"Why are you getting so upset about it?" Kara asked Lee as they walked down a corridor on the Greenleaf, a passenger carrier. "The guy doesn't have the picture. And it's been three days; we haven't heard anything about it on the wireless."
"People know about her, Kara." He replied as he held Laura in his arms. "It's been circulating through the fleet."
"It's been circulating through the fleet for a long time. Since the day she was born, since before that. She's not exactly a secret." Kara stopped walking for a moment and placed her hand on his arm, stopping him as well. "Are we trying to keep her a secret? Is that it?"
"No, Kara." He spoke to calm her. "It's just…… we don't really know how people will react to her. So we have to be careful."
"Careful?" She repeated in irritation, her voice getting loud. "So what are we gonna do, not acknowledge her existence? Keep her hidden in our quarters? Never take her off Galactica?"
Lee looked around the unfamiliar hallway. "Aren't we off Galactica now?"
"Don't you get smart with me!" She hissed. She then saw Laura start to pout at her raised voice. "And don't make me yell at you while you're holding our child." She rubbed her temples in frustration. "This just doesn't make any sense, Lee. I mean ever since the day after the ceremony you've been all……………" She paused and looked at him carefully. "What aren't you telling me?"
Lee brushed a tiny lock of hair off Laura's head as she sucked on her thumb. "Nothing."
Kara narrowed her eyes. "Lee, did you enjoy what you and I did last night?"
His eyes widened at the bluntness of her question, but he nodded.
She smiled threateningly. "You ever want to do it again, you'll think twice before you try and keep secrets from me."
Lee looked away from her. "Kara, it's just—."
"Lee, come on. You can't do this to me."
Lee gulped and shut his eyes in resignation. "Alright." He opened them again and looked right at her. "When the guy with the camera got into the chapel, it wasn't because of shoddy security. He had a pass to be there."
Corporal Wilkes, who had been walking close by, guarding them, spoke up as she came to stand near them. "He's right, Captain Thrace."
"He had a press pass." Kara told them. "We know that, he showed it to us."
"He didn't get into the chapel with the press pass; press wasn't allowed in that day." Wilkes corrected. "He had a governmental aide pass, that's why we thought he was with the President's group."
"Only members of the government can give out those passes. Only a certain number are issued, and they're supposed to be logged in and out." Lee added. "Obviously the President hadn't given it to him."
Kara's heart dropped in her chest. "Zarek?"
"That's what Dad and I were thinking." Lee confirmed. "But if the guy got a pass, it wasn't directly from Zarek. Zarek doesn't have any passes to Galactica; his criminal record bars him from the ship."
"So Zarek must have gotten the pass from another Quorum delegate and then given it to the guy." Wilkes said. She then saw Kara's eyes glaze over in fear and worry. "Many people, even people on the Quorum, think that Zarek's been reformed."
"Or that he was never a criminal to begin with." Lee interjected. "They wouldn't necessarily think that he was up to no good if he asked to borrow one of their passes for the day. He gets the guy to sneak in, take what he hopes is an incendiary picture, then uses it to start some kind of uprising."
"We've tightened things up." Wilkes said as she gripped her gun. "We've issued new passes with barcodes on them. There's also gonna be a list, and only people who are on that list will have access to places where Laura is."
"But we can't really control other ships. So we have to be extra careful about taking her off Galactica." Lee's voice got low and hesitant. "At least until we can take care of things."
"What do you mean when you say 'take care of things'?" Kara asked softly as Corporal Wilkes stepped away again so that they could talk
"I think you know what I mean. Zarek is dangerous, even if all he's trying to do right now is manipulate the public." Lee told her. "But we made our bed when we kicked out Baltar; we have to lie in it for a while."
"Out of the frying pan, into the fire." Kara sighed as she took Laura's hand and kissed it.
"We'll keep looking for proof that Zarek is dirty, but he's good at covering his tracks." Lee reminded. "Dad, Billy and the President have been talking……… one way or another, Zarek won't be a problem for much longer."
"And you're willing to do that? Without second thoughts or regrets?" She asked, her face blank, her voice monotone.
"Yeah." Lee replied without hesitation. "Aren't you?"
She nodded firmly. "Yeah." She was quiet for a moment, then looked around and smirked. "So if we have to be 'extra careful' on other ships, why did we have to drop everything and come over to the Greenleaf?"
