While all around them, there was silence. Except ...

Except for the sudden rustling sound of someone running towards their position. Before she could even fumble for her gun though, two camouflaged figures were at her side. The resistance, she thought numbly as she realized that it was Chief Tyrol underneath the dark greasepaint. He hovered over her, taking in the situation, his surprise at seeing them plain on his face, while his companion, Kara Thrace, dropped to her knees at Dee's side.

" Frakking hell, what happened?" Kara asked, running her hands down Gaeta's body in a brisk motion.

This is help, Dualla thought, we're so close. " Something bit him, on the hand." The bite was swelling, and she could see, even in the seconds that had passed, that Felix's breathing was getting shallow. The facial twitching increased and his blinking seemed oddly random.

"Gimme the kit, Chief!" Kara snarled. She took the proffered kit and withdrew a needle. Without hesitation, she jammed the needle into Felix's neck. Dee didn't know what frightened her more, the sight of Kara Thrace plunging a needle into Felix's neck or that he had no real reaction to it. Kara thumbed the plunger home, injecting him with some dark liquid. Horrified as she was, she could see whatever it was help within seconds. At least, the twitching stopped, and it was obvious that his breathing was stronger.

" You've got the right name, Felix, you've got the luck of the gods," Kara muttered as she continued checking him over. She turned to Dualla, her eyes bright under the camouflage makeup. " Couple more minutes, the anti-venom wouldn't have worked. He's hurt. Is that what took so long? Are you hurt? Can you walk? Run? Running is best."

" I can run, but what about Felix?" Because it was becoming obvious that the anti-venom was not a miracle cure. Gaeta wasn't moving, although his eyes seemed more alert.

" Chief? Give her your gun. We need to move." To Dualla, she said softly, " Tyrol will carry him. Take the gun, and follow me. Gaeta told me that you knew the position of the Galactica. It better be true."

He told you? Dee wondered, when did he tell you anything? How did he tell you anything? Suddenly, the oddness of his behavior, the seemingly unbearable stress, the pathetic way he was existing on New Caprica… It had been a lie.

Kara shook her. " Don't flake out," she warned. " We are not home free."

0o0o0o0o0

A mug of bitter smelling herbal tea was put in her hands. Dualla tried to push it away, but Tyrol made her put both hands on the mug and steered her over to a rickety chair. " You need to sit down, Dee," he said gently. " Lt. Gaeta will be all right. Those snakes are a bitch," and he rolled up a sleeve to show her well healed bite marks on his arm, " but if you get the anti-venom in time, you do ok. He's not gonna feel good for a while, but he's tough. A lot tougher than I thought. Starbuck's gonna debrief you in a minute." He paused. "It's good to see you, Dee."

"It's good to see you too, Chief." There was so much pain in his eyes, she knew without having to think about it, that he knew about Cally. She hoped he didn't know the details. She sipped the bitter tea, and wondered what was really going on.

The rebel camp was very carefully hidden in a steep valley. There were no buildings, and hardly any tents. She was in the command tent, a meager canvas structure covered in leafy boughs and vines. It was open, open enough that she could look into the tent that served as the infirmary. Dr. Cottle had been haggard looking, but he had still snapped at her to leave when he began to work over Felix. Outside of the command tent, there was no movement except for a rare furtive person running from firing position to firing position. The rebels lived, all military personnel as near as she could tell, in foxholes and firing positions. A desperate way to live, but at least they were free. She could already breathe freer, and she could feel the camaraderie in the smiles the messengers running in and out of the command tent gave her, in Tyrol's concerned look. She didn't know how Gaeta had stood being so alone. Because he had been alone, more alone than anyone deserved to be.

Kara strode in, followed by Briscoe and Logan, two of the better ECOs. "All right. We don't have a lot of time. The Cylons are pissing themselves over you and Gaeta walking out under their noses. We need the coordinates. We're getting the Raptors prepped and we're moving this afternoon if we can get everyone loaded but I need the coordinates now so that we can everyone prepped and ready to jump on takeoff. If necessary."

Dualla nodded understanding. Jumping in atmosphere was dangerous, and needed to be prepped well ahead of time. She quickly gave up the cherished coordinates. The sooner they left, the sooner the people were back in action on the battlestars.

