Title: Captive – Chapter 2

Pairing: Lee/Kara (I swear!)

Rating: This chapter, PG, but we will get into NC-17 territory.

Summary: After Kara marries Sam and Lee returns to the Pegasus, things on New Caprica go from bad to worse.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own these characters or anything related to the show (expect for a pair of Starbuck and Apollo dogtags).

A/N: A few things about my New Caprica universe – there is no fat Apollo. Sorry, but I just couldn't do it. He also doesn't marry Dee, but she's still in the picture, kinda.

I hope you enjoy!

~TamSibling~

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Three Months After the Groundbreaking Ceremony

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Bill Adama rarely ventured off Galactica. Baltar had made a firm stand when he'd settled the colonists on the planet, effectively telling Adama and the rest of the Fleet they were no longer needed. But despite this cold shoulder, he liked to stretch his legs, get out and remind himself why they fought so hard these past few years.

However, he hated the thought of going to New Caprica. The surface was gray and dismal and cold. But as soon as he set foot on the surface, his hatred shifted to thoughts of leaving. Every time he said goodbye to Laura or another of his former crewman, Bill wanted to seize them by the arm and drag them back to Galactica—back home.

They didn't belong on this rock, barely scraping out a living. His pleas to President Baltar had gone unheard and so Bill had stopped making them. But he still visited, still tried to silently remind his people that they would always have a place on board the Galactica. So far, none of them had seen keen to move.

Except maybe one. He suppressed a smile as he rounded the corner of a row of tents and caught sight of his destination. Bill Adama still wasn't convinced that Kara Thrace-Anders, really belonged here. Grounded and away from a cockpit, Bill had been certain he'd be reinstating Kara's flight status within a few weeks. But then she had married Anders and was apparently trying for domesticity.

He wanted to be happy for her, wanted to be pleased that she was settling down, that she seemed happy. But for months the scene that had played out before him the morning of her wedding—the scene where his son, looking utterly devastated, had dragged Kara bodily away—would not let him relax. And, as reports of Lee's darkening mood had increased over the past months, Bill was afraid he knew why he couldn't be happy for Kara.

Because she wasn't really happy. She was trying to be and Bill knew the difference painfully well.

Stepping to the front of her and Anders' tent, he opened his mouth to announce his arrival, as knocking on canvas was fairly useless, and stopped at the sound of raised voices inside.

"It's nothing, Sam. Just the flu."

"It's not the frakkin' flu, Kara. You've been throwing up for weeks. Go get checked out!"

"No, I'm fine."

"Bullshit."

Bill heard the sound of what he knew was a scuffle and when Anders next spoke his voice was low, almost menacing.

"I know it can't be mine, Kara. Caprica and the radiation saw to that. So whose is it? Huh?"

Kara's muffled, "Get off me," was followed by her all but stumbling out of the tent and almost into Bill's waiting arms.

"Admiral." She blinked, glancing up at him and then straightening her clothes. He watched her regain her composure, falling back on Starbuck in her moment of distress. "It's good to see you, sir."

Despite the desire he felt to charge into the tent and remind Sam Anders precisely how he should treat a woman, Bill tamped down the feeling and instead, offered Kara a warm smile. "You resigned, Kara. There's no need for the 'sir.'"

She smiled sheepishly and then threaded her arm through his. "Force of habit?"

He nodded in acceptance and then started walking, her by his side, through the rows of the tent city. The farther they got from her tent, the more relaxed she became and Adama was suddenly very glad he'd come to visit.

"So, how are things?"

He knew it wasn't the subtlest hint, so it was no surprise, when Kara simply shrugged. "Fine. You know, a little hard. It's frakkin' cold here all the time. And the—"

"Kara."

He stopped and faced her, resting light hands to her shoulders and holding her gaze. She glanced at him and then just as quickly looked away as if afraid of what he might see.

"I heard you and Anders arguing." She bit her lower lip, but kept her silence and Adama pressed a little harder. "Are things all right?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. What's 'all right'?"

He didn't have much of an answer for that. "Good question." Taking her arm again, he led her towards the mess tent. "How about we have some lunch and we can discuss it?"

Nodding, Kara leaned against his side and murmured, "Sounds like a plan."

Yes, indeed, Adama was very grateful he'd come for a visit.

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Four hours later he had Racetrack divert his Raptor to the Pegasus before heading back to his own ship.