"Dad heard about something that they had here and thought it would be nice for Laura to see it. And when I found out what it was, I wholeheartedly agreed." He grinned as he pointed. "It's in the room at the end of this hall."
They walked to the door and when they opened it, they saw a woman sitting in a deep armchair. She looked up and smiled. "Captain Adama?" She asked as she rose to greet him, her hand outstretched.
"That's me." He took her hand and shook it.
"Admiral Adama told me that you'd be coming. You just missed a bunch of other kids who came to see them. But no one else will visit for awhile, as requested." She smiled. "They're over here." She walked to a corner of the room. "There are five of them."
Kara, Lee and Laura continued to stand by the door as the woman picked up a box from the corner and then brought it over to the middle of the room and put it on the floor. She then knelt down and picked up something small, furry and mewling from inside of it.
"Cats." Kara noted in surprise.
"Kittens, more accurately." Lee said, trying to hold onto Laura who was now squirming in his arms, pointing to the kittens.
"Lee, put her down." Kara told him. "She wants to walk over."
"No, I'll take her over. She can't really walk more than three steps without falling on her ass."
Kara laughed. "Well, neither can Tigh, but somehow he's allowed to be the X.O." She looked at Laura, who was now growing more restless. "Lee, if you don't put her down, in about two seconds she's gonna start crying and whining and then—."
Kara stopped talking and smirked arrogantly as Laura did just that.
"Okay, okay." Lee said as he put her down.
Laura toddled a few steps and then fell down. But her determination to play with the cute kittens made her get right back up again, shaking off the fall. She babbled happily as she reached the box, then clapped her hands and grinned up at Kara and Lee.
Lee looked at the scene and smiled. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kara examining him thoughtfully. He looked over at her fully and winked. "You find something about me interesting right now?"
"Numerous things," She told him. "But one thing in particular."
"What's that?"
She smiled. "A long time ago, Zak mentioned that you're allergic to cats."
"Highly allergic." He corrected. "Sneezing, hives, watery eyes………."
"But you're willing to—."
"Laura deserves to see some kittens." He said looking at Laura, a permanent smile on her face as she gently patted the head of the kitten that the woman held up for her. "And I'll stand right here, far away from the box, so that I don't get sick. But I wanted to see her face when she saw them."
For half an hour, Laura played with the kittens as Lee and Kara sat entwined with their backs against the wall, laughing as she crawled and toddled after the ones that scurried away from the box when she set them down on the floor. Even Corporal Wilkes laughed every now and then.
Lee looked at his watch, then reluctantly at Kara. "We gotta go. The shuttle is set to leave in five minutes."
The happiness fell from Kara's face and a frown began to form. "Lee, do you think that we—?"
He smiled and rolled his eyes. "I'll go see if it can wait an extra ten minutes."
Kara kissed him and he left the room. She then walked over to Laura and the cats.
"Hey, T.B." Kara said as she sat down on the floor next to Laura and the child got in her lap. "What you got there?"
"She likes that one the best." The cat lady told Kara as Laura handed her the brown and orange striped kitten that she had been playing with for the last five minutes. "She doesn't seem to want to let him go."
"Yeah, he's a cute one." Kara said as she and Laura both pet him.
The cat lady smiled at Laura. "Maybe he can be your kitty."
Kara looked up at her in surprise. "That's nice of you, but we live on Galactica and my husband's allergic, so I don't think—."
"I'm not really willing to separate them, so I wasn't giving him to you. But she can always come back and play with him. Anytime she wants to."
Kara looked at the woman hesitantly. It was an incredibly nice offer. And suddenly, she wanted to tell her the truth. "Do you know who we are? Do you know who she is?"
The woman nodded as she stroked another kitten that was lying asleep in her lap. "Yes." She then looked up at Kara and smiled. "And for some reason, I'm not afraid. These kittens were born around the same time she was, if the gossip that I hear is right. They're totally innocent and helpless, and they've brought me such happiness. And after what happened, I never thought I'd ever feel that again." She then chuckled when she saw Laura's kitten lick her cheek and the child's face froze as she tried to decide if she liked it or not. "So anytime she wants to come see her cat, that'd be fine with me."
