Night on Earth

Pairing: Kara/Lee Starbuck/Apollo

Timeframe: During Sometimes a Great Notion (Season 4.5)

Warning: Contains spoilers for episodes up to and including During Sometimes a Great Notion. Also, this is my first bit of BSG FanFic. I've been out of the writing loop for a long time, so please be kind.

Rating: Starts out PG evolves into NC-17 territory

Info: Slightly AU, Lee stays planet side instead of heading up to the Galactica, thus not going out for dinner with Dee. All other events remain virtually unchanged

Disclaimer: the first 2 lines of chapter 2 are directly quoted from the episode, and I don't own any of these characters, I play in this world, I sure as hell don't own it.

A handful of Cylons and humans elected to spend their days and nights on the decimated planet's surface. Some were excavating, others were just wandering, trying to find a reason why all of this happened.

Lee saw one of the Number Twos, better known as Leoben, emerge from the brush along the beach at a swift jog. He couldn't be sure, as they all looked alike, but he thought that it was the model who had accompanied Starbuck on her search for the beacon. The Leobens seemed especially fond of Kara, one of them being a constant presence, like a shadow following her everywhere. He wondered if it was the same one that had held her captive on New Caprica. He had never had the guts to ask Kara about that time, and she had never offered up any information. Like so many things, this was one of Kara's secrets.

The Leoben looked somewhat distressed and more than a little angry. Lee waited a few minutes for Kara to appear, but she didn't. For a moment the worst case scenario crossed his mind. He shook it off, they had such a shaky truce with the Cylons that one of them wouldn't dare kill a human, let alone one as important or present as Starbuck. Well, at least not without a damn good reason.

"Where's Kara?' He inquired as he approached the Leoben. "She didn't come back with you, is she still looking for the point of origin?"

"She's still out there," Leoben spat the words out as he gestured over the dunes towards the rolling hills beyond.

"Alone?"

"We're all alone in this." Leoben remarked dryly as he headed towards the Three.

This didn't make much sense to Lee. One minute this Cylon was hounding her, filling her head with crazy, obsessed with her, and then he just ups and abandons her? No, it didn't make sense, but he was talking about a cylon.

The last raptor off the planet for the night was boarding. The Leoben followed Dee, Anders, Tyrol and Tory onto the ship. Lee had planned to be on that raptor, but it seemed Leoben had taken his spot. He grabbed it's pilot.

"Helo, tell my dad I'll be back up there tomorrow."

"Sure Mr. Former President." Helo jabbed him and offered a smile. "Staying for the lovely views?" Helo noticed Lee staring at the Leoben, "Did he take your seat? I can kick him off."

"No, it's fine."

"Wasn't he with Kara before?"

"Yeah, she hasn't come back. He said she was still out there. She shouldn't be out there alone."

"Here, let me get you a survival kit."

"Helo, its one night, it's not survival by any means when the planet is all but dead."

"You aren't dressed to be down here, it'll be cold tonight. There's some water, what passes for food & radiation indicators." Helo pulled the pack out of the raptor. "I'll let the Admiral know that you are down here. You know that Two hasn't left her alone since the Demetrius, right? Even on separate ships I was constantly putting wireless calls through to her from him. Why would he just abandon her now?"

"I don't know man, but I hope to find out. Lee picked up the pack and strapped it to his back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Helo boarded the shuttle. Lee saw Dee inside, she looked concerned, she always looked concerned. She offered a small, sad wave. He waved back. Two days earlier he had signed the divorce papers Lampkin had drawn up. Dee requested them. He had received his copy of the finalization while on Colonial One. The doors sealed and Lee turned toward the land.