What Happens Now?
[ ]
AU and the sequel to What If?
A.N.- By this time Lee and Kara have been apart three months and Kara is going home to see Starlight and Caroline. Also Starlight is now eight months old. Also Starlight was born on February 1, giving Kara and Lee five months with her before they left for their postings. Three of which they had with her while still attending at their respective schools. Leaving them two months to spend together as a family before leaving, which they did the first of July.
I felt I needed to explain the time-line.
Also Admiral Cain has a meeting at Fleet Headquarters. Please remember that all of my characters are slightly different even Admiral Cain.
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Chapter===4
Caroline and Starlight had been sitting on the front porch in the swing Lee had hung shortly after they had moved in. Star was sitting beside her as she gently swung them in the swing while waiting on Kara.
Star had been pulling herself up onto anything she could reach and had started walking by holding onto the couch or the coffee table. Caroline had been waiting for the day she would let go and walk on her own. It would be perfect if she could do it before Kara had to leave.
After pushing the swing off again Caroline wondered when Kara would arrive. Helena had not given her a certain time and after cleaning up the house she decided to wait for her outside.
Caroline had finally received a letter from Lee three weeks ago and had immediately wrote him back needing to tell him about Zak's change of plans. She knew Lee would be relieved that he wouldn't be flying.
Caroline also knew with him being so far away that it would be a while before he came home, so she had sent him three pictures of Star taken when she was seven months old, and one of her holding her feet two weeks after he left.
Just as she started to push the swing with her foot again she saw a black car pull up and recognized it as a fleet car. She quickly stood up and picked Star up holding her on her hip and walked down the two steps off the porch and stood waiting for Kara to get out. " Hey angel, your Mama is here and she can't wait to hold you " Star turned to look at Caroline with a grin that was so much like Kara when she was happy, but her blues eyes reminded her that Lee would not be here.
Mike attempted to get out, but the Admiral stopped him " Give them a minute Lt. Miller "
He sat back down knowing he should have thought of that.
Caroline laughed as she saw Kara bolt out of the car running to get to them only to suddenly stop when she reached them. " Oh gods baby girl I have missed you so much " Kara had happy tears running unchecked down her face. She reached for her scared she wouldn't remember her " Come to Mama Starlight "
Star tilted her head looking at Kara, then she reached for her saying " Mama ". Kara took her and held her so close wanting to feel every inch of her baby girl and buried her face in Star's hair and continued to cry, she couldn't believe she had called her Mama.
After walking around the yard to calm herself she then went to Caroline and hugged her just as hard, with Star on her hip " I have missed being able to talk to you whenever I wanted or needed to Caroline " Kara chuckled as she pulled back " And trust me that was quite often "
Caroline was crying also as she watched Kara with Star, and even more when Kara hugged her " I missed you also Kara and I am so glad you are home even if it is only for a short time "
Caroline was the first one to see Helena and Mike, so she walked the four steps to reach them and pulled Helena into a hug surprising Helena, Kara and Mike, she slowly pulled back realizing that she had probably made Helena uncomfortable " I'm sorry, but it is so good to see you Helena, to much time has passed since we last saw each other "
Cain couldn't remember the last time someone hugged her and it had shocked her at first " It is good to see you also Caroline "
Caroline wasn't ready for her to leave yet " Do you have time for a quick cup of coffee while Kara and Star spend some time together " She looked at Mike " It's good to see you also Mike, why don't you join Kara and Star, I'm sure you would like to see her also "
Mike nodded " You to Caroline and yes I can't wait to see Kara with her baby girl, if it is okay with the Admiral that is "
Cain knew Caroline had set it up so that she couldn't refuse " Go ahead Lt., but don't go far "
Mike saluted " Thank you sir " and went to where Kara was now sitting in the swing tuning everything out except for Starlight.
After sitting down beside her he looked at Starlight sitting in Kara's lap, she was a beautiful little girl " Your mom sent me away, so she could have coffee with Cain "
Kara nodded " I kinda thought she might, Caroline likes being able to see any family member, I suppose she has always been that way "
Mike chuckled " Caroline made sure Cain couldn't refuse, it was actually funny because Cain looked like she was getting ready to leave "
Kara changed the subject " Isn't she beautiful Mike and she called me Mama?"
