Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything related to BSG.

"Apollo isn't letting me fly in combat situations, and that is just idiotic. They need me out there…".Kara began but was interrupted by a frustrated Lee. "Frak Kara, he isn't talking about that he's talking about your daughter, the one you felt the need to not inform her father that she existed…." "Don't start pointing fingers and blaming all this on me." Kara cut in.

The arrival of their commanding officers did little to deter their discussion. It actually only added more fuel to the fire. The Admiral recognized the situation immediately and intervened.

"Stop talking both of you now!" He said firmly.

"But Dad…" Lee started, but was silenced by one fatherly glare.

"I think I am starting to understand the situation. I only want to hear from you when I ask a question. Do I make myself clear?" He said looking at both of them for their nod of affirmation.

Maybe I should head back to CIC." Tigh said looking genuinely uncomfortable.

"No, stay here Saul; I may need your assistance." Adama said to his friend.

Saul at least had the courtesy to have a seat a couple of rows back, but still within earshot.

"Kara, who is the father of your child?" He asked with a hard look.

"Lee."

"Why did you lie to me and say you didn't know?"

"I hadn't told Lee yet, he was on Pegasus, and I didn't think it was fair for you to know before him, sir." She said in the same manner as when giving report after a mission.

"So you told Lee as soon as he got back?"

"No I just found out…." Lee began only to be cut off again.

"I did not ask you a question Major."

"Kara?"

"No sir, I tried, but he said he didn't want to hear it." She said glaring at Lee.

"You didn't try very hard Lieutenant."

"I did not ask you a question Major."

"Kara?"

"No sir, I tried, but he said he didn't want to hear it." She said turning to look at Lee.

"Don't talk to him, talk to me."

"Did you say you didn't want to hear it Lee?" He asked.

"Yes, but I didn't know she was going to tell me that she was mine!"

"So she has been on Galactica since you have been, is that right Kara," he turned toward her again, voice steady, eyes questioning.

"Yes sir."

"Why did you decide that I didn't need to know my granddaughter was on my ship?" He said his voice loosing some of the self control he had been trying so hard to obtain.

"It's complicated."

"You know Kara, I believe you are right, and I really don't think it is that important I hear the story right now. Where is your daughter?"

"She is with a sitter in my quarters." Kara replied.

"Go and get her please." He requested.

She stood there starring for a moment contemplating what exactly was going on. "Now Kara." He said causing her to move from her frozen state. She left the room in a rush.

"Sir, I am as surprised at this as you are." Lee said as soon as Starbuck had cleared the room.

"I find that hard to believe son."

"Why is that sir?"

"You obviously at one point had a more intimate relationship with Kara, then I was aware of. What did you do Lee, get her pregnant and then never see her for the next nine months. How could you not know! When you saw the child, found out Kara had a daughter over a month ago did you not even think then, possibly this child could be yours? I am sorry Lee, you are my son, and I know you are not that ignorant."

"I, I don't know what to say." Lee replied sadly.

"Don't say anything, I am done hearing you, both of you. Just sit down and be quiet while we wait for your daughter."

It wasn't long before Kara appeared with little Leah in her arms. She was looking around the room, curious of the new surroundings and the unfamiliar faces. Kara stopped when she was standing before the Admiral.

He stood up just feet from her. "Now Kara, tell her who I am."

"Sir?"

"I would like you to introduce my granddaughter to me," he explained, suddenly his two brightest officers were acting like complete imbeciles.

"Leah, this is your… your," she hardly knew the word to use. "Grandfather" Came the word from a few rows back.

All eyes turned to the colonel. "Sorry, just trying to be of assistance." He mumbled.

The admiral smiled in spite of it all. "Give her to me Kara." He said reaching out for her. Leah happened to be a friendly little girl, and warmed up to people fairly quickly. She allowed this new man she had just met to take her from her mother.

She immediately began to play with the many buttons and pins decorating his uniform. He took his hand and brushed the wispy blonde hair from her face to get a better look at her.

"Already loves men in uniform." Kara said trying a little humor to lighten the situation. She was quickly silenced when she noticed the tears in his eyes.

