her cry. “I told you last week, I’m not ready for a relationship.” The tears seemed to pool in her eyes and he hated to see people crying. “Look, you’re great, but it wouldn’t be fair on either of us if we started something.”

“Because of Starbuck?” she said hitting the nail right on the head.

“We’ve been through a lot together...” he began.

“You don’t think I know that? Lee, I’m not blind. I know there’s something between you and that you would go to her in an instant, but I’m willing to have you for as long as she lets me.”

Lee couldn’t get his mind round her crazy sounding words, was she seriously suggesting what he thought she was. He had to turn away from her, tempted to run away to the other side of the bar. And then he saw Kara, sitting at the bar with him. He stared across the room intently, focused upon the bar and the blonde who was sitting there with Anders. They seemed to be deep in conversation, glancing at each other intermittently.

“Lee, are you listening to me?” asked Dee, but he didn’t turn back to her.

He carried on watching as Anders suddenly stood up and placed a kiss on top of her head before walking away and then their eyes locked. Kara’s gaze could make his heart stop in an instant. She really didn’t know how beautiful she was and what she did to him.

He watched on as she raised her glass. Was she seriously trying to tease him? Lee turned his gaze away quickly, knowing that if he looked at her any longer he would end up making an idiot of himself.

“What’s wrong?” asked Dee sounding concerned. She placed a hand on his arm trying to be comforting. “You seem miles away.”

Lee pulled his hand back, “look Dee, maybe this was a bad idea, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”

“What impression would that be?”

“That we have a chance,” he dared to glance back over towards the bar, also not wanting to see the disappointment wash over Dee’s face. Kara was now sitting with Billy, the two laughing away as if they were school children. “When did they become friends?” he thought, not realising that he had said it aloud.

“What?” asked Dee, who already had tears in her eyes. She looked over towards the bar watching Kara and Billy as they continued to giggle, “oh.”

Lee was entranced, the envy bubbling away inside of him. He wanted her to smile and laugh with him again and only with him. He loved it when she smiled, the way it lit up her entire face. Suddenly she rose from her bar stool and grabbed at Billy’s arm, dragging him to the dance floor. The poor kid nearly fell off his chair, spilling his drink in the process. Lee could partially see them through the crowd, dancing amongst a group of people to the loud music.

“I didn’t know they were friends,” said Dee bluntly. Lee looked back round to her, seeing the annoyance in her face. He wasn’t sure if she was more annoyed that Kara was here or that Billy seemed to be having a good time. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she added and suddenly stormed away.

Lee wasted no time hanging around at the table. He stood up and walked over to the dance floor, but he couldn’t find Kara or Billy. He cursed to himself and continued to search not caring if Dee had returned to their table.

He knocked suddenly into a sturdy shoulder when he was not looking where he was going and was about to apologise when he saw it was Anders. “Hey, have you seen Kara?” he shouted in order to be heard above the music.

“She left with Billy a minute ago.”

“Right,” he muttered back and stormed out towards the exit. What the frak was Kara thinking? Frakking the Vice-President was one thing, but shacking up with the former President’s aid who was barely legal? Lee would be damned if he let that happen.

*********************************************************************************

“To hopeless cases.”

Billy seemed a little confused by Kara’s introduction. “You okay?” she added.

“I’m great,” he replied. “What can I do for you Captain?”

“It’s Major, but just call me Starbuck or Kara,” the poor former aid seemed terrified of her.

“I...I, sorry Starbuck,” he stuttered shyly.

“Are you scared of me?” asked Kara with a grin. “It’s okay if you are, most people seem to be.”

Finally Billy forced a smile, “you’re not as scary as Ellen Tigh.”

Kara laughed loudly, “I think few people aren’t. Oh Gods, the look on your face when she shoved her foot into your lap.”

Billy laughed with her, his face finally brightening up, “I can’t believe what you said to her, I swear it’s the only time I have ever seen Laura actually blushing.”

Kara guffawed loudly, “I can’t believe she was so drunk that she mistook my lap for yours.”

“The fact that you were nine months pregnant didn’t give it away at all.”

Perhaps Billy was less boring then she originally thought, “so are you going to sit here drowning in your sorrows all night or are you going to help keep me entertained?”

“What?”

“Come on,” said Kara, suddenly leaping up and grabbing at Billy’s arm. She tugged him off his stool, nearly making him fall over and dragged him to the dance floor still laughing.

It had been years since she had gone dancing in a club, but still moved easily to the rhythm. Billy on the other hand seemed to have been born with two left feet and was obviously very subconscious about it. He was also unsteady on his feet from the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

“You can tell you don’t go out much,” she shouted out above the music.

