A/N: I want to thank everyone who left reviews. I am glad that others are enjoying this story. There are some surprises in this chapter and a few more to come in the next couple of chapters. So enjoy and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters but I hope everyone knew that

Chapter Six: Betrayal

"Captain Thrace the Admiral is ready to see you," a woman said coming out of the office into the reception area were Starbuck was sitting. She was nervous as hell. Kara had managed to avoid the Admiral for almost 4 months but it was now time to face the music. The Admiral had sent a message to the Capricorn that the CAG was to report to the Pieces immediate, no delay would be accepted.

Helo even gave her a hug as she climbed into her fighter and told her that if she was not back within 2 hours he would mount a search and rescue. Kara smiled knowing that even Helo would abandon her to the Admiral. So Kara dressed in her flight suit and got to the Pieces within 45 minutes of receiving the request.

Kara opened the door and stepped into the office. She knew the Admiral maintained offices on all 3 carriers, but Kara did not remember the Admiral using the offices on the Capricorn since they had jumped away from Earth looking for a new home. The office was an extravagant affair done in cherry wood and plush dark blue carpeting. The symbol of the UAG was prominently displayed on the wall behind the large desk. And not surprisingly there was a flag of the USA in the corner. That made Kara smile, even while pledging to uphold the tenants of the UAG over country loyalties, many people refused to forget where they came from.

"Captain Thrace reporting as ordered sir," Kara said snapping to full attention.

"At ease Captain," said a voice from behind the desk. "Take a seat."

Kara pulled out one of the chairs sitting in front of the desk and sat down. The Admiral being short and brusque was nothing new to Kara, but she felt something was different this time.

"I am going to get right to the point. You and the CAG from the Pieces are being put on a 48 hour leave to go over these candidates and make recommendations on each for the CAG position on the Sagittarius. You will be on the cruise ship the Monterey and since I don't expect it to take the two of you 48 hours to finish this; take some down time and relax," the Admiral said. The Admiral still had not turned around to face Kara, instead holding the whole conversation facing the observation window.

"You want my opinion on who should be CAG of the Sagittarius?" Kara asked dumbfounded. The Admiral usually did not want Kara Thrace's opinion on anything, especially if it was important.

"Yes is that so hard for you to believe?"

"Well yeah sir," Kara replied.

"Starbuck you are top gun. Top gun on three ships, probably would have been top gun of the whole UAG if given a chance. I am trying to hold everyone together until we can find a place to call home and hope that we have learned from all of our past mistakes. I need all my officers to be at their best 100 of the time. Right now I need you and Captain Brewer to help me put someone that can be trusted into the position of the CAG of the Sagittarius. I know this may be a little difficult for you, but I am asking you to do this. I won't order you to do it," The Admiral replied.

Kara Thrace was speechless. She just heard the Admiral ask her to do something. The one officer in the fleet she was sure the Admiral avoided at all cost. The one person she was sure the Admiral would love to put out of the UAG military. Starbuck took in a deep breath and looked at the chair in which the Admiral was sitting. She watched as the Admiral placed a photo frame back on the credenza that sat in front of the observation window, and when she saw what pictures were in the frame, she froze.

She believed that those photos no longer existed. She had hoped that they had been destroyed when the world that she knew had been demolished and the only person who ever really loved her had died. The frame was a black metal bifold. There were scratches along the edges that suggested it had been handle often. The first picture almost brought tears to Kara's eyes. In it was a photo of a woman holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket and standing behind her and a little to the left was a man holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. The look of absolute rapture on their faces would lead someone to believe that they were happy with what life had brought them. Kara knew it was a lie. The second picture was of two blond haired toddlers, sitting in the lap of a dark haired man, holding each other's hand, their heads bent together smiling.

"I would have thought those were pictures you would not want to have around," Kara whispered.

"Why, because you think I did not love him? That I don't love him still?" The Admiral asked, her voice chocked with unshed tears. ""Do you believe that I am unable to feel regret at the way things have turned out? I don't even know what really happened to him and that is no one's fault but my own."

