Previously:

"And what now?" She asked bitterly. Maybe he was sorry, but that didn't change her current situation.

Cylon Zak stood up and made his way over to her side. Reaching across the bed he undid the restraint on her arm, before quickly doing the same to the other. By the time she'd pulled her wrists free of the loosened leather, he'd released her ankles as well.

"Now I'm going to help you escape."

Chapter 24

Kara hopped out of the hospital bed quickly, afraid that the offer was too good to be true. She winced when the sudden movement caused pain to flare up in her knee. She'd forgotten that she'd aggravated the old injury when Galactica had been boarded.

The cylon Zak raised one eyebrow inquisitively. "I'm here to help you, Kara."

She wanted to trust him, but it didn't make sense. "Why?" She demanded as she gritted her teeth against the throb of discomfort.

He stared at her. "Because I owe you at least that much."

"What about the other cylons? Are they just going to let you help me?"

He shook his head. "No. The others don't know I'm here. As far as they know, you're still sedated, and will be for at least two more days. They want to weaken you first."

Kara fought back a shudder as horrible possibilities of what her 'destiny' might be filled her mind. "Then how come I'm awake?"

The cylon let out an impatient sigh. "Because I took out your IV a few hours ago. Listen, we need to act now, or you're never getting out of here. I have everything set up, you just need to trust me."

He didn't wait for a response, just walked over to where he'd been sitting previously and picked up a small pile of clothes. He passed them over to her and she saw that they were her BDUs. "Put them on," he instructed.

When she hesitated, he gave her a hard look. "This will be your only chance to get out Kara. Are you really going to pass it up?" He turned around, waiting for her to change. He already knew what her decision would be.

Kara stripped off the flimsy hospital gown and reached for the garments. As she was doing so, a question popped into her mind. "How long have I been here?" She hadn't really thought about it much at first, but there was a good chance it had been several hours or maybe even days since she'd arrived.

"Leoben brought you in early yesterday morning. It took me nearly all of this time to get everything ready."

Kara nodded even though the cylon couldn't see her. Two days wasn't that long, but for some it might seem like an eternity. Her chest ached as she wondered how Lee was holding up. She shook the feeling off. She could find out when she got herself off this hellhole of a planet.

Kara pulled on her clothes and felt comforted by the familiar material resting against her skin. "Ready," she stated as she started to walk toward the door. Her knee protested her actions, but she shoved any thoughts of her injury to the back of her mind. She couldn't afford any distractions right now.

The cylon lifted the back of his shirt and pulled out a gun from the waistband of his pants. He passed it to her before pulling out a second from a holster around his ankle. "Follow my lead."

They snuck through the hallways of the complex as quietly as possible. Many times they were forced to duck into small alcoves, or side rooms to avoid patrolling centurions and other human models. With each near miss, Kara was more and more grateful that she had a cylon on her side. Doing this alone would have been impossible. They'd definitely upped security since the last time she was there.

After waiting for a Simon model to pass, she followed Zak out of their hiding spot. They jogged down the hallway, being as stealthy as possible. They passed a set of large doors, and recognition flared. That was the way out.

"Hey," she whispered, grabbing onto his arm with one hand. "Where the frak are we going?!"

Slowing slightly, he turned to look over his shoulder and motioned for her to be quiet. "There's someone else we need to pick up."

She was confused, and there was no doubt that it showed on her face.

The cylon turned his back to her again, and picked up his previous pace. He whispered quietly, "You're not the only one they took from Galactica."

It had been two days since the cylons boarded Galactica. In many ways it seemed like it had been much longer. Maggie couldn't believe the change in the atmosphere of the ship. Starbuck was gone, and it seemed to be affecting everyone. It was like she had been their good luck charm, and without her, the crew didn't know what to do. Knowing that there was no chance of a rescue mission, as no one knew where the cylons had taken her, only served to make things more difficult, diminishing whatever hope may have been left. But Maggie knew that no matter how hard it was for the crew, for the CAG it was a million times worse.

Cottle had cleared him and sent him out of sickbay, but that didn't mean he was okay. Maggie had been there when he returned to the bunkroom. The sight of him walking into the pilots' quarters was haunting her. He looked like he had completely given up on life.

It also pained her to think of Helo. He had to be in just as much pain, though possibly even more. In one day he'd lost the woman he loved, his unborn child and a good friend. She'd only seen him in passing earlier that morning, but she'd immediately noticed that he looked haggard and distant. After dinner she would seek him out and see if she could do anything to help, even if it was only listening. Now someone just needed to do that for Apollo as well.

