Hearts and Fates Entwined

By: Fairedust

Part three

Chapter 26

When Lee recieved word that the Raptor team had returned, he was hard pressed to finish his shift. He missed his best friend more than he could have realized. Being stationed on the Pegasus, where he couldn't see or talk to her; and not even being able to fly with Starbuck was slowly driving him crazy. When his shift finally ended, he was on the next Raptor to the Galactica.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Adama's wait for Tabitha to wake was indeed long. She'd lain there sleeping on his couch for over four hours. Finally he noticed her begin to stir. Straightening his piles of paperwork, he waited the final minutes until she began to sit up. When he saw her groggily try to pull herself into a sitting position, he moved across the room to the chair next to the couch. He mentally cringed at seeing her unthinkingly attempt to stretch out her stiff muscles. He heard not only her joints pop in protest but also saw her face cringe as she inadvertently aggravated her still healing ribs.

"How are you feeling now, Tabitha?" he said in his soft gravely voice.

Looking about herself with confusion, Tabitha finally realized where she was. Her face etched with embarrassment, she tried to clear her throat. "Uh, … I'm fine. Sorry I fell asleep on your couch. Uh, … how long have I been here?"

Looking at the clock on the opposite wall, he quickly calculated the time. "You fell asleep there over four hours ago." he said with a slight smile. But his humor didn't last long. He could clearly see that she still needed more sleep, if the dark circles under her eyes were any indication.

"Four hours?! I'm so sorry." she was quickly looking about the room. It was clear to Bill she had every intention of making a hasty exit, if he allowed it.

"Nonsense. It was obvious you needed the rest. Actually it looks as if you still need some more." he was quick to respond. At seeing her confused expression, he decided he'd better get down to why he'd called her here in the fist place. "Tabitha, what's going on? It's obvious from how you look, that you haven't been sleeping. I want to know why. Is it because of the pain? Cottle already told me you refused to take any pain meds since you woke up in Life Station." his tone made it clear he wouldn't let her leave without an answer. She tried to decide what she should tell him, what she could tell him.

In the end she didn't feel she could tell him about feeling watched. She was afraid he'd just think she was going crazy. All she could tell him was she hadn't healed as quickly as she'd wanted. She hadn't healed enough to be able to defend herself. When Bill questioned her once again about taking the pain meds Cottle had offered, she rolled her eyes in frustration. Bill didn't seem to understand. She tried to explain to him, she couldn't take the pain meds and still be able to use her gift. Eventually she'd told him of how she'd tried to speed her recovery along, but it had only drained her even further. When his face filled with confusion, she finally admitted to him she hadn't been to the Observation Lounge since she'd been released from Life Station. That was over three weeks ago. When Bill asked her why she hadn't gone before Helo left on the rescue mission, she tried to deflect answering.

Adama, to this day, didn't know what exactly happened when she spent all that time in the Observation Lounge. All he knew was that either his son or Helo had been the ones to take her there. All he'd been told was they 'watched over' her while she preformed some type of ……….. Well what she actually did, he didn't know. Seeing her eyes once more begin to droop, he was beginning to see how important her time there truly was.

Without being told, he realized part of her problem of not going was feeling safe enough with who brought her. He knew she felt safe with him. Her finally being able to sleep here in his quarters was proof of that. "Tabitha, if it would help you heal quicker, I'll bring you there myself." He wasn't prepared for her response.

At hearing what Bill said, Tabby couldn't help her reaction. Gone was her near daze like sensation. She burst out laughing.

At first Bill was shocked at her reaction to his offered aide. But he was quickly growing concerned from her near hysterical reaction. He was worried it may be only her exhaustion causing her to act this way, but he wanted to know for sure. "What's so funny? That was a sincere offer I just gave you. I wouldn't offer, only to deny you the same."

Seeing his sincerity, Tabby quickly sobered. She knew she needed to give this man a reason for her reaction, "Bill, somehow I just can't picture you watching over me as I star bathed. Really, I appreciate your offer. I really do. But…" she couldn't finish. Out of nowhere a huge yawn overtook her.