Kara was unsure of what to do. She did not wish to be privy to the demons that chased the Fleet Admiral around when no one else was looking. She had her own demons and they were almost more that she could handle; and many were directly related to this woman.

"Starbuck, we are luckier than most of the people in this fleet. Most of them have no family left at all. Many don't even have a picture that they can look at and regret all the decisions they made that brought them to this point in their lives." As she spoke that Admiral stood up and turned to face Starbuck. Kara never had to wonder who she looked like or what she would look like when she got older. She was a carbon copy of the woman standing in front of her. She was also the person this woman had bent her into being.

"I am sorry that I can't be the child you wish had survived the holocaust," Kara said brokenly. Thinking about Devon was always traumatic for her. Having a twin and then never being able to say goodbye, was like having a piece of you ripped out. "I miss him as much you do."

"No Starbuck, you miss him more. He was not only your brother and friend, but he had to be a surrogate parent for the ones who turned their backs on you both. I am sorry for that and..."

"Please, no more. I can't do this with you," Kara said jumping up from the chair. Tears were openly streaming down her face and it was taking everything in her to not break down sobbing. "I will report to the Monterey and have my recommendations to you within 48 hours." Kara said as she bolted from the room, not even waiting to be dismissed. She closed the door and as she turned to leave she saw the words Fleet Admiral Cassandra D. Thrace etched into the wood. Funny how she did not remember that on her way in.

&&&&

Lee took off his helmet and handed it off to the Chief. He had just pulled a double shift on patrol and if the Chief was there to meet him, it was not good. Lee looked at him and sighed.

"The Admiral wants you to meet him in his quarters as soon as you land," Tyrol told him taking the helmet from him. "I'll do your post flight for you. Maybe you can grab a shower."

"Probably should not risk it. All I really want to do is hit my rack, but I guess that will have to wait. Maybe if I am lucky I will be confined to the brig for a week and I could catch up on some sleep," Lee said climbing out of the cockpit. The more he thought about it the more that sounded like a good idea. Sleep meant he might be able to dream about Kara.

Lee walked briskly to his father's quarters wondering what this could be about. He did not believe any of his pilots had a problem with him, or problems in general. He knew his father was not pleased that as soon as Cottle had released him to fly, Lee was in the air. His dad had wanted him to take more down time, not fly until they were sure that what had happened to him would not happen again. He stopped in front of the door to his father's quarters and gently rapped.

"Enter," Bill said softly from the other side of the hatch. Lee opened the door and stepped in. His father was sitting on his couch, a glass of ambrosia in his hand. He had his head resting on the back of the couch and his glasses sitting next to him on a table.

"You wanted to see me sir?" Lee asked.

"Take a seat son," Bill replied indicating the couch. With Bill calling him son, Lee knew this was a personal meeting. He moved forward and sat at the end of the couch and turned himself so that he faced his father.

"Would you like something to drink?" Bill asked looking at his son.

"No dad I am fine. What is going on?"

"I am going to get right to the point," Bill told him, picking up a black leather bound book and handing it to Lee. A chill went up his spine as he took the book from his father's grasp. He had recognized it immediately. It was the journal he had started after his first dream about Kara.

"How did you get this?" Lee asked. He knew that he kept it in his office and very few people had access. Someone would have had to search his desk thoroughly to find it, and then they would have to have read it to believe it needed to be brought to his father.

"Son I would prefer not to tell you that," Bill responded resignedly. "Can we leave it at this person is very concerned for your welfare; and rightly so."

"Dee brought it to you. She had no right," Lee snapped standing up. He was not going to sit here and defend himself. Anyone reading his journal would think he had completely cracked, and they might be right.

"Lee sit back down," his father's voice had taken on a hard edge. "I have read the journal and I would like for you to explain it's significance."

