A small beeping rang through Lee's quarters, and he wondered when he had set an alarm. Groaning, he sat up in bed and ran his hand over his chin. He hadn't shaved in a few weeks now. Kara seemed to like the rugged mountain man look, though. She had told him that a few days earlier.
Lee's eyes fell back to the small beeping alarm. Kara. That explained it. She must have slipped into his quarters some time the night before and left before morning.
It had started to become a habit. An hour or two after he went to bed, Lee would hear a soft knock on his door. Kara would step into the room, shrug out of most of her clothes, and then slide into the bed next to him. They never said a word to one another because it would break whatever spell had been cast.
It was too easy to get used to the feel of her body against his.
Lee knew why she came to him only at night. Night could be a scary time on New Caprica. There were always noises ringing through the air, distant bombings, a few screams. Eventually the ground would start shaking. It could be unnerving.
Kara came to him for comfort, for reassurance that she still had that stability she needed. She clung to him in a way that he knew she never did with Anders. She let herself be vulnerable, and Lee wanted nothing more than to protect her so he never said a word.
He wasn't sure if Anders knew where his wife was going during the night. Kara only slipped into his room every few days or so, and she was always gone by morning. Lee figured Anders was in denial. He probably thought she was off running the corridors or punching something to get her tension out. He would never think she was in bed with another man.
Lee had done his best to avoid talking with Anders for the past three months. He was afraid that if the ex-pyramid captain got on the wrong side of Lee's temper for just one second, he'd do something stupid like show Anders the tattoo on his arm. There were many days where he had to force himself to stay silent. Then he would see Kara laughing with her husband, and he would know he could never say a word. It would hurt her too much.
He could still feel Kara's finger tracing the small circle and wing on his right arm. She seemed fascinated by the ink-stained skin. For the first few weeks, she didn't sleep when she came to him. She would just stare at him, idly tracing the marks with her fingertips. Lee didn't blame her. If he wasn't still in pain, he would have spent most of his night staring right back at her.
There had only been one close call. Lee had been fiddling with a few of the newer weapons the Chief was designing and there had been a small oil spill. It got all over his tanks, and Lee took them off without really thinking. He realized within seconds when Kara's voice came screaming across the room.
"Adama! Fraking put your tanks back on! "
They both played it off as another joke about keeping the women off of him, but the Chief had given Lee a strange look as he was leaving. It seemed it didn't take much for Galen Tyrol to put two and two together. Anders had been with Kara that day, but he was so focused on why his wife had such a random, sudden outburst that he didn't turn in time to see what Lee was hiding.
After that, Kara started running interference. She gave Lee and Anders projects that kept them on separate sides of the base. Lee didn't slip up again, but they obviously weren't taking any chances.
It was odd how okay Lee was with the situation. Kara was married. She lived in her quarters with Anders and spent most, if not all, of her downtime with him, rightfully so since he was her husband. Yet Lee couldn't help but feel like there was something missing in Anders' relationship with his best friend. There were quite a few things slightly off with Kara and Anders. It was nothing too noticeable, just the little things.
She was happy, though. Lee could see that.
Sighing, Lee pulled himself out of bed and walked over to his desk. There was a large pile of papers just waiting for him to look over. Kara had him evaluating the few defense protocols they have in place for when they leave this little hideaway. Lee was pretty sure it was busy work, but he didn't mind it. It kept his focus on something more productive than why even after she got happily married to another man, he still wanted to steal her away.
Lee looked down at the new diagrams one of the other survivors drew up. He was a million miles away from Galactica and Pegasus, and yet he still felt like he was in command. It had been a gradual shift, mostly by necessity.
The first week or so was a complete blur. He was still healing from what the Cylons did to him, and the pain kept him weak. The only thing he could remember was Kara. Glimpses of her running her hand along his aching muscles, whispering anything and everything into his ear as he slipped off to sleep, rubbing ointment on the wounds on his back, smiling down at him without saying a word. She took care of him. She spent every waking moment by his side until she was sure he would be okay.
