Title-Jennifer Evans, 6

Warnings- angst/romance

Spoilers- Speculation on some storyline rumors for 2nd half S2

Disclaimers-I don't own these characters, Ron Moore does

Chapter 6

William Adama looks at his two best pilots, desperately trying to suppress his anger. The anger is not directed towards them or the events of the night they've just relayed, but rather it's focused inward. Until today he never realized how close he'd come to losing all of them…Zach, Lee, and Kara.

Bill always knows what's happening on his ship, but today's revelation proves that the Galactica is the limit of his scope. He knows Captain Adama and Lt. Thrace, but he knows nothing of Lee and Kara. Suddenly he feels more a stranger than a father. His anger boils over producing vapors, the ghosts of past mistakes, and leaving a simmering reduction of self-loathing and regret.

The commander in him takes charge, but he cannot help but channel a modicum of outrage and contempt on Zach's behalf when he asks, "Was that the only time?"

Lee's back stiffens at his father's tone and he notices a flicker of shame in Kara's eyes at the implied dig. He squeezes her hand tightly before replying, "You're a bastard."

"Excuse me Captain?"

"He said you're a bastard, sir" Kara reaffirms, fixing her gaze upon the commander. "Are you so repulsed that you'd rather that Lee or I was dead? Because I can guarantee you, had Lee not been there for me, I would not be here now."

William shakes his head in weary dismissal, "Of course not. But I won't pretend to approve..."

"Do you think this was easy for us to tell you?" Lee interrupts his demeanor the epitome of defiance. "Every night from that one to today, I've prayed for Zach's forgiveness."

A swift glance at Kara's face confirms Bill's theory that Lee was never alone in his repentance.

"I loved Zach, even now, knowing what he did, I still love him because he was my brother. But don't you dare judge me or Kara for that night."

"And if you had it to do over?" his father asks, genuinely curious. But Lee doesn't get the opportunity to answer.

"If I had it to do over, I would have failed him." Kara's tone grows colder, steadier, with each postulation. "Then maybe we wouldn't have fought about his capacity as a pilot two days before his death. Maybe that fight wouldn't have resulted in postponing our engagement. And just maybe Zach wouldn't have gone off that night and frakked a girl named Jennifer Evans to forget about me."

A/N: Okay...I was just about ready to give up on this fic due to a combination of new job, holiday crap, and then a major bout of writer's block...but then today I got a guilt trip from one of my readers over at the Apollo/Starbuck board. The gist was that I was either dead or wouldbe hunted down soon if I didn't step up and finish this fic! I can't apologize enough for the delay, but I will say that reviews fuel commitment and apprently guilt trips work on me too! It's a short chapterbut at least this train is moving again. -- Wendy