Billy leaned in closer to her ear, “this isn’t really my scene. Do you fancy going somewhere a little more upmarket?”

“The top bar, can you get us in?”

“Of course, I still have contacts,” this time it was Billy who grabbed at her arm and dragged her off the dance floor and towards the exit.

They walked quickly up to the main banqueting hall and the bouncer ushered them through without a second glance. The music here was softer and Kara instantly felt as if many eyes were upon her shabby appearance. The room was full of the surviving rich list from the Twelve Colonies, including several Quorum members. She ignored Zarek as he nodded at her in acknowledgement and continued to follow Billy to the bar.

This was where the best alcohol in the fleet was being served, but Kara had promised herself only one drink so she merely ordered herself a glass of water and one cocktail for Billy. He downed it quickly, not pausing for breath.

“Would you like another one?” she asked, shocked at his speed.

“I need it.”

“She’s done a real number on you hasn’t she?”

“I don’t know what I did wrong, everything was fine and then one day she just turned around and left me,” said Billy looking forlorn. “What happened with you and Major Adama?”

Kara was a little taken aback, “nothing,” which is exactly what the problem was. She motioned to the bar tender and he brought over another cocktail which Billy downed just as quickly.

In the few years that she had known him, Kara had barely said a few words to the man. To her, he was merely the President's aid, a shy man who was Dee's boyfriend and as far as she could tell they had been happy, but then after Caprica things had changed and Dee had clearly directed her affections elsewhere. Kara didn't know why this had suddenly happened, but she suspected it was because a certain somebody had been out of the way for a while. She thanked the Gods for her return before it was too late. Not that she would have blamed Lee for turning to Dee after being abandoned by her so suddenly, but she sure would have raised hell about it.

As they sat at the bar Billy talked incessantly about how much he had frakked things up with Dee, to the extent that Kara was tempted to reach over and begin strangling him. Just as he was about to rehash the same spiel over again, she abruptly interrupted,

"Listen. You didn't do anything wrong okay?" She was in utter disbelief to be giving someone else relationship advice, especially when she had a tendency to frak everything up. "You started a relationship at a really frakked up time, you'd both just lost your entire families, of course things were not going to stay the way they were."

Billy nodded into his fourth cocktail, "I guess it's the same for you and Major Adama."

"Aw Billy, if only me and Lee were that simple. I'm afraid our frakked up relationship goes back to years before the Colonies were destroyed."

"Oh, really? I mean, it’s kinda obvious that you two have a lot of history. I guess that’s what I lacked with Dee; there was nothing from before the end of the Worlds to keep us going."

"You're young, have some fun. Gods know I did at your age."

"I've never been into that sort of fun."

"And what does that mean? You don't know a frakking thing about me."

He looked suddenly sheepish, "I can understand why people are scared of you. I didn't mean it like that, all I was saying is that most people think I'm boring. Dee probably thinks Major Adama is a lot more interesting. I mean look at me, I couldn't even get up the courage to dance."

"You're alive aren't you?"

"Yeah, but..."

"But nothing, you're already doing better than the millions who were killed by the cylons."

"Do you really believe that?"

She thought for a moment, "Yeah I do."

Kara had never really feared death, which had fuelled her aggressive and sometimes insane flying. What she had always feared was being forgotten. If she had died with others she could have been just another forgotten face on the memorial wall. A few days after the attacks it had been her job to place the photographs of her entire squadron on the wall, including Galactica’s former CAG, a nice guy and good triad player. It had been painful, but now she found it difficult to find their faces amongst the others. It had been ironic and sheer dumb luck that her disorderly behaviour had saved her life, and for that she thanked the Gods.

**********************************************************************************

Lee had practically wandered down every single corridor on the ship, right down to some grimy looking areas in the bowels of the ship, but he hadn’t been able to find her. The last place he had yet to try was the banqueting hall, which he guessed would be for people on the guest list only. He really hoped that she had managed to talk her way in, it was either that or it meant she was in one of the rooms with the former aid. This time he didn’t think he could forgive her

“Are you on the VIP list sir?” asked the bouncer.

“Err, I don’t think so.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t let you in sir.”

“Come on, I’m looking for a woman,” he said hoping that he could appeal to the larger man’s better nature.

“Aren’t we all sir,” the bouncer repeated unmoving.

Lee had sworn he would never use his father like this, “my name is Major Lee Adama...”

“I know who you are sir, but I still can’t let you through.”

“Can you at least tell me if my friend might be in there, she’s about this high,” he said motioning up to around his chin, “blonde, walks with an attitude, she was with the former President’s aid.”

