When Sam appeared on the meadow that night she found Lee pacing angrily from one side to the other.

"I take it your trip to Cloud Nine wasn't as relaxing as Kara had made it sound." She said laughing.

Startled Lee turned around. "Not exactly." He replied through clenched teeth. "She shot me. And that's not even the worst part. I ended up with Ellen Tigh in a bathroom."

Puzzled, Sam shook her head to get a clear mind. "What? What happened?"

"There was this hostage situation … of course those people had to make their point on the one day I get to do some R&R … I saw the guns, pulled Ellen into the bathroom … to protect her, which was probably my worst mistake today … Kara wasn't there, she had decided to have some fun with some guy she met in the bar, I ended up as being one of the hostages and she shot me." Frustrated Lee let out the breath he had been holding while he spoke and let himself fall on the ground.

"O-kay … will you be all right?" Sam asked worried. She tried to comprehend what he was telling her … but all she had heard out of his speech was that he had been shot.

"I guess. I think I heard Cottle telling my Dad I'll be okay, but I'm pretty out of it, I've been on this meadow for hours!! I don't know if it's the drugs or the gunshot wound … Don't get me wrong, I like being here, but … there are tons of paperwork waiting that I need to get finished, I should be on CAP tomorrow and only because Kara talked me into this little trip none of it will happen!"

"But you will be all right."

"Yes, I'll be all right. They got to me in time. … Gods, it really sounds weird to talk about it like this."

"Yeah, it does." Hesitantly Sam sat down next to him. "So you're not going to die?"

For the first time Lee noticed the worried look in Sam's eyes. He chastised himself for not seeing it before. "I'm sorry. No, I'm not going to die. You really don't have to worry. Like I said, Cottle said I'm going to be okay."

"You only think you heard him say that, Lee." Sam sighed. "I just wish I could talk with your Dad to find out how you're doing."

"He'd tell you the same thing." Lee assured her.

"Coming from a man who is unconscious most of the time that's not really reassuring. Lee, you have no idea how you really are. Your condition could be worse than you think. Maybe … maybe there were some complications, you could be in a coma or …"

"Hey, relax." Smiling Lee cupped her face with his hands and gave her a kiss. "I'm going to be okay. This isn't something to worry about, okay? I'll be fine."

"Sure." Sam forced herself to smile at him. "Just … you better tell me you woke up for at least an hour when I come here again tomorrow."

"I'll do my best." Lee promised smiling.

Suddenly Sam started trembling and a lone tear was rolling down her face. She quickly wiped it away, but Lee had seen it nevertheless.

"Hey, what's wrong? I said I'd be okay." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"I know, but … this is just one bad news too many today." Sam said in a sad voice.

"Why … what else happened?" Lee asked worried.

"My Dad … he has cancer. I just found out today. We met and…" She swallowed. "He was so angry. He offered me a job in NASA. He wanted to do this one thing for me that I always wanted. He had to pull all kinds of strings to get me that offer … and I had to turn it down. And I couldn't even explain it to him. For all he knows, I turned the offer down because it came from him. I will never forget that look on his face."

"Sam, I'm so sorry." Lee didn't know what to say. He knew that her relationship with her father was as screwed up as the one he had with his own father. And he had disappointed him several times in his life, so he could imagine how that felt. But to disappoint him while knowing that he might die soon … he couldn't even begin to imagine the pain she must feel right now. "Is there anything I can do?"

Of course that question was rhetorical … there wasn't really anything he could do. He was light-years away from her and no matter how much he wanted to, all he could give her was some comfort during their dreams.

"Don't die." Sam said quietly.

"Now that's a given." Lee replied smiling. "If you feel like talking, well … I guess I'll be around here pretty often the next few days, so … "

"Would you stop talking like this? You got shot." Sam tried to sound earnest, but she couldn't stop the laughter escaping her lips. Lee was lying unconscious in sickbay with a gun shot wound and he kept making jokes about it.

"It's good to know you find that so funny." Lee replied grinning.

Sam's response to that was a punch on his arm. "You know it's not funny."

"I know … but it's good to see you laugh."

Sam looked at him gratefully. No matter how miserable she felt, he always made her feel better.

"So, why did Kara shoot you anyway?" She asked after a moment.

"Oh, you know how she is … she does the craziest things when she's mad at me." When he saw Sam's eyes widen in surprise, he continued grinning. "No, she was aiming at one of the bad guys, I just got in between. At least I think that's what happened." He added.

"Tell her to watch out more carefully the next time."

"Oh, I will. Believe me, she will never hear the end of it." Lee said grinning.

XXXXXXX

When Sam woke up the next morning, she missed Lee more than ever before. Despite his assurance that he would be all right, she wished she could be with him. While she was awake, she had no way to make sure if he was still alive. She couldn't just pick up the phone and call the hospital. She couldn't visit him, to see how he was doing or to help him recover. All she could do was wait until the night to make sure he was still there.