Lee sat back on the sofa. Where should he even begin? It did not matter that he felt backed into a corner, or that as far as he was concerned this was the worse thing Dee could have done to him. And if she read the journal it would serve her right to read about his feeling concerning Kara. She never should have stooped so low as to violate his privacy.

"Dad it has no significance. It is a dream journal, that is it. Everything in there is about dreams I have had over the last 8 months. I wanted to write them down so I would not forget, there is nothing of significance in it," Lee said hoping that would appease his father. He should have known better.

"Lee these accounts of your dreams are quite detailed, not to mention what they pertain to. Do you think maybe it could be more than just the night time rambling of your subconscious?" His father asked looking at him directly.

"What am I suppose to say to that? That I look forward to going to sleep so that I might dream about a woman who may or may no be from Earth. And if I was going to dream about Earth, why would I dream that it is no longer a viable option for me and 50,000 of my closes friends?" Lee fumed.

"Son I don't think you have cracked," Bill said trying hard not to chuckle, but seeing his normally staid and by the book son get flustered was priceless. "Yet I really am interested in your opinion of these dreams you are having."

"Have been having, I have not had one in over 3 months. I know that when I am dreaming about her everything seems so real. The beach house, the ocean, the food and her presence. She seems so real to me and there are times that I wish it all was not just a dream. I would even take the destruction of Earth if it meant that I could spend time with her," Lee replied. He decided not to tell his father about the dream he had about Leobon. Lee was not sure he was ready to get into that little plot development. "I am not sure what to think. You know I don't believe in a higher power, but something seems to be happening here, just don't ask me what that something is."

Bill sat thinking silently for a moment. He had read the journal and knew that it was quite detailed and even explicit at times. The possibility that something more was going on had to be furthered explored. They would need to tread very carefully, and Dualla would need to be ordered that what she had read was classified and not to be shared with anyone. Bill also knew that his son's relationship with her may very well be over; having his privacy violated in this manner would not go over well with him.

"We will take this not only slowly, but carefully. I don't see any need to share this with anyone except maybe the President," Bill held up his hand as son was about to protest. "We need to discuss the possibility that Earth might not be an option for this fleet and what we should do in that event. I can keep your more personal details to myself. Now I think you are in need of a shower and some dinner, and do I dare say; a good night's sleep."

Lee groaned as he got up from the couch. Sometimes his father's sense of humor was way out there.

"Pleasant dreams son," Bill said as Lee opened the door to step out. As he closed the door he heard his father's uninhibited laughter follow him.

Lee went to the officer's bunk room and grabbed his shower kit and a change of clothes, then hit the head. He took his time showering, trying to ease aching muscles and enjoy the relative solitude of an empty looker room. After dressing he went to the galley to grab a tray and retire to his office where he had enough paperwork to keep him busy for the next year. As he rounded the corner he saw Dee standing in front of his office door. He really did not want to deal with this right now.

"Lee I wanted to explain why..."

"Don't bother Dee. I am not in the mood to hash this out with you right now. It has been a really long day, and I still have a really long night ahead of me. So we will do this some other time, when I am less likely to say something I will regret," he said while opening the door to his office.

Dee looked at him and knew that she may have gone way too far. She was worried about him and after reading his journal it seemed that her fears had been warranted. She was willing to do anything necessary to help him, even if it meant losing him in the process. Right now though she realized her best course of action was to let him be.

"Alright, I will go, but please don't shut me out," she said as she turned to leave.

Lee was relieved that she had not pushed the situation, maybe she really did just have his best interest at heart. He went in and closed the door. Sitting his tray down, he grabbed a stack of files and sat down on his couch. Looking at the food on his plate, he grimaced and pushed it away. He was not sure what they were feeding them now, but it definitely was no longer recognizable as edible. He did not know how long he stared at the flight schedule for the coming week before he gave up and laid down to take a quick nap.

