Apollo

She pushed me through! We were the first Colonials to even see a Stargate, let alone go through one, and she PUSHED me through. What a very Starbuck thing to do. Lee quickly snuck a look at Kara. He tried to convince himself it was just to see her reaction to the place. After all, he was okay, and she could usually handle anything he could. Thinking back to last night, Lee corrected himself: If Kara was still her old self, they could generally handle the same things. He knew that Kara had not been sleeping well at all lately. She woke up screaming in the middle of the night after a nightmare of some sort. He knew that Kara often had trouble sleeping when she got stressed, as they had often slept together before assessments at the Academy. Lee wished that him and his best friend were still on good terms because he wanted to be able to comfort her after one of those nightmares. But he wouldn't dare approach her now. Kara hated Leah and hated him for liking her, but he also knew that Kara had no feelings for him whatsoever. After all, she had slept with Baltar on Colonial Night, even when she knew he thought 'her bum knee looked good'. Real smooth, Lee.

They were walking down a ramp that led down form the Stargate. They were in a large room of some sort, with the gate taking up most of the room. Jack was saying something to a man who must have been his CO; Lee noted the aura of command about him. Kara must have noticed too and they both went into military mode and snapped to attention. The man introduced himself as a General Hammond and quickly explained what was going to happen within the next few hours.

They were quickly separated. Kara went with Carter, and he was taken with the male members of the team. They were taken to the infirmary, where Lee was checked out. Lee's thoughts again strayed to Kara. He knew that she had developed a new fear of hospitals. Must have something to do with Caprica. Lee scoffed at the thought of Kara actually talking to him about her time there. However, he was assured that Kara was ok, and that they were only getting a preliminary statement. As the Doctor came towards him with a very big needle, O'Neill asked, "So, Apollo, you seem worried 'bout Starbuck. Anything going on there?" Lee was sure that he only said it to distract him from the needle, but it still stuck a nerve. A very large nerve. Lee grimaced and Daniel correctly assumed that it had nothing to do with the fact that the doctor was now drawing his blood.

"That bad?" asked Daniel, with a look at O'Neill.

"Worse than you could possible imagine." What the frack, maybe they can help. And Lee launched into his whole Kara story. Flight school, where they were bunkmates and best friends, Zak, and then their two year hiatus, until meeting again on Galactica. The moon she crashed on, Colonial Day, Caprica, Kobol, Leah. He had always had a 'thing' from her, since the first moment they met.

Lee had spent the night on the floor after being kicked out of his own bunk room. Technically, his bunkmates couldn't do that, but he would rather leave. They were all obsessed with booze, and the only reason any of them wanted to fly was for the groupies.

Just then, a loud bang came from several doors down.
"GET THE FRAK OUT YOU ASSHOLES!" Several boys, still clad in their pajamas, ran out in the hall, clutching their bags. They took off down the corridor, and Lee could only hope that they were the year's first wash-outs.

"AND CLOSE THE FRAKKING DOOR!" yelled the same voice. Lee knew that they were too far gone to hear her, not to mention close the door, so Lee volunteered. It's not like I have anything better to do.

Lee stuck his head into the doorway before closing it. Cleaning up a floor covered in water, was a blond Lee had never seen. She was short and her blond hair was cut into a neat crew-cut.

"Looks like you have some extra bunks in here." Lee said cautiously.

"Yeah, looks like I do," said the girl, looking at him with distrust.

"I just got kicked out of my bunk room. Mind if I crash here?"

"Sure. Name's Kara Thrace."

"Lee Adama."

"Wow. You two are more screwed up than Sam and I," said O'Neill.

"You and Carter are...together?" ventured Lee. When O'Neill looked anywhere but Lee, he knew better than to press.

Starbuck

After going through the same tests in the Infirmary, Starbuck had been taken to a holding cell. She and Cater had been sitting without saying anything for several minutes.

"So, you and O'Neill look close," started Starbuck. The glare she received rivaled one of her own.

"We've worked together for quite a while," said the other woman warily, "you and Apollo seem just as close."

"We've known each other since flight school. Always been close."

"Kara, you can't just leave me!" screamed Zak. They had been over this for quite some time. Kara had been offered a position on the Battlestar Triton, one of the most prestigious ships in the fleet.

"YOU DON'T GET IT! This is my one opportunity to be something," yelled Kara in response.

"You are something! You're an awesome flight instructor."

"I want more! Flying in space is the best feeling in the world, this is the opportunity of a lifetime!"

"Kara, you're just gonna have to turn it down. We're getting MARRIED. Newlyweds do not transfer halfway across the system away from their husbands!"

"I'm a pilot, Zak. When you proposed you knew that I might have to leave."

"But you don't HAVE to, you want to!"

"I'm going Zak. You don't have a say in it."

"Yes, I do! I will not marry someone who isn't THERE." At this statement, Kara grabbed her bags and hopped into her car, not driving anywhere in particular. She just couldn't understand how he couldn't be happy for her! She had worked her whole career for a commission on a Battlestar; he couldn't expect her to forget her dream just because she was getting married.

Before she knew it, Kara had parked her car in front of a large apartment building. She grabbed her bag out of the passenger seat and sprinted up three flights of stairs.

3B. Kara took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Lee, you home?"

"I've always been half in love with him, but he doesn't think of me that way. To him, I'm just another pilot," stated Kara. She didn't know what about this woman inspired her to open up, but it sure felt good.

"Oh yah, just another pilot. You two seem a little too close for that!"

"At the last election, we were both invited to this party on Cloud Nine," Carter nodded. Earlier, Starbuck had talked about the President. "So, we were getting ready and Lee made some smart-ass comment about my hygiene. Anyways, to get back at him, I borrowed this dress, you know, went all out. So I get there, he seems knocked out, we dance a couple songs, and then he lets the Vice President cut it!" Carter winced. From all accounts, this man seemed to be more than a little bit crazy. "By the time I could shake him off, Lee was gone. I ended up leaving with the VP." Kara didn't add the part about actually sleeping with Baltar, but she figured Sam was smart enough to figure that part out on her own.

"One night. Come on, there has to be more," said Sam. She had gotten as enthralled with Starbuck and Apollo's story as Jack generally did with a Simpson's episode.

"He's seeing someone now. She's pretty and rich. Just about everything I'm not."

"Just because he's with someone doesn't mean he doesn't want to be with you. I was in a pretty tense relationship with this other guy for a while. But, then, there was always Jack."

"Yah, I guess they're always there."


A/N- my longest chapter ever! it was originally two chapters, but from the advice of my beta, it was merged. without her constant imput my story would suck! if she stops doing what she does, i will kill her. painful death...sharp objects...backstreet boys songs over and over again...DEATH! also, the aforementioned death will go to anyone who does not review. if anyone wants to murderME for giving Zak a bad spot, go ahead, but NO ONE can be as good as they make him out to be in the series. besides, i have a gift for it, just read my other crossover! Remember, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

michelle