The sun had disappeared from view and Kara's head was pounding by the time she finished debriefing the President. She had gone through every single detail of what Caprica was like and why she had been in such a hurry to get home. Roslin had been intrigued with the presence of a resistance force against the Cylons. Kara had tried her best not to let her bias come in while talking about this groups. However, when Roslin asked her if she thought a retrieval mission was in order, Kara couldn't help but say no. The Resistance had made their bed when Helo had died. They should be forced to lie in it.

The worst part had been telling Roslin about finding Helo and then losing him again. Kara explained how she had never received an apology from anyone in the Resistance for what they did. Anders even went as far as to say it was all part of survival. The President obviously picked up on how important Helo had been to Kara, but they both knew there was no way she could really understand.

Helo had been Kara's first and only ally when she started on Galactica. She had been the hotheaded newbie pilot who didn't take crap from anyone even if they were a superior officer. He had been the Raptor pilot who had a joke for every situation. When push came to shove, Karl Agathon was the one that kept Kara Thrace out of trouble and gave her a chance to be the legendary pilot she was destined to be.

Sighing, Kara walked the few feet from tent to tent as the rain poured down on her. Helo was just another friend who hadn't made it. She needed to accept that and move on. There wasn't time to dwell. He wouldn't want to her to, anyway.

Kara pushed back the entrance flap to the tent and was about to step in when she realized it wasn't empty. "What are you doing in here, Lee?"

Lee propped himself up with his elbows and gave her a smile. "Did you think I was going to give up my tent for a screw-up like you?"

"Your tent?"

"We don't have a lot of supplies," Lee explained. He laid back down and closed his eyes. "It was either my tent or President Roslin's. I figured you would rather cuddle up next to me."

"I wouldn't cuddle with you if you were the last man on Earth," Kara informed him as she stepped inside the tent and shrugged out of her flight suit.

"I'm the last man on Kobol," he said with a laugh. "Doesn't that earn me something?"

"Yeah. I won't kill you in your sleep in case you're needed for repopulation purposes." Kara threw the flight suit against the tent wall before sitting down on the ground by the entrance flaps.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

As the tent filled backup with silence, Kara peeked out the small open to watch the rain falling down on their little tent. It had been so long since she saw any rain. It almost made the fact that she was freezing acceptable in her mind. She turned back to look at Lee as he lay on the small tarp serving as a floor covering. He had his left arm covering his face and was obviously doing his best to fall asleep. He looked almost natural in this environment.

No, she corrected. He was beyond that. The way he had spoken to her when she landed, the way he had just accepted the information she had given the President, it all pointed back to the simple fact that Lee seemed to believe in what he was doing. She continued to stare at him as that thought settled in her mind.

It didn't surprise her when seconds later, Lee shifted his arm to reveal that he hadn't been trying to sleep at all. His eyes were wide open as they moved to rest on her.

"Go ahead and ask," Kara said with a sigh. She drew her legs in close and tucked her chin on top of them.

"Ask what?"

"About your father," Kara continued, giving him a small smile. "He seemed just fine, Lee. I don't think the bullets did any permanent damage."

"You barely saw him, Kara," Lee pointed out.

"I managed to pull some information from the Marines from time to time. Once Cally told me what had happened that day, I had to know for myself that he was going to be all right. I couldn't forgive myself if he had died."

Lee scrunched up his face in confusion. "You couldn't forgive yourself?"

"I should have been there."

"And I should not have been handcuffed for treason. We all have should haves. It doesn't change anything. If Boomer hadn't have shot my father at that moment, she would have done it at another time, and then it might not have ended so well."

"I still feel guilty," Kara whispered. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Kara…"

"Don't start with me, Lee. I'm tired."

"Fine. I won't say another word."

Kara watched Lee take a deep breath before sitting up and reaching out to pull her hands from where they wrapped around her legs. He moved her the few feet to where he was and drew her down to lay against the tarp with her back facing him. Without a word, Lee slid his arm around her waist and pull her against him. His breath tickled the back of her neck, and Kara felt her mouth turn up in a smile.

"So you missed me, huh?"

Lee chuckled lightly.

"That's what the note said. 'I miss you'."

"I got used to the extra burden of having to deal with your mischief. It was disturbing to actually have time to relax."

Kara shifted in Lee's arms to face him. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't try to be all cute and clever."

"Okay," Lee said. "What should I be then?"

"Honest."

"I don't understand."

"I'm tired of dancing around the subject. We have problems."

"That's stating the obvious."

"The last time we saw each other, I apologized and you walked away from me. Before that, you and I ended up decking each other because you think I'm a worthless slut."

"I never said that," Lee objected.

Kara snorted. "You certainly implied it."

"I never once called you worthless."

She raised her eyebrows in shock. Had he really just admitted that? His face hadn't changed into surprise or embarrassment so she figured she would have to ask. "But the slut part you think was spot on?"

"It was a mistake. I said it in the moment, but it was never what I really thought. For gods' sake, you were going to be a part of my family, Kara. I never once objected to you marrying Zak."

"You never once gave your consent either," she whispered, the acknowledgement tearing at a wound she had thought was closed long ago.

Lee sighed. "That was for other reasons. It had nothing to do with you."

"What did it have to do with?"

Lee shook his head in a refusal to answer.

"Fine. We can move on back to the original problem then." Kara nestled her head into the crook of his arm. "I'm going to apologize for screwing up again. I wasn't thinking that night." She paused. "Or maybe I was thinking too much. Either way I wish I hadn't done it."

"Your irrational guilt is taking over again. You had every right to do what you did. Granted, the Vice President might not have been the wisest choice of bed companion, but it wasn't against some rule."