Kara dismissed the ECOs with a firmness that Dee didn't remember. She didn't quite recognize the woman who looked so serious and who commanded the people around her with respect and determination. She looked over Dualla, her eyes grim and then suddenly they sparkled with joy. " So who the hell thought it was a good idea to send you down here? Lee? I bet it was Lee." She grinned, in that horsy, tomboy way she had, and then laughed. " It was Lee!"

For a moment, it was infectious, and Dee found herself smiling despite herself. " Are we leaving soon?" she asked.

Kara nodded. " It's the Raptors that take time. They're hidden carefully. We've got two at this site, for the people here, and the rest spread out with the other groups. It'll be safer too, if we all take off at the same time in different locations. It'll baffle the Cylons. Fortunately, Gaeta's managed to obfuscate our numbers, supplies and positions for the last four months so the Cylons won't be expecting an escape." She chuckled. " If we're lucky, they won't realize they've got so many Raptors missing from the books until we're in the air." She took in Dualla's surprised look. " You have no idea what I'm talking about do you? What Lt. Felix Gaeta, military attaché to President Baltar has been up to for the last few months?"

That was the Starbuck she knew, and didn't always like. Smug and playing games about knowing more than anyone else, that was Kara. " He told me that he was just trying to survive, and that he was helping me because we were friends." And had done a damn good job of fooling her, she realized. Suddenly so much of his furtive, stressed out behavior made sense. Suddenly, she realized that she had been making the wrong assumption about Felix and his job on New Caprica. " He's been working for the resistance this entire time, hasn't he?"

Kara nodded. " And he didn't tell you a thing. Just in case. The more people who knew, the more likely that he'd be found out. No one knew. I was the only one who knew who our source was on the inside until today. Even the ones who escaped didn't know where the help was coming from. But that's why I need to debrief you. When we discussed getting you out, he wasn't planning on coming with you. What changed?"

" I don't know exactly what happened. It seemed like he was… favored. And he wasn't going to help me, he said it was too risky, but then he changed his mind." Dee thought about for a moment, the point where Felix had suddenly decided to help her. He hadn't been willing to risk it, and she was starting to understand why. He had been using his position to help as many people as he could. "The Cylons were worried about his health. He had a medical exam. He was really upset after it, and that's when he changed his mind."

" A medical exam," Kara murmured. "That explains it a bit. And he didn't tell me that he was examined." At Dualla's quizzical look, she shrugged. " He told me that he had overheard the Cylons talking about a long term plan to manipulate the human race by breeding. I wonder how close to home that hit him. He hadn't been taking care of himself, I knew that, and when he told me that the Cylons were prepping their chosen pawns for breeding, I wondered if he was on the list."

Dualla thought about the pills, and the protein shakes and the sudden turn around. " I think it's a safe assumption. But, they were getting wise to him. One of them beat him up pretty badly yesterday."

"That's nothing new, Dee." Kara said it gently. " He's lucky. Some of Baltar's staff got beaten to death. He didn't talk about it much, but he got smacked around a lot, they all did."

" It wasn't a smacking around," said a new, gruff voice said. They both looked up as Dr. Cottle strode into the tent. He looked grim. " The snake venom is wearing off, but it's going to be an hour at least before he's able to move or walk. He's sleeping now anyway." He looked at Dualla with respect. " You did good. He didn't get here without help. I'm surprised he could walk at all." To Kara, he added, " He was beaten to within an inch of his life, he's physically exhausted, and I'm pretty certain he's been seriously ill for a while. Stress can do that. But there's a bigger problem."

" Bigger problem?" Dee felt sick to her stomach. Felix was in bad shape. She didn't know what could be worse.

"He's sick. His temperature is rising, and he's congested. It looks like pneumonia. I'm doing what I can, but you know how much I've got to work with. He must've picked up something in that damn swamp, and he's in no shape to fight it off." Cottle shrugged. " It's touch and go without antibiotics. I'll pump him full of fluids, and we can all pray that the fever burns itself out." The tone of his voice suggested that it was unlikely to work, but before she could ask questions, he left the command tent.

"We've got about two hours before the escape," Kara said after a moment. " You could sack out for a bit. You look beat."

