Bright, Shiny Futures - Chapter Thirty Three
Kara sighed dramatically. She knew enough not to act restless or worried in front of the police but the length of time and repeated questions were beginning to wear down her hard-fought calm.
"When did you last see your husband?"
"Haven't I answered that already? A half dozen times at least," she said, sarcasm evident in her words.
"Then answer it again," the detective - Nelson, his badge read - said patiently.
"I last saw him two nights ago at the Wyatt Sheraton Hotel in Washington DC," Kara said, fidgeting to get comfortable in the cold, metal chair.
"What were you doing?"
"Arguing."
"About what?"
She took a deep breath. "He thought I was having an affair with an old friend."
"And are you?"
"No."
"Why would he think that?" Nelson asked quietly.
"I don't know," she answered stubbornly. Answering him honestly would prolong the questioning - her relationship with Lee was complicated enough to keep her answering questions about it for weeks - and she wanted to get out of there are soon as possible.
"Maybe because he's the father of your oldest child?"
"Maybe."
Nelson consulted his notes. "You said earlier that he was."
She shook her head. "I meant maybe that's the reason why, not maybe that Lee is my son's father. He is."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Are you planing on resuming a relationship with him at any point?"
"I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at," Kara said warily. "Our relationship, such as it was, ended eight years ago. I put it behind me and moved on. Now I'm married to someone else." The back of her throat was dry, raw, but she was afraid to ask for a glass of water.
"But you share a child and that bond is a strong one," he objected.
"I have a child with my husband too," she said pointedly. "So what does that prove?"
"Love doesn't disappear so easily Ms Thrace. Just because people are apart for a time doesn't mean those feelings go away."
"Who said love had anything to do with it? Love isn't required to have sex."
"True, but we have someone who's come forward saying that Lee Adama was in love with you when you disappeared eight years ago and that he still is now."
"Who?" Kara demanded, face flushing.
"A woman named Kathryn."
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Laura Roslin had never felt so uncomfortable in her life, all fifty-seven years of it. The Vice President had tried to prepare her for the reception she'd get upon arriving in Iraq but she had trouble believing it when it actually happened as he'd described. The people stared at her with unmasked hatred. All of them. The President of Iraq had deigned to shake her hand and had murmured supposedly polite words (his dialect was very strange and she'd had trouble understanding him), but he'd pulled his hand away faster than politeness dictated and his eyes had had barely veiled distaste glowing from them visibly.
She was shaken. Even her opponents (and there had been a few back on Caprica as well as in the fleet) had treated her with more respect. Even the Cylons had! But it wasn't her place to show her feelings now. Her ruffled feathers would have to wait.
She marveled at the fact that there were no women present. None at all - even the people serving them were men. She mentioned it to the Vice President during a pause in the talks.
"Women have no rights here," he explained quietly. "I know it seems wrong," he continued at the shocked look on her face, "but women are considered property and exist merely to have children. It's very different from the way we do things in our country but this is a different place with a very different way of life."
"It's unacceptable," Roslin snapped in a whisper.
He smiled. "My wife would agree with you, as would most North American women. But our outraged opinions hold no sway here. We have to respect their rules when we're on their turf."
She grudgingly admitted it, but inside outrage was the least of the emotions she was feeling.
XXXXX
A full minute of silence went by as Kara's mind ran through every Kathryn she could remember. None of them were possibilities. Those that had known her back on Caprica were dead. Those that knew here now didn't know about Lee.
Lee's girlfriend. Former girlfriend. The thought blossomed in her mind. At least Lee found a woman who wasn't passive like Dee, was her next thought, but she chastised herself for having it. She had no right to judge, never had - she'd been the one who'd pushed Lee right into Dee's arms and made sure he'd stayed there by continuing to betray him.
She looked up and met Nelson's eyes, feeling her cheeks warming. "Perhaps he was in love with me back then," she said evenly, "but that doesn't mean I was in love with him."
"But you slept with him and had his child."
"Like I said, love isn't necessary for sex. He pursued me, I gave in. We were both married to other people at the time and it was just a physical attraction thing." Gods forgive me the lie, she begged internally.
His gaze narrowed. "I don't see you as the type to just sleep around for the hell of it."
It was the first time she'd ever appreciated the rumours. There was some truth to them but they'd been greatly overexaggerated and she'd never bothered to correct anyone. Who would have believed her? That had been part of the charm of 'Starbuck' - her colourful nature. Now it would come in useful as a way to prove she'd never loved Lee.
"Maybe not now ... but I used to be a little more free, if you know what I mean." She'd have winked to cement the role but the situation was too serious.