"Like if I had chosen another pilot?" She could feel Lee stiffen at her words, and they lapsed into silence for a moment.

"There was no need for you to apologize the first time, and there was no reason for why I walked away from you. I had no right to think I had any say in what you choose to do, and I was wrong to let you think that all the anger was coming from your CAG and not from your friend. I've tried to separate the two, but I can't do it anymore, Kara. I can't be your CAG without being your friend, and I can't pretend like you're the only one with problems."

"Well," she grumbled, shaking her head. "I have to say you outdid me in the apology department. All I could choke out was 'I'm sorry'. You had a speech prepared."

"I had more time than you." Kara opened her mouth to respond but found her fatigue taking over as a yawn erupted. "You've been through a lot. You should rest," Lee suggested.

"And ruin this moment?"

"This moment will keep."

"Haven't you learned anything in the past two months, Lee? The whole world can end in the blink of an eye. You shouldn't put things off."

"We're stuck on the birthplace of the gods for at least another day. We have to hike a few miles to the Tomb of Athena. There will be plenty of time then to talk some more. If I die before then, I think this note is just fine to end on."

Kara gave him a small nod and shut her eyes, hoping that the cold on Kobol didn't get any worse. Lee's body heat was keeping her warm right now, but she wasn't sure if it would be enough. It didn't help that the only other way she could think of to remain warm was not an option right now. With her luck, the President would walk in on them, and Kara had no idea how to explain why the lead pilot thought it was okay to frak the CAG for warmth. The mental image that popped into her mind made her smile.

"What are you humming?" Lee whispered in her ear.

"Huh?" she replied, opening her eyes to look up at him.

"You were humming something there. It sounded so familiar."

Kara was thrown off for a moment before she realized what she had been doing. "It was a song my father wrote for me when I was little."

"I swear I've heard it before."

"It was big on Caprica radio when we were little. It was the only hit my father ever had."

"I can see why. It's beautiful."

"I think in a way you just complimented me," Kara said, poking Lee in the ribs. She was proud to feel him jump at her touch. "My father not only wrote the song for me, but he wrote it about me."

"Oh." Lee smiled down at her. "That explains a lot."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Lee stared at her a moment before shutting his eyes. Kara thought he was ignoring her question until he let out a soft sigh and started talking. "It means that I was right to think it was beautiful. The song is a reflection of its muse."

Kara could feel her cheeks heat up at the compliment. She had always been embarrassed when people called her beautiful or commented on how pretty she could be if she only took care of herself better. It happened few and far between, but when it did, it just felt odd. She had spent so many years listening to her mother tell her how worthless and ugly she was that it was hard to believe otherwise. "Lee? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." He shifted to make them a little more comfortable without opening his eyes to look at her.

"Why are you my friend?"

This made his eyes shoot open. "Where the frak did that come from?"

"It has something to do with my father's song," she said as way of explanation.

Lee stared at her face for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "This is important to you, isn't it? Knowing why you're special to me?"

Kara nodded. She was uncomfortable asking him this, painfully aware that his answer could screw her up in so many ways. Something had been triggered inside of her, though, and she felt like she had to know. Maybe after this, she could finally make sense of this frakked-up relationship she had with Lee.

"Well, for starter's, you've proved yourself time and again in the sky. I have to admit that I'm most comfortable when I can fix the rosters to make you my wingman. There's something about knowing you can rely on the person flying next to you. I've never flown with anyone who I've had that kind of connection with before you."

"Is that all?" she joked, turning over to prop herself up on his chest with her elbow. He was already making her feel uncomfortable with his praise. A little less intimate body contact and a little more sarcastic joking would help.

"No, I'm just warming up." He paused to think for a second before continuing, "Let's see. You're one of the bravest idiots I've ever seen. That's one of the reasons everyone on Galactica worships you. You do the things that they could only dream of doing, and they don't even understand how amazing that really is. Life keeps dealing you the worst hands ever and yet you find some way to go on. I admire that in you. You have this strong sense of duty and loyalty which comforts those that you let in close. When the cards are down, you wouldn't hesitate to risk your life for someone you care for. Because of that charming trait, you end up holding guilt inside of you for every single misstep you make. You hate seeing people in pain when you know you could have prevented it. On top of all of that, you're not ashamed of the person you are even if it isn't what others want you to be. You are who you are, and it's pretty fraking hard not to love you for it."

"Oh," Kara whispered, her eyes wide in surprise. She had expected him to say a few of those things but definitely not all of them and not with such open honesty.

"I'm not done. You have a temper and impulsivity that gets you into trouble at least twenty times a day. It's even hard for me to have a full conversation with you without wanting to punch you. You're loud and abrasive and unbelievably moody. Most times I don't know whether you're going to crack a joke or crack someone's head open. You have this uncanny ability to know just what it takes to get under a person's skin, and you have the bad habit of doing the one thing that screws everything up."

Kara thought it was uncanny that Lee had just listed every single thing she had been punished for throughout her childhood, and yet he was still smiling at her. "Those last few reasons aren't really reasons why you want to have me as a friend."

"Then you didn't get my point." He gave her a big smile. "You see, if I can love you for all those reasons, then you must be something special. Kara, the reason you mean so much to me is because I know the good and the bad of you and yet I still can't seem to stop caring about you."

Kara wished she knew what to say in response to that, but she had never been in this situation before. It was at that moment when she found herself grasping for something, anything, to say to tell him how much his words meant to her when the answer hit her like a ton of bricks.

She didn't have to say anything at all.

Kara lowered herself back down to rest beside him and let out a sigh. "Good night, Lee."

"Night, Kara."

As the rain continued to pour down against the thin, plastic tent, the world seemed to slow to a stop in order to give her a moment of peace.