Eventually, when he was strong enough to realize she did have better, more important things to do, he asked her why she was making him her top priority. Her work could wait, she insisted. He needed her to get through this.
Lee had reached his hand out to run along the scars on her back. "So who helped you through this when it happened to you?"
"You did," Kara smiled, leaning into his body. His arms wrapped around her and held her tight. "I mean, you weren't here to rub ointment on me or anything."
"Gods, I wish I was," Lee joked.
Kara chuckled before her face went serious again. "It was your voice that soothed me at night when the nightmares got too intense. I kind of closed myself off from everyone, but I couldn't really get you out of my head."
They had sat there, holding each other in silence, the rest of that night.
It was one of those moments that defined who they were. It defined what they stood for together.
Lee threw down the diagrams and, picking a shirt and pants up off the back of his desk chair, slid them on. It was almost breakfast time, and he didn't want to miss his daily date with his favorite blond. Lee had no idea how Kara kept it up, but she always managed to be down in that mess hall whenever he showed up in the morning. She would kick out the chair across from her in invitation, and they would just banter their way right through breakfast.
They did that a lot. Lee almost felt as if he was back on Galactica during those first weeks after the attack. Back then, he and Kara seemed to make time for one another. They fixed Vipers together. They played triad together. She even helped him plan briefings. They would seek each other out just to make sure everything was still okay.
They were doing it again now, that damn seeking each other out thing.
Lee would have to go outside to make sure none of the defenses around their complex had been breached, and Kara popped up at the last minute to help him. He tried to get a little tension relief by going to the makeshift gym that had been set up, and Kara was already there kicking the crap out of some unlucky bastard. She was flinging food at him in the middle of lunch because he had his serious face on and screaming at him when he tried to talk to her about what the Cylons had done. She still wouldn't open up completely. She was asking him about what life would be like when they finally got back to the Fleet, and he was promising her a place on Pegasus if she just said the word. She was always in front of his eyes, in his head, in his heart.
Kara was everywhere these days, and he didn't mind one bit.
Finally finished lacing up his boots, Lee's eyes fell back to the alarm, thinking about Kara setting it quickly and then tiptoeing out of the room. The haze of early morning finally cleared from his head as he put two and two together to suddenly remember why Kara would have set an alarm on this particular day. "Frak!" he hissed, jumping up.
He grabbed his holster and jacket where they were hanging off the end of the bunk and took off in an all-out sprint.
Today was the day they were going home.
He found her in the middle of chaos. She was side by side with her husband, and they were rallying the troops. Lee stepped up to do his part. Sometime after he had gotten over the injuries the Cylons had given him, he had become a part of this resistance. Even more, he had become one of its leaders. It was him, Kara, Anders, and Tyrol. Together, they were giving these courageous fighters a reason to believe they still had lives to lead.
Kara turned mid-sentence to give Lee a big smile. "Well, look who finally got his lazy ass out of bed and decided to join us."
"Thanks for that," Lee said, referring to the alarm. He looked at the plans on the table in front of Kara. "What do we have here?"
"Taylor wants to make this place go kaboom."
Lee turned to look at the other man standing around the table. Cole Taylor had been his XO on Pegasus before they settled on New Caprica. Now he was just another person trying to be reunited with the only home he had known for the past two years.
'I just think we need to destroy this base so the Cylons can't use it in any way to track us. We don't have the technology to wipe it clean so we're going to have to use the last of our ammunition to burn it."
"Personally, I think Taylor just misses being in his Raptor and blowing things up," Kara interjected.
Lee rolled his eyes. It wouldn't be a normal day if Kara wasn't snipping at Stinger in some way. "Though I think covering our tracks is a good idea, I'm not sure blowing the whole place would be wise. If things don't go right with Galactica-" He could see Kara tense even as the words fell from his mouth. "Don't," he said, holding up a hand. "As well-thought out as your plan is, it could go wrong. We might not be returning home today, and that's something we have to deal with. Before it happens."
