Hello, all. This is a prologue really. I'm developing the whole story at my homepage, but I wanted to know if it was working. It will eventually be quite long (if it works), introduces a new character and includes romance, eventually. So here is a taste. Hope you enjoy!

Pyramids

The quiet knock at the door so early in the morning worried William Adama, Commander of the Battlestar Galatica. At this hour, it usually meant bad news. Since the attack in CIC, he had taken to locking the door to his quarters at night. He knew it was silly as he'd been shot in CIC but for some reason, he slept better with it locked. He strode across the room and twisted the lock open. As he pulled the door, he was surprised to find his son, Lee.

"Lee! Morning. What brings you by so early?" Adama was always most cheerful in the morning.

"Morning, Dad. I hope I'm not disturbing you." Lee's voice was quiet and expressionless.

"Not at all. Is there something you needed?"

"Um." Lee was obviously anxious. "I just wanted to stop and wish you a Happy Birthday."

For a split second, Adama was stunned. Of course, he knew it was his birthday but he hadn't expected Lee to remember it. It had taken him a few years, but he'd finally managed to convince his crew to ignore it. He didn't hate birthdays. He wasn't foolish enough to pretend they didn't happen every year. The older he got, however, the more he used the day for quiet introspection. He liked it that way. "I… thank you, Son. I appreciate it." He didn't know if Lee knew that his birthday typically wasn't mentioned on board but decided not to say anything. If his son were sending him wishes, he'd even go to a party.

Lee stuck out his arm. In his hand was a cigar. "I… Um… Kara told me you gave her your last. I didn't have anything else. I thought you might like it."

Adama was moved at his son's gesture. He was pretty sure Lee didn't have a stash of stogies anywhere. "Thanks again. This is a nice way to start the day." He looked at his son's face for the first time and worried. Lee didn't look well. He looked gaunt and pale. There were large dark circles under his eyes. He knew this couldn't have happened overnight and wondered how he'd missed it. It was true that since Lee's reinstatement, he'd been flying under the radar, but something was obviously wrong with his son. "Say, I was just heading to breakfast. Care to join your old man, getting older by the minute?" He grinned. He knew the chances of Lee opening up to him about a problem were slim and none but he'd give it a try.

"No thank you, Sir. I have a lot of work to do, including rearranging the schedule."

"Have you eaten? Work can wait. You've got two days downtime, don't you?" In a pilot's world, downtime meant no flying. Most of the time, pilots hated it, but being short staffed as they were, downtime was cherished.

"I'm not hungry and no, I have CAP today. Leadfoot sprained his wrist last night. Doc won't give him flight status until the swelling goes down. I'll take his shift but I still need to redo the schedule before I go."

Adama sighed internally. He knew Lee was too young to be the CAG. He was barely a captain. It was an enormous responsibility. He had accepted without question and as always, Lee refused to fail at it. "CAP's get long on an empty stomach."

"I'll be fine, Sir. Thank you. Enjoy your day. Perhaps you can get a break today."

Adama chuckled. "I've had enough time off recently."

Lee turned to leave. Before reaching the door, his father called out to him. "Son?"

Lee turned back and Adama continued. "How about dinner?"

Lee cursed to himself. All he'd wanted this morning was to wish the old man a happy birthday and get on with the day. She'd be happy he did it. He didn't want to spend time with him. He didn't want to spend time with anyone. In fact, he hadn't wanted to wake up that morning. "I wouldn't plan on it, Sir. You never know what's going to happen. Another time, maybe?"

Lee left Adama to his newest worry.

BSG…BSG…BSG

CAP had been uneventful. He'd returned in time for a dinner with his father after all but managed to make himself unavailable. He hid out in the CAG's small office area and caught up on some paperwork. It hadn't been much, but as his mind wasn't in it, it took much longer. Returning everything to its proper position on the desk, he rose to leave. He didn't feel hungry, but decided he had better eat something. As he neared the mess, he could hear the flurry of activity within and he felt panic and sadness well up within him. He didn't want to be near happy, laughing people. He wanted to be alone. Ignoring dinner, he went straight to his rack. Without even bothering to take off his boots, he climbed in and pulled the curtain shut. Maybe tonight he'd sleep free? Maybe tonight the dreams wouldn't torment him? Maybe tonight he wouldn't have to be reminded of everything he had lost?

