Laura picked up her files and exited her room briskly. She was met outside her door by Tory.
"You're running late Madam President. We may have to cut your meeting with Adama short to make it to the quorum," she said bluntly.
"Thank you, Tory. Just give me one moment," Laura said. She walked quickly through the next room until she nearly ran into a familiar face. "Kestra, are you coming with me today?"
"Yes, I'm sorry to be late President Roslin," Kestra said quickly.
"It's fine. I'm running a little late myself today," Laura said. Kestra smiled, but Laura had already turned and was headed for her raptor. When they boarded Galactica, Kestra split off from Roslin and Tory to go to the sickbay. When she got there, Lee was sitting up in his bed alone.
"Hey," Kestra said softly as she entered.
"Kestra, what are you doing here?" he asked when he noticed her presence.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" she asked as she sat beside his bed, "you were shot."
"Yeah, but I thought we sent you to Colonial One for a reason. The deal was that I would visit you there," he said. Kestra smirked.
"Well you didn't, and I got tired of waiting," she said.
"Touché," Lee replied. Kestra's smile faded.
"How are you feeling?" she asked seriously.
"Oh, I'm fine. It was just a scratch really," Lee said with a smile.
"It was not just a scratch. You looked terrible. I didn't think you were gonna wake up," she said angrily. Lee sobered and furrowed his brow at her.
"You were here?" he asked. Kestra's face went blank.
"The president brought me when she came to see… to see Billy," she said quietly. Lee reached out and grabbed her hand.
"How many times have you been on Galactica?" he asked seriously. Kestra rolled her eyes.
"Three," she replied calmly. Lee's eyes widened.
"Kestra, you were sent away for a reason. You can't just be walking around Galactica unprotected," he argued.
"You were shot, Lee. What was I supposed to do?" she shot back angrily, "I came and went with the president every time. I was perfectly safe." Lee looked at her in much the same way a father would look at a disobedient child.
"Kestra, you were the one that convinced me Galactica was unsafe for you. You can't just come back unprotected on a whim," he said.
"It wasn't a whim, and I was with the president. If anything happened to me, she would have found out about it."
"You already know I don't trust Roslin to protect you," Lee said, "unless something's happened while I've been out of it." Kestra shrugged.
"President Roslin has been more… receptive of my presence on Colonial One since… since Billy died," she said. Lee furrowed his brow.
"Really," he asked curiously, "why?"
"Why so skeptical, Apollo?" she asked jokingly, "maybe the president just couldn't resist my charm and bubbly personality." Lee laughed at her statement.
"A month ago, she was willing to throw you out an airlock at a moment's notice. That must be some charm you've got," he replied.
"I won you over with it didn't I?" she asked in the same joking tone. Lee, however, became thoughtful at her claim. Kestra noticed his change in demeanor and sobered. "I didn't mean to imply anything," she said cautiously. Lee met her eyes again. It seemed he had forgotten she was in the room for a moment.
"Yes you did," he said seriously, "win me over I mean." Kestra looked curiously at him.
"Lee, I," she said, but stopped and averted her gaze uncomfortably. Lee grabbed her hand and pulled her back to look at him. He simply looked at her, indicating that he expected her to finish her thought. "How do I fit into this…" she gestured all around her, failing to find the words to express what she meant, "life. Do I fit into your life?" Lee kept eye contact with her, though he did not respond. She shifted uncomfortably, and after a while, she pulled her hand back out of his grasp. Lee watched to see if she would leave, but she did not.
"Yes," he said when he was sure she would stay, "my life has changed so much since I met you, and… I'd like to continue to have you in it." She nodded once. Lee cocked his head. "Is there something else?" She shook her head.
"I'm just… dealing with a lot right now," she said dismissively, "it doesn't matter. When is Cottle letting you out of here?" Lee grabbed her hand again and squeezed it.
"Hey, if you're upset about something you can tell me," he said sincerely, "I'm not gonna let you change the subject that easily." She smiled weakly and shook her head again.
"Lee, you're hurt. You don't need to be burdened with my problems while you're still trying to recover."
"Yes, I do," he said firmly, "who else are you going to talk about it too?" He stared at her until she let out a small sigh. "Tell me."
"I just… I've been… alone a lot recently, and it shouldn't be, but it's hard. All these people around, and I've never felt so alone. I don't know how to function here. Your futures are already so uncertain, not knowing when you'll ever find a planet you can settle down on, and I just don't know how I'll ever… if I'll ever belong," she said haltingly. Lee placed his hand on her cheek which caused tears to spring into her eyes. He used his thumb to wipe the tears off her face.
"You'll belong with me now," he said gently, "don't worry. I'll make sure there's always a place for you in this fleet. You said yourself you're already winning over the president. It's only a matter of time before the others see it too." Kestra smiled and leaned into his touch.
"My inescapable charm?"
"Your heart," he corrected her, "and your spirit. They'll see what a strong determination it took for you to survive alone, and what a kind and loving spirit it took for you to keep your humanity through it. And how it took all of that to put up with a 'barbaric' race like us." She chuckled at his use of her description of the colonies.
"Well, it takes a pretty civilized person to oppose his leaders for the well-being of a complete stranger," she said in response.
"You're not a stranger," he said, "you'll never be a stranger to me." Kestra opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by a voice behind her.
"Lee," Dee said cheerfully as she walked briskly through the door to sickbay. She stopped short when she saw that Lee already had a visitor. "Oh." She watched Lee quickly take his hand off Kestra's cheek, and Kestra swiftly wiped the tears from her face. There was silence for a moment until Kestra spoke up.
"I can go if-"
"No," Dee interrupted, "I'm sorry for interrupting. I'll come back later." She turned and quickly exited sickbay. Kestra glanced at the clock as she turned back to Lee.
"I'm sorry. She could have stayed. I have to be going anyway," she said.
"Don't be sorry. Why do you have to go?" he asked.
"The president has a quorum meeting that she needs to get back to. I don't think it would help build our rapport if I made her late," she said. Lee gave a breathy laugh.
"I suppose not," he said, "I'm glad you came… even though I don't think you should have." Kestra smiled as she stood.
"I'm glad I came too. Thank you, Lee… for everything," she said. She leaned down and kissed him. Lee didn't even have time to react to the kiss. It was over in a moment, and she was out the door. He stared at the empty doorway for a moment. Then, he smiled and laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. Dee peeked her head back around the doorway she had just retreated from to allow Kestra to pass without being seen. She looked down the empty hallway and then at the smile left on Lee's face, and she frowned.