Kara narrowed her eyes at him for a moment but gave him a curt nod of agreement. "Fine. What do you suggest, Commander?"
Lee winced. He hated when she used his rank. "A timed delay on the trigger, one that we can deactivate if we need to. Taylor gets his explosion and we get the security of knowing if the explosion happens we'll be millions of miles away. Do we have the hardware for that?" Lee turned to Anders for the first time. The ex-pyramid captain had been in charge of their ammunitions and potential demolitions. It seems Sam had gotten a taste for blowing things up when he was on Caprica.
"I can make it happen." Anders glanced over at Kara. "If we're all in agreement?"
"Do what the stupid men want," Kara said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I don't give a frak. We're getting off this rock today so it doesn't even matter."
Lee shook his head. He had no clue where Kara's undying optimism came from, but he was glad it was there.
"Lee! Kara!"
Lee turned to see the Chief jogging towards them. He tried not to dwell on the way Anders looked so pissed off at Tyrol's obvious admission of his name when calling across the room. Lee had asked Tyrol about that when he first started taking command of the resistance group. It seemed that since the day Kara brought Lee back with her, people had started seeing Anders not as the person running the show alongside Kara but as the spouse of one of their leaders. Lee had taken Anders place in their eyes without realizing it.
"Everyone's saddled up," the Chief said as soon as he was close enough. "We're ready to move out."
Lee nodded. "Fine. Kara?"
Kara took a quick look at the people still inside the planning room. These were the most important people, the ones who were going to make sure this rescue happened. "All right. Taylor, Sam, you need to bring up the rear. Make sure that no one gets left behind. Take Conners and Matthews with you. Chief, I want you to stay in the middle. Keep the peace. Bauer can help with that. Sam, find Barclay and have her set the charges. She'll be able to catch up with us when she's done." Kara looked around the room before nodding her head. "All right, people! Let's do this."
"Wait," Sam hissed, grabbing Kara's arm to hold her behind as everyone began to move. "Where are you going to be during all this?"
"I'm going to be up front," Kara said. She bit her lip and tried not to wince as she said the next part. "With Lee."
"Are you sure that's wise?"
"Sam, we've had this discussion before. I might be an important part of this thing, but I'm still expendable. If I get shot down, if I die, you will move on. I will not hide, and I will not back down."
Sam reached out to caress her cheek. "I wish you wouldn't say things like that. You're far from expendable."
"Only to some," Kara said, biting her lip.
"To me." Anders leaned in to give brush his lips lightly across hers. "I love you, Mrs. Anders."
"Call me Kara," she joked.
Lee waited patiently at the hatchway for Kara to say goodbye to her husband, and he did his best to keep his eyes glued to the ground. Usually Kara kept these displays of affection pretty private. On a day like today, it was pretty hard, especially since she's banished Anders to the back of the group. Lee agreed with her decision of course. Anders was one of the best fighters they had, and he would do well protecting the rear.
"Good hunting, Commander."
Lee looked up to see Anders standing in front of him. "I think it's about time you called me Lee, Sam."
Anders regarded him a moment before nodding. Without another word, he stepped outside and started screaming orders for everyone to stick together and not frak up.
Lee felt a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't turn. Kara leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Looks like it's you and me again."
Lee tilted his head to rest on hers and smiled. "All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." Kara bit his shoulder lightly in protest. "Ow!"
"That's what you get for using Cylon speak on me, Adama," she warned.
"Just don't pinch me." Lee twisted his body and laid his arm around Kara's shoulders. Together they started walking. "So what'd you say to Anders to convince him that having you and me up front was a tactical move?"
"I didn't have to convince him of anything," Kara insisted. "I simply said I needed you there, and that was that." Kara tried not to dwell on the fact that she had been using that phrase with Sam more and more each day. It seemed there were a million things she needed Lee for.
