She looks up at the door as it opens. Someone walks up to the bunk, his feet just inches from her. She swallows hard to avoid whimpering out loud. A hand reaches under the bunk and grabs her elbow. She scrapes her back on a bolt, as she is drug from her hiding spot. The man looks at her briefly, and then makes his way back to the front room. She sees Kara first, bleeding in the corner. Lee is just inside the door, laying on his stomach and not moving. The man carries her to the corridor. She is too scared to move.
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The three of them are sitting on her bunk. Kara is reading Paya her favorite book; Lee is smiling and making funny faces at her when Kara isn't looking. She wants to stop time right here, with all of them happy. Her teddy bear is in the crook of her arm, and she feels warm and safe. She knows it's only a moment, the peace among them will end soon, but she clings to it while she can.
"Kara? Can I ask you something?" She twiddles her blanket between her thumb and fingers.
"Anything." Kara closes the book and lays it in her lap.
"I don't remember my mom, much. I called Shevon and Raisa Shevon and Raisa." She takes a deep breath. "If it's just us, you and me and Lee, can I call you mommy?"
Kara feels her eyes fill up. She nods. "Yes. I think that would be very nice." She hugs her tightly, and then tucks the covers under her chin. "Love you, Paya."
"I love you, too, Mommy. Goodnight."
As they go to leave, she sits bolt upright and grabs them both. "They're here," she whispers. Kara springs to action; hitting the emergency button they installed to summon the marines. They hear gunfire in the hall, followed by the unmistakable sound of centurions. Lee grabs both his and Kara's pistols and hands hers to her. She scoops up Paya in her free hand and takes her to the kitchen area.
"Stay down here, in front of the refrigerator. Don't move until I tell you it's okay." Paya sits with her back to the cool door, facing the wall. Her teddy bear is tight in her arms.
"It's all going to be okay, Mommy. I know it." Kara grins at her before joining Lee at either side of the front door. They nod at each other before throwing it open, firing into the corridor at the two toasters approaching them. The explosive rounds shear through the metal and both topple where they stand. Four more turn the corner and are quickly dispatched, with help from the arrival of the marines.
"All clear. All centurions have been eliminated," one of the marines speaks into his COM. Kara takes a deep breath and lowers her weapon. Lee smiles at her and lowers his gun as well. Kara hands him her pistol as she goes to Paya.
"Its okay now, sweetie. We got 'em." She scoops the girl up into a hug. "We're all okay." She looks over at Lee, who is talking to a Marine. Her blood runs cold when he turns to face her. "Simon," she whispers, as he raises his weapon towards her. His left hand shoots out and catches Lee on the side of his face, knocking him out, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I'm afraid that's not the case, Starbuck." He fires, and she sees the stuffing fly before she hits the ground.
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The funeral is attended by nearly everyone on the Galactica. One by one, the crewmembers share their stories of her. No one tries to hide or suppress his or her tears.
Lee and Kara sit in the front row, clinging to each other. They don't seem to notice that anyone else is there, as they hold on with everything they have. After the service, they remain there, until the Priestess kneels before them.
"It's time." She takes them by the hand and leads them out of the bay.
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"How are you doing, Kara?" Laura puts a cup of tea in front of the pilot. Kara looks up at her, irritation on her face. Her shoulder is thickly bandaged, and her arm is in a sling. Lee is sitting next to her; both of them look like they haven't slept in days.
"How do you think I'm doing?" she snaps.
"I'm sorry it has to be like this." She pauses. "But you know why."
"We can protect her. I don't care how many frakking toasters they want to send."
"No, you can't. As long as she is here, they will come after her. As long as she is having these visions, they will want her dead. We can't protect her forever, for her sake and for ours. That's why she needs to go away. There is an herb she can take to suppress her visions until she is old enough to deal with them. She won't remember any of this, when she wakes up, she'll be on another ship, with another name. There are people who will look out for her there, she'll be very well taken care of." Kara is still angry. "Captain Thrace, the cylons think Paya is dead. The majority of the crew thinks the same thing. This is the only way we can protect her. Both of you know that, at least on some level."
"Can we say goodbye to her?" It is the first he's spoken.
"She's still asleep. Until her wound heals, the doctor wants to keep her sedated. But you can see her. She's in my quarters." She nods toward the door behind her. She opens it up and lets them in, then retreats, closing the door behind her.
Kara looks at her, sleeping peacefully. Her blonde curls have been cut and colored a soft brown. She can see the outline of the bandage on her abdomen under her pajama top. "How are we ever going to live without her, Lee?" She leans down and whispers in the girl's ear. "We love you, Paya." They both kiss her cheek, and then sit at her side until it's time for her shuttle to leave.
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Epilogue
"Take your vitamin, Allie." Her mom holds it out to her with a glass of milk. "How was school today?"
"Good. I got an A on my spelling test." She swallows the foul pill and shivers. "We watched the CAP fly by in science."
"Have you thought about what you want for your birthday dinner? A girl only turns nine once."
"Can we have spaghetti?"
"Sure. Now go wash up. You have homework to do."
Allie skips off to the head, ignoring the twinge of pain under her ribs. Her mom told her she got the scar from an accident she had when she was little. She doesn't remember it at all, but she figures that's a good thing, considering how big the scar is. It must have hurt a lot. She finishes washing her hands and face as her little brother starts pounding on the door. She opens the door and grins at him, raising an eyebrow. "It's all yours, pest." She ruffles his hair and walks off to her room to study.
She loves her family, but when she is asleep, she dreams about another one; a mom with short blonde hair and green eyes, and a dad with eyes as blue as hers. She's sure it's just her imagination getting carried away with her.
The End