DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the Battlestar Galactica do not belong to me.

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HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Seven - THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE.

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Kara's neck hurt from sitting motionless for over two hours. But the reports needed to be done. She couldn't let her Commander down. It was surprising how good they still worked together, despite all the changes in their relationship, despite those months they'd been apart. They were still Starbuck and Apollo.

If only they could be that close privately... The thought surprised her. She was sure she got over him long ago. She had Sam now, she truly loved her husband, she was happy. But seeing Lee again brought back some of those emotions she felt for this Adama. Some of those emotions that could never be...

She lifted her head, when she felt she was being watched. A tiny figure stood in the doorway to the pilots briefing room. That one sure has changed. She was now a Lieutenant. Lieutenant Dualla.

Kara remembered that she used to like the quiet communications officer. Back then, before the attack, or even during the first months of war. Dee was always this nice shy person, but still someone who could listen when you needed to talk. When did that change? Probably at some point when Kara was back on Caprica. For the first time. Or maybe it wasn't Dee who's changed? Truth be told Kara felt everything changed then. Her whole world was different. She herself was different after all the things she experienced back "home". But it was not just that, her friends changed as well: Commander Adama – but then, he nearly died; Lee – mutinied, watched his father get shot in front of him; even Helo – it was like a come back from the dead, when she saw him at the Delphi Museum.

Dee was never one of her friends. That's why Kara could think it wasn't the Petty Officer who'd changed, but her own way of seeing the girl. But no. There was more to it. It was at some point while she was away, that Dualla started developing feelings for Lee Adama. And she was also more blunt and straight forward. Up to the point of being truly annoying.

Like right now for example. She stood in the hatch and smiled. It was a kind of a victorious smile, as if the two of them were at war, and Anastasia just won a battle. Starbuck shot her her most petrifying glance. And the dark skinned girl only smiled wider, and stepped towards the pilot.

"You don't need to worry" she started, and Kara had no idea what that was supposed to mean. But she didn't speak up, so Dualla cocked her head, watching her closely, scrutinizing. "Trust me, all is going to end up well."

"Right" Kara mustered, still refusing to play into Dualla's hands. She pretended to be focused on the papers in front of her.

"I know what you're afraid of" Dee whispered leaning closer to Kara over the table.

Kara wanted to smack her on the mouth. What the frak did that woman want? Afraid of? Dualla should be afraid! She managed to show several times how jealous she was of Pegasus Commander. And Kara knew very well, that the girl considered Starbuck as her greatest threat. So what was she aiming at right now?

That mysterious smile plastered to her face was really pissing Kara off. She needed just a little drive. Just a tiny little more.

"I know what you fear" Dee repeated, and pushed off of the table, to have a wider look at Starbck. "But you needn't worry. No child is going to be harmed."

What! All Kara managed to do was stare at Dualla with her mouth gaping open. How did the bitch know?

"Yes, Lee told me" Dee said, seriously this time, her smile gone. "You never thought he'd be such a gossiper, huh? Well, he tells me everything. But that's good this time, because see… I can now ease up your worries. He's not a child."

"What?" Kara finally breathed out. "I don't get... who's not a child, Lee?" She was so confused. What was Dualla really talking about?

The Lieutenant just gazed at her for a few moments. And then she answered. "The hybrid."

Kara only stared.

"The hybrid is not a child" Dualla repeated. "His parent is designed as a Number One. One and Two were created during the first war. The first hybrid is now an adult. You don't need to worry about condemning any child to any kind of abuse. What you have to take care of is setting a trap for Number One, so he would be disarmed and stopped protecting his offspring" Dualla continued her explanations as the realization finally dawned on Kara. She was now talking to a cylon.

"You..." she breathed out.

"Yes. Me. I'm your connection to Leoben. I'm supposed to tell you what you must do, and when. And you would really want to obey that" Dualla's demeanor, and her voice were nice and pleasant, but there was this dangerous hint to it. She was a monster. And now she smiled, and there was something similar about the way she, and her master smiled – there was no joy to it. "That's why you're not going to reveal who I am."

"Oh really?" Kara tried to mock, but it came out rather lame. She realized she was shaking – from anxiety, and from fear both.

"Yes really. You know yourself there are other agents in the Fleet. Even right here, on Pegasus. You don't want to put Samuel in danger, do you? And then, there's Lee..."

"You wouldn't hurt Lee!"

"Yes, and neither would you" Dualla made an effective pause. "Can you imagine how hurt he'd feel if he realized he spent a year in the arms of a cylon spy?"

"Not knowing the truth is hurting him more!" Kara hissed, but she didn't manage to intimidate the machine in front of her.

