Notes: This is mainly filler, I'm trying to kind of set the scene and get a feel for the characters. We will get there eventually, please be patient with me, and if you have any comments, good or bad, I'd love to hear them.

Chapter 2-

Leoben-

They had plotted the distance to be there in a few hours, they would have jumped in immediately but as the Ones put it, 'there was nothing quite like a slow stalk to build anticipation.' He had waited a year plus for his Viper pilot, a few hours wouldn't be too much more. At first just to see her, know she was alive, and probably with that Sam guy, or Lee if she was being really surprising. But than they wouldn't matter anymore, it would be him and her. Together.

He wondered about it all for a few moments, could it have been different? Could he and Kara already be together now if he was human instead of cylon? He felt human, or all the descriptions he had come across in the books he had read matched his own descriptions. And yet he wasn't, he couldn't die within resurrection range, he was strong, far stronger than they. But he had felt pain as they did, he loved, surely it would have been enough.

He remembered her hate as she spoke of him, her anger over what they had done to the colonies. He knew in her mind he would have to go from the bad guy to the good one than to something more. He felt he could do it; he had to, the want to hold her, to have her be called not Sam's girl, not Lee's girl, not even Zak's girl, but his girl. Leoben's girl.

Leoben had to believe it would change, he had nothing going for him if he had the smallest hope of it taken away. The ones lived for their purpose, to destroy all the humans that needed it, he was the two, Threes for whatever Messianic mission her mind had given her. He wasn't sure what her role in the stream was to be honest. The Fours lived for their work in creating a life and the Fives were the spitting image of grunt work, Six for her Doctor and keeping the Cavils in line. The Eights lived for keeping everything going and reminding them what it was like among humans. The Eight who liked to be called Boomer had lived among them the most time; she knew the most, what it was like to even love one.

It was why he was seeking her out now, to talk to her about it; he would need anything he could get to help get Kara to see he wasn't trying to hurt her. His boots made no noise as he walked down the steel floors, down to the area this Eight liked to stay in.

The door was open and he knocked on the door frame. He saw Boomer laying on her bed, reading a book. The book he realized was about the history of flying, how it all started with the simple machines. He watched as the cylon put her book down and turned to face him. He looked at what she put in as the bookmark; it was a picture from a long time ago, of her and a whole bunch of other people all in the Colonial Military uniforms. He picked out Kara's bright blonde hair instantly.

"Come in Leoben." she said quietly pushing the photo farther into the page of the book so he might not see it. He knew that though she had turned and embraced her cylon self, she still missed them, the easy friendship and the affection her humans had brought her.

He nodded in greeting, and before he could ask his questions, the Eight blurted out something. "Tell me the history of the 13 colonies. I know I have it but I want to see it from another's perspective. To actually be told it and not programmed with it." Leoben could see it was the last part that had bothered her, though the vote had been unanimous to send the Eight copy off on her mission to be programmed as a human, let her be human for a long time than strike, none of them had given much thought to how this eight, being told she was human than having it all jerked from under her feet would feel.

He paused; they had a few hours, why not? "It all began on Kobol." He started referring the small green planet they and the humans had both fought on. "That was the birthplace of all mankind. It was there they become, created, and therefore began to learn. They thrived. But the 13 colonies had to leave their home, and it was there the 13th tribe decided to strike out there own way. They left on a different ship, and the oracle Pythia spoke of a planet named Earth was where they went. The other 12 went on to their colonies with their capital Caprica.

"There on Caprica and the other planets, their societies rose again, fighting one another for land, people, riches, wealth any number of things. But it is important for it is where our own race began. They built machines, creating life, playing God. And when they kept on treating the machines unfairly, the robots turned on their masters. It was the first cylon war.

"I was not around for the cylon war, it was before our time. Ones may know some, him being the oldest of us, but just a bit. He says he came near the very end when the armistice was declared.

"For forty years, nothing happened. The humans, human as they are, slowly began to forget. Forget the old Centurion models that had battled so hard against them, they allowed themselves to slip into peace, and the stream of forgetfulness. But we did not forget, we did not feel humanity had paid enough of their debts to us, and such, we began to continue to plan.

"Six, Caprica Six, was supposed to get into the Defense Mainframe through Dr. Baltar, she would help him with him military navigation systems and she would re-write the program, allowing us into the system. Plant her logic bombs in the defense mainframe and they never stood a chance. We used the back way in all their military navigation systems to shut down their spacecraft, the battlestars, the Vipers and the scouting Raptors and than it wasn't a problem, just shot them down, launch the nuclear missiles.

