After the planning meeting for the mission to Kobol was concluded, everyone filed out of the room, but Kara hung back. Bill knew from experience that she wanted to talk. He had a feeling he knew about what. Or rather whom.

"I know I shouldn't put any stock in rumors, but I've been hearing some…pretty strange things," she said, after they were left alone.

"It's true."

Kara was shocked. How could Adama say it was true without first knowing what she had heard. She simply couldn't resist an opportunity like that. "So…Ellen Tigh's been dancing naked on the tables in the mess hall?" Kara asked innocently.

Adama's eyebrows rose and quickly lowered as that unwanted image entered his brain and was quickly banished.

"No!"

He continued to glare at her, prompting a sheepish, "Sorry sir."

"What have you heard?" Adama finally asked.

"Well," she began uncomfortably. "I heard that Lee…um…"

"That's true."

"Lee put a gun to Tigh's head?" Kara asked in disbelief, almost expecting the same response she got for the crack about Ellen.

Adama nodded.

Kara's mouth opened and closed. Finally she spoke again. "And…he did it because…you were trying to…"

"That's true, too."

Kara silently absorbed all this.

"We both got Presidential pardons."

Kara regarded the man before her. He looked like William Adama. He sounded like William Adama. But did he just say he had been pardoned by the President, in the same off-hand manner one would use to describe what he'd eaten for breakfast? Had she jumped back to some kind of bizarre alternate universe? Hot Dog had been telling the truth about it all? Surely that last thing he told her couldn't have been right. She had to know. "And…the part about Lee… being a Cy…" Kara trailed off as Adama confirmed this as well.

Seeing Kara's consternation, Bill attempted to explain."Valerii set him up somehow. It…it really looked like the Cylons had captured Lee and returned a clone in his place."

The light dawned for Kara. All those questions the commander had asked "Caprica" Sharon when they'd arrived.

"So I presume Boomer's in the brig now? Along with the other Sharon?"

A look of sadness crossed Adama's features. "Boomer's dead."

"She was airlocked already?" Kara expressed her disbelief.

"No. I sent marines to arrest her. They found her dead in her bunk. Gunshot wound to the head. Self-inflicted."

"Suicide? Are you sure?" Kara couldn't comprehend that her friend would do that, even though she wasn't really her friend. She was a machine. Would a machine kill itself?

"She left a note."

"A note?"

Adama pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and wordlessly handed it to Kara.

She reached for it tentatively and recognized Sharon's handwriting.


I can't live like this

I don't want to be a Cylon – I'm not one of them. I can't be.

But I am.

I learned the truth on the basestar but I still tried to deny it.

I thought if I destroyed them I wouldn't hear the voices any more, that everything could be like it was.

I never meant to get Apollo involved. I'm not sure how that happened.

They want me to conceive a child with a human. I must have ignored the regs because of this. It wasn't something I realized at the time.

I think I'm responsible for what happened to the water storage tanks. I don't remember doing it but I know somehow that I did.

Now the voices are telling me to shoot the Commander. I can't do that, I won't. I'd rather die.

I'd rather shoot myself.

I'm sorry Galen. I do love you. Forever.

Goodbye.

Kara looked up after she'd finished reading, her eyes huge and filled with unshed tears. She handed the paper back to Adama and turned away, lost in her own thoughts. It had been such a shock seeing Sharon on Caprica and realizing that her friend was really her enemy. But seeing this...poor Tyrol! He must be devastated. And Boomer had been the one who'd blown up the water tanks? She'd never have suspected that. And everyone knew about the lieutenant's forbidden affair with the Chief, but to think it was some Cylon plot and not just true love that wouldn't be denied? She was revisited with the revulsion she felt when she saw Sharon on Caprica. How had she been friends with a machine?

Suddenly she remembered Lee. She had really expected him to be at this meeting. She took some deep breaths as she put the pieces together. Lee had been in the brig. For mutiny, no less. She still had trouble envisioning that scene with Lee and Colonel Tigh. Maybe he would tell her about it. But where was he? He had been pardoned by the president so he shouldn't still be in hack. Then it dawned on her. Until she'd arrived with Sharon, they'd thought Lee was a Cylon. What had happened to him?

She looked back at the Commander. "Where's Lee?" she asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Sick bay."

Kara didn't want to think about why he might be there. She continued to look up at Adama with wide eyes. "Why?" She asked, hoping she had guessed wrong.

