Chapter 5

After that talk with Adama, things got better for Kara. Slowly but surely.

She told Adama about her nightmares, and he had a word with Cottle. The doc allowed her back on the sleeping pills, although she had to trail down to life station every night to take her solitary pill. It was humiliating, but it was worth it to sleep through the night without having to drink herself into insensibility.

Her appetite came back once she started sleeping properly, although Adama insisted she join him for dinner several times a week so he could keep an eye on her.

Helo bullied her into daily sessions in the gym and into regular triad games. The other pilots welcomed her back to the rec room with a warmth that touched her, even though she pretended to shrug it off.

What helped the most was the time she spent with Adama, talking about Lee, sharing the memories each of them had. It hurt at first, but he had told her it helped him too, and she couldn't let him down. Gradually it became easier, and then even comfortable. Strangely, talking about Lee seemed to exorcise him. She stopped seeing him around every corner, behind every hatch.

It was lonely at first. But every time the loneliness got too unbearable, she went to see Adama to talk about Lee, or nagged Helo into a triad game, or went out in her viper, and it helped.

Six months after Lee's death, she had her first unbroken night's sleep without the pills.

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A week after that, she saw Sam. She'd come to Adama's quarters to drop off a report, and found that he was meeting with the President. Sam was standing guard outside the door.

He looked different to the last time she'd seen him. Thinner and – harder, somehow. There were lines on his face she didn't remember, and she wondered guiltily if she'd put them there.

Poor Sam. He hadn't deserved what she'd put him through. He'd been trying to help, but she'd been too lost in her own pain to heed him. Lee could have pulled her out of it, but Sam was nowhere near that stubborn.

He looked up as she approached, and his face froze.

"Kara." She couldn't tell if he was pleased or horrified to see her.

"Sam." She stood awkwardly in front of him. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "Well enough."

"How's the job working out?"

That raised a genuine smile, and her breath caught. She suddenly remembered how happy she'd been on their wedding day.

"It's great. Really great. I couldn't wish for a better boss – and you get to see some interesting things, working for the President."

Kara smiled hesitantly. "I bet."

He looked at her more kindly. "So, how are you?"

"Better," she said simply.

"So Helo said." He shrugged again at her surprised look. "I asked him to keep me posted."

Kara couldn't help warming at his concern. "That's very kind of you." She paused, feeling impelled to give him something back. "I'm so sorry, Sam, for what happened between us. I was – in a bad place."

He looked at her curiously. "But now you're somewhere better?"

She nodded.

He looked at her for a moment in silence. His face was blank, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Finally he said, "Would you like to visit Colonial One sometime? I'll give you a tour."

That was all, but the look in his eyes said so much more. Kara fumbled with her emotions for a moment, and then smiled.

"Perhaps I will."

Perhaps. She'd need to think about it. She wasn't sure she was ready for that quite yet. In some weird way she felt like it would be betraying Lee.

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Fortunately Kara was too busy the next day to dwell on it. She'd barely finished her breakfast before the ship went to Condition One and she was hurtling out of the launch tubes in her viper.

They'd jumped almost on top of a Cylon ship. Not a basestar fortunately, but it was big enough. A fierce battle ensued before Galactica's guns managed to disable the Cylon ship's engines and FTL drive. A flurry of escape pods emerged from the damaged ship, but Kara and her pilots managed to put paid to their escape.

Landing back on Galactica, she discovered that a party of marines had left to board the Cylon ship.

"It's not often we catch one this large intact," said Adama. "It's a great opportunity to study their technology – their weapons-"

He was in the briefing room with her and Kelly, who was now the XO, when the report of the boarding party came in. Kara saw his face turn grim as he listened on the phone and knew it was bad.

"It's a prison ship," he said bluntly as he put down the receiver. "They found maybe twenty human prisoners, most of them in pretty bad shape. Physically and mentally." He leaned on the table, hands digging into the rim. "Sergeant Lennox said it looked as if the Cylons had been experimenting on them."

Kara swallowed hard. "You mean – like a farm?"

"No, not like that." Adama swiftly reassured her. "Lennox said they seemed to have been testing their pain barriers. Endurance levels. That kind of thing."

It was still bad enough. Kara steeled herself to ask the next question.

"The prisoners – were they from New Caprica?"

She had known what the answer would be, but the bottom still dropped out of her stomach when Adama nodded. "Lennox recognised several of them."

Kara closed her eyes. "We should have got them all away."

"Don't be foolish, Kara." Adama gripped her shoulder, made her look at him. "We did the best we could. We got as many people away as humanly possible. But you can't save everyone."

Kara knew he was right, but it didn't make it any easier.

Adama reached for the phone. "I'd better tell Cottle to get ready for a busy night."

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Kara went to get some much-needed dinner, but halfway through the meal a call came over the comms for her to report to life station.

Swearing under her breath and chewing the last bit of her ration bar, she headed through the corridors. She'd thought Cottle would be too busy with the casualties from the Cylon ship to hassle her tonight.

She turned the last corner to life station and nearly walked into the Admiral. They stared at each other in surprise.

"Kara? What are you doing here?" Adama looked suddenly anxious. "Were you hurt today?"

She shook her head. "I got a call to report to Cottle."

Adama frowned. "He called me as well. Insisted I come down here at once."

Kara was worried. Even Cottle wouldn't haul the Admiral down to life station over nothing. It must be serious. Her heart started thumping.

They headed into life station with sudden urgency. Cottle must have been watching for them because he was at their side immediately.

"Admiral. Captain."

No sarcastic quip? thought Kara. Something was definitely wrong.

"Major," said Adama, sharp and clipped. "Perhaps you'd like to explain what's so important that you can't tell me over the comm. I've got a busy night ahead in CIC."

"Somehow I think they'll have to manage without you," said Cottle drily.

"Why?" Adama's temper was rising. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, exactly." Cottle looked from Adama to Kara and back again, and for a moment Kara could have almost sworn he was smiling. "One of the prisoners from the Cylon ship. I recognised him. We all did."

The possibilities were whirling through Kara's head. Gaeta, perhaps? Or Hotdog?

"Who is it?" asked Adama.

Cottle was definitely smiling now. "It's your son. It's Lee. He's alive."

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Author's Note: Judging from the reviews for this story, I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be rather pleased by this development :-)

Thanks for sticking with me through the unrelenting angst of the first few chapters! I promise it gets happier from now on...(looks at chapter 6)...well, a little bit happier...eventually. I mean, this is Kara and Lee and they don't like to make things easy for themselves! But now you all know there is light at the end of the tunnel :-)

Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, it's much appreciated!