The Reason
Summary: Kara is having nightmares and he's the only one that knows why
AN: This is my first BSG fic so I would welcome any helpful criticism
He was not quite sure why he did it but for some reason Commander Adama walked passed the pilots sleeping quarters that day. He was on a break and had nothing better to do, some how he had gotten down here and now was met with one of the biggest commotions he had ever seen, and he'd seen a lot. He heard shouts coming from the quarters to the right of him, and then, could it be, crying. As he walked towards the door to see what was going on, the door shot open in front of him.
Hotdog ran out of the door and grabbed the nearest nugget he could find, the were always hanging about these quarters hoping for a triad game, or fight, something to entertain themselves.
" Go to CIC and get Lee...Apollo...NOW!" he couldn't stop the urgency in his voice. For once though it seemed to do him good as the nugget seemed to run faster than he had even seen any of them run.
"What's the matter? Can I help?" asked Adama, which shocked the life out of Hotdog and made him quickly jump round to attention.
"At ease, I didn't ask you to stand on parade. I asked what was the matter"
"N..Nothing Sir we...we just need..urm...Apollo right now...Thankyou...Sir" Hotdog stammered.
"Can I at least see what's going on?"
"urm...of course sir...sorry...sir"
Hotdog opened the hatch and walked in, followed by the Commander.
Nothing had ever prepared Adama for what he saw. On one of the bunks sat Kara, knees up by her chin, rocking backwards and forwards crying. The last time he had seen Kara Thrace cry was at his son's funeral, he knew it very rarely happened, and he knew it had to be bad for it to be in public, or sort of public. The walls that she had built up around herself over the years, had suddenly crumbled. Kat sat in front of her, rubbing her arm and saying things to her in low tones that were barely a whisper.
"Respectively...sir were you the one who changed the flight rota?"
Adama was pulled away from the scene by the young pilots words.
"Yes I was"
"Why?"
It seemed a strange question to ask but he answered it anyway.
"Starbuck and Apollo seemed to be having too many shifts together. It is not wise to be always flying with the same partner, it encourages familiarness, makes you more relaxed, less concentrated."
"Did you ask them why that was?"
"What them flying together all the time. No"
"Your looking at it!"
It was plain and simple and to the point, yet Adama did not understand.
"Looking at what exactly?"
"The reason"
Adama opened his mouth to reply when he was disrupted by the hatch opening. These things did not usually disturb him until he was finished, unfortunately he had not moved since closing the hatch behind him after walking in. So it hit him in the back and made him stumble forwards. He turned to yell at who ever it was to knock before entering, but stopped as he saw him.
Lee stood at the hatch taking in the room, searching. When his eyes rested on Kara he swung into action and ran to her. Kat got up to let him kneel in front of Kara.
"I tried to comfort her like you do...but it didn't work."
"It's ok, at least you tried" Lee smiled at her and then turned his attentions to Kara. He hated seeing her like this, it wasn't her, ever since she had come back from Caprica she had been like this. During the day her normal fighting, yet cheery self, at night a broken wreck that only he could help. He reached out and placed his hand on the top of her arm. Adama watched them from his place by the hatch.
"Kara, look at me" He heard Lee say, it was barely a whisper but firm enough for Kara to stop rocking and look up at him.
"It's just a nightmare, it's not real" as he spoke he wiped her tears away with his fingers.
"I know" I was the first time Adama had heard her speak, and it pained him to hear her voiced strained and beginning to crack, he saw the pain he was feeling flash across Lee's face, he knew Lee cared for her but until know he had not known to what extent.
Kara spoke again, even quieter than before, "It...it just...scares me", as soon as the words left her mouth, her feet fell off the edge of the bed and hit the floor with a thump, her head fell onto Lee's shoulder, and she started to cry again.
The Commander expected Lee to lift her face back up and tell her to stop crying and sort this out, but he didn't, instead he wrapped one arm around her waist, placed a hand on the back of her head, and stroked her hair while whispering in her ear. Looking at the confused look on Adama's face, Hotdog decided to put him out of his misery.
"He the only one that knows, what the nightmares are about," he explained "the only one she trusted with what makes her like this, but it's something to do with Caprica, that I can tell you. He's the only one that can stop her from crying, there your reason, clear as day in front of you"
Adama looked at Hotdog then back at Lee and Kara astonished, how could this be happening on Galactica and him not know about it.
Yet again he was not left to his thoughts for long as Kara had stopped crying, and after asking her if she would be ok Lee got up. He smiled sadly at Kat.
"If anything happens, send for me. I'll be back in a few hours" Then he turned and began to leave, but Adama stopped him.
"Where you going? She's obviously not alright" anger spilling out of him, how could his own son, be so caring one minute and an ass the next.
"I know she not alright!" Lee seethed, a mixture of anger and sorrow seemed to burst through before he pulled himself together again, "no one else can know about this, so routine can't change. I have a job to do...she understands that. The rest of the ship just think we're fraking each other, we'd like to keep it that way."
Adama sighed, " You look pale to me, wouldn't you agree Hotdog," It took a while, but Hotdog cottoned on to the commander's meaning and nodded his head enthusiastically, content Adama continued "so the CIC should get a message that Captain Apollo has suddenly become unwell, by the time I get up there to take his place" yet again Adama looked at Hotdog who yet again took a while but got the message and quickly ran out into the corridor. Adama turned back to Lee and smiled, "Go back to her, and you should know that small matter that has been discussed for sometime, was passed by the President about an hour ago. Go be with her, you don't have to hide anymore" with that he left, smiling as he heard a faint voice behind him.
"Thanks...Dad"
It seemed he had nothing else to do, so Lee knelt down in front of Kara and took both her hands in his. He smiled at her.
"The President said yes" Kara looked at him in disbelief.
"You mean...we can?" Lee's smile grew.
"Yes...we can make it official" It was the first time he had seen Kara smile for real in a long time, and Gods it was beautiful. This time her hand cupped his cheek, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his.
A few days later and it was all over the ship that it was not just a rumor, but Lt. Kara Thrace was actually fraking the CAG, and their public displays of affection were not denying it.
Adama was beginning to believe in this divine reason for everything, after all he had it on very good authority, that since that very night that he went wandering for no apparent reason, Kara had never had those nightmares again, in fact she hardly ever slept alone.
