It was a regular day in Pegasus… or as regular as it could be. In every corner, people commented the most recent juicy news of the ship: the commander getting married to the CAG a week ago. Nobody was really bothered by that fact, the fraternization regs had been called off anyway… they just craved for good old (and, according to Starbuck, annoying) gossip.

The CIC was, as always, so quiet that people could fall asleep. It was a usual scenario these days: life in a battlestar during a time of peace was just boring, there was no other word.

"So, I was thinking of spending a couple of days back in New Caprica, starting tomorrow," Helo announced to Lee, who was distractedly drawing circles on the margins of a piece of paper. "I think I just need to breathe real air for a while…"

"You're not going to disband us too, are you?" Lee asked in alarm. Having another XO doing a bunk on him was simply not something he wished.

"Of course not," Helo replied immediately. "It's just a couple of days, like a weekend off to relax."

"Oh," Apollo said in relief. "Well, as long as you get back, feel free to go."

"Thanks. I also needed a favor from Kara…"

Lee stared at his XO. He looked kind of fearful, almost guilty. "What kind of favor?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I wanted her to go visit Sharon for me while I'm gone," Helo stated. He hated to leave Sharon alone, even though she insisted he spent a few days in New Caprica. She needed someone to talk to… especially now. "Do you think she'll do it?"

Lee sighed. As much as he knew his wife, her reaction to that kind of request was just something he could not predict. Apparently, not even Helo, who had known her since she wore diapers, could do it. "You'll have to ask her, yourself. You know how Kara is…"

"Yeah," Helo agreed. If Kara Thrace had a middle name, it would surely be 'unpredictable'. "Any advice?"

"Nope, you're on your own, pal," Lee replied, patting his back.

--

Since she had received the files related Roslin's friend, Maya Luvana, Kara had spent most of her free time analyzing them thoroughly in order to find something wrong, a little inconsistence, a lie… and she found it.

Forgotten in the end of the file, there was a copy of a birth certificate of a boy who had been born five months before Isis. Stapled to that document, was a death certificate indicating that that baby had died three days after his birth with a lung infection. His mother was none other than Maya.

So, Isis couldn't be Maya's daughter, at least not biologically. Why does her birth certificate say otherwise? Kara asked herself. So, it was no coincidence that after Isis' 'birth', Maya had moved from the Celestra to the Thera Sita. She didn't want anybody to know that her daughter was not hers biologically. That could only mean one thing: the adoption hadn't been completely legal…

But at the same time she celebrates for being right, Kara was unsure of what to do… The kid was a day away from becoming six months old, so she and Maya were probably attached already… Did she have the right to separate the two of them even though the adoption had been shady? Maybe the kid would be better off like she was now…

She just sat by her desk in the CAG's office thinking about the pros and the cons of making an intervention in the matter.

"You look thoughtful," she heard her best friend saying by the door.

"That's because I'm thinking," she told Helo, closing Maya's files and discreetly covering them with some paperwork she had filled earlier. Lee had made her promise that she would keep that investigation a secret unless she found something illegal and, of course, he would have to be the first to know about that. "You should try that sometimes, people say it makes you look smart."

"Oh, thank you," the XO said, pretending to be touched.

"So, what are you doing here? Don't you have stuff to do in the CIC? Is it all fun and no work these days?" she joked.

"Like you have a lot to as the CAG too…" he mumbled, occupying a chair in front of her. "I just needed to ask you something."

"Spill it," Kara commanded.

"Well, I'm gonna spend a couple of days in New Caprica…" he started.

"And you want me to go with you," she finished in a mocking tone. It was just too hard to resist making fun of him. "Sorry, Karl, but I'm married. To your boss, by the way…"

"Ha, ha, very funny," he pretended to laugh. "Stop joking, I'm serious. I need a favor," he told her with a serious face. "I wanted to ask you to visit Sharon while I'm gone…"

Kara took a deep breath. She was still unsure about how she felt about Sharon Valerii. Boomer had been a good friend before she turned out to be a cylon. But that was not Boomer, as much as she had her memories…

"Why me?" she questioned Helo.

"Because you are my best friend and I trust you. And because you don't hate her like many people do," he stated simply.

She didn't hate Sharon; that was a fact. Not after she had saver her ass from the other toasters back in Caprica. The gods knew what they would have done if Sharon hadn't told the resistance where she was… And Helo. Kara owed him a lot. The guy had always been there for her. Time to return the favor, she thought. "What time do I need to be there?"

"Whenever you want," he replied with a smile. He knew she wouldn't let him down.

"So, what am I supposed to talk to her about?" Kara inquired. She didn't want to touch a nerve or something. Having a toaster freak out in front of her was not in her plans.

"I don't know. The same stuff you talk about with me," Helo told her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to reminisce about our childhood together and tease her about embarrassing stuff?" she asked skeptically.

"I meant trash people, whine about the paperwork and joke around. If she's looking low, you can tell her about one or two embarrassing stories about me. But not the one about the Henson girl," he warned her.

Kara snorted, remembering the situation. "You mean the hot redhead who left you tied to a bed in some crappy motel after taking your car?" she asked. "You really suck."

"Don't say that out loud!" he whispered furiously to her as he got up from the chair and approached the door. "You're the worst friend ever!" he said before exiting the door.

She kept laughing, knowing he didn't mean it. "Have a nice time down there! Watch out for your raptor. You don't want some girl to take it away!"