“Billy? Yeah sure, they both came in here.”

Lee felt his body relax slightly in the knowledge that Kara wasn’t currently off frakking someone else. Part of him even felt ashamed that he had entertained the notion. But then he looked through the main doors into the banquet room and saw them dancing arm in arm in the middle of the dance floor.

He felt as if his heart had been ripped out and fed to a dog and walked away dejected, to where he didn’t know.

******************************************************************************

Kara had to run out to the dance floor to stop Billy making a complete ass of himself. He had downed another cocktail before deciding it would be a brilliant idea to dance solo, thrashing his arms about as if he was at a rave. She had finally reached him when he grabbed for her, virtually pulling her into a hug.

“Whoa there,” she said, catching him as he nearly keeled over onto the floor.

“You’re great, you know that?” he slurred.

“Yep, but you’re also very drunk Mr Keikeya.”

“I’m fine,” he said, the stink of the alcohol making Kara turn up her nose. She couldn’t believe that she was surrounded by quorum members and the fleet’s elite with a drunk former President’s aid in her arms. From a distance, at least it might look like they were dancing, but up close told a different story especially when a few moments later Billy threw up on the floor.

“Frak, are you serious?” With her babies she was used to vomit, but from a grown adult? Many people were now looking on at them in disgust and Kara decided now would be an ideal time to leave, especially as the bouncer was coming over towards them. “Come on,” she said, but Billy seemed to be having difficulty walking. She flung his arm behind her neck and supported him as if he was a wounded soldier.

She carried him out of the room listening as he slurred, “I wanna stay” repeatedly.

“You owe me one for this Keikeya,” muttered Kara as they neared the hangar bay area, relieved when she saw the raptor.

“I’m gonna be sick again,” groaned Billy as they walked up the wing of the raptor.

“Not on my frakking ship,” shouted Racetrack and helped Kara quickly lift him off the wing and carry him to a fire bucket where he emptied the contents of his stomach.

“Nice,” said Kara with a grimace. “Just when I’d forgotten how much fun r & r could be.” She was helping to carry Billy back to the raptor when she saw Lee, standing on the other side of the hangar deck and looking mad as hell. “Frak.”

“What was that?” asked Racetrack as she struggled to remove Billy’s arm from around her neck and sat him down in one of the chairs by the entrance hatch.

Kara muttered “never mind,” and then walked down the wing again, knowing that the next few minutes were not going to be pretty. Lee marched straight over and grabbed her arm, pulling her away to the side.

“Ouch, what the frak is your problem Lee?”

“You, always you,” he said harshly, staring down at her, “what the frak do you think you were doing? You were all over him.”

“Are you jealous?” she said unflinchingly, staring right back.

Lee stepped back slightly, who was he kidding? Of course he was jealous and really didn’t have a clue what he was angry about. Their gaze was fixed, both too stubborn and enthralled to look away.

“Lee?” said an annoyed voice from behind them. He had to refrain from rolling his eyes, irritation washing over his face as he pulled himself away from Kara and turned around to see Dee standing there.

When did everything get so frakking complicated he thought, just as an elbow barged passed him. “Kara,” he shouted out as she strode quickly over the raptor. “Kara wait.”

She was mad as hell, shouting over her shoulder, “If you know what’s good for you Lee, you’d stay away.”

“Kara,” he said again and grabbed at her arm, but this time she spun around and pushed him hard in the chest sending him backwards a few paces.

“Just stay, away, Lee,” she said slightly softer and turned, stepping up and into the raptor.

“What? So you’re going back with him?” Lee said gesturing to the now slumped over Billy.

“No Lee, I’m going back to put our kids to bed,” she said as the raptor hatch closed shut leaving a shocked and sheepish looking Lee behind on the deck.

He stood there watching the raptor as it was guided out of the hangar deck, going over and over in his mind how things had gone so badly wrong. Was Kara jealous too? Is that what her rant had meant? It was a hope that he was determined to hold onto. Turning he saw Dee still standing there, sighing deeply and knowing what he had to do and regardless of whether she cried, he strode over to her to lay it on the line.

******************************************************************************

Lena and Joseph were already asleep by the time Kara got back as it was late evening. All of the anger and jealousy bubbled out as soon as she saw her children sleeping soundly side by side, their little chests rising and falling as they breathed. She dismissed Megan and walked over to stare inside the crib.

“Hey there,” she said with a smile, still amazed at the complete and unconditional devotion she felt towards them. “I bet you’re both having nice dreams huh?”