Bill's face darkened a deep shade of red, as he realized the full extent of her meaning. Until now he didn't realize she'd been in there while nude before the stars. No wonder she'd found his offer so funny. He quickly understood why she was so selective of who brought her there. But in the next moment he also realized how vulnerable she must now feel, to deny herself something she so desperately needed. With her being in such a vulnerable state, he realized she'd only feels safe enough if it was Lee who took her. For some reason he couldn't fully understand, she didn't even want Helo to be the one who took her.

Looking at her, Bill once again saw her eyes begin to droop. Knowing how badly she needed rest, he gently helped her lie once again on the couch. He noticed she was already asleep, before he even finished tucking her in. With a small indulgent smile on his face, he moved over to the door. After Bill told his current door guards that Tabitha was asleep in his quarters, he walked back to the CIC. It was time to get an update. Kara's team should be getting back any time now.

On his way to the CIC, Adama began formulating a plan to help Tabitha with her current problem. He knew it was impractical for his son make several trips to the Galactica, just to bring Tabitha to the Observation Lounge. Especially now that the Pegasus was wholly in charge of all recon missions to that new found planet. He wondered how Tabitha would handle being placed onto the Pegasus. He wondered if she would heal quicker there than she was here. Before making any final decisions, he decided to discuss this with Lee first.

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When Lee entered the Senior Pilots bunkroom, he momentarily froze. There was Kara, straddled over another man's lap. He could tell how happy she was at this moment by hearing her playful laughter. As it turned out, it was the man who noticed his presence first. That's when Lee recognized exactly who this was. It was Sam Anders from the Caprican Buccaneers. Kara always did have a way of doing things 'over the top'. First she'd returned in a Cylon Raider. Next, she came back with a Cylon Heavy Raider. This time she'd come back with probably the last sport's superstar, attached to her hip. Yep, this was certainly all Starbuck style.

When Kara finally noticed where Sam's attention had gone, she turned to see Lee standing by the door. Pulling herself gracefully out of Sam's lap, she moved to give Lee a big welcoming hug. Lee was always amazed that Kara moved with grace. It never seemed to fit with her boisterous Starbuck persona. But that thought quickly fled his mind as he was engulfed in her strong embrace. An embrace he gladly returned.

It was over too quickly for Lee. He'd missed her terribly while she'd been gone. Every bit as much as he'd done on her first trip back to Caprica. He missed not being able to see her on a daily basis. He missed not being able to argue with her. But most of all he missed being able to fly with her.

As soon as Kara released Lee, she quickly moved back to Sam. Pouring another drink, she offered Lee one. When he accepted, she poured one for him. As she handed it to him, she said. "Hey Lee, I'd like you to meet my Sammy. Hey now that he's here, we need to find you somebody."

Lee looked over at her 'Sammy' and gave him a nod of welcome, while his face held a slightly pained expression. Looking back at Kara, he said "I'm fine Kara. No need to concern yourself."

"Oh my Gods. Don't tell me you finally decided to frak Dualla. My Gods Lee, you could do so much better than her. I swear, she only is interested in you as a way to climb the social ladder. Look what she did to Billy. I guess she didn't think his star was high enough for her after all." Kara said in a scathing voice.

"Hey Kara, Dee's a nice woman. She's not interested in climbing any 'social ladder' as you so eloquently put it." he instinctively defended the woman in question.

"Oh my Gods. You must be frakking her." Kara said, her eyes widening in shock.

Lee was becoming decidedly uncomfortable with this conversation. He didn't want to be discussing his sex life or lack thereof, with a complete stranger in the room. "Not everybody revolves around sex Kara. And before you say it again, I am not 'frakking' Dee."

Kara just let out one of her notorious cackles and plopped down onto Sam's lap. "Well maybe that's your problem Apollo. You don't think about frakking enough." With that she seemed to lose all interest with talking to Lee. As Lee stood there, Kara began to kiss Sam in earnest. Not wanting to witness Kara frak the man there on the bunkroom's table, Lee decided to make his retreat.

