VI

The Present

Kara showed up right on time to pick up Kacey from school. Kacey was in the preschool class, so not in the "real" school yet. That would begin the following year. Normally, Kara would take Kacey home and enjoy time with her. Today, she decided to pay Laura a visit next door in the "real" school.

Kara held Kacey's hand as they strolled into the larger school building. Laura was still busy with parents picking up their kids, as well as talking to parents and students about particular assignments or any problems a student was having.

Looking at Roslin, Kara could see that Laura was truly in her element, working to better Humanity's children, and giving back her own knowledge of the Universe. It was a stressful job, no doubt, but compared to deciding if a ship with perhaps thirteen-hundred human beings on it should be shot out of the stars, it was a walk in the park.

Kara and Kacey took a seat while Laura was in conversation.

"Mrs. Romer, Mark is an excellent student, but he does sometimes wander away, if you will in class. I don't think it's serious, just restlessness on his part."

"Should I do anything to help him get through that?"

Laura shook her head. "No, just keep an eye on it, and try to steer him back if you notice he's drifting into those daydreams. I wish I could drift into them more often, if you get my drift." Laura gave the mother a huge smile, and the woman laughed at her wistfulness.

"Thank you, Laura", Mrs. Romer said gratefully. "You guys are the best. Have a great night."

"My pleasure, Carolyn", Laura said, then looked over at the ten-year old boy. "You have a good night, too, Mark. I'll see you tomorrow!"

The mother and son made their way out of the tent, and Laura was finally clear of students and parents. She still hadn't noticed Kara and Kacey.

"You might make a decent teacher someday, lady", Kara said with a snicker of laughter.

Laura looked up, somewhat startled, then laughed. "You think so? Or I could run for President some day?"

They both laughed. Laura then looked down at Kacey. "Hey pretty girl, how was school today?"

"School was fun, teacher Rosin."

Kara got a kick out of what her daughter called Laura, and they shared a look between them.

"Well, that's good to hear. You know, next year, I might have you in my class."

"Yay!" The little girl jumped up and down happily, making the adults again laugh pleasantly.

Laura took a seat across from the two blondes. "So what brings you ladies over here today?"

Kara shrugged. "I was just picking Kacey up, and decided to see how you were doing. Haven't seen you in a couple of days. You are coming over for dinner later, right?"

Laura's heart involuntarily jumped. "And miss the most entertaining part of my week-you two, trying to cook?"

"Hey", Kara objected with a smile, as Roslin snorted a laugh, "we're getting much better at the cooking thing, aren't we, Kace?"

"Still messy, momma."

Kara rolled her eyes at the rebuke, making Laura laugh even more.

"Everybody's a critic", Kara said, picking up her daughter and giving her a kiss on the cheek, Kacey hugging her tightly.

The scene caused Laura to smile even more. To think of Kara Thrace as a mother? The Universe had certainly changed. But it was a look that agreed with Starbuck. Laura had never seen her happier.

"Try being President some day, Thrace", Laura retorted with a smile. "Then you'll know criticism."

Kara thought about that. "Yeah, even I gave you some grief sometimes, didn't I?"

Laura waved her off. "It's water under the bridge, Kara. You get used to it pretty fast."

Kara nodded. "True, but at least you tried to help our people, unlike that bastard sitting in Colonial One now." The disgust in her voice was palpable.

"Ah, ah, watch your language around your daughter, Kara."

Kara realized she had cursed. "I'm sorry Kacey. Momma shouldn't talk like that, should she?"

"No cussing, momma!"

"You tell her, Kacey", Laura said with encouragement. Then she became serious again. "Let's not talk about Gaius Baltar, shall we?"

Kara felt she was ready to open up to Laura about her past, but wondered if she'd mentioned the night she had screwed the then-Vice President, only to call out Lee's name in a moment of passion? She wasn't sure. But she did know that she wanted...needed, to open up to her friend.

"I'll let you finish your work here, Laura. Kacey and I will see you about 1900? She's got another sleep-over tonight."

"The little social butterfly, isn't she?"

"You have no idea, Roslin", Kara said with a laugh, Laura joining her. Then she too became serious. "I think after dinner, and when Kacey goes over to her friends tent, I'd like to talk about a number of things."