He turned away from Lee and Kara and carried the little thing around the room, talking quietly to her, pointing out different flashing lights here and there.

They both just stood there and starred, waiting for orders, or more lecturing, or anything.

Finally he came back and stood in front of the two of them. Still holding Leah in his arms, she looked very content, and only smiled at her parents.

"I am very disappointed in both of you," he began. "Kara you lied to me, on more than one occasion."

"Yes sir, I am sorry." She said looking truly sorry.

"When I think of how many times you have foolishly put yourself in danger since the clyon attack, I could kill you myself. You can't just throw caution to the wind, and live your life how you please when you have a child depending on you."

"Sir, I understand that now, but I still don't think that Lee should be grounding me permanently."

"Kara can't you ever think of anything else but frakkin flying." Lee cut in.

"You two are not to address each other, the rules of this conversation still apply, only speak when asked a question." He said again silencing them both.

"You are both right though. Kara, this conversation has nothing to do with you flying a Viper, and you are right, Lee does not have the authority to ground you. We will discuss that at another time."

"I have a question for you Lee," he said sternly. "I want to know how long you waited after your brother was dead before frakking his fiancé?"

They both were shocked at that question. "I don't think that is anything I need to explain to you Sir!" He said looking angry with his father for the first time. The color began to rise in Kara's cheeks as well. She was about to respond to the statement as well.

"I have heard enough from you both. Saul would you come here please," he asked of his friend.

"Would you please escort Lieutenant Thrace, and Major Adama to the brig."

"What charges would you like me to place in the books?" He asked wondering if maybe this was too much for the old man. Being mad at them was one thing, giving them a good verbal stripping, but the brig?

"Lying to a commanding officer, and conduct unbecoming an officer," he replied without hesitation.

"As you wish, if you would both follow me." He said looking at them both.

"But sir, what about Leah," Kara said somewhat frantically. He saw the concern on her face.

"She will be fine, Kara. She will be with me, I think it is time we get to know each other, don't you?"

"But, but…" she stammered. "Kara, if I need you I know where you are." He said remaining somewhat stern, even though he truly felt his heart melting.

"Saul" he said with a nod to the XO.

He took this as his cue to escort his prisoner to their cell.

"Let them be mad at me for awhile." He said quietly into his granddaughter's hair. "Maybe then they will stop fighting with each other."

He was truly upset with both of them, but he hated some of the things he had to say to them, but he hoped they served their purpose. Only time would tell. "Now, let's go see what we can find to play with on this big hunk of metal. Oh, but first, I have a phone call to make."

Not a word was spoken between the three of them as they walked toward the brig. The guard was waiting for them when they arrived. "Do we need to search you for weapons or fire arms?" He questioned. In response they both unstrapped their fire arms. Lee bent down and pulled the weapon he had kept hidden under his pant leg ever since the incident with the black market. Kara also reached down to her ankle and removed a knife she had kept on her ever since her experience on the farm. The thought of it still sent shivers down her spine. They both eyed each other warily.

"Follow me" he said walking to one of the many empty cells and opened the door. He then motioned for them both to enter. Lee walked in first, but Kara hung back. "Sir, you need to enter the cell." The guard commanded. "I think I will take one on the end." Kara said pointing down the row of cells.

"No, I am sorry, I am under orders to put you both together. "Now please enter the cell."

Kara for once in her life did not argue and did as she was told. Lee was already sitting on the cot, so she had a seat in the chair across from it.

"I hope you both have a pleasant evening." Tigh said, earning an evil glare from them both. He smirked and turned leaving them with the guard.

"Someone will bring you a meal this evening. You will be released sometime tomorrow. There will be a guard in the room outside these doors. He is ordered to only come to this cell if he thinks one of your lives is possibly in danger. These are my orders. Do you have any questions?"

"No" they answered simultaneously. "Okay then," the guard replied a slightly puzzled look on his face.

Lee put his feet up on the cot and stretched out starring at the ceiling. Kara began to pace. "What the frak does he think this is going to accomplish."

"Shut up Kara, if I am going to be stuck here all night I want to get some rest."

