This will be a series of stand-alone stories which deal with the choices that the characters on Battlestar Galactica have made throughout the first half of the second season (I'll be posting in as much of the order of the season as I can). I want to explore what would have happened/changed if things had gone differently. Some of the stories will be angst, some will be shippy, some will be funny. There will be different pairings throughout. Don't feel like you have to check out each one to understand the others. All I ask is that if it intrigues you, then give it a try. Hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them!
There are pivotal moments in one's life where if you take the wrong path everything may change. Those changes may be for the good or for the bad. The possibilities are endless.
It took him a while, but eventually Lee Adama figured out that his father was not angry at him for what he had done. In fact, Lee was pretty sure there were multiple times during the past few weeks when the Commander himself wanted to hold a gun to Colonel Tigh's head. The XO had single-handedly fraked up the whole Fleet, and the road to repair was a bumpy one.
The biggest indicator that his father was not holding a grudge was also the most obvious one. Lee was still the Commander of the Air Group. He might be locked in a brig cell for most of his day, but he was the one in charge of keeping the pilots safe so they could protect the Fleet.
Between shifts, his pilots walked all paperwork and flight rotations down to the brig for Lee to review. While there, they would give him a rundown of such things as how the CAP went, the level of Cylon activity encountered, and which pilot was teased the most on comm line chatter.
Those small moments of conversation were the times Lee let himself believe things could return to normal. The rest of his day was spent in a state of boredom so great that Lee had taken to completing paperwork for other officers in the Fleet. Considering that he was stuck in his tiny cell for ten hours in the day, he figured he had nothing better to do anyway. Not to mention that the workload had died down in the past week since his brig mate had shown up and started helping out.
Lee was still upset with himself for not being there when the Marines dragged Kara to her cell. He had been helping Burnout with repairs to his Raptor when the news of her return came in. The CIC kept it quiet and made sure to land Starbuck in the farthest launch tunnel. Before Lee knew what was happening, it was over. The first he heard of Kara was a casual mention from his Marine guard as they made their way back to his new home.
Lee had sprinted the last few yards to the brig but skidded to a halt in the open hatchway. He had expected the sight of her to tug at something deep inside him, but he hadn't expected that something to be fear. Kara was lying on her cot in the cell next to his, her back pressed up against the cool metal bars. She looked like she had just clawed her way through another holocaust and was worse the wear. Her whole body was covered in bruises, and she was clutching her stomach defensively. Hers eyes stared blankly at the opposite wall as if her mind had finally collapsed under the stress.
Kara didn't look up at Lee as he walked over to his open cell and stepped inside. The slight tensing of her body assured Lee that she had heard him enter, and for a brief second, he wondered if she might still be mad at him for the way he had treated her before she left. His jaw began to ache at the memory of her anger. The wounds they had torn open in one another before she jumped out of his life were still raw in places.
Lee stood in the middle of his cell, watching her cry for a moment, before the sound of the cell door clicking shut jarred him into action. There was no way he could just stand there and see her in pain even if she still hated him. He quietly pulled his own cot against the divider between the cells and stretched himself out on it. As slowly and smoothly as he could, Lee reached his hand through the bars and rested it on her hip.
After a moment, he felt Kara shift as her hand came up to twine with his. "Hi, Lee," she sniffled.
"Hi, Kara," he whispered back, a smile coming to his lips.
And that was it. Those two little words were all that they needed to let each other know they were back to normal.
Their relationship was repaired yet Lee couldn't help but notice there was still something wrong with Kara. Every night she woke up, crying hysterically over things she refused to speak of. Lee tried every way he could think of to get her to open up, but she said it was better that he didn't know.
She claimed she needed him to be the one part of her life untainted by what had happened on Caprica so he held her through the bars until she stopped crying. Most nights he even managed to make her smile. When they were physically connected, Kara could sleep in peace, and that was all that mattered to Lee.
The only person to ever catch them in their ritual embrace was Specialist Cally. The young deckhand had been showing up outside Lee's cell since the Chief had been arrested under suspicion that he was a Cylon. The first time she came to him, pleading that he help her figure out a way to clear Tyrol, Lee had been surprised to see so much rage inside such a tiny package. Cally was willing to do anything to help her friend, and Lee had always admired that in his crew.
Lee looked up from the paperwork he was working on with his brig mate and smiled as Kara sighed and shifted her position on her cot. She glanced up at him and glared when she caught him staring, making him chuckle.
Lee could definitely relate to Cally's loyalty towards a friend. He understood that sometimes there was no limit to what you would be willing to do to keep the people you cared for safe.
The first time Cally came to his cell, Lee would remember for the rest of his life. As he talked with her, it was the first time that he felt he deserved the position of CAG. It wasn't hard to see past her concern over the Chief's arrest to the real problem. Cally was furious that everyone was treating Boomer like she was still part of the Fleet.