Maggie grabbed her food tray, filling it with whatever crap they were passing off as supper, and made her way over to where Zak was sitting. "Hey," she said quietly as she slipped into the seat across from him.

He looked up at her for a brief second. "Hey." He went back to pushing the food around on his plate.

Maggie sighed and leaned back in her chair. She knew that Zak was worried about his brother, but Zak sitting there wasn't helping either of them. "You should talk to him," she advised, still keeping her voice low, just barely audible over the always present din of the mess hall.

Zak dropped his fork and looked across the table at her. "I tried Mags, but he just lies in his bunk."

"Try again. Just because he's not saying anything doesn't mean he's not listening. Tell him that you understand. I know it's not going to bring her back, but maybe it'll help, at least a little."

She watched Zak as he thought it over. "You're right. I should talk to him." He sighed and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the edge of the table. "I just hate seeing him like this. He's not Lee when he's like this."

Maggie reached across and took one of Zak's hands in hers. "None of us like seeing him like this." She squeezed his hand once, in support. "Talk to him. It won't hurt."

"Sharon?!" Kara exclaimed as she entered the holding room that Zak had led her to. It was definitely Helo's Sharon. If the chains binding her against the wall hadn't given it away, the swell of her pregnancy would have.

"Starbuck?" Sharon said, sounding both surprised and relieved. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Kara answered.

"The boarding party broke me out of Galactica's brig and drugged me. The next thing I knew I woke up here. On Caprica, so they tell me." Her voice was rushed and she seemed edgy. She was trying to repress her fear of the situation, but was only doing a mediocre job.

Zak pressed a key into Kara's hands and indicated that she undo Sharon's restraints. He moved over to stand guard beside the entrance to the room, gun held in position, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Kara began undoing the locks on the shackles. "We're getting you out here." She quickly glanced back over her shoulder to where Zak was standing

Sharon's face hardened and she rubbed at the places where the metal had made marks on her wrists. "How did you know we were here?" She asked, directing her question at Zak.

He answered, but didn't turn to face them. "I overheard some of the others discussing your arrival. This isn't a trick, Sharon, I'm going to get the two of you out of here."

"Zak, are you sure about this?" She sounded skeptical, and maybe a bit worried.

"Yes, I am."

Kara glanced back and forth between the two of them, puzzled.

Sharon stepped out of the ankle restraints. "Do you know what they'll do to you?"

He nodded, but still kept his gaze firmly on the doorway. "I do."

"Wait," Kara interjected. "What are they going to do to him? They can't kill him, he'll just wake up in another body."

"No, they won't kill him," Sharon clarified, a solemn look covering her face. "But for cylons there are some things worse than death."

"What are you talking about?"

Sharon gave Zak a sympathetic glance. "Boxing. They'll put his—"

"There's no time for delays, Sharon," Zak said harshly. "We have to move, now."

Two days. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't that long, barely the blink of an eye, but for Lee the past two days had seemed like an eternity. Two days without Kara, was two days not worth living. There was nothing left for him. She was gone.

There would be no rescue mission. Even if they had known where the cylons had taken Kara, which base ship or even which planet, they couldn't afford to.

Lee wished that he could hope for her to somehow make it back to him, but the odds were too great, even for Starbuck. There was no way she could escape from a cylon prison on her own. The cylons wanted her; they'd come to Galactica looking for Sharon and Kara both. They would take every measure to ensure neither of their prisoners escaped.

Lee shuddered as he thought of what they might be doing to her, or what they might have already done. Anger burned, but he held it at bay. The only outward sign of the emotion was the tension in his hands as he clenched at the bed sheets beneath him.

He couldn't force himself to leave his bunk, it's where he'd been ever since being released from sickbay. It still smelled like her. But soon enough that would fade, and there would be nothing left but memories. They were memories that he'd been reliving over and over in his mind, all the moments they'd ever spent together, good and bad.

Lee knew he should have made a move sooner. He should have told that he loved her when he first realized it. But he hadn't. The only real kiss they would ever share, would be the one in the arms locker. He'd never be able to make love to her. But worst of all, he would never get the chance to say he loved her back.

The harsh glare of the setting sun assaulted Kara's eyes the moment she stepped outside. For a few seconds she couldn't see anything. She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision. Amazingly, they'd made it back to the exit without running into any cylons. She just wondered how much longer their luck would last.

The clanking sound of centurions walking filtered down from the rooftop. Kara cursed under her breath and moved back to crouch against the wall, gaining what little protection she could from their surroundings. She made sure to pull Sharon with her. She may not like the cylon woman much, but if nothing else, Helo loved her, and that was a good enough reason for Kara.

