Author's Note: Just to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, it's much appreciated. And many thanks to my two beta readers, yannik and JATNJ.

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Chapter Eleven

Lee drew the curtain across his bunk and lay down with a sigh of relief, closing his eyes.

He had a few precious off-duty hours and knew he shouldn't be wasting them sleeping. He should get some food, put in some time at the gym, maybe visit the rec room and see if there was a triad game going.

And he would do all that…soon. He just needed a few minutes to lie back and relax while the bunkroom was quiet. The silence would be shattered by the shift change in about fifteen minutes; he'd get up and start doing things then.

Unfortunately for him, the silence was shattered only a few minutes later. Two people entered, obviously in the throes of an argument. After a moment, Lee realised who the voices belonged to. He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head to drown out the words.

It didn't work. He could hear his brother and Kara all too clearly.

"Zak, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that I can see you're not?" Zak sounded as angry as she did. The argument must have been going on for some time.

"What, you think I'm all choked up over air-locking a Cylon?" Kara's voice had a dangerous edge to it. "You know me better than that."

"That's not what I…look, the president told me he said some odd things to you during the interrogation."

"Did she say what?" An even more dangerous tone. Careful, Zak, careful…

"No. Just that she thought you might be upset by them."

"Good," Kara said harshly. "She had no right to tell you anything."

"She was just concerned about you," Zak replied sharply. "So am I."

"There's no need. I said I'm fine." Even Lee could tell that was a lie, and he couldn't see her face.

So he wasn't surprised to hear Zak lose his temper. "Of course you are," his brother said cuttingly. "You're always fine, aren't you, Kara? You'd be fine even if you were bleeding to death."

"Do you have a point?" Kara snapped defensively.

"Gods, Kara, can't you just talk to me? Just once? Is that so hard?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit. What you mean is that you won't talk to me." Zak laughed bitterly.

"Fine!" Kara exploded. "Fine! Yes, it does. I don't want to talk to you."

"Great. So I'm good enough to frak, but not to talk to about your problems? That makes me feel really special."

The hurt in his brother's voice made Lee pull the pillow closer around his head. He shouldn't be listening to this. He started reciting the pre-flight checklist in his head to drown their voices out, and hoped to the gods that neither of them noticed his bunk was occupied.

So he didn't hear Kara's reply, but he could tell from her tone it was lacerating. A few more heated words, and the hatch shut with a bang, and the only noise in the bunkroom was Kara swearing viciously, her breath hitching.

After a moment he heard her climb up to her bunk. Lee cautiously pushed his pillow to one side and raised his arm to check his watch, trying to move as little as possible.

Still eight minutes to shift change. Damn.

He lay there for a moment, still and silent, until Kara's voice made him jump.

"Lee, I know you're there."

Frak. He took a moment to brace himself, and then pulled back his curtain, blinking and trying to look as if he'd just woken up.

"Kara? Is that you?"

Her smile was sour, and her eyes brittle and dangerous. "Don't even bother, Lee. No-one could sleep through that little scene. Did you enjoy the show?"

Lee knew better than to answer that. He wasn't about to act as a punching bag to replace Zak. Unless…his eyes fell on something at the end of his rack and an idea sprang into his mind.

Why not? He could handle it, and it was preferable to her taking out this mood on some of the other pilots.

He stood up, reached for the boxing gloves and held them up in front of Kara's face. "Want to go a round?"

Her eyes widened. For once she looked genuinely surprised. "You sure?"

Lee nodded.

Kara smiled, but her eyes were hard. "I warn you, I don't pull my punches, even at the best of times."

"Neither do I," said Lee calmly. You didn't last long as a crewman on a freighter if you pulled your punches.

Although there they didn't use boxing gloves. His father had given them to him a few weeks ago, seeming to think regular sparring matches were a good way to repair father-son ties.

He had to admit it had worked to some extent. Their last bout had been the day after their argument about the cylons. A few fierce blows had defused the tension, and when they finished his father had simply said: "Dinner next week?" and Lee had nodded.

And that was it; everything was smoothed over. No apologies, no talking; just an unspoken agreement to pretend it hadn't happened.

Zak would probably say they needed to talk about it to solve anything, Lee mused as he followed Kara down the corridors to the gym. And he was probably right.

But in this case he had to admit he sympathised with Kara. Sometimes it was better not to talk.

----

Neither of them pulled their punches. When Kara eventually called a halt and they collapsed, sweaty and breathless, in a corner of the gym, Lee had a split lip and Kara had a nasty bruise under one eye.

"I needed that," said Kara when she caught her breath.

Lee felt his lip and winced. "Happy to oblige."

Kara saw his wince and shrugged. "I'm not going to apologise."

"I'd be insulted if you did."

