Chapter 2: Galactica and Back Again
It was over. He had apparently known it was over for sometime but now she knew too. They hadn't made love since he started putting on weight and since the rescue mission plan had been introduced and now completed he had begun pulling away. Anastasia Dualla was not stupid. She knew it was over. Yes, when she had no competition from other women or wars she had been able to win Lee but she had won in a lie. She had been attracted to the fiery Lee "Apollo" Adama but that's not what she had gotten. She had just Lee. If they had been back on Caprica and in a time of peace then she probably would have been able to keep him. They might have even had a family together. She hadn't lied when she said she had married him because he loved the fight but she had been on Galactica long enough to know what had happened to Caroline Adama.
Sighing, Dee placed her ring on Adama's desk. "Can you pass me the scissors sir?" The old man smiled sadly but did as she has asked.
As she stood at the mirror he came behind her. "No matter what Petty Officer I will always be here for you." Dee smiled because it was what he wanted but inside her heart broke as she remembered another woman's broken heart but that time the word had been daughter.
No Dee steeled herself lifting the scissors up; she wasn't meant to be an Adama.
R/P
Sam looked around, searching the refugee's set up for a spark of blonde hair. She wasn't here. Looking down the hall Sam saw Admiral and Commander Adama walking side by side in discussion. Purposefully he made his way over to them. "Sirs." They exchanged a curious worried glance, their last meeting hadn't been so civil, looking past them Sam stated. "She's not here; she didn't make it off that frakking rock."
The Admiral place on hand on Sam's shoulder. "Don't worry son, we won't leave her behind. Lee was just showing me planes for a second sweep for survivors. We won't leave her behind." Sam nodded and headed back to his temporary quarters wishing to the Gods he could do more.
Bill took Lee back to his office. As soon as they sat down Lee undid his top bottom and placed his head between his knees. Placing a glass of ambrosia on the table Bill repeated his sentiments for Lee. "We will find her." Lee nodded and took the drink.
"I shouldn't feel like this. I shouldn't miss her this much. For gods sake I have a wife yet I feel like my heart's been torn out." Shaking his head Lee rubbed a hand over his eyes. When he sat back there was a small box sitting in between the two men.
"Dee came to see me this morning." The old man paused. "She knows it's over Lee. The anger and the weight were all symptoms but with the civilians back and the war on." His father left the sentence hanging. "Dee is a treasure" he started again "but she isn't yours anymore you were really hers." Lee sat back in shock and hated himself for feeling relieved.
"Dad." Bill stopped him with a hand on his knee.
"We'll find her son. We'll get her back."
R/P
Leoben would take Kacey out. Kara wasn't allowed that pleasure but she did have some of her own pleasures. Almost nine months after the shift he brought home paints. Kara had been counting the cracks in the ceiling when he placed then on the table. She just watched them at first but soon her fingers began to itch. With in weeks replications of paintings she had done in her old apartment adorned the walls with new ones coming ever day. She even taught Kacey how to use them and allowed the little girl to decorate her own room. And so Kara found herself 11 months with Kacey and 17 months with Leoben and creating a home for herself.
She had created a normal routine out of the unbelievably bizarre.
Kacey would wake up first and get Kara up. Kara would start breakfast while Kacey played with Leoben who would keep the energetic little girl out of Kara's hair until the meal was ready. Afterwards Leoben would clean up while Kara dressed Kacey and they would do something. Recently Kara had started tackling the monument of decorating the main walls in the living room. Kacey would work in a little corner copying her mother while Leoben tried to inspire her.
One night he brought home ambrosia. By the time he put down Kacey Kara had finished most of the bottle.
"So Leoben. That's an odd name; should I call you Leo or Ben?" He sat down on the chair across from her. Leaning towards the table that separated them he brought his hands together. She squirmed. "I'm going to call you Ben." She laughed. He studied her.
His model was the most tangibly religious. Watching the woman across from him he couldn't doubt that there was a god and a plan. The way she moved so graciously yet carelessly she was the epitome of beauty. Somehow this woman who claimed to be too rough and broken had, over the past year, turned this cell into a home and had accepted him and their daughter.
Suddenly she changed positions; swinging her legs over the side of the couch she mirrored his stance. "Tell me Ben. They're all gone aren't they." He lowered his head. "The old man came, Zeus in all his glory, didn't he? Yet I am still here, tell me why that is Ben?"
Leoben slid forward slightly in his seat. "Because one day you are going to come to me and you're going to say that you love me and you will kiss me." He reached out to tuck a piece of stray hair behind her ear. As she felt his hand brush against her cheek Kara closed her eyes.
Yes Adama had come yet she was still here. She didn't love Sam and Lee had married someone else. She had forgotten that Kacey wasn't fully human and that it mattered. He was touching her and she was painting again.
Her eyes fluttered open. "Leoben." He searched her eyes and found loneliness. In compulsion Leoben took hold of her face and found her lips. It was a fast gentle kiss and Kara felt a tear sneak down her cheek. "Yes Kara. They are gone." He held her back a little. "They're gone." She nodded slowly. It had been a year and she couldn't exactly remember what it was like living with out him. "They're gone." She repeated. He released her and rounded the table. Kara stood up and met him, grabbing his shirt, pulling him in close and hard. His hands tangled in her hair as their mouths met.
The old man stood in CIC. "Ready to jump?"
Gaeta looked up. "Ready sir."