Zak slid up beside her, gun aimed upwards, ready to fire if he had to. "The two of you need to make a run for it. See that path?" He asked, keeping his voice a whisper. He pointed to a small trail that entered into the surrounding forest. "Take that until you hit the clearing, then head North until you reach Delphi Union High School. As of yesterday the resistance was still there. I'm assuming you'll want to take them back with you."

Kara gulped, feeling a wash of guilt. She'd completely forgotten about the resistance, and about Sam. She forced the thoughts aside. No time for that now.

Zak continued on. "After that head five clicks east and you'll find three fueled heavy raiders waiting for you. The jump coordinates for Galactica's current position are already loaded into the nav systems."

He glanced at Kara for a brief second. Before she could register what was going on, he'd stepped towards her and slipped something into her pocket. She raised an eyebrow questioningly and moved her hand to remove whatever it was, but he shook his head. "Wait until you're safe, then look." He gave her a small smile. "Good luck."

"Wait," she whispered back angrily as she let her hand fall away from her pocket. "Why are you making it sound like you're not coming with us?"

His face turned even more somber. "Because I'm not. Someone needs to cover your retreat."

Kara opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head once, harshly. "No, I can't go back with you. There's nothing for me on Galactica. The best thing I can do is make sure you get as much of a head start as possible. The cylons will try and follow you. I'll do what I can to stop them."

Kara felt a surge of emotion, something she couldn't quite place. Regret possibly. It seemed wrong that after all he'd done for them he'd be left to the mercy of the cylons.

Sharon rested her arm lightly on Kara's shoulder. "He's right, Starbuck."

Kara nodded, knowing that it was the truth. "Thank you," she said sincerely, catching Zak's eye.

He nodded his understanding before turning his attention back towards the roof. "Okay, on my mark."

When Zak entered the bunkroom, he found it empty, save for Lee who was lying in his rack. For a second Zak thought he was asleep, but after walking over he saw that wasn't the case. Lee was simply lying on his back, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above him, Kara's bunk.

"I brought you some supper," Zak said, holding out the plate of food in front of him.

Lee didn't respond in any way, it was like he hadn't even noticed his brother come in.

"Lee," Zak prompted, knowing that he sounded worried, but not caring, it was the truth after all.

Zak sighed when his brother remained still, unmoving, not saying anything. "Lee, you need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

The response was so quiet that Zak barely heard the words.

"Just go away, Zak." Lee rolled over on his side, so that his back was facing his brother.

Zak set the plate down on the table in the center of the bunkroom. He pulled out one of the chairs and turned it to face Lee's bunk before sitting down in it. "No." Not surprisingly, Lee was unresponsive. Zak carried on. "I know exactly how you feel."

"No, you don't." Lee's voice was hard.

"Yes," Zak continued softly. "I do."

"I love her," Lee whispered. Zak could see his shoulders shaking. It hurt to see his brother so anguished.

"I know," Zak replied, keeping his voice calm and even. "You never told me, but I could tell."

"Now she's gone." Lee sounded odd, like he was trying to force the words out past an uprising of emotion.

"When the cylons kidnapped me, I thought I was never going to see Maggie again." He paused. "I do know what you're going through Lee."

"But you got her back," Lee said, turning angry. "You got another chance. I'm not going to get that, Zak. She's gone."

His shoulders were shaking even harder now, and Zak wanted nothing more than to be able to help, if only a little. After only a moment's hesitation he reached over and placed a comforting hand on Lee's shoulder. He may not be able to bring her back, but he could at least let Lee know that he was there for him.

Kara ran through the woods at a break neck speed, somehow managing to pull Sharon along behind her while dodging tree roots and logs. Branches whipped across her face and arms, creating small stinging cuts, but it didn't slow her down. If anything, the pain increased her focus.

During their initial dash for the path in the trees, a few shots had rained down on them, but none had hit them. She had heard the return fire, and even though she hadn't looked back, Kara knew that Zak had taken out the centurions on the roof. After that she didn't know what he'd done, but for at least thirty minutes there had been no signs of pursuit.

Unfortunately that had changed. A few minutes ago both escapees had heard the telltale signs of centurions following them. The noises had been distant, but it wouldn't be much longer until the cylons caught up.

Despite her intensive field training, Kara couldn't tell how far they'd come. They had reached the clearing, then turned north, but other than that… She knew they'd made a lot of progress, but there was no way to tell how close they were to the resistance.

Kara sent up a silent prayer to the gods. If they didn't find help by the time the centurions caught them, all of this would have been for nothing. Not knowing that it was possible, Kara picked up her pace another notch.

