Chapter 3

Present time

Life on Galactica had not been easy for Kara. She had loved the time she had spent here, but her life was so different then what she had planned. When she arrived on the ship she had to prove herself and she new it. She had to show that she was a top pilot that deserved to be here, and not because the old man felt sorry for her.

Hiding her daughter had been surprisingly easy. An acquaintance on Caprica had family that was stationed on Galactica that would take her. Kara could not go through with letting Leah be officially adopted by the couple. It was more of a joint custody arrangement. Kara had the ultimate custody of Leah, but Eve and Mark were her legal guardians. The situation benefited both of them. Mark and Eve got to have a child in their life, and Kara still got to be part of her life and make sure she was raised right.

Life had gotten more difficult when Lee arrived on the ship. It was hard seeing her daughter's father and not telling him. It was not an option to her then. She had played the scenarios over and over again in her mind, but none of them seemed to go as planned. He did not want the child of the woman he loved, why would he want one with her? He would be angry with her, the Commander would be furious. The scenario that he would be happy never quite worked out how she had hoped. What right did she have raising a child? Her own childhood was so messed up what kind of mother would she be. What she did, she thought was in the best interest of Leah.

She had a different kind of relationship with Lee now then when he had first arrived on the ship. The cylon attack had changed everything. Lee was her friend, probably her best friend, but at times she still wanted to kill him. It was like there was always something there, some invisible line keeping them from moving beyond friendship. Maybe it was the remembrance of what had happened before, and the hurt they had both secretly felt after it, or maybe it was they were just too busy with other things on their mind. Whatever it was something was there keeping them apart.

This invisible line had kept them apart the last two weeks, that and their hard headedness. Kara felt badly about attacking Lee when he was down, but did not know how to go about apologizing. Lee was just too busy with other things to worry about his ticked off pilot. Yes they weren't getting along, but they still had jobs to do and both got them done.

Kara had been spending more and more time with Leah. Her desire for her nights of drinking and cards was not nearly as high as it had been in the last few years. Kara Thrace was growing up, and she knew it. Yes she could still be a hot head at times; the nuggets could vouch for that. The close encounters with death had a way of maturing a person, and her last one with the raider Scar had really messed with her head.

On her way back from seeing her that afternoon she ran into Mark, Eve's husband. "Kara, I need to talk to you," he said stopping her in the hall.

"Sure, what's going on?" She replied.

"Friday is Eve's 35th birthday. I managed to get leave and have a one night stay on Cloud Nine. I was wondering if you could keep Leah Friday and Saturday?"

"Mark I don't know. I do good to get a few hours off here and there, much less two days," she said hesitantly.

"I guess we can take her with us, don't worry about it Kara," he replied the disappointment clearly on his face.

She thought quickly. They could give her the time off. It would not be easy and it would mean talking to Lee, but she would try.

"I will see what I can do Mark, I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Great thanks Kara. Eve loves that little girl, but everyone needs a break now and then."

If Kara wanted time off she could probably get it, she usually found a way to get what she wanted. She just wished this time it did not involve having to ask Lee. Kara wasn't a coward by any means, there were just things she sometimes liked to choose not to deal with, and right now Lee would have been on the top of that list.

She swallowed what little pride she had and practiced her speech as she headed toward his office. She rapped on the closed door to his office, a little louder than she intended. "Come in," came the reply.

"Yes Starbuck?" He said upon seeing her enter, already looking back down to the paperwork on his desk.

"Lee, I need to talk to you if you have a minute."

"Go ahead," he replied still not looking up from his paperwork.

"Frak Lee, could you just look at me, I am attempting to apologize," she said gaining his full attention.

"I need to apologize, and I have a favor to ask, which one do you want to hear first."

"Oh, so that is why you are having the sudden change of heart, you need something from me," he replied with a hard look on his face.

"Well partly, but I really am sorry Lee. I have been pretty much miserable, and I should not have said the things I said to you. Friends again?"

He starred at her for a minute, his expression unreadable. "Kara you really need to work at apologies, because you really suck at them," she saw the small smile appear; he couldn't stay mad at her forever.

She took that opportunity to reel him in. She went to the other side of the desk, and in grand dramatic fashion knelt before him. "Oh great and mighty Apollo, I am so unworthy of your forgiveness. I am a wretched soul that seeks your forgiveness. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me this one little sin, your name will be praised by the gods for all times." She was right he lost it.

"Kara get up, you look ridiculous," he said standing in front of her. "And what do I care if the god's praise me? I thought I was one?" He said reaching out a hand to pull her to her feet.

"So was that one any better?" She asked with a wicked grin. She stood to her feet and didn't realize until then, they were mere inches apart. "It was," he said not bothering to move away. "I could have thought of a better way though," he said his eyes boring into hers.

Kara could feel her whole body flushing, she had been close to Lee before, but this was different and surprisingly familiar. "Like what?" She said in a near whisper, her tongue involuntarily running over her dry lips.

She saw a smile start to spread across his face. "Like finish this pile of paperwork for me." He said pointing to his crowded desk. She stepped back suddenly the moment lost almost before it had begun.

"Funny Lee, very funny, but I am not that sorry."

"You said you needed a favor? What is it?" He asked, fun time was over, he had work to do.

"I need to be off all duty Friday and Saturday," she said quickly.

"Kara two whole days? You know I can't do that, then everyone in the fleet is going to want time off. I can give you an afternoon or morning, but two days is a little much."

She saw this was going to take a little more convincing than she thought. "Lee, I would not be asking for this if it was not important. You know I never ask for time off."