Mike had never seen Kara so happy except when she was with Lee " Yes she is Kara, I suggest you enjoy your time with her and not constantly watch the clock thinking about leaving her, besides you will probably see her again soon and hopefully Lee will be here also "
Kara glanced at him " I will Mike, it will be just like the last time I had to leave her " Kara paused remembering what Lee had said " Lee and I decided to always treasure the time we had with her and not worry about anything else "
Mike stood up " I am going to stretch my legs, don't worry I won't be far away "
Cain followed Caroline into the house and into the kitchen. " Sit at the table Helena and for gods sake lighten up, you act just like Bill when he comes home " Caroline poured them each a cup of coffee placing the cups on the platter with milk and sugar and finished explaining as she did so " I know you both command battlestars and are used to always holding yourself to a certain standard, but it is just you and I here, so relax "
Helena watched Caroline as she sat the platter on the table and then glance into the backyard before sitting down. " You're right Caroline, but after spending most of my time commanding on the Pegasus it is hard to lighten up as you suggested, but I will try "
Helena drank her coffee black, so she started drinking hers right away " Why do you keep looking out back Caroline?"
Caroline laughed " You caught that huh, I am watching for Kara she should be around back soon "
Helena had glanced outside and saw nothing out of the ordinary " Why?"
Helena saw Caroline's smile fall " Lee planted flowers and made a goldfish pond out back while Kara was pregnant and she painted the nursery while he was occupied doing that, and I know she will take Star to see the goldfish "
Helena wanted to know how they met " How did Starbuck become such a big part of your lives Caroline, if you don't mind me asking?"
Caroline needed to know something first " I will tell you, but could you tell me how Kara is doing, professionally I mean?"
Helena nodded " Starbuck has done everything asked of her and she hasn't had any incidents, you know when I read her Academy files I thought she would be reckless and argumentative, but I still requested her because of her viper skills and she is certainly the best viper pilot I have ever had, but to answer your question, Starbuck is fine professionally, but I have no idea how she is doing personally " Helena chuckled " She let me know her first day on board that she would only be Starbuck, because she did not want to expose her family to the fleet "
Caroline smiled " Kara is very protective of us all, just as we all are about her "
Helena shook her head " You see that is why I asked about her, because the last I heard you and Bill were separated, Lee couldn't stand to be around his father even as a child and Zak was clueless to it all I suppose, so what changed?"
Caroline nodded out back because she had seen Kara walk toward the pond " Kara changed us all mostly, I will tell you all about Kara and how we met if you promise never to bring it up to her, but if she was injured in some way I would need you to understand her life before she came to us, promise me Helena because I won't see Kara hurt ever again "
Helena had been watching Starbuck as Caroline spoke and she could see the difference between Kara and Starbuck " I promise you before the gods Caroline "
Caroline chuckled " Kara believes in the gods just as much as we do, but don't tell her I said so, she keeps that part of her life private, now on with the story "
Caroline went through the whole story even about Lee's accidental alcohol poisoning and stating that Admiral Nagalia was aware of Kara's past, somewhat. She even told her Kara had been called upon twice as a sniper once when Lee was held hostage. She saved the part about Kara's abuse for last as it was the hardest part to tell, Caroline barely kept from crying. " So can you understand why she is so special to me and of course Lee also who loves her with every breath he takes "
Helena was trying to take it all in, she would have never suspected Starbuck was abused as a child and as an adult " My gods, how in the frak did she manage to make something of herself growing up the way she did?"
Caroline shrugged " I figure she realized she had only two options, to let herself fall apart or stand up and take control of her life. I think that is why she chose to become a sniper, I have come to learn that Kara has to be able to control any situation she might find herself in, it is the only way she can cope with things " Caroline chuckled when she thought of Lee " You should see her when she is with Lee, it is the only time she let's her guard down, because she trusts that Lee will watch her back "
Helena needed to change the subject, she knew she would always see Starbuck differently now, no matter how much she would try not to " How is Zak doing in flight school?"
