Anders found Kara in the officer's bunkroom, a towel wrapped firmly around her body. Obviously she had gotten just as dirty as Apollo while fixing those ships, but at least she had found time to hit the head.

Kara paused in rubbing a towel through her wet hair to smile at him as he stopped in front of her. "Hey, good-looking."

"Hi," Anders whispered, pulling her in close. "I missed you earlier."

"Big crisis," she laughed. "You know how it goes."

"Actually, no, I really don't. But it seems I'm learning."

"So," Kara started, "where have you been? I was about to report you abducted by Cylon infiltrators."

Anders chuckled. "You had no reason to worry. I was just talking to your friend, Apollo."

Kara's eyes lit up in confusion. What reason would Anders have to talk to Lee? The two hadn't said one word to one another since she had showed up on Galactica with the resistance in tow. In fact, the two men in question had been actively avoiding one another for the past few weeks.

Instead of asking Anders his reasoning for the impromptu visit, Kara pulled herself out of his arms and slipped underwear on underneath towel. "I'm sorry about the extra long shift, Sam," she said, throwing the towel to the floor. She turned to give him a smile, knowing the fact that she was only half-clothed would make him forgive her almost immediately.

"All's forgiven," he whispered as he pushed past her to sit on her bunk.

Kara gave him a small nod and reached into her open locker to grab two tanks. Pulling them over her head, she glanced back at Anders to see him lost in thought. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

Anders watched her push her hair out of her eyes and wondered why he had never noticed its bad habit of always falling in her face. "I think I finally understand why you respect Lee Adama so much."

"I never said anything about respect," Kara said, stepping close to her bunk.

"You never had to. It was implied by the fact that you stay by his side in combat. I've watched you in the air with him."

Kara found her reaction to his words odd. She immediately took his words as an invasion of privacy, and it made her sick to her stomach. Then the feelings of guilt kicked in. Why should she consider flying with Lee such a personal, private affair? Anyone in the Fleet could see them in the air together. A tiny voice in the back of her head whispered that maybe it was the fact that no one talked about it that made Anders comment so unwelcome. The whole Fleet knew what she had with Lee in the air was something special. They flew like they were one.

"He's very good at what he does," Anders continued. "Just like you."

"Lee has a determination that I can't even dream of. He sees something he wants, and you can bet your ass he'll get it. For as long as I've know him, it's been that way."

"Have you listened to the way you talk about him, Kara? You hold him up on a pedestal."

"He is the Fleet's golden boy," she laughed. "Now, since we've established that I do indeed respect Apollo, why don't you tell me a little more about why you respect him?"

"I went to see him in his office a little bit ago with a problem I thought might need addressing. He was upfront with me even when it meant telling me things that he didn't want to say and I didn't want to hear."

"That's my Lee, always doing the right thing even if it hurts."

Anders gave her a funny look. "Your Lee?"

Kara's face broke out in a slight blush. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just what with me being his wingman and having known him so long, a lot of times it feels like I'm the only one who understands him on this ship."

"He seems to have just as good of a grasp on who you are," Anders pointed out.

Kara looked at him in confusion. "You talked about me?"

"Quite a bit."

Anders watched as Kara turned back to her locker and began to search for something. After a few quiet seconds, she tentatively asked, "What did he have to say?"

The fact that she wanted to know what Lee said and not what Anders himself thought did not slip past his notice. "He told me a little about meeting you through his brother."

"I was going to tell you about that," Kara insisted, still digging through her locker. "I just didn't want to lay my whole tale of woe on you before we got back home."

"That's what Apollo said."

"What else did Apollo say?"

Anders watched her find whatever she was looking for and stand up. His eyes followed hers to the picture taped up in her locker. He had never noticed it before. Standing up to get a closer look, it was immediately apparent how many times Kara had held this photo in her hand. It was worn around the edges and had a nasty fold towards the right side. Anders wasn't sure who the man holding Kara in his arms was, but he definitely recognized the man standing beside them. Everyone was right when they said Kara and Lee had a history. The proof was staring him right in the face.