Kara picked up the cat and looked at Laura. "Would you like that? You want this to be Laura's kitty?"
Laura's eyes got wide in excitement and she nodded as she patted the kitten's head.
"Okay." Kara said. "Well then what should we name him, huh? Fluffy? Mr. Meow? Whiskers? What should we name this little boy?"
Laura stood up in Kara's lap and laughed, kissing the cat. "Boy!" She squealed happily.
Kara froze, her heart stopped, and she had to remind herself to breathe. She let the kitten go and held onto Laura tightly.
The cat lady laughed. "That's quite simple, but it's a very good name, Laura. And it suits him too." She then looked over at Kara, who looked like she was about to faint. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Kara choked out unconvincingly as she shut her eyes in upset. "That's just the first word she's ever said."
"Really." The lady gleamed as Laura got up and toddled after her cat across the carpet. "Oh, that's so sweet."
"Yeah." Kara whispered as she stood up. "Laura, you keep playing with Boy and I'll go check on Daddy." Kara started to the door. "Corporal, will you keep an eye on her?"
Corporal Wilkes nodded and Kara left the room.
She closed the door behind her and walked over to the wall on the opposite side of the hall. She braced her palms against it and then leaned over as she sucked in long, deep breaths. She then pressed her hand over her heart to try and subside the rapid beating.
"Hey." Lee called out from down the hall as he walked back to her. "We have seven more minutes, but after that, they'll leave our sorry asses behind." He laughed at his own comment, but he then grew concerned when he saw her obvious distress. "What's wrong, Kara?"
Kara turned around and leaned back against the wall. "Laura just said her first word."
"She did?" His obvious excitement shining through in his wide, proud smile. "What was it?"
"Boy."
He grew puzzled. "Why?"
Kara gestured back to the door as she closed her eyes again and bit her lip. "That's what she decided to name the cat."
He again noticed how saddened she was. "Why are you so upset?"
"Because she's five weeks old, Lee. Children who are five weeks old shouldn't be talking."
Lee took in a deep breath. "Yeah." He uttered as he let it back out. "But we can't let this—. We can't be afraid of this."
"I'm not afraid; at least I'm not afraid of her." Kara rubbed her forehead as a reluctant smile came on her face. "And I know that she's different every day, but at least when she couldn't talk to us I could let myself believe……….."
"What are you afraid of?" He asked as he reached up to caress her cheek.
"What is she gonna tell us, Lee?" She whispered as a tear fell down the same cheek. "And what if we're not ready to hear it?"
"Look, you're a new recruit, so I'm gonna let a few things slide." Kara told the young man walking next to her down the corridor. "But you're starting to make me angry."
Corporal Venner spoke up from where he was walking in front of them, shaking his head in amusement. "Man, don't make her angry."
The newbie started to stutter. "I just thought—."
"Ah, yes, well you see, there's the problem." Kara said, lifting up one hand to silence him as she held Laura in the other arm. The child was perched on her hip, sucking her thumb. "I don't remember telling you to think, I just remember telling you to do what I told you to do. And you didn't do it."
"If I can explain—."
Venner turned around to eye Kara and started to laugh at the young man, who was obviously only making it worse for himself.
Kara cut him off. "You can try to explain, but I gotta tell ya………I'm not actually gonna listen. So you should probably just save your breath. I've been on shift for the last fourteen hours, but I'm off now. This is the first time I've seen my daughter since I put her to bed last night, and the only thing I'll really be able to do with her tonight is put her to bed, since it's already………..." She looked at her watch. "20:15"
The recruit looked at her naively. "So I'll just let you go and I'll talk to you about this tomorrow?"
Kara shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. "NO. You'll just let me go. End of sentence. I know you think you've got some new, innovative maneuver or technique that will change the way we view aviation. But since you've only been flying for about twenty seconds, chances are you'll probably just get yourself killed." Kara pointed down the hallway and Laura's tiny hand mimicked her. "I'm gonna continue down this corridor now. Why don't you head in the other direction?"
The young man got the message and walked away. Corporal Venner chuckled and then moved back to walk beside Kara and Laura. "Have you seen Captain Adama today?" He asked her.
"Who is this Captain Adama person that you speak of?" She joked as Venner laughed. "It's been about forty-eight hours since I've really seen him. But he came to the briefing room four hours ago to tell me that he'd dropped Laura off with Tyrol."