Kara was far from all right and Bill was even more certain it had something to do with his son. She had barely touched her food, stating that algae didn't taste any better surrounded by fresh air then it did when stuck on a battlestar. He had gently inquired about her and Sam, about the work both of them were doing to help and establish a real colony and she had evaded him at every turn.

However, it wasn't until he'd mentioned Lee that he knew something was really wrong.

The look of pure grief and regret that washed across her features and the utter paleness of her complexion took him completely by surprise. He knew that Kara's marriage had been a surprise to Lee—it'd been a surprise to all of them, but now it appeared as though Kara was beginning to regret the way she and her former best friend had parted.

When Bill suggested she come up for a few days, maybe spend some time on Galactica and Pegasus, Kara had all but sprinted out of the tent. He'd found her a couple rows over, emptying the contents of her stomach. And despite his efforts, she wouldn't broach the topic of Lee or her health again.

"Ready to disembark, sir."

Racetrack's clipped tone brought Adama back to the present and he smiled his thanks to the young woman. "Just sit tight. I won't be long."

She nodded and then continued to cycle through the post-flight as Adama lifted himself out of the seat and stepped onto the wing.

"Admiral on deck!"

He had no idea who gave him away, but he watched the enlisteds and the officers all snap to attention. Offering the Deck Chief a small salute, he called, "At ease." As they went back to their business and his boots hit the deck, he heard a familiar voice.

"Admiral, this is a surprise."

Bill turned and gave Dee a welcoming grin. He missed her calm demeanor and warm voice on his boat. Moving forward, he offered her shoulder a light squeeze. "Lieutenant. It's good to see you."

She returned his smile and then gestured toward the nearest exit. "The Major's in his quarters."

Bill frowned. Lee was on shift, he should be in CIC. "Everything all right?"

Dee nodded curtly, but didn't elaborate, so Adama waited until they'd cleared the deck and were alone before asking, "Dee, what's going on?"

Her brow furrowed as she turned to him, the ever-present look of feigned ignorance on her face. "Sir?"

He stopped, waiting until the lieutenant had as well, before speaking. "I've heard the rumors, Dee. I know Lee's growing more and more impossible." As she ducked her head, he added, "And I also know you requested a transfer last week."

Her cheeks flushed slightly and then within a flash she was again the model of military discipline. "I think it's best for you to take that up with the major, sir."

She turned abruptly and started walking again. Bill followed. "Lieutenant—"

"Sir." She stopped and glanced back at him, concern radiating from her eyes. "I really think you need to speak with Lee," she repeated softly.

Nodding once, Bill waited for Dee to start walking again and then fell into step beside her.

It seemed his son's behavior was just as suspicious as Kara's.

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Lee stared at the paperwork spread out before him and felt a deep need to burn it. What would happen, he wondered, if he burned a few reams of what was the last bit of paper left in the universe? Would anyone care?

Sighing, he slumped back into the sofa, once again grateful for its comfort. While he would always love the Galactica for various reasons, he had to admit the luxury of the Pegasus was a welcome treat. The shower had unbelievable water pressure, the furnishings were far better and the mattresses were so close to real bed he could barely think of it as a bunk.

But it was still a ship and it was still empty and cold and it still reeked of Cain's iron-fisted rule. Three months wasn't going to fix any of that.

The door alarm sounded and Lee sighed, rising and reaching for his jacket as he called, "Enter."

The door hissed open and then shut again and Lee turned, buttoning his coat as he faced his visitor. "What can I—"

"Out of uniform while on duty, Lee?"

Lee's mouth dropped open at the sight of his father—he hadn't seen him since the morning of … that morning.

The small smile that played across his features now, underneath that ever-growing mustache had caught him off guard. Snapping to a lazy salute, he was even more surprised when his father chuckled. "At ease, Major. This isn't a business call."

Lee relaxed and tensed simultaneously, shrugging back out of his jacket. If his father was here for personal reasons, there were only a handful of things he'd want to talk about. And Lee had a sinking feeling he knew one of them would be Kara.

He subconsciously recoiled at even the sound of her name.

"Drink?" he asked quickly, trying to hide his discomfort.

His father nodded before taking a seat and Lee retrieved two glasses of ambrosia for them.

Handing one to his father, Lee sat on the opposite end of the couch. They sipped in silence for a few moments, the quiet unsettling Lee far more than any idle chatter.