Caroline smiled " When Bill was here a month ago he met with Zak's instructor and was told Zak would never be a pilot because he didn't have it in him. Zak was afraid Bill would be upset about it, except he wasn't. In fact he was grateful that the instructor let him know, so Bill has had him transferred to Gunnery classes and in two months he will join a Gunstar under Colonel Marla Hebe. She was stationed under Bill ten years ago. Zak is happy about it, especially since Bill was okay with it "
Helena was surprised even she thought Bill would be disappointed, Kara Thrace apparently had affected the whole family for the better, except " Caroline I'm happy for Zak, but now your entire family will be away serving the Colonial forces leaving you alone, that is until Bill retires. "
Caroline chuckled " I won't be alone and besides my job is more important than any of theirs, I get to take care of my granddaughter and make sure she is safe, something Kara wants above anything else next to her knowing she is loved "
Helena understood " I suppose after the childhood she had, safety would be a priority for her daughter. I need to go now, I am expected to attend several meetings. Tell Starbuck to report to the air field in twenty-three hours and it was nice to see you and catch up Caroline " Helena stood up and looked once more out back " I am glad I had her fly us here, I had no idea how much she must have missed her daughter "
Caroline stood also " Thank you again for allowing Kara to come, I have missed her so much. I will walk you out, I'm sure Mike is waiting out front.
As they walked out Mike jumped up from the swing already standing at attention.
Helena nodded once at him " I am ready to leave now Lt. Miller "
Mike walked passed them " Yes sir "
Caroline stopped him though " It was good to see you Mike and keep an eye on Kara for me "
Mike smiled " Lee already asked me, but I would have anyway she is my partner, so I have to make sure she is okay "
Caroline watched until they drove away and then she walked around to the back of the house.
[ ]
Cain had Mike drop her off at the quarters for Commanders and Admirals " You can have the night off Lt., but be back here at daybreak I have an important meeting first thing "
Mike had taken her bag out of the car and handed it to her " I will leave the car here and find other transportation, there is a friend I would like to see tonight. If you need me just call and I'll come right back Admiral Cain "
Cain nodded " I will be alright until morning Lt. go and visit while you can, because I will need you all day tomorrow until we leave "
Mike saluted " Yes sir " and headed back towards the gate, stopping at the guards station to call Carter to come and pick him up.
He didn't have long to wait before she pulled up outside the gate already talking as he slid into her car. " Why didn't you let me know you were going to be here Mike, I look terrible?"
Mike reached over and pulled her into a hug " You look beautiful no matter how you are dressed, besides I like that you look disheveled, you are always so dressed up kinda like a doll "
Carter laughed and kissed him quickly " How long do we have?"
Mike frowned " Only tonight, I have to be back at daybreak "
Carter let go and started the car " Well that settles it, we are heading straight to my place until then "
Mike chuckled " Sounds great to me " Carter turned and winked at him laughing herself.
[ ]
Caroline found Kara sitting up in the chaise lounger letting Star stand up between her legs while she talked to her " You have beautiful curly hair baby girl and you definitely have your Dada's eyes. Can you say Dada? "
Caroline walked onto the back porch and sat in a chair close to them " She has said it, but not often, I show her pictures of you and Lee everyday and tell her that you are her Mama and Dada "
When Star heard Caroline she turned and looked at her grinning " Gammy "
Caroline blushed " I'm sorry, but that was her first word and I guess I'll now be known as Gammy instead of Grammy, next she said baba which meant she wanted her bottle "
Kara laughed as Star looked back at her saying " Mama " causing Kara to pull her into a hug " That's okay, I'm just glad she is saying Mama now "
Caroline reached over and patted Kara's leg " She has been pulling herself up holding onto the couch, coffee table and the kitchen chairs, I keep watching for her to let go and take a step, but so far she hasn't "
Kara seemed puzzled " Can she really start walking at eight months?"