He saw her lips curve reluctantly. "You're a strange one, Lee Adama."

"Takes one to know one," he shot back, and she really smiled this time.

They sat there quietly for a moment. Lee used his teeth to pull off his gloves and started unwrapping the bandages from his hands.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"What?" Lee turned to look at her, startled. Had he heard correctly?

"Do you believe in destiny, Lee?" It seemed he had.

"No," he said truthfully. "I believe in free will. We choose our own paths and make our own destinies."

"Oh." Kara smiled slowly. "So you're a die-hard atheist, just like the rest of your family?"

Lee nodded, and she laughed. "That callsign really was inappropriate."

"What about you?" he said cautiously. "Do you believe in destiny?"

The smile died away and she looked troubled for a moment. "I don't know. I believe in fate."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I believe that we reap what we sow. That the gods treat us as we deserve."

"So the good are rewarded and the wicked punished?"

"Yes." There was something in Kara's eyes that disturbed him. "If you offend the gods, then you pay for it."

It sounded a rather harsh philosophy to Lee. "But what about mercy?"

Kara's eyes flickered in surprise, and that disturbing expression disappeared. "Mercy?"

"Oh, that's right; your gods don't have much time for mercy, do they?" Lee kept his tone light. "Now I'm remembering why I became an atheist."

Kara frowned. "The gods do show mercy occasionally. But only for those who deserve it."

"But isn't that the whole point of mercy? That it's bestowed on those who don't deserve it? Otherwise it's not mercy."

Kara turned to look at him suspiciously. "You aren't going to start quoting philosophy books at me, are you?"

It was an obvious distraction, but Lee went along with it. "Don't worry. I haven't read any philosophy recently enough to quote it."

"That's a relief." Kara smiled and went back to staring at the opposite wall.

Lee finished unwrapping his hands. He was about to get up and announce he was hitting the showers when Kara spoke again.

"That Cylon today…he said I had a destiny."

Oh. Lee caught his breath and considered his reply carefully. "Did he say what?"

"No. Just some mystical gabble about streams and the players staying the same but changing. Oh, and he said we were going to find Kobol and it would lead us to Earth."

Lee kept his face as blank as he could, but Kara shot him a knowing look. "You think this is all ridiculous, don't you?"

Lee shrugged. "Maybe. I would have said Kobol was as imaginary as Earth a few weeks ago. But Earth apparently exists after all. Why not Kobol as well?"

"I thought you were an atheist."

"I am. But there may well be a grain of historical truth among all the mystical…legends."

Kara smiled. "Very diplomatic."

"Well, you are still wearing your gloves. I'm being cautious."

Kara looked down at the floor and sighed. "I know what the Cylon said was ridiculous. Probably all lies to confuse us. But…"

"But what?"

Kara closed her eyes. She was silent for so long that Lee thought she wasn't going to answer.

"He…knew things." Her voice was so quiet Lee had to strain to hear her. "Things about my past. Things he couldn't have known."

"Why couldn't he?" asked Lee briskly.

Kara looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's practically a certainty that the Cylons have agents in the fleet. They know who hold the key positions here, and I'm sure they're in communication with their colleagues back in the Colonies. Who no doubt have access to all the computer records there."

Understanding and relief sparked in Kara's eyes. "You mean…you think they investigated me?"

"I'm sure they've checked out the background of everyone they think is important. And you're one of the highest-ranking officers left. They wouldn't have overlooked you."

"I suppose it's possible," said Kara slowly.

"It's good strategy," said Lee crisply. "Know your enemy, use her weaknesses against her. It makes far more sense than mystical destinies."

Kara smiled reluctantly. "You're infuriatingly logical, aren't you? But you're right, it does make sense."

She didn't sound entirely convinced, though. Lee marshalled his final argument.

"Okay, say for a minute what this Cylon said was true. That he genuinely believes that you do have a destiny. But that's the destiny of his religion, not yours. You don't worship his god; what power does he have over you? Your own gods may have their own destiny for you, and that's stronger than any Cylon one."

Kara was silent for a moment.

"Did I mention how much I hate logical arguments?" The look she sent him was irritated, but the trouble had vanished from her eyes, and Lee was satisfied.

"I promise not to inflict any more logic on you for at least twenty-four hours, then," he said, standing up. "Now, I'm going to hit the showers and get some food."

Kara started to pull off her gloves. "Sounds like a good idea."

Lee walked away, but after a few steps he paused and turned. "Kara…"

"Yes?"

"I know it's none of my business, but…don't be too hard on Zak. He was just trying to help."

"You're right. It is none of your business," was all Kara said, but her eyes softened, and Lee left feeling satisfied.

He'd done what he could. The rest was up to his brother.