The look on Starbuck's face indicated what "a number of things" meant. Laura had wanted Kara to open up to her, ever since the began sharing more time together. Despite how content Kara seemed to be, Laura still saw the storm in her eyes occasionally. She couldn't bottle everything up forever. Laura wanted to be Kara's outlet.

Laura knew she was developing very strong feelings for the younger woman.

Aboard Galactica

The two CAG's, Louanne Katraine, and Brendan Costanza-Kat and Hot Dog-were working on a plan they hoped would lead to the two Battlestars being able to rescue their brothers and sisters on New Caprica. It was arduous work, but it was starting to take place.

The two had been Nuggets only two years earlier, now they were tasked with coming up with the diversionary plan that would keep The Cylons off-guard when they finally tried the rescue. Despite their youth, the two were bone-tired, as was everyone else on the two ships. Being only at half-strength, with a lot of raw, untried jocks was a taxing job. Kat especially had gained a hard-earned respect for Starbuck, and what she had had to put up with from her younger rival. She promised to tell her former Boss how much she appreciated her patience back in the day.

Kat and Hot Dog were receiving some guidance from Apollo, but his duty kept him mostly on Pegasus as the master of that vessel, but his advice was invaluable. They also were working with Racetrack, and Athena, who had been granted a commission in the Colonial Services. It had surprised the renegade Cylon, who had been through so much, but her piloting skills, and the fact that she could blend in on New Caprica were going to be key to their success.

The four of them were rolling around ideas this day.

"If we can line a bunch of Raptors and shoot off drones that can bank suddenly, we can give the Cylon Dradis an image of two Battlestars." Margaret Edmunson, Call Sign Racetrack, had been going over this idea in her head. "When their Raiders come out to investigate, we can have a squad of Viper jump them, taking them off the board."

Kat liked the idea, but had some concerns. "The Cylons may be bastards, but they're not stupid, Racetrack. They'll catch on pretty fast."

"It still doesn't give us an in on how to launch Vipers in the atmosphere to cover an uprising on the ground." Brendan Costanza had been given the Call Sign Hot Dog when he tried too hard to impress his CAG's, but he had become a talented, resourceful, and well-respected pilot. He wasn't CAG for no reason.

The problem was that they probably couldn't get the Battlestars close enough to have fighters penetrate the atmosphere before they were jumped by Raiders.

The group was so intent on their discussion that they didn't notice Helo had entered the room. Helo was now XO on Galactica, and, like Lee, his duty as a senior officer kept him from getting fully involved in the nuts and bolts of planning.

But he came to this meeting for an idea that had been rolling around in his own mind. "I think I might have the answer to that."

The other four startled out of their discussion, and began to rise.

"Stay seated, guys", he said lightly, as the four settled back into their chairs, his wife Athena smiling crookedly at him as he took a seat with the group.

"You just want all the glory, don't you, Agathon?" Athena's eyes twinkled at her husband, not able to resist teasing him.

"Yeah, so you say, Agathon." They both laughed.

"OK, you two lovebirds", Racetrack said with an eye roll. "Take it somewhere private if you're gonna get mushy." That broke the tension for a moment.

"So what's this idea, Helo?"

"This is gonna sound crazy, guys, but here me out on this one."

The dinner, as usual, was fun, entertaining, and scrumptious, Laura thought. She had a blast watching Kara and Kacey together. Kara hadn't done a maternity test, but there's no doubt Kacey had to be her daughter. They were so much alike. Laura had grown to adore the little girl-and realized she was beginning to adore her mother, too.

Kacey was ready to go to her friends tent by 2030, and shortly after that, Kara and Laura were comfortable on the couch, a bottle of wine on the table in front of them. They had been talking for some time, but it was obvious to Laura that this was only small talk. She was certain Kara was waiting for the wine to kick in before really starting to talk.

After the first hour, Laura decided to broach the subject. She was pouring them both their third glass of wine. "You mentioned after school that you wanted to talk about some things? You still up for that?"

Kara appreciated Laura giving her the time to get some liquid courage into her. "Yeah. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but was looking for the right time. I trust you, more than anyone Laura, I hope you know that."

"Take all the time you need, Kara. We have all night."