"So we used that to destroy most of the humans except for the human fleet whose numbers are hovering near the 40,000 mark, many of them civilians." he finished, uncomfortable with the story, they were the facts, but those facts were the precise reason when he had met Kara when found aboard a ship and was a cylon, she had taken to shoving his head in bucket of water. He didn't care, he loved her anyway.

His blue eyes looked at Boomer, who took in this information carefully. She seemed sad to him, and he felt bad. She had asked for the information, and yet, it seemed cruel to have dumped it all on her like that. Neither spoke for a moment or two, the only sound was silence.

"I actually have a question for you." He said, trying to break the silence around them, it growing uncomfortable, even for him. The man, the man who was a machine, who wasn't human, who couldn't die like any other of his race, had a hard time bearing this silence. Eights were impulsive, and there were times when he wondered if she was going to hug or kill him. Added with her emotions going to extremes were dangerous, but it was just the way she was made.

She took a moment to hear him, as though he was trying to get through to her from a long way. Like a long time ago, when it took measurable seconds to go from one part of a phone conversation through the other. Her dark brown eyes looked at him and she didn't need to say the words to let him know he had permission to ask.

"I was looking through the things for the materials we have for New Caprica. And I was wondering if you would be willing to lend Kara some clothes" he started, everyone on board knew of this copy's, obsession, with the Human Viper pilot.

Boomer nodded, and got up from the bed and went over to an almost hidden door, and opened it up with a palm of her hand. Even though she had said she left her old life behind here was remnants of it, pictures, even her old uniforms with the human colonial emblem sewn proudly on them. A flight suit even, they could have used that. He didn't tell anyone else, the Cavils would grow annoyed, The D'Annas would call her names and going back with what she had originally wanted to do, box her or put her in cold storage, Simons and the Dorals would plot ways to get even, most of the Sixes, which all had a different name, wouldn't understand and get angry.

She wordlessly, opened a few drawers and took things down from hangers, when she returned he saw things he hadn't quite thought of in her hands, the standard of the gray and black military tank tops and a few pairs of pants, she wordlessly folded them in that neat way women seemed to have a way with.

The Cylon handed it to him and opened her mouth to speak. "There are some things you need to know about Kara, she's a fighter, but she's also a survivor. She will try and do both, when she starts to falter in a will to live you're in trouble. You're going to get killed, and you're going to download." The Eight thought about saying more, but he knew to her Kara was a friend. Betraying a friend felt wrong. Even now, on opposite sides of a war, she still felt loyalty to the loudmouthed Captain who had played cards with her.

"Thank you," The words leaving his mouth, it was such a human thing, and such expressions offended some models, and yet, he needed all the advice he could get. If the memories he had of her were anything to go by, precious few as they were, he had his work cut out for him.

Sam-

There were times when Samuel T. Anders wondered how he had had ever gotten so lucky. The world had ended, everything he had ever known had come crashing down, and yet, he had to be the happiest he'd ever been in his life.

He felt like he had a purpose now, he wasn't just some athlete who played pyramid ball, he was so much more than what he had been. Husband to the best Godsdamn soldier he'd ever met, if Kara got her way, which she would, he was never able to say no to her, he'd be a Dad and a face to the people. Back on Caprica after the attack he proved to be more than just a Pyramid player, he was a leader.

It was kind of cool really, he saw respect in the Galatica and Pegasus Battlestar crew and he'd never put on a uniform. Respect from the admiral even, though it came with the warning if he ever broke Kara's heart he'd be out the airlock in less than five minutes. But Sam had no intentions of destroying the woman who'd become his world.

Speaking of the wife, she was awake and looking down at him concerned, and he knew without even having to say it she would speak with the Doctor. Meaning to say something, he sat up and coughs hacked his tall frame. Kara's hazel eyes flickered a bit, upset, she hated him being sick and he knew it.

The silence stretched a moment while she tried to think of what to do, "Do you want some water, another blanket, more soup, anything?" she asked, sitting on what passed as a chair next to the bed and gently pushed his light brown hair away from his face. Kara bit her lip and he again, cursed this sickness.

"I wanna go play Pryamid." he said, referring to the game that was no doubt going on at the edge of camp, his spot taken by the pilot who called himself Jackpot. He couldn't manage to pass to save his life, but he was a good shooter. The game was calling to him; it was one of the good things still left in his life.

She sighed, "You can't play sick Sam, you'll only get sicker. I'm going to find Dr. Cottle, if you're not in this bed when we come back than," she stopped trying to think of something. It was a game they played, there were certain things they both thought unfair to deprive themselves of, so it usually consisted of extra chores. Like doing the dishes for a week, making dinner and other things Kara or himself didn't like to do.