Lee was disappointed Kara hadn't missed him as much as he'd missed her. He was also angry with her for her ridicule. What was it to her who he frakked? Or better yet, who he didn't? That she seemed to think he'd been frakking Dee came as a surprise. They'd never even kissed each other. No wait, that wasn't true. Dee had kissed him in the passage, the day he'd been given the commission of the Pegasus. Who else besides Abby had seen that? And why did Kara think the two of them had become intimate?

He figured it didn't matter how Kara had come to that conclusion. She'd probably just heard it thru the Galactica grape vine. What bothered him was she'd never asked him about it. She'd just assumed it was true. She more than anyone should not have believed a rumor concerning his sex life. For frak sake, there had been rumors of them frakking almost since the beginning of the war! She should have asked him about it before bringing it up the way she had.

Once outside the bunkroom, he decided he'd better see his father now that he was here. Checking the time on his watch, he assumed his father would be in his quarters. With that thought in mind, he headed in that direction.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Adama, as it turned out wasn't in his quarters when Lee arrived. The guards, assuming he was there for a scheduled meeting, never questioned his appearance. They just assumed the Admiral would be along shortly. When Lee entered the room, the first thing he realized was his father wasn't there. Wondering why the guards had not said anything as he entered, he was about to go ask if they knew where his father currently was. Before he reached the hatch, however, he heard a small rustling sound across the room.

Curiously Lee moved farther into the room. Now he was able to distinguish the sounds he'd heard. Someone was lying on the couch. Someone who wasn't lying still, from the creaking sounds. Wondering why his father was on the couch instead of in his bed, Lee quietly approached. When he realized it was Abby and not his father, he was momentarily taken aback. Then he took a good look at her. Even in sleep he could see the strain on her face. Her long eyelashes were unable to hide the dark smudges under her eyes. Not knowing why she was here, but thinking it best to let her sleep, he quietly left the room.

After quietly sealing the hatch once again, he gave the guards both a long look. He made it clear, he was not happy neither had told him Abby was sleeping inside. Both men had the intelligence to look down at their feet. Feeling he'd got his point across, he then asked where he could find his father.

Oooooooooooooooo

Shortly after Lee had left his father's quarters, Tabby woke up again. She looked around in mild confusion for a moment. After figuring out where she was, she quickly rose off the couch. Not knowing what else to do, she folded the blanket that had been covering her and put it back into Bill's sleeping area. Feeling strange being here without Bill, she quickly exited the room. As she passed the guards, she managed to give each a warm smile and then was gone.

As she made her way to the mess, she overheard the rescue team had finally returned. Forgoing getting a meal, she headed directly back to her bunkroom. She was hoping Kara would be there when she returned.

As Tabby was opening the hatch, she heard the unmistakable sound of Kara's laugh. With a warm smile forming on her face, she opened the door farther. Just as she was about to step thru she heard another laugh, a deeper masculine laugh. Tabby froze mid step. "Kara? Are you decent?"

"That depends on who you're asking?" Kara said with a laugh.

"Kara." came a man's voice, full of humor and reproach.

"It's me, Kara."

"Tabs?"

"Yeah. It's me. Can I come in or do I need to give you two a sec?"

"Well damn. There goes my ego. I thought for sure I looked like I'd do better than just a second." laughed the males voice once again.

This time Tabby recognized it for who it was. No longer caring what state of dress either occupant was in, Tabby pushed the rest of the way into the room. "Sam! You made it. I'm so glad you really made it!" she said as she rushed over to them both. To the surprise of both the occupants in the room, Tabby jumped onto the bed and engulfed them both in her tight embrace.