She could hear Sharon panting for breath as they continued to sprint. The noise mixed with the sound of her own labored breathing and filled her ears. However it wasn't long until the sounds were drowned out by the clank of metal, and the crashing noise of cylon pursuit through the woods.

Kara quickly scanned the area around them, hoping that she might be a defensible position, even if they did only had a handful of rounds to defend themselves with. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized that the trees were thinning out. They'd already reached the clearing, so that had to mean… Straining her eyes in the dimming light, she could make out the silhouette of the high school.

When she looked back over her shoulder to tell Sharon, she saw how much ground the cylons had gained. They weren't more than twenty feet away. She knew they wouldn't shoot—they wanted both her and Sharon alive—but it would only be seconds before they closed the final gap.

All of a sudden a voice screamed from the trees in front of her, "Get down!" Reacting automatically, Kara wrapped an arm around Sharon's shoulders and threw them both to the ground, trying to twist them so they wouldn't land face first. As they fell, she heard gunfire ring out above them. Kara hit the ground hard, and the impact caused her head to whip backward, directly into a tree.

"Zak, thank you for coming."

Zak nodded as he closed the hatch to his father's quarters behind him. "Of course. What did you need to see me about?"

Adama sighed and walked over to the couch. He indicated that Zak sit as well. Once they were both comfortable, he explained. "I wanted to talk to you about Lee." Bill paused. "How's he holding up?"

Zak shook his head slightly. "Not well."

Bill frowned. "I know he was close with Kara. So was I." For a second Zak thought his father might be near tears.

"Dad, he wasn't just close with her," Zak explained quietly. "He loves her."

His father seemed taken aback. "What? Zak, are you sure?"

Zak nodded. "Yes. He loves her, and she loved him."

"I never knew that they were … together."

"They weren't. But they were in love."

He watched as his father leaned back against the cushions of the couch, taking in the information. "Do you think… Is there anything I can do to help?"

Zak smiled. He was pleased to see his dad making the offer. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

When Kara woke she was in a dark room. The only light she could identify was the trailing end of the sunlight filtering in through a crack in the drapes that hung across the window. Sitting up on the makeshift bed she was lying on, she scanned the room. There were desks shoved against the walls, piles of books on the floor—it was an old classroom. She let out a breath of relief she hadn't been aware that she was holding. They'd made it to the resistance.

Thinking back, the last thing she remembered was the voice yelling at her and Sharon to get down, immediately before Kara had thrown them to the ground. Noticing the ache at the base of her skull, Kara reached up with tentative fingers and gently probed the area. She winced when the slight pressure caused a surge of pain. There was a small lump, no doubt from where her head had contacted something hard.

When Kara tried to rise, she found that all her muscles were stiff and on the verge of cramping up. She wasn't surprised—she'd sprinted through the woods for over half an hour. She quickly stretched, but didn't spend the time she normally would. What she really needed to do was find out what the hell was going on.

Opening the door of the classroom, Kara slipped out into the hallway and nearly ran into Jean. "Sorry," she murmured as she stopped in her tracks.

The red head regarded her carefully before saying, "Good, you're awake. We're leaving in ten minutes."

Kara nodded her understanding. Obviously Sharon had been able to relay the plan to the resistance.

"Sam said he wants to see you," Jean added. She pointed down the hallway to their right. "Last door on the left."

Kara headed off down the hallway, puzzled by Jean's intensity.

Reaching the indicated room, Kara knocked once on the door before opening it and stepping in. She found Sam zipping up a duffel bag; it probably contained whatever personal belongings he had left. "Hey," she said quietly, suddenly nervous. How was she supposed to tell him about Lee?

Sam looked up in surprise. "Hey yourself." He gave her a small, but tentative smile. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Me too. And hey, thanks for saving us back there."

"No problem," he replied as he set the bag on the floor by his feet.

She wasn't sure what she should do, or say. For a few seconds they just stood there, looking at each other. It was Sam who broke the silence.

"So, who's Lee?" He asked in a saddened voice.

"What?" Kara asked, shocked by the question.

Sam sighed. "You were muttering his name when I carried you back here."

"Oh," she replied quietly. She felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. "Sam, I'm sorry, but—"

"You love him," Sam said, finishing her sentence. It wasn't a question.

Kara nodded, still embarrassed, but not at all ashamed of the happiness she'd found. "Yeah, I do." Sam didn't seem angry or upset, and for that she was grateful.

"I just have one more question Kara. Were the two of you together when you were here the first time?"

She shook her head forcefully. "No."

Sam gave her a small smile. "Good." He reached behind his neck with both hands and tugged at something. A moment later he was holding out a leather string with a piece of metal hanging from it. "I think you gave this to the wrong person."