&&&&

You're not alone

Together we stand

I'll be by your side

You know I'll take your hand

When it gets cold

And it feels like the end

There's no place to go you know I won't give in

No I won't give in

Keep holdin on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Just stay strong

Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you

There's nothing you can say, nothing you can do

There's no other way when it comes to the truth

SO keep holding on

Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Lee woke up to the soft voice singing over the wireless stereo in the beach house. He was in Kara's bed, naked, warm and holding the most beautiful sight known to man. She was curled in his arms, one leg thrown over his hips, bring his groin into intimate contact with her. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in deep. Vanilla cupcakes and ocean air, gods when had he fallen for her?

He brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was sleeping and to him she looked like an angel fallen from heaven right into his arms. He brushed his finger lightly down the silky softness of her cheek and placed a kiss on her temple. She stirred in his arms and opened sleepy green eyes to his.

"Hey gorgeous," he whispered.

"Hey yourself mister," she replied burrowing deeper into his arms.

It had been to long since she had seen him and way to long since he had touched her. She needed this and God must have known that of all the things that could help her tonight; it would be him.

Kara reached up and brought his mouth down to her's for a light feathery kiss. She nibbled lightly on his bottom lip until he opened his mouth and let her in. She felt him take a deep breath as her tongue gently traced the outline of his teeth and then stroked deeply into his mouth. She felt him grow hard against her and smiled that he desired her so much.

Lee gathered her closer to his body wanting to absorb her into himself. He was never going to let her go. He trailed his fingers down her back, lightly tracing circles on her hips. He wanted to go slow, savor every touch, every caress. He did not know how long it would be before he would be able to hold her again, see her, touch her. He kissed down her neck and placed butterfly kisses along her collarbone.

"I missed you so much Lee," she gasped as he gently sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. "I need you tonight. Please don't let me go."

"Never," he promised as he moved to her other breast and lavished it with the same attention he had given to the other. He felt Kara surge against him as he nipped her nipple to full attention. She grasped the back of his head to hold him in place and swung one of her legs over his hips. He felt her heat against his erection and he had to stop himself from just thrusting into her.

"Please Lee. I want you now," she demanded pulling his hips closer.

All rational thought fled from Lee's head and he gave the lady exactly what she wanted. He rolled her onto her back and entered her with one long stroke.

"Oh Gods," he gasped as he held her trembling in his arms. He tried to hold still to keep himself from losing control and spilling his seed into her right then and there. He cradled her cheek in his hand and touched her lips with his own. They kissed like lifelong lovers as they gently rocked against each other. They moved slowly, savoring the feel of the other trying to make the moment last forever. As Kara's breathing increased Lee knew she was close and he wanted to be with her when she went over the edge. He stroked deeper into her and felt her clench around him.

"Join me Lee, come with me," and with that they both cried out as their shared climax claimed them both. Lee tried to move his weight off of her but she would not let him go, holding him tighter. So he gathered her closely and turned onto his side tucking her into him. He placed kisses on her temple and stroked his hands down her side, letting his fingers tell her how he felt. He shifted to kiss her stomach and once again saw her tattoo. Around her belly button was 6 different phases of the moon. The full moon right above her belly button and the new moon directly below. On one side was the waxing and waning crescent and on the other the waxing and waning gibbous.

"Interesting tattoo," he said tracing around her navel. She laughed as his fingers gently tickled her.

"So you like my moons?" She asked looking at him. He grinned at her and shook his head yes. "I also have suns at the small of my back. She turned her back to him so he could see her other tattoo. Lee smiled at the 3 suns that ran across the small of her back right above her delectable ass. There was the rising sun, the sun at high noon and then the setting sun. He turned her back over to face him and that is when noticed the tears that were running down her cheeks.

"Hey what is this for?" He asked gently wiping at her tears.

"Today is my brother's birthday," she said brokenly.

"I'm so sorry Kara," he replied pulling her back into his embrace. "That would also make it your birthday too wouldn't it?"

"No my birthday is tomorrow," she told him. She laughed slightly at the puzzled look on his face. "Devon was born on Dec 21st around 11:00 at night, but due to complications I was not born til after midnight on Dec 22nd.