" No… I should check on Felix." If he was sick, if there was a chance he was going to die, she would be damned if he was alone.

Kara looked at her intently, knowingly, and then nodded. " He deserves that. That and more. Believe me when I tell you that I know he's been living in hell compared to us. I need to go. You know where the med tent is." She rose to her feet. " I need to get moving."

" Kara… wait… where is Sam?" It seemed odd to not see Sam Anders. As much as she had been annoyed with Kara and her rarely subtle attempts to make up with Lee, Kara had never gone further than try to rekindle their friendship. She had been in love with Sam, that was something Dee had never doubted. And Sam, to give him credit, had been devoted to Kara.

A shadow fell across Kara Thrace's face. " He died, Dee. He was sick, when the Cylons came and we ran that night and there was no medicine." Then, as if realizing she had said too much, she quickly looked away. " We didn't hook up with Dr. Cottle until a week later. It was just me and Tyrol, Sam, and some of the nuggets and we didn't know what to do."

Dualla nodded, but didn't accept it. Sam had died, died of some sickness, some sickness that could just as easily kill Felix. More easily, if she thought about it. Sam had been an athlete and in fairly good shape, better than most people in the fleet. Definitely, he had been in better shape than Felix, who had looked ill from the moment she had set eyes on him.

Kara was trying to avoid speaking an ugly truth. If Felix was sick, there was a good chance he was going to die.

0o0o0o0o0

He didn't feel well. Not at all. He couldn't ever remember feeling so awful and there had been plenty of crappy moments in the last months. He felt limp and exhausted and every breath felt wet and bubbly. He was lying on a cot and it hurt, every inch of his body ached and throbbed, especially his head, which hadn't stopped hurting since the night before. He couldn't really move, not yet, and trying not to panic about it was keeping him from real sleep.

Worse, he was hot. Too hot. Gaeta knew he was in a tent, he could see the canvas ceiling and it was still New Caprica. New Caprica was cold. He felt hot and damp, like there was steam rising off of his wet clothes. Dee was there, and she was holding his hand and wiping his brow with a wet cloth. He was sick, and it was hard to not panic about that too. There were a lot of ways to end up dead on New Caprica. He let his fingers curl around Dee's hand. There were worse things than dying, he had learned that on New Caprica as well. Dualla would be safe. He let his eyes close. He was so tired.

"Is he asleep?" That was Cottle, and Gaeta almost opened his eyes but it was just too hot.

"I can't tell," Dualla said in response. Her hand rested on his forehead. " He's burning up, but he was squeezing my hand a little while ago."

"We're going. Get your things and his, and you can help me get him to the Raptor." Cottle shook him roughly. " Open your eyes, son. I'm not running a nursery school and this is not naptime."

The shaking hurt, but when he tried to protest, all he could do was weakly grab Cottle's hands. Cottle smirked at him. " Trust me, you're not going to be able to complain for a few hours yet. You were bitten by one of the swamp snakes, do you understand me?"

Gaeta nodded, although he felt somewhat out of control doing so. The swamp snake venom paralyzed it's victim and even with the anti-venom Cottle had made, the effects were slow to wear off. Cottle was alluding to the fact that typically, while gross motor control returned fairly quickly, a bite victim's ability to speak didn't resume for a day or so. But the fever, and the way he couldn't seem to catch his breath scared him. He was sick, and they were trying to keep him cool, and Cottle had even given him an IV. Dee was there as well, looking worried as she held his small bag and jacket with hers. Both were nothing but gentle as they dragged him to his feet and to the waiting Raptor. He needed the help, there was no denying that. If he hadn't had Cottle and Dualla wrapping their arms around his body, he suspected he'd be crawling. Scratch that, he thought as Chief Tyrol grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up into the Raptor, I'd be dead.

"Where do you want the lieutenant?" Tyrol asked.

" Not on the floor," Cottle warned as he got in. Tyrol nodded and gently set Gaeta in one of the few seats. Dualla sat down beside him and did the safety straps up for him, gently moving his fumbling hands out of the way.

"Don't worry," she said softly, her eyes bright with worry. " You're going to feel better soon." She put her arm around his shoulders. It wasn't me, Felix wanted to say, it's about you being safe. That was all he wanted, and as the raptor took off, he couldn't help but feel relief. He was sick, he was probably going to die because there was no medicine left, but Dee would be safe, and he was holding her hand….