Kara was staring so intently at the photo now that Anders figured she wasn't waiting for an answer to her question. For some odd reason, even though he knew it was a mistake, he still felt like he should answer her. Apollo had been very upfront with his decision to not come between Anders and Kara and his desire to see Kara happy. She deserved to know that she had a friend who cared for her that much.

"He told me he loves you, Kara," Anders said, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

"I love him, too." Her eyes fell down to the picture again. "I mean, we were almost family once."

Anders grabbed her by the arms and spun her around. "No, Kara. He told me that he loves you."

Her face went pale as the weight of his words sunk in, and he could see her mind working through the confusion. When the sides of her mouth crept up in the beginnings of a smile he knew she was trying desperately to hold back, he realized that he had been fooling himself. There was no way he could compete with Lee Adama, golden boy of the Colonial Fleet, when it came to this one special woman.

Kara's face suddenly lit up with concern as he tore his eyes to the ground and took a few steps back. Letting out a deep sigh, he looked up at her. "I had a feeling it was like that," he said sadly.

"No, it's not like that, Sam," Kara said, shaking her head.

He held up his hands to stop her before she kept lying in order to make him feel better. "A few days ago, I was offered a job on Cloud 9. They want to renovate a part of the garden into a pyramid court and see if maybe a few teams can be put together. I wasn't sure at first, but I think it might be best if I took the offer."

"But that would mean I would hardly ever see you," Kara said quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Anders reached out to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear and let his hand linger on her cheek. "That's the idea. I don't think I can take watching the two of you together in the sky, knowing I'm the only reason you're apart on the ground."

"Sam…"

"Kara, from what little you've told me and what I've gleamed from the Fleet, you have had an extremely tough life. I think it's time you stopped putting others before you. Do what makes you happy."

Kara looked up at him. "I don't even understand what that means."

Anders let out a small laugh. Of course she would have no idea what he was talking about. This was a woman who had never been given the freedom to be happy for most of her life. He leaned in close and kissed her forehead lightly. "Go to him. Let him know how you feel."

Kara stared in wonder as Anders turned and left her alone in the bunkroom. Her mind was racing to figure out what had just happened. Anders had come into the bunkroom, and she figured the next move would be their normal desperate search for a secluded corner or empty equipment locker. She hadn't thought this would be the last time she saw him on Galactica.

She couldn't lie to herself, though. The idea that Lee loved her had tugged at something deep inside of her she had long thought dead. Still, it hurt that Anders had had to be the one to point it out.

The hatch slid open, pulling her away from her thoughts. Racetrack stepped into the bunkroom and gave Kara a funny look. "You might want to put pants on sometime before your next shift," she suggested.

Kara realized that Racetrack was right. She had never finished getting dressed. Oh gods. She had just broken up with her boyfriend while being half-naked. Reality set in. Her best friend loves her, her boyfriend set her free, she still can't decide what her next move is, and she's not wearing pants.

"What is with you?" Racetrack asked after Kara still didn't move.

"Lee loves me," she said absentmindedly.

"Of course he does," Racetrack replied, not even looking Kara's way.

"No. I mean, Lee loves me."

Racetrack rolled her eyes. It was obvious Starbuck was talking more to herself than anyone, but it seemed she might still need a small push in the right direction. Racetrack walked over to Kara's locker, grabbed a pair of sweatpants off the shelf, and shoved them into Kara's chest. "Pants. On. Then go find him."

A big smile came across Kara's face as she took the pants from Racetrack. "Good idea."

Racetrack rolled her eyes as Kara grabbed her boots and a zip sweatshirt to put on in addition to the sweatpants. It was ridiculous that it had taken Starbuck this long to realize the CAG was enamored with her. The woman might be the best shot in the Fleet, but when it came to anything else, she was blind as a bat.