Bright, Shiny Futures Chapter Two

The sound of approaching footsteps stilled their conversation. It had waned now and again but Kara had worked to keep it going, both because she wanted to know every little thing about what had happened in her absence and because if she didn't control the conversation she was afraid they'd press her for details on her own life. She knew she'd have to spill them eventually but she wasn't ready yet. She needed more time.

The Vice President stood just outside the bars. "Your blood tests have all come out positive. It seems you're human," he said.

We tried to tell you that, Roslin thought with some acerbity, but held her tongue. She was enough of a politician to know not to antagonize the opposition with sarcastic comments when she was at a disadvantage.

"Are you going to let us go?" Adama asked.

"Well this young lady is free to go." He motioned at Kara. "Her identity checks out."

"I can vouch for them," Kara offered quickly. Both gave her quick smiles of gratitude.

"The President has agreed to let you out but you will remain under constant surveillance."

Roslin's eyebrow twitched.

"Think of it like having your own personal marine guard," Kara whispered.

"We will be transferring you to a safe location for debriefing."

"That just sounds like another prison to me." Adama's doubts couldn't stay hidden.

"It is, in effect," Kara explained. "But it's a five-star prison so you'll get to enjoy the finer things while you're there."

The Vice President nodded his head in agreement.

"What about the others?" Kara asked.

"They're being held at another facility."

"Guantanamo?"

He nodded.

"Let them go too. Please."

"You're willing to vouch for them as well?"

"Yes."

"You know every single person there?"

"Well no, but I know a lot of them personally. We traveled together for several years."

"The President will need verification of their identity and proof of humanity before letting them go free."

"Let me go talk to them - I can be the liaison between you and them," Kara begged.

The Vice President nodded. "Very well. Guards will escort you to your temporary home," he said, looking back at Adama and Roslin.

"I want to go with you to see the others," Adama demanded. His request was summarily denied. "I'm not going anywhere till I know they're okay."

Kara laid a hand on his arm and their eyes met in understanding. "I'll take care of it," she said softly. "I'll make sure he's okay. You have my word."

Roslin nodded at him and he backed down. "Okay," he whispered. "Take care ..."

"I will." She threw her arms around him again, reveling in the fatherly warmth as his arms, now free of the handcuffs, encircled her. How she'd missed it!

She gave Roslin a hug as well and the older woman returned it rather stiffly.

"Let's go," the Vice President said, bidding one of the guards to open the cell. They exited but Kara hung back a moment as the others walked away.

"May I have my phone back? I need to make a call before we go."

Adama moved slightly closer to the woman beside him as they walked, and took her hand in his. "It'll be okay," he whispered, knowing despite her bravado she still needed reassurance. She flashed him a grateful look as they continued.

Kara hung back still, trying to be as discreet as possible with her call.

"Hi."

"I miss you all too."

"They've let me go and are taking the others in for debriefing."

"I want to but they need me to talk to the others."

"Guantanamo Bay."

"I know! Like they're terrorists or something."

"I have to go Michael. You know why."

"Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow. Could you cancel my morning class for me?"

"Give them a hug and kiss for me."

"I can't, I have to go now."

"I love you too."

She flipped her cell phone shut and stuck it in the handbag the guard had also returned her upon leaving the cell.

Adama felt his heart constrict as he overheard her last words - 'I love you' She'd moved on. That wasn't going to sit well with Lee. He'd tried to move on after her death but he'd suffered as greatly at her loss as she had over Zak's and had ended up failing miserably.

He studied her as they walked, noting what he hadn't before in his surprise and excitement at finding her alive. She was different. There was a maturity about her that she'd never had before. Could have just been age but he didn't think so. It was the sort of maturity that came with responsibility ... with a family to care for. He'd seen the change in Helo and in Tyrol and Cally, and several others since Kara's disappearance.

His gaze flicked down to her hands and saw what he'd feared to find - a wedding ring. She was married - probably had children, and the person she'd called and said 'I love you' to was likely her husband. No, Lee was not going to have an easy time with this. He had a longtime girlfriend that he'd briefly talked of marriage with but Adama knew as soon as Kara was in the picture again things would become cloudy. They always did. Always had and probably always would. Kara was Lee's Achilles Heel - the one thing Adama was sure Lee felt he shouldn't want yet she was the one thing he'd always wanted above all else.

He sighed rather loudly, catching Roslin's attention. He nodded very slightly down at Kara's hand. Her eyes widened as she took it in. He knew she'd be surprised - Lee and Laura had occasionally had their falling outs but on the whole had been very close. She knew him as well as anyone. She must have known he'd always been in love with Kara Thrace.

As the guards pulled them in separate directions - Adama and Roslin being led down the corridor that led to the private hotel they were about to be ensconced in, and Kara to the elevator which would take her to a waiting taxi, Kara caught the Old Man's eye.

"Don't worry sir, I'll take care of everything."

Adama nodded, allowing a small smile to grace his face. It wasn't her fault Lee was going to fall apart. Eight years was a long time. She'd probably figured they were never coming and had finally moved on with her life. He couldn't blame her for that. "I know," he said softly. "Tell Lee ... tell him ..."

She nodded. "I will," she whispered, saving him from uttering those three words that were so hard for him to say aloud.

"And Kara, be careful."

XXXXX

"Forty five, forty six, forty seven, forty eight, forty nine ... fifty." Lee let himself collapse to the ground, sweat pouring down his temples.

