Lee wasn't sure when the walls inside himself started to match up with the walls inside of her.

oooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

Lee volunteered for the job when it became obvious that they were going to need more information from Kobol. After all, with his marriage dissolved and Pegasus no longer around, he didn't have many things to hold him back.

He had argued with his father for hours before William Adama agreed that he had a point. With the integration of the Pegasus crew into Galactica, there really was no place for him. He wasn't about to dethrone Tigh in the XO position, and he didn't think he could go back to just being CAG.

Everyone knew what it meant when he took this mission. They were so far from Kobol that it would take a miracle for a person to go all the way out there and then back. This was the most basic of suicide missions. Lee figured he was good at those. He couldn't even remember a time anymore when he didn't want to leave this life behind.

A spark of memory of the night before he left the Fleet hit him from nowhere, and he smiled. There was one moment where he had thought he might have a reason to keep fighting.

Lee was pulled back into the present as the space in front of him ripped open. A Raptor floated through until it was beside him. Lee breathed a sigh of relief as he grabbed his pressure suit. It was rather unnerving to be floating in space with barely any power, just waiting and hoping that everything stayed according to plan.

He opened his ramp and smiled when he saw Racetrack standing across the void. He pushed off his dead ship and coasted the few feet into her waiting arms. The ramp slapped shut behind him, and Lee felt Edmondson's fingers helping him unhook his helmet.

Lee's eyes drifted to the cockpit. It was a relief to see Showboat there, piloting the ship, but a part of him was disappointed. He had had a foolish hope.

"Good to see you, sir," Racetrack said, taking her ECO seat.

Lee nodded and slipped into the co-pilot's chair. "So what'd you lose to get the job of collecting me?"

Case shook her head with a smile. "Both Racetrack and I won something in fact."

"There was a lot of people who wanted to bring you back, sir. It seems the Fleet's rather enamored with you."

"There was a drawing of names. We're the lucky winners," Showboat finished.

Lee turned to look out at the stars as he felt the familiar jolt of the FTL drive engaging. He couldn't really wrap his head around there being so many people wanting him to come back. He knew he ran a good ship back when the Pegasus was around, but he wasn't aware there was that much loyalty from his crew. "How long until we're home?"

"Ten, eleven hours," Racetrack replied. "I suggest you get some rest, sir. There are quite a few people who are going to want to see you when we get back."

Images… memories… surfaced within Lee of all the people he had left behind to go on this mission. He felt the familiar tug of nerves at the pit of his stomach.

Following Racetrack's suggestion, Lee let his eyes shut. He had been flying for over twenty-four hours straight before reaching the rendezvous point.

He wasn't surprised when his thoughts drifted to her. Like always, it was memories of their last moments together that consumed him.

oooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

Lee had been staring at the bunk above him for over an hour. This was the only place he really had to go anymore to think. The quarters he had briefly shared with Dee were now another couple's home. The pilots' break room was never really an option if you wanted quiet. The observation deck was reserved for less solitary needs. The Chief was doing a major overhaul on the Vipers so the hangar bay was even more chaotic than normal.

All Lee had was this small bunkroom that no matter how hard he tried didn't seem like home.

That was when he heard the hatch slid open. He didn't move. Whomever it was would be in and out in a few seconds. His bunkmates were intimidated by the fact that they had to share with the Admiral's son, but this was the only spot for him to go so he couldn't fix that. He would need time which was something he did not have.

When he heard the hatch click shut but no other movement, he finally twisted his head to see who it was. "Kara?" Her eyes stayed locked with his as she pushed off the closed hatch, only really breaking away for the few seconds it took to dog the hatch. "What's going on?" he asked in confusion.

Kara walked the few feet it took to stand in front of his bunk and knelt down on the floor beside him. "I got the pilots to agree to give us a few hours."

Lee wanted to desperately ask for what, but the look she was giving him made him keep his mouth shut. Kara slid into the bunk beside him, stretching her body alongside his. He wrapped his arms around her on instinct and was happy when she leaned into his touch. He hadn't misinterpreted her.

Lee wasn't sure when the walls inside himself started to match up with the walls inside of her, but it felt like they were all crumbling down at once.

They laid that way for what felt like an eternity.

A small sniffle broke through the quiet, and Lee realized that Kara was crying. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you have to be so stupid?" she whispered, turning to look up at him.