Kara shrugged out of Lee's arms as they neared the group. Everyone knew about her special relationship with the Commander, but she didn't like to broadcast it. Switching into Starbuck mode, she started yelling and within seconds, the group was moving like a well-oiled machine.
It was all business for the first two miles out of the city, and then Kara gave the order that they could relax at least partially. She assigned people to hold a perimeter around the group and keep their eyes peeled. Everyone in the middle of the circle got to take a breather. Kara didn't have to tell Lee that they were never going to be a part of that middle group.
"You're different, you know," Lee whispered as the group inched forward.
Kara didn't even flinch. "How so?"
"It took me a while to figure it out. I mean, I knew you would be different. You've been through a lot here on Caprica."
"So have you."
"And I'm different for it, too."
"All right. So we're both different." Kara smirked. "Maybe that's why you and I haven't gotten into a fist fight for the past few weeks."
"We haven't changed that much." Lee sighed and, scanning the area around them, reached out to take her hand. "Seriously, Kara, it's been years since I've seen you this happy."
Kara nodded. She wasn't going to pretend like she wasn't. "What does that say about me? We're in the middle of a hellhole planet occupied by a bunch of machines, and I've finally decided to be happy."
"I'd like to think that's partially because of me, but I'm not that oblivious. You were happy before I showed up."
Kara stayed silent.
"You're happy with Sam, Kara, and I'm willing to let go of whatever this is between us because of that."
"You better not be saying goodbye to me right now, Lee, or so help me gods, I will kill you with my own bare hands."
Lee squeezed her hand. "No, I'm not saying goodbye, Kara. I'm not going anywhere. It's just… You're happy. The last time I saw you like this was when Zak was alive. I can remember the way your smile just radiated. I liked seeing you that way."
Kara leaned in to hug Lee's arm. "You're really too good to me sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"Well, we do tend to self-destruct rather frequently."
"Good point."
Kara sighed. "So if I'm happy, what does that make you?"
"Content."
"Good." Kara pulled back but left their hands linked together. They continued to scan the area in front of them. Every time one of their men came over to ask them a question or relay information, they broke apart. The second they were alone again, they gravitated towards each other again. Lee was really starting to understand what it meant when he said Kara was his best friend. It was a level of comfort he had never really felt before.
They made it to the clearing the Chief and Cally had chosen months earlier, and Kara quickly found spots for each and every person to settle in. They were as hidden as they could be, and Kara hoped it was enough. She took a few seconds to make sure Anders was set in keeping the rest in line and then took up the front position where Lee was waiting for her. In the end, they were the only ones who could decide if this rescue mission was a go.
"You never asked me that question," Kara said after a few minutes of silent scanning of the horizon.
"It's important to you that I know?" Lee asked without turning to look at her.
"It wasn't easy."
"I never said it was." Lee sighed and reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't think that you just impulsively decided to marry Anders because you were bored, Kara. You're not that kind of person. You thought it out before telling him yes."
"You were right, Lee. Sam makes me happy. He was there for me on Caprica when I needed him, and I'm not saying that to make you feel bad. I know you would have been there for me if you could, but you couldn't. When he asked me to marry him, I wasn't sure I was ready for that kind of commitment. I knew how vulnerable swearing yourself to someone else can make you, and it scared me to know I could be willing to put myself in that position for a second time."
"Kara?" Lee waited until she looked up at him before smiling. "Can I say something before you say the rest? You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. I'm a big boy. I can handle the fact that you love another man."
Kara looked down at the ground and started absentmindedly ripping up the grass. "Lines were drawn, Lee. I was down on New Caprica. I formed a life there, helping with the resettlement initiative. You were up on Pegasus, and we both know that was where you were going to stay. You had a duty to protect each and every life down on the planet, and you are a honorable man, Lee Adama. You do what's right even when it means sacrificing the things you want." Kara sighed and, looking up, shrugged. "So I said yes. I wanted to be happy."
