Pain shot through the boy's skull, a ringing in his ears becoming a pounding, and finally the familiar beep…beep…beep of hospital machines.

Just like always.

And then, the normal sensation of warm, female hands grasping his own, those same hands smoothing his hair…

"Lee… Oh Gods, Lee honey, I'm so sorry…"

Too late, mommy.

He'd always wanted to say that, every time he or Zak ended up lying here, with her crying over them, like she was the victim…

Too late.

Beep…beep…beep…

Something snapped him back to consciousness –probably the beeping noises the repair machinery always made.

Lee tossed his head for a second, trying to keep his mind clear. That was… the fifth time this had happened that week? Something had to give… and Cottle's brain drugs were out of the question. He'd rather be in the air then grounded for flying wasted…

Two little boys huddled behind a chrome trash can, one slightly smaller than the other, clutching at his brother's shirt like a security blanket.

He could see the tears on their faces… He could still remember the wet warmth of Zak's face on his back, his small body shaking with sobs and raw fear…

Lee had only been eight years old, but it all seemed so… wrong, even to a child.

He swallowed hard, watching the boys cower back, choking on their screams as an Ambrosia bottle broke on the kitchen counter above their heads, obscenities hurling from her mouth like the shards of glass spilling in every direction… A blender was torn from the wall socket and hurled randomly, barely missing Zak's head…

His eyes snapped open – the cockpit? What-

"Apollo! You've picked up two more! Apollo, do you read? Apollo, four raiders bearing inbound –"

"Kara?"

How the frak-

" Frak it, Apollo, you're covered in toasters! Get out of there! Apollo! LEE!"

Lords, what the frak was happening?

Somehow, Lee managed to force military instinct past sheer mind-numbing panic, and glanced at the control board… Blue eyes narrowed.

"Starbuck, I have zero DRADIS contact… Starbuck, do you read? Kara?"

Static…

He could still smell the disinfectant chemicals, hear the machines with their constant infernal buzzing, and her

She was always there with one or both of them after things went too far, feeding them ice chips and holding their hands, telling them how sorry she was…

Though that would stop… one day, sooner than later, those boys would be back in this place, and she wouldn't bother to put on a show…

He could feel the burn behind his eyes… after eight years, he was still crying over it?

"Why, Mom?"

His eyelids dragged open sluggishly, the image of his own bruised, bloodied face still burned into his line of sight…

"K-Kara…"

"We're here."

He blinked.

"What-"

"Let go. We'll catch you. We promise."

"Who're-"

He was shaking inside the flight suit, could feel his jaw trembling…

"N-no…"

"You were confused, and frightened. But we're here for you."

"N-no, I - " He swallowed hard, flailing for a grip on reality that seemed to be slipping farther and farther into oblivion…

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. Let us embrace you."

"Lords of Kobol –!"

He was sobbing now.

" – Le – Let us walk the path of righteousness and li – lift our f-faces unto your goodness – "

"Come to us."

"H-Help us turn away from th-the calls of the wicked and sh-show us the knowledge of your certain salvation – L-Lords of Kobol, hear me-!"

"We love you, Lee. And we always will."

He barely felt the scream, as it ripped past his lungs- there was only a burst of Hellish heat, an agonizing tearing sensation, and –

Bright white light flashed through his eyes, and all he could see was the smiling, innocent face of a young boy, reaching for his only family…

"GNNGHHH! Guh – huh-huh-huh…"

"Shhh… shhh…"

He seemed to be floating naked in some kind of liquid – not quite water, but not soap… it coated him like a second skin… it was soothing…

He was gasping for a breath, noting something sweet in his mouth… sickeningly sweet…

"Just breathe through it…"

"The first time is always the hardest…"

The organ in his chest was pounding manically, as though afraid for it's life… He tried to move, and found his wrists shackled…

"We're right here with you, Lee."

"And we'll never leave you."

Trembling, he lifted his head – and found himself staring into the blue eyes of D'Anna Biers.

"NO! GODS, NOOO!"

A.N.- Tbc? Perhaps. I have some more ideas for this… to flesh it out a bit. But what do you think? Yes, I know it is a bit of a hodge-podge of at least three episodes, and probably others I included subconsciously, but after reading the (now inactive) Lee-Is-A-Cylon Challenge page on SciFiBuzz, I was inspired.

Your thoughts please - Box it or continue?