"And that's where you're wrong" the girl whispered. "But then... maybe you'd like him to be hurting?"

"You bitch!"

"You could try to comfort him then. Hold him, kiss him..."

"I could what?..." Being a cylon was one thing, but being out right rude was something totally different.

"You could comfort him, when I'm gone. The way I am comforting him now after a difficult battle, or after making difficult decisions. Wouldn't you like to comfort Lee Adama that way? I know this was once your dream..."

If that bitch only knew how close to the truth she was! "I'm married" Kara hissed, getting up.

"Does that mean you won't hop into my man's bed after I'm just a memory?"

That was it. Kara jumped on top of the table she was sitting at and attacked the cylon on the spot. The robot didn't even have time to blink.

But after the initial shock, it was Dualla, who dealt with Starbuck with ease. Kara had no idea how she ended up pinned face first to the floor, her arm twisted against her back. She couldn't even make a move.

"I don't want to hurt you" Dee whispered, leaning to her ear. "We don't want to hurt your husband either. But most of all I don't want the man I love to get hurt. Because you may think whatever you want – I love Lee Adama. You humans know nothing about us. We are capable of love. We do have emotions. We're not so different from you."

"You have no compassion. You murdered entire civilization!" Kara tried to scream, but Dualla covered her mouth.

"Shut up. Keep my secret. And wait for further instructions."

The Lieutenant, the vital member of CIC crew... the cylon... got up, and walked out of the briefing room without turning back once.

And left Kara in total dismay.

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It was the middle of the night when she returned to her quarters. CAG's quarters that she sheared with Sam.

But he was not asleep.

"A good book?" she tried to tease, but he didn't let her fool him.

"Boring to be honest." He put it on the shelf beside the bed, and looked directly at her. And that's when she knew she was lost. "What is going on, Kara? I know everything is messed up, but there's more to it. There's something you're hiding from me, and it started back on New Caprica. I know how to put two and two together, and I think it had something to do with the medications you got for me." He stared at her, as if reading her mind. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor, but even that could not save her. "I know it had something to do with that man, who came searching for you. Leoben, right? That was his name? What happened Kara?"

"Sam, I really..."

"Frak, girl! I love you, I'm your husband! And you feed me with some crap. How much longer is that going to last?"

Kara got up, and started pacing the floor. There wasn't much room to really gain speed. She felt like a wild animal in a cage.

"Frak, Kara!"

"Frak, Sam! Do you think it's easy for me? I'm only trying to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection!" He got up, and stepped to her. He held her by the arms, and forced to look at him. With their faces only inches from each other he stared at her meaningfully. "I'm a big boy, Starbuck" he whispered forcefully. "I have been for more than twenty years now, I had to grow up almost as quickly as you did. So please stop protecting me, because that's plain stupid. And I'd hate to think I married a stupid woman."

"How dare you?" she breathed out. He was making her furious.

"Speak up" he hissed pressing her against the wall, and his body against hers.

She shook her head, looking him straight in the eye. He had no idea. No frakking idea!

"I bought those antibiotics for you."

"And the price was..."

"My soul..."

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He couldn't seize to surprise her. Samuel understood everything just as well, as Lee, who knew her for years. After she screamed out her anger and frustration, she started crying, sobbing wildly, like she hadn't for so long, she couldn't remember. And he held her, kissed her, and comforted her until she kissed him back, and they ended up tearing each other's cloths off, and making love. Like they hadn't in weeks. Like they hadn't since he got sick, because he was to weak for this wildness, and later – she was too freaked out to ease up enough to let the passion take over.

She loved him. She really, really loved him.

Dualla's little cylon love was safe. At least from the threat that Starbuck was. But Kara just couldn't leave it like that. Even Sam said they had to tell Lee.

"The Commander must know, Kara" he tried to reason with her the next morning. "This is a matter of security of the whole Fleet! She is our enemy agent."

"I know, but I can't let him airlock her!" Kara erupted. "If I'm not in touch with Leoben, if I don't do what they ask... I really don't know what they'd do to you. I can't risk you getting hurt." She nearly broke into tears. She couldn't allow another man she loved to suffer because of her mistake!

"I won't let them hurt me" Sam tried to reassure her, but she knew better.

"These are killing machines, they know all our weaknesses, they know all about us. They'd get to you before you'd even blink."

"She's threatening you, and you let her. Is that this brave, invincible Starbuck I used to know?"

She looked at him, and in his eyes she saw faith, and courage she now lacked. All she needed to do was lean on him. He was the best thing that ever happened to her, she did not deserve a man like that. But here he was, by her side, willing to support her through every ordeal. Why couldn't she trust him sooner? Why did she wait this long?

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t.b.c.

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