Lee turned to look at the clearing before twisting to study her again. Kara could see him working something out in his head, and she knew the moment he came to a resolution. "So, when is this Raptor supposed to make contact?"
A small laugh slipped from her lips, and she rolled her eyes. "Any minute now. Hopefully, it won't take long after that to get the rest of the rescue effort to come in."
Kara and Lee both focused in on the silence as they realized this was it. This was the moment where they finally found out if there was still a future to be had. The noises of the planet filled the air around them, and Kara tried her best to not let it get to her. Why the frak wasn't the Raptor here by now?
"I love you."
It took Kara a few seconds to realize the sound came from Lee. She turned to see him staring at her.
"I love you, Kara, and we are going to get through this."
Kara could feel her eyes tearing up, and if it wasn't for a rather loud rumbling that suddenly started in the air above them, she would have cried. Instead, she bit her lip as hard as she could and prepared herself for the moment of truth.
The Raptor landed, and Kara could feel everyone's eyes on her and Lee. It was their job to identify who had been sent to greet them and decide what the next move would be. The pressure of being the one in charge would scare her to death if she wasn't sitting next to the one person she trusted to help her do this right. She couldn't help feeling confident when Lee was around. Turning to look at Lee, she smirked. The bastard even had the balls to look confident when they both knew they were in over their heads. Kara watched Lee stiffen and realized she had let her mind drift from the mission. A familiar face was stepping out of the ship.
"Why would they send Sharon?" Kara muttered as she turned back to the Raptor.
"You said you told Cally to have my father send someone he trusts," Lee reminded her.
"I didn't think that would be a Cylon."
"Some things have shifted while you were down here fighting," Lee said. He hated that there was no time for him to talk about Galactica and Pegasus while he was with Kara. There were things she needed to know, things he needed to get right.
Knowing now was not the time, Lee kept his eyes locked on the woman standing outside the Raptor. "Don't get me wrong, Kara. I'm not saying Dad sending Sharon down here is anything but odd. I'm just pointing out it's not as odd as you think."
"What should we do?" Kara asked, twisting to look at the people behind them. There were so many people depending on her right now.
"Hold on. I'm thinking."
A small noise sounded somewhere to their left, and both Kara and Lee turned to see Anders creeping his way towards them. "I told you to protect the back," Kara hissed as soon as he was crouching next to them.
Lee could hear the frustration in her voice as she reprimanded her husband. It seemed like this was happening more often.
"Relax, Kara. I left Taylor back there. It will be fine." Anders glanced at Lee briefly before turning back to his wife. "What's going on?"
"A Raptor landed. Sharon came down the ramp. We don't know what the frak to do." Kara turned to look out at the clearing. "So, all caught up. Go back to your post, Sam."
"Eight?" Anders said as he tried to grasp what Kara was saying.
Lee bit back a laugh. Anders refused to call the Cylons by any of the names they assumed in their various incarnations. At first, it concerned Lee. If Anders couldn't understand the humanity that these machines evolved to have, there was no hopes that he could learn how to fight them.
When Lee mentioned this to Kara, she insisted that wasn't the point. She thought it had something to do with the months Anders spent on Caprica waiting for her to return and save him. Lee still wasn't sure. All he knew was his gut kept telling him Anders wasn't strong enough to do what had to be done. He had come to accept Kara's husband for what he was, but Lee couldn't get rid of all his reservations no matter how hard he tried.
When it was clear Anders wasn't going anywhere, Kara sighed. "We're not sure if she's the one from Galactica or if the Cylons found out what we were planning," she explained, voicing the concerns that neither she or Lee had bothered to point out to one another. It was just understood that this new development could frak with everything they planned. "If she isn't Sharon, then we can't let her know we're all here."
"And if she is?"
"Then we can't waste time by sitting here debating."