Lee felt her grab a fistful of his tanks and then she was everywhere, assaulting his senses as she kissed him as soundly as she could. A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that Kara was a married woman these days. She shouldn't be doing this no matter if he was going on a suicide mission or not. She deserved a right to be happy. Another voice pointed out that she seemed pretty happy right now.

Lee decided he had earned the right to have this last selfish act and hoped he wouldn't cause Kara pain from taking it. He ran his hands underneath the back of her tanks. Her skin was hot to the touch.

Kara shifted until she was on top of him. Her thighs tightened around his waist, and she pulled back to sit up. Lee watched in awe as she slid her tanks off her body and threw them to the ground. For a second, he forgot about everything but this woman currently offering herself to him.

The choice was so simple that he didn't hesitate. He pulled her down to kiss him again. They only broke away to shed the remaining pieces of clothing coming between them.

It was slow and sweet, nothing like they had ever had together before. They both knew that this was probably it. This was the last time they would be able to see each other, to touch each other, and so when Lee pushed himself inside of her, he made it as drawn out as he could.

This was it for him. This had always been it.

oooooooOOOOOOoooooooo

Lee felt himself stir awake and looked around the Raptor. There must have been something telling in his eyes because Showboat and Racetrack both looked away the second they realized he was awake.

Lee shifted his attention to space as the rest of that night came back in mind. He made love to Kara for the few precious hours she had given him. He had shown her his heart for as long as his body would hold up and then some.

When he woke up to the clatter of his bunkmates coming off shift, he wasn't surprised to find himself alone in the bunk. Kara never did like goodbyes.

And so he left the Fleet on this mission that he wasn't going to come back from.

"We're almost there, sir," Showboat said, breaking into his thoughts.

"I was out for that long?"

"It seems Fleet saving missions take a lot out of you," Racetrack joked.

Lee felt the pull of FTL, and he didn't have to ask to know this was the last jump. His vision went white, and then the Fleet was in front of him. His eyes zeroed in on Galactica by instinct. It was his home.

"Galactica, this is Raptor 569. I am pleased to report we have the mission objective on board."

Lee couldn't fight back the grin when he heard the cheering filtering through the open comm. It sounded like the whole crew was in the CIC.

"Raptor 569, you are cleared for landing. Also, I have a message from Galactica Actual."

"Proceed," Racetrack said, a small look of worry passing between her and Showboat. It was always unnerving to have the attention of the Fleet's highest ranking officer on you even in situations like this.

"Message reads don't you two frak this up now that you're home."

Showboat switched on her comm. "You tell Galactica Actual that I'm about to give him a textbook landing."

Lee leaned back in his chair and just enjoyed the ride as Case took him into his home. They set down on the floor of the landing tube as smoothly as promised, and Lee let out a sigh of relief. Now they just had to wait a few minutes to get lifted into the hangar bay and he would finally have his feet back on Galactica.

"We should probably give him a quick update," Racetrack said, slipping out of her ECO chair.

Showboat nodded. "Let's see. There's not much change with your father. He's been out of his mind with worry about you, Apollo, but I'm sure you knew that. The XO surprisingly has also been worried. He finally cut the booze out of his life so I guess that returned most of the humanity he's been lacking the past few years."

"We think he sobered up for the Old Man's sake," Racetrack added.

Lee nodded. He may have had his share of differences with the Colonel in the past, but he knew when push came to shove, Saul Tigh was one of the few people his father trusted.

"Sharon's been let out of her cell on a trial basis. She's proven herself trustworthy a million times while you've been gone, and so the Old Man's given her a few privileges."

"She deserves it," Lee agreed, thinking back to how she helped plan his return trip to Kobol. The mission had gone by without one problem, and he knew that was mostly due to Sharon.

"Helo and Starbuck have been splitting the CAG duties. It's easier that way now that there are so many pilots to keep track of," Racetrack reported.

"How are they doing?" Lee asked.

The question didn't seem odd or out of place to Racetrack and Showboat. It was common knowledge that Kara and Karl were close to Lee.

"Helo's doing fine," Racetrack offered. "He's trying to convince the Old Man to let him marry Sharon. It's rather bizarre how no one finds that out of the question. I guess we've all gotten used to their relationship over the last few years."

"Starbuck's doing okay, too," Showboat said, picking up where Racetrack left off. "She's thrown herself into her work since her marriage ended."

Lee's eyes went wide. "I don't understand."