"Than you don't get to play pyramid for a week. You get to sit on the sidelines and watch me take your place in the game." she smiled knowing she had him trapped; she could play a good game, but often had the tendency to play slightly unfair. He decided to go play a part of a game anyway, anything was better than sitting around and being sick.

"Be a good little boy Sammy and maybe the doctor will give you a sticker." She snickered as she went out the tent flap being Starbuck today. Starbuck and Kara were two different people and yet they were the same. Starbuck was her callsign, how other pilots recognized them without saying name or rank. And yet Starbuck was the pilot who pissed off the EX-O, did daring things and had more cylon kills than anyone else in the fleet, Kara was his wife who had confined him to bed. It wasn't even that bad, she was just over-reacting.

As he waited to make sure she was gone, he thought to himself, and how much it was in her character. Her doting on him didn't seem right, and yet, he pulled himself up and forced himself to tie his boots, just a little bit of Pyramid would make him feel better. That was the only medicine he needed, she was just over-reacting.

Peering out the door frame of the tent he made sure she rounded the long row of tents and went to the other side of the tent city, before he left. He passed a couple people and he waved at Chief and his pregnant wife Cally.

He broke into a jog, coughing a bit as he went along. The exercise felt good after being forced to lay in bed and do nothing but sleep and be spoon-fed. He wasn't near one hundred percent, but he felt he needed it.

Making it to the Court those he played with smiled and those who were on his opposing team faces' fell.

"So Sam, the wife finally let you out?" one of those who had been with him on Caprica called out, teasing him, everyone knew better than to make any comment about Kara, in his hearing anyways.

Before he could speak up to say he had snuck out another person from his team spoke up, one of Galatica's knuckle draggers or ship repairmen spoke up. "Of course she did, the Great Samuel Anders does everything she tells him to, Sit Sam, stay Sam, make me dinner Sam." he said amused, than abruptly threw the pyramid ball at Sam's head.

His hands easily reached up and caught the ball. Now we see how close to being better I really am. Feinting left and turning right last second before anyone can stop him, shoots the ball and he scores.

And the game has begun, despite it being harder to breathe than normal, and he goes from doing all the major plays, to blocking and passing immediately, Pyramid feels right. When he turns to block the marine with the ball opposite of him suddenly stops and stares behind him.

The game is paused and if you had really good hearing, you could hear the sound of a boot, standard military issues tapping against the ground. When you first saw her she didn't seem all that intimidating, medium small frame, long light blonde hair, the glare was a clue but when you saw her act, things changed. She moved with a purpose, a precision not seen by many from afar yet up close, you could understand how she had racked up the record of most cylon kills the Colonial fleet had ever known. She even beat the Admiral's record from the first cylon war.

She took in a breathe and silently Sam waited, and before she could go off on one of her famous Starbuck rants, a series of coughs hacked his frame, and her expression changed a bit. "Come on Sam," she said crossing the court, and taking his muscular arm and pulling with surprising strength. "You're sick."

He didn't resist, playing had made him dizzy and he wondered what idiot part of his mind had thought playing would make him feel better. It had made him feel alive before, but now he felt drained.

The same Knuckle dragger from before couldn't resist one more comment. "Sit Sam Sit!" he called at the couples retreating back. Without pausing his wife flipped him the bird much to the other players' amusement and the game began again. Going back toward the Doctor, he hated Doctors, something about them made his skin crawl, they were quiet, not saying very much.

Kara-

If anyone asked why she had been with Cottle so long before finding Sam out of bed, which she knew he would do, she would have said he was busy. But they weren't busy in fact. Because every six months Dr. Cottle got out a medication, shot it up her arm, and she wouldn't have to worry about any unwanted consequences from the celebration nights she had before Sam or anything the couple weren't ready for. And with the President pushing her whole 'the human race must survive' which was code for go jump in a bed, she would be pressured into keeping the baby. And since no one told Starbuck what to do, they couldn't yell at her, and she couldn't frak it all up, if she and Sam planned to have a baby right?

Cottle had at first been, rightly surprised. For one of the few who saw the effects of her mother on her x-rays and Kara's insistence she wasn't having a baby, ever. He was a bit more than surprised.

He had even wondered if she was joking and tried to tell her to think it through some more. But she had been thinking, and even though it sounded horrible, morning sickness, back-aches, even if she went back to Galatica she couldn't get in a viper. Being with Sam, down here, made her realize life wasn't all guns, and shooting and bothering the hell out of the Ex-O and getting away with it, that there was that nice stuff fairy tales talked about but never quite could capture.

