Chapter Thirteen

Jessica was toppled roughly onto the floor; the breath knocked out of her and once again found her pinned beneath Captain Apollo. Really, for a man who hadn't said one nice word to her since they'd met, he seemed to like her on her back an awful lot! Her head smacked painfully into the floor and Jessica felt a split second of pity for Lee when she'd first fallen on him when they'd met. Then she felt shooting pain scream across her head and her vision blurred from the impact and didn't think of anything for an agonizing moment. The gun had gone flying out of her hands when Lee tackled her and she fought beneath him. Again, the visions of the two of them wrapped up in each other assailed her. Jessica squeezed her eyes shut to try and drive them out of her mind.

"You drive me crazy...Are you trying to do that?"Lee murmured as she dove again under the water and took him into her mouth. Jessica knew exactly how he'd taste, mixed in with water from what looked like a river of some kind.

"Happy Birthday, Baby." Lee smiled lifting his hand from her eyes. In the middle of the room was a tub filled with warm soapy water. Before she could ask where he'd found the tub Lee scooped her up in his arms.

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked through the control room with the president; Lee was craning his neck to keep looking at her. Jessica passed him and his father, bent over unrolled maps and she brushed her fingers along the back of his neck in greeting. Jessica felt his pulse jump and groin tighten in response as she walked away. She couldn't resist swaying her hips ever so gently to torment Lee until Commander Adama brought his son's attention back to the task at hand with a hidden indulgent smile.

Jessica brought her knee up between Lee's legs more in protest of what her mind was telling her than anything else. Luckily, Lee caught the gesture and closed his legs above her before her knee reached its destination. His eyes burned at her in warning.

"Frak you, you son of a bitch!"Jessica shouted at him. "Did I get him?" She asked trying to look beneath the table to see if their Dr Baltar had been shot down. He hadn't. Jessica cried out in frustration. "You should have let me kill him! Save you from tossing him out of your air lock!"

"All right, on your feet both of you!" Commander Adama ordered. Lee pulled her roughly to her feet and pinned her wrists behind her and it was then that Jessica saw that Colonel Tigh's arm was bleeding. Jessica froze in panic. Whoops What was the penalty for shooting a military official even if it was accidentally? She looked over at President Rosilin for some kind of compassion. The woman just looked very, very pale and confused.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" William shouted at her.

"Who the hell are you?" Dr Gaius Baltar demanded.

"You! You son of a bitch. You traitor." Jessica lunged for the dark haired man again but Lee pulled her back. The man went very pale and his brown eyes widened. "That's right. I know what you did you bastard."

"Jessica, what are you talking about?" Laura asked her. Jessica could see Laura's hands wrapped around the edge of her seat, the knuckles showing nearly white against her skin.

"Forgive me, Commander but shouldn't we be calling security?" Dr Baltar spoke quickly, nervously. "I mean the woman shot at me."

"Or at least Dr Salik. Then toss this lunatic's ass in the brig!" Colonel Tigh insisted, holding his arm.

"I wasn't aiming at you. It's not my fault you're reflexes are a little slow, I mean it's 10 'o'clock in the morning!" Jessica snapped in disgust at the inebriated colonel. "That one, you should have let me shoot him in the head!" Jessica shouted directing her comment at Dr Baltar."It's because of him the Cylons were able to nearly wipe out our race. Him and his frakking libido!"

"Are we actually gonna stand here and listen to this obviously raving mad woman?" Gaius asked, panic coming off of him in waves. Yes, he knew she was a seer and he was very, very, worried.

A painful shriek of metal filled Jessica's mind and she jumped backing up against Lee, startled.

"What was that?" She asked clenching her eyes.

"What?" Lee asked behind her.

Then she saw it. Lieutenant Thrace under one of the vipers, then the jack holding it up gives way crushing her beneath it.

"Oh no... Oh frak..." Jessica said trembling.

"I think you should sit down, Miss Talbot." Laura suggested, surely seeing the terror in Jessica's eyes.

"Where's Lieutenant Thrace?" Jessica asked fearfully.

"Never mind about Lieutenant Thrace." Lee snapped. Jessica struggled against him.

"We'll put her in the brig for now. Dr Baltar, I think you have some explaining to do." Commander Adama ordered.

"Lee, wait...Oh no. No!" Jessica pleaded as Lee began to drag her with him out the room. "Lee, please. Where is Kara? Something's wrong."

"Nice try but it's straight to the brig with you, got it?" Lee said shortly.

"Damn it Lee! Listen to me! Is she in the hanger?" Jessica pleaded, panicked digging the heels of her sneakers against the floor to slow them both down. She had to get to the lieutenant now!

"Starbuck is out on patrol-" Lee insisted. Jessica shook her head and tried to release his grip on her arms. Jessica dropped her legs out from beneath her.

"NO! Something's wrong. I know it. Lee, please. You have to believe me. She's in the hanger deck." Lee fought with her as she tried to break free.

"Dammit, stop that! I will throw you over my frakking shoulder if I have to!" Lee shouted spinning her around to face him. Jessica slammed her head against his and for a second, Jessica saw stars.

"Frakking shit!" Lee cried out in pain. He released her for a second and Jessica fell onto the floor. She made to bolt but Lee was quicker. Reaching down, Lee grabbed her again and Jessica cried out in frustration.

"Dammit, this isn't a trick, Lee! She's in danger!" Jessica insisted with no other alternative, Jessica sunk her teeth into Lee's wrist. With his cry of pain ringing in her ears, Jessica dropped to the floor again and this time she was able to break free and set off on a dead run.

She knew Lee was close behind her, but Jessica didn't dare slow herself down by looking back. Now if only she knew where she was going. Every corridor looked the same and she was certain she was going in circles. Her heart pounded in her ears when she didn't hear Lee behind her anymore Jessica stopped to concentrate.

"Please...oh please... Show me how to get there" Jessica pleaded feeling hot tears of helplessness roll down her cheeks. She tried to picture the direct route to the hanger deck and when she was fairly certain she could see the path in her mind she began to run again. Turning another corner, she slammed into Lee Adama once again.

"Son of a bitch!" Jessica burst in frustration. "Look Lee, I swear. You can toss me in the brig, you can throw me out of your frakking airlock afterwards but you have to listen to me now! You have to get to Kara now!" That seemed to get through to him, Jessica thought gratefully. "Nothing else matters right now but I think she's under one of the vipers and it's gonna give way. Please." Jessica begged grabbing his hand. Lee flinched and pulled it back. Jessica figured out why. The wrist was branded with her teeth marks and the skin was broken in a small bit. He flashed her look of pure accusation but then his blue eyes shifted to complacency.

"All right, come with me." Lee grabbed her hand with his other and dragged her along with him down the corridor. She wasn't sure what he'd done differently but in another minute or two they had made their way out of the corridors and were rushing into a wide room with vipers in various stages of repair. Engineers and pilots were scattered in various sections. Jessica scanned the room for Kara. A shock of blonde hair was visible beneath one of the vipers and Lee went very still beside her. Horror gave way to action and they made a run for her.

"KARA!" Lee and Jessica screamed at the same time. On her back, Kara Thrace jumped in startled shock and rolled out from beneath her viper.

"What the frak is wrong with you two?" Kara demanded, sitting up. Her face was a mess of frustrated sweat and grime. In the next second, the jack gave way and her viper fell to the floor with a sickening explosion of crushed metal.