Doctor Cottle appeared to many as a sarcastic, chain-smoking, bully of a doctor. He had worked years to perfect the façade. Few people understood how seriously he took his job. William Adama did. So when Cottle had asked to see him about one of his men, he immediately set everything aside and waved the doctor in.

"I think we might have a problem." Cottle lit a cigarette without permission.

Adama had long ago given up trying to stop the smoking. "With whom?"

"One of your pilots."

Adama was curious. This wasn't normally a matter that came to him. It would first go through Lee. He knew this wasn't good and hoped he was wrong about his suspicion. "Which one?"

"Captain Adama."

To himself, Adama said. "I was hoping I was wrong." He didn't realize he'd said it loud enough to be heard until he saw Cottle's expression. "What's wrong?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me. About two weeks ago, he came in and asked one of the nurses for some stims. He said he was going to lay in a supply for the pilots in case of an emergency."

"So?" Adama did not want to keep going down this path.

"Last week, he came in and got another bottle from a different nurse."

"And?" Adama knew the worst news had not yet been delivered.

"Today he asked me, using the same excuse. He must not have realized we log everything."

"There aren't any pilots currently taking stims."

"I know."

"You think he's using them?" Adama asked.

"Have you seen him lately? He looks like hell."

Adama was quiet. "I know." Both men were silent. "How do you want to handle this?"

"I can call him in. I'd like to do a blood work-up. I suspect he isn't sleeping, so he's using the pills to keep going. It may be depression. It's not as if he doesn't have good reason."

Adama nodded. Flying on stims was allowed only in worst-case scenarios but flying when you were taking sleeping aides was strictly prohibited. Many pilots chose stims.

"Do it and keep me posted. I want to know results before he does."

BSG..BSG..BSG

"You so needed this… You're too tense to relax and Captain, you need to relax."

The only response to her words was the low, guttural moan from deep within him. She was right and as always, she knew how to relax him. Her hands moved slowly up and down the outsides of his spinal column. She used a musky scented oil to hasten her movements. As she reached his neck, she used her fingers to rub small circles and then continued to work her magic down his arms.

Lee Adama was in heaven. Gods, how he loved this woman! He smiled to himself, hatching a plan. Without warning he flipped himself onto his back causing her to lose balance. Using his powerful arms, he pulled her hips onto his lap and then pulled her shoulders down to his chest. She was the perfect fit for him. He truly believed the Gods had created her to mold to his body. He planted kisses across her face and ran his hands up and down her body. Although still clothed, she moaned at his touch.

They heard voices and she balked but he held tight. "Lee, knock it off. Someone will see us."

"So?" He looked deep into her eyes. "What difference does it make anymore?"

When a commander and the chief medical officer enter a room, it gets a lot of notice. The few pilots gathered in quarters, stood at immediate attention. Adama called out a quick, "at ease!" and they complied. The two men moved to Lee's rack and Adama slowly pulled back the curtain. Lee was turned on his side, facing away from them, obviously asleep. The two officers exchanged glances and Adama closed the curtain.

They moved a few feet from the rack. Cottle spoke first. "I don't want to wake him now. I'll just have them pass the word to him that he needs to show up in the morning."

"Very good. Keep me posted."

On that note, both men left the room. Lee let out a long-held breath. Despite his dream, he had easily woken when the two men had entered. Rather than panic, he regulated his breathing to appear asleep. It seemed to have worked but he did hear that he was to report to Doc Cottle in the morning. He knew he needed to get control of things or his whole world, or what was left of it, would become even more intolerable.