Nelson spent a few moments writing but his clipboard was angled so she couldn't read it. He got up and tucked it under his arm. "We'll need to do a little bit of checking on your story."
"Can't I go home while you do that? Who's going to take care of my children while I'm stuck here?"
He gave her a small, sympathetic smile and her heart lifted. She'd won him over. "I'll do my best to expedite things. If all goes well, you should be out of here tomorrow."
"If not?"
"You'll need to call a lawyer."
Kara sighed. "I probably should have before I said anything anyway."
"Perhaps. But I do appreciate that you were willing to cooperate."
Kara smiled and he returned it as he left the room. She sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair. It was going to be a long night yet.
XXXXX
Adama was not a stupid man. He could be stubborn and dogged, even when he knew he was completely in the wrong, but that didn't stop him from knowing he was making a mistake.
He knew two things with absolute clarity now - one, Laura Roslin was highly offended at the attitudes of their hosts and he was going to get an earful (or two) once they were alone. And two - the Iraqis weren't believing them. Heads were nodding politely but the hostility and disbelief in their eyes was nearly palpable. It didn't matter how eloquently they spoke or what words they used, these people were not going to believe their story.
It frustrated him knowing he had no ability to change it. It was like watching a train wreck. You could see what was coming and envision the terrible consequences but you were powerless to stop it.
He glanced surreptitiously at Helo. The two men had developed a rapport after so many years working closely together and needed only a glance to understand what the other was thinking. Helo knew. He was hiding his absolute and utter terror at the thought of nuclear war very well. Perhaps better than he himself was. They shared a quick look then both looked away, practiced in the art of keeping an even face, even in the face of disaster.
The discussions ended shortly after that and they were escorted to rooms for the night. Adama wasn't sure he was looking forward to spending an evening with his wife. As difficult as the discussions with the recalcitrant earthmen had been, he had a feeling Laura's venting was going to be even more unpleasant.
XXXXX
"Mommy ... "
The sound jolted Lee awake. He was disoriented for less than five seconds, then remembered he was in Kara's home - her bed in fact - taking care of her children. Their children. Parenting was new to him though, so being woken to the sound of a child crying out in the night caused terror to shoot through him, unlike any emergency klaxxon ever had.
"Mommy ... "
It took but a moment for him to figure out who's voice it was. He slipped into Sara's room and found her sitting up in bed. It was a trifle unnerving - she seemed perfectly calm.
"You're not mommy," she said softly.
He sat on the edge of the bed. "You're mommy's not here Sara."
"Where is she?"
"She needed to go with the police to talk to them."
She looked up at him with big eyes. "She needs to come back."
Lee didn't know what to say. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked, putting a gentle hand out to rub her back.
She shook her head. "Wasn't a dream."
"What happened?"
"She doesn't come with me. I want her to come." The little girl began sobbing and Lee gathered her into his arms.
"It's okay honey, your mommy will be back soon she's not going to leave you." He continued rubbing her back and murmuring soothing platitudes but she wouldn't be comforted.
"If mommy comes then you'll get left behind. I want both of you to come." She buried her face in his chest and it was all he could do not to cry. Partly because her hurts were cutting into him like a knife, partly because he was experiencing for the first time, the fierce joy of holding his child in his arms in comfort. Sara wasn't his child biologically but she was now his to love and protect, and that intense feeling of pride and possession ignited a fire in him that had never before seen the light of day.
"I promise both of us won't leave you. Wherever you go, we'll be there as a family." He squeezed a trifle harder. "Apollo and Starbuck will not be separated again," he added in an almost silent vow.
Footsteps padding along the hallway startled him for the second time that night.
"Dad? I mean Lee?" Zach whispered.
"I'm here Zach," Lee said, stretching an arm out invitingly. Zach walked over and stepped into his hug without pause for thought. Lee felt as though his heart was going to burst. And then it fell, as if made of concrete. If only Kara were here. Life would be complete. He made himself a vow then and there to do anything he had to, to get her free. Didn't matter if it involved breaking the law, doing what was right was more important. And this was right. He was supposed to have her back, that's how Apollo and Starbuck worked. It was especially important now, if what Sam had foretold was to come true.
"Where's mommy?" Zach asked, finally seeming to realize that Lee being the one to deal with middle-of-the-night interruptions was unusual.
Lee went through the short explanation again, heart breaking as he saw the look in his son's eyes. She's not coming back, is she? they said. He tightened his arm around Zach's back. "She'll be back soon, I promise. If she's not, I'll go get her myself and bring her back for you." My turn to save your ass Kara. He choked back a sob as his eyes filled with tears.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
The room fell silent.
"Can I sleep with you?" Sara broke the silence.