Caroline chuckled " Yes, as a matter of fact girls can, although it is rare, it usually take boys longer to learn to walk, that just proves once again that females are smarter than males "
Kara laughed " I wouldn't tell Lee that, he would come up with some other reason for her walking early "
Caroline stood up " I will make us a sandwich and after we eat you can look at Star's scrapbook. There is a picture of her holding her feet two weeks after you left. I sent a copy to Lee along with a few photos of her at seven months old "
Kara got up also " I will be in Star's room, call me when you have lunch ready, okay?"
When Kara reached Starlight's room she sat in the rocker looking around the room, she noticed Lee's baby blanket draped across the crib and it made her miss Lee so much in that moment.
As she continued to look around she was suddenly struck with an idea. She had painted the ceiling yellow with blue stars and had painted the walls blue. As soon as Star took a nap Kara was going to paint a bright yellow sun on one of the walls and paint in bold blue letters Apollo and paint Starbuck in bold yellow colors inside a large blue star she intended on painting on the ceiling, she would also make one for Starlight.
For the first time Kara truly understood why she subconsciously chose Starlight. Apollo was the sun, so he represented the light and herself Starbuck represented the stars more or less, which made her choose Starlight. Kara wondered if Lee knew what it meant when she herself hadn't really until that moment.
Caroline looked into Star's room and caught Kara deep in thought, but grinning, she wondered what that was about. " Lunch is ready you two, come on "
Kara and Caroline talked about almost everything while they ate, but what most surprised Kara was the news about Zak. " I am glad he lucked up and got an instructor who obviously knows her job very well and was able to recognize that Zak would never fly. She also knew what he was best at and passed it on to Bill. I think Zak will love serving on a Gunstar, heck if I couldn't fly that would have been my second choice "
Caroline laughed " That is because you like to shoot at things "
Kara chuckled " True, listen when Star takes a nap I am going to place her on a quilt on the floor, could you watch her for me?"
Caroline " Sure, what are you going to do?"
Kara shrugged " I have something I want to add to Starlight's room, you can see it when I finish "
Caroline had taken several pictures of Star and Kara while they ate. She knew Lee would love to have one.
Kara looked at Caroline after she had taken another picture " I see you have taken up my habit "
Caroline blushed " Sometimes yeah, but I just took those for Lee, so he could see the two of you together "
Caroline noticed Kara had yet to let go of Star " Why don't you let me put her to sleep while you get started, that way you can be finished by the time she wakes up?"
Kara didn't want to let go of her, but she knew she had to if she was going to add things to Star's room " Sure, and thanks Caroline "
Caroline simply nodded as she reached and took Star from Kara, who went to her Grammy without a fuss.
Kara sighed and cleaned up their lunch plates before heading out back to the tool shed to get the paint she had left over after painting Starlight's room the first time.
Kara had painted two large blue stars among the smaller ones and had painted their names into them using yellow paint. As she looked up at them she was glad she had thought of it.
Next she painted a large yellow sun centered perfectly on a blue wall and used the blue paint to put Apollo in the center of it. Kara hoped Lee would get leave soon if only to see Star and what she had added to her room. After putting everything away she quickly checked and saw that Star was still sleeping, so she took a quick shower.
After getting dressed she finally sat on the bed her and Lee had shared and as the memories of their times together ran through her mind she broke down and cried missing him more in that moment than any other time since they last saw each other.
Caroline heard her and knew what was happening, so she picked Star up and silently slipped into the room placing Star next to Kara who immediately grabbed her and held onto her while she continued to cry. Caroline slipped slowly from the room giving her time.
Caroline then went into Star's room to see what Kara had been doing. When she saw it she felt like crying herself. Instead she grabbed the camera and took several pictures and went out to have them developed at one of those one hour photo stores.
Kara was up when she returned, sitting at the small bar feeding Starlight bananas " Where did you go Caroline?"
Caroline smiled " To develop the photos I have taken since you have been here. I thought we could write Lee and send him some of these photos " she handed the package to Kara.
Kara put the baby spoon down and looked at the pictures " You took some of Star's room, why?'
Caroline shrugged " What you did was beautiful and I thought you would like for Lee to see it, I hope it was okay Kara "
Kara shook her head " It was okay and I'm glad you thought to take them. I would like to take a couple back with me also "
Caroline sat down next to her as they split the photos up and agreed to write Lee later tonight.