"I know. We were all surprised. Kara and Sam were always so happy together, and then one day, he filed for divorce. There was a rumor going around that it was because she was unfaithful, but Kara's been so tight-lipped that I don't think we'll ever know why her marriage truly ended."

Lee did his best not to react. He knew immediately that he had something to do with her marriage ending. It was just too much of a coincidence that there would be rumors of adultery after what had happened between them.

The Raptor shifted to a stop. They were in the hangar bay.

"Is that about it with the update?" Lee asked, getting to his feet.

"It'll get you through the next hour or so, I think," Racetrack replied. She hit the controls to lower the ramp and turned to smile at her commanding officer. "Welcome home, sir."

Lee stepped down the ramp and saw the whole hangar bay had stopped what they were doing. The applause and cheers were deafening, but Lee wasn't really paying attention. His eyes were locked on the man standing front and center to greet him. Forgetting any sort of propriety, Lee wrapped his arms around his father and held tight. Their relationship had been bruised so many times in his life, but it didn't matter anymore.

"I got what we were looking for," Lee whispered in his father's ear as they continued to hold tight to one another.

"That can wait," Adama replied, finally pulling back to take a good look at his son. "For now, why don't you go get changed? I left some clothes for you in the shared quarters you used to live in. I figured you might want some space after being cooped up so long."

"Are you sure you don't want my report first?"

Adama shook his head. "Save your report. We're probably going to be in meetings talking about what you found for the next few months so get the rest while you can."

Lee felt his father squeeze his shoulder one last time, and then he was making his way out of the hangar bay and into the corridors. It was odd how he could recall every inch of this ship. It had been over a year since he was last here, and yet it still felt like home.

The hatch to his old shared quarters slid open with a familiar creak. Lee stepped over the threshold and immediately peeled off his flight suit. He had been wearing that thing for far too long of a time.

Lee was about to shrug off the rest of his clothing and take advantage of the personal shower he knew was in this quarters when his eyes caught on something completely unexpected.

Kara was sitting on the bed, hands folded in her lap. Her eyes rose to meet his and went wide.

Lee didn't know what came over him. He knew this was the last thing he should be doing, but he couldn't stop his body. Kara squeaked in surprise as he pulled her off the bed and into his arms. His lips met hers in a kiss he had spent so many night imagining. It only took her a few seconds to understand what was happening, and when she did, Lee could feel her melt into his touch.

The need for oxygen was what finally broke them apart.

Kara's hands still clutched his arms as a small smile played at the corner of her lips. "I still think you're incredibly stupid even if you came back alive," she reminded him.

Lee smirked and went to kiss her again. This time she pulled back from him, and Lee felt his heart freeze. She was just happy to have him home and nothing more. He started berating himself. This wasn't his damn fantasy. It was reality, and reality with Kara was always painful.

"There's something I need to tell you, Lee," Kara whispered, pulling away from him.

Lee nodded and sat down on the bed. He had a feeling this was about Anders. He could feel there was more to the story than Racetrack or Showboat were willing to let on.

Kara started pacing next to the bed, and Lee knew she was doing her best to gather her thoughts. He silently wondered what could be so bad that she hesitated on how to tell him.

"Kara," he said, softly.

She skidded to a halt and looked at him, eyes full of fear. "Lee, I have-"

A loud cry bit through the air, cutting her words short. If it was possible, Lee saw the worry in her eyes increase. "Oh gods," she said, ducking past where he sat and rushing into the adjoined room.

Lee waited a moment and then stood up and followed. What he saw made him stop in his tracks in the middle of the hatchway. Kara was rocking a baby in her arms as gentle words of soothing fell from her lips. She looked up at him and smiled. "Come here."

Lee made his way to stand cautiously beside Kara. His eyes rested on the baby. It had a small mop of dark hair and was currently sucking lightly on its thumb with shining eyes. There was no more crying.

"This is Leila, my daughter," Kara whispered softly. "And, Leila, this is Lee, but I don't want you to get used to calling him that."

"What should she call me?" Lee asked, leaning in to touch the little girl's cheek with the tip of his finger. She was the cutest baby he had ever seen.

Kara turned her attention away from her daughter and waited until Lee looked up at her. "I was hoping Daddy."

Lee's eyes went wide. "She's… she's mine?"

"She was born about eight months after you left, seven months after I dissolved my marriage bans, and one month earlier than we were expecting."

"We?"

