I had to cut this chapter up to shorten it. I hope you like and enjoy it...

Kara stood in front of the calendar in her room, one hand rubbing her neck, the other rubbing her swollen stomach. She couldn't believe that another month had passed by so quickly. Twenty weeks down, at least eighteen more to go, she thought to herself. She had survived what she thought was the worst part of the pregnancy only to find out the worst had not come yet. To brighten Kara's days, Adama allowed her to fly again but only in Raptors that were not being used for combat. She didn't like it at first but it was the only way to get back in the air.

To make everything better for her, she finally got Anders out of the room, back on his feet, walking and running like he used too, and out of her hair four days ago. She walked over to her closet and pulled out her BDU's to wear in the CIC. She put it on, laced up her shoes and took the long way to the CIC making sure she passed a certain hanger deck that her husband lived, ate, and sometime slept in now. He was like a kid in the toy store when she showed him what she, some of the C-Buc's and military personnel worked on for the past month.

Sam was at the moment facing off with Barolay. His hand curled around the small ball he held inside the painted wedge on the floor, his legs splayed as he crouched low, his free hand braced on the red line. "Come on Red you gotta do better than that," he taunted his teammate and long time friend.

"Oh you want me to bring it on Blue Eyes? I was taking it easy on you and your knee, but I can step it up if you think you can handle it," She grinned back and pivoted sweeping her arm to try and take the ball but Sam anticipated the move and blocked her with his body. Jean, not faint at heart slammed into his chest with her back and twisted hitting the ball and knocking it out of his hand.

Anders growled and dove after it, Barolay hot on his heels. He swept it up in one hand and threw it hard at the basket. The ball struck the metal backboard and bounced off toward another team member who handily caught it and threw it back in to score. In the mean time Sam and Jean had crashed to the deck in a tangle of arms and legs, both lying gasping on the floor.

"Oh that was good Anders, you can get the frak off me now before you crush me! Gods you're getting heavy. I think I liked you when you were only skin and bones," she shoved at him.

"Now who's getting soft Red? You never used to say that," he grinned at her and they both started laughing as they lay on the floor.

"Sam? Skin and bones? That must have been before he started cooking a month ago." Kara shoved her finger down her throat making a throw up sound before Sam saw her doing it. "Half of that stuff is pure fat, but at least it beats that crap down in the mess hall." She looked down at Jean and Sam on the floor. She stiffened up her spine and crossed her arms. "Having fun or should I be jealous?" She joked as the two of them got to their feet. "I'm just going to borrow him for a few," she told Jean.

"Don't mind if you do Starbuck," Jean replied and walked over to the other side of the court to talk with Jo-man and Crip-Key.

Kara grabbed hold of Sam's sweaty arm and pulled him over to the side of the court. "Hi," she said after giving him a towel and a bottle of water. Kara broke the silence between them. "You didn't come home last night?"

"I know I'm sorry. It was late and didn't want to wake you up." Sam quickly apologized.

"Save the crap for someone that really cares Anders. I was up all night waiting on you to come home," she let out a heavy sigh. "I'm working CAP with Apollo this afternoon after I run up to the CIC real quick. Rumors mill has it that Athena and Racetrack just came back after finding a planet with supplies that we need. Even food, real food. Apollo and I are setting up an op and we need as many hands as we can get to help down on the planet."

"And you want those hands to be?" He asked.

"Yours, your team and some marines. If you don't mind."

Anders wiped the sweat off his face and neck, slinging the towel over one broad shoulder and braced one hand on the wall behind Kara. "They found that planet with unlimited pickles and mangoes yet?" He joked since that was what Kara was craving for the past week but there were none left in the fleet. He grinned as he pinned Kara up against the wall.

Sam had been itching to get off Galactica and actually do something since he surprised Cottle by regaining movement and strength in his injured leg. The only sign that he had even been hurt was the still pink scar and it took a little longer for the stiffness to be worked out first thing but other than that, Samuel Anders was back to heath, he was even a bit more toned.