Adama was getting a bit frustrated with Kara. Surely she knew why. He was still reeling from his visit with his son that morning. He didn't want to talk about what had been done to Lee. He didn't even want to think about it.

Adama's silence spoke volumes to Kara. She of all people would know what happened to Cylon prisoners aboard the fleet. She'd personally interrogated Leoben, after all. Gods, is that what happened to Lee? She quickly decided that there was no place in the universe she needed to be more than sick bay. She abruptly turned, almost running from the room.

"You're dismissed," Adama whispered after she was gone. He carefully folded Sharon's note and put it back in his pocket.

Kara entered sick bay and demanded Captain Adama's location from the first staff member she encountered. She was directed to a bed in the corner, curtained off from the others.

She quietly entered, suddenly afraid of what she might find. She slowly approached the bed, taking in the bruises and cuts on Lee's face. Two of the larger cuts had been stitched up; the others glistened with some kind of ointment.

"Oh gods, Lee…" she gently reached out and lightly touched his face.

Lee startled awake and grabbed her wrist before she could pull it away.

Kara was taken off guard by his reaction; she had believed him to be sleeping soundly.

Lee blinked hard a couple of times, trying to fully awaken. His brain finally processed that it was Kara's arm he was holding. Kara. She was here. She was really here. He was touching her. He tightened his grip slightly just to prove to himself that she was real, that he wasn't dreaming. "Kara," he whispered, then pulled her into his arms. He embraced her tightly then suddenly kissed her before he had a chance to think about what he was doing.

Kara wouldn't have believed it possible for Lee to have taken her by surprise twice in two minutes, but it had just happened. She pulled back, shocked. They stared at each other in disbelief.

Lee was reeling from the scent of her hair, the feel of her body pressed against his, the closeness of her after he had all but given her up for dead. Gods, did I just kiss her?

Kara was stunned. Lee had been through hell. Lee wasn't angry with her. Lee was glad to see her. Gods, did he just kiss me? She finally broke the silence. "I missed you too, Captain," she stammered. She had no idea what that kiss meant and she was in no state to try to figure it out, so she changed the subject. "Looks like I can't leave you alone for a minute," she smirked.

Lee was relieved by Kara's banter. He wasn't sure what he meant by the kiss either. "Yeah, I'm just a loose cannon," he smiled back.

"So…um…you really held a gun on the XO?"

"What was it you once said about striking a superior asshole? Maybe I'm just following your example." Lee grinned.

"Frak me, Adama, when you do something, you really go all the way!"

They both laughed. Lee was still overwhelmed with relief that Kara had returned safely and it was reassuring in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on to sit here and talk with her, like nothing had changed.

Kara had now had a bit more time to take in Lee's appearance. She had noticed his battered face at once but now she had seen his bandaged wrists and the bruises on his arms as well. She indicated them with an inclination of her head. "Hey, I'd hate to see the other guy."

"Oh you've seen him. He's the superior asshole." Lee normally wouldn't have dared refer to a senior officer in such a way, but he wasn't exactly feeling charitable towards the XO.

Kara's eyes widened at the reference. "You mean…TIGH did this?"

Lee's comfortable feeling was evaporating. He didn't want to have to explain his injuries to Kara. At least she already knew about the mutiny thing, he didn't think he could relive that.

"You mean the rumor mill's not working overtime about it?" He didn't quite succeed in keeping the bitterness out of his voice.

"I guess maybe they aren't over the whole "The CAG drew a gun on the XO" thing."

Lee smiled tightly. He wasn't proud of that, but now that he thought about it, it was probably a fantasy of half the people on the ship.

"So, um...you...don't think I'm a Cylon?" Lee tried to sound as if he were unconcerned with her reaction, but she saw the underlying fear and resentment.

"Lee," she began. "No one thinks you're a Cylon."

"I guess you really haven't heard," he responded bitterly.

Kara was confused and it showed. "Your father told me how Sharon set you up. Well, he didn't go into details, just that she made it look like the Cylons had replaced you with a clone. I can't imagine how she was so convincing, but now that she's dead, everyone knows the truth."

Lee was stunned. "What truth? And what do you mean, Sharon's dead? What the hell's going on?"

Kara's confusion grew. Lee didn't know about Sharon? She didn't know a whole lot but apparently she knew more than he did. She quickly decided that she should tell him everything. "Lee, Boomer's a Cylon. I found another copy of her on Caprica. She..." Kara was about to tell Lee about Helo when he interrupted her.

"So I was right! I was right about her all long!" Lee's fist clenched as he spoke.