Kara extended her hand and Sam released his grasp. The dog tag dropped onto her palm, and the leather pooled around it. "Sam, I'm sorry." She was, more than anything. She'd never meant to hurt him.

After a second he asked, "Are you happy?"

She thought of Lee and a smile automatically surfaced on her face. "Yes." It was true, she'd never been happier.

"Then that's all that matters." He gave her a genuine smile. "Friends?" He asked, extending his hand.

She grinned back as she grasped his hand. "Friends."

After Sam pulled his hand away from hers, he leaned down and picked up the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "As much as I'd love to stay here and discuss your… boyfriend, fiancé, husband?"

"It's complicated," Kara said after a second's thought. It felt weird to associate just one word with Lee.

"Yes, well as much as I'd love to stay and talk about that, I believe we have some heavy raiders to catch." Sam was grinning from ear to ear. "You have no idea how happy I am to be getting off this frakking planet."

"Actually," she replied, grinning just as enthusiastically. "I'm pretty sure I do."

Lee forced himself to walk out of the bunkroom and down Galactica's corridors. There had been a page over the comm system, requesting his presence in CIC. He'd ignored it the first three times, but by the fourth he decided he should go. He would do whatever he had to, and as soon as he was done he would go back to the bunkroom. Back to his bunk, the one that still smelled like her.

As he walked, people stared. He noticed, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore.

In the months since she'd last been to Caprica, the resistance had gotten better. Their movements seemed fluid, which suggested lots of practice and teamwork. Kara couldn't help but be proud of them. They had accomplished a lot.

The trek to the raiders seemed almost effortless, even though they were traveling through the forest in the dark, on foot. They'd opted not to drive, because it increased their chances of being noticed by the cylons. Kara made sure that Sharon stayed nearby the entire time, unwilling to lose her when they were so close to being home free.

When they finally did see the first glimpse of the heavy raiders waiting for them, Kara felt excitement bubble up inside of her. She was going home, she was going to see Lee.

In what seemed like no time at all they had boarded the raiders and were ready for take-off. Kara was piloting one, Sharon another, and the third was being piloted by one of the resistance members who had some experience in the cockpit. Their escape went more smoothly than they could have ever hoped for. Within minutes they had broken out of Caprica's atmosphere and were spinning up the FTL drives. Before Kara knew it, they had made their first jump.

According to Sharon it would take multiple jumps to make it back to Galactica, and between each one they had to wait for the new intermediate coordinates to be calculated by the raider, and also for the FTL drives to spin up again.

Kara leaned back against the control console. She slipped her hands into her pockets, waiting. Her fingers touched crisp, folded paper and suddenly she heard the cylon's voice echoing in her mind.

"That bastard," she muttered under her breath as rage flowed through her veins.

"Sir," Lee said, addressing his father as he stepped up to the command console in the center of CIC.

"Captain," Bill replied. Lee thought he saw a glimpse of sympathy in his father's eyes before he turned his attention back to the dradis screen above his head. "There's a refueling op in progress. I thought you might like to help out."

Lee knew what his dad was doing. He felt his throat closing up, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. As much as he appreciated the gesture, it wasn't going to help. Nothing was going to help.

"Sir, I—"

Bill lowered his voice so that only Lee could hear him. "Please son, I hate seeing you in so much pain. I want to help, even if I can only take your mind off it for a while."

Lee nodded, suddenly unable to talk at all. He never thought he'd live to see the day when his father made that kind of gesture towards him. Maybe he'd stay, for a little while at least.

The op turned out to be boring and it went completely according to plan. But his father had been right, it had helped get his mind off of what happened, if only for a few minutes. Just as Lee was about to take his leave, a beeping sound emanated from the dradis console above their heads.

Simultaneously both he and Bill looked up. It took less than a second for Lee to identify three blinking dots that weren't part of the fleet.

"Three enemy contacts," Dee said from somewhere behind him.

His father nodded at Gaeta and the lieutenant picked up the nearest handset, sending the message out over the comm system of the ship, seconds before the claxons began to go off. "Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill."

Bill was just about to give the command to launch alert vipers when Dee piped up. "Sir, they're trying to make contact."

"What?!" His father asked loudly as he whipped around to stare at the petty officer.

"One of the cylon ships is trying to open a line of communication."

"Put it through over the speakers."

Lee saw Dee nod, and a second later a crackling sound filled CIC. The air was tense as everyone waited, they didn't know what to expect. When the voice came over the channel, Lee was sure his heart stopped beating.

"Galactica, Starbuck. Requesting permission to speak to Galactica Actual."

TBC