"Well I can't say that the hills are comprised the biggest mango trees, but from the reports I've seen, we're in for some treats," she replied, her hand running over Sam's muscular arm. "You know our quarters aren't that far from here, I missed you last night."

He grabbed her about the waist and pulled her against him leaning down to place a passionate kiss to her upturned lips. "I'm sorry babe, we were planning out the first tournament series for next week," he said. Now that he was back and able to play, the Admiral had graciously given permission for them to set up Pyramid teams again since Kara and the others had turned one of the unused hangers into a court.

"Tournament uh? This soon? I bet it was all your idea." Kara knew how much Sam wanted to beat the socks off the other teams they had made since New Caprica and the war. "Just remember that I might need you later this afternoon so don't over do it." She leaned in and kissed him, sending him a signal of what she had in mind, pulled away and headed up the stairs towards the CIC.

Admiral Adama looked up as the CIC hatch opened and closed. He smiled when he saw Kara slowly make her way to the central table of the CIC. "What do you hear, Starbuck?"

"Nothing but the rain," she automatically replied.

"Well grab your gun and bring in the cat, I'm sorry to tell you this but you aren't needed in here today. Tigh and I have everything under control so go ahead to the ready room to hear Apollo's Op."

"Boom, boom, boom." Kara made a gun with her hand, nodded and left quickly before she was suckered into anything else. Before walking in the ready room, she went into the locker room to change into her flight suit which was beginning to fit a little too small now. Suck it in Starbuck, she told herself.

Lee Adama was in one of his usual moods when Kara walked in the pilots ready room to hear what they were going to do with this planet. "I want good low sweeps of the planet and as many pictures as you can get of it. This way we know how long we need to stay here. Starbuck, Athena, and Racetrack will cover this side of the planet. Hot-Dog, Beano and I will sweep the other side of the planet. After the first sweep we will send down personnel to help get the supplies. Dismissed."

Standing up from her seat in the front row where she always sat. Kara noticed that Lee was staring at her like he did that night before Sam and her got married.

"Starbuck, I…" Lee started to day to Kara but she quickly gathered her things and left the room before he walked up to her. Once out of the room she still had Lee's smile printed on her mind.

It was several hours later before Sam was able to get back to their quarters. He was soaking sweat, tired but he felt great. They had been engaged in some Marine combat training after Starbuck had left so when he entered their quarters he leaned over to press a kiss to her blonde head before grabbing a piece of bread that she had laid out for their dinner before he disappeared into the bathroom. He showered, shaved, and combed his wet dark hair. He glanced in the mirror thinking a bit absently that he needed to get his hair cut and then he dressed in clean clothes before coming back into the room and sitting down next to Kara at the table. "I'm starved," he announced looking over the small assortment of food that they had.

"Be my guest," she said as she pushed her half eaten plate of food towards Sam. The number one rule when flying is to never eat or drink too much cause you have no clue how long you will sit in a cockpit. There were no bathroom breaks, and the way Kara was now she always had to go with the baby right on her bladder.

"So how did your briefing go?" He asked.

"It was good. Short, sweet and to the point. Op starts tomorrow morning. I was one of the chosen ones to scope out the planet first." She rolled her eyes as she unzipped her flight suit, pulling her arms out of it and slumped back in her chair.

Sam quickly ate his portion certain to leave enough for Kara knowing that she'd be hungry later. He stood and walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently began to massage them.

Her head fell back against his arm as she closed her eyes and sighed in bliss.

"Kara, you're working too hard," he sighed. It was something he said often.

"Don't start that again please. It just makes me upset and then you end up on the floor and me sleeping alone. I took two and a half weeks off of work like you asked me too. Yes I'm working again but I'm not pushing it as hard as I used too. I just had my ass handed by Apollo, I don't need it from you too." She looked up at him as he stood leaning slightly over her. Kara gave him the famous Starbuck glare before looking in front of her again. "Besides the last thing I want to do is fly around in a ship that can't fight back in combat." She reached over to her plate again and finished her half of piece of bread she didn't eat earlier. "Did the Old man talk to you about the planet yet?"