He held the table. "Jump."
They tried to maneuver around the table and walls, ignoring the hisses that accompanied their misses.
As soon as Galactica had completed the jump Adama had hit the com. "Launch vipers."
The half of Galactica's vipers that hadn't stayed back with the fleet launched from the tubes to protect the raptors that were heading towards the surface.
"Kara." He breathed her name, gently. She paused.
"Tell me one thing" she pleaded.
He nodded.
"Sir, we've found a group of survivors in the forest and there are several life signs coming from the prison." Helo rocked back and forth in CIC. How they hell had they missed people in prison. He looked at Bill who nodded. Helo pressed the com.
"Racetrack you have a go. Get our people out." He could hear the determined change in her voice.
"Yes sir."
"Kacey, she's" she leaned back against the wall "she's really mine?"
Leoben leaned against her, bending his head till he was whispering in her ear. "Kara, Kara, Kara, you already know the answer to that." He claimed her mouth again and made sure the kiss was especially deep.
The marines unloaded, guns already sweeping the area for Cylons. One group headed towards the trees and one towards the prison.
Kara hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt as he tore at her own top. Stripping in a ironically quick but gentle way Leoben reached up and pulled down the blankets.
"Sir the old detention center is this way." The corporal reached to his radio.
"Racetrack this is Alpha team we're still some ways away from the prison, any Cylon activity?"
"No sir, this place is dead. They must have abandoned as soon as we did."
Kara cried out in a tumult of passion what she hadn't felt in much too long. Sighing Leoben rolled off of her but not away. "I told you Kara." He traced patterns were her hip and stomach joined. "One day Kara, I knew one day would come to me."
The marines broke down the door all senses tingling with anticipation. Cylons wouldn't just leave people to starve would they? Suddenly a radio crackled to life. "Sir the other rescue party just got back. We're going to fly closer to where you are, hopefully that will speed up the ETA."
The corporal nodded. "Copy that Racetrack."
Kacey was crying. Kara raised herself from an almost asleep stupor. Looking over her shoulder she saw Leoben was fading fast. Shaking him gently she began to find her clothes. "Leoben!" He sat up. "Yeah." Kara pulled on her pants. "Kacey's crying." Straining he heard it too and began to search for his own clothes.
The marines followed the life sign detector till they came to a door that was guarded by a huge iron gate. There wasn't a lock. Kicking down the inside door they broke into the apartment.
Kara had reached Kacey's door when she heard the door a floor above being kicked in. "Shit." Leoben stopped short in the hallway changing his trajectory. He saw the Colonial uniform before they saw him. Kara opened the door to her daughter's room and saw Kacey crying in the corner.
Moving quickly, she picked up her daughter and crossed the room to change her clothes.
"Honey you have to stop crying."
Kacey hiccupped. "But it's so loud mommy." The tears stopped.
Kara nodded. "I know sweetie, I know. Listen to me though, okay?" She held her daughters head in her hands. She nodded. "There are bad people out there, they are called Cylons. They don't like us so we have to hide for a little bit. You understand?" Her daughter nodded slowly. "Okay, let's get you changed." She began working quickly and systematically.
From the corner of his eye the corporal saw a person; he motioned for his men to stay quiet as they quickly moved down the stairs. He heard one of his men whisper, "Holy frak." Following the man's gaze he recognized the man around the corner as the cylon Leoben. Keeping his movement short he told the men to fire when they had a shot.
Just as Kara was almost done the sound of machine guns cute through the air. Unable to keep a scream back she left her daughter to run to the living room.
The corporal held his hand up. The men stopped. A woman had screamed. Out of one of the rooms they hadn't noticed a blonde streak came running. Corporal held his hand to hold the fire.
Kara knelt down over the bleeding dieing body of her captor. The cylon she had come to see as human. Crying and sobbing she held her hands over his chest. A chest that was riddled with bullets. As he began to raise a hand up she grabbed his lapels. "You can't do this!" She screamed. "You can't just leave me alone here!" He tucked her long, soft, blonde hair behind her ears. "She's yours too! You can't" her wild cries were drowned out by her sobs. Leoben smiled gently.
"Kara." It was just a whisper but she heard it.
Sniffling she nodded. "Hey there." She tried to smile.
He smiled, admiring her strength. "Kara, let me" he coughed and blood spittled his chin. Kara bit her lower lip as new tears formed. "It's too late" he gasped in a breath "Just, watch out for her."
Kara nodding biting hard into her lip. "Okay."
Knowing she would keep her word Leoben sighed and allowed himself to drift off into the black. Kara closed his eyes and began sobbing a new.
The marines continued their way down the stair, keeping their weapons pointed at the dead man and crying woman. Then his radio came on. "Corporal this is Racetrack, we have to go, what's your ETA?"
Kara hick-uped and swerved around. Racetrack. Taking in the appearance of the men her fogged mind remembered marines. "Corporal?"
The men lowered his weapon slightly. "Starbuck?"
"Damn right." She whispered.
"What the hell is going on here?"
She shook her head. "Not now corporal. Did I hear you have to go?"
"Yes ma'am. The old man upped a second rescue mission and well, here we are." Kara nodded. "Are alone here?"
Kara shook her head. "No, uh, my daughter. She's in the other room." She backed away from Leoben's body towards Kacey's room. The marines all exchanged looks.
Starbuck had a daughter?