"Hence the problem," Lee chimed in.
The trio returned to silence, all watching as the Cylon began to pace back and forth. Everything appeared to be on the up and up which was why it was so worrying. They weren't sure what that worry meant.
Kara turned away from Anders to look at Lee. "What the frak do you think we should do?"
Lee shrugged. 'There's no right answer to this one, Kara. It could go either way."
"Only one way to find out," Anders whispered. He leaned in to give Kara a quick kiss before giving her a devil may care grin and walking out into the clearing.
"Sam, you fraking idiot! Get your ass back here!" Kara hissed.
Sam turned to give her another grin and yelled out to Sharon.
"What's going on, Captain?"
Kara turned to see Bauer crouching with the nearest group of people and then looked around him to see all the other sets of eyes trained on her and Lee. "What's happening is my husband is being a complete idiot like always." She turned back to see that Anders was still talking to the Cylon who landed the Raptor. "What the frak is he doing?" she whispered.
Lee couldn't answer. He had no clue what Anders would be talking to Sharon about. If she was the right one, he should already be motioning for them to come out of hiding. If she was the wrong one, he should be dead by now. There was no reason for conversation.
Anders began aggressively gesturing, and Lee could see Kara's body tense. "You can't go out there," he whispered.
"I know," she said, leaning forward a few inches. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
Everything seemed to slow down as Lee watched Sharon turn away from Anders. She looked directly at the mound of dirt he and Kara were hiding behind and kept talking. He could see Anders shaking his head and screaming something, and then Sharon's eyes connected with Kara's.
An voice from somewhere behind them asked, "What's she's saying?"
Lee answered even as he was moving forward to stop Kara. "She said I'm sorry."
His arms caught Kara and pulled her back to the ground before she got two feet from their hiding place. She struggled against him with all her might, but Lee didn't let up. He couldn't. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for what he was about to do. This was going to break his heart.
"Whatever's about to happen is going to happen," he hissed in her ear as he held her against him. "Running out there isn't going to help. We cannot risk everything we've worked for."
"Frak off." Kara kneed him hard in the groin and was on her feet in seconds. Swearing, Lee rushed after her. They were halfway across the clearing when the gunshot rang out and Anders crumbled to the ground. A gut-wrenching scream erupted from Kara, and it took all of Lee's strength to keep her from clawing the rest of the distance.
"We have to move," Lee yelled as gunshots began to fall from every direction. If he didn't get them out of here right fraking now, they were all going to be killed.
"Sam!" Kara yelled.
Lee's grip tightened. When this was all over, she was going to hate him for what he had to do. "He's not getting up, Kara. He's dead."
Kara stilled as Lee's words hit her very core. She knew he was right. Her husband was lying on the ground, not moving. He had been shot point blank. He wasn't getting up. Sam was dead, and she still had a job to do. Anders needed her, but so did hundreds of others. She turned to look at Lee, and the sadness in her eyes made him want to scream. "Why can't they let me be happy, Lee?"
Lee wished he could answer her, reassure her that somehow this would all turn out all right. Like always, there just wasn't time. Things were happening too quickly. There were gunshots and screaming and all Lee could think was he needed to keep his head on straight. Kara's heart had taken her head out of the game so he was alone now. He needed to figure out what to do, and he had to do it on his own.
Kara was still not moving. She looked like she was about to make another attempt to run to her fallen husband, and Lee took this opening of vulnerability that she gave him. Latching his hand onto her arm, he pulled them back to where the rest of the resistance was pinned down. They had to get out of here.
"Commander, what's our orders?"
Lee looked over at the Chief. Sometime in the chaos, Tyrol had taken the point position. Focus, Lee. Focus. Make a decision. Stick to it. Keep Kara safe. Keep them moving. Don't let them forget what we're fighting for. Protect Kara. Protect Kara. Protect Kara.
"Commander?"