And as the Raptor shuddered on take off, he remembered the pills. The pills in his jacket, the pills he had been given by the Cylons. For the viral infection that caused his ulcers, and the pills were antibiotics that he hadn't taken. The jacket, and the bag Dualla had packed for him was at his feet and he didn't have enough motor control to reach down and pick it up, and he couldn't tell Dualla to check the jacket. Not for hours, and by the way he was feeling, hours might be too late.

In a less deathly situation, the irony would have made him laugh.

0o0o0o0o0

"Everyone hold on to something!" Kara called back. " We've got a Raider on our tail!"

Dualla found herself hugging Felix close as the ship rocked through the atmosphere. The Raider was close, judging by the many twists and turns Kara gave the Raptor, and the small space on the ship was jampacked with people and supplies. The small ship shuddered violently as it went through the atmosphere. She watched in horror as the Raider bore down on them and then felt the suddenly reassuring twist in her stomach as the small ship jumped. The plan had been to jump to a rally point and then jump to the battlestars and that meant that they were almost home. The relief on everyone's faces was obvious. Even Felix looked relieved, although his face was wet with sweat and the bruises the Cylon had left were starting to blacken and mar his features.

" It's going to be all right," she whispered to him. He looked at her, his eyes dark with worry. She could hear him breathing, and coughing. It's not fair, she thought angrily, it is not fair to let him get so close and then take him. She realized what a fool she had been. Felix Gaeta had loved her for years, had watched from a distance because of his position and hers. She realized, almost too late, that he had been risking everything to help her, that he had been willing to die to protect her. He wanted her, and he needed her, and that was something she had never felt with Lee Adama. Felix loved her, and wanted her, and wasn't using her as some sort of stand in for the person he really loved. She had been a fool, made worse by the fact that there was nothing she could do for him. " Don't worry," she murmured, "We're almost there."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly and then he did something strange. He reached down to where she had put his bag and jacket. He couldn't reach it, because of the seat belt, and he looked at her intently.

" Do you want your jacket?" she asked wonderingly. There was no way he could be cold. Sitting next to him was like sitting next to a blast furnace. He was dripping wet from fever, she could see the wet stains on his clothes. " Felix, you're burning up. You don't need a jacket."

He shook his head. It was obvious he wanted to say something to her, but couldn't. Instead, he reached for the jacket again, and then began fumbling with the seat belt. She stopped him, the Raptor was rocking too much and he was barely keeping upright with it on. It must be the fever, she thought worriedly. " No, you're too hot, you don't need a jacket."

" Let him have his jacket, Dee," Cottle said suddenly. The older man was sitting across from them. " It won't hurt him. He might be having fever chills." Cottle's eyes gave her a warning and he gestured around. After a moment, she understood. If Felix was behaving irrationally from the fever, it was better, for the sake of everyone, to keep him calm. If he got out of the seat belt, they were in cramped conditions and people could be hurt. That was the last thing they needed.

Reluctantly, she handed him the jacket. Much to her surprise, he didn't immediately use it to cover himself but instead began pawing through the pockets. She could see the triumph, the sheer relief in his eyes as he withdrew a plastic bottle of pills from the front pocket. He carefully handed them to her, obviously expecting her to do something.

She looked at the bottle, remembering the conversation they had days earlier. He had said they were vitamins, but they didn't look like vitamins, and the label indicated it was some sort of medication. " Dr. Cottle… what is arithomanicin?"

Cottle looked up with interest and gestured for her to hand it to him. He opened the bottle and shook out two of the pills, examining them intently. " It's a heavy duty antibiotic. It was new, we didn't have any on board. It was developed for explorer teams. It can knock out an infection in hours, according to the journals." He looked at the pills and then at Felix, and then got up and took up a position in front of the sick man. " Felix, listen to me. Did the Cylons give you this prescription?"

Felix nodded, but Dualla could see that he was started to fade away. " Felix, they thought you were sick, didn't they? Because you were throwing up, and not eating, and they didn't want you sick. They had plans for you." He nodded again. To Cottle, she said, "I think they're good."