"How did you know? I served with Boomer for two years and had no idea. How did you figure it out?"

Lee recounted his story of seeing Sharon with the centurions. Kara was shocked.

"So...you reported this and they didn't arrest her?"

He smiled bitterly. "It seems the commander was not interested in anything I had to say. Sharon and I were both tested by Baltar. My test showed I was a Cylon. Kara, it's not true! I'm not a Cylon!"

Kara was alarmed by the desperation in Lee's voice, and she had not missed his embittered reference to his father. She sought to reassure him. "I know. We all know. I told you, Sharon set you up somehow. Your father didn't tell me all the details…"

Lee interrupted again. 'You've talked to my...the commander about this?"

"He told me a little bit, not everything," Kara didn't fully understand Lee's anger. "Lee, my gods, they didn't really think that you were a…" her voice trailed off as Lee nodded and her worst fears were confirmed. Lee had been interrogated as a Cylon agent. By no less that Saul Tigh. Kara didn't think the universe could get any crazier. She hated it when the universe proved her wrong.

Lee wasn't used to silence from Kara. She just kept staring at him. After a few tense moments he decided it was time to get her talking again. "So...while you've been gone, the commander staged a coup, I tried to stop it, I got thrown in the brig, and I got accused of being a toaster. What have you been up to the last few weeks?"

Lee wouldn't have believed her if she'd told him that her story was worse. Oh me? I got the crap beaten out of me, I got shot in the gut, got captured by Cylons, and they stole one of my ovaries. Then I had to euthanize a bunch of people I had come to care about. Oh, and I fell in love with this guy and had to leave him behind to die in a radioactive wasteland. Nothing much. Same old thing. She was almost tempted to tell him some of it, but not only would it have been pretty insensitive of her to do so at that moment, but she wasn't ready to talk about the farm. Not with Lee. Not with anyone. Not now. Maybe not ever.

"I...um...found the Arrow," she managed with a small smile.

"No kidding. You really brought it back? I guess the President is turning cartwheels," Lee couldn't help smiling, but not at the thoughts of Laura doing gymnastics. Rather it was the idea that she might possibly have told his fa...the commander...that she was right and he was wrong.

Kara laughed, but not at the thoughts of Laura doing gymnastics, but rather in relief that they were now going to talk about something else. Anything else.

Kara told Lee everything that had happened in the planning meeting. She also told him a bit about Sharon and Helo. About how Sharon had helped them escape and how she was carrying Helo's child. How she was going to help them with the search for the tomb on Kobol. Lee wasn't pleased to hear this. He insisted a Cylon couldn't be trusted. Their raised voices drew the attention of a nurse who told them to keep it down or Kara would be shown the door. They promised to "be more considerate of the other patients" and resumed their conversation, albeit more quietly. Lee realized they weren't going to resolve the issue now so he dropped it but Kara knew better than to think he'd given up. Talking about Sharon had reminded Lee of Boomer. He asked for the details about her death, assuming as Kara had that she'd been airlocked. He was shocked to learn she'd killed herself before they'd even had a chance to interrogate her. He did wince inwardly at the thoughts of Tigh doing to Boomer what he had done to him, but wished they'd been able to get some more information.

Lee put together the pieces. Cottle's quip about Baltar's lax security, Kara saying Boomer had set him up, his father's earlier visit with every other word being "son." Somehow Boomer was responsible for his test result being Cylon, his father knew it, and now he felt guilty as hell. Well good. Let the old man feel guilty. And then Kara told him one more thing. If she'd known the significance of it, she'd have kept her mouth shut. She told him how her arrival with the other Sharon had been the key to discovering it all. Lee realized then that it was information his father had gotten from a Cylon that had caused him to rethink his orders. He hadn't had second thoughts about ordering his son's execution, he had found out from a Cylon that the technology their resident loony Cylon expert thought they had didn't exist.

Kara watched Lee. Now it was her turn to feel uncomfortable with the silence. She could tell he was more upset, but she didn't know why.

Lee wasn't going to talk to Kara about his feelings toward his father, so he changed the subject once more. "Well, I guess it's lucky for me you showed up when you did."

Kara didn't understand the full implications of that; she knew Lee had been beaten but not that he was nearly put out an airlock. But she responded to his hesitant statement in her typical fashion. "Hey, I've always got your six," she smiled.

Lee smiled back. Whatever else went wrong, they would always have each other. He reached out for her once again and they held each other for a long time, each taking comfort in the other's presence.