She lifted down the side of the cot and knelt down beside them stroking the tops of their heads and then placing a kiss to the bottom of Joseph’s foot making him wriggle slightly. “Just as a heads up, I should let you know that your parents are really screwed up, and will probably embarrass you constantly as you grow up, so I apologise in advance.”

She watched them until they went into a deep sleep and then walked into the main room and sat down on her small sofa. She cupped her face into her hands and sighed. It wasn’t meant to have been this way. Of all the times Kara had imagined Lee returning to her, this had not been part of her dreams.

She felt his presence approaching before he pushed open the hatch. She looked up from her hands and turned towards him looking contrite.

“Where’s Billy?” he asked calmly.

“I ordered Racetrack to drop him outside Roslin’s tent,” replied Kara and stood up from the sofa, if he was going to shout she would rather not be sitting down.

“I’m sure she will be thrilled.”

“Well I’m not the one who made him down drink after drink.”

“You didn’t stop him either.”

Kara sighed, “he’s an adult Lee, I think he can take care of himself,” she said, refraining from shouting so as not to wake the babies.

“Evidently not,” replied Lee, also keeping his voice to a strong whisper, stepping closer to Kara as they continued to argue.

“It’s not my fault he was dumped and wanted to drown in his sorrows.”

“And I suppose it’s mine is it?” asked Lee, knowing what Kara was insinuating.

“Doesn’t take a genius to see what Dee wants,” they were now nearly nose to nose, their faces focused on each other.

“And what do you want?” he added, looking down at her mouth with sudden desire.

Kara didn’t hesitate, reaching out her uncast hand behind his head and pulling his mouth down to meet hers. Lee wasted no time in reaching up, entangling his hands into her hair, prolonging the kiss. They wanted to hold onto the moment they had both dreamed about for so long, the pent up desire burning inside them. Neither had felt the tender touch of another since their last time together on that raptor nearly two years ago. Before the cylons had taken them.

The sexual frustration defeated their restraint within seconds. Without breaking their sequence of kisses Lee quickly ripped open Kara’s shirt, neither caring as one button popped off and rolled across the floor. He reached up and caressed the black lace bra underneath, a garment she had once won in a triad game, as she pulled Lee’s shirt over his head, not even bothering to undo the buttons.

She pushed him backwards as forcefully as she had done on Cloud 9, only this time he landed on the sofa and Kara seductively straddled him. He kissed her chest between her breasts making her moan softly. Gods he loved that sound.

Lee couldn’t contain himself any longer. He lifted Kara up off his lap and turned them so that she was lying with her back and he was comfortably ensconced between her legs. They barely paused for breath as they continued to kiss and caress despite the uncomfortable smallness of the sofa.

She moaned again as he stroked his hand softly down her chest and across her belly, making short work of the fastening to her slacks, ripping them off almost desperately as she raised her butt.

They couldn’t wait, needing to feel each other now.

They continued to kiss as Kara reached down and ripped open Lee’s slacks, pulling them down enough to release him from the confines of his briefs. They were more than ready, both desperate to feel the release within each other. But their tongues met in a soft caress, no longer rushing as Kara settled down on her back, wanting him to make love to her.

And then suddenly it felt wrong, as much as the frustration clawed at their bodies, neither of them wanted to rush this. Lee scooped his hands behind Kara’s back and lifted her back up. He stroked a hair behind her ear and softly placed a kiss to her lips, their tongues gently meeting in the middle.

The sound of a baby wailing sounded from the adjoining room.

They remained nose to nose for a moment until reluctantly Kara pulled herself away and walked to their children. “Hey there little man,” she said and lifted the distressed Joseph out of the crib; unusually he hadn’t awoken his sister. Bouncing him slightly on her shoulder she walked back to the main room where Lee was now standing and doing up is slacks. “Our timing sucks huh?” she said, knowing that tonight was not the right time for them. They both knew they needed to take things slowly or they would frak it up.

“I should go,” said Lee sounding a little disappointed. Joseph looked like he was not going to settle down anytime soon and he would just be in the way.

“You can stay if you want.”

Lee walked over and placed a kiss on top of her head before stroking a hand down her face. “I wish I could, but it would be wrong tonight. Besides, I think I need some serious alone time beneath a very cold shower,” he joked.

Kara flushed slightly and then watched as Lee grabbed his shirt and exited the room, closing the hatch behind him.

“You couldn’t wait thirty minutes huh?” she said giving Joseph a hug who giggled, his blue eyes locking with hers. “Nah, you were right kiddo.”

As good as a night of wild frakking would have been, it would have felt amazing, but it would have been wrong. Smiling Kara bounced Joseph gently over her shoulder, willing him into a slumber, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

She knew her and Lee would be okay.