"It's risky," Cottle said after a moment. "Starbuck told me about some of their plans. This looks like arithomanicin, but it's just as easily a fertility drug. Or a tranquilizer. On the other hand, we don't have the three days it'll take to test the stuff. Or the testing equipment." He held up a canteen. " Think you could take one of these with some water, Mr. Gaeta?"

After a moment, Felix nodded. He took the pill and then closed his eyes. Dualla watched him worriedly, but he seemed spent. The Raptor was deathly quiet except for the hum of the engines and the occasional barked order from Kara.

"All right," Kara called from her seat up in front. " All ten Raptors made it and we are preparing to jump to the Galactica. Everyone get seated, tied down, whatever. One more jump and we're home." A ragged cheer went up. Dualla took Felix's hand and began to pray as the jump twisted inside her. It wasn't so much to ask, she thought. Just let me have him back.

He sighed deeply, and she could feel the tension leaving his body. She put her hand to his forehead, inwardly cursing herself for believing such an old wives tale, but he did feel cooler, his breathing easier. It couldn't really be working that fast, but then Cottle did the same thing, checking Felix's temperature with a touch.

"Don't get overly excited," he said seriously, " but his fever is dropping."

Dualla nodded. She learned over and whispered into Felix's ear. " Did you hear that? Don't quit on me now, Felix."

His eyes stayed closed, and there was no verbal response, but his fingers gave hers one last squeeze.

For some reason, even there, in the tilted black warp of hyperspace, it felt as if she were already home.

0o0o0o0o0

The next few weeks were a whirl of debriefings and muted celebration as old comrades greeted one another with joy at their reunion and tears for those left behind and lost. Dualla had been hailed as a returning heroine, at least by the CIC crew, including the Admiral and even Lee had greeted her with a smile brighter than any she'd seen from him in months.

But even that bright smiled paled in comparison to his reaction to Kara's presence. The sheer heat ... this undeniable thing that burned between them, sparked the second they laid eyes on each other and like two magnets clicking together, they were what they'd always been. Lovers in spirit, if not in body and Dualla felt oddly lacking in emotion when she walked off to leave them alone to their inevitable - no doubt passionate - reunion.

Neither one of them noticed her leaving.

But that was all right. It wasn't as if she were left bereft. There was someone waiting for her, always, even if that someone was still recovering in the sick bay, but getting better by the day. She had to smile, hearing him complain to Ishay that he wasn't sick enough to be lying around like a lump; that he was needed in the CIC and that there was going to be a battle he had to help plan, damn it, and she'd better not think of poking him with that tranquilizer needle ...

"We sound lively today ... sir," Dualla said to Gaeta, taking the water cup and pills from an annoyed Ishay, who handed them both to her with a 'good riddance' gesture before stalking away. "Although aggravating yours nurses is a good way to get that cold water enema Cottle is always threatening people with."

"This is ridiculous, Dee," Felix fumed. The bruises were fading and his eyes were as bright and full of life as she'd ever seen them, surprising considering how close to death he'd come when first brought aboard. His cheekbones were still showing, but with a steady diet of food and rest, the natural fullness of his face was slowly returning, thank the gods. "You know how much there is to do before we attempt invasion. I have to plot the co-ords, time the first and second waves, ready the all-terrain crews and ... " He stopped only to accept the medicine she held emphatically toward him, washing it down with a gulp of water. "And stop calling me 'sir'. We're equally ranked now."

She couldn't help the smile that curved her lips. "Not for long."

He coughed a little, but immediately straightened up to look her in the eye. "What are you talking about?"

"Rumor mill, nothing that important," she replied, still grinning.

"You're getting a promotion?" He smiled back at her, his brown eyes shining in the most delightful way. "You know, if you need a testimonial ..."

"Oh gods. Forget I said anything, please." Dee rolled her eyes, before settling down on the edge of his cot. Absent-mindedly, she toyed with the hem of his hospital gown, staring at the faded blue and white interlocked triangles that sufficed as a 'design'. "I ... " she started, already berating herself for having trouble saying the words. It wasn't as though she wasn't sure in her heart, but after so much loss, another one, no matter how minor in the grand scheme of her life -- it still stung. But only a little. "Lee and I," she finally said, correcting herself. "We decided that it's not going to work out for us."