"What do you have to do Kara?"

"It's personal Lee, I can't really share it with anyone, it is just something I need to do," she said begging him to understand.

"Kara, please just tell me it doesn't involve stealing military property, and jumping to God knows where."

"No Lee, it is nothing illegal, or dangerous, but I need to do it."

"Okay Kara, you can have your two days off, but I leave Saturday morning for a weeks stay on the Pegasus, and I am leaving you in charge in my place. I think that is a fair trade off."

"Thanks Lee, I think I can handle it. Why are you going on board the Pegasus?"

"I will be working with their new Commander. His knowledge in the running of a Battlestar is limited to the engine room."

"Well I am sure Adama had his reasons for giving him the command. I will look forward to reading your report," she replied, her mind wandering to the mighty Pegasus, the great ship that was in desperate need of a great leader. She had a great leader at one time, but she was dead and almost by the hand of Kara.

"Kara, I hate to stop this little conversation, since this is the first time we have talked in weeks, but aren't you supposed to be in a Viper in less than 15 minutes?"

"Oh, frak Lee, I lost track of time, thanks, gotta run," she left in a rush, leaving her friend shaking his head, wondering if she would ever change.

Friday came all to soon for Kara. She was very nervous about the whole situation, and so was Eve. "Mark, maybe we should just take her with us," she was saying while holding a tearful little girl.

"Eve we have talked about this, she knows Kara, she will be fine as soon as we leave."

"But, she is not feeling well, and she needs me," Eve argued with her husband.

Kara was getting sick of the debate that had been going on for almost 20 minutes, and just wanted her to make a frakkin decision. "Come here Leah," she said taking the little girl from Eve's arms. "We'll be okay won't we?" She asked her daughter. Surprisingly Leah did not reach back to Eve, but clung to Kara's neck.

"See Eve, they will be fine, if not Kara knows where to find us, now we need to go dear, or we will miss our shuttle." Mark said trying to have patience with his wife, it was her birthday after all.

"Okay" replied a hesitant Eve, she came and gave Leah one last kiss. "Take good care of her Kara," she said in parting.

When the door was finally closed behind them Kara already felt exhausted. "God's Leah, what does she think I am going to do with you. They trust me to keep them safe by shooting the frakkin Cylons out of the sky, but don't trust me with a one year old. Like I would let any harm come to you, my flesh and blood, my daughter. My daughter not hers. You hear that Leah, I'm Mama, not her."

Kara was not sure why she just went on this little rampage. Leah obviously had no idea what she was talking about, but Kara Thrace was not the type of person that liked to be thought of as incompetent in anything, and lately Eve had really been annoying her.

Eve was right about one thing, Leah was not feeling well. She did not want to get in the floor and play, she preferred to just sit in Kara's lap and be held. Kara put in some old movies Eve and Mark had in their collection and laid on the couch, Leah sleeping on her chest.

Leah was crabby when she awoke. She had a cough, but it seemed like she kept a little cough most of the time. Kara could not get her to eat much, but she did manage to get her to drink a cup of milk. Kara tried to entertain her while she was awake, which did not last long. Soon she was back to sleep. Kara carried her to the little room where Mark and Eve slept and crawled in the bed next to her. It wasn't long before mother and daughter were sleeping soundly by each other.

Sometime in the middle of the night Kara woke to an unfamiliar sound. She looked around the room quickly and realized where she was. The sound was coming from Leah, something was not right. She was breathing rapidly and there was a wheezing sound with each breath. Kara quickly turned the lights on and noticed the bright red flush to her cheeks. She put her hand to Leah's forehead, she was burning up.

Kara scooped her still sleeping daughter up and left the room at a run. She had to get her sickbay and fast.

"Can I help you?" asked the nurse from behind the desk.

"I need Dr. Cottle now!" Kara ordered the woman.

"I need you to fill out these forms miss, and tell me what is wrong, and then I will go and wake the good doctor up," the nurse said in snippy nurse fashion.

"She can't breathe, I am not filling out any frakkin forms, and you will wake him up now, or I swear to the gods I will jump over this desk and…." "Miss you need to calm down, or I will call security on you," the woman said sharply interrupting Kara's rampage, not stepping down a bit.

"Lori, what is going on out here?" Asked a sleepy looking Dr. Cottle, who did not look happy at being aroused from his drug induced sleep by the screeching of an angry woman.

"Sir, this woman just appeared and started yelling at me," the nurse named Lori, said pointing an accusing finger in Starbuck's direction.

"Ah Starbuck, my least favorite patient, what do you have with you."

"That is what I was trying to tell that idiot over there, she is sick she is not breathing right." She said holding Leah out to him.

He walked over to where Kara was standing and quickly examined the child. "Lori, get this kid on some oxygen now, and start an updraft stat." He commanded the angry nurse. Kara gave her a deadly stare, as she followed her to the stretcher.

Leah's breathing slowed to a more normal rate with the treatments and oxygen, but her fever was still high.

"Kara, who's kid is this?" asked the doctor closing the curtain behind him.

Kara looked at him for a moment and gave a simple answer that would change her life completely. "Mine."

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing last chapter. Not sure if I like this chapter very well, but decided to go with it anyway. I was thinking realistically I doubted if they would let families and children live on a battlestar. Then I thought well I guess in all reality there is no such thing as a battlestar, and it is a fanfiction so if I want to put kids on my battlestar I guess I could. So sorry if you think it is a little weird, because I do also, but hey it's a story. Next chapter I will be going back in time to tell the rest of what happened after Lee left. Thanks again for reading, please review, I will try to update sooner.