"You were very close to him, weren't you?" Lee asked. He was hoping that she would open up to him a little. Let him in so that he could begin to erase her pain.

"We were not only twins but best friends. We had promised each other that we would never leave the other behind. That meant we did everything together, including get into trouble together." Lee watched as her face lit up with distant memories of the time she had spent with her brother. "I don't remember a whole lot about my father. I know at some point him and my mother were really happy. My mother was career UAG military all the way and dad lived for his music and his love of the Pacific ocean."

"The only thing he was missing was kids. From what my grandparents told me he begged my mother to have at least one child; and somewhere along the way she gave in. It could have been a career killer for her, but she some how managed to turn into a boon. She spent two years planet side and when Devon and I turned one she had to ship out for a year. When she came back we barely remembered her, but Devon warmed up to her quickly and I guess she doted on him."

"Everything seemed to go well until about the time we turned six. She managed to come home for our birthday and a huge argument ensued between them. The only part I remember is my mother telling my dad she was military for life and he knew that from the beginning. She left the next morning, without saying good-bye to me. I found out years later from Devon that she had held him all night and promised that when he was old enough she would arrange for him to come and stay with her." Lee felt the tremors that were racking through Kara's body. He could tell that she was barely holding back tears and it ripped him up that some one had hurt her through their callous behavior.

"My father decided that he was through and packed the car and we left. I don't know how long we were gone or where we even went, but Devon got sick and my dad did not know what to do. He called my mother's parents and they urged him to bring us back to them. He could not just take Devon to a hospital because my mother had reported that he had kidnaped us. So after a couple of days of Devon sliding down hill he called my grandparents back and told them that he was bring Devon to them, but he wanted me to stay with him. For some reason that I never understood my mother was waiting when got there and she managed to convince him not to split us up; to leave us both there. Devon and I never saw him again. He did not even come and give me a hug good bye or anything.

"After that I felt all I had left was Devon. It was obvious to me by this point that my mother preferred him to me and even my grandparents favored him. It seemed like I could not do anything right, so I did not even try. The only person to have any faith in me was my twin brother. He hounded me to keep up with him so that I would be able to get into the UAG junior academy. He kept telling me that if I faltered then he would be able to go some place that I could never follow."

Kara stopped for a moment. She needed a few seconds to try and regain her composure. She had never opened up to any one the way she was with Lee. She had never wanted to be that vulnerable. Lee remained silent, understanding that Kara just needed to be held and comforted. She did not need his pity and he would not demean her that way. He held her gently in his arms and stroked her back waiting for her to continue.

"Devon had always wanted to be a fighter pilot for one of the UAG deep space carriers, so by default that was what I wanted also. I never dreamed that I would actually have an aptitude for flying or that I would fly better than my brother. But I did, I beat him at every turn when it came to flying and dog fighting. He took it very well, encouraging me to dig in deep and pull every piece of talent I had for flying to the fore. By the time we had graduated from the academy, our mother was a Commandeer and she had been placed in charge of the UAG Sagittarius. She would live to see her dream of commanding one of the deep space vessels and she decided she wanted Devon in her air group. Just Devon, she made sure I was assigned to the Capricorn."

"I guess that should not have surprised me, but for some reason the plea she had used on my father to not split us up came roaring back to me, because that was exactly what she had managed to do. Her and Devon would be on a ship together and because of the magnitude of what we were doing, it was unlikely I would ever see my brother again. No one knew how long it would take to find a planet, set it up and come back to Earth; so this was likely a one way passage for all the people on board."

"How was it that your brother was on Earth at the time of the holocaust? Shouldn't he have been on board the Sagittarius? " Lee asked.