Kara smiled softly. It was beginning to dawn on Starbuck that she just didn't trust Laura Roslin, and would trust her with her life. She was also growing fond of Laura beyond what friends usually felt for each other. She was comfortable around the older woman, and felt that she could just be herself when they were together.

She wondered if she were falling in love with the former President.

She spent the next several hours, simply pouring her life story out to Laura: her traumatic childhood; her mother's abuse; finding solace, even in her early teens, in fraking a stranger just to feel something that resembled love; ending up in jail more than once; being given the choice between extended jail time or joining the military.

"Shortly after I got my wings, I met Zak Adama." Kara had a smile on her face, recalling that meeting. "We obviously met because of his father, who was overseeing pilot training at the time. He wanted so much to be like his old man and Lee, who are both incredible pilots."

"But it wasn't in his make-up, was it?" Laura knew of the story, but not of the details.

Kara shook her head. "No, it wasn't. He just didn't have it when it came to flying a Viper. He probably could have been a commercial pilot, but not a jock. We had fallen in love, and I let my love for him over-ride my good judgment as an instructor. He never should have been in a cockpit of a Viper."

Laura knew Zak had died on his first flight after being certified. Kara could easily have been drummed out of the service, had Bill Adama known the truth when his son was killed. Even with that, years later, the Admiral felt a special kinship with Kara Thrace.

She then recounted how she had gone back to being a fraking machine after Zak's death, again simply to feel something. Her hard smoking, drinking, and screwing was had all but ruined her reputation at one time aboard Galactica.

"All of that led to me slugging Tigh in the face. I look back now, and it had less to do with the Colonel being a pain-in-the-ass", she said, but gave in to a wry smile. "Which he is, by the way."

Laura laughed, despite the seriousness of the subject, proud of the fact that Kara could still joke even when recounting all of this.

Kara hesitated for a moment. "I wasn't sure if I would tell you this-you may get up and leave when I do."

Laura stopped her. "Oh, honey, whatever you tell me, I'm not gonna leave. That's not how friends treat each other."

Kara had noted the term of endearment, thinking Laura hadn't even realized she said it. Oddly, that relaxed her.

"Do you remember that big Colonial Day blowout we had on Galactica that first year after the war?" Laura nodded her head. I remember some of it, Laura thought. I had a wee too much to drink that night.

Kara gave an embarrassed smile, blushing. "Well, afterwards, as you can imagine, what with my reputation, I ended up at someone's place that night."

By the look on Kara's face, Laura could tell Kara was hesitant to say more.

"And?" Kara laughed at Laura's tease. "Hey you can't tease me like that then leave me hanging."

"OK, OK!" Kara laughed with a blush still on her face. "I ended up...I ended up with the Vice President that night."

Laura's face went blank. It didn't sink in for a moment. She had to take a few extra beats to remember who the Vice President...

"You...you...tell me you didn't...you fraked..." Laura couldn't say it.

Kara actually snickered at Laura's inability to speak. "Yeah, I fraked Gaius Baltar."

Laura looked at her full wine glass, then back at Kara. Without another word, Laura drained the glass in three large gulps, shaking her head after that.

"You...fraked...Gaius?" She quickly poured another glass of wine. That made Kara burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I did. I told you I was outta my mind back then, Laura. But that's not the part that'll blow your mind."

Laura held up her hands. "Oh, I don't want details of that one, Kara", she said with a nervous laugh. "No, no, no, girl, don't go there."

"Actually, this will make you laugh." She took a breath. "In the middle of it, I...kind of...well, I said Lee's name twice."

Laura was in the process of taking a sip when Kara said that, and she had to turn to one side, spitting the liquid out, and going into a coughing fit.

In between gasps, she began to laugh. "You...said Lee's name...while...Gaius was...oh, my fraking gods!" She continued to cough, but laughter becoming more prominent.

In a few moments, both women were laughing hysterically, Kara even pounding Laura on the back a few times to stop her coughing. The laughter was out of control, so much that Kara had leaned into Laura and fallen into her lap, both of them laughing uncontrollably.

They laughed so hard and so long, that they began to cry, and their stomachs began to hurt. Laura had sat Kara up and cradled her in her arms. Kara didn't try to break the embrace.