With luck and a lot of evasive maneuvers Lee managed to avoid both his father and the doctor the next morning. He planned on using his time on today's CAP to figure a way out of this predicament. He knew he'd have to admit he wasn't sleeping. He knew they'd want to run tests. He didn't want to tell them it wasn't physical. There was nothing alive that was going to take his pain away and make him feel better and he sure as hell didn't want to start talking to everyone about it. There wasn't a single person on the Galactica who really knew him. He'd entered their family. They had always had each other. He wasn't supposed to even be here. The Atlantia, his ship, had been one of the first targeted by the Cylons. His world and life were gone. He didn't seem to be making much headway in building a new one here.

He was flying CAP with Bellhop, a rook. He was showing some skill at handling his viper, but hadn't really been tested in combat. Every now and again, Lee's thoughts were interrupted by a question from the anxious pilot. Lee was glad the kid showed interest in improving, but wasn't giving him overly enthusiastic answers. They were making their final run around the fleet about to return to Galactica, when three Cylon raiders jumped in to their left.

Galactica was notified and Lee and Bellhop immediately pursued. Lee easily destroyed the first ship. The remaining two raiders split up, flying in different directions parallel to the fleet. Bellhop went left. Lee went right. He was having a tough time locking in on the raider in front of him. He fired, but noticed that the response from his weapons seemed to be sluggish. He knew he needed to at least chase the raider out of the fleet, so he kept firing. The alert fighters would soon be here to take over.

There was a lot of combat chatter being relayed through his comm, but one stuck out. He followed the coordinates given and stared in horror at the sight. A civilian shuttle was attempting to emergency land on the nearest ship. Lee knew they didn't have enough time. He glanced back at the raider and saw his worst nightmare come true. The raider saw the shuttle as well, changed course and moved to attack the defenseless craft. Lee followed. The flight lines were in his favor. He would get to the shuttle before the raider was in range to fire. Lee swooped in close enough to see the panicked faces of the passengers. He pivoted his viper and directed it to the incoming raider. As the raider came into range, Lee pressed his finger on the fire control and left it. The first shots flew out but missed. As he held the button down, fewer and fewer shots left his guns. He was either running out of ammo or there was a mechanical problem. The Cylon raider fired. Lee could see that the small missiles would take out the bow of the shuttle. He nudged the controls and sent his ship to intercept.

The next fractions of a second seemed to move in slow motion. Lee could see the shots coming his way. He actually turned his head and watched them impact his tail and engines. He felt the inertia push him forward in his cockpit as his ship began to explode and felt his harness tug him back toward the danger. He looked to the shuttle and saw it intact, close to the landing bay. He turned back to the raider, which was dangerously close to him. Lee smiled. "Looks like I'm takin' you with me." With what little power he had left, he veered his viper toward the raider.

Suddenly the raider exploded. The alert vipers had arrived. Debris and shrapnel pounded onto his canopy. The Cylon ship had been too close and his shield cracked. Another piece seared entirely through the protective cover and buried itself into Lee's right shoulder. He cried out in pain. Even with the stims that had become his lifeline in his system, it was too much and Lee slipped into oblivion.

BSG..BSG..BSG

It was voices that finally woke him. He willed his eyes to remain closed. He wasn't ready to rejoin the world of the living yet. His dreams were so much better. There he was safe, loved unconditionally and happy.

"I already told you. He needs this rest. We aren't just healing the injuries from the battle. We're cleaning the stims out and getting his chemical balances back in order." Doctor Cottle was tired of battling this stubborn man who was both father and commander to his patient.

"But if we wake him up, we can get him back on food." Adama was tired of battling the physician. He wanted his son awake. It had been three days since Lee's viper had been recovered. It was a miracle that the whole thing hadn't blown up. Tyrol was already working on the repairs, berating himself for the breakdown of the weapons system. A shiver went through Adama's heart as he thought about his son's actions. He had undoubtedly saved the passengers on the shuttle with his actions, but at what cost? What was going through Lee's mind when he maneuvered his ship to take the hit? The shiver spread through his body as he looked at his son in those early hours. He hadn't noticed the weight Lee had been losing. Lee had always taken care of himself, to the degree that his own father hadn't seen his obvious need.