As he downed the last bit of the green alcohol and was about to retrieve more, his father told him, "I just came back from the planet."

Gods, Lee hated being right. "Really?" He rose and poured more ambrosia, downing it in one gulp before pouring some more. "How is everyone?"

"How is everyone?" His father parroted before asking, "Or how is Kara?"

Lee knew there was no hiding the tension in his shoulders or his voice as he said, "Everyone."

His father was silent. Lee counted to ten and then turned, not at all surprised to see an all-knowing look peering right through him. "What's going on, Lee?"

The Old Man was showing up to "talk" now? Lee found that decidedly insulting. Of course, he'd come now, he'd just seen Kara and no doubt decided that whatever had gone wrong between them must be Lee's fault. "I don't know, dad." He poured another tall glass of ambrosia and then leaned back against the bar. "Why don't you tell me."

He watched his father stare at him, the familiar look of disappointment and pity in his eyes and Lee had a sudden urge to hurl his glass against the nearest wall. It wasn't his fault—he'd done everything he could think of to be with Kara. He'd made love to her, told her he loved her, showed her and yet she'd still run. She'd gotten up and run across that godsforsaken rock to marry somebody else.

His fingers turned white from where he clutched the glass and he had to mentally will himself to relax his grip. His father, still silent, eyed him for another moment and then rose, crossing the room to stand before him.

"I know that I've never understood your relationship with Kara."

Lee snorted. "What relationship? I was the CAG and she was my hotshot pilot."

His father's brow furrowed with even more disappointment. "Lee, I'm not that clueless. I do command a battlestar."

Lee bit back the insult that rose to his tongue and studied the floor as his father said, "I think you should take a few days. Go down to the planet, see some of your old pilots, your friends."

Rolling his eyes, Lee downed the rest of his ambrosia in one gulp and crossed back to the couch, picking up the schedule he'd been working on before. "See some of my old friends?" he questioned, making the edge evident in his tone. "Or see Kara?"

"Both." His father wasn't even trying to hide his meddling; this did not bode well.

Lee kept his silence, staring at numbers that made no sense. All he could see was Kara's face as he'd left her standing by those trees, her lips swollen from his, her body shaking from his. Gods, why couldn't she leave him alone?

"Lee, whatever happened between you and Kara, she's blaming herself for your falling out. I think a visit from you would do a world of good. Help clear the air."

He rose, tossing the papers aside, seeing red. "Did you ever think for even a second that maybe she should be blaming herself?" His fists were shaking from the repressed desire to hit something. "Did you ever think that maybe this is her fault?"

His father nodded. "Yes." Lee took a step back, stunned by the admission. "But I also know that she's carried guilt and pain with her for a long time. And Lee, she doesn't know how to let it go. And eventually, it's going to destroy her."

"Good." He spat the word like a poison dart and had the sick satisfaction of watching his father flinch.

"Lee, please."

"Dad." The low tone of his voice, the shaky control must have signified to his father how much he needed to stop talking. "You have no idea what happened. You have no idea what Kara did to me. So don't stand there and pretend that going down to the planet and having a cup of coffee is going to fix anything."

He knew it wouldn't. Kara was still married to another man. Lee didn't think his pride would ever allow him to forgive that large a transgression. And neither would his heart.

He hoped he'd finally reached his father, but when the Old Man still wouldn't take his leave, Lee glanced at him with hard eyes. "What?"

Adama let out a heavy sigh and Lee saw age on his father's features for the first time in a while. "Just think about it, son. Please."

There was a plea in his blue eyes that Lee couldn't quite place. Whatever his father had discovered during his latest visit with Kara seemed to have affected him deeply. Intense curiosity almost made him inquire, but he only had to think about Kara and Sam walking arm-in-arm through that damn colony to suppress the feeling.

"Fine, I will." He sat, reshuffling papers knowing he'd get nothing else accomplished for the rest of day. "If that's all Admiral, I have work to do."

He thought his father might fight him on it, might push and try to get him to actually talk, but instead, he set his glass back on the bar and headed for the door. Just as he reached the entryway, he turned and said, "Take care of yourself, Lee."

Lee waited until the door had hissed open and shut before sinking back onto the couch. He'd spend the rest of the day pretending he couldn't remember what Kara liked look.

Great.

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