Felix looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry, Dee. I truly am."

She shrugged. "I don't think it was ever in the cards for us. Not for lack of trying, but ... " Her fingers curled into the thin cloth. "I'm not Kara Thrace and that's what the problem has always been. Since the beginning. It's not anyone's fault; I guess it's like you said. We're just the playthings of fate and Lee and I? We're not fated to be together." Raising her eyes, she smiled wanly at him. "But not being fated doesn't spell automatic doom, does it?"

"Of course not," he said, his cheeks flushed. He was having trouble meeting her eyes. "But I'm sorry nonetheless."

"Don't be," she replied firmly. She cupped his cheek with her hand, gently forcing him to look at her. "Whatever is meant to be, will be. And right now, I'm feeling rather meant to be right here. With you."

Above them, the klaxon speaker blared to life, Helo's voice calling all on board to action stations. Dee immediately rose, as Felix tried to shove off his blankets, even as Ishay returned to push him back down. "Nurse, I am not staying ..." he growled, but Dee didn't hear the rest as she was running down the CIC, hoping against hope the Cylons weren't ready for war before they were.

Because she had a new life to live, a life with Felix and she wasn't going to be denied that, Fate and its cold heart be damned.

0o0o0o0o0But it was the Cylons and Dee took her place on Galactica's bridge, nervously tapping her nails against the main console. It was too soon for this, they weren't ready and she couldn't stop looking at the DRADIS where three Raiders danced over the screen, barely distracted even when Gaeta walked onto the bridge, his uniform still unbuttoned at the neck. His fingers worked to fix that before he saluted Adama. "Sir."

"Mr. Gaeta," Adama intoned gravely, staring along at the DRADIS with Dualla. "Our conflict is starting a little earlier than expected. What do you suggest we do?"

Felix placed his hands behind his back, looking thoughtfully at the readouts. "I'd say there's no time like the present to put Captain Thrace's plan into effect."

Adama glanced at him over the top of his glasses as Dee stood by, confused. It was obvious she'd been left out of a meeting or ten, probably taking place in the sick bay itself while she was asleep. "You mean that insane rambling from a woman who's obviously lost her marbles?"

"Not so insane, sir. If I can explain ..." Gaeta said, politely, even as a basestar made its appearance, followed by another, causing a declaration of Condition One. "Starbuck's plan makes sense. If we've learned anything living among the Cylons, there's one thing they firmly believe about us." He paused until the klaxon's din receded somewhat. "They are convinced we don't understand the nature of sacrifice. That we are unwilling to commit ourselves to any causes higher than our own survival. What we need to do is show them that this isn't the case, that we are willing to throw down anything and everything to defeat them and bring our people home. It'll be what they least expect."

"If I might ask, sir, what is Kara's plan?" Dualla asked, an itch of dread snaking over skin.

Adama's mouth pinched tightly as he answered. "To give them a house-warming present they'll never forget." He nodded at Gaeta. "Tell Starbuck we're ready when she is."

Gaeta saluted again. "Yes, sir." He took the phone held out by Helo and murmured, "Captain Thrace, this is actual."

Kara's voice crackled back over the 'com. "Go ahead, Galactica."

"Please listen carefully," he whispered slowly into the receiver. "Yet death will be but a pause. I repeat ... yet death will be but a pause."

It was strange, but Dualla could almost see Kara's mad smile as she finished the coded order. "For the peace of my years in the long green grass will be yours and yours and yours. Got it, LT."

"Good hunting," he said, hanging up the 'com link. He nodded at Adama. "It's away."

Adama nodded toward the assembled crew. He looked smaller than usual, Dualla thought, especially without Tigh at his side. But if this plan was meant to get the colonists back, maybe Tigh would still be among the living and could be brought back aboard. For all their sakes, she hoped so. "Brace for possible concussion impact," Adama ordered, as on the DRADIS, the Pegasus went into an odd drift, headed like an arrow, straight toward the nearest basestar as from its rear, a group of Raptors and Vipers quickly launched and departed for the Galactica.

"Sir," she gasped, as the Pegasus showed no signs of slowing down. "Sir, the Pegasus is adrift. Isn't there any crew on board?"