"Nice job Adama."

He glanced up at Sam. "You should have joined me Anders." He'd just finished the third of three sets of fifty push-ups. Two-handed then one-handed with the left and one-handed with the right.

"Are you kidding me? In this heat? No way man."

"Wimp."

"Masochist."

They grinned at one another as Lee sat. Somehow, in Kara's death, they'd bonded in a way they never would have been able to if she'd lived. Two males fighting for the same female, one on home turf, one not. It had been a difficult struggle for them to work together till after she'd died when their mutual grief had brought them together. They'd grieved together, mourned her together, gotten drunk together and somehow had forged a solid friendship.

Lee sat back and exhaled, wiping the sweat from his eyes. Sam sat down beside him. "Do you think they're going to kill us?" he asked prosaically, not bothering with preamble. His voice was nearly a whisper.

Lee swallowed hard. "Not right away."

"Gods. Torture you think?"

Lee looked at him, gaze level. "I think they're going to get as much information out of us as they can, then they're going to kill us."

Sam shook his head. "I can't believe it."

Lee shrugged. "It's what we would do with the enemy. And have," he added, a sudden vivid picture of himself and Kara tag-team interrogating Leoben Conoy. Despair crept over him like an icy fog at the thought of her. He shivered despite the heat.

"You okay?" Sam asked, noticing the change in the other man's demeanor.

"Yeah, fine," Lee answered, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the memories.

Sam touched his shoulder briefly in a gesture of sympathy and understanding.

"It just never gets easier, you know? I try to move on but every time I think of her ..."

"It's love," Sam said after a pause. "The two of you were always meant to be together. I know she felt that way too, even if she couldn't admit it." Lee sniffed and Sam wasn't sure if it was in disbelief or sorrow. "If the situation were reversed I'd bet anything she wouldn't have forgotten you."

Lee leaned his head back against the fence. "I wish I could let go. I wish I could just forget her."

"You don't want to forget her Adama. She was a remarkable woman and she deserves to be remembered."

"Yeah, you're right. She really was something special, even if she was a pain in the ass most of the time." He smiled weakly. "I just wish I could think about her without it hurting so damn much."

There were no words Sam could say to that, so they just sat in companionable silence.

XXXXX

Kara was almost exhausted to the point of collapse, adrenaline the only thing carrying her through. She'd spent most of the plane ride being interrogated by agents who, despite their silence, obviously didn't believe her story.

She sighed heavily and leaned her head back into the pillowed seat. "I'm telling the truth. I know it's a strange story but it's all true. We're all human just like you and after our homeworlds were destroyed the only thing we wanted was to find Earth and live peacefully without being hunted down and annihilated."

"Uh huh."

She closed her eyes and began a long string of mental curses, some forgotten since her military days. If only she could open her eyes and this would all turn out to have been a dream! Is that what you really want Kara? Do you want to erase the last couple of days and go back to your life with Michael and the kids and always keep wondering if Galactica would show up someday or if they'd been destroyed? Or do you want the whole thing to have been a dream and wake up back on Galactica, stuck in a life you hated and wished you could find some way out of?

No, neither of those options appealed to her. The first was close as, though she'd missed Galactica and it's crew, she'd made a home and was happy here. But the chance to see Lee again, alive and here on the same planet? It was impossible to resist. She'd wanted this moment to come for so long ... she just wished they could cut out all the politics and just get to the bright, shiny futures they'd hoped for. What about your bright shiny future with Michael? Or is a bright shiny future with Lee what you really want?

She pushed those thoughts away quickly. She'd thought about them many times but as it had always remained an academic question and not reality she'd never had to come up with a concrete answer. Now that she was faced with the prospect of making that decision her mind was shutting off and letting instinct take over. What if he's still married to Dee? What if he has a family too? And what about Sam? After being missing and presumed dead for eight years does that make the marriage null and void? Is he even alive still? So many questions ... the answers would soon be forthcoming. She gripped the arms of her seat tightly, nervousness making her stomach feel nauseous.

"Please fasten your seatbelts. We will be beginning our descent shortly and anticipate landing within fifteen minutes."

The moment of reckoning would soon be here. She wasn't sure if the fluttering in her stomach was fear at the thought of the future or anticipation at seeing Lee again after all these long years.

XXXXX

The clang of the lock startled everyone as the guard opened the door to the building.

"Which one of you is Lee Adama?"

Lee stood slowly, back scratching against the fence on the way up. "I am," he said, almost lazily. Those who knew him well knew in fact that that he was anything but lazy. Though he'd sat unmoving and unspeaking for hours and now appeared to have given up, he had a plan and was forcing himself to be as relaxed as he could while executing it. "What do you want with me?"

"Someone wants to talk to you."

"Someone meaning one of your guards?" He hadn't yet moved a step forwards.

The guard shook his head but didn't elucidate. "Come," was all he said.

Lee obeyed without further questions, assuming the person he'd be seeing was his father or perhaps Laura Roslin.

What he saw the moment he stepped into the room was something that knocked the breath right out of him. Though he'd had many surprises come his way during the previous decade and he'd managed to roll with them, this was one he would never have been prepared to face, even if someone would have warned him.

The person standing before him in the drab, grey room was colourful and vibrant. Breathing, smiling ... alive.

Kara.

Her eyes were filled with joy and love. "Hi Lee."

TBC