"No, I won't shut up, I am pissed off. You know he has a right to be mad at me, but there was no reason for him to say that to you." She said continuing her little rant.

"Say what Kara?"

"What he said about Zack. We didn't do anything wrong Lee."

"Kara, how can you say that!" he said jumping up from the cot. "What have we done right?"

"We slept together, when we really had no feelings for each other, except maybe pity. After that we didn't even talk for almost two years. You were pregnant, had our child in the mean time, felt it wasn't necessary that I even know about her. I don't know maybe you thought I would be a 'lousy father' weren't those your words Kara?"

"Lee, I don't think that, I tried to tell you! I feel like I just keep repeating myself over and over again and you won't listen. I called you Lee. Days after I found out I called you, and you never called me back."

"Fine Kara, your right, I should have called you back. I just didn't know how to deal with you then."

"Deal with me, deal with me! You had no trouble frakking me, but you couldn't deal with me! Lee I had no friends, no one to turn to, and you knew that, and yet you just left me. You had another life, friends a different job. But I was stuck, stuck with the same job where I had met the love of my life, stuck in the same apartment we had shared. Then I was stuck being pregnant, pregnant with his brother's child." She screamed letting what had been building up for so long finally break.

"You don't know how hard it was for me Lee. You can act mad, pissed off that I didn't tell you about Leah, but the truth is if you couldn't deal with me then, how would you have dealt with the news of my pregnancy? I saved you Lee, saved you from the pain, the guilt everything you would have felt. I had to go nine months only letting two people on the entire planet know of my baby. You know my career would have been ruined if anyone found out I had an illegitimate child, when I was supposed to be on my way to Viper pilot stardom."

"Kara…" he said reaching out to touch her wanting to comfort her, for his anger was dissipating with each tear he saw form and fall down her cheeks.

"Don't you frakkin touch me, Lee, not now, never again."

"Kara," he tried again.

"No Lee, I have had enough from you. I have apologized, and I am not going to apologize again, because I am not sorry. I did what I had to do. Now leave me the frak alone." She walked over to the cot and grabbed a blanket. She then went over to the corner of the cell and pulling the blanket around her she sank into a heap and let the tears fall.

Lee wasn't sure what to do. He felt about a foot tall. She had needed him, and he hadn't been there for her. Wasn't that the story of their lives. He wanted to go to her, to put his arms around her, tell her it was all going to be all right, but her words held him back.

She said she didn't want him to touch her. Not now she had said, never again, and the way she had said it he truly believed she had meant it. "Kara why don't you lay on the cot?" Lee said softly.

"I'm fine where I am." She said wanting to just be alone in her self pity for the moment, she didn't want comfort, not from him, not from the cot, she just wanted to be left alone. The cold hard floor was comforting to her, at the moment in mirrored every fiber of her soul.

Lee gave up, and sank onto the cot himself, starring up again at the ceiling and trying to keep his eyes off of Kara. This was a Kara he rarely saw. He had seen her pissed off, crazy drunk, happy, frustrated, vulnerable, sad. But this was something else, it was almost the same state she had been in after Zack had died, but this was worse. Broken, her spirit was broken and it was all because of him.

He would find a way to fix this. At least as soon as she would let him. He cast one more glance her way to see her head buried in her knees. He let out a sigh then pulled the extra blanket over him. Maybe he could get a nap before they brought their evening meal. He found himself wondering how his daughter and his father were getting along. As far as he knew she didn't even yet know she had a daddy. Something that would change as soon as he was let out of this cell, this was going to be a long night.

AN: Hi all, as you can see I changed my pen name to Ash234, instead of Kafan, I know it's not recommended, but I have my reasons. Sorry it isn't longer. I write as much as I am able to, and update as soon as I can. If you noticed I switched names during the Adama/Kara/Lee, conversation like Major/Lee/Apollo/Starbuck, it was on purpose. I was trying to show how the lines between duty/job and family are always blurred with the three of them, so if you found it annoying sorry. Also I hope you are all happy, she finally gave it to Lee, so now he can get his head out of his rear end. I appreciate all the reviews of the last chapter. Sorry I didn't have time to reply to them. I will do better this week. Thanks so much for reading.