"No," Adama replied, his throat working. "This is the nature of sacrifice, Lieutenant. Remember it."

"But ... sir ..." she began, only to be cut off by the horror of watching the Pegasus's massive bulk ram into the basestar, exploding the outerframe on contact. She felt Gaeta's hand on the small of her back, helping her brace against the console when four massive secondary explosions followed. Nuclear bombs, she thought dully, as the Galactica rocked violently, nearly throwing them to the floor. That was the basestar holding the nuclear bombs, the ones they'd threatened to decimate New Caprica with if the human race refused to surrender and gods, the Pegasus ... that was her and Lee's ship and nothing could have been a more appropriate symbol of their parting than the sight of the great battlestar falling and burning away in massive embers, never to be recovered.

The second basestar made a feeble attempt to steer away, but it was caught up in the fiery chaos emanating from its sister ship and slowly fell to pieces, as the Galactica's massive guns took care of the rest. Raiders spun way in death spirals throughout the sky, as Kara howled in triumph, the blazing guns of her Viper echoing over the open 'com. Dualla knew who those cries were for and knew they were a closure all Kara's own. Nothing would stand in her and Lee's way now, Dualla thought, as Felix's hand covertly grasped her own.

Nothing would stand in their way either. Ever again.

Soon the DRADIS showed nothing but Colonial contacts, milling through the sky, out of formation, the confusion of the battle still upon them. A moment later, they fell into a perfect "V" and headed back to the ship. Adama took off his glasses and rubbed them clean before turning to Felix. "It's time to bring our people home, Mr. Gaeta. Begin the jump."

"Yes, sir," Felix nodded and ran for the FTL key, as Dualla shook off her shock and started the jump set up, making sure all the Vipers and Raptors were safely aboard. It was surreal, but something in the back of her mind was crying out in celebration. We did it. She glanced over at Felix and saw her own elation reflected in his shining features and she wondered if it were possible to love someone any more than she did him at that moment.

We did it. We really did it.

0o0o0o0o0

The promotion ceremony was short, but sweet, as Felix received his captain pins at the same time Kara was promoted to "Major Thrace." With the loss of his commander position aboard the Pegasus, Lee was, in effect, demoted to back to Major, but he didn't seem to mind in the least, smiling and clapping sincerely along with the entire Galactica CIC as the ranks were handed out.

He'd lost weight recently, turning back into his trim, fighting self and happiness practically gleamed from his eyes, especially when Starbuck turned to wink at him, her eyes a little misty as she nervously ran her thumbs along the new pins shining from her cuffs. There had been a lot of tears lately, as the crew spent most of their time welcoming the traumatized, much depleted remnants of humanity back aboard the fleet after their rescue from New Caprica. Tigh was alive, much to Adama's relief and for a man who hadn't been the most popular officer during his tenure, he certainly received a greeting brimming with affection when he returned to duty.

Adama had also been glad to see the newly re-instated President Roslin, if his very public, very passionate, embrace of her was any indication. That rumor mill would work overtime on that subject and they both seemed amused enough by it to let the talking go without rebuttal.

It was quite the relief, Laura Roslin said, to have something human to gossip about.

Everyone was happy, in a strange way. Happy to be free, to be together and to be alive ... for now.

Dee wondered how long this relative euphoria would last. Not long, she guessed, as they were running dangerously low on everything, especially food. New Caprica hadn't been the land of milk and honey once envisioned, its hard soil yielding next to nothing in edible stores, at least nothing they could put away and use in the long run. Water was not quite as bad, but that was a situation that would have be remedied again at some point along the way.

Still, they'd made it so far and later that evening when Felix danced her around the room during the promotion party, she tried not to think about anything except being with him and smiling at his terrible dancing, which was as endearing as his laughter, which he shared freely with her. New Caprica had changed him; of that there was no doubt. Left behind were edges that were still hard, still unsettling when they showed up in a quiet moment; in a faraway look ... a strange twist of his mouth ... but for the most part, he seemed at peace.

For herself, she'd grown, as a woman and an officer and for the first time Anastasia Dualla thought that maybe, somewhere, her father was proud of her. Maybe.

"I just stepped on your foot again, didn't I?" Felix asked over the loud music, mistaking her wistful look for physical pain. "Sorry, Dee. Next time, you should wear your boots."