He kissed her head and continued to gently ease the tension out of her neck and shoulders. "Yes, just this afternoon, sounds like quite the operation. He wants me and Lee to work closely on coordinating the civilians and military personnel, even though I'm technically with the marines." He replied thinking that in the month he'd been back on his feet he really hadn't been in that extensive of training yet. "Kara, why is it that I'm still not back with the Marines full time? On this op, I'm acting more like I have in the past."

Shrugging Kara turned around to face Sam. "I don't know. I'm not in the Marines Sam, that's your department," she said poking him in the chest. "I guess the Admiral wants you down on the planet to command the civilians like you did on Caprica and New Caprica. Really I have no clue why you aren't full time." She got up and walked over to the bed. Pulling herself completely out of her flight suit, she laid on top of the bed staring at the ceiling just in her tanks and underwear.

Kara placed one hand under her head and her other hand was gently placed on her protruding belly. "Maybe Cottle doesn't think you are quite ready to be back on full time," she shook her head then looked at Sam. "Or maybe all this Pyramid playing has sent out the wrong message that you don't want to be a Marines anymore and the Old man is teaching you a lesson on your responsibilities," she paused knowing that she might get in trouble for that, then she laughed.

"Hey Cottle was the one that suggested I get back to playing, albeit he did say to take it easy, but it's not a game you can play lightly as you know. Besides, I'm back to almost 100 percent and as soon as I build up my stamina again I'll officially get to tell that old voodoo doctor to frak off." He threw himself down on the bed beside her placing his hand on her stomach as well.

"Nice landing," she scoffed.

"How is Junior doing today?" He asked the mound. "Hope you're not giving your mother too much grief as I intend to take her to task for working way too many long hours and much too hard," he looked up at her when she tensed. "Sweetheart, you know that I'm just concerned about you and the baby right? You're much too thin for being over six months pregnant."

Just then the baby decided to add to the conversation and gave a mighty kick against Sam's hand. It was the first one he had been able to feel that strongly. "Wow!" He said in amazement as he stared at the independently moving bulge

"You're telling me!" Kara glared at Sam. "Stop it you're going to make her mad and then I won't sleep. Then if I don't sleep, you don't sleep and all three of us are mad at each other." She still thought it was funny how Sam thinks the baby is going to be a boy and she thinks its going to be a girl. Kara didn't want to know the sex of the baby just yet. Maybe by the next check up with Cottle, but ultrasounds were showing good signs of a healthy baby.

"Well you should be happy to know that once we are done with the planet, its going to be my last time in a Raptor. I'm being grounded on Galactica until two months after she is born."

"He," Sam said still having his hand on her stomach with his eyes glued to the mound holding his child.

"Olives..." she spat out as she ran fingers through his hair.

"What? I thought you were off the olive cravings and on to mangoes." Kara had always hated anytype of vegetable until she had become pregnant. Then a week ago she had been back to never wanting to see them again.

"I'm back on them. I want some olives Sam."

He chuckled at her and bent to kiss her lips. "Alright my lovely and pregnant Starbuck, I shall scour the ship in search of olives. Luckily I have a friend in supply that owes me a few favors and has a crush on you."

"Who?" Kara asked.

"I'm not telling," he grinned as he began to tickle her sides.

"Okay, okay. Fine I give up," she laughed. "Please… stop…SAM!!!"

A knock on their hatch interrupted the playful conversation. Sam frowned, kissed Kara once more before heaving his long frame off the bed and going to see who was there.

An officer handed Sam a note addressed to Starbuck. He thanked the man and brought it over to her, the frown deepening. "They can't possibly need you now," he said as Kara sat up on the bed.

"I don't know." She pulled out a piece of paper from the package and unfolded it. She was curious on who would be sending her a package like is. "My its my other lover," she joked before looking down at the piece of paper.

I'm trying to help you Kara. I only want you to see the truth of your life. The reason why you suffered and you struggled for so long. That's why God sent me to you, that's why Gods wants us to be together. I'm willing to wait. You just need more time. I'm a patient man. I'll see you and your child soon, Kara Thrace.

Quickly Kara dropped the paper to the floor as her knees gave out on her.

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