First of all, let me appologize... I know I said this chapter would be posted, like, a month ago... and I know it took me forever to update all of my storied and this one among them - I'm truely sorry! I didn't mean to make you all wait for this long... it's just that with the university and completeing my degree (which I have now - I'm officially a proud owner of a B.A - Yey for me! I never have to sit in a classroom again!) and the way things are going on here in Israel (the war that has been going on here in the past 3 weeks - in case you haven't been living on this planet) time kind of flew by and I didn't have a chance to write...

But I do promise to do my bast to update this story and all my other stories on a regular basis from now on! I know how much it sucks to have to wait for a chapter!

So here it is... hope you still like it... send me reviews to tell me what you think...

Oh and this is the point where this story really picks up so stay with me! OK?

Love

BlackRaven

Chapter 5

President Laura Roslin did her best to keep up with the men flanking her as she was rushed through the corridors of the Galactica. The sirens and alarms were blaring, filling the air with almost unbearable noise, and everyone was running around in a frenzy, trying to get to where ever it is they were supposed to be at times like these.

She felt rather then saw Admiral Adama fall in step beside her. Suddenly, his presence created the illusion that things were slowing down, like somehow the world around them was sent into slow motion. She found it easier to keep up with the men around her all of the sudden, even though she knew that none of them have slowed down their pace.

"Bill, what's going on? Why have you ordered the fleet to jump away?" her voice was laced with worry.

"One of our Raptors has been forced to jump away. It was sabotage - the cylons are waiting for us to come to the rescue so they can attack us…I want colonial one and the rest of the fleet to jump away and get as far away from here as possible…you'll be safer that way and the Pegasus will be there to cover you if anything happens…"

"The Pegasus?" Roslin's voice rose with surprise, her mind trying to process all the new information "What about you? What about the Galactica?"

"We're going to stay here and get my men back…we have a rescue team out there as we speak"

"Can't you give the stranded Raptor our new coordinates - let him join us when they're done with the repairs?" She asked incredulously

"We can't risk that information in case they're captured by the cylons"

"We have men out there Madam President" he cut her off before she could even try to talk him out of his plans "We're not leaving them behind until there's absolutely no other choice"

For a moment she wanted to argue, to pull rank, to give him an order - anything that would make him rethink his plan, but the look in his eyes told her it would all fall on deaf ears and she knew better than to put him in a position where he would have to disobey a direct order from her.

He stopped walking beside her as she allowed herself to be rushed further by the protection detail surrounding her - when she looked back she could still see him standing there - a still figure amongst the sea of running people.

A split second after the president disappeared from view Admiral Adama was joined by Lee who came and stood silently behind him.

"Admiral, I'm requesting permission to take a viper and provide tactical cover for the repairs on the stranded raptor"

"Son…" The Admiral started protesting.

"Kara's out there Dad" Lee said quietly "she's injured and a cylon base ship could jump on top of them at any minute…" after a moments pause he added quickly "Dee's out there too - both of them…"

Admiral Adama stared at him for a moment, a soft smile forming on his lips "Permission granted. Just be careful"

RAPTOR 7 - SOMEWHERE IN SPACE

"Ok Galactica, I understand" Kara said into the com "This is raptor 7, we hope to be able to join you soon - do me a favor… make sure there's enough hot water when we get back… it's getting frakking freezing in here"

"Will do Raptor 7" Lt. Gaeta replied "Be advised Apollo is on his way to provide tactical support. Galactica out"

Kara took a deep breath and put down the receiver - for some reason, even after everything that happened, she found some comfort in knowing that Lee would be nearby.

When she opened her eyes again she saw Dee looking at her closely so she pretended to be swept by another wave of nausea to prevent Dee from reading too much into her reaction.

Suddenly something occurred to her.

"He shouldn't be coming here…" Kara mumbled under her breath, her hand reaching for the receiver again.

"What are you talking about?" Dee looked at her as if she had lost her mind

""If this is a trap, the more ships they'll spot here the more likely they'll come rushing in to kill us all"

"They're not interested in one viper" Dee shook her head "They want Galactica… and besides, if they do show up - at least we'll have some fire power to fight them with…"

"With one viper?" Kara almost yelled in disbelief "Are you insane? It's suicide!"

She turned her back on Dee and began yelling over the com "Apollo, Apollo, this is Raptor 7, come in please!"

"Raptor & this is Apollo, I'm en-rout, ETA 5 minutes"

"Lee! What the hell are you doing?" His calm voice only served to send her anger into overdrive, sending military protocol and rank right out the window "Stay away from this sector do you hear me? Go back to the Galactica! Now!"

"I'm on my way to provide cover…"

"Against a cylon base-ship? Are you completely insane? Who's frakked up idea was that?"

"Mine! And I'm coming in Kara! No arguments! Apollo out!"

Starbuck stared at the receiver in her palm in disgust then threw it against the dashboard in frustration, the sound of metal hitting metal gave her an odd comfort as she cursed loudly.

"You still don't get it do you?" Dee said quietly "He's not coming here because it's the smart thing to do, or the logical thing… he's coming for you"

"I'm not stranded here alone Dee… how do you know he's not coming here for you?" The words came out sounding more sarcastic and offensive then she intended

"Because I've watched him, and I've watched you… I sit in CIC everyday and I watch you two every time you go out there. I've seen the lengths you tow go for one another…"

"It's our job! We're pilots! We watch each other's back…" Starbuck said tiredly

"No! It's more than that!" Dee insisted, her eyes a mixture of sadness and anger "The two of you keep risking your lived for each other hoping that it would make up for all the things you can't bring yourself to say - and sooner or later, it's gonna get one of you killed!"

"How's it going with the repairs chief?" Helo asked looking out the window at Tyrol's figure clinging to the side of the stranded Raptor.

"As fast as humanly possible Helo, stop rushing me!" Came the reply and Helo smirked slightly at the annoyance in his voice.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye - he saw it. A cylon base ship jumping into view just behind them, a swarm of fighters surrounding it - ready for attack.

He managed to yell for the chief to get the frakk back into the Raptor and send a warning to Starbuck and Dee in the other Raptor before all hell broke loose around them.

They barely had time to pull the Chief inside and close the hatch before two shots flew by just off their left side. He could hear Starbuck yelling at him over the com to get the frakk out of there and make a run for it, a third shot from a cylon fighter hit them and they lost one of the engines, he tried to keep going, to out-fly them and buy some time until help arrived somehow, but the more he maneuvered the more the cylons seemed to be closing in on them.

Oddly enough though - they never fired at them again - they just stood there, surrounding them, as if waiting for something to happen.