Kara got up " I am going to take Star for a stroll before dark, why don't you call Zak and see if he wants to eat dinner with us, I would like to see him while I am here "
Carolina smiled " I have already called him, have fun on your stroll and I will take care of dinner "
Later that night Kara, Zak, Star and Caroline had dinner and talked about family things and Zak's gunnery classes.
Kara let Starlight sleep with her not only to allow the paint to dry, but mostly because she didn't want to spend a minute apart from her until she left. " Goodnight baby girl, Mama and Dada love you " Kara held her close all night thinking of Lee and asking the gods to take care of him.
[ ]
Admiral Cain walked out of the command barracks to find Lt. Miller leaning against the car.
When he saw her he quickly stood at attention and saluted her " At ease Lt., we have a long day ahead of us "
After she got into the car Mike got into the drivers seat " Where to first sir?"
Cain looked up catching his eyes in the mirror " Fleet Headquarters "
While Mike drove the short distance to headquarters Cain took the time to wonder again why Admiral Zakhar wanted to see her. It wasn't long before Mike stopped the car and came around to open her door " I'm not sure how long I will be, but I need you to stay here "
Mike nodded " Yes sir "
Cain went through the front door to the VIP desk " I am Admiral Cain I have a meeting with Admiral Zakhar "
The young Lt. looked up, then stood " Yes sir, follow me please "
Cain fell in behind her and followed her until she stopped at what was obviously a rarely used entrance. Come to think of it the Lt. hadn't marked anything in the entry log showing her arrival.
Cain waited as she knocked on the door " Enter " Cain heard the Admiral call out. " Admiral Cain is here sir "
Admiral Zakhar stood up " Let her in Lt. then you are dismissed " The Lt. snapped off a salute " Yes sir " and left leaving Cain to enter.
Even though they were both Admirals, Cain knew Zakhar was above her so she stood at attention " You wanted to see me Admiral?"
Zakhar snorted " At ease Helena, we have a lot to talk about and I don't have the time nor the inclination to keep up military posturing "
Helena stood down " Understood sir "
Zakhar pointed to a chair before sitting back behind his desk " Would you care for a drink?"
Helena really needed a drink between Caroline and now Zakhar telling her to relax she hoped she would remember to put herself back in order before returning to the Pegasus. Her next thought was it was way to early to be drinking, but she couldn't turn Admiral Zakhar down " Why not?"
After pouring their drinks he leaned back " I suppose I should just jump right in and before I forget your only meeting today is with me. I set up the others, so no one would be suspicious of you coming just to see me "
Now Cain was really confused " Okay, so what is so important?"
Zakhar took a big drink before starting " I met with Commander Adama a month ago and it made me think about things. I'm not sure how you feel about the cylon treaty, but Bill and I never believed they intended to keep their end of the agreement, because of things we learned about after the treaty was signed. " He paused to finish off his drink " I can't disclose those things to you, so you will just have to take my word for it, can you do that?"
Cain was in the process of swallowing her drink and responded seconds later " Yes sir "
Zakhar started back up " The military has become lax over the past forty years and we need to do something about that "
Cain nodded, not knowing where he was headed " I want the Pegasus to meet up with the Atlantia and team up together to participate in War Games against two other battlestars who will act as our cylon enemies " he paused a second " Not only will the vipers and raptors engage against each other, but also the battlestars, you and Nagalia against the two others I will be sending "
Cain wondered " How will the battlestars engage each other?"
Zakhar snorted " Just like the vipers you will be using nuclear lasers to mark your hits, I also want the viper pilots to try and intercept enemy nuclear lasers before they reach the battlestars, what do you think, can you and Nagalia make it work?"
Helena really didn't know, maybe Nagalia would " Yes sir we can and will, anything else? "
Zakhar shook his head " Not for you, but I will be sending ships to make sure our supply depots are up to date "
Cain finished her drink quickly feeling slightly sick " Is something going to happen?"
Zakhar shook his head again " Not to my knowledge, but I want someone in this military to be prepared in case it does, better safe than sorry Helena "
She caught herself twirling her empty glass " Does Admiral Nagalia know about this yet?"