Lee could tell that Cally was preparing to fix that oversight herself, and the thought of this tough little deckhand committing an act of murder to make a point made Lee's blood run cold. So he did what he could to keep her talking that night. Lee knew that he had to keep her busy for at least a few hours until the repercussions of what she was contemplating sank in.
To keep her interest, Lee found her things about himself that no one in the Fleet knew. By the time they were done, Cally knew about Kara and Zak, about the girl Lee had left behind on Atlantia, and most importantly, about why Lee and Kara acted the way they did. This last topic seemed to fascinate Cally for some reason, but it wasn't until a few weeks later that Cally would tell him Kara reminded her of her best friend, Prosna who had died in the initial attacks on Galactica.
Lee began to understand more about who Cally was every night that she came to speak with him. Truth be told, Cally reminded him of Kara most times. She was stubborn and unwilling to back down when she thought she was right. She had opinions and wasn't afraid to speak them, and they shared an insane sense of loyalty and determination.
All those characteristics made Cally the person he trusted most on Galactica. After Kara, of course.
The trust that they built reassured Lee given that Cally had witnessed the CAG and his lead pilot in a less than professional position on numerous occasions in the past weeks. Knowing that she wouldn't say a word let Lee relax a little, and he was able to do what had to be done to keep his best friend from having a breakdown.
"How's Cally doing?" Kara asked, not looking up from the paperwork in front of her.
Lee narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Read my mind."
"Well for starters you talk to yourself when you're deep in thought," she laughed. "It's very useful."
Lee glared at her as he launched his pen through the bars between them. It hit the middle of her forehead with a satisfying smack, stopping her laughter cold. He smiled at her as she stared at him, mouth open with shock.
"That's abuse, Captain Adama, sir," she hissed.
He shook his head and leaned in closer to the bars. "It's not abuse if the person likes the pain." Kara's face showed genuine surprise at this comment. "Come on, Kara. You have to realize that there's been a slightly masochistic edge to everything you've done for the last few years."
"Frak you," she snapped, glaring at him. "At least I don't get pleasure from inflicting pain like some people!"
"That was one time in flight school and I had had way too much ambrosia," he retorted.
Kara shook her head and flung the pen back at him. "Get to work on those rosters. We need them done by 0900."
Lee nodded at her and tried to focus on the task at hand, but the silence, like normal, lasted only a few seconds. It seemed that both of them were desperate to make up for the time they had lost. There were suddenly a million things to tell each other, ranging from silly, like the story of how Hot Dog ended up locked in the storage cabinet with the XO's wife, to serious, like how ashamed Lee was that he didn't accept Kara's apology on the hangar deck.
"So how is Cally doing?" Kara asked again.
"Good," Lee answered as he erased a few lines of the roster in frustration. "I think she's starting to realize how delicate the situation with Boomer is, especially now that we have two of them." Lee paused and looked up at Kara. "By the way, I don't think I ever thanked you for bringing that other one back with you."
"Frak off. She's pregnant by the best friend I have on Galactica, and he wouldn't leave without her. It isn't as if I had a choice but would it make you feel better to know that I tried to shoot her more than once?"
"So, Helo's your best friend on Galactica, huh?"
Kara shrugged. "What can I say? The fraked up ones like to stick together."
Lee nodded and pushed the rosters away. He turned to stare at Kara who, unlike him, was still engrossed in her rotations. The tip of his pen tapped up a slow rhythm on the metal bars as his mind began to turn in thought. "Here's what I find odd about that statement," he said after a few minutes. "Why specify on Galactica? Why not simply call Helo your best friend?"
Kara dropped her pen and asked, "Why the sudden interest in semantics?"
"Chalk it up to my curious nature. Are you going to answer the question, Lieutenant?"
"Frak off, Lee," she sighed, rolling her eyes. Kara tried to turn her attention back to the rosters but gave up after a few seconds when he continued to stare at her. "Fine. You want an answer? I was stuck with Helo down on Caprica for ten days during which we went through a lot of shit."
"Shit you still won't tell me about," he reminded her.
Kara's irritation disappeared when she heard Lee's frustration and hurt. "I will tell you, Lee. I just need time."
"I know," he whispered, reaching out to grab her hand. "I am trying not to push."
"See?" Kara lifted their joined hands up. "Helo and I went through hell, and not once did he think to hold my hand."
"Maybe that's because you're a strong woman, Kara. You don't seem to need someone to hold your hand."
"And yet you've been doing just that every night since I got back to Galactica. It's ironic that you felt the desire to comfort me when I supposedly didn't need it." Kara squeezed his hand. "Helo has been the best friend I had on this ship since I was stationed here. He understood me best, but he never got me the way that you do. Since that day Zak introduced us, something clicked. We work." Kara chuckled. "There have only been three people in my life that I've had that kind of connection with, and wouldn't you fraking know it? They're all Adamas."
"Must be in the genes," said a gruff voice from outside the cells.