"Even if he woke up right now he wouldn't be eating solid foods for days. That's the last of our worries right now." Cottle set his face in stone. It wasn't easy refusing a man like William Adama, especially when it concerned the man's son. "I don't know why he hadn't been eating, but knowing you, he will be force fed soon enough."

"No." The garbled voice from the bed hit both men's ears at the same time and they turned to look at Lee.

"Lee?" Adama moved quickly to his son's side. "Wake up, Son." Adama placed his hand on Lee's uninjured shoulder and gently shook him. "Come on." Cottle looked on, wondering if Lee would indeed come around fully.

"No, force feeding…" Lee still hadn't opened his eyes and his voice was rough and scratchy.

Adama smiled. "That's my job. If you don't feed yourself, I'll have to do it. Like now." Adama had grabbed the glass with a straw on the stand next to Lee's bed. He held the straw to Lee's lips and told him to drink. Lee did so and had to admit, the cool water going down his throat felt wonderful.

"Thanks." The voice was still quiet, but sounded less painful. Lee still hadn't opened his eyes. He wasn't ready to make the final step back to reality. Doctor Cottle forced the issue by checking his pupils with a mini flashlight. It annoyed Lee and he meekly tried to swat the offender away. He finally dragged his eyes open and met his annoyers. "How long?"

His father answered. "Three days."

Lee rolled his eyes. "Am I alright?"

Before his father could reassure him, Cottle answered. "You tell us."

"Tell you what?" Lee was suddenly very confused. He wondered if he had done something wrong that he didn't remember.

"Captain, when did you last eat?" Cottle pressed him.

Lee shook his head slowly. "I'm not even sure what happened to land me here, much less when I last ate." He looked to his father for help.

"What about the stims? Are you gonna try to deny using the stims?" The venom in the doctor's voice surprised even Adama.

Lee took a deep breath. "I wasn't sleeping well, so I was using stims and I just wasn't hungry."

"No more, Captain. Understood?" The doctor waited for Lee to nod agreement then he looked at Adama. "Don't stay long. He needs his rest." Lee yawned, accentuating his point.

Adama turned back to his son. "You had me worried."

Lee offered a small, childish smile. "Who me? Mom said I was the child you two never worried about."

"Your mother used to stretch the truth a bit. We always worried about both of you." There was a quiet moment as both men considered their lost loved ones. It was bittersweet.

Adama grew serious. "Why weren't you sleeping?"

Lee was not going to share the content of his dreams with his father. They contained powerful emotions and the pain was too close to the surface and too personal. No one here would understand. They didn't know. Sure, many had lost loved ones, but not like this. He wasn't going to beg for sympathy or worse, suffer their potential pity. As a matter of fact, Lee knew his father would be angry if he knew the truth. He didn't want that battle either.

"I don't know. I just wasn't. Haven't you ever had bouts of insomnia?" Lee was getting tired and he almost wished Cottle would return and usher his father off.

"Not for weeks at a time."

"Dad, thanks for the concern, but don't worry about me."

"I have to, that's my job."

"Maybe twenty years ago. I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself."

"No one can live in isolation, Lee. You have to let someone in to help sometimes."

The comment angered Lee. His father should have been the one helping him throughout his life, but he wasn't. He chose his career. Now he was trying to tell Lee he had to let him in. Lee physically bit his tongue a brief moment to keep from exploding. "I am tired, Dad."

Adama nodded. He knew he had struck a nerve. He just wasn't sure if it was the right one. "Get some rest."

Lee was physically feeling better two days later when Kara Thrace stopped by his bed for the second time that day. "Up for a little company?"

He yawned and rolled over to see her. "You were here already today. Go away and let me sleep. Haven't ya heard? I need my rest." Relations with Kara Thrace had been strained. Lee just couldn't let go of the fact that somehow, whenever something bad happened in his life, she was somehow involved. It angered him. She'd tried to resume their normal friendship when she returned from Caprica, but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to do it, especially now that the dreams had started. He had too many feelings to deal with.

"It's not me. It's someone else who wants to say thank you." She pulled on his good arm. "Straighten up, Soldier."