Lee's face steeled as his instincts kicked in. "Orders are we get the frak out of here right now."
"You heard the Commander," Tyrol yelled. "Move out, people!"
"Head back towards the city." Lee figured that would give him enough time to think this through. He would know the next move to take by the time they got there. There was just one thing he needed to set straight before they started inching their way to the city.
He pulled Kara to the ground and ran his hand along her waist until he felt the cool leather of her holster. Drawing the gun out, he slammed in into her hand. There was one thing Lee was certain about. He could not do this on his own. "Are you with me, Starbuck?"
At the sound of his voice, her glazed-over eyes focused. She watched him for a few seconds and then gave a small nod.
Lee grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet along with him. "I will get you through this, Kara."
"I know," she whispered. "I'll cry later."
Lee wished he could make the sadness in her voice go away right this instant, but he only bore the call sign of a god. Miracles were beyond his reach.
Knowing there was nothing else to do, Lee focused on pushing them forward as Kara laid down cover fire. They made it about a hundred yards before the gunfire of the Cylons had them pinned again. "We're not going to fraking make it," Lee heard someone yell.
He desperately wanted to tell them they were wrong. They were going to make it. Only Lee had no plan. He had no idea how to get them out of this. He needed Kara. She was the one to come up with the crazy out-of-the-box ideas that got them saved at the last moment.
Lee watched the skies light up orange as explosions started sounding all around them. People he had only known for a few short months were falling motionless to the ground right in front of his eyes. Lee could see the Chief trying desperately to rally everyone and having no success. They needed to keep moving.
There was a quick buzz in his ear followed by a sting. Lee lifted his hand up to his temple and was surprised when it came away covered in blood. His eyes fought to focus as his gaze drifted back to where his people were fighting.
Taylor was screaming at him from a few yards away. Lee was just wondering if he should respond when there was a loud blast, and Taylor's body was thrown forward a few feet. Lee watched his eyes come to a rest and then roll into the back of his head. Taylor's body slumped to the ground. All Lee could think was Taylor was supposed to be his XO before he chose to come down to New Caprica. He had a pregnant girlfriend and he wanted to build a real life with her. That meant there was another child out there somewhere who would be an orphan.
People were dying. Families were being broken. It was all his fault.
Kara's hand slipped quietly into his, and Lee turned to look at her. She was staring at him expectantly. She was waiting for him to come through on his promise. He was supposed to be keeping her safe.
His eyes scanned the forest. He could only see a few people. Chief. Barclay. Bauer. He had waited too long. Screaming as loud as he could, Lee dropped Kara's hand for just long enough to motion everyone to him. They had a good position here. There was enough cover to protect them from the gunshots so he could think a little.
"What do we do now, Commander?" The fear was tangible in Barclay's voice.
"We need to get out of this forest," Lee said, stating the obvious. "How's the ammunitions?"
"We have our guns, sir," Tyrol answered. "That's it."
Lee shook his head. "That's not good enough."
"What do you think, Starbuck?"
Lee winced at Bauer's words. He did not have time to be explaining how the young boy's hero was practically comatose because her husband, the love of her life, had just been shot down in front of her eyes.
"I think we should figure out who she is," Kara mumbled.
Lee turned to look at Kara and followed her pointed figure to see a blond woman dodging her way towards their position. He desperately wished he could say she didn't look familiar. Tyrol and Barclay both pointed their guns at the Six model and were about to shoot when Lee's eyes caught on something. "Don't!" he yelled.
"Sir?" Tyrol hissed, lowering his gun an inch.
Lee held up his hand for silence as he tried to get a better look at the woman running towards them. She was different from the others. Her hair was the same platinum blond, but it was cropped short against her face. In some sort of poetic irony, it reminded him of Kara. The Cylon's clothes were torn and her skin was smeared with blood and dirt. She looked like she had been through the same hell as the rest of Lee's people.
"Commander?"