Kara and Lee dropped hands and snapped to attention at the sight of the Commander. "How are you doing, sir?" Kara asked after a moment of silence passed.
"I'm just fine, Kara, and you don't have to start with that sir nonsense. Save it for when you actually do something worthy of kissing my ass."
Kara's eyes widened in surprise, and she stole a peek at Lee who was struggling not to laugh. She hadn't seen the Commander since her return and hadn't yet figured out that his father wasn't actually mad at either one of them. Their continued incarceration was more politics than punishment.
"I'm here to tell you that the President was reinstated today."
"Who made that happen?" Lee asked.
"I did," Adama replied. "I had a very interesting conversation with Petty Officer Dualla the other day, and she pointed out that the Fleet would never be whole if I didn't swallow my pride where the President was concerned. She also pointed out that the Air Group would function better if I had you two in the air rather than in the brig."
"Smart girl," Kara muttered.
"The President's first order of business was to call for your release so that we could move forward in her plan to locate the Tomb of Athena."
"You're going to let her go through with that?" Lee asked, his eyes widening in astonishment. He had seen firsthand how much his father opposed the President's choices in this matter.
"I'm going to the surface with her." Adama motioned for the Marine to open the cell doors as he continued to explain. "You two are coming with us. As of this moment, your rank and active pilot status are reinstated."
"You're letting us go?"
"Yes, I am. Might I suggest you use your newfound freedom to take a trip to the head? You've only been in this room and the hangar bay for the last few weeks…" Adama brushed his nose. "And it's starting to… show."
"Was that a joke?" Kara whispered to Lee as they stepped out of their cells.
"My father does not make jokes."
"Maybe he's a Cylon," Kara mused.
"Well, he is letting two mutineers out of the brig without a trial. Anything is possible at this point."
Adama looked at them, his face emotionless. "According to Dr. Baltar, I am not a Cylon and neither are you, which means that the decisions we made in the past stem from sheer stupidity. It makes you wish you were a Cylon sometimes, doesn't it?"
"I hear they have a good dental plan," Kara joked.
Adama smiled briskly, shaking his head as he left the room.
"I knew he wasn't mad at us," Lee insisted as the Marine quickly processed their discharge papers. Seconds later, they were given the all clear.
"The Old Man couldn't hate us if he'd found out we were behind the destruction of civilization. We're just too damn cute," Kara laughed.
"I don't know. I wouldn't really define you as cute. More like ruggedly handsome," Lee teased.
"One of us needs to be," she replied pertly as they entered the outside corridor side by side. "Oh and frak you!"
"You say that a lot. It's starting to seem like more of a plea than profanity."
"In your dreams, Adama."
"Every night, Thrace. Every night."
Kara was still laughing as they turned the corner into the normal hustle and bustle of the Galactica's corridors. There were winks and smiles of greeting from everyone they passed. "You're right, Lee. Absolutely no one is mad at us. It's amazing what being a big fraking hero can do for a person's reputation."
"There's one person who would disagree with our hero status."
Kara groaned as her mind immediately pictured the man in question. "Why does Tigh hate us?"
"I think it may have something to do with being punched in the jaw over a game of triad and having a gun pointed to his head. When you get right down to it, we're really not very nice to him."
"Yeah, I suppose that would do it." Kara's mind shifted to the few interactions she had had with the XO since returning to Galactica. Tigh was just as infuriating as ever. Some things never changed. "Do you know what the XO said to me when he led me down to the brig?"
Lee shook his head. "I have no idea."
"He told me I'd find I had familiar company in my new home. At that time, I thought he was getting another dig about the amount of time I've spent in those cells. I had no clue that he was actually referring to you." Lee watched Kara's face transform from laughter to complete seriousness in an heartbeat. "I never thanked you for that, by the way."
"It was nothing."
"We both know that's not true."
"Fine, then it's not something that you or I are comfortable discussing," he corrected.
"That's for fraking sure," she said with a nod. After all, there were some things that couldn't change even when the world ended.
Kara and Lee walked in silence the rest of the way to the head. Their quiet calm was not because they had finally run out of things to say to one another. Kara could tell Lee that she was going to miss working on rosters with him, even if it was the most boring thing she had ever done. Lee could make sure Kara knew that she was allowed to sneak into his bunk at night if her nightmares came back and she needed a friend. They could both admit that their time in the brig had felt like a vacation from the real world despite the fact that it was supposed to be punishment. Not to mention Lee still hadn't told her about his failed attempt to escape with the President. Lee had talked with Cally about it one night when he thought his brig mate was sleeping. Kara still couldn't understand how he wasn't thrown out an airlock for that one.
No, the silence wasn't there because it had to be. It was there because they didn't need words to say the important things.
Kara knew she could go to Lee for comfort just as Lee knew his time alone with Kara had healed whatever was broken inside of her.
In the past, words had only fraked things up, and Lee and Kara could do that just fine on their own. They didn't need any help.
That remained a fraking certainty.