Both Kara and Sam never hesitated to return her heartfelt hug. Both were well aware how precious it was to have someone to hold. Especially in times like these. Not surprising to Tabby, it was Kara who broke the embrace first. But Kara didn't do so out of her own personal discomfort. Kara released Tabby because she'd finally remembered how broken Tabby had been when she'd jumped back Caprica. She was suddenly afraid her hold may be hurting the smaller woman. Knowing Tabby would never say anything, Kara thought it best to end the tight hold, herself. Sam, not knowing how badly Tabby had been hurt, took a little longer to let go. His relief at seeing this tiny woman was clearly written on his face.

Somehow Tabby never even noticed their state of dress, or lack thereof. As Tabby sat there on Kara's rack, Kara casually donned her tanks over her sports bra. Sam, however, seemed perfectly comfortable to remain bare-chested in front of Tabby. Kara couldn't even bring herself to be disappointed at this interruption. She could easily see how happy Tabby was to see them both here, safe and unharmed.

For just over an hour, all three sat huddled together talking about what had been happening here in the Fleet and what had happened back on Caprica. During that time, Tabby couldn't keep herself from reaching out and touching both of them repeatedly. Knowing she was doing so as a way to reassure herself they were really there, neither Kara or Sam seemed to mind her unusual behavior.

As they all continued to talk, both Kara and Sam could see the dark circles under Tabby's eyes and how tired she seemed to be; even though she tried very hard to hide that fact. Both Kara and Sam also noticed how Tabby unconsciously kept rubbing her right thigh and favored her tender ribs. Kara was well aware how bad those injuries had been, whereas Sam was completely in the dark to those events.

It wasn't until the bunkroom door opened, letting in some of the other pilots, that their impromptu reunion came to an end. Suddenly Tabby realized she'd selfishly taken what private time they had away. With her face filled with guilt, Tabby tried to quickly leave Kara's rack. When Kara saw her expression, she felt the need to assure the tiny woman she wasn't upset by her interruption. Kara quickly reached out and gently squeezed Tabby's forearm. When Tabby looked at her in question, all she needed to do was read the expression of Kara's face to understand. Not only was Kara not disappointed, she was letting Tabby know she was glad to see her as well.

Just then, they heard the room's intercom buzz. Hotdog being the closest to the speaker, hit the toggle. "Hello?"

"This is Dee. The Admiral has 'requested' Tabitha report back to his quarters. Is she there or do I need to post this over the main system?"

Looking over his shoulder at Tabitha, he heard her say she'd be on her way directly. Hitting the toggle once more, Hot Dog replied. "She's here Dee. She says she's on her way." with that he ended the transmission.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Bill had been right in thinking Starbuck was due back at any moment. He'd barely made it inside the CIC's doors when her voice was heard over the wireless. After instructing her to land all birds here on the Galactica, he proceeded to the hanger deck. He wanted to be there to greet her when she landed.

Bill watched Kara exit her Raptor and quickly move forward to greet him. He was glad to see her so happy; but confused by her uncharacteristic school girl shyness. After giving each other a firm hug, Kara backed up next to a man standing just behind her. Adama was well aware of who this new comer was. He recognized him as being one of the Carican Buccaneers.

"Sir, I'd like you to meet my Sammy. He was the leader of the Resistance. Sam, this is Admiral Adama."

"Sam Anders. And can I say I'm damned glad to meet you, Sir." Sam said as he held out his hand. Sam didn't miss the inflection in Kara's voice as she'd said 'Admiral Adama'. It was clear to him how much Kara cared for the Admiral.

Adama immediately extended his hand. As he shook the mans proffered hand he eyed him curiously. So that was why Kara seemed so nervous. She was showing me her new beau. After a few minutes of small talk, Adama dismissed them both. But before doing so, he told Kara he wanted a full report on his desk by morning.

When he returned to his quarters, he was informed that Tabby was still inside. Not wanting to accidentally wake her, he finally decided to head back to the CIC. It still wasn't time for his shift, but it was either that or wander about his ship. The latter didn't seem to hold that much appeal to him at the moment.

Ooooooooooooooooo

This time Lee did find his father. He was standing next to Gaeta, by the large dradis screen. Walking over to his father, he waited for them to finish their conversation before making his presence known.