"Me too?"
Lee nodded. "Of course. But I think we're going to have to sleep in your mom's bed because this pretty little bed," he ruffled the covers, "just isn't big enough for the three of us."
Typical children, their cares fled in their haste to see who could get to the big bed first.
XXXXX
Cally watched as her husband and son both slept fitfully. Something was going on and she had no idea what it was. It affected both of them though, she could tell that much. She'd wanted to ask Galen but had been afraid to.
Their marriage hadn't exactly been picture-perfect. She'd known pretty much from day one that he'd 'settled' for her. She was second best and always would be, to Sharon. Even though Galen had said he was disgusted to learn she was a Cylon and had been happy to marry a human girl, she'd always known Sharon hadn't been far from his heart.
She'd tried though, because she'd thought she'd loved him, and having a child together would bring them closer. He'd been a dutiful husband and father all these years but they'd never become any closer than they'd been back in the beginning. And lately when she'd tried to get closer she'd discovered she really didn't know the man she'd married at all. He was bitter and angry and had snapped at her. She'd almost been afraid he'd hit her again.
Knowing that he was keeping secrets from her now cemented the decision she'd been debating before reaching Earth - she was going to leave him. And take Nicky. Whatever was plaguing Galen was also affecting Nicky. Maybe getting him away from his father would help.
She slipped out of bed and began to gather her things.
XXXXX
Tory's sleep was filled with restless, disturbing dreams. They were all different but each ended the same way - in Sam's death. She woke in a cold sweat. Sam was going to leave her. Somehow his destiny required him to sacrifice himself. And he will too, the big oaf, she thought tearfully. I don't want to lose him.
She smoothed back his curls, also wet from a restless night. "I don't want to lose you Sammy," she whispered.
He rolled over and opened one eye. "You're not going to lose me babe," he said sleepily.
"Yes I am. I saw it."
Sam sat up, fully awake. "You're having visions too?"
Tory nodded. "I think so." She wiped her eyes. "I kept seeing you ... "
" ... die?" he finished.
She nodded, eyes filling again.
"I've seen it too," he said softly, voice gentler than she'd ever heard it.
She slipped into his arms and lay her head against his chest. "I don't want to lose you," she repeated.
"And I don't want to die." The rumble of his chest tickled her cheek. "But if I have to ... "
She pulled back to look at him. "But you don't have to. You can choose not to follow that path, can't you?"
"I have to Tory. It's my destiny."
"Destiny, shmestiny. You choose your path, you don't follow some predetermined plan."
Sam shook his head as he climbed out the other side of the bed. "You don't get it, do you? We're all part of something bigger and we have our roles to play. Most of the time we just don't know what they are and stumble into them blindly. I've been shown the way."
"You mean our whole lives are already planned before us and we don't get to make any choices as to what we do? Everything we do is already foretold?"
"Of course we get to make choices," Sam argued. "But in the end you have to understand that your part in the plan is important and you can't just walk away once you understand what it is. It will all come unraveled then. I'll do everything I can to live life the way I want to, but my role has been revealed to me and I can't just ignore it. People will die if I do."
"People might die even if you don't," she argued back.
"Perhaps," he said noncommittally, pulling on his pants and a t-shirt. "I don't want to be responsible for watching people I care about die. I can't just do nothing."
"Where are you going?" tory stood and blocked his path.
"Out for a walk. I need to clear my head."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to ... "
"It's okay." He pulled her into his arms. "I know it's confusing and maybe a little frightening. But for the first time in my life I feel like I understand what my purpose is. And it feels good," he added in a whisper. "I'll just grab a few breaths of fresh air and be back in ten, okay?"
"Okay."
Sam took a deep breath and sighed as he shut the door behind him. Hopefully Tory's dreams would begin to make the picture clearer so they could work together instead of against one another.
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He thrashed around wildly for a few moments, disoriented and frightened. Then a voice - two voices, spoke words of comfort.
"It's alright Twelve. There's nothing to fear. You're home now."
A hand wiped his brow lovingly. He looked up into her face. Suddenly he remembered.
"Thank you Eight," he said softly, sitting up and grabbing the robe the other held out to him. He met her smile then turned to the other. "It's good to see you again Four."
"Do you remember everything?" the dark-skinned man asked as he wrapped the robe around his newly-reborn body.
"Yes. And I understand why the Ten did what he did. I wish I'd known of the Plan before I was sent out there though."
"You do understand why it was imperative that you didn't," the woman said earnestly.
"Yes. And I know what I have to do now."
TBC
A/N: Thanks to all of you for reading, and an extra big thanks to starpollo for posting this here for me. :)