Lee growled at her, but nonetheless sat up in the bed and straightened the covers. Seeing him in order, Kara left and returned in seconds with a young boy. "This is Travis. He really, really wanted to meet you. So, I brought him down."

Lee glared at her briefly with annoyance and then looked plainly at the boy. "Hi, Travis."

Travis's eyes flared open at being spoken to. "Hi, Captain. Do they really call you Apollo, like the god?"

Lee blushed slightly. "Yeah, I guess."

"That's the perfect name for you."

It was obvious to Lee that this boy had a case of hero worship and it bothered him. "Why's that?"

"You saved us all. Only one of the gods could have done that."

"What do you mean, I saved you?" Lee asked, confused.

"I was on the shuttle you saved the other day. My dad was helping out on another ship and I went along. You saved us both." The eager boy wanted to go on, but waited.

"Why not stay with your mom?" Lee asked, a bit more interested in the boy. He was fascinated with father/son relationships that seemed to work.

Travis looked at the floor for a few seconds. "She's dead." A tear formed in the corner of his eye. Lee noticed it. "I miss her." Travis swiped harshly at the tear that now rolled down his cheek and told himself to knock it off and quit acting like a baby.

Things settled for Lee at that moment. "It's ok to cry because you miss your mom."

Travis stared at him with wide eyes. "Not if I'm gonna grow up and be a warrior like you."

Lee allowed a small laugh to escape his lips. "I miss my mom, too. It makes me sad."

Travis sniffled. "It does?"

"Sure."

Travis thought for a moment. "You still got your dad, right?"

Lee nodded. "So that makes it ok?" Travis asked optimistically.

Lee answered before he even knew what he was saying. He wondered if he really believed it himself. "It helps a lot."

Travis nodded. He moved a little closer to the bed and leaned in to Lee. "Can I tell ya a secret?"

Lee nodded and Travis continued. "I might not want to be a warrior."

"That's ok."

"Are you sure? I'll do it if ya need me, but I'd kinda like to repair things like my dad."

"That's a great idea, too. You can do whatever you want." Lee smiled.

Travis answered with a big grin. Kara, who had been silently observing, was overwhelmed at the conversation. Before she could stop him, Travis jumped onto the bed and threw himself at Lee's chest for a hug. If it hurt Lee, he never let on. He simply hugged Travis back with his good arm.

When Travis finally pulled back, Starbuck helped him off the bed. Lee looked a little pale and she knew she needed to let him rest. "We should be going now, Travis."

"Do we have tah?" Travis whined.

"Yeah. Captain Adama needs to sleep so he can get back to fighting the Cylons."

Travis's eyes went wide again. "You really give 'em hell, I mean, heck, don'tcha Captain."

Lee chuckled. "I try. Looks like one gave me a little heck the other day." He smiled, raising his injured arm ever so slightly. "Tell ya what, Travis."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Lt. Thrace and I will work really hard to make sure you don't have to become a warrior if you don't want to."

"Ya mean you'll beat all them Cylons before I'm big enough?"

"Yep. Just for you."

"Cool!" He ran from the room, screaming for his father, who was several decks away discussing a problem with Chief Tyrol.

"I'd better go catch him."

"Yeah." Lee smiled at what had just transpired. She'd be proud of him. He was doing the right thing. He needed to keep fighting. He felt a small spark of life deep within him. It warmed him as it had once before.

It was a few more days before Lee was released. He wasn't allowed any duty yet. His dad and Kara closely monitored him. One day as he wandered the halls, he suddenly found himself in the lower hallway off the landing bay. He normally avoided it as it was filled with the thousands of pictures of loved ones lost to the Cylons. He moved slowly down the hall, looking at the various faces. His heart ached. He wondered if he would have hung a picture up. He didn't bring any with him. He was only supposed to be on Galactica for a day.

Bill Adama frequently took the hallway with the memorials. He used it as a reminder of their purpose. He'd never seen Lee in the hallway until today. He stopped short at the sight of his son. Lee stood still, his forehead leaning against the wall. Until that moment, it hadn't occurred to him how much his son had lost. Lee hadn't planned on staying on the Galactica. He hadn't brought any personal effects with him. He had nothing to remember his mother or brother.