When Adama realized Lee was standing near him, he quickly finished up with Lt. Gaeta. He was not surprised to see his son on the Galactica. It was obvious Lee had come over at his first opportunity, upon hearing that the rescue team had returned. Kara and her team had only landed about two hours ago. Bill thought this was as good a time as any to discuss his newly formed plan with Lee, about Tabitha. He steered Lee away from the dradis screen and closer to one of the bulkheads.

Neither man realized they were still in hearing distance of Dee's station. While she manned her control panel she surreptitiously listened in on their conversation. At first they only seemed to be discussing the mundane issues of running Battlestars. They talked of personnel issues, disciplinary issues, supply issues, and the like. When Dee noticed their conversation had turned to a more personal level, she was hard pressed not to actually lean in to hear more clearly.

Then she realized they'd started to discuss Tabitha. After a short while longer of listening, Dee was shocked to hear they were actually discussing moving Tabitha over to the Pegasus; to be near Lee. Dee's blood began to boil. How was she to ever compete with that odd woman, if Tabitha were there while she herself was stuck here? Dee had already requested a transfer to the Pegasus and been denied. Dee was hard pressed to hide her churning emotions.

Bill wasn't sure how he should broach the subject of transferring Tabitha to the Pegasus. To be honest, he wasn't sure how Lee would take his idea. Lee's track record regarding his treatment of Tabitha was inconsistent. Bill had no doubt that Lee cared for her deeply. Lee's reaction from when Tabitha was in Life Station made that clear. What Bill didn't understand was why Lee often held himself away from Tabitha. Bill had seen how Lee all but ignored her for weeks, before her injury. Instead of getting right down to it, they began by talking over all the mundane issues that were required.

When those issues ran dry, Adama realized it was now or never. He started with telling Lee what he'd been told by Cottle. Cottle said Tabitha was healing much faster than he'd expected. But due to the extreme nature of her injuries, Tabitha was still not fully healed. Also she had not been taking her required pain meds. Bill noted the concern that covered his son's face. Then he went on to tell Lee how Tabitha had not been sleeping. When Lee told his father that he'd seen her asleep on his father's couch, Bill was quick to point out that was the first time she'd slept in days. For some reason, she didn't feel safe enough to sleep. He told his son he still didn't fully understand why. When Adama told his son that Tabitha hadn't gone to the Observation Lounge since Lee had last taken her, he heard his son's quick inhale. It was clear Lee was shocked with this new tidbit of information.

"Dad, that was over three weeks ago! She needs to go there at least once a week, if she isn't injured. Why hasn't Helo been taking her there every day?" Lee demanded. Then as if he finally realized Helo hadn't been there to do so, he added. "Even with Helo gone this past week, she could have still gone. George could have taken her there. I was told a long time ago, it was George who watched over her while she was with the Resistance. He had to of known how much she needed to go. Why didn't he take her?"

Seeing the anger and fear on his son's face made his stomach churn. If he'd ever doubted his son cared for Tabitha, he couldn't do so anymore. Lee was getting more agitated by the minute. Adama wasn't even sure Lee wouldn't bolt from the room at any moment. He knew he needed to hurry up and lay out his plan.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Both men walked into the Admiral's quarters. They'd already been informed Tabitha would not be inside. They'd been told she'd left over an hour ago. Bill did some quick calculations in his head. By his count, she'd only managed to squeeze in another two hours of sleep, since he'd left her. That surely couldn't be enough for how exhausted she appeared. Moving over to his intercom. he connected into Dee's communication station. Once he asked her to locate Tabitha, who should be in her quarters, he hung up. As he sat behind his desk to wait, he watched his son pace about the room.

Bill had to admit he was relieved Lee had agreed to his plan so readily. Actually Adama suspected Lee would have demanded on her going to the Pegasus, if he had not brought it up first. Now all they needed to do was convince Tabitha, and come up with some type of arrangements for her.

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tbc