He once again shook his head " No, he is to far out and I don't want information leaked, so I will be sending him a packet outlining everything we spoke of today with you "
Cain was feeling nervous, the cylon veterans usually always made her feel nervous " What two battlestars will we be going against?"
Zakhar wanted to keep them all in the dark, but he knew they couldn't pull it off without knowing " The battlestars Ajax and the Demeter commanded by Commander Tabby Lee and Commander Paul Ryan respectively "
Cain figured he was finished " Is that all sir?"
Zakhar chuckled " Yes, except for a piece of advice " he waited until she nodded " You and Nagalia have the edge in the War Games I suggest you use them "
Cain was confused again " Who sir "
Zakhar snorted " Nagalia has Lee Adama who is a War College graduate and you have Starbuck who is the best viper pilot the fleet has. I have seen their sim runs and together I believe they will make sure you win. I am told Starbuck thinks outside of the box while Apollo is a text book planner, if I were you I would see what kind of plan they come up with, besides I want to know what they are capable of "
Cain wondered if he knew " You do know they are married right?"
Zakhar chuckled " I am aware, surprised but aware, it should be interesting, I wish I could be there "
Zakhar got up and unlocked a safe " Give this to Nagalia and here are the coordinates to his location, good hunting Admiral Cain, dismissed "
Cain was out the door before she knew it. For a minute she stood there wondering where in the frak she was supposed to go for the rest of the day. She could leave early, but Caroline might not forgive her.
While she was walking to her car she had a thought Lt. Miller was a marine and a spotter maybe they could go to a shooting range, she hadn't done that in a while. With that thought she headed to her car.
[ ]
Kara had woken up to find Star sitting up beside her watching her " Good morning baby girl, have you been watching Mama sleep?"
Star giggled and clapped her hands, for a split second Kara almost told Lee to look then she remembered. " Well I guess it's just us, how about we take a shower?"
Well that was a shower Kara wouldn't forget anytime soon. All Star wanted to do was sit on the bottom and slap water around almost tripping Kara as she somehow managed to shuffle around under her feet. " My gods Star if Dada could see us now " she stopped when she thought of Lee.
Kara missed him so much she wondered if praying to the gods and asking them to make a miracle happen just so she could see him would be wrong.
After getting dressed and eating Kara sat on the floor and played with Star and her toys knowing her time was running out.
Kara had a sudden idea and spent the next hour trying to get Star to take a step, but as soon as she let go she plopped back down.
Caroline came in a while later " Kara it is time to go, we will drive you to the airstrip "
Kara nodded and collected her things and looked one last time at their bedroom and Star's " I'm ready Caroline "
Kara sat in the back with Star babbling and kissing her and then she watched her closely trying to remember every detail.
Caroline pulled up at the airstrip and stopped. Kara got Star out of her seat while Mike grabbed her duffle, giving her a little more time with Star.
Caroline saw Helena motion her over, so she went " What is it Helena?"
Helena looked at her closely " You can't say anything to anybody even Bill, but I want you to know we will be leaving here and jumping to meet up with the Atlantia for War Games "
Caroline gasped and looked back at Kara.
Helena saw it " You can't tell her Caroline, besides she will find out soon enough "
Caroline nodded " Thank you for telling me Helena, she misses Lee so much, it is eating away at her "
After another minute Admiral Cain said " It is time to go Lt.'s "
Kara handed Star to Caroline " Bye baby girl Mama loves you " then she hugged Caroline " I will miss you and you have done a wonderful job taking care of Star "
Kara turned before she started crying, until Caroline called her name " Kara watch "
Kara watched as Caroline put Star down on her feet and held one hand " Call for her Kara "
Kara knelt down on the asphalt " Come to Mama Starlight "
Starlight tilted her head and then took one step then one more before falling.
Kara ran to her laughing and crying " Thank you Star, that was just what Mama needed, I love you Starlight "
Caroline came and took her from Kara " Go Helena is waiting "
Kara nodded while smiling and wiping away her tears, and turned to face Cain as Starbuck.
Cain had seen it all, so she would save her surprise about the Atlantia as long as she could.
[]
I hope you like it.
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