She wanted more than that. On Kobol, they had been so close. If he had come with her, if the Cylons hadn't shown up ... but no ifs or whens would bring him to her now. She could only hope and pray that one day they would find a way for the fleet to come to earth. She just hoped it didn't take too long and that Lee wouldn't get himself killed before that.

XXXXXXX

Anxiously Bill Adama watched his unconscious son. Lee had only been awake for a few moments since he was brought to sickbay. He looked so frail ... he wasn't used to see his son like this. Lee was always the strong one. He had always been the son that he didn't have to worry about. And now he was lying here ... Dr. Cottle had assured him that Lee would be all right. That it would take some time, but that he would live and would fully recover.

While he watched his son, Adama wondered if he was dreaming again. Was he with her now? He still had trouble believing his son's story about the woman from his dreams. But what other explanation could there be? Lee had recognized the Stargate, he had known it would lead them to earth ... and all the information he had given them. He remembered the look in Lee's eyes when he spoke of her ... they were full of love.

Suddenly he noticed Lee stir in his sleep and he saw his hand moving, as if he was looking for something ... or someone.

"Hey son." He said quietly as he grabbed Lee's hand.

Lee didn't open his eyes, but his lips were moving as if he wanted to say something. Adama bent lower so he could understand his son's words.

"Sam ..." Lee mumbled, almost inaudible. Adama noticed a weak grasp from Lee's hand. And in that moment his heart broke for his son. The one person Lee needed right now wasn't anywhere near him. He returned the squeeze.

"You will find her, son. And if it is the last thing I do, you will be together with her." He promised.

XXXXXXX

"No way!" Sam called out, shocked.

"It's true." Lee said with a wide grin. He had been waiting all day to tell her this news.

"That's so not fair. I made Captain long before you and I'm still a Captain. I was okay when you became Major, but Commander?"

"Well, getting some air time during war helps getting promoted fast." Lee grinned.

Sam cast him an annoyed glance at throwing back her own words at her. "You know what? Skip that ride in the viper, I want that Battlestar now. Commander." She shook her head but the smile spreading on her face showed how proud she really was of Lee. "So, what did your Dad say? I mean, he didn't just give you the new pins and hand you over a Battlestar, did he?"

"Well, he gave me the pins, told me not to frak this up and than he handed over the Battlestar." Lee joked. "No, it was … nice. He didn't say much but I got the feeling that he was proud." He swallowed. Talking about these moments between him and his father always made him feel a bit uncomfortable, even with Sam.

"Of course he's proud. You deserve this, Lee. I bet you're going to be the best Battlestar Commander ever." She said proudly.

"Considering that right now I'm the only Battlestar Commander, that doesn't really say much."

Sam scoffed, waving his argument away. "Who cares? You're the best. End of story."

"If you say so." Lee smiled.

"I'm so proud of you, Lee." She smiled at him playfully. "This deserves a celebration."

"Do I get a cake?"

"No, you're getting something much better."

"Better than cake?"

"Mhmm …" Smiling Sam pulled him closer to her and gave him a long kiss while she let her hand trace along his chest. With a small moan Lee returned the kiss and put his arms around her back. Still kissing passionately they lay down on the ground, they're lips never parting.

XXXXXX

"So you found a planet?"

"Yep."

"And it's habitable."

"Yep."

"And the war is over."

"Looks like it."

"And you're going to settle there?"

Lee sighed before he replied. "Looks like it."

"But what about finding earth?" Sam inquired.

"Baltar is getting more popular every day. The people are tired of living in these ships. We still haven't found another way to earth, so … this might be the right place to stay." Lee replied quietly.

"Do you really think that?"

"No, I don't. But I know lots of people who do. Billy is already planning to hold his wedding with Dee down there and I've heard many pilots talking about leaving the military and settle down. If the people want this, than there isn't much I can do. We'd stay here."

"But … " Sam stopped, unable to go on. The argument that they couldn't settle down on that planet because this way she and Lee would never meet again in person wasn't really a strong one in the big scheme of things.

"Kara and I are going on a scouting mission tomorrow. See what's going on on the planet." Lee knew what Sam had wanted to say. He felt the same way. But if the fleet would stay on this planet, he had no other choice but to stay with them.

"The big Commander is letting himself down to go scouting?" Sam tried to lighten up the situation but she didn't get her voice to sound as teasing as she had wanted to.

"I look forward to get off Pegasus for a while too. It's a great ship, but to breathe some real air for a change would be nice."

"So you are looking forward to the settlement?" Sam bit her lip; she hadn't meant to sound accusatory.

"No, I'm looking forward to breathing some fresh air. Preferably on earth, but as that won't happen any time soon …" He sighed and looked at her sadly. "I want us to be together as much as you do. But … at least we'll be together in our dreams."

"But that's not enough." Sam replied, tears brimming in her eyes.

"No, it isn't." At least not anymore, he added silently.

TBC

A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading :) And thank you all for your great feedback :)