So she convinced him to give her appointment to Sam, and he agreed. Walking back with Sam, she wondered if she should tell him about it. But looking up at him, she didn't want him to worry. Despite his insistences he was fine, he wasn't. Anyone could see that, and no one was going to know it scared her.

Arriving at the tent sure enough Cottle was waiting for her, smoking a cigarette as usual and his hands on his hips. Sam got another coughing fit and she resisted the urge to scream at the Doctor to fix him. Kara had a bit of a control issue, when something went on she could not have any part in controlling she freaked. To an extent she could control Sam, not wanting to, she could control Lee a bit, knowing what buttons to push to get him to just let her have her own way, if Kara Thrace did not have a part in controlling whatever came up she couldn't stand it.

True to his word the doctor didn't say anything to her, knowing when the Great Starbuck made up her mind it was made up. He looked at Same and said with a brief grunt "Get in here."

She followed him into the tent, it was messy true but there was a method to the madness. It was clean, sanitary, and everything had a place. Cottle didn't say anything, just began to talk to Sam and she mentally tuned them out, thinking.

What would Sam say? Would he freak out, would he be happy, or would he get mad at her? As much as she hated it she wondered what Lee would think too. Roslin would be happy she had finally gotten Kara to start a family and the Admiral would say something along the lines of being a Grandfather. But if it really happened, well...

The Doctor brought her out of her mental state, "He has pneumonia." he announced, in his way, and was about to light another cigarette until she gave him a death glare.

"Is it fatal?" she asked, trying to sound normal but slowly she was losing control, and she hated it.

"He's young. He's healthy. He has a very high chance." The Doctor shrugged clearly not very worried but she wasn't going to give up so easy. Sam had fallen back asleep and she looked at the man who had patched her up after so many fights.

"What can I do? surely there's medicine or..."

The doctor cut her off. "Medicine's scare. It goes to the really sick which he isn't at yet. Look if you really feel the need go bother Commander Adama who is sitting on an entire hoard of the antibiotics. But some more soup, rest, should be fine. The worst of it is over, he should be back and going in a few days."

She nodded, dreading the prospect of talking to Lee.

Lee and her went way back. Back to when he was just promoted to Captain and she was a hot-shot problem pilot. Way back before she met Sam, rumor had it she got off so easy because she had a certain Captain under her thumb. The rumors weren't too far off. They were friends than they got into something else and than it seemed to break. That was her and Lee, it'd be fine, could almost be called the start of a relationship and boom. Than she went back to Caprica and met Sam.

After that Lee had always pulled her in tighter. And Starbuck and pulled away from it, and she eventually broke her heart, because when she had to chose she choose Sam. Good easy Sam, asking for her affection, putting up with her and her antics. He let her have space when she got mad at him or fracked something up.

She went to a raptor nearby used for communication. No one was there so she hopped in the cockpit, it still felt natural after a long time, and popped in the launch key. She put in her colonial ID and boom, the Raptor had power. Now to say the right things.

She scanned and found BattleStar Pegasus's frequency, and bit her lip before going on the air. "Pegasus this is Starbuck, request to speak with Commander do you read?"

For a moment she got no answer and questioned calling again when Dee, Lee's wife and the girl he had replaced her with, so easily after she tried to get to terms with the fact she'd probably have never gotten to see Sam again and told Lee to frack off. Her voice was tight and controlled and yet, she knew Dee would be listening in, too afraid that Lee's marriage vow to her wouldn't have been enough,

She rolled her eyes, he wasn't smart enough to cheat and had no poker face at all. He couldn't lie to save his life.

Being let through she heard his voice on the line, "Hello Sir. The rumor down here is you have same anti-biotics and Sam, Sam's sick." it was hard talking to Lee. He had told her he loved her multiple times, and yet here she was, asking him for meds for her sick husband.

"Who told you that?" His voice was neat and clipped, though she could detect hurt in it. Well good, she had fallen for both him and Zak, she was done with what happened around them.

"Dr. Cottle." she answered as fast as possible, not wanting any silences. She waited for Lee's over thinking brain to figure out that if Cottle told her the big secret than it must be bad.

"Alright, I'll send a raptor down with them today they should be there by-" he was cut off by people yelling in the background. She only managed to catch one word. Cylons. She hung up the wireless, and raced out of the raptor, grabbing a fairly large gun, a heck a lot more ammo than she could use in a fight and looked up.

The specks of the fleet were jumping away, and she could see Cylon raiders flying over head, it felt so odd to see them, but not be in a cockpit with some firepower at the tips of her fingers, waiting to be deployed into some machine.

The sight was scarily beautiful.