She shook her head. "No, you didn't. I was wandering."

"Don't do that," Felix said, shaking his head and pulling her closer, as if he were afraid she'd actually disappear somewhere. "There's nowhere good to go. I think we both know that by now."

Dualla rested her cheek against his shoulder. "There's nowhere for me but here." The music finally turned to something slow and sensual and while Felix wasn't much of a stepper, he handled gentle swaying with impressive skill. She closed her eyes and let his warmth wash over her, enjoying the weight of his hands on her hips ... his breath against her cheek. "What do you think about getting out of here and going somewhere ... quieter? Your quarters, maybe?"

Felix went still for a few seconds, before grabbing her hand and taking the fastest leave from a party Dualla had ever seen. She laughed out loud as they flew down the hallways, her dress shoes clipping against the metal walkways. His hands fumbled at the keypad at his door and once inside, he hesitated, but only for a moment, as Dee took it upon herself to back him against the closed door, licking her way into his mouth, enjoying his squirms and groans.

It's fun being in charge, she thought, yanking at his jacket, pulling it back and down his shoulder, nipping at the flesh exposed. There were scars there, scars from too many months of suffering and she kissed them reverently, before pulling away and tugging him toward the rack. He followed without protest, letting her bowl him onto the mattress, only complaining when she didn't allow him to undress her. "Relax," she ordered, smiling. "That's an order, Captain."

"Yes, sir," he murmured, biting at his lower lip. He looked so young , flushed and alive, and Dualla felt her throat tighten, just a little. She kissed him again, feeling her insides melting, blood thrumming down her belly, until ... gods. It became a tangled race then to see how fast she could shuck both their clothing without getting trapped by it and she succeeded, mostly, with only one tank still dangling from his wrist.

Not that it mattered, as her hands were pinning his to the bedding and he arched underneath her as she kissed her way down his chest. "Dee!" he whispered loudly, a little panicked sounding and she wondered exactly how much sex he'd managed to get into his preoccupied life, but that didn't matter because he was going to get a lot more of it, starting now.

He felt so good beneath her, hard and aching for her, and she rocked her hips down, grinding wetly against him, making him yelp. It was too easy almost, to bring her leg up and lower herself onto him, watching his face as she pushed down, his eyes widening, then shutting with pleasure. His hands stroked at her thighs and when his fingers somehow worked their way in-between them, rolling and pinching at her clit, she lost track of what she was doing, becoming so tight and hot and it was impossible to focus ... to do anything but move. "Frak ... " she gasped, as another wave of trembling heat moved through her. "Oh frak, that's it. Please ..." she begged, and he obliged, grasped at her hips and bringing her down hard onto him.

"I love you," he said, breathlessly, but his eyes were so serious. "I have always loved you."

"Gods ..."

"Always," he whispered again. "The life that I have is yours. Only yours."

That was it, Dualla couldn't think anymore and the spiraling heat throbbed down, making her hips snap forward in orgasm and it was like sunshine, a burst of white hot light everywhere, making her cry out his name. He arched up wildly a moment afterwards, pulling her down to him, nuzzling and nipping hard at her shoulder, hard enough to mark. She didn't mind ... didn't care ... they'd already marked each other, both, for life.

There was quiet kissing then, as she pulled off and settled down into his arms, running her fingers over the tattoo on his chest. More kisses and he brushed the sweat-damp hair away from her face, looking thoughtfully at her. "I could get used to this," he said, with a wry smile. "I never would have thought I'd prefer floating around in this bucket to life on a new planet."

"Mmmm," she replied, nuzzling her cheek against his palm, her heart still taking its time in slowing down. "That planet might have been a bad example. A better one might show up at some point."

"That's all right, I'm good with waiting for Earth," he replied, snuggling closer with a sigh.

"How far away is that again? Supposedly?"

"Between fifteen hundred and three thousand light years," he replied sleepily. "Give or take a decade or two."

Entwining their fingers together, Dualla closed her eyes. "That sounds like a good trip to take together."

He chuckled softly and she drifted off beside him, soon dreaming of stars and flight and his face, reflecting her smile, brighter than any planet's sun. It was so good to be home -- truly home -- at last.