The characters are owned by Ron Moore.

Based on an episode of the original Star Trek series.

Takes place after Season 4.6 – "Faith"

Chapter I

The mottled steel of the Galactica brig was still as cold and dank as the last time he sat here. There was that dripping sound somewhere close, behind one of the walls. Brain-wracking really. Every four seconds - drip, drip, drip, then nothing. Then drip, drip, drip. He found himself waiting for it, focusing on it. It's probably something they did on purpose. To break a prisoner's mind and will. That's the kind of thing humans would think up. God help them.

Leoben moved slowly along the sides of the cell, running his hands along the cool walls. She'd been here not too long ago. He could feel her. Almost smell her with that inexplicable sense of her that made the others look at him with narrow eyes. He didn't understand it himself. But he loved it. Having Kara in his soul gave him a whole other level of living of which the others couldn't even dream. Well, maybe that eight understood. The mother of the new one – Athena she's calling herself. She too has given herself to a human love. But Leoben doubted that even Athena could understand his connection to Kara. Shared dreams. A common vision coming from some common place so very deep within. The deepest place within. Or maybe without. But someplace very, very beyond the limits of this life.

The outside cell door clanged open disrupting Leoben's thoughts. He looked up as he always did searching for Kara. But standing beside the marine guard the face glaring through the bars was new to him. And yet… Ah!

"You're Lee, aren't you? I've seen you in our dreams."

The human stood just outside the bars staring back. Looking Leoben up and down slowly and intensely, as though memorizing every aspect. He finally settled on the cylon's face, his eyes menacingly dark. Almost wild. Leoben shivered before he made himself laugh.

"Will you be okay, sir?" The marine guard's voice was respectful, his eyes intent on Lee's face. Lee just nodded, his focus completely on Leoben.

Man and machine regarded each other for several seconds until the outside door noisily shut again as the marine guard left them alone. Lee broke the silence, finally, his words guttural and very slow.

"I wanted you to see me, Leoben. So that you know who it is that will kill you. Because you won't see me coming before I do. But I want you to know – need you to know – it will be me."

Leoben had died enough times that the idea didn't usually throw him, but even so, he felt himself shrink inwardly at the black hatred emanating from the other man.

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough. You're the sick frakker who tortured Kara – twisting her mind for months."

"Torture?! Never! I love her."

Lee's eyes narrowed to slits. "Liar. I've heard that about you."

"Is it torture when a doctor makes a cut to remove a cancer? Suffering is necessary for people to grasp their destiny. Kara needed to release the unworthy things to which she was clinging. I freed her."

Lee's face contracted in rage. "You destroyed part of her! She never completely came back to us."

Leoben was fascinated at the anguish on Lee's face. It made him feel oddly powerful and he shook his head with wonder.

"But, Lee, she never could have come back to YOU. Because she was never really with you, was she? She, um, married that other fellow. The dull-eyed, athletic one. Taller than you, though. Kara is a bit superficial that way."

The veins on Lee's neck tightened visibly, but the cylon was enjoying his reverie too much to notice. He resumed his walk around the sides of his cell, strumming his fingers over the bars.

Lee had to take a breath to calm himself before he could speak. "I have loved her for as long as I can remember. And she loves me."

The human's voice sounded slightly choked to Leoben. Remorse? Could be useful.

"Love her do you? I've seen her dreams. She runs in her dreams from whatever is killing her, whatever is too much for her. I've seen her struggle to escape her mother's memory. And how she failed that little boy Zak. And you. You, Lee Adama. You've been there in her subconscious causing her more torment than both of them. Did you know that? Did you know that Kara runs from you in her dreams?"

Lee felt the force of the cylon's words creeping past his defenses into his soul. "Kara... I never meant to hurt her."

Leoben snorted with disgust. "You're a lightweight, Junior. And way out of your league. I hope you can hear that without malice because it is really so obvious and has been in front of you for the longest time. Kara Thrace is mighty. Her destiny is much bigger than being wrapped up in the hurt feelings of one puny, little selfish man. I understand you, poor boy, better than you think. She rejected me too, many times. The difference between you and I is, I never gave up. Now, she needs me."

Lee literally had to shake himself to null the effects of the cylon's voice. This is why this frakker has to die. Does this to anyone who gets near him. Especially Kara.

Leoben watched Lee trying to regather his thoughts and he sneered again. This time, Lee barely heard as he watched the cylon making his way around the cell, coming closer, just closer.

"You should have seen us on the Demetrius. She had them bring me to her cell. She was painting there – trying to recreate one of our visions. Took off her jacket so she was waiting for me, her shoulders bare. She wanted me then. Close to her. Knowing I had seen it too. Wanting me to guide her hand. Wanting my touch just under her breast. I can still feel her warmth under my hand. Feel her wanting me, her breath on my –"

Leoben's voice was suddenly choked away by the iron grip that had lashed out through the bars and clutched him around the throat. Lee jerked the cylon up against the steel, one fist in its hair, the other squeezing its throat.

"See, you just cost yourself a few extra days of animation."

Leoben's arms pulled futilely at the vice-like pressure cutting off his air-passage. Lee yanked on the cylon's hair again, smashing its skull against the steel bars.

"I wasn't planning on killing you today, but, you know, just now, I can't think of a good reason to let you suck up one more drop of oxygen –"

The door behind Lee swung open with force, smashing against the wall.

"LEE! What are you doing?!"

Kara stood in the doorway just behind the shocked marine guard. The guard pulled out his weapon aiming it at Lee.

"Mr. Adama, step away from the prisoner!"

Kara shoved the nose of the guard's rifle down to the floor, "Will you cut the crap, you idiot?! You're not going to shoot him!"

The guard sheepishly lowered his weapon as Kara pushed past him and then suddenly jerked Lee away from the bars. Leoben fell to his knees gasping for breath. He skin was almost blue. With hatred, Lee watched the cylon desperately gulp in air, even as he let Kara pull him away. She grabbed Lee by the collar and pulled his face up to look at her.

"Lee, I don't want this. Do you hear me? I need him alive."

Lee's eyes were as clear as they had ever been. He looked deeply into Kara's eyes and spoke calmly.

"He is a cancer, Kara. A mind-frakking, deceitful infection. He feeds off anyone around him – our insecurities, our pain – like a blood-sucking tick fixed right into the heart—"

Kara stilled him with a finger on his lips. "Lee, stop it. You can't wipe away what happened to me this way. Killing Leoben won't win us anything. We have to go forward."

Lee blinked as her words started to penetrate through the fog of his cold rage. Kara's voice was almost a whisper as she held his face in her hands willing him to hear her, "We have to go forward. It's the only way to redeem the past. Do you hear me?"

As with so many times before, Lee didn't understand Kara, but her passion won him over. He nodded dumbly and let her lead him towards the door.

Leoben, massaging his throat watched the drama unfold on the other side of the bars. He barked out a funny sounding laugh. "You're no match for her, junior!"

Lee suddenly lurched out of Kara's arms pushing her into the hallway. He grabbed the sidearm from the marine guard and spiraling quickly fired two shots on either side of the cylon's head. Leoben hit the floor hard and shaking. Lee growled at Leoben, "Remember what I told you, frakker. It's coming."

Lee tossed the gun to the marine guard and left. Leoben, clutching the metal floor felt the bile of his partially digested lunch fill his mouth and erupt down his chest. Panting and choking on his vomit, he shook himself to his knees. "If you insist, Lee. One of us will definitely be dying soon. But it won't be me."