Adama turned on his heal and marched the opposite direction with determination. Later that afternoon, Colonel Tigh found his commander buried in boxes in his office.

"What's this all about?" He asked, shaking his head at the mess.

"I'd packed a lot of stuff up. I needed something." Adama answered without stopping his search.

"What's so important?"

"Pictures."

"Pictures?" Tigh wondered if the stress had indeed gotten to his friend.

"Yeah. I had an idea for Lee."

"Oh." Tigh didn't really care to know further. He still harbored anger toward Adama's son.

Adama ignored the tone and continued. "He came here for the day. He doesn't have any mementos. I thought I could gather some for him. See, I found this album." He held up the small leather book. "I thought it might improve his mood." He noted Tigh's expression. "Saul, he's trying. He really is."

"He isn't the least bit sorry for his actions."

Adama dropped his head. "I know." It hurt him more than his friend knew.

Later that day, Adama presented Lee with the album at dinner. "I was thinking that maybe you'd like some of these." He handed Lee the book.

Lee took the book and flipped through the pages that had captured his childhood. He was caught up in the images of happiness. "Thank you. But, these are yours."

Adama hadn't expected Lee to question the gift. "They are as much your memories as mine, probably more so. There's no sense them sitting in a box in storage."

Lee nodded. "Thanks."

Adama took the chance for a trip down memory lane with his son. They looked at the pictures and shared their versions of the stories behind them. In no time, the evening had passed and Lee was yawning.

"I've kept you too long. You'd better hit the rack. I don't want Cottle on my case for tiring you out." Adama placed a tentative hand on Lee's back as they walked to the door.

Lee stopped at the door and looked at his dad. "Thanks for this, Dad. It's nice to have some memories."

Adama closed and locked his door, feeling pretty confident as a father. It was the first time in a long time. Somehow, he felt Lee was on the way to healing.

A few days later, Kara dragged Lee to a pyramid game. He'd been given permission to resume light duties the next day and she convinced him he needed to enjoy his final night. The game progressed and spirits flowed liberally. Lee wasn't drinking. He was still taking medications and he wanted no reason for Doc Cottle to delay his return to duty. As the evening went on, the stories of past grandeur flowed. As Lee glanced around the table, he realized he was the only one who hadn't been assigned to the Galactica. Everyone present had served with his father for at least a year.

When they referred to a former shipmate, they always toasted him before continuing the story. Kara was definitely winning and congratulating herself with hefty slugs of Ambrosia. Lee had no idea where she had gotten a whole bottle and decided he really didn't want to know. She began to relate the story of the former CAG's bachelor party. The rest joined in and shared their part in the event, which was apparently of historic proportions. Lee sat silently listening to them. He allowed his mind to drift and think about the shipmates he'd lost when the Atlantia was lost. He'd been stationed there for three years. He proudly considered Admiral Nagala as one of his mentors. He thought about Ying, Yang and Battleaxe. They'd left the day before he did. How had they fared in all this? Where had they lost their lives?

"Lee?"

"Huh? What?" Lee came back to the game.

Kara slugged him harmlessly on the arm. "Pay attention. It's your bid."

"I'm out." He dropped his cards on the table and shifted back in his chair.

Kara ignored him. "Ah HA! More for me. Come on fellows, who's got the guts to see this game through?"

Gaeta called her hand and then asked the group if they remembered that game with Trendy and how she lost a record amount of credits that night. Did anyone remember how much she lost? Without thinking, Gaeta looked at Lee and said. "Captain, surely you remember?"

Lee looked back at him blankly. "No. I don't even know who Trendy is."

He finished out the game and left. Kara watched him go and then glared at Gaeta. "Smart move!"

"I forgot. It seems like he should have been here with us."

"Well, he wasn't."

Helo had stayed out of the discussion until now. "He lost his own shipmates that day. He's got memories of his own."

Kara looked back at the vacant door. "Yeah, and no one to share them with."

Note:

As I said, it's a beginning. You can check out my homepage for updates if you're impatient.