It took a good five minutes for them to begin to calm down, both of them still crying and laughing. Finally, they were able to get some control.

"Oh, gods, Kara", Laura said with a snort of more laughter, "I'd have paid real cubits to see his face when you said that. It would have been worth it!"

"Yeah, he was pretty pissed."

"I bet he was. What a sight that must have been."

"So I didn't leave you hanging, Roslin...but I certainly left him hanging."

That line started their maniacal laughter all over again, for another good five minutes. The two women hugged again, falling into each other, the crying starting again.

In the middle of the laughter, something happened to both of them. Kara had just turned to look at Laura, their laughter starting to die down, when both of them stopped cold, looking into each others' eyes. Without another thought, they both leaned in at the same moment, capturing each others' lips in a passionate kiss, that lasted for several long moments.

Suddenly, they were both sober and simply staring at each other, trying to comprehend what they had just done, and they backed away from each other.

Kara started to speak. "Laura?"

Roslin suddenly stood up. "I...I need to go, Kara. I...will see you later." Roslin turn and fled the tent, leaving Starbuck speechless.

Kara simply stared straight ahead, wondering what the hell had just happened between them, but feeling the crushing loss of Laura leaving so suddenly. Kara began to sob.

Admiral Bill Adama, and Commander Lee Adama were notified that the working group had come up with a plan for the proposed rescue on New Caprica. The Admiral called a meeting onboard Galactica to hear the proposal. Present would be the Admiral, the Commander, Dee Adama, Karl Agathon, Louis Hoshi, Athena, Kat, Hot Dog, and Racetrack, who had become a major contributor.

Hot Dog was considered the senior CAG, so he began the presentation. "Sirs, we have gamed this in the war room, and we believe this plan gives us the highest percentage for success. It will need to involve those on the planet, but right now, we're only here to present what happens on our end."

Hot Dog and Kat, as the two CAG's, made the presentation. It raised more than a few eyebrows. It was bold; it was innovative; and it was risky as hell. Bill Adama liked the sheer ballsiness of the plan. Bill Adama was a cautious man by nature, but he was tired of being on the defensive, and he wanted to kick The Cylons teeth in on this one.

He looked over at Lee, and Lee was none too happy. But, like the good soldier he was, he would wait to put forth his objections, which his father knew were coming.

After the hour-long meeting concluded, the Admiral stood up and paced the room for a few long moments, going over the plan in his mind. He turned to the group with a decisive motion.

"Approved. Let's start working on the practicals, and get everyone trained for this. Dismissed."

For the next week, Kara and Laura avoided each other. Both had been stunned by the sudden rush of passion that had hit them. It had been so sudden that each of them hadn't been able to handle it, and by silent agreement, they simply stayed away from on another.

Both of them were miserable for it.

Kara was sure that she had fallen in love with Laura. The woman gave her a sense of security and acceptance that she had never felt in her life. Starbuck was one who didn't need protecting, but in her entire life, she simply wanted to be accepted for who she was, which was a flawed but caring human being, who believed in something greater than herself, but who was afraid to trust in someone else.

For her part, Laura Roslin had never met anyone like Kara Thrace. That wasn't a new thought, as she had felt that the first time in meeting the driven pilot a few years ago. Laura had seen through Kara's bluster, which is why she had tasked Kara to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo, going against Bill Adama's orders in doing so. It's why she had given Kara the task of interrogating Leoben. It is why she had given the green light, through Bill Adama, to attempt the assassination of Helena Cain. Laura inherently trusted Kara. Even though the last of the three things had not been necessary, she knew Kara would carry it out.

Now, she had fallen in love with the electric young woman. How had that happened? And how and why did she ruin it by running out on Kara that night. She felt a gut-wrenching emptiness without having Kara around, and Kacey as well. She was lonely again.

Kara turned into herself once more, avoiding everyone for the most part but Kacey. Galen had noticed it, and brought it up to Laura Roslin one day. That information scared Laura to no end. She didn't want Kara to go back into her shell. She was becoming a woman that Laura not only admired, but loved deeply. The Universe couldn't lose what Kara Thrace had become.

Yet neither one of them knew what to do about it. They had cut each other off.