"Ohhhhhhhhhh." Venner said suspiciously.
"You were guarding her when she was with the Chief, right?" She asked. He nodded in the affirmative. "Did he take her to the flight deck?"
"No, of course not." He replied without hesitation.
"Are you lying to me?"
"A little bit, yeah." He also replied without hesitation. "She seems to enjoy being there."
Kara laughed. "She's literally had Viper and Raptor parts hanging over her head since the day after we got her, so I guess I really can't expect her to stay away from them." She kissed Laura's head. "She didn't get into anything, did she?"
Venner looked surprised. "No, the Chief never put her down."
"The whole time? Are you kidding me?"
"Nope." Venner answered. "Can she really walk around now?"
"DOWN." Laura ordered as she squirmed in Kara's arms.
Kara laughed as she deposited the child on the floor. "I guess you're about to find out."
Laura stood where she was for about two seconds to get her footing, then started cruising down the hallway on chubby, little legs.
"Wow, that's amazing. The last time I saw her, it was very touch and go."
"Yeah, well—." Kara stopped talking as she and Venner both ran to catch up with her. Kara came up behind Laura and took both of her hands in hers, guiding her. She looked down at the top of Laura's head. "Gotta give Mommy a second to catch up, T.B."
Laura giggled happily and Kara and Venner both laughed too. Then they were suddenly interrupted by another voice.
"Hello, Captain Thrace."
Kara looked up, straight into the examining eyes of Gaius Baltar. He stood before them in the middle of the hallway. His eyes then turned to Laura.
"My, she's grown considerably. It's almost hard to believe that she's the same child that I saw in sickbay just………….what was it, less than six weeks ago?" Baltar nodded to himself. "I haven't seen very much of her. But of course, you've been very busy."
"We've also been avoiding you." Kara told him coldly as Laura hid behind her leg.
"What humiliation, Gaius." Six whispered in his ear as she soothingly caressed his neck. "Scouring the corridors just for the possibility of an 'impromptu' meeting with your own child." Six then knelt down to gaze adoringly at Laura as she peeked out from behind Kara's leg, chewing on her own hand in fear. "She's so beautiful, our precious little girl."
Kara's hand reached back to caress the top of Laura's head in a protective gesture. "I thought you were on Cloud Nine, why did you come back to Galactica?"
"Cloud Nine was just a sabbatical. I'm back on Galactica because this is where my lab is. And my scientific work is the most important thing to me. After all, it's the reason that I gave up the Vice-presidency."
Kara smirked mockingly. "It's kinda sweet that you still let yourself think that, Doctor."
Baltar just smiled back at her callously before looking down to the child tucked behind her leg. "Hello, Laura." He said to her in a creepily sweet voice.
"Mama." Laura cried up at Kara as her face distorted in fright.
Kara sprung into action. She pulled Laura out from behind her and picked her up. "It's okay." Kara told her as she bounced her in her arms, staring daggers at Baltar the whole time. "We're leaving." She sneered at Baltar and walked away. Venner looked Baltar over disapprovingly and then quickly followed.
Baltar watched them leave. "I'd like to think she was calling you Mama just then." He smiled as he turned back to Six.
Six also looked at Kara and Laura as they walked away. "She wasn't." Six told him, also smiling forbodingly. "But she will. Soon."
Kara kept walking with Laura in her arms and Venner right beside them. Then Venner suddenly stopped.
"You missed the turn to your quarters." He told her, pointing toward the turn in the hall that they had just passed.
"What?" Kara asked, coming out of her daze. Her eyes glanced to where Venner was pointing. "Oh, okay." She turned around to head in that direction. "I'm sorry, it just threw me."
"Is she okay?" He questioned, looking at Laura in concern.
"Yeah, she's fine." Kara answered, checking her over.
"Was that the first time she ever called you that?"
"First time she ever called me what?" Kara asked, not knowing what he was talking about as she wiped away the wetness on Laura's face.
Venner grinned. "She called you Mama."
Kara looked up at him in surprise. "She did?" She then looked back at Laura and smiled. "Did you just call me Mama?"
Laura smiled and nodded at her. "Mama." She then put her head down on Kara's shoulder.
The next day, four pilots sat in Galactica's rec room, playing cards. Two were from Galactica, two were transfers from Pegasus. One of the Pegasus pilots, Garris, spoke up as the hands were dealt.
"They just confirmed it in the Colonial faith, can you believe that?"
"It's an insult." Whitaker, the other Pegasus guy, replied.
"My grandfather was a priest." Garris added. "He'd be totally disgusted."
"Then he wasn't a very good priest." Racetrack interjected, glaring at him. "Was he?"
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Garris sneered.
"Let's just play." Kat sighed as she looked at her cards.
"Fine." Garris replied, smiling angrily at Racetrack. He then turned back to Whitaker with the intention of getting the Galactica pilots riled up. "You know why they allowed it to live, don't you?"
"Why?"
"Because the toaster kid's a girl." Garris laughed. "And the Adamas are both totally whipped. Think about it: Commander Adama—."
"Admiral Adama." Kat corrected harshly.
"Adama and Apollo both let Roslin and Thrace get off scot-free after they commited mutiny. Why? Because they've got a soft heart when it comes to girls."
Racetrack snorted in disgust. "Yeah well, we know nobody on Pegasus has that problem."
Garris brushed off the comment. "Roslin doesn't know what she's doing…………"
"She doesn't need to." Whitaker added coldly. "She'll be dead soon anyway."
"……….and Thrace is their golden child, gets away with almost anything. And why do you think that is?"
"Because she's the best at what she does." Kat defended, clearly growing tired of the ignorant jabs.
"And what exactly does she do for the Adamas?" Garris winked insultingly. "It's beyond twisted. She's not that hot, so they must just get some kinda sick thrill knowing that every guy in their family has had her."
Kat dropped her cards on the table and sat back in her chair. "You know, I was just attempting to ignore you and play cards, but all the hot air you're putting out is making it way too sweltering in here."
"The Adamas are the root of the illness, and they've got everyone on Galactica infected." Garris sneered. "You all think that if you take care of the toaster kid, you'll be some kinda white-hats; going around saving the world with some fraked-up version of love and honor and compassion. But that kid is the enemy. And you seem to have forgotten who the enemy is."
"We're not white-hats." Kat corrected. "Because there is no frakking black and white. It's all gray."
"And the enemy is anybody who puts our guys in danger." Racetrack added. "Anybody. No matter if they're shiny……………or if they bleed."
"I'd kill to be back on Pegasus." Whitaker hissed under his breath. "Cain would never allow this."
"Oh, shut the frak up." Racetrack shouted. "Cain wouldn't give a damn because she'd be too concerned about the gaping hole in her forehead that she got because she crossed the damn line. Cain was a frakking idiot. She tried to outthink, outmaneuver and outgun the Cylons. Which is just beyond stupid, because it's never gonna happen. You've gotta be sneaky about it. And the only advantage we have is that we feel, really feel. If all you put out is calculated death and destruction, they'll beat you every time; because they're better at it. And you'll end up dead." Racetrack smiled callously. "Just like Cain."
Garris sat up in his chair and put his elbows on the table, narrowing his eyes at Racetrack and Kat. "I swear to the gods, if I'm ever in the same room with that toaster kid—."
"I suggest you be quiet." Kat smiled warningly.
"Why?" Whitaker pouted mockingly. "Because it'll hurt your feelings?"
"No." A voice answered from behind them. "Because I heard what you said."
The two men rose from their chairs and came to attention as Colonel Tigh walked to stand in front of them.
"Every frakking word." Tigh finished simply.
"Sir, we were just—."
"Oh, I heard you." Tigh smiled furiously. "And I let it go………….right up to the point that you threatened that child."
"But, sir. Surely you don't think—?"
"Forget that if Apollo heard you, he'd put you in hack. Forget that if Starbuck heard you, she'd put you in sickbay. Forget all that, because I really don't care about either one of them." Tigh got right up in Garris's face. "But remember this: if the Old Man were to ever hear you threaten his granddaughter, it would upset him." Tigh patted him on the shoulder. "And that would cause me to put you in the morgue."
"Yes sir." Garris and Whitaker both said simultaneously.
"Good." Tigh stepped back. "Report to the CAG's office first thing tomorrow for your transfer orders. You miss your ship so much; we won't keep you from it." He nodded to Racetrack and Kat and then left the room.
TBC