Lee looked over at Kara. They both knew that this was it. They weren't getting out of this one. Smiling, she gave him a small nod and hugged her gun to her chest.
"Give the Cylon a chance," Lee whispered.
The woman dropped into the pit next to them and immediately turned to look at Kara. No one missed the look of admiration and awe that flashed across her face. "I've waited a long time to see you again, Kara Thrace."
"Who are you?" Kara asked.
"You can call me Eve. I'm here to help. I've always been here to help you."
Lee watched the Cylon reach her hand out to touch Kara, and something snapped. Grabbing his gun, he held up to Eve's temple. "Give me one fraking reason why I shouldn't shoot you dead right now!" he screamed.
"Lee Adama," Eve said as she turned to look at him. "I should have known you would be protecting her."
Lee clicked off the safety on his gun and continued to glare at her. "You're wasting time."
"Listen, you can trust me or not. I don't care. If you stay here, you will die. I can get you out."
"How?" Tyrol asked, moving a few inches closer.
"See that clearing over there? I have a transport. I can get you some distance from the Cylons."
"From your people, you mean," Barclay corrected.
Eve ignored the redhead's words and continued to stare at both Kara and Lee expectantly.
"It's just over there?" Lee asked. He needed a little more confirmation.
"You're not actually going to trust her?" Tyrol yelled.
The whole group ducked down as another round of explosions filled the air around them. "We don't have a choice, Chief. We're sitting ducks out here. I have no fraking clue how to fix that so we can either trust this machine or we can agree to go out in a blaze of glory."
"I promised Cally." Everyone turned to look at Kara again. Her eyes drifted vacantly towards Tyrol, and she smiled. "I promised I'd bring you back, Chief."
The words hung in the air around them until Lee made his decision. "Let's go, Eve."
Eve rolled out of the ditch and started at an all-out run. "Keep up. I'm fighting for my life, too, and I will leave you behind," she screamed. She was already pulling two guns from her jacket as she kept running. Two Centurions were gunned down immediately.
Lee helped Bauer out of the hole and handed him over to Barclay. He gave the Chief one last nod, and Tyrol was off and running, laying down cover fire for his two comrades. Lee turned to look at Kara. "Do you think you can do this?"
Kara nodded, but when she tried to get to her feet, her body crumpled. Lee was about to scold her for giving up on him when he saw a small patch of red spreading across her left thigh. "Kara?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Oops."
Lee didn't hesitate. There wasn't time for Kara to be brave and tell him he needed to leave her behind in order to get the rest to safety. Instead, he skipped right to the part where he locked her hands behind his neck and pulled her into the air. He had promises to keep, too.
Lee figured Kara would yell at him for being so stupid, but instead she just pulled farther within herself. That was when he knew he was in trouble. If she didn't yell at him, how was he supposed to figure out there was no way to fire at the Cylons when he was holding her in his arms? She was supposed to be his rationality in these situations. Though in the end, it wouldn't matter. If the Cylons were going to shoot him, they were going to shoot him. At least this way he could die the way he had always imagined. In a blaze of glory with Kara by his side.
He made it halfway to the transport before a Cylon got in a lucky shot. He could feel the pain flaring up his whole leg as the bullet lodged itself against the bone. It made his vision go red, but Lee refused to let himself lose focus.
Luckily, Eve had been partially lying when she said she would leave them behind. She did leave them behind when it came to reaching the transport, but that was all. Lee felt a small weight lift off his shoulders as he watched the tank of a car drive the short distance to pick them up. He slid Kara into the back seat and got in alongside with her.
"Make sure we get back to the base, Chief," Lee ordered. Without another word, he turned his attentions to Kara. He ripped off a piece of his shirt and tied it around the bullet wound on her thigh, ignoring the way she winced.
He wished he could say that the battle was over, but he had a feeling it was just beginning.
For those of you who either recognized the character of Eve or want a little backstory, just go to my old story Possibility: Allies.