--

Hours passed and Kara was still thinking about a reason for all the secrecy that surrounded the little girl's adoption. Maybe it was the biological parent's request. Maybe they didn't have a say in anything… Maybe Kara should just forget it all; it was not like the kid wasn't being cared.

She decided to leave it all behind for a few hours, talk to Lee about it – his deep knowledge about the law would help – and then figure out what to do about that information. She had promised to visit Sharon… maybe she would drop by the brig now. Yeah, I'll do that, she decided.

As she strolled to the hack, Kara thought of how she had never been behind the bars of Pegasus's brig. Lee was rubbing on her. Plus, most of the people whose ass she wanted to kick were not in that ship. Hotdog, she reminded herself. She still owed him payback… Public humiliation would be a good choice. Going physical on his ass would only get her one night behind bars in Galactica and she was so not willing to spend that time away from Lee because of that little frakker. Yep, if her plan went like it was supposed to, Constanza would want to crawl into a deep hole and hide for the rest of his life – served him good for gossiping like an old hag.

When the brig came into view, Kara greeted the guard – good old Corporal Venner that, so many times, had secretly played Triad with her when she was locked in Galactica's 'cage' – who took her to the prisoner.

Sharon was lying on a sofa that had been settled against one of the walls of the cell. Kara could tell that she was just bored out of her skull.

"You can leave us alone, I'll knock on the door when I need to get out," she told Venner, who nodded, closed the cell's door behind her and left. "Hey," she said, getting Sharon's attention.

"Starbuck?" she asked in surprise, moving to a sitting position. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Helo tell you that I would be visiting you while he was in New Caprica?" Kara inquired confused. Could he have left without telling Sharon?

"Yes, but he already visited today. I assumed you'd only come tomorrow…" the cylon explained.

"Oh," she mumbled, feeling stupid for not figuring that one out. Well, too late now, Kara thought, sitting on a chair in front of the sofa Sharon occupied. "I guess you'll have to put up with me today too."

"It's okay," Sharon responded. "So, how are things? Karl mentioned that you and Apollo got married. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Kara said dimply. She was not sure of what to say to Sharon… Would talk about the outside life be offensive? She wondered.

"Uncomfortable much?" the cylon asked.

"Kind of," she admitted. Could toasters read minds? Sharon seemed to be able to read her face like a book.

"Just tell me what you think about me," she told Kara. "I know you have no problem in stating your opinion. I promise I won't kill you because of it."

Kara was tempted to do just that. Why not? It was either that or a deeply odd silence. "Remember when I told you there were times when I looked at you and forgot you're a toaster? It's just weird. I feel like I'm looking at Boomer but you're not her. I'm not sure if I know you. Sometimes I think I can trust you, like I did last time we were in Caprica. Sometimes I look at you and I see one of them. And, at the same time, my best friend loves you, has complete faith in you. Can he be so wrong? Believe me, he rarely is. So, you are a big frakked up mystery in my head."

Sharon sighed. Well, Starbuck was surely confused. At least she wasn't completely disgusted by the simply idea of her, like most of the people were. "I may not be Boomer, but I see you the same she saw you – awesome pilot, good friend, always getting yourself in trouble –, I remember the same things she remembered… I just didn't do the things she did, like shooting the Old Man. And as for trusting me, that's up to you, no matter what Helo thinks."

That seemed to be enough to break the ice. "Glad we're clear," Kara said.

"Me too," Sharon agreed. "Now, how's being the CAG of a half-empty ship?"

They talked casually for an hour or so, not life friend, more like old acquaintances. It helped passing time… Kind of reminded Kara of the 'old' Sharon.

"What's the real reason who Helo went down to New Caprica these two days?" Kara finally asked. It had been bugging her for hours. Helo wasn't the type who decided to take a vacation just out of the blue. Especially leaving Sharon behind. Visiting the surface for a few hours, sure. But staying two days down there?

"I told him to. He's been playing strong for months but I know that he's still heartbroken because of Hera… I figured now would be a good time for him to grieve and he won't do it close to me - he doesn't want me to get upset," Sharon explained sadly. "She'd turn six months tomorrow…"

Kara regretted making the question. If she knew it would lead to their dead daughter… Six months. She felt sorry for them.

But then it hit her. The puzzle started to form in her mind. Everything was related. Six months. On my gods, she thought.

"I have to go," Kara said abruptly, getting up and knocking on the cell's door. "It was good talking to you. See you tomorrow."

Venner opened the cell and let her out. As soon as she reached the battlestar's main hallway, Kara started to run to the CIC… to Lee.

She never imagined that she would get the answer for the mystery that surrounded Isis from Sharon. Six months old… Of course the kid looked familiar; Kara had to put up with her father all her life! The decision was made in her had. She wouldn't leave things like they were now. Helo deserved more than that. Even Sharon.

She entered the CIC and approached her husband breathlessly. "We need to talk," she declared, pulling him to the hallway.

"Kara? What's wrong?" he asked and he was dragged to an arms locker just outside the CIC.

She locked the door behind her and turned to Lee with a grave expression.

"I figured out what's up with that kid, Isis," Kara told him. "She's Hera Agathon."

A/N: Cliff...hanger. I'm mean, I know. Sorry for the delay - my inspiration was low this week... Now, you know what to do. 10 reviews preview in my live journal (profile). Please, people, review! It's just a minute.