"Since this was the last time these people were expecting to be on Earth, they were being rotated to the surface to take care of any last minute details. Everyone was given a 2 weeks pass and they had to arrange to go down in shifts. It happened on all the ships before they began their "deep space" explorations. So Devon was on leave and decided to compete in an amateur surf boarding contest. He broke his leg and it was decided that he would remain planet side until the Sagittarius was ready to jump. He never made it off of Earth. When we jumped back after receiving the distress calls I assumed he was on board the Sagittarius, I did not know he had broken his leg and was on an extended medical pass. And of course my mother could not bring herself to tell me that he was gone, our friend Sam was the one to tell me." By this time Kara was not even trying to hold back the tears or the sobs that occasionally wracked her body. She missed her brother so much that there were times when she did not know how she was going to face another day.

"I wish there was something I could do to ease your pain, but nothing short of bringing your brother back from the dead would do it," Lee said as her rocked her gently in his arms. He hated her mother for what she had put her last surviving child through and he hoped to the Gods that he never met the woman.

"They say time heals all wounds, but it sure as hell does not feel like it. He was the one constant in my life and I can't help but miss him everyday," Kara said. "The Admiral and I go out of our way to avoid each other. I don't want to have a relationship with her now that I am her only surviving family member. It's not fair, why couldn't God have taken her instead?"

"Sweetheart things happen for a reason. Unfortunately the end of your world is not something anyone foresees and that tends to make a person look back over their life regretting a lot of the decisions that they made. I am not saying forgive your mother and build a great relationship with her, just keep an open mind. It may very well be too late one day soon." Lee said thinking about his own relationship with his father.

"Now since your birthday is tomorrow and there is no guarantee that we will be here then, what do you want to do for you birthday?" Lee asked rolling Kara onto her back and settling between her legs.

"Well it seems you already have a couple of ideas," Kara replied spreading her thighs and grabbing his ass. Kara felt him swell and before he could come up with a good retort, she thrust her hips upward taking Lee into her.

"This is what I want for my birthday flyboy," she sighed as he thrust into her.

"Since that is the case Captain Thrace; Happy Birthday baby," Lee responded driving her to an earth shattering orgasm.

&&&&

Lee jumped as some one shook his shoulder. He looked up into Duall's concerned face. He was in his office sprawled out on his couch. Gods, she had pulled him from a really good dream he was having about Kara.

"What is it Dee?" Lee snapped swinging his legs onto the floor. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep.

"We have been paging you now for awhile. The Admiral sent me down here to see if you were in your office," she replied. She looked slightly hurt, as if she knew what he had been dreaming about.

"Does my father need for something?" Lee asked.

"Yes he wants you to join him in the brig immediately," she replied walking towards the door. "He said is it was of the utmost importance and you should not delay."

Lee was really confused. He got up and thought about going to change into his uniform, but his father said it was very important. So he decided to head straight for the brig. There was four marine guards posted outside the door leading into hack. They let him through, saluting him as he passed. When Lee got inside he was surprised to see not only his father but the President as well.

"Dad is something wrong?" Lee asked feeling a shiver of fear snake up his spine.

His father did not speak immediately, instead looking at some one in the cell that he was standing in front of. He beckoned for Lee to come closer. "It would seem that some one has a message they want you to hear."

Lee was now beyond baffled at his father's cryptic words. He stepped between the President and his father and looked into the cell. A black man was kneeling on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was wearing a set of green surgical scrubs but he did not have any shoes on. He looked up and directly into Lee's face with a slight smirk dancing around his mouth. Lee took an involuntary step back as he realized he was looking at the cylon model known as Simon. He looked from his father to the President still not understanding what was going on.

"How did you guys find him?" Lee asked looking at his father.

"We did not find him. He found us and he won't talk to anyone except Major Adama," the Admiral replied to Lee's question.

"It seems Apollo that you don't listen very well," Simon said to him in a cold voice. "We warned you to leave her alone and yet you ignored us." Simon pushed to his feet with little difficulty and approached the cell bars. "So be forewarned; WE ARE COMING FOR YOU LEE ADAMA!!" This last was shouted with so much venom that all three of the other occupants were forced to step back from the cell bars. And as they watched in horror, the cylons's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body crumpled to the floor.

"It would seem we have a problem," the President remarked looking at the two Adama men.