"Your father and I," Kara said before turning her attention back to her daughter. "Because Grandpa's been helping me a lot this past year, hasn't he?" Kara set the little girl back down in her crib and turned to face Lee. "So now you know what I was trying to tell you out there."

Lee rubbed his eyes as the newness of being home wore off and fatigue started setting in. He had a million questions in his head right now, but only one seemed to be on his lips. "So I was the reason Anders divorced you?"

"Yes and no," Kara said. She looked down at Leila and, satisfied that her daughter was at peace, motioned for Lee to follow her into the other room. Sitting down on the bed, she sighed. "My marriage to Sam was on its way out before you decided to go on that mission. I came to you the night before you left to tell you that. I wanted to beg you to stay, but I couldn't. I had no right. When you left, I decided to give my marriage one last shot, but then I found out I was pregnant. When I told Sam… it wasn't pretty. A few days later, we were in front of a priestess asking for a divorce."

"Showboat said there were rumors of adultery."

Kara nodded. "That was the only reason I could use to get my bans dissolved."

They fell back into silence as Lee tried to wrap his head around what she was telling him. After a moment, he reached out to grasp her hand and let out a deep sigh. "Here's what I don't understand, I wasn't the biggest fan of Samuel Anders, but I thought he was a pretty nice guy. I would have imagined he'd want to stick by you through your pregnancy. I mean, the odds weren't in my favor for returning."

"He offered to support me," Kara confirmed. "I told him no."

"Why?"

"I knew from the moment Cottle told me I was with child that it was either raise this baby with you or do it on my own. I didn't want anyone else." She felt Lee lift her hand up to his lips and brush a light kiss across the back. "I knew I would have help. I mean, I had both the Old Man and Karl. They weren't you, but they were definitely the next best thing."

Lee let his eyes roam every inch of Kara as she sat beside him. A blush came over her skin almost immediately. There were changes in her appearance that he hadn't noticed before. Her hair was short again, and her body bore the signs of motherhood. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it. "Can I see Leila again?"

Kara nodded, and Lee could tell it pleased her that he wanted to see his daughter. He suddenly realized she was still nervous about this. For some reason, that was endearing.

Lee watched his daughter sleep for what felt like hours until he heard the phone buzz in the other room. Even then, he didn't move. Kara stepped back into the hatch after a minute. "That was your father. He needs your informal report."

Lee nodded and, as much as it hurt, pulled himself away from his daughter. Kara turned to step back into the other room with him, but Lee caught her arm. "There's something I want to make clear," he whispered, his eyes darting into the quiet nursery. "I want to be a part of this little girl's life. Even more than that, I want to be a part of our daughter's life with you. Because I love you, Kara. I always have."

Kara bit her lip to keep the tears from falling and managed a small nod.

"When I'm finished giving my report, I'm going to talk to my father about moving into these quarters with you."

"Lee, you and I both know that regulations require the couples sharing these quarters to be permanently joined to one another," Kara gently reminded him.

"I remember," Lee said, smiling down at her.

It took Kara a second to realize what was happening, and when it finally dawned on her, she could feel her eyes go wide. "Are you…"

"…proposing? Yes. I want to marry you more than anything in the world, Kara, and I'm tired of having to be rational about it. I'm tired of taking things slow. I've loved you forever, and I love our daughter. If I had nothing else, that would be enough. So what do you say, Captain? Marry me?"

"It's Major now," Kara pointed out before she broke out with a smile, "and yes."

Lee swept her up off her feet and gave her the best kiss he could muster.

"I'm so glad you came back to me," she whispered when he finally set her back on the ground.

Lee was about to tell her that he was never going to leave again when a wail from the other room interrupted them. Kara pushed away from him. "I'll get her. Get changed and go to your briefing, Lee."

Lee watched her pick up their daughter and settle into the chair next to the crib before he moved to change into the clothes laid out on the bed. He walked back to the hatchway as he was zipping up his sweatshirt and saw that Kara hadn't moved. She was still rocking Leila back to sleep. "You'll be here when I get back?" he asked.

Kara nodded. "We're not going anywhere."

Lee walked over to where she sat and leaned down to give his daughter's tiny nose a kiss. He brushed a kiss on the top of Kara's head and then made his way out of the quarters that would be his home.

He had left this place a year earlier, having nothing to live for, and he came back with more than he ever thought he'd